Bandit Baby - S01 E07

Story 2 years ago

Bandit Baby - S01 E07

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 7

How do I live with this? You are not dying. These kids must see their mother. Such beautiful kids. Don’t worry, you will not be motherless. Your mother will go home with you all,” I soliloquized as the kids were crying.

I moved over to them, touched them and said: “I know it’s cold. I will get you out of here.”

I left them and moved to the mother. I put my hand again to confirm if the baby was closer than before.

If there was light, one could see the head.

While kneeling in between her legs with tears from my eyes, I said a short prayer as I kept shaking her.

“Father, I have not known this woman from Adam. I don’t know how coincidentally you handed her to me. You have done very well since, but you have to complete what you started. I am tired. Help me. Wake her up. Ok, I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you the other time. I’m sorry. For the sake of these kids, please wake her up. Look at this one, he is yet to come out. Please! Please! Please!…” I kept begging in tears.

As I was praying, she moved one of her legs.

I quickly ran over to her head.

“Madam! Madam! Madam!”

I called and continued shaking her.

Finally, she answered.

“Madam please don’t put me into trouble. These kids, sorry, Ayomide and Ezekiel, need you.

Enobong is still waiting for you to push. Please madam help us.”

Then she made an attempt to push, but her strength failed her.

She held my hand tightly and attempted to push again.

Indeed the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.

Just then, showers of rain began falling.

It was not a heavy downpour, but was enough to saturate the ground.

I quickly carried the kids and began looking for a good shade to shield them from the rain.

I kept them under a tree about few feet away from the mother.

I ran back to the mother calling her.

“Madam! Madam! Madam!…”

I bent over and was about putting my hands again, but then I touched the baby.

Yes, all of a sudden, she delivered.

How she did it within such a short moment is still a mystery till today.

“Thank you God! Thank you! Thank you. Thank you. You have done it.”

I kept thanking God as I cleaned the baby.

I began to cry.

I confirmed the sex and she was a girl.

Surprisingly, despite the little shower, the baby did not cry.

But I was not bothered. I quickly moved over to the woman’s head and got another strand of wool to tie the umbilical cord.

I removed her remaining gown in preparation for wrapping the new girl.

I repeated the second procedure to cut the umbilical cord.

After bitting the cord with my teeth like a vampire, I threw up.

Whatever little quantity of food that was left in my intestines were thrown out.

For over three minutes, I was vomiting.

It got me weakened.

After the vomiting stopped, I picked up the girl who was left in the pool of blood and under the little shower, cleaned her again and wrapped her.

I knelt beside the mother, with the baby on one hand and the other hand on the mother’s chest, I began shaking and calling on both of them.

“Enobong! Enobong! Enobong!”

After intensive efforts of calling, the mother finally responded, but the baby did not respond.

The shower began to increase.

By that time, we could see nearby trees. The daylight was beginning to set in.

I began to think of running to seek for help.

Just then, the baby in my hand made her first sound.

Then she began to cry.

I saw the mother struggling to stand up on her own.

“Where are my babies?” she asked.

“There! Under that tree. Can you walk?”

I gave her a hand and she stood up.

But while attempting to walk, she fell down and sustained a minor injury on her right arm.

She got up again carefully and crawled under to where I kept the two boys.

“Sit here and rest your back on this tree.”

As soon as she sat, I handed over the girl to her.

“Let her s--k please,” I implored her.

I carried the other two babies to her too.

Since she was without clothes, I removed my singlet who was by then soaked in blood, for her to wear.

It was already morning time.

Bird were already singing.

“Sit here, while I go in search for help.”

“Don’t leave us please. Please I beg of you.”

“Madam you are bleeding. You need urgent medical attention. Besides, these beautiful kids were delivered in the highest unsanitary condition. Remember you told me that they must live. If you want them to live, then I must go in search of help.”

She broke down and began to cry. I could not hold back mine.

So I knelt and hugged together with the kids and we cried together.

I assured her I would be back in a short while.

Before I left, I gave her my trouser.

“If you would want to put on something, please manage this.”

I was left with pant only and without thinking twice, I ran off.

The distance was far.

As I ran, I prayed God to give me the strength to scale through.

I lost count of how many times I fell on the way.

The injuries I sustained eant nothing to my.

Meanwhile, there was no bush path, so I had to pull through the thick bush.

After struggling for over thirty minutes, I finally got to the express road.

I was exhausted.

I sat on the road gasping for air.

That was a different road from the one we were attacked.

I flagged down the first vehicle, but those inside mistook me for a mad man.

Some traces of blood were still all over me.

I saw the second vehicle, it refused to stop.

The third, fourth, fifth and the sixth vehicles passed, but none of them stopped.

Finally, a Toyota Hilux filled with heavily armed army men approached.

I waved and shouted at them and they stopped.

I narrated to them what happened.

At first they did not believe that I could deliver a woman of three babies in the bush without recording any fatality.

I told them that further delay could result in many fatalities.

They ordered me to put my hands on my head and lead the way.

About six of them accompanied me, while the rest waited on the road.

While I was running to the road, I kept plucking plant leaves and leaving them behind to serve as signs.

We followed the trail.

Finally, we found them. They were still alive.

One of the soldiers offered the mother drinking water.

I heard one of them making call in Hausa language about ambulance.

Without wasting time, two of them carried the mother and another two carried two of the babies.

I carried my namesake.

The remaining two soldiers secured the movement – one at the front and the other at the back.

On getting to the road, a military medical team was already on ground with two ambulances parked.

Before I could hand over the baby in my hand, I passed out.