At the competition venue, Robinah and her group had already finished refining the pills and she had taken over the treatment. Her hands moved faster on the medical equipments. Everyone watching was shocked with her speed. Her professional efficiency was commendable. Such a young girl moving with such speed left even the organizers stunned. Before long, they finished the treatment and submitted the patient for onsite check up.
All the groups finished their procedures before those participating in the individual competition were led to another hall.
" All the best." Her group members wished her.
" Thanks, you all coordinate with the supervisors in answering the questions as we agreed. Don't doubt yourselves. You can do it. I hope to come back and hear of our victory." She said before waving to them and leaving.
She soon arrived at the site. Different types of patients were sitted at considerable distances from each other.
" The first step of the competition is to identify your patient according to the research you submitted before proceeding with the treatment." The organizer told them the rules before allowing them inside.
Robinah quickly identified the old man seated at the back. He was weakly leaning on his seat with shortness in breath.
" Sir ,can I have the previledge of working with you." She gently asked. Those watching were shocked. She actually identified the patient with just a glance.
" What are you working on?" The old man asked.
" Am researching a drug that can help critically ill heart patients. Would you mind being my text subject for this competition." The young girl smiled purely making the old man feel at ease.
" Are you sure you can do it?" She was too young.
" Don't worry, you are in safe hands. Don't look at the age, I will convince you soon." The young girl said taking his hand to take his pulse. All the audience watching the competition including her team mates who had just finished the question section were stunned by her move.
" What are you doing?"
She didn't respond directly." The doctor should have told you your condition is at a critical stage where an operation has a chance of only ten percent success. You still have a failing liver and an old chest wound. You at least have utmost three months to live." She reported her findings directly.
The old man was first stunned then he laughed." I could have said you knew my condition prior to this competition but no one knows about my chest injury. Even my family aren't aware of it."
" Now that we are on the same page, let me start refining the medication before I start your treatment. I will be using both traditional and western medicine to help you live at least for the next eight years."
" Are you sure?" His ears might have been playing tricks with him.
" Well, you will find out soon." She responded while refining the medicine at a high speed. Before long, a sweet medicinal scent wafted out making everyone in the hall look towards her direction. She told him to lie down after taking off his shirt and started doing acupuncture. Her needle technique was done with great accuracy. All the traditional medicine practitioners watching the competition were stunned. The technique she used had long been lost.
Robinah continued to apply the medication after acupuncture and handed him some pills to take and made him rest for half an hour before requesting for a check up. All audience was stunned,it had just been two hours. Other contestants were still struggling, some had even identified wrong patients.
The supervisors acted quickly and run some tests before comparing the results with the previous results of the tests done before the competition. They were shocked and had to redo the tests to be sure. After running the tests again, they confirmed the undeniable truth. The old man's problem had been alleviated. He could live like a normal person for the next eight years.
" You actually did as you promised." The old man couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear.
" If you want to be completely healed, you have to wait till I complete my research and come up with the right plan for your surgery in the next one year." She said . She had always had a soft spot for the elderly.
" Thank you. I will keep in touch. My health is now in your hands."
After a few questions about her treatment, she left to go meet her group at the playground waiting for the results.
" You were so cool just now." Alex said sitting beside her.
" When did you come." She hadn't seen him during the competition and assumed he was busy. Now that she saw him, she was happy.
" I have been here before you started the first round." He had been hiding on purpose just to surprise her and it was worth it.
" Thanks Alex, I really like it that you are here with me." Linking their arms, she said.
" I will always be here with you." She rarely took the initiative.
*******
At the Gray residence, the family of three were surprised. Their investigation results showed that she had dropped out of school at the age of Nine. This one was new to them. Mr. Gray started calculating how to benefit on her glory.
" We have to make arrangements to reunite with her immediately she comes back to the country." He calmly said with calculating smile on his lips.
" Yeah my brothers people already sported that old woman while shopping yesterday." She was thinking of how to use her to do research and give Jessica the results. It would help Jessica regain her dignity and glory.
" You have to act like good mother and sister at that time. We have to convince her to come live here. If she agrees, that old woman won't have a problem coming back." They had to do everything possible to get her back as the Gray's younger daughter.
" I will father. I know what we stand to gain." One look from her mother and she understood her plans. She had been feeling low but now she was thrilled.
" I will make arrangements for her stay here." Mrs. Gray said
They all thought it would be easy to lure her to come back to the Gray residence. But they would soon understand how difficult it could be. X university had already arranged a lab for Robinah's research. Immediately she came back, she would be undisposed to anyone unless she wants to. She had discussed with the principal before leaving, she wanted to contribute something to the school before her graduation.
The principal had already reached out to Alex who suggested they built a small courtyard besides the lab for her stay to make it easy for her to carry out her research.
The playground was packed with people. The Livestream had gone silent. Everybody was waiting for the results. Before long, the master of ceremony introduced the chairman of the board of organizers to announce the results.
" Good evening ladies and gentlemen, today's competition has brought us more surprises than we expected . I will now go on and announce how the groups performed." Robinah's group were nervous but looking at how calm she was, they too calmed down.
He kept mentioning schools until he reached the third place. " Now coming in third is L university from L country, the second place goes to Q university from Q country,our last two years champions. Lastly the best university who came up with a new drug to help critically ill asthmatic patients is a school that many have looked down upon for many years. Who knew they brought in geniuses this time. The first place, the champions, the conquerors of this year's competition are X university from X country."
Mr. Anthony couldn't contain his excitement. They squilled and shouted with jubilation. They had done it just as Robinah had promised. They went to receive the trophy and Mr. Anthony being their team captain gave a speech before they went back to sit down.
The chairman continued calling out different categories before he came to the solo performance results. All audience was quiet, some were nervous .
" Are you nervous?" Alex had noticed her hands were shaking.
" Just a little bit. This will determine my graduation date since I am almost done with my project." She had enjoyed school life enough. With Grace graduating this year, she had become lonely already.
" I believe you can do it." He squeezed her hands.
" The solo competition is our last category. " He said and started calling out names according to their performance.
" The third position goes to Winfred Benjamin from Q university, the second position goes to Gregory Turner from F university, and now the best of them all, who created a miracle that is going to help heart patients live a normal life, a young girl who has accomplished the best at just sixteen years. The first position goes to Robinah from X university."
As the thunderous applause boomed from the onsite audience, she made her way to the podium with the first genuine smile since they arrived. She gave Alex a look before accepting her reward.
" Do you have anything to say?"
" Yeah." She had to say something to block future problems.
" Hello everyone, my name is Robinah. Most of you may not know but I dropped out of school at a young age. Someone might wonder why, but the teachers said they could no longer find anything new to teach me. I went home and started researching with the help of a very strong woman in my life. She encouraged me to go into different fields and study new knowledge. I played with computers, drawings, musical instruments and played with acupuncture needles. Before long I mastered them but I liked medicine more. That is why when Mr. Johnson reached out to me to study western medicine at X university I saw it as a new opportunity to learn something new and it has proven to be worth it. I want to thank my school, the teachers and students. I will also like to thank my sister Grace, my best friend Alex and the one person who saw me grow up, my grandmother. And to everyone watching, let nothing limit your pursuit for knowledge. Learn something new everyday. That is all."
She gave the staff the microphone and went to meet her group.
" I have booked a hotel for our celebration. The principal called and is very happy. Congratulations to you all." Mr. Anthony said as they were leaving.
" It's all thanks to Robinah." One of them said making everyone agree.
" It's all thanks to your hard work. I merely guided you. " They all liked her easy going personality. She wasn't proud or arrogant.
" Am proud of my girl." Alex said to her . His girl kept surprising him. A lot of people were already looking for her. She had become a hot commodity.