"Don't you think you should be on maternity leave? Your recent actions show's you might be due for delivery soon and it won't be funny if labor starts here at work" Rose said to her friend Ronke who has a protruding stomach.
Ronke and Rose became friends shortly after Rose joined the school where Ronke works, they became close and would discuss even sensitive matters such as marital issues faced by Ronke.
Rose came in as an English teacher but eventually became a year 1 teacher when an opportunity aroused. She was advised by Ronke to take up the opportunity since it has more benefits compared to a subject teacher.
Ronke already has two daughters and wished for a male child, she also wanted to have her child in March because it's her birth month and her two daughters were born in February which is her husband's birth month.
She longed to give birth in March that she ignored the expected date of delivery given to her by her doctor at the hospital. Rose had asked her several times when she would be due for delivery and her response is always "In March"
Ronke continued with her class as usual and did her task at work, acting all strong and okay. One of the class teachers noticed her swollen feet the previous week and advised her to request for a maternity leave but Ronke brushed it off and told her that she's months away from her delivery date, so she need not worry.
The following week, the teacher noticed Ronke struggling to take the steps to her class for she's on the first floor.
Suddenly a loud and painful scream came from the direction of the staircase where Ronke was standing, she couldn't move her legs anymore and she was in pains. The teacher who noticed her quickly rushed to her and held her to prevent her from falling.
The teacher called out for help and Ronke was taken to the sick bay. At the sick bay, she was told to be on bed rest while they figured out the next step. The school nurse did a checkup on her and told her that she's in labor.
Ronke still refused to accept, she insisted that she doesn't want to have her baby in February, that her due date is in March.
The nurse touched the side of her stomach and the baby kicked really hard, they could see the movement of the child on her tummy. That was when Ronke felt her first labor contraction.
The nurse called Rose and told her that Ronke is going to have her baby soon, they needed to act fast so as to avoid complications.
Firstly, they need to get across to her husband so that she can be moved immediately to an equipped hospital.
Nobody has Ronke husband's contact, not even Rose and Ronke's phone crashed when she was trying to take the staircase earlier.
Then Rose said "wait a minute, his details should be on Ronke's data file that was updated and re-submitted a week ago"
Rose swung into action and ran to the secretary office where the forms are kept, she searched through the files and finally caught sight of Ronke's own, she went through it and got Ronke's husband current contact number. A call was made to Ronke's husband and he rushed in an hour later with a taxi to pick up his wife.
Ronke was already weak and could barely walk, they kept encouraging her to be strong. As she got towards the gate, her amniotic sac ruptured (her water broke), she was assisted into the taxi and her husband told the driver to hurry, they sped off, got to the high way and made their way to the hospital. Thankfully there was no traffic in the city of lagos!
5 hours later, we got a call from her husband that she had been delivered of a baby boy. The whole school was happy for the great news, and arrangements was made to pay her a visit by a few representative from the school with gifts.
Ronke's husband thanked Rose for her prompt action to save his wife and for calling him immediately. The doctor had said at the hospital that if they had come in 30 minutes late, something bad would have happened because "time is of the essence".
Ronke also accepted the reality that she can not choose the exact date to have her baby that's while a negative and positive 2 weeks is always given at the hospital.
