“Boy, what are you doing?” I questioned, rushing over to help him before he made an even bigger mess. “This kid is growing too fast for me.”
“He sure is. Pretty soon he’ll be wiping the food off of your mouth.”
Tegan chuckled and went over to give his buddy a hug.
“Junior, wassup kiddo?”
“Uncle T!” Junior shouted, jumping out of the chair and practically busting his ass to reach Tegan’s embrace.
“Damn, I wish my son would run to me like that.” I commented with a hint of jealousy.
“Don’t worry, I still love you Mommy.” Junior replied, running over to give me a kiss on the cheek. “Is it okay if Uncle T and I play Mario now?”
I giggled at the game my little man was trying to run on me; just like his father.
“You can after you eat some of the food Mommy slaved over.” I compromised, using the rest of a leftover napkin to get the sides of his mouth.
“Okay...”
Junior huffed a big sigh and sat in a chair to finish his meal in silence.
“You feeling any better?” Tegan asked, wasting no time in making sure all was well.
I gave him the eye as I made our plates.
“I’m fine T, really I am. I wish you would stop worrying about me.”
“It’s hard not to. You are one of my best-friends and the stuff you are going through is really tough.”
“Tell me about it.”
Tegan raised a brow, went to make us a drink and came back to the table.
“No you tell me. I never got the story from the horse’s mouth.”
“I guess you haven’t noticed Lucille’s overbite.”
We laughed in unison.
“Really though Ivory, tell me what’s going on.” T placed his hand on top of mine. “You know we don’t hide anything around here, I’m only your boss during working hours.”
I looked down at my plate and prepared myself to relive the most recent moments of my downward spiral.
“Baby, how about letting Mommy talk with Uncle T while you play your game?”
Junior’s eyes lit up as he scarfed down the rest of his plate.
“But I thought you said…”
“Better go before I change my mind.”
Junior scurried off before the sentence could leave my lips.
I took a sip from my drink.
“Pierce cheated on me with some young chick and got her pregnant. He took everything from the house and slapped me with that cute little summons for custody of Junior.”
“Wow, so it’s getting that foul.” T shook his head and grimaced. “If you would have told me that the two of you would be fighting tooth and nail like this six years ago, I would have laughed in your face.”
“Then laugh away.” I said, frowning. “It’s hard but I know that everything will calm itself down once we get through the court case. I’m so thankful for friends like you and Myla.”
The mention of her name always made Tegan snarl.
“So I’m guessing Myla was the one that bought you all this fly ass furniture.”
“Something like that.” I responded coyly.
After debating with myself about whether or not to tell him the truth regarding Denise and our deal, I decided against it…at least for now.
Tegan took another drink from his glass.
“When was the last time you saw Pierce?”
“Earlier this week. He popped up to the house the same night he had the summons dropped off.”
“You let him in?”
“He still has a key.”
“That’s a fucking mess.”
“I know.” I said, drawing my eyebrows together. “And it’s not like I can kick him out. The deed to the house is in both of our names.”
Tegan took a moment to digest that madness I had shared with him.
“Damn. That’s a tough one.” He frowned, rubbing the hair on his chin. “If things get too wild around here, you know you and Junior have a place to stay.”
“Thanks.” I replied, forcing a laugh “But if Pierce ever found out I went to stay with you he’d kill me.”
“…If the stress he’s causing you doesn’t get to you first.” Tegan finished.
“I think that’s what he’s betting on.” I replied, playing with my food. “Maybe then he would have a chance in court.”
“Did he say why he felt like Junior would be better off with him?”
“He claims I’d be emotionally unstable after the separation.” I used air quotes to reinforce how erroneous it was. “Can you believe that?”
T looked up from his plate.
“Do you want me to respond as a counselor or as your best-friend?”
“Hell, with the way my life has been going, you might as well throw the kitchen sink at me.”
There was silence in the room before he continued.
“As your friend, I would tell you that he has no right to take your child away. Especially since you were the one raising him while Pierce was trying to advance his career. But as a counselor, I would definitely say that a little therapy couldn’t hurt.”
I exhaled deeply as I did my best to digest what was said.
“So basically you are telling me that you agree with him?”
“Not wholeheartedly but to some degree.” Tegan looked me dead in my eyes. “Ivory, you can’t tell me that you are 100% physically, emotionally, and mentally well after everything that has and will happen. You know the ropes, our clients at the center go through marital shit on a smaller degree and want to kill themselves. Think about that.”
I could feel the lump in my throat growing larger. As much as I hated to admit it, Tegan was right. The amount of turmoil and stress I was under was enough to make even the strongest woman break. Maybe I already had, the stuff I’m doing for Denise and to Delano was so not my character.
“Ivory!” Tegan called, interrupting my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, just taking it all in.” I lied.
“Good. I don’t mean to hurt you, only trying to help.”
“I know T.” I said, as he finished his last bite of food.
“Are you ready now?” Junior shouted impatiently from the living room.
I nodded at Tegan which gave him the approval to leave me to my thoughts.
Once he did, I cleaned up our mess and busied myself by washing the dishes.
“Finally some peace.” I thought
Just as the idea crossed my mind, my phone pulsated against the dining room table, alerting me almost immediately.
I dried my hands with a kitchen towel and rushed to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Yes, hello” A woman’s voice initiated from the other end of the line. “This is Seattle Northwest I’m looking for an Ivory Carter.”
“This is her.” I spoke, wondering why anyone would be calling me from the local hospital. “If there is a discrepancy one with my patients, it is usually the case manager on duty who would take these kinds of calls.”
“This is in regards to Myla Reeves.”
I could feel my heart slowing in pace.
“She has listed you as a contact in case of emergency. There’s been an accident, if you could please report to the hospital immediately.”
My lips trembled as I struggled to keep my grasp on the phone.
When would I ever catch a break.
CHAPTER 12
“Get out of my damn way!” I shouted, honking the horn and weaving in and out of traffic to get to the hospital.
“Ivory, slow down. You have to drive the speed limit or else we’ll all be in the ICU.” Tegan reasoned, looking behind the passenger seat to ensure my son was safe and sound.
Junior giggled at the mayhem that I was causing.
“Mommy drives like a racecar vroom!”
“Sit back Junior!” I commanded, slamming my foot on the brakes once we made it the entrance of Seattle Northwest.
I stepped out of the car
and let Tegan take the wheel while I raced into the waiting area.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for a Myla Reeves.”
The blurting of my words caught the receptionist off guard.
“Myla who?” She questioned with a puzzled look on her face.
“Reeves”
The hurriedness in my voice didn’t seem to make a difference. The nurse continued searching for her name but to no avail.
“I’m sorry but there’s no Myla Reeves in the hospital’s directory.”
“There’s no what? That can’t be possible. Reeves. R E E…”
I spelled the name out to the nurse who looked at me like I was insane.
Tegan sprinted behind me with my son in toe.
“I apologize on behave of my friend.” T began in a slow and tender voice. “I am Tegan Whitmore. We were told her friend Myla Reeves was transported here after an incident.”
“I’m aware her name” The nurse snapped. “As I’ve told her, there is no Myla Reeves here.”
The frustration was evident on her face as her and I engaged in a silent stare down.
“Is there an issue here ma’am?” An older black nurse questioned, leaning toward the computer to get a gander at what the other was looking for.
“My best-friend is here and I need to see her”
I was on the verge of tears but did my best to refrain from letting them loose in front of the hospital personnel.
“Reeves, Reeves” The woman bit her lip and allowed the glasses she wore to fall to the tip of her nose. “The only Myla we have in our database has the last name of Bellinger. Does that sound familiar to you?”
By this time, the anxiety that shot throughout my body had caused so much emotional pain that I began to have a migraine.
“No, but let’s try it.”
I couldn’t imagine anyone in the hospital having the same first name as my sister. Maybe the signed her in under the wrong name.
The friendlier of the two nurses motioned for us to follow her to the hospital wing where they held the newly admitted patients. Before we reached the door, I signaled for Tegan to stand outside the room with my son. I didn’t want him to see his auntie in whatever condition she was in.
The sound monitor was in tune with the beating of my own heart as I walked in to face the unexpected.
“Myla…” I whispered.
Myla laid peacefully in the hospital bed with her arms placed delicately at her side. Upon inspection, I noticed that she had a few minor bruises on her body and a slight purple-ish knot on her forehead.
I reached out to touch her chest and realized that although her breathing was shallow, she was still alive.
Myla’s eyes fluttered to meet my gaze.
“I look a mess don’t I?” she growled in a tired voice.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her foolishness.
Myla was dressed in classic hospital attire and her hair looked as if it had seen better days.
“Only you would be concerned about a thing like that in the condition you are in.” I chastised.
“Well it beats sobbing and eating the nasty ass tapioca pudding they tried to offer me.”
Myla stuck out her tongue for effect.
“What the hell happened to you?” I asked, sitting in the chair that was next to her.
“I got into an accident sitting in the passenger’s seat of my date’s car.” She smacking her lips before continuing. “Can you believe this fool made me pay for the bill and had the nerve to have an attitude when I asked him to take me straight home. His angry ass was going a buck oh three and we got T-boned on the way back.”
“So it’s safe to say you guys won’t be going on a second date.”
“Not if my life depended on it.” Myla exclaimed.
“Well it almost did”
We giggled at my dark humor as I rubbed her hand for comfort.
“Hey, I meant to ask you something.” Her ears perked up as I spoke. “Why were you listed under the last name Bellinger? I had a hell of a time trying to find where you were placed.”
Myla sighed and rolled her eyes while I waited for a response.
“Girl, Bellinger is my married name.”
“Since when were YOU married?”
The thought of Myla’s free-spirited ass settling down just didn’t seem plausible to me.
“During my days when I was young and stupid.” She looked up at the ceiling as if she was remembering the debacle. “To make a long story short, it was a stupid mistake that I have yet to raise enough money to erase.”
I scoffed at the tea she was spilling.
“What?”
“What do you mean what?” I replied. “The idea of you being married is hard to take in. How come you never told me about this? I’m beginning to feel like I don’t know my best-friend as well as I thought.”
My joked seemed to instantly rub Myla the wrong way.
“He was club promoter that promised me stability and gave me a broken heart and a few black eyes instead. How embarrassing would it be to tell my best-friend “the therapist” about some shit I regretted the minute it happened.”
The tears that began to form in Myla’s eyes made me instantly regret condemning her for her past.
“I’m sorry to upset you sis but you know you still could have come to me.”
“Yeah, I know but it’s all spilled milk now. If it wasn’t for him, I might not have ever stopped the life I was living so I try to think of it that way.”
I ran my fingers through hair and smiled.
“Nice use of cognitive restructuring.”
“Cognitive what?”
“It’s a cognitive behavioral technique we use on our patients.” I responded, noticing the confused look on her face “Speaking of patients, have you thought about going to therapy for your problems?”
“Um negative.” The snarl on Myla’s face said it all “All I need is a good blunt and some R&R.”
“If you say so”
“And I did.” The silence in the room only confirmed that she wasn’t seeking professional help any time soon. “Where’s my nephew? I know you didn’t come up here without him.”
To answer her question, I peeked my head outside the hospital door and signaled for Tegan and my son to come in.
“Auntie Myla.” Junior squealed, practically forcing her to make room on the twin size bed for him.
Myla was all smiles until she looked up and saw Tegan not too far from her bedside.
“Eww. Of all people, you bring this buster.”
“Don’t start that.” I said, using my finger to enforce my point. “T came with me to make sure you were alright; the least you could do is say thanks.”
I looked at Tegan who wore the same disgusted expression.
“I can’t with y’all.” I said, throwing up my hands. “You two act like children, I swear!”
“If I knew I was gonna get this type of reaction, I would have watched Junior at your house until you got back.” Tegan spat.
“Man, fuck you.”
“Never.”
I saw an orderly from my peripheral, watching the commotion like a Thursday night sitcom.
I turned around and walked over to her.
“Ma’am could you please stay here while I use the bathroom, I’d hate for you guys to have another patient at my expense.”
The nurse nodded in agreement and chuckled while I went to relieve myself.
As I sat in the restroom, I thought about the events of the day and how thankful I was that Myla was okay. Lord knows I would give my last breath to save hers.
The toilet echoed my relief as I heard someone else enter.
“Hello...” The voice mumbled.
There was hint of irritation in the woman’s voice as she continued her chatter on the phone.
“Yes, I know. I’m still trying to get ahold of him…can you just relax for a second. He thinks the baby is his so whether he calls back now or later he’s still gonna be p
aying this child support.”
I shook my head at the level of griminess some women would stoop to in order to trap a man.
“His wife? Please. She believes me too and based on what she said to me the other day, I’m pretty sure his security is the last thing on her mind.”
I did my best to pee discreetly while I listened to the gold-digging female on the other side of the restroom stall door.
“Be quiet baby I got this. I promise once I pump this nigga for his money we’ll get you the best lawyer in town.”
Out of curiosity, and the fact that I was ready to wash my hands, I cleaned myself up and peeked outside the stall to get a good look at this chick.
I had to scoop my jaw off the ground the moment I saw who the bitch was.
It was Pierce’s no shaped, basic looking mistress Shauntae.
CHAPTER 13
My cover was blown the moment I pushed the stall open and it reacted with a loud creaking sound.
Her eyes looked into mine with the same surprised expression I was giving her.
“If it isn’t the wicked witch of the West.” I smirked, calmly walking over to the sink beside her to wash my hands.
She remained frozen for a second, quickly ending her conversation and turning her attention to me.
“What are YOU doing here?” Shauntae replied nastily.
In that moment it became apparent that the desperate, shy girl that showed up at my front door asking for help was all a visage to get me to help her track down Pierce.
“I should ask you the same question.”
“I’m here to take of business regarding your husband’s baby”
She glanced at herself in the mirror and rubbed her growing belly in an attempt to piss me off.
“And how lovely does that sound? To say those words, MY husband’s baby.” I reached in my purse to refresh my lipstick. “Where is he by the way? You still begging for people to help you find him?”
“I was never begging for anything.”
“Your conversation on the phone says otherwise.”
My knowledge of her phone conversation made her squirm and I loved it.
“You should be more careful about what you discuss in public because what I heard was not very becoming, especially for a new mother.”
Shauntae pursed her lips with attitude as worry lines began to form on her face.
Jaded: The First Cut is the Deepest Page 7
