At Grace Land Hospital, Uremma's shift had ended an hour ago. Most of her colleagues who shared the same shift were already heading home, but not Dr Uremma Ndubuisi. She lingered in the neonatal ward, her heart tethered to the soft hum of incubators and the faint, fragile breaths of tiny newborns.
She tiptoed into the quiet room, her heels clicking softly against the floor. In her hands, she carried a small crocheted bunny, carefully handmade the night before.
'There you are,' she whispered, stopping beside Izunna Anthony, a preemie born just 28 weeks along. The nurses said he was a fighter. Uremma had been checking on him personally every day since his birth.
She placed the bunny beside him inside the incubator, adjusting it so its floppy ears leaned protectively towards the infant.
'Something to keep you company, little warrior,' she murmured, her smile tender. 'I've got your back.'
A nurse walked in just then, pausing at the door. 'Doctor Ure, your shift ended an hour ago.'
'I know,' Uremma said, brushing her hand lightly across the incubator glass. 'But some people don't run on schedules.'
The nurse chuckled knowingly. 'We're ordering food. Want suya or rice?'
'Suya, please. With lots of onions,' Uremma replied without missing a beat. 'And a malt drink.'
Then, she made her rounds through the recovery ward, chatting and laughing with her patients like they were her neighbours back home. She helped one woman adjust her breastfeeding position, tied another's wrapper with practiced ease, and gave a young teenage mother a pep talk that left the girl in grateful tears.
Feeling the weight of the day catch up with her, Uremma began walking towards her office to get a bit of rest. But as she passed the waiting area, she noticed a young man pacing nervously, his face tight with worry.
His wife was in labour. Complications had come up, and he'd just been told surgery might be needed.
Without hesitation, she changed course and approached him.
'Mr Adams?' she asked gently.
He turned quickly. 'Yes… yes, Doctor. Is she okay?'
'She's in the best hands,' she said calmly. 'And I'll be there myself.'
His eyes widened. 'You will?' Mr Adams looked at Uremma, his eyes filled with hope.
'Of course.'
'Thank you, Doctor,' he said quietly. 'She was so scared before going in.'
Uremma gave him a soft smile. 'It's normal to be scared. But I promise, we'll do our best for her and the baby.'
***