Jerry began to grunt, holding his chest as he drew shortened breaths. All the boys grew very petrified.
Bassey then recalled he was given some medication at the clinic when ill the previous week.
“Let’s see, bring it quickly!” Osas commanded and in no time Bassey surfaced with some drug.
Toju received it to have a look. “Loma-gi-nine, hmm what does this do?”
“What are its constituent chemicals?” Osas replied. Toju rolled his eyes and handed it to him.
“Diclofenac-potassium and Ibuprofen. These are two powerful agents,” Osas said inspecting the drug while Amos joined him.
“Its half-life and in fact pharmacokinetics take some time therefore absorption and distribution may be slow. I’d say he needs an immediate therapeutic effect given the urgency of this situation,” Osas continued.
“It doesn’t quite matter. The muscular contraction and relaxation taking place while his chest aches right now can send him into an anaphylactic shock if left like this,” said Amos.
Everyone but the duo was confused about what they were saying but they remained quiet and waited for these “scientists” to reach a common solution.
“Then we should hope there aren’t any toxins that could resist the enzymes from catalyzing the metabolic pathway of the drugs,” said Osas.
“Abeg abeg abeg1! Somebody go die here when we dey2 listen to these two wannabe doctors, boys wey3 Medicine department reject!” ranted Don.
For the first time, he made sense to everyone. His retort was like the apple that opened the eye.
“Hey listen carefully! The jail time for man-slaughter is equivalent to the number of years you’ll be needing to father twelve children. I’m talking to both of you,” The-law said, removing his glasses from his slender face and pointing to Amos and Osas.
“And man-slaughter, because I’m sure you have no clue, is when you give Jerry that drug and he…” he continued, finishing with a shrug and widened eyes.
Everyone knew exactly what The-law meant and began to dissociate themselves from any medication. Amos and Osas must have had a serious rethink because they were speechless.
“Let’s try and find a way to take him to the clinic,” said one of the boys.
“Do you know how sequestered that clinic is from this place? And aren’t you cognizant of the heavy downpour? I would not be a party to that,” The-law quickly countered.
“You’re so full of the smartest objections! Why can’t you be helpful? Like suggest something that would salvage this situation?” Toju said disgustedly.
“At least I’m preventing more havoc, young fella, and what have you been doing exactly?”
“If we can’t take him to the clinic, how about we go get the paramedic to come here?” Toju fired.
“Paramedic?” The-law snorted, “How clever you must feel using that term.”
Toju was going to dish his verbal blow but was placated from the words that escaped Amos.
“This is the best idea so far, Toju! Someone can go and tell the clinic people that we need urgent attention.” Almost everyone concurred.
“Jesus! J-man! Jerry!” Etoka called out, smacking Jerry who was now lying motionless on the floor. The room immediately fell dead quiet.
“Is he breathing?” someone whispered.
No one answered.
Amos rushed to feel Jerry’s pulse. “He’s still breathing,” he said quietly. “I’m going to the clinic,” he added and sprinted away.
“Hurry! Run!” Etoka yelled.
“Oh Lord, come down, and manifest your power…” Andrew drew out the song with forceful vibrations of his head, throwing his arms in the air. Yetunde and Gimba, his best friends joined the singing with matching fierceness.
Three of them were fondly called “Hebrew boys.” They preached to the students often. Sometimes, at the middle of the night they went to the field to pray and sing.
“Amen! Amen!” the students responded whenever the Hebrew boys finished from declaring a powerful line of prayer, commanding the demons holding Jerry to let him free.
“Move!” someone ordered. The Hebrew boys kept praying while others stopped.
“I said move! Give him some air!” all the prayers ceased and everyone was now eyes glued on Chuka standing gallantly in boxers and white polo.
His complexion was red-hot, forehead furrowed into ridges, eyes widened and blazing through the dull lights, not a trace of clemency in his face.
They stepped aside as he approached Jerry. Chuka squatted and began to try various ways of resuscitating Jerry. All the boys stood watching.
“See! He moved!” Etoka exclaimed. Chuka paused. As Jerry belched and opened his eyes hazily, the boys went agog.
“This is the real doctor!” one student screamed and everyone cheered Chuka who seemed to not even notice.
“Now rest,” he said to Jerry and walked back to his bunk like an enigma.
Shortly, Amos returned with the clinic personnel and Jerry was taken for proper medical care. The boys went back to bed and after a while of chitchat, the room was quiet again.
“Now tonight would be reckoned with as one episodic rollercoaster, indeed a compendium of a plethora of breath-taking occurrences!” Everybody knew the one person that could drop such line.
Toju gave out a sharp laughter from his corner that echoed across the room. “What a bruising tautology! Compendium and plethora indeed,” he scorned and shot another piercing laughter.
The END
- Bunkies: bunk mates
- Oya: now
- Una: you
- Dey: is/are
- Garri: cassava meal
- Abeg: please
