Halal decided to stop by at Jacques' house before going back to Darrell's. Jacques was more than surprised to see her but he was pleased that she had come.
"Halal, dear" Jacques pulled her into a hug. "How have you been? You look lovely by the way" Jacques complimented.
"Thanks, I thought I'd see how you were doing before going home" Halal smiled following him as he led her to the dinner table.
"That's nice of you Halal, I've been trying to contact you too. You didn't receive any of my messages?" Jacques asked sitting down. "I did.....I've been busy" Halal replied sitting next to him.
Jacques nodded thoughtfully. "So how has work been, how is everyone at the office?" Halal asked playing with a tea cup on the dining table.
"Fine but....it could be better" Jacques said. Halal knew he meant it could be better if she still worked with him.
Halal smiled politely "Have you had dinner?" Halal asked. "No....Maria is preparing my dinner. Would like to stay over for dinner?" Jacques asked.
"I would love to but...I'm not sure I can eat at all" Halal said.
"I understand, I'm sure Maria knows some dishes that might entice you. She has been pregnant too, she has several children" Jacques said.
"Thank you" Halal smiled looking about the dining room. "What are your cravings?" Jacques asked. "I like chicken, chicken and toasts are the only thing I like these days. Perhaps a chicken sandwich will be fine" Halal said.
"Okay, I'll tell Maria. Make yourself at home" Jacques said before getting up to leave the table. Halal nodded and took out her phone from her bag to text Darrell.
'I'll be home late' she texted and waited for him to reply. Jacques came back to the table minutes later, this time he was holding a photo album. "Here, thought you'd like to see this" Jacques placed it in front of her.
"What is this?" Halal asked. "It's a photo album, after I heard about Marilyn's death, I compiled a couple of pictures from our photo sessions" Jacques responded.
"I'm not sure I want to see more nude pictures of my mother" Halal smiled. "These aren't nudes Halal" Jacques said gently.
"Okay" Halal said before opening the album. She stared at the picture staring back at her, it felt like she was staring at herself. "I..I don't have her nose" Halal observed.
Jacques smiled "Other than that, you two could pass for twins" He said sitting beside her.
Maria arrived minutes later with their dishes. "Chicken Cordon bleu rolls" Maria beamed at Halal.
Halal's eyes widened at the dish. "Wow thanks Maria" Halal said picking up a fork. She took a bite out of the food. "Mmm, this is so tasty" Halal said.
"Can I get the recipe?" Halal asked. Maria shook her head with a frown. "Maria guards her recipes jealously. She says it's been in her family for generations" Jacques explained.
"Oh" Halal mouthed and smiled politely at Maria. "I can have her prepare a takeaway pack for you" Jacques offered.
"Thanks, that would be really nice" Halal answered. For a brief moment, she welcomed the idea of accepting Jacques as her father.
"We have to talk, not at the hospital though. Can I pick you up at your house tomorrow?" Darrell asked Felicity over the phone.
'Okay. No problem, stop by at eight o'clock' Felicity said. Darrell nodded before ending the call. He received a text from Halal but didn't bother to check it.
He was still angry at her and wondered how long she would continue to hide the truth from him. She was so unpredictable at times, it annoyed the hell out of him.
Halal came back later at night, she noticed Darrell was moody and decided to give him space.
She briefly wondered if he'd be happy knowing she was pregnant, who knew?
"What's up, what's urgent?" Felicity asked sitting beside Darrell. Worry was painted on her face.
"It's about Halal" Darrell frowned. Right now Felicity was the only person he could trust. Felicity and Harvey.
"What's wrong, is she okay?" Felicity asked. She didn't like the troubled look on Darrell's face.
"Halal is pregnant" Darrell revealed. "For.....Her husband?" Felicity asked gently.
"No, she's pregnant with my child" Darrell responded. Felicity clapped her hand excitedly "Oh my God, I'm so happy for you. Congratulations D, this is good news" Felicity said grinning.
Darrell shrugged "It would be great news if Halal wasn't in danger, if the baby isn't already in danger. We've already told everyone that she's pregnant, anything could happen" Darrell said.
"Oh....." Felicity's expression paled immediately. "I'm so sorry D" she said.
"It's not your fault, we didn't know she was pregnant at that time. I learned about it yesterday" Darrell said.
"All hope isn't lost yet Darrell, Halal will be fine. The baby will be fine also. We will keep her away from the hospital. The good thing is you're her gynaecologist. You can attend to her at home, she doesn't have to come to the hospital. Also, most women have babies at home, Halal will be fine. Trust me Darrell, we won't let anything happen to her or the baby" Felicity assured him.
Darrell smiled at her optimism, he'd always loved that about her. "Thanks Felicity, you're the best" Darrell said.
"You're welcome" Felicity said. "Oh and can we keep this away from Harvey for now? I don't want him to know I got my patient pregnant, I'm pretty sure he won't like that" Darrell said seriously.
"I won't breathe a word to him. I'm so happy for you and Halal, who knew you'd meet your true love and finally settle down in Nigeria?" Felicity asked smiling.
Darrell smiled back "Halal and I go a long way. We were actually in a relationship before she got married, circumstances broke us up but I'm happy we're back" Darrell explained.
"Awwwn, I'm so happy I brought you back to Nigeria to meet your true love. I feel like your fairy godmother" Felicity said.
Darrell chuckled "You're such a hopeless romantic" Darrell said amused.
Felicity smiled "So I hope you'll be naming your daughter after me" Felicity teased.
Darrell smiled back, a daughter? It only just dawned on him that he was going to be a father. Happiness and pride bubbled within him, he closed his eyes thinking about how Halal must be feeling.
'Hello, is this Doctor Matthew from Western Pride hospital Ibadan?' The caller asked Doctor Matthew the minute he answered.
"Yes, how may I help you?" Doctor Matthew asked.
'I'm calling on behalf of Doctor Harvey concerning one of the patients. Miss Victoria, who was transferred from our hospital to yours'
"There's been no improvements madam, no response from the patient. Will you be coming over on Saturday to check on the said patient?" Doctor Matthew asked.
'No, I would like to pull the plug. Stop all treatments, the patient's family will be sent over instead to handle the rest'
"Are you aware that you're ordering for the death of the said patient. Without oxygen or treatments she's as good as dead" Doctor Matthew asked skeptically .
'I'm aware of what I'm asking for, like I said I'm calling on behalf of Doctor Harvey'
"Can I speak with Doctor Harvey?" Doctor Matthew asked.
'No, I'm afraid. Doctor Harvey is currently not available and won't be available for a long time. If you continue treatments, you'll be solely responsible for the patient. Good day Doctor Matthew'
Doctor Matthew stared at his phone in shock. What the hell was going on, didn't this clueless doctor know that there were standard procedures for something as crucial as this?
How could the doctor cruelly ask him to take a life? There was still a chance that the patient might respond to treatment, he couldn't give up on her. He had to talk to Doctor Harvey, it was his job to save lives, not end it.