When the pain became unbearable, Clem quickly invited  a doctor. He had already briefed her on what was going on.

“Clem, please take me to the hospital. This pain is unbearable ,” Dera cried. 

“Don’t worry, I have invited a female doctor. She would soon be here,” Clem told her while trying to make her stay calm.

“But why I’m  I losing blood? What is going on?” Dera cried.

“It’s nothing. Everything will be fine.” Clem promised.

When the doctor arrived, she examined her and started asking questions concerning the food she ate and where she went to.

“I did not have an appetite to eat. In Fact,  I didn’t eat any food from morning till evening. But when I came here he bought  gizzard and ice cream for me,”Dera explained.

“Are you aware that you are pregnant?”the doctor asked.

“Yes,”Dera replied.

“So why would you be starving yourself? You have been starving yourself, that is why you lost the pregnancy,” the doctor informed her.

“Which pregnancy are you talking about? Oh no! Doctor you must be joking” Clem slumped in the nearby chair and covered his eyes with his hand. The doctor tried to comfort him.

“Clem please, be a man”

“Doctor, you don’t understand. I am an only child. I need this baby. Why would he just go like that,”Clem lamented.

“Don’t worry, another one will come,” Doctor continued to comfort him.

“When will that be? You don’t know how happy I was when she told me about this baby. I don’t expect this kind of news at all. Doctor, please do something.”

Dera continued wriggling in pain. She didn’t know whether to cry because of the pain she was passing through or to cry because she didn’t know what Clem might do to her for losing the pregnancy.

In the morning, she felt better, though the pain had not gone completely but it was becoming bearable.

She had to kneel to beg Clem.

“Please, I’m sorry. It was my negligence that caused us this loss. Please forgive me,” Dera pleaded.

Clem quickly helped her to get up,” No, you don’t have to do this. It’s not your fault. Let’s just take it that this is how God wants it. We shouldn’t allow it to come in between us. What matters to me now is your health. Please, be strong. I have already started seeing myself as a father. I didn’t know that it’s going to end like this. It is well. The only challenge is that I have already informed my mum”

“Ha!. What are we going to do?” Dera lamented.

“Don’t bother yourself,  I will handle it. Just be strong for me.”

“Please, Clem, I have to take my leave now. My roommate is worried about me.”

“Why not stay until you are strong. I don’t want any evil to befall you.”

“Trust me, I will be fine,”Dera told him

“It’s okay. But please, don’t tell her anything. Let this be between us,”Clem told Dera.

“But I have already told her,”Dera replied

“When was that?”

“Yesterday, before I came here”.

“What! You mean that another ear heard the news of my baby before me. It doesn’t make sense. I won’t take it,” Clem said in anger.

“Please, I’m so sorry. I will not make such a mistake again. Please forgive me,” Dera pleaded.

“It’s okay. I will let it go because of the love I have for you. But don’t allow it to repeat itself”

“Never! Such will not happen again,” Dera vowed.

When Vera got back to her lodge, Ijeoma noticed that she was not in a good shape and demanded to know what was going on.

“I.J, I need rest and lots of it. Please, I wish you can let me rest.”

“But you need to tell me what is going on. You really got me scared when you didn’t come back last night. This is the first time such will happen. At least I need an explanation,”Ijeoma pressed on.

“I lost the pregnancy, ” Dera explained in tears.

“What do you mean by  losing the pregnancy? Is it how people lose pregnancy? I want to believe you have not done something stupid?” Dera asked in an emotion ladened voice.

“Ha! IJ this is not fair. How can you accuse me of that?” Dera cried.

“I’m sorry, but what do you expect me to say? You left here very healthy now you returned looking like a Vegetable and telling me what I don’t understand,” She stopped talking abruptly and acted like someone that just got a fresh idea .

“Did Clem take you to a hospital?”

“No,”Dera answered.

“Did you take any medicine?”

“Yes. Clem bought medicine for the headache,”Dera responded.

“What is the colour of the medicine? Did you see the name?”

“I.J what are you insinuating? Are you suggesting that Clem would attempt to terminate my pregnancy?. Please stop. I don’t like the way you think,” Dera reprimanded her.

“I just asked a harmless question. A pregnant woman doesn’t take medicine anyhow. But why would he be giving medicine?Is he a doctor?”

“I.J please it is enough. I know that I was the one that exposed my relationship to you. You shouldn’t take advantage of that and be bashing my man. It hurts me. Clem has been crying since I lost this pregnancy. It was my carelessness that cost me the baby. Please leave Clem out of it.”

Ijeoma apologized to Dera about how she handled the discussion and they had to quickly change the topic.

Few months later, Ijeoma noticed that Dera was still dating Clem and decided to confront her.

“Dera I had been noticing some unusual moves from you but I decided to ignore it. I felt my eyes were deceiving me. But today I saw you holding hands and smiling with Clem as if you were husband and wife. What exactly is going on?”

“Did I hear you say, as if we were husband and wife? Of course, we are getting married,”Dera said firmly.

“Even if he wants to marry you, must you appear so cheap? Why are you always following him around as if your life depends on him,”Ijeoma scolded her.

That was more than Dera could take. She had to give Ijeoma a strict warning to stay off her part.

Because of the love Ijeoma had for Dera , she decided to report her activities to their fellowship president, Bro Charles.

“I don’t understand what is going on with my friend. She has totally changed from who she used to be. Can you help to advise her?” Ijeoma told the president.

“Sister Ijeoma, you are not the only one worried. I am worried too. In fact, I attempted talking to her but she shunned me. But I will try to talk to her again.” He promised.

When Charles got to Dera’s lodge, he knocked on the door. Dera opened and discovered that he was the one

” Good evening. How may I help you?” Dera snapped.

“I want to have a discussion with you?”Charles informed her.

“Okay give a few minutes, let me dress properly,” Dera told him and closed the door.

“What is wrong with Charles? Why can’t he face his life? He wants to use his bad luck to affect me and make me miss Clem. Anyway, I will  use him and set an example for others who don’t want my relationship with Clem to be successful,” Dera thought to herself.

She switched on her gas cooker and started boiling water.