Chikodi pressed two fingers to his forehead and rubbed slightly taking in another breath while closing his eyes.
"And lastly,how many people have you told?"
That's was a beat of silence.
"Four...people." He said slowly.
Chikodi immediately had another bad feeling.
"Who did you tell?!"
"My mother,Mr Franklin one of the school teachers in charge of the students today,the police and finally you."
The moment he heard my mother Chikodi nearly felt his blood run cold.
"Quick! Cut this call now and call your mother. Tell her not in any circumstances to tell Chioma about what happened." Chikodi's voice was urgent.
"Okay."
The call was disconnected immediately.
Silence.
Chikodi stared at the still lit small phone screen in his hand expression unreadable.
One of his colleagues,a dark-skinned man with average features shifted slightly beside him and asked in a low voice that was almost a whisper.
"Chikodi what happened? Is everything okay?"
Chikodi didn't reply as he stared at his now off phone screen for a minute before turning it on once more and going to the contact list before stopping at recent call controlling the buttons to highlight one that was save as My Love.
He then tapped on it and also tapped on a Sim1 icon and waited for the phone to ring praying in his heart.
'Please Lord let her be okay.'
Too bad fate had other plans.
***
Umuchi Express Road
Just 20 minutes earlier.
A white Toyota Highlander drove in a steady pace on the road.
Chioma was smiling as she drove feeling like the happiest woman alive.
Two hours prior she had a growing sense of unease but managed to brush it off because right now she was just too happy.
She had just confirmed her suspicions earlier today concerning a very sensitive matter between her and her handsome hubby.
She was beautifully, wonderfully and happily pregnant.
She could already imagine the smile on her husband and son's faces.
She smiled happily to herself at the thought.
*Ring! Ring! Ring!
The sound of her phone ringing broke her out of her happy thoughts.
She picked up the phone and the smile on her face grew when she saw the caller id.
It was her mother.
'Umhmm,it seems like my little boy is missing me.' she thought happily as she answered the call and placed the phone on her ear,eyes on the road.
"Hello,mama. Good evening." She said happily.
But the information to be given was one of her son yes but the kind that she would rather not hear.
Like the candle wax under heat, Chioma's silence faded as she listened in silence until there not trace of any hint of joy on her face.
Her fingers trembled as she gripping the phone close to her ear.
After some minutes she finally found her voice.
"Mama...please....please tell me that you're joking." Chioma said,her voice a low choked whisper, desperate for it all to be fake.
But the worry in her mother's voice and what she said destroyed that hope completely.
While still listening,her fingers trembled so hard that she mistakenly pressed on the end call button and due to the suddenness of she actions, dropped the phone on the car floor.
At that moment, Chioma ignored everything.
She ignored the fact that she was driving.
She ignored the road in front of her.
All that was on her mind was to get hold of the phone and call back to understand the absurdity of what she just heard.
She immediately bent down and looked for the dropped phone.
Less than 10 seconds later the loud blaring of a trailer horn brought her back to her senses.
She had gone off her lane at some point at was heading for a head on collision with the large truck.
Chioma didn't move.
She just stared as if accepting what was coming then like a miracle,an image of her husband and son entered her mind and a moment of clarity washed over her.
She didn't know how it happened but she swerved her carto the right.
Luckily there wasn't any car close behind her and unluckily she swerved a bit slowly as the trailer brushed against her car throwing her off-balance.
The car spun till it crashed onto the uneven side of the road, coming to a screeching halt and leaving Mark's on the gavel filled ground.
Chioma felt dizzy and disoriented as she slammed her head hard against the steering wheel.
In the last moments of her consciousness at the edge of everything she hear her phone ringing and with that fell in to darkness.
***
An hour later
Patrick James Hospital
Chikodi burst into through the hospital doors in hurried steps.
He then looked at a group of seats and saw Chioma's mother,father and younger brother Martins.
He immediately stormed up to them who stood up while he came over.
"Brother Chi-" Martins began with a complex expression.
"Bam!
The sound echoed through the reception hall of the hospital.
Chikodi immediately swung at him dropping him to the ground instantly.
Chikamso,the mother,an elderly woman with soft and beautiful facial features even at her age immediately screamed and rushed down to check on her son.
Ben,the husband,a well built man who age-like his wife- seem to favour them just stood still,not doing anything but watching.
"Pray that nothing happens to Chioma. If not..." Chikodi said in a very cold voice but didn't continue and instead went to the reception desk.
A few more hours later Chikodi stood outside his wife's hospital door talking in low tones with the doctor.
Doctor Melvis,a slim dark-skinned,tall young man with above average facial features stood in his doctor wear holding a hospital pad in one hand while looking at Chikodi with the other in his coat pocket.
His face was serious as he spoke.
"You're a very lucky man Mr Chikodi and your wife is a very strong and lucky woman."
Chikodi listened quietly.
"Luckily for her their are only surface wounds with nothing severe though there might be some head problems due to how hard she hit her head and some cut on different parts of her body. Apart from that everything else is fine." He continued looking at the flat hospital pad in his hand.
"I recommend she gets enough rest and avoid any sort of stressful activity whether mentally or physically."
Then he turned around to walk away,then stopped a few steps before turning his head slightly in Chikodi's direction.
"By the way congratulations Mr Chikodi. Your wife is pregnant. A few weeks now to be precise." After that was said he turned forward and continued walking.
Chikodi stood frozen,face filled with complex emotions before he took a huge breath and sighed loudly.
Then he opened the door to his wife's room open before entering and closing it behind him with a soft click.
A once complete family now separated by an unknown distance, circumstance unknown.