BAKAR AYAH COMPLETE HAUSA NOVEL

"‘You can do it; just hold on. You're almost there, just a little longer. Keep it up. I can see it,’” the nurse said, drenched in sweat from anxiety.
"I'm getting tired, nurse! My strength is all gone!" Hafsa replied, exhausted.
The nurse wiped the sweat from her brow once again and looked at another nurse beside her, who seemed to hold a higher position since her uniform was different.
"Quick, call the doctor immediately and tell him he's needed urgently in labor room 24."
“Yes, ma’am,” the second nurse replied, rushing out. Once she left, the first nurse turned her attention back to Hafsa, who was breathing heavily, but her delivery showed no signs of progress. To make matters worse, her blood pressure was so high that a C-section wasn’t an option.
The nurse shook her head sympathetically; anyone watching Hafsa’s struggle could tell she was going through a great deal of pain.
"Hang in there, all right? The doctor is coming to check if there’s an issue. Honestly, we’ve never seen anything like this at this hospital. Everything seemed fine, but the baby just isn’t moving out,” the nurse said.
“Nurse, please give me another labor injection. Maybe it’ll work now,” Hafsa pleaded.
“Unfortunately, I can’t. Since last night, we’ve already given you about five injections. Another one would be too risky right now. Just wait for the doctor; inshallah, you’ll give birth safely. Don’t worry, God is with you.”
The nurse continued encouraging her, although even she was at her wits’ end dealing with this case.
Peering out the door, she caught sight of HAJIYA ZEENAH, who had been pacing anxiously outside.
“How’s it going, nurse? Has she given birth yet?” Hajiya asked.
Sister Suwaiba, a nurse with 20 years of experience in midwifery, shook her head in exasperation. This case had truly rattled her.
“Not yet, Hajiya. We’re still dealing with the same issues as yesterday. To be honest, I’m starting to worry too. She’s in labor, but there’s no sign of the baby.”
“Oh my, inna lillahi! I don’t even know what to do. IYAH SAYYADA was adamant about coming, and I’m sure she’s back there worrying everyone, especially knowing Hafsa is struggling. Why can’t they just perform a C-section? Her husband may not be around, but his brother is here and can give consent.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not possible, Hajiya. Her blood pressure is too high; performing a C-section could put her at serious risk.”
While they were talking, the doctor arrived, wearing his coat, clearly just coming in.
"What’s going on, Sister Suwaiba? I heard you needed me in the delivery room. What seems to be the issue?”
"Well, sir, it’s quite a serious situation. This woman has been in labor for three days and has reached the final stage, but the baby won’t come out. Every time we try, it retreats further inside, and it appears the baby may not even be alive.”
“Oh, then prepare her for surgery. We can’t leave the baby inside her any longer.”
“But sir, her blood pressure is dangerously high. Surgery isn’t an option either.”
"Do you expect us to just sit back and watch her die? We must do something. Let’s go see her right away. This is Mrs. JABEER A. JAAN, right?”
“Yes, Doctor. Her husband should be arriving shortly.”
The doctor glanced at Hajiya Zeena, whose face was a picture of concern.
“Good afternoon, ma’am,” he greeted her.
“Yes, doctor. Please, something has to be done. If need be, I’ll arrange to fly her out in a private jet.”
“Don’t worry, Hajiya. We’ll do everything we can to resolve the issue.”
With that, they entered Hafsa's room, where she lay. Just then, Hajiya’s phone rang. She stepped aside to answer it near where her daughter-in-law, LAYLAH (the wife of Jabeer’s brother), was seated.
“Hello, ABDULMALEEK, how are things?”
“Hmm, Ummah, I’m on my way to the hospital, and I’m bringing Iyah Sayyada with me. She insisted on seeing Hafsa, so I thought I’d bring her. Should I go somewhere else with her?” 
She reached the spot where Hajiya Zeena and the others were standing, holding her head and beginning to put on an act. Lylah noticed and asked, "Lubna, are you alright? I see you're acting strange."
“Uhm, my head… it feels like it’s going to explode. I don’t feel well at all.”
“Then go home, no one's forcing you to stay. I’m surprised you came here in the first place,” Hajiya Zeena said, giving her a scornful look. Lubna glanced at her, muttered goodbye, and left. The host, still upset with her from yesterday, didn’t even look at her.
Hajiya Lylah chuckled quietly, clearly enjoying the show. Limping, Lubna made her way to her car, pausing now and then to catch her breath before resuming her walk. Once she had left the hospital grounds, she burst into laughter and pulled her phone out of her bag.
“Hey, listen! I’ve got the concoction ready, just as you wanted. Hurry before she goes into labor. If she gives birth, the spell won’t work.”
She ended the call and pressed the accelerator, singing along with the music. Before long, she arrived home, which was close to the hospital. Yaseerah, her friend, was waiting in her car at the gate; her bodyguards had refused her entry as she’d left her ID permission at home in her haste. Lubna honked and signaled the guards to let Yaseerah’s car in, then followed her to their apartment.
They went straight to Lubna’s quarters, laughing and cheering like hunters who had captured a mighty elephant. “Are you serious, Luby? I still can’t believe it! You’ll kill her with ease from here?”
“Absolutely, just watch. I made sure she hadn’t delivered before I came, so let’s hurry.”
“Will the spell still work if she gives birth?”
“No, it’s not that the spell won’t work, but I want to take her down with the baby inside her, kill two birds with one stone, you understand, right?”
Instead of sitting in the living room, they moved to a bedroom for privacy. “Are you still afraid of the old housemaid? No need, as long as it’s you doing the work. This way, they’ll keep being afraid of you and stop bringing women for him to marry. I mean, who’d want to share her husband’s love?”
“Hmm, let them be! They have no idea I’m even more wicked than they think. Whatever they try, I’m always a step ahead.”
She spoke while pulling a small doll from her bag, then took a bottle with Hafsa’s blood and smeared it on the doll’s mouth. Watching the blood spread, she gave a sinister grin, knowing her spell was about to work.
“Yaseerah, I think it’s working. The blood has soaked into the doll. Now I’ll start calling her name three times and then I’ll begin snapping its limbs.”
She closed her eyes and chanted, “Hafsa… Hafsa… Hafsa, your days are numbered! Here I come for you!” With each name, she twisted the doll, causing faint cries to echo in the room, but she remained unfazed, her resolve only strengthened by each cry. She took about thirty minutes, breaking it bit by bit, allowing herself enough time to enjoy each piece of the spell.
When she finished, she threw the blood-stained doll on the ground, taking a breath. “It’s done, Yaseerah. She’s gone just like the others. None of them will be spared; that’s my promise,” she said, pleased with her work.
“What do you think, Yaseerah? You think she’s dead, like I want?”
“If you’ve done the spell as instructed, there’s no reason for doubt. But won’t you check to confirm?”
“Whether or not I confirm, they’ll all know it was me. I didn’t leave my husband’s family this way; I cast a spell so he’ll never leave me until he dies unless I wish otherwise.”
As she laughed, Yaseerah said, “You really are something else, Luby. No wonder you’re our club’s queen. But let me get going; my old lady keeps calling me to come help her with cooking. Catch you later.”
With that, Yaseerah grabbed her bag and left.
<hr>
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Madeena was sobbing softly, barely able to finish her prayers. Abdulmaleek, standing by her side, consoled her, “Please, Madeena, I know how close you were with Hafsa. She needs our prayers now.”
“Brother Abdul, just look at her suffering, her whole body broken. She’ll never wake up again.”
“I’m sorry, sis, but keep praying for her. Only God knows; she may rise again by His will.”
Madeena nodded weakly, calming herself. No one spoke until the OR door opened and Dr. Basheer entered, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief. His face held a difficult expression.
“We’re sorry, we did everything we could, but…”
Abdulmaleek cut him off, “Doctor, let’s talk privately before I inform everyone.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Dr. Basheer and Abdulmaleek stepped into the office. Thirty minutes later, Abdulmaleek returned, his face carefully controlled but still carrying the weight of grief.
“I’m sorry, everyone. She’s gone. May God, who loves her more than we do, have taken her in the best way for her soul.”
Sayyada collapsed onto a chair behind her, regaining control with Abdulmaleek’s help. “But… but what about her baby? I heard he was alive before the surgery?”
“No, Ma. They managed to bring him out alive, but he only lasted a few minutes before following her. The trauma affected him too much.”
“Oh, I’ve lost my Zainab’s bloodline,” she wailed. “Her substitute has also gone. Even the baby I could have raised, he too is gone. Why has this wretched woman done this to me?”
“Please, Ma, calm yourself. Hafsa needs our prayers,” Hajiya Zeena said, wiping her own tears. But the sight of Hafsa and her lost grandchild weighed on her heart, intensifying her fury.
While everyone struggled to come to terms, Alhaji Abdullahi entered with Jabeer, his distress evident.
Since his arrival, he had been silent, his trembling hands belying his grief. He walked straight to the operating room where Hafsa lay, draped in a white cloth, and uncovered her face to look at her one last time.
He whispered, “Why… why did you have to go when I wasn’t ready?”
A tear from his eye fell onto her forehead as he placed the covering back. Walking out of the room, he tried to steady his breathing.
Back at Lubna’s house, she lay reclined on a couch in half a top and tight jeans, cucumber slices over her eyes, headphones on, humming to the music. Bishira rushed into the room, visibly eager to share news.
“Ma’am, ma’am, I have news for you! Hajiya Hafsa… she’s dead.”
“Oh? Both she and the baby are gone?”
The lack of surprise in Lubna’s voice surprised Bishira, though she hid it well. Everyone in the house, even the dog, would know she was behind it, yet no one dared speak. Even if her in-laws wanted to, they knew Lubna’s father, the Chief Private Lawyer in Abuja, would do anything to protect his only daughter.
“Yes, they say both she and the baby died. They’re bringing their bodies home now for burial.”
“Oh, I like this news!” Lubna smiled, handing Bishira a tip of five thousand naira for the update.
Bishira hurried out, her body trembling with excitement over the cash, while Lubna resumed her relaxation, humming to herself.