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AARON ANSAH-AGYEMAN

DARK LIGHT

A ChrisEffe Bliss

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EPISODE 15

 

The handsome man barely looked at her as he tied up the used diaper in a disposable bag. He took it out of the makeshift ward and returned a few minutes later with a plastic bucket half-filled with water. Effe knew he was around, but he did not say anything until she stopped weeping.

He lifted her off the bed and gently put her on a clean gurney-like structure where he cleaned her gently and thoroughly with a foaming agent and sponge. With utmost care, he dried her with a towel, and then slipped on another diaper before pushing the robe around and beneath her.

 

Finally, when he was done, he lifted her and put her back on the bed. Effe remained silent through it all. His tender care simply stunned her. Because she could not feel any sensation on her body, her communicating language was his breath, the sounds, and the scents that wafted to her nostrils.

After a very long time, Effe got herself under control and took a deep, shuddering breath. She tried hard to move her legs and fingers, but she could not.

She was still paralyzed from the neck down.

“Thank you, sir,” she said softly.

“How many times are you going to repeat it?” he asked indignantly.

Effe sighed deeply.

 

“What’s the matter?” she asked softly. “Why are you always angry? You’ve done something that has the semblance of a miracle, sir. I thanked you, but you said nothing. I’m deeply indebted to you! I knew I wasn’t supposed to live! A horrible man injected me with a deadly substance which was meant to kill me in two days, three at most! However, I’m still alive! Why shouldn’t I thank you?”

“You talk too bloody much, don’t you?” he asked morosely, and then she heard the door sliding shut.

“Hello?” she said in alarm. “Are you here, please?”

There was no answer.

He was gone.

***

Two hours later, he came back.

He attached intravenous feeds to her arms, gave her two shots of injection, and two oral capsules. He gave her more herbal extracts which were, thankfully, less bitter.

And then the scent of delicious soup wafted to her nostrils.

“Are you going to feed me?” she asked suddenly.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked in that beautiful voice which was, nonetheless, filled with so much acrimony.

 

“Of course, I’m hungry, please,” she said earnestly. “But when I eat my body excretes waste products. I feel so ashamed to have you doing that aspect of taking care of me, please. I can’t have you cleaning me, I beg of you.”

“It’s not a bother,” he replied.

“But it bothers me!” Effe cried desperately. “It really does! It is not good to have you, a complete stranger, go through all that, sir. Is my treatment completed, please?”

“You’re still paralyzed,” he said coldly. “And you have still got residue venom in your system. I have to flush it out completely.”

Effe was stunned, and for several minutes she barely breathed.

“Venom?” she whispered hoarsely. “As in…snake venom?”

 

“Yes, a very rare venom from an almost extinct snake,” he said flatly. “That particular venom is an ancient form of murder. It had a high success rate because it made the cause of death seem like a cardiac arrest or a viral infection. This deadly venom breaks down the central nervous system. It is almost impossible to reverse the process once it has started.”

“Murder!” Effe whispered with horror. “But…how? How did he get this…oh, Lord, this venom inside me?”

“The venom’s deadliest quality is its perpetual potency. Whether it is mixed in a drink, hot or cold, it is still potent. In ancient times, it used to be administered in very minuscule doses over several months, two days a week was the norm. It acts slowly, breaking down the central nervous system until death occurs.”

 

“Of course!” Effe whispered tragically. “Oh, my God! Steve! Over the last months, he insisted on sharing wine with me on Friday and Sunday evenings, our special nights, and that is how he got me to take in the venom! He always poured the drinks! Oh, Steve!”

Again, Effe began to weep.

“I can’t wait for you to stop crying again before feeding you,” he said suddenly. “You better cut that out!”

“What’s the matter with you?” Effe cried suddenly. “You just told me, in very cold terms, that I was almost killed, almost murdered! It is normal for me to cry! The man who almost killed me was my fiancé, a man I loved with the very last breath in me! The pain is intolerable, sir! My heart is simply tearing apart with his betrayal!”

 

“I don’t give a damn,” he said blandly. “You can cry after I’ve finished what I have to do. Stop wasting my bloody time.”

“You’re heartless!” Effe shouted bitterly as her tears fell. “I can’t control when I weep, damn you! Just leave me alone!”

“As you wish,” he said promptly, and a moment later the door slid shut again.

Effe wept bitterly.

It all made perfect sense now!

 

Steve and Elaine had been that cold and calculating, planning her murder very systematically. Of course, Effe had made original copies of her most vital documents available to Steve. He knew the combination to the safe she kept her valuables. He had all her passwords to accounts and files.

Steve virtually had access to everything she held dear!

Oh, how gullible she had been!

It all boiled down to her wealth, her money!

That was all he had been interested in, and for five years he had acted his part so perfectly, so cold-blooded! What sort of a human being was he?

 

The pain of Steve’s betrayal hit her afresh, harder than she had experienced so far, and so she wept for an awfully long time. Finally, when she could shed no more tears, she fell asleep.

And when she woke up, she felt ravenously hungry.

She took a shuddering breath with despair.

The man had gone away, probably out of anger, and she wondered if he would come back to her. Already, she was beginning to dread his evident impatience and quick temper.

His voice did not sound like that of an elderly man, but for a man so well-versed in medicine, he seemed rather dour and grumpy, and for the millionth time she wondered how one so talented could be hidden in an obviously remote part of the country.

 

Yet, in spite of his obvious dislike and distaste for her condition, he had still cared for her, changed her, washed her, and taken rather good care of her for eight days.

The door opened, and she heard him moving inside, and then she heard the low whimper of the dog.

“Hello, sir,” Effe said quickly, her voice made hoarse by the excessive crying. “I’m sorry about that. I couldn’t help it, please. I was really hurting. Please, forgive me for my rudeness and for shouting. I’m really sorry.”

 

He did not say anything to her, and just as she was wondering if he had left the room, she felt something cold touching her chin and the low growl of the dog sounded frighteningly close to her.

Effe, who had a morbid fear of dogs, shrieked quite alarmingly, spooking the dog which let off a series of deep-throated barks.

“Belt it up!” the man said sharply, and the dog whimpered and became quiet.

Effe breathed quickly.

 

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to scream,” she said quickly. “I’m terrified of dogs.”

“Humans are more dangerous,” he said coldly. “He is friendly. He won’t harm you.”

“What’s his name?” Effe asked.

“Dog,” the man answered.

“Yes, the dog, what’s his name?” Effe persisted with a scowl.

“I told you.”

“What?” Effe asked, aghast. “You call your dog, Dog?”

“Yes,” he replied, and now she could feel him near her.

 

“What kind of man are you anyway?” she asked softly. “How can you name a dog, Dog? Wait…what is that smell?”

She crinkled her nose as the strong, pungent smell assailed her. It was a vaguely familiar smell, but she could barely place it.

“Marijuana,” he said simply.

“What?” she screeched with sudden chagrin and shock.

“Say ‘what’ just one more time and I’ll slap your head off,” the man said in an irritated voice.

“You smoke marijuana?” she asked, quite alarmed.

 

“Yeah, and I drink too, woman,” he said, his voice very soft but quite unfriendly. “If you don’t like it, you can always get the hell out of here.”

“How could you?” she demanded, her voice tight with disapproval. “A doctor that smokes hemp? What’s wrong with you?”

“Shut up,” he said as he pulled a chair nearer. “Are you ready for your food?”

Effe was quite alarmed now, being all alone with a man that drank and smoked weed, but he had done what a sophisticated hospital staff had not been able to do. For that, she owed him a modicum of respect, at least.

“I’m Effe,” she said. “Effe Kedem, a fashion designer.”

 

“Do you want the food or not?” he asked dourly. “Don’t waste my bloody time.”

Effe sighed and did not say a word for a while as he fed her. It was soup, as usual, but with tiny pieces of meat and very soft banku, a local corn dough dish.

She had not taken any solid food for a long time, and she was amazed at how delicious it tasted. So she took her time to savour it. She chewed slowly and with great enjoyment.

“This is delicious!” she said at last. “The meat…it is so tender and nice. What meat is it?”

“Rabbit,” he said impatiently.

 

“Rabbit?” she asked. “I haven’t tasted rabbit before. Did you hunt it?”

“No, a helicopter knocked it in the air and I went for it,” he said.

“Oh!” Effe exclaimed with shock. “You’re a very unpleasant man!”

“And you talk too bloody much!” he said softly.

“Of course, I talk too much!” Effe said indignantly. “I almost died! I’ve been through the worst spell of my life and almost lost all of my senses. So, let me talk! Oh, wait, please is there a ring on my finger?”

“Engagement ring,” he said.

 

“Please take it off!” Effe screamed. “Take it off right now!”

“Open your mouth and get this meal done,” he replied.

“Take off the ring, please!”

“Lady, I don’t take off rings!” he snapped at her. “Now shut up and eat.”

“Please,” Effe said with tears suddenly bubbling in her eyes. “This ring is from the man that wanted to murder me. I possibly can’t wear it! It is killing my soul. Please, I beg of you, take it off, and I promise I won’t speak again.”

She heard him sigh, and then a moment later he spoke again.

“It is off,” he said. “I’m keeping it in this drawer for you.”

“Thank you,” she said gratefully. “Thank you very much.”

 

She did not speak again until she had finished eating, and he cleaned her lips carefully.

“Goodnight,” he said, and his dog gave a low whimper.

“No, please, please, wait a while,” Effe said desperately.

“What now?”

“I just…please, will I regain my sight? Will I regain the movements of my limbs?” she asked with much distress. “I’m sorry, but I need assurance.”

 

“It is quite deadly venom you ingested, and the dosage was a bit too heavy,” he said carefully. “You shouldn’t be alive, I must confess. I don’t know how it will pan out eventually, though. You will need surgery on your eyes. The venom has caused a growth across your eye lenses, but they need to grow a bit more before they can be scraped off through minor surgery. So, you’ll have to take the treatment for a while, and then we’ll see how it goes.”

“But I’m out of danger now, aren’t I?”

“If you mean death, well, I guess you’re okay now,” he said softly.

“Thank you so much, sir,” she said tremulously. “Of course, we’ll need to talk about the way you’ve been feeding and cleaning me. My twin sister is a qualified nurse, and she’s on leave too. Please, allow her to be here with me. She can cook and clean, and also take care of my…personal needs. I’m not comfortable with you doing all that.”

 

“No,” he said.

“What do you mean by that?” Effe asked, exasperated. “Please -”

“Nobody comes here.”

“Oh, you’re such bother!” Effe cried, agitated greatly. “And about paying you for our services…”

“I don’t need your damn money,” he said sharply. “I’ll do my best for you, and then you can get out of here.”

“You can’t wait to have me gone, can you?” she asked acidly, quite stung by his fractious attitude. “Well, you’re not exactly my kind of company either!”

“Good,” he said. “Goodnight.”

 

“Wait!” she shouted quickly. “What should I call you? You didn’t introduce yourself, and it seems nobody knows who you are anyway. But, if I’m going to be your patient for some time, I must have a name to address you by, don’t you think?”

“It is not necessary.”

“It is very necessary for me!”

“Then you can call me by any name.”

“Really, really?” Effe asked, and she was quite frustrated and angry now. “I’ll call you Mr Weed then. Maybe Mr Marijuana, or Mr Hemp. Or Mr Smoky Rastafari Maybe you prefer Selasi Weeman. What about that?”

 

“Don’t be silly,” he said softly. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Uncle Popo,” she replied.

“Go to hell,” he said, and as the door slid closed behind him, Effe chuckled, and then she laughed softly.

It was the first time in almost a month that she had laughed.

She could not understand that she had just intentionally needled another human being! Who would have believed that? But this man, with his calm impatience, quick temper, and smooth voice, was just beginning to get to her in a way she had not yet been exposed to!

 

Who was this man?

What had made him this bitter and affected him so much that he preferred the life of a hermit to the pleasures he could have as such a talented doctor?

What was the story behind his solitude?

Oh, if only she could just have sight and see him for a second!

 

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[/passster]Premium Story: A ChrisEffe Bliss :: DARK LIGHT :: EPISODE 14

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