Where Did the Love Go

by Elbie Dee

“Well, duh! I can’t just sit here and let her have no one. At the end of the day, we were each other’s first love,” I replied, as if I needed his approval.

  While he sat in silence, I continued my way out of the door without locking it behind me. My feet being quicker than my body, I almost tripped after leaving the porch and approaching the two-car wide driveway. Stabilizing my balance, I walked a few steps until I reached my 2018 Chevy Camaro.

  I tugged on the handle of the driver’s side door after releasing the lock from my key fob. I hopped onto the leather seat and closed the door, before pushing the button for the ignition of my bright red vehicle to start. Once the engine ran for a minute, I used the gear stick to reverse out of the driveway and began making my way toward the nearest hospital.

  Thirteen minutes of driving to the hospital in silence came to an end as I pulled into the parking lot in front of the main entrance. Just like any other time I paid the hospital a visit, the only parking spaces available were the ones furthest from the entrance door.

  After shading my car underneath the palm trees, in a spot that was only a few feet away from the sidewalk beside the main road, I powered my ignition off. My seatbelt was never fastened, so after I took my wallet from the glovebox just in case the hospital required an I.D., I opened the driver’s side door, and hopped out.

  I slid my key into the right pocket of my jogging shorts, after closing the door and locking my vehicle, and dropped my wallet into the left pocket. Without acknowledging potential oncoming traffic, I ran across the parking lot until I was met with the automatic sliding glass door.

  “May I help you, Sir?” the receptionist asked as I approached the check-in counter. After catching a slight breath, I replied.

  “Is there any way you can tell me if Bayleigh Crease is admitted to this hospital?” I asked, and instantly remembered I could have just called to check instead of showing. In a panic, I assumed I wanted to be let to her room the instant I found out.

  “Yes. She appears to be admitted,” the mid-aged, dark-skinned woman stated.

  “Can I see her?” I asked without hesitating.

  “It is visiting hours. Are you related?” she informed me.

  “Yes. That’s my cousin,” I lied. Our pale skin tone and facial features were comparable, so I knew it could go for a pass.

  “May I see your I.D.?” she questioned.

  After pulling my wallet out of my shorts, I opened the billfold and took out my drivers’ license before handing the card to her. She slid the card into the potable scanner, before pressing the button for it to run through. Moments after handing my card back to me, she presented me with a visitors’ label.

  “It’s room two-forty-seven,” she informed me, as I peeled the sticker from its glossy base.

  “Thank you. Do you have a trash can?” I asked while attaching the label to my Nike shirt.

  “You can give it to me,” she instructed.

  I handed the piece of garbage to her before she directed me to where the elevators were located. Slow motion is all that surrounded me, as I walked down the hall leading to the elevators. With my heart thumping uncontrollably as I pressed the arrow button on the machine facing upward, I thought about chickening out. The nauseous feeling that approached only got stronger as the elevator doors opened, and it was time to board.

  “Excuse me,” the younger, Caucasian nurse getting off mannered, before sliding her station past me.

  I have to admit, she looked damn good in the light pink scrubs and the curly messy bun she sported. If I weren’t there to check on my ex-girlfriend, I definitely would have made a play toward her.

  Snapping myself from admiration, I reached my arm in the center of the entryway of the elevator as the doors began to close again. Once the machine sensed my movement, the doors slid back open. The nauseous feeling that lifted once I laid eyes on the fine ass nurse, returned after I boarded the elevator, and pressed the button which led to the second floor.

  Ding!

  The signal sounded, and the light to the second-floor button on the keypad brightened. In a natural manner, my head leaned forward which led to my chin resting on top of my chest, while my eyelids shut themselves. Listening to the sound of the doors opening, I huffed before regaining my previous stance and walking out of the elevator.

  Dragging my feet along the light-blue colored carpet of the hallway, I kept my eyes glued to the numbers on each of the doors. After I passed the nurses station, the numbers began getting closer and closer to the one Bayleigh was resting in. What seemed like forever and a day, I finally approached the door leading to the inside of her room.

  Standing still in the middle of the hallway, I began to pant. My breaths grew heavier and my hands began to quiver. If one would have noticed my body language, I was sure they’d believe I was in the beginning stages of a panic attack.

  “Here it goes,” I whispered aloud.

  I let one breath of airflow out of my mouth after I took enough oxygen into my lungs. I reached for the door handle and slowly began to turn. Just before I got the handle unlatched from the door panel, the knob turned quickly, and the door flung open.

  “Neakah,” I whispered, after I was able to confirm who was on the other side of the door.

  I wasn’t surprised seeing they had been friends for a long time, but I was a bit scared of what she may have to say. After placing her index finger to her mouth to demand I’d be quiet, she motioned for me to scoot back from the door. I did so, and she inched out of the room before closing the door behind her.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked me with her tone lowered. It was obvious that she didn’t want Bayleigh to overhear us speaking in the hallway.

  “I came to check on Bayleigh,” I softly stated before my tone grew a bit louder. “She’s on the fucking news! How could I not check on her?”

  “Chris be quiet!” she whispered in a firm manner which allowed me to notice how loud I was being. “Everybody knows she’s on the news. But why are you here? You’re the reason she got addicted to drugs and shit!”

  My heart fell to my ass, and I tilted my head to the side before shooting a look of confusion toward Neakah. “What the fuck do you mean?”

  “Oh. You can’t tell me you haven’t seen her around the streets of Miami looking for drugs, and sleeping in alleyways,” she spat.

  “What!” I replied.

  “She was prostituting when the guy beat her ass! He wanted pussy. She gave it to him, and he didn’t want to pay! When she flipped her shit, instead of him paying for the service he whopped her ass and flung her out of the side of his car. Luckily, camera footage from a local business recorded the attack. The only reason the cops were called is because a bystander overheard her cry for help as she laid flat on the cement of the alleyway,” she informed me on the nature of the attack.

  “Wow. I’m fucking speechless,” I admitted.

  Never have I ever thought of beautiful ass Bayleigh living a life so low. Guilt crept upon me as I thought about our past. If I would have treated her correctly and kept my manhood only to her, then who’s to say she would have had to go through any of her present trials and addiction?

  “Yeah Chris. Luckily, they were able to catch the guy,” Neakah added as I stared directly in her face with my heart growing heavier; it felt as if a ton of bricks had been laid on my chest.

  “Is she awake?” I asked, feeling my eyes becoming droopy.

  “Of course, but I don’t think you want to see her right now,” she tried getting me to regret coming to see Bayleigh, and admittingly, it was working.

  “I need to,” I demanded. Although my soul ached, I needed to fill the means in my heart on why I came in the first place. “I will always love Bayleigh, Neakah.”

  She huffed and took her eyes from me to look down to her feet. Pacing her foot back and forth along the carpet, she looked at me and said, “I know you’ll always love her Chris. But you can’t change what you did. I don’t think it’s a good idea y
ou see her.”

  Her reminding me of my mistakes took its toll. She was right. How could I face Bayleigh in a situation like the one she was in, and expect her to accept me? Knowing I had come with all the right intentions, it still would be hard for her to fathom my presence.

  “You got it. Talk to her about it. I’m going to wait down the hall in the waiting area until you inform me on her decision,” I stated. Neakah shook her head in agreement. “I’m serious, Neak. Please talk to her about it.”

  “I will try,” she agreed, before I tightened my lips and began to stride down the hallway.

  Zaiya

  “Good morning, girl!” my co-worker Tiah acknowledged when she noticed me coming from the elevator to start my shift.

  “Hey T!” I replied, wearing a grin on my face.

  Tiah always had been the one to make me smile. Whether the day started good, or bad for me, the energy she held always made everything better. Her spirit was lifted, and the dimples she sported with each grin felt magical. She was the cutest woman I had ever seen in my life. Adorableness at its maximum.

  “So what do we have today?” I asked Tiah, after placing my belongings in the assigned cabinet of the nurse’s station.

  I proceeded by walking over to the sink to give my hands a good scrub as I heard her reply from behind, “We are assigned to room two-forty-two through two-forty-nine.”

  “Cool beans. How many are occupied?” I questioned. Normally, they wouldn’t all fill until later in my shift, so to be aware of those who kept patients needing care was a must.

  “Three! We have Richard Pezzoli, age 56, in room two-forty-four. Selina Barron, age 34, in two-forty-nine. And last but certainly not least for long, Bayleigh Crease, age twenty-eight, in two-forty-seven,” Tiah informed me as I fastened my gloves, until they ended a half of an inch past my wrists.

  “Time to make my rounds!” I replied in a sarcastic manner while rolling my eyes, after Tiah handed me the patient reports left by the previous CNA.

  “You’re already over an hour late, so I suggest you do before you get in trouble,” Tiah sang underneath her breath when I began to walk about.

  “I heard that!” I giggled.

  From the time I started working at the hospital six months prior, her and I clicked. She was a CNA at the time, but I was hired to take her place. Since she had gotten her license to become a Registered Nurse and the facility had an opening, promoting her once I was trained was the plan.

  Once she became a level of employee higher than mine, I thought I would lose interest in working with her. Often, a lot of promoted workers get a big head and think they own the world when given a new position. I was wrong. Tiah stayed the same person she was when we first met. The only difference was she became my superior.

  “Hey, Mr. Pezzoli. I’m Tiah and I’ll be taking your vitals,” I introduced once I entered room two-forty-four.

  “Ehhh,” the older Italian man groaned.

  “Now, now. I have to do my job!” I replied with a calm tone.

  Most patients introduced themselves once I did, but I assumed he was cranky due to the lack of food intake. He was being hospitalized for diabetes issues, and until his levels were under control, he was placed on an ADA diet. Surely, the lack of calorie intake had a negative impact on his mood.

  “Alright. Your temperature is down and you’re looking healthy,” I stated. Immediately afterwards, I wish I would have used different wording.

  “Give me food then!” he demanded in a strong Italian accent, as he laid on his backside with the bed elevated at a one-hundred and twenty-degree angle.

  “That’s not my decision. I’ll send in further assistance,” I replied, as I washed my hands rapidly.

  “Come on!” he screamed while I turned toward him and patted my hands on a dry paper towel.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Pezzoli,” I apologized, before jetting out of the room.

  With Tia processing paperwork at one of the computer’s in the nurse’s station, I looked at her and strongly rolled my eyes. She chuckled knowing that was my look anytime I had to deal with difficult patients. Taking my eyes from her, the next room on my list was room two-forty-seven, which housed one by the name of Bayleigh Crease.

  As I approached the room, I said a quiet prayer that she’d be more easygoing than Mr. Pezzoli. Based on his approach, it wasn’t a good day for me to have a good day. Upon looking at her reports, she wasn’t in a condition where she wished for food. Unfortunately, her report looked as if she was in pain. Luckily for me, I was able to assume that it would be an easy trip.

  “Hello, Ms. Crease,” I introduced and walked to wash my hands at the sink.

  After my hands were lathered and pat dry, I grabbed a pair of latex gloves from the shelf on the wall which indicated that they were a medium size. Truthfully, if I didn’t sport acrylic nails then my boney hands would be able to fit in a size small.

  I noticed the Bayleigh woman was in no condition to reply once I directed my attention toward her. She was awake and conscious, but the damage she wore allowed me to be aware that it was uncomfortable for her to speak. Along with her black eyes, swollen lips and stitched cut on the side of her neck, she looked pale and helpless. Obviously, she was dehydrated, and the I.V. wouldn’t be a pinch of help.

  Seeing her such an octopus position put a dent on my heart. Surely, in my job position I’ve seen terrifying situations; even those in which I have to tell the families that their loved ones had passed and dealt with the emotional cries and screams within the hospital rooms.

  “I’m going to take some vitals. Is that okay?” I questioned and she nodded her head.

  With the oxygen tubes shoved down her throat, I was surprised to see how she managed to move her head with everything else that was going on with her. Strength is what she was showing. Jealousy is the only thing I could think of as to why anyone would hurt this woman.

  “Everything looks fine Ms. Crease. The doctor will be in shortly to update you on everything,” I stated before continuing. “Okay?” I asked.

  Once more, she nodded her head before I prepared myself to leave the room. I was washed up and heading out the door when I glanced back at her. Her previously opened eyes were shut, which allowed her to look more at peace. I shook my head and continued out the door. I approached the nurse’s station in silence.

  “Are you okay, Zaiya?” I vaguely heard Tiah ask me over the thoughts that were blocking everything around me.

  “Huh? I mean, yeah. I’m okay?” I replied, after I directed my head back from where I stood to face her sitting in her desk chair.

  “You were fine a few minutes ago. What changed?” she continued. When I noticed she wasn’t going to let it go until I answered, I caved in and told her.

  “Seeing that girl beat up in the room like that did something to my heart,” I confessed.

  Tiah took in a fresh breath of air and replied, “Working at a hospital, it’s like that sometimes. Usually, you’re good about separating emotion from your workplace. I never thought I’d be having this talk with you!”

  Her reply made me giggle. After our conversation, I focused my eyes back on my paperwork, and started to record the vitals to all of the patients into their profiles in the computer system. For a second, I had forgotten all about the girl who was beat up in the room.

  I glanced from the screen for two seconds and caught a figure from the backside of someone I thought I knew. I got up from my seat, and started to walk back toward the room I had just finished in. Instantly, I wish I had went with my gut instinct and ignored it altogether.

  “You know her?” I blurted once I shot around the corner and noticed Ocho standing in front of the room where Bayleigh was housed.

  “Zaiya? I didn’t know you worked here,” he admitted after we locked eyes once he directed his attention toward my voice trail.

  “Just started six months ago,” I informed Ocho. Unexpectedly, my emotions began rising for him again the more I looked into his ma
rble eyes.

  “Well, congratulations!” he exclaimed while wearing a wide grin.

  “Is that your girlfriend?” I nonchalantly asked. It may have sounded rude of me to ask such a question but offering apologies on behalf of what happened to the girl was the furthest from my mind.

  “No,” he chuckled. “Actually, since you’ve always been nosy as hell, I seen her at the gas station the other day. I thought she was cute and almost hollered. Last night she was attacked. If I would have went with my intuition and grabbed her ass up, then the chances of this happening her would have a lower percentage.”

  “Wow. You’re really admitting this to me? The last woman you were in a relationship with?” I asked after I walked closer to him. I tried whispering as low as possible, but the last of my sentence leveled to a higher degree.

  “Why not? I wasn’t the cheater in the relationship. I don’t lie, remember? Or do you have me confused with one of the many men you fucked during our time together?” he asked, and I couldn’t believe he allowed himself to degrade me in such way… especially at my workplace.

  “I can’t fucking believe you!” I yelled before I punched him with force on his left arm, which hurt the hell out of my knuckles. Since him and I split, it was obvious that his time in the gym had expanded based on his muscular triceps.

  “What the fuck is going on here?” I heard a woman’s voice coming from behind the place I kept my stance.

  I instantly froze from the thought of the woman behind me possibly being one of my supervisors. From the voice, I knew it wasn’t Tiah, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t another person of power. But when Ocho brushed past me and introduced himself, I was able to release the tension from my body.

  “Neakah. Nice to meet you,” she stated. I turned around and found a stunning Asian woman in her late twenties standing in front of Ocho, while I faced his backside. “Anybody wanna tell me what’s going on here?”

  “Zaiya is my ex-girlfriend. You don’t know me, but I saw the lady that’s in that room at the gas station. My instinct kicked in and I wanted to be sure she was at least stable,” Ocho explained.