Chapter 51 - Now Or Never

Chapter 51:Now or Never

Jason listen with rapt attention at what one of his board members was saying. He was stressed and he expected the stress that came with running a bigger company. His mother was his hero now, it couldn't have been easy on her too.

"Randall, I get what you are saying but the pipe bore water is a great way to give back to the community" 

Jason attention diverted to the next speaker, Ms Michaels. She was their PR manager.

"Ms Michaels, you don't care about the community. You just want to take a bunch of photographs but it won't actually bring money to this company. But a cloth factory will and it will give jobs to the locals who would work at..."

Jason's attention was called away for a moment when his phone rang. He check the caller's ID. It was Kara's school.

He knew he had to take it even if he was stuck in an important conference.

"Sorry, people. I have to take this call. It's important" 

The room suddenly quietened down when he spoke. Who knew that expanding the business to more states would be so tedious and he had to deal with feelings of both the community and board members.

Jason stood up and walked out. He could see the look on their faces. A lot of them thinks he was there because his last name was Yagazie. Elixir left a big shoe for him to fill and he was doing okay until recently. He needed to get his head straight before he loses their trust.

Jason pressed answer as soon as he was outside.

"This is Jason Yagazie speaking. Is my daughter alright?" Jason has found himself just calling himself Jason Yagazie instead of Ekoh-Yagazie. With his father finally out of his life when the divorce was finalized, he could legally change his name but something was holding him back. He didn't want to give the tabloid something to talk about.

"I am sorry what? Okay, which hospital is she at?" There was a pause "I will be there in a minute"

Jason hung up. He let out a breath to steady himself. It wasn't a big deal, six year olds gets tummy ache so severe they are taken to a near by hospital. Happens all the time and they was no need to panic!

But Jason was panicking!

Jason walked back to his office and grabbed his car keys. Soon, he was in the reception of the hospital.

"My daughter was rushed here" He spoke to the lady he met behind the counter.

"Good day Sir. What is your daughter's name?"

"Kara. Kara Hope Yagazie, where is she?"

Jason wanted to rip the book she was flipping to answer his question. A computer system would have been so much faster!

"Yes, Kara Hope Yagazie...Just walk straight and take a left. She is in the general area" 

Jason took off before she finished what she was saying. He saw his daughter sitting on a hospital bed with her teacher, a medical doctor and an older man.

"Kara!" Jason was by her side in a second "Are you alright baby?"

"Daddy!" She hugged him.

"What is wrong with my kid?" Jason asked no one in particular.

"Mr Ekoh-Yagazie, I am Jerry. I am the Chief medical officer, do you mind if we move your daughter to a private ViP room....more privacy" 

"Sure" Jason was too worried to think about any other thing but best care for his daughter.

The school teacher excused herself to make a phone call and Kara was moved to a bigger lone room.

"Fine. We have privacy now. What is going on with her?" Jason was looking at both men.

"Mr. Ekoh-Yagazie, your daughter....is fine but she seems to think you are not" The director answered him.

Something in him went off. Suddenly the anxiety and overwhelming feeling of horror he felt as he drove over turned into rage, directed at Kara. 

"So she is fine. She is not dying or anything" He confirmed from the doctor.

"No, She is okay but she is worried..."

"What is wrong with you? Hmm, you can't play such game little girl. This is real life and you don't get to put me through hell for nothing!"

Jason stared at her sternly. He could feel the anger emanating but he couldn't stop it. 

"I am sorry!" She was in tears in a minute. "You need to see a doctor, daddy"

"Get up we are going home!" Jason took her hand but she pulled away.

"No" She insisted.

"I am not going to ask again, Little girl" Jason was beginning to understand what Mckenna was talking about. The girl was stubborn and opinionated and at the moment, she was annoying him. "Kara, get up!"

"No!" She turned to the doctor "He breathes funny, he is not sleeping and he has nightmares. Is my daddy going to die?"

Jason tried to pick her up by force. He didn't need the world knowing his personal business. As he bent down, he felt a heavy weight on his chest and soon he was on the floor clutching his chest. He was having a heart attack. His daughter was right. There was something wrong with him. 

Jason vaguely remember Kara yelling for him and the doctor reaching for him before it became pitch black. 

Kara jumped down from the bed and grabbed his hand.

"I told you he was breathing funny! I told you! I told you!" She pushed the doctor but the man stood like a rock that doesn't bulge.

"We will take care of him, Kara. I promise" The doctor stayed with him while three more people rushed into the room to help out.

The medical director grabbed Kara to take her outside but she went for her backpack.

"No, Kara leave it" The man chased after her.

"No. I need my iPad to call grandma and Umma and Mama and uncle Chike" She clutched her bag as the director led her outside.

He took her to the cafeteria and offered her a juice box.

"Is my father going to die?" Kara asked him.

"The doctors are doing all they can to help him" the man answered her.

Kara wiped her face with the back of her palm.

She opened her iPad and even though she wanted to call her grandma, she saw herself dialing Mckenna's number. It was a video call.

"Hello, Kara" Mckenna saw the tears stained face and became apprehensive. "Kara, what is it?"

"It's Dad. He is sick. He was breathing funny but he won't go to the doctor. Where are you, Umma?" She could help but cry harder now.

"Kara! Kara, listen to me... your father will be alright but you have to tell me where you are" Mckenna was trying not to panic.

"I don't know. The teacher brought me here-" Kara was interrupted by the medical director.

"Key-skyle Hospital, Asokoro... it's near Kara's school"

"Thank you. Can you keep an eye on Kara till I get there?" 

"Of course" The man answered.

"I am coming, okay?"

"Okay, Umma"

Mckenna hung up.

Mckenna stood up and raced to the door before she realized she wasn't wearing any shoes or carrying her bag. It was like her brain turned to mush. She was very close to full fledged Panic attack. Luckily, Elena walked inside the office to find her like that.

" What is happening?"

"Hmm...my husband is in the hospital and our...our six year old is scared out of her mind and I am about to...t-to have a panic attack and..I..hmm...I can't find my shoe!"

Elena moved closer to her.

"Sweetie, you are wearing shoes-"

"I am?"

"Yes and Jason is fine. He is like superman or something. So, come on I will drive you to the hospital"

Elena took the car keys from her and drove her to the hospital. Mckenna was less frantic now. She kept checking the time and later, she looked out the window.

"What if he is dead, Elena? What if he is lying in the morgue? You know our tribe, we do that. If a husband dies in the wife's absence, we tell a lie. We tell her he is sick and she needs to come home and make soup but actually, he is dead...so dead that he is not alive. A dead husband can't eat soup, Elena" 

Elena spared her a look. Her best friend was spinning and she was driving.

"Mk, Jason is alive. Do you think that little girl is capable of lying to get you to make...soup?" Elena shook her head. What she said didn't even make sense to her.

Soon, she was driving inside the hospital and Mckenna was racing into the waiting room.

"Please, don't be dead! Please, don't be dead!"

Mckenna kept chanting. Maybe if she kept saying it it would be true.

"Hi, I am Mckenna. My husband was rushed into this hospital not too long ago. His name is Jason" Mckenna spoke too fast to the first person she saw in the reception.

"I am so sorry...."