“What’s wrong?” her concern is immediate
“Nothing. Just that I can tell Daniel is a bit jealous of Teni, and I don’t get why he would be jealous of a guy I broke up with and I've blocked from calling me.”
“Did you tell him Teni would be at the wedding?”
“Yes, I didn’t want to hide that from him.”
“And you wonder why he’s still a bit jealous, considering Teni is not moving on.”
“Well, I will share my itinerary with him. Hopefully that will ease his mind.”
“With the way Daniel is all over you, I’m surprised he’s not coming to Canada with you.”
“I wasn’t giving room for that.” I snicker
She laughs.
We finish our shopping and return to her place. I might spend the night there. Daniel had to travel to New York again. The rate at which he flies back there, I had to ask when he was moving back, in case I needed a heads up. He didn’t think that was a funny joke. I guess he also doesn’t like being away from me. After dinner with Nkem, I went home to meet the piles of clothes on my bed that I don’t want to fold but I decided to fold just this once, since I don’t want to sleep on the sofa or Daniel’s bed.
About an hour later, I feel pain in my limbs. This can’t be happening; I take the pain meds. I take more meds as the pain increases and eventually push the app button to alert my group.
Chapter 45
Daniel
I’ve missed Anu. We talked a few times and texted more. My quick trip to New York, which I’d expected to be for a day, ended up taking three long fucking days, and that has made me irritable. It’s clear to me now that I dislike sleeping alone. I can honestly say that I haven’t had a good night’s rest in the last few days. Not seeing her or having her next to me daily is even more frustrating.
I didn’t like my hasty travel, but it was important and unavoidable.
Soon as I could leave, I made my way straight to the airport. Stepping into the building at three in the morning, the thought of waking up next to her was primal on my frontal lobe on my way home. I quicken my steps towards our unit. The silence in the unit is heavy, until a low guttural groan slices through it, filling me with dread. I follow the groan as it increasingly gets louder. Each step brings me closer to her bedroom door. My hand is trembling as I open the door. The light is dim; I move closer and see her in bed, groaning in agony, huddled into a fetalposition. Her painful groans fill the room. I race to her side, my heart pounding. I try to hold her trembling form.
"UGHH!" she cries, her voice raw with pain. "Don't touch me! Pain is all over; don't touch me!" Her voice choked with anguish.
I stand, watching as she continues to cry in pain. I kneel close to the bed. “Can I take you to the hospital?"
“No! It’s a mild crisis and I just took my meds. It will kick in soon.”
“How long?” Her anguish is tearing my heart.
“I don’t know, but it will. Just stay with me,” she pleads in an uneven tone.
“I’m not leaving.” I look at my watch and it’s three fifteen a.m.
If she doesn’t stop crying in thirty minutes, I’m taking her to the hospital. It’s agony to watch her helplessly; excruciating to sit in patience while she endures this pain. A profound sense of powerlessness washes over me.
About fifteen minutes in, her groan subsides. I sit still, watching as she slowly stops crying. She extends her hand to me. I gently take it.This is good, though I’m scared to touch her and cause her more pain.
“Welcome back,” she says in a gentle even tone.
“Thank you.”
“How was your trip?” she asks, and a faint smile sneaks out.
“Boring,” I answer as a soft chuckle escapes her.
I keep holding her hand and manage to feign a smile, but I’m just masking my fear of her crisis returning.
“The meds are working,” she says, like she can see through my mask.
