Gertrude Mensah had by this time relaxed, seeing that the First Lady had totally softened her stance and was now rather sympathetic towards her. She was now staring from Lt. Clottey to her with concern and sympathy. Lt. Clottey finally told the President about the phone call from the Speaker of Parliament to the Vice-President accusing her of being behind the President’s ailment aimed at compelling him to resign so she could take over.
“He said he has therefore ordered the arrest of madam here to stop her in her tracks, Mr. President. It was here that it immediately clicked to me that he was the mastermind behind the plot to assassinate her. By the dictates of the constitution, he is the one who stands to take over as President if the Vice-President was suddenly not available and you have to resign because of your health. It dawned on me immediately that Her Excellency’s life is in danger because the Speaker was framing her up. So I decided to leave the hospital immediately which we did, climbing through the window and scaling over the wall of the hospital. Even as we did so, we saw military vehicles, Humvees which the Special Forces often use, being driven into the hospital. I am sure the Speaker has tricked some of our commanders into believing his story so they have sent our boys to arrest Madam. After analysing the issue, I came to the conclusion the only person who can step in to arrest the situation is you so I suggested to Madam we come over and see you immediately and she agreed hence our presence here” Lt. Clottey said, concluding his narration.
The First Lady, shocked at what she had heard, went for a chair and came to sit by Gertrude Mensah. Taking her hand, she first apologized for her hostile stance when she and the two soldiers first came in.
“You do not need to apologize, Madam. You are going through a lot and what you need is our support, not bringing our problems here. I am sure I too would have reacted the way you did if I was to be in your shoes. If there is anybody here who has to render an apology, it is me,” Gertrude Mensah said.
“Thanks for understanding me, Getty. You are an angel. You have always been since I got to know you. I can just imagine the fear under which you have lived the past three days”, the First Lady said, shedding tears.
“I can’t believe you have been through all these”, she continued. “You could have been killed! And all those people were slaughtered just because they wanted to assassinate you. Some people are simply not human”, she said.
“Thank you Madam. I am alive because of this gentleman here. He is God sent” Gertrude Mensah said, referring to Lt. Clottey. The First Lady turned to him and thanked him for his selflessness.
“You and your colleague here are a true reflection of what a soldier should be; courageous, selfless and patriotic. And your injury…we thank God are alive. We would ensure you get the best medical care.”
“I would nurse him back to good health with my love and care” Gertrude Mensah told herself quietly, staring over at the soldier she had fallen in love with. She wished he could see her heart and know she has fallen in love with him.