Emmanuel stretched lazily in front of the hostel block, keys jingling in his hand as he checked his phone.
"I'm going out," he said casually, like it was just another ordinary evening.
David,who was laying down pressing he's phone straightened immediately.
"Where are you going?" David asked.
Emmanuel smirked. "Relax. I'm just going to see Khloe.I want to give her food.
David nodded slowly, as if processing something deeper than the sentence itself.
Then, almost too quickly
"I'll come with you."
Emmanuel paused mid-step.
He turned fully now, narrowing his eyes. "Haa? This one you want to come with me Why?"
David shrugged slightly, trying to act normal. "Just… I feel like going out."
Emmanuel laughed. "Ahh abeg stop lying. It's because of Mia, abi?"
David didn't answer immediately.
That silence was already an answer.
Emmanuel leaned closer, studying him with amusement and disbelief.
"So you really love that babe?"
David finally looked at him.
"Yes," he said simply.
No jokes. No hesitation. No hiding.
Emmanuel blinked.
Then he exhaled slowly like he had just seen something he wasn't expecting.
"Hmm," he murmured. "Okay o."
A small pause followed.
Then he shook his head with a half-smile.
"David Richard… you've really fallen, sha"
The evening air felt heavier than usual when David and Emmanuel arrived at the hostel.
Emmanuel was still talking, laughing lightly as they climbed the stairs with a small bag of food in his hand.
"Khloe will be happy o this girl can act like she's suffering," Emmanuel joked.
David wasn't listening.
Something in his chest felt off since the moment they entered the building.
Like the air had changed.
Like something was wrong before anyone even said it.
They reached the door.
Emmanuel knocked once.
Twice.
Then Khloe opened it.
Her face immediately shifted.
"Ah babe," she said quickly, stepping aside. "Come in."
But David's eyes were already searching the room.
And then he saw her.
Mia.
Lying on the bed.
Still.
Too still.
"Wait…" David said immediately, stepping forward. "What's wrong with her?"
Khloe turned quickly, worry flashing across her face.
"I don't know o. She said she wasn't feeling fine since yesterday. She just slept and hasn't really woken up properly."
David moved closer to the bed.
Mia's skin looked too warm.
Too flushed.
"Mia," he called softly.
No response.
He placed a hand near her forehead and immediately pulled back slightly.
"She's burning up," he said sharply.
Khloe nodded quickly. "Yes! That's what I've been saying. Her temperature is really high."
Emmanuel frowned. "Wait, why didn't you take her to the hospital?"
Khloe's voice shook slightly now.
"I didn't know it was this serious. And I tried calling her mom, but she said I shouldn't. She said her mom would worry too much."
David exhaled hard, frustration and fear mixing in his voice.
"You should have still taken her."
"I tried!" Khloe snapped back, panicked now.
"She kept saying no! She said she just malaria, that she will be fine!"
David looked down at Mia again.
Something inside him tightened painfully.
"No," he said quietly. "How can she be fine without treating it."
Within minutes, everything moved fast.
Mia was wrapped carefully, lifted gently, and rushed out of the room.
The night air outside felt colder now.
David sat in the back of the car with her head resting carefully against him.
He didn't speak.
He just held her steady.
Like if he let go, something worse would happen.
The hospital lights were too bright.
Too white.
Too honest.
Doctors moved quickly once they saw her condition.
Tests were done.
Questions were asked.
Time passed in fragments.
David stood in the hallway, hands clenched, watching every door like answers would walk out of it.
Emmanuel leaned against the wall quietly now, no jokes left in him.
Khloe was crying softly into her hands.
And then
The doctor came out.
"Are you her family?" he asked.
David stepped forward instantly. "We're her friends."
The doctor nodded. "She is stable for now. But there's something important you need to know."
Silence fell instantly.
Even the hallway felt like it stopped breathing.
The doctor continued gently.
"She is about one month pregnant."
The words didn't land immediately.
Like the brain refused to accept them at first.
Khloe's hand flew to her mouth.
Emmanuel froze completely.
David didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe for a second.
Pregnant.
One month.
His mind replayed everything in seconds—
That night.
The car.
Her voice.
Her silence.
And suddenly
It all made sense in a way that didn't feel real.
The doctor added carefully, "The fever and weakness may be related to stress and her condition. She needs rest and close monitoring."
But David wasn't listening anymore.
Because all he could hear was one thing in his head
Mia is carrying a life.
And it might be his.
Maybe she had sex after then right?
Emmanuel broke the silence first, whispering like he couldn't believe it.
"David…"
But David didn't answer.
He just stared at the hospital door where she had been taken in.
Expression unreadable.