Feverish Love

by Germaine Solomon

  “I’m sorry you were expecting us to reunite because it’s not going to happen. I’m not going to marry you because I’m not in love with you. You must accept that.”

  “But I have been preparing for our future together. You should see the extravagant home I’m having built for us and our children in Tokeh Town on the western peninsula. It’s being constructed on prime ocean-front property where we’ll enjoy our own private beach.”

  “That sounds nice, but I still will not marry you.” When Hogan’s handsome smiling face flashed before her eyes, it gave her courage to speak her truth. “I’m in love with another man. His name is Hogan and he’s a doctor.”

  Hassan stuffed the ring box into his pants pocket and stood abruptly. “Very well. What should we tell our fathers?”

  Giva grunted out a half laugh. “You have the right to tell Dr. Jusu whatever you choose to tell him. I’ll simply repeat to my father what I’ve told him a thousand times before.”

  “Eh?”

  “I am going to live my life the way I want to and he will not interfere.” Giva stood from the sofa. “I wish you well, Hassan. I pray that God will send you the wife He designed especially for you. And when He does, you will forget all about me. So, please move on with your life, Hassan.”

  “I will move on, but I will never forget you, my lovely Nyaheigiva.”

  15

  After Giva walked a disappointed Hassan to the door and wished him God’s speed, she decided to tidy up her bedroom while she waited to hear from Hogan. As soon as she got busy vacuuming the carpet, her phone rang and she dived across her bed to answer it.

  “Hogan?”

  “I love you, Giva,” he blurted out through a pitiful sob. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too. How are you feeling?”

  “I tested positive, babe. I have the Coronavirus.” He broke down, crying like a baby.

  The sound of Hogan weeping shredded Giva’s heart into a million pieces. “I will use annual leave from work so I can take care of you. I’ll be there shortly.”

  “I don’t want you to do that, babe. Harley should arrive here this evening by private jet. She promised to stay in Atlanta for as long as I need her. She’ll take good care of me.”

  “But what about her children? She should stay home with them. I can take care of you.”

  “You’re needed in the unit, babe. There’s no other doctor in the entire goddamn hospital that cares about sick people the way you do. I’m on the disabled list for a little while, slugger so I need you to stay in the game and hit as many home runs as you can until I get back to help you. And I’ll be back for sure because the patients need me. Can you cover your man while he’s down, Dr. Kamanda?”

  Giva swallowed hard and took a deep breath as her tears continued to fall. “Yes, I’ll hold you down if you promise to get well and hurry back to me. Do we have a deal, Dr. McQueen?”

  “You’ve got a deal, babe.”

  Ten days later…

  “Hey, Ardaijah, where are you going, girl?”

  She turned around in the middle of the hall, smiling. “It’s testing day for me, Dr. Kamanda, but I really don’t need it. I live alone and nobody ever visits me. The only time I leave my house it to come to work, and you know I’m the social distancing queen around here.”

  “It’s testing day for me too so I’ll walk with you to employees’ health.”

  The two women shared a laugh as Giva approached Ardaijah. They fell in step and made their way down the hall.

  “How’s Dr. Do Me?” Ardaijah asked discreetly through her mask.

  “He’s getting stronger every day. I’ll tell him you asked about him this evening.”

  “I’m honored that you guys trusted me enough to fill me in on your little secret when we worked on the Henderson case together. Girl, I never would’ve guessed it.”

  “I know. We tried to be very discreet, which makes me wonder how Gwyneth found out we were involved.”

  “Who knows? And who gives a damn? You two are great doctors and you care for each other. That’s all that matters.”

  “You’re right.” Giva swooned surprisingly and fanned her masked face with her hand. “Oh my!”

  Ardaijah halted her steps. “Are you okay? You seem tired for this time of day. It’s barely nine o’clock, and something tells me we’ve got a long and busy day ahead of us. Do you want some caffeine to pick you up?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I’m just tired from working long hours and rushing over to check on Hogan for the past few nights. His sister left three days ago because he was recovering so well. Maybe I’ll go straight home tonight, take a lavender bubble bath, and retire to my bed early.”

  “Are you sure about the caffeine?” Ardaijah asked with concern in her eyes.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll probably ask the PA in employees’ health to check my iron level. I suffer from anemia sometimes when I don’t eat as healthy as I should.”

  “Okay. Let’s go and get these negative results, Doc.”

  “Pregnant?”

  “That’s right, Dr. Kamanda. You don’t have COVID-19, but you have an angel growing in your womb.”

  “That’s not possible. Can you run another test, please?”

  “I’ve already done two, ma’am.” The young technician handed her the lab sheet. “The PA told me to run a pregnancy test after you complained about fatigue, lightheadedness, and poor appetite. Now, your blood is low as you’d expected, so he gave you a prescription for iron supplements to take along with your prenatal vitamins. He wants you to eat lots of beets, liver, spinach, and all other high-iron foods. He insists that you make an appointment with your OB-GYN as soon as possible too.”

  “How could this have happened? We were extra careful at all times.”

  As soon those words left Giva’s mouth, her mind drifted back to the night she and Hogan had a buck-wild, makeup-sex marathon after their first disagreement as a couple that started over text messages from Hassan. She didn’t know how many times they’d gotten busy that night. Hell, anything could’ve happened as horny as Hogan had been. That was over a month ago.

  “How far along am I,” Giva asked, still in a daze.

  “According to what you told the PA, he estimates you’re six or seven weeks.”

  Giva pushed her chair back from the table in the small room and stood up. “I’ll take those prescriptions now.”

  Hogan turned around from his position at the safety rail when he heard the door creak open. By the grace of God, he’d felt strong and confident enough to climb the steps to his favorite spot in the building to get some fresh air and vitamin D from the sun’s rays. He watched his woman walk toward him dressed in a sunshine-yellow sarong dress. He didn’t know what he’d done for God to bless him with such a jewel, but he was thankful.

  “Elián told me you were up here.”

  “I didn’t even break a sweat while I was climbing the steps. I’m feeling better every day, getting my strength back.”

  Giva sat down on a concrete bench. “Come closer. I need to talk to you.”

  “Are you about to break my heart, babe? Have you changed your mind and decided to accept Hassan’s wedding proposal? I mean he did give you a fucking iceberg diamond.”

  “He did,” Giva agreed, nodding her head. “But what you’ve given me is so much more valuable than expensive jewelry and money. It’s priceless.”

  Now, standing a safe distance away without a mask on his face, he smiled. “Love is a priceless gift. Thank you for giving it to me so freely.”

  “You’re welcome. I have another gift for you. It’s a surprise, so I hope you’ll like it.”

  “I have a surprise for you too.”

  “Well, don’t keep me waiting, Hogan. I want my surprise.”

  “I tested negative for the virus today for the second time in three days. Dr. Patel says I’m officially in the clear. I can report back to work in a week.”

  Giva jumped up and closed the
distance between them and threw herself into his arms. Her arms and legs looped around his body, squeezing him tight. Then she lowered her mask and kissed Hogan deeply as if her life depended on it. And he returned her kiss with feverish love he held in his heart for her.

  Hogan ended the kiss reluctantly. “Where’s my gift, babe?”

  She slid down from his embrace until her feet touched the ground. “I didn’t plan it, but I hope you’ll like it.”

  “What is it, babe?”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Hogan had heard her clearly, but he didn’t know what to say right away. He was ecstatic, and his mind was all over the place, trying to process Giva’s announcement.

  “Woo-hoo!” He picked Giva up and started spinning around in circles. “My babe is giving me a baby!”

  “Put me down, Hogan you’re making me dizzy.”

  He sat down on the bench with her on his lap. “How far along are you?”

  “I’m six or seven weeks. Don’t you want to know how this happened?”

  “I know how it happened, babe. I’m a doctor. Remember? I just don’t know exactly when it happened. It doesn’t matter to me, though because I conditioned my mind a long time ago to accept things I cannot control. I accept you as the love of my life and I accept this baby that God has blessed us with.”

  “I love you so much, Hogan.”

  “I love you more, Mommy.”

  Giva laughed and kissed him hungrily and he reciprocated, knowing it was all a prelude to what they would share in his bed later tonight.

  Epilogue

  Two months later…

  “I see,” Giva said, typing notes into her iPad. “Have you been wearing a mask when you go out in public, Sharmeshia?”

  The young woman frowned and lowered her eyes, and Giva immediately, even through the computer screen, knew her answer.

  “No, Doctor, I ain’t been wearing a mask ‘cause I can’t find one. But I tie a bandana over my nose and mouth sometimes, though. I’ve been looking for masks, gloves, Lysol, and hand sanitizer everywhere, but there ain’t none on the shelves in the stores around here.” The woman coughed roughly, her whole body shaking terribly as she did. “But what about this here cough, though, Doc? You think I got the virus? You want me to go to the ER or what? I ain’t got no insurance, though.”

  “I want you to go to the clinic that has been set up specifically for the people in your community. The doctor will thoroughly examine you and assess your cough and other symptoms. Then more than likely, you’ll be tested for COVID-19, Sharmeshia. I’ll email you the directions to the clinic and other information right now and it’ll come directly to your cell phone. Will that be okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am, that’ll be cool. But like I already told you, I ain’t got insurance, though.”

  “No worries, darling. You won’t be required to pay a dime.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “I sure am.”

  The door opened and closed, and Giva’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at her handsome fiancé slash baby daddy, walking coolly in her direction and had to remind herself that she was working. She was still getting used to her new position as the COVID-19 community health liaison to some of Atlanta’s under-served communities that had been hit hard by the virus. It was a very rewarding job that allowed her to continue her fight with the virus while staying safe at home, which Hogan had vehemently insisted on right after her pregnancy announcement. Residents in selected inner-city neighborhoods would now have access to testing for those who believed they’d been exposed to the virus and those experiencing symptoms. And Dr. Kamanda was the managing clinician in the program.

  Giva finished filling out the assessment form and sent the young woman the information necessary to secure an appointment at the testing clinic, while Hogan took off toward the master suite. “You’re all set, Sharmeshia. Now that you have all the information you need, please go ahead and make your appointment. And please try to report to the clinic on time and wear a bandana.”

  “I’ll be there early.” Sharmeshia cocked her head to the side and gave Giva a serious look. “I know you said I don’t have to pay nothing, but I know it ain’t really free. Who’s paying for my exam and test, Doc, the government?”

  A shirtless Hogan returned to the home office he now shared with his fiancée and mother of his unborn child and leaned against the doorjamb. He looked sinfully irresistible in a pair of checkered boxers, showing most of the body parts that constantly drove her crazy.

  “No, the government does not fund this particular clinic or the massive testing movement.” Giva’s eyes skidded over to the door to take in her man again. He blew her a kiss and winked before she refocused on her last patient for the day on the computer screen. “Fortunately for you, Sharmeshia, a very generous donor, who happens to be a local physician committed to the eradication of COVID-19, has made it possible for you to be tested. There’s also a program that will assist with your medical bill, prescriptions, and food for your family in the event that you test positive.”

  “Oh wow! Thank you for everything, Doc.”

  “You’re welcome, my dear. Goodbye.”

  Another video call came through as soon as the previous one ended.

  “Nah, Mommy, you’re off work.” Hogan walked over and rubbed Giva’s baby bump as he placed a kiss on her lips. “ I promised your overprotective brothers and your parents that I would take good care of you and our baby. And you know Harley will cut off my balls if I don’t make sure you get enough rest and eat properly So, I’m putting my foot down. No more calls for the day.”

  Giva giggled. “But I’m sure you wouldn’t mind me taking this particular call.” She clicked on the answer icon with her mouse.

  “Hey, Dr. Giva!”

  One peep at Hogan told Giva that she’d made the right choice.

  “Hello, my lovely angel! How are you?”

  “I’m good! How is the baby inside your tummy doing?”

  “The baby is fine. It’s growing bigger and stronger every day.”

  “Are you gonna have a baby girl or a baby boy?”

  “It’s too early to know yet, my dear. I’ll tell you as soon as the doctor tells us, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Princess Dessy Pooh, how are you?” Hogan leaned over Giva’s shoulder to see his special girl’s face.

  “Hey, God Daddy Hogan! Thank you for my new Heritage World baby doll, my dollhouse, my…”

  Giva swiveled in her chair and lifted her body. Hogan sat down in her chair as she left the room and continued his animated conversation with Destiny. After they fought and won the battle with COVID-19, he promised the child’s uncle and mother that he would always be a part of her life, and he’d assist them any way he could to ensure she had everything she needed for the rest of her life. He was such a good man, and Giva thanked God every day for bringing them together from two entirely different worlds under dangerous circumstances to save lives and fall in love forever and ever.

  .

  THE END