by T. N. Baker
Epiphany didn’t respond with words, but she squeezed her mother’s hand just enough to let her know she heard her. That was all the assurance Mrs. Wright needed. She knew Epiphany would pull through for sure now. She walked over toward the window and dialed her husband immediately to share the news, but wasn’t able to reach him. Mrs. Wright just stared out of the window, wondering where her husband could be that he wasn’t answering his phone.
Jay Wright had been on a mission since the incident happened. He felt he owed it to his baby girl to find the bastards responsible and see to it that they suffered the same way his family had. He didn’t give a fuck about the police; they had yet to be of any help. Besides, he felt jail would be too easy for the punk.
Mrs. Wright definitely wanted whoever was to blame to suffer as well, but just not at the hands of her husband. She had waited a long time for Jay to give up that gangsta shit, and there was no way she was going back to living that kind of lifestyle with him.
Epiphany had been lying in a coma for two weeks, but to her it seemed more like months or years, and every day was a struggle. Mrs. Wright looked toward the Lord to pull her through.
She had always believed in Him, although she never appreciated how good He’d been to her and her family over the years. It took a tragedy to open her eyes and make her realize that she had a lot to be grateful for. Jay had been in the drug game for over twenty-five years and somehow he never been locked up, shot, robbed, or killed. Harm had never crossed the Wrights’ path, nor had they ever hit any financial hardships. That had to have been the work of the Lord, she thought. She was finally ready to give thanks and praise to Him. God only knows, it’s long overdue, but never too late. Tiara Wright had joined the Born Again Baptist Community Church, and the changes within her had been miraculous.
“Mommy,” Epiphany said, looking around the hospital room.
Mrs. Wright froze in disbelief. That word sounded like a sweet melody, music to her ears.
“Praise the Lord, thank you Jesus,” Mrs. Wright closed her eyes and said a little prayer before rushing to Epiphany’s bedside.
Right away, Epiphany started to panic as she looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings. She began to forcefully pull at the IV tubes in her arm and question about her whereabouts over and over again. Her mom tried her best to calm her down but decided it would be best to call in the nurse.
Two nurses rushed in and immediately tried to relax Epiphany, but she continued to struggle. One of the nurses, a heavy-set older woman, used her weight to restrain Epiphany long enough for the other nurse to inject her with a sedative. She explained to Epiphany’s mom that the sedative was a mild one, just enough to help Epiphany relax a bit. She also explained that it was likely for a patient to react this way when awakening from a coma with no recollection of what had happened to her.
The medication worked instantly. Epiphany began to settle down. Mrs. Wright reached for her cell phone and called Jay again. This time he answered.
“Hello?”
“Baby, where were you? Didn’t I tell you? I told you she was gon’ pull through.” Mrs. Wright couldn’t control her excitement.
“Epee’s awake?” asked Jay.
“Yes, honey, she woke up swinging.”
“Get the fuck out of here! Baby, are you serious?” Finally Jay started to believe his wife. He was cheesing from ear to ear.
“Yes! Wait, baby. Hold on for a minute.” Tiara placed her cell to Epiphany’s ear.
Epiphany softly mumbled, “Hello?”
There was nothing more to say. Jay Wright was on his way.
CHAPTER 12
The feds had all operations shut down for a minute. They ran up in every spot possibly linked to C-God. They offered “get out of jail free” cards and all kind of plea bargains to the small-time hustlers that got caught up in the sweeps if, in return, they could give up any helpful information that could lead them straight to C-God or link him to Malikai’s murder. The feds wanted C-God, and niggas were ready to snitch him out, but no one knew his whereabouts.
C-God had never really showed his workers no love on the streets, so they ain’t have none for him. While he was driving his tricked-out Cadillac Escalade, peeling off hundreds for bottles at the clubs, and flossing, his workers were barely getting by. After making the minimum—enough dough for an outfit but not enough for the footwear, or vice versa—for so long, niggas was ready for him to fall. The heat was coming from all angles. C-God had the feds after his freedom, a mob of niggas trying to take his life, plus Ness and Smitty taking over his business.
Peewee and Cornell made a trip to New York to personally do C-God some harm. They ran up in his parents’ home, guns exposed, and scared Mrs. Hinderson so bad she suffered a massive heart attack and died on the spot. Poppa Hinderson watched helplessly right before Peewee shot him in his head. On their way out of C-God’s parents’ house, Peewee and Cornell joked about how easy a job it was.
Since Tucker left strict orders to leave C-God’s kids out of their beef, the two knew that the death of his parents would definitely get a rise out of him. They assumed that aside from his kids, his folks were probably the only other people he held dear, because everybody knew he treated all his baby mommas like shit. He ain’t give a fuck about none of them, and two of them was smoked-out on crack, so getting rid of those bitches wouldn’t phase C-God. It would’ve been a favor to him, and it made no since to waste the lead. Tucker knew the deaths of C’s parents would get him to surface sooner or later, but for right now it was best for him to lay low and just wait.
Peewee and Cornell headed back to the Dirty South until further notice. Once they got home, they established their business, ’cause with the start-up tools Tucker gave them, it was on and popping. Tucker hit them off with five keys and put them on to his Colombian connect as a token of his appreciation for their latest endeavor. Peewee and Cornell were about to get it crunk down in the Carolinas.
CHAPTER 13
“Finally something good happened.” A smile spread across Keisha’s face when she received the news from Mrs. Wright that Epiphany had regained consciousness that night. Morning couldn’t have come fast enough for Keisha, who wanted to rush to her best friend’s side. She also couldn’t wait to hear Epiphany’s details on what had happened and who was responsible.
Keisha had been spending so much of her time at the hospital that she had almost forgotten that her own life was still in shambles. Keisha became very depressed becuase of all the bad that had been surrounding her life lately, and she wondered how she was gonna weather this terrible storm.
On several occasions, she had tried to see Tucker so they could sit down and discuss her affair and their future, but he was avoiding her. Sure, he’d call, but only to ask about his son. Keisha didn’t push the issue, because she was the one that had fucked things up between them. Tucker did his best to remind her that she was to blame every chance he got. At the same time, she needed to understand what was going on with him. Could they work it out, or should she do the unthinkable and just let him go?
“Maybe he’s just not ready to forgive me, but he will. He’s just playing hardball, acting like he could care less about us.” She tried to rationalize the reason for his behavior. Sometimes he was almost convincing, but Keisha knew better. Deep down past the hurt, she knew he still loved her. That was her motivation to keep trying.
She even decided to take his advice—well, part of it anyway—by sending Loretta and her sisters on a real vacation to wherever her budget could afford. Unfortunately, her mom declined because the girls’ spring break from school was just about over and she had no more vacation time at work, so they were headed back to Atlanta soon. Loretta could sense that her daughter needed her to stay around a little longer to help out with the baby; however, she also knew that her daughter’s pride would never allow her to come out and say it.
“Look, Keisha, I know you’re up under a lot of stress right now, so why don’t I take the baby back wi
th me, just for a couple of weeks, to give you and Tucker a little time to try and work things out a bit? And Nana would love to see her great-grandson,” said Loretta.
“Umm . . .” Keisha hesitated. What kind of mom would I be if I just shipped my son off with her? she thought.
Loretta noticed her daughter’s uneasiness and spoke in her own defense. “Listen, Keisha, I’m not the same person I was when you were growing up. I was a drunk who cared about nothing but getting drunk, but I’ve changed my life around completely, not just for the moment. I love my grandchild as much as I love you and your sisters, and I want to be a part of his life. I can’t change the past, honey, but at least let me be here for you now. If you don’t want him to go, then that’s fine with me. As long as it’s not because you feel he won’t be in good hands. Okay, sweetie?”
The resentment Keisha still had toward her mom did pop into her head. She thought back to her childhood, when Loretta would get drunk, pass out, and sleep for days without moving. Keisha would get so hysterical thinking that her mother was dead.
The “new” Loretta had already proven she’d changed. She was such a big help with the baby, especially since the whole fallout with Tucker. Keisha had been having a hard time trying to deal with the stress and take care of her son and her responsibilities at the same time. Half the time when she was home, she’d lock herself in her bedroom.
I know I haven’t been the best Mommy lately. What will Tucker say if I let the baby go without me? It doesn’t sound like a bad idea after all, she thought.
So much was going on at once that she didn’t even have the time to get down to the bottom of the whole sex tape mystery, but please believe she didn’t forget. Keisha was going to get her life back in order. With all that in mind, she agreed to let Li’l T go to Atlanta, but only for a couple of weeks. Keisha also let Loretta know how much she appreciated all that she was doing.
“You don’t have to thank me, because you already have, just by allowing me into you and my grandson’s life,” Loretta said.
Tears ran down both of their faces as they embraced each other. Soon everything was a go. The flights were booked, and in two days, Keisha would have the house to herself, and her plans would be set.
CHAPTER 14
“Hey, Daddy,” Epiphany said as she opened her eyes. It was the second day she’d been awake.
“Hey, baby girl,” Jay Wright answered back as he leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead. “You had me scared for a minute, Epee.”
“I did? What happened to me? How did I end up here?” Epiphany was still unsure about what had happened to her.
“Baby girl, let’s not talk about it right now. I’ma take care of—”
Tiara walked in, giving Jay the eye.
“Yes, Lord, praise God.”
Jay tightened his lips and shook his head. She was taking this church thing a little too seriously. She cried as she hugged Epiphany tight and whispered a prayer of thanks. Epiphany was a bit shocked by all the praising her mother was doing.
Damn, I know I gave everybody a bit of a scare, but what got into her while I was sleeping? Epiphany thought.
Just then the doctor came in to check Epiphany’s vital signs and informed her and her parents that the nurse would be in shortly to check the healing of her gunshot wound. He then asked to speak to Jay Wright and Tiara in private. They agreed and stepped outside of Epiphany’s room.
“You are aware that we ran a few tests on Epiphany yesterday, right?”
“Yes, we are,” both parents answered.
“Good. Now, for the most part, Epiphany is going to be okay, so I don’t want anyone to panic, all right?” Dr. Frye said, directing his attention toward Mrs. Wright.
“Okay,” she answered.
“Good! Now, we did discover a bit of a problem in her right lung. It seems to be healing, just slowly. It’s still very weak at this time; therefore, she will be experiencing some difficulty with her breathing. Now, it’s not as bad as it sounds.
“I will be prescribing her an inhaler, which will be useful to her if she should have any trouble breathing. She must carry the pump with her at all times.
“Now, the results from the other test we took confirmed that Epiphany is suffering from partial amnesia, meaning she’s not likely to have any recollection of any person, place, or thing that has occurred in the previous hours or months leading up to the shooting.”
“So, doctor, does that mean that she might not ever remember who did this to her?” Tiara asked.
“Well, it’s probable that she will regain her memory in spurts. It will be kind of like putting a puzzle together piece by piece. Epiphany’s memory could start coming back to her tomorrow, or a year from now. That part I can’t say, but I will be discharging her at the end of the week. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” said Dr. Frye as he walked off to speak to a passing nurse.
“Jay, we might not ever find out who did this to Epee,” said Tiara.
“Woman, you know just as well as I do that punk bastard C-God did it. I’m gonna kill him dead, I swear.”
“Baby, we don’t know that.”
“Has he been up here to see her yet, huh?”
“No, but—”
“Ain’t no buts about it. That’s guilt right there, and now the nigga’s hiding out. He can’t even be a man about it.” Jay Wright slightly raised his voice.
“Shhhh. Okay, honey, please, just let God handle it. What’s important is that Epiphany is going to be fine. She’s coming home with us, and we can look after her. I don’t need my husband going to jail because of some low-life. Are you listening to me, Jay? It’s not worth it.”
“Not worth it to who, Tiara? Epee is our daughter, and as her father, it is my job to protect her by all means, and that’s what I’m gonna do. All that shit about God handling it is for the birds, ’cause if He was handling it, why did it happen, huh? Answer that.”
“I’m sure He had his reasons, but I’m not gonna question His will,” said Tiara. “We have a lot to be thankful for. Epiphany is still here with us, and we are a family, and that’s what you need to be focusing on.”
“You and this holier than thou act is really starting to get on my nerves.”
“Okay, well, let me just say this, Jay: We ain’t getting any younger, and if you want to convert back to the thug life, go right ahead, but I don’t want it around me. So put that bullet in your gun and shoot it, gangsta!” Tiara might have been a changed woman, but she still had a sharp tongue.
Just as Epiphany’s mom headed back to the room, she bumped into Keisha and Shana at the doorway.
“Hi, girls,” she said.
“Hey, Mrs. Wright. Is Epiphany awake?” asked Keisha.
“Yeah, she is, and I know she’s gonna be happy to see you guys, but I must warn you: she has amnesia. She’s not going to remember anything about the shooting or her friend’s death. Please don’t mention it to her, because I don’t want her getting upset. Okay, ladies?”
“Wait a minute, Mrs. T. If she has amnesia, how’s she gonna remember us?” asked Shana with a puzzled look on her face.
“She’ll remember you guys because it’s only part of her memory of the last couple of months that she seems to have lost.”
“That’s crazy. She won’t remember C-God, her pregnancy, or Malikai’ s murder?” Keisha asked.
“Well, I hope she never remembers that no-good Hinderson boy,” said Mrs. Wright.
“But what if he is the one that tried to kill her?”
“Shana, come on. He did it. I know he did.” Keisha had no evidence, but she felt it in her gut.
“Keisha, you sound like my husband. Y’all need to come to church with me and get some Jesus in your life. Anyway, go ahead in. I know she’ll be happy to see you two. Just remember what I said.”
The girls’ eyes widened when Mrs. Wright mentioned going to church and needing Jesus. They both turned to each other with the I don’t know, girl look on their faces.
Keisha and Shana slowly pushed open Epiphany’s room door, not sure what to expect. They smiled when they saw her cursing out the nurses over the intercom about how cold and nasty her breakfast was.
“She’s back,” said Shana.
Keisha ran toward Epiphany with open arms and hugged her carefully, so as not to pull on her IV tubes.
“Hey, y’all, what’s up? Finally, my girls. Now, which one of y’all is gonna tell me what the hell happened to me? Shana, you ain’t shoot me, did you?” Epiphany cracked a smile.
“Oh, I see you got jokes, right,” Shana responded.
“Epiphany, me and Shana been coming up here to see you every day. I’m so glad you’re back. You just don’t know,” Keisha said.
“Yes, I do. I know y’all can’t live without me, but I gotta get the fuck up out of this hospital. Look at this cold-ass oatmeal they trying to feed me, and who the fuck still eats oatmeal anyway?” Epiphany was already back to her silly self.
“I don’t know, girl,” Keisha agreed.
“No, but seriously, who did this to me?” Tears began to fill Epiphany’s eyes, and her humor turned into sadness.
“Honestly, E, we don’t know,” answered Shana.
Keisha decided it was best to keep her mouth shut, because she was ready to fill in all the blanks for Epiphany.
“Keisha, where’s Mali at? I know he’s trying find out who did this to me, right? Does he know I’m out of a coma? Where’s his ass at?” Epiphany’s questions started to wear Keisha down. She burst into tears and started spilling the truth.
“Epiphany, Mali is dead. Whoever did this to you killed him. He’s gone.”
“What! No, not Malikai. Why him? Why did he have to die?” Epiphany cried.
