Nana Yaw screams and bounds off the bed, losing his erection immediately.

He crouches near the lifeless figure of his father, speaking incoherently as he checks for a pulse.

Araba gets off the bed too, already slipping on her panties.

She quickly straightens out the bed, and then she crosses the room and dresses quickly, and when she has her shoes on she quickly approaches the two men.

She looks into the staring eyes of her husband without emotion.

ARABA

Is he dead?

NANA YAW

(weeping)

No, no! Oh, God! It is a heart attack! I must get him to a bed immediately!

ARABA

(harshly)

Fool! Whilst you’re naked? Get up, get dressed first! And then we’ll call for help and say we found him like that! Hurry up!

He dresses quickly, and they call for help.

Paramedics arrive, and Mr. Kwame Awuah is put on a stretcher and pushed into the elevator, which descends to the VIP Wards.

He is put on a bed, paralysed totally, his mouth slack, his hands bent like claws.

And so, Mr. Kwame Awuah, multimillionaire who believes there is no God, becomes the first patient of his son at the hospital he has built for his son!

As he lies there, unable to move any part of his body, his mind recollects the sight of his son making love to his wife, and silent tears flow down the sides of his eyes!

Machines are fixed to almost every body part of Mr. Kwame Awuah.

Within minutes his private doctors arrive, and they call in other experts.

Nana Yaw Awuah and a host of specialists are all gathered around the bed where Mr. Kwame Awuah is lying immobile.

The verdict is the same:

His body has suffered a total shutdown!

Almost all vital organs have been destroyed.

The heart attack has been too massive!

Mr. Kwame Awuah, multimillionaire, staunch atheist, therefore has less than a few weeks to live, less than one month!

Nana Yaw Awuah breaks down completely when he hears this news.

He wails like a baby.

Everybody present thinks that he is mourning the unfortunate calamity that has befallen his father, naturally, and none knows that he is filled with abject remorse.

Of course lying in bed Mr. Kwame Awuah hears the verdict, and understands it, and knows that his millions cannot save his life, and that he is dying!

Betrayed by the two people he loves most in the world!

And this is his end!

His eyes stare fixedly at his wife, and silent tears fall down the sides of his face.

Araba sits by the side of the bed and cries pitifully, heartbreakingly, a pathetic sight of a loving wife losing her beloved husband!

But no one knows that it is all a sham!

She is a really good actress!

But Mr. Kwame Awuah is not fooled, and his eyes stare at her fixedly, filled with such fury that after a while Araba stands up and allows herself to be helped outside.

Everybody leaves the room, and Mr. Kwame Awuah is left all alone.

Shortly afterwards the door opens again, and two senior nurses come inside.

They are Maame Akosua and Enyonam Klinogo.

Enyonam is weeping as she sits on the bed beside Kwame and gently touches his cheek.

ENYONAM

(weeping)

Oh, Kwame Awuah, gentle rich man, handsome man with a heart of gold! What am I hearing? You have less than a month to live? Oh why, why, why, why!! Death, please take your icy hands from this man o!

_______

She continues to cry until Maame Akosua coughs gently to get Enyonam’s attention.

ENYONAM

And, before I forget, here is the nurse who has been assigned to take care of you, Kwame. She is indeed a good woman and I’m sure you’re going to love her! Her name is Maame Akosua.

Maame, standing at the foot of the bed, smiles warmly at Kwame.

MAAME AKOSUA

Hello, Mr. Awuah.

After a while Enyonam’s phone rings, and she stands up and heads for the door.

Maame straightens up the room and hums a song, putting everything where they are supposed to be.

The door opens, and Nana Yaw comes in.

He stares at Maame for a while, and then he sits down on the edge of the bed.

NANA YAW

(softly)

You’re the nurse Madam Klinogo assigned to my father?

MAAME AKOSUA

Yes, please.

NANA YAW

And have you been taken through the drills about what to do and what not to do?

MAAME AKOSUA

(scowling)

I’ve been a nurse for thirty years, Mr. Awuah, and I’ve handled patients in far worse situations than your father. Believe me, I know what I’m going to do.

Nana Yaw nods and stands up, his face so miserable that Maame feels her anger evaporating.

NANA YAW

I didn’t mean to sound rude. But he’s my father, and I want only the best for him.

MAAME AKOSUA

(smiling)

Go home now, Doctor, and get some rest. Believe me, your father is in good hands. He’s going to be fine.

Nana Yaw nods again.

He bends quickly and kisses his father on the forehead, and then he turns round and quickly walks towards the door.

Maame Akosua sees the look of hardness in Mr. Kwame Awuah’s eyes as he stares at his son’s back, and she scowls with confusion.

It seems to her that the father didn’t particularly like his adopted son.

A week passes quickly.

FOSUAA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL is doing brisk business now.

There is a cloud hanging over the hospital though.

This is because the rich and powerful business mogul, Mr. Kwame Awuah, is lying helpless in a hospital bed.

It is expected that he will die any day.

There is absolutely no hope for him.

His condition has rapidly deteriorated in just seven days.

Everyday powerful men and woman come to visit him, much to Maame Akosua’s surprise.

It dawns on her that Mr. Kwame Awuah had been very good to people in his years, and he is well-liked.

Letters and flowers arrive in droves for him every day.

Maame tells Enyonam that she wants a video player in the ward, and this is installed.

Maame stands beside the bed and looks down with pity at Mr. Kwame Awuah.

MAAME AKOSUA

Everyday great people visit you. A lot of good wishes messages come for you. People bring flowers and cards. It seems you’re such a good man. What I can’t understand is why a grand man like you has hated God all your life and refused to accept that God exists. But that is going to change, do you hear me, Mr. Awuah? They say you have but a short time to live, and so I’m going to prepare your heart to be right with God. It is all I can do for you in this situation.

She rummages in her bag and brings out two books.

They are both Bibles.

One is a huge King James Version red-letter Bible, and the other is a voluminous children’s Bible.

She sits on the bed and shows them to Mr. Kwame Awuah, whose eyes suddenly go wide with anger.

MAAME AKOSUA

(giggling)

I see you’re angry, and I’m really sorry, but I want to do this. This Bible has English with those yea and ye, and thou things, and I don’t like them much, so I’ll leave it in this room and pray that you will be able to read it one day. Now, this is a children’s Bible, and I have the video too. I’m going to read to you as we watch the video, okay?

Kwame Awuah blinks rapidly, signalling his displeasure, but Maame pays no heed to him.

She pops the CD into the player, and as the images of a dark earth rolls on the screen, formless and foreboding, she begins to read the Bible to him.

After a while she sees that his eyes are closed, and she stands up, puts off the video, and leaves the ward to get some food to eat.

The moment she goes out Kwame opens his eyes and looks fiercely at the door. It is plain that he detests that woman very much.

Later in the day Nana Yaw enters the ward, and his eyes fall on the Bibles on the table.

Rage fills his face as he picks the Bibles and almost shove it into Maame’s face.

NANA YAW

(enraged)

And what the hell is this?

MAAME AKOSUA

Bibles, sir. I was reading them to your father!

Nana Yaw’s jaws work viciously as he glares at the woman.

NANA YAW

My father doesn’t believe in that, do you hear me? I don’t want you doing anything, ANYTHING, you’ve not been expressly told to do, Nurse! You can take this as a final warning, because maybe you didn’t know my father is an atheist. Next time, if you want to do anything, ask first! Do you understand?

MAAME AKOSUA

(softly)

Yes, sir.

NANA YAW

Good. Now take your damn Bibles and get out. I want to speak to my father!

To be continued