My Woman His Wife Saga

by Anna J.

  I stayed with my son overnight, and after putting in for a short family medical leave at work the next morning, I was up at the hospital visiting both my wife and son, waiting for them to wake up. He was really tired, but when Jordan finally opened his eyes and saw me sitting next to him a small smile spread across his face. I called the nurse immediately because he was strapped into the bed. They did this as a precaution so that he wouldn’t wake up and yank all of the tubes out. My eyes welled up with tears instantly, and for the first time in about a week things were starting to look up.

  He was on pain meds from the rib injury, and he was out instantly when the nurse gave him another dose. I wanted to hold him, but he seemed so fragile. I didn’t want to cause him more pain than he was already in, but I did kiss him gently on his cheek and I held his little hand in mine, keeping him close. I was informed that his lung injury was doing great as well and that definitely helped me breathe easier.

  I spent a little time with Jazz as well, but the atmosphere in her room was different. I spent most of my time just staring at her, wondering when shit got this bad. We both did things that I was sure we regretted now, and I wondered how she would be once she was finally allowed to wake up. Periodically I would reach over and touch her, but she felt so cold and clammy. I wondered where the love was that I had for her when we first met. Where did that feeling go? I mean, I loved my wife, but it wasn’t the same kind of love that we had pre-children. Did she still love me? All of these thoughts swam around in an angry sea of emotions in my head that I just couldn’t shake, and to be totally honest . . . it made me nervous.

  On my way out of Jazz’s room to go grab a bite from the café I was thankful to finally have some time to myself. As I was passing the rooms I saw transport bringing out the judge’s body and everything clicked instantly. That’s why Monica was at the hospital. I remembered what he looked like from the court-issued papers we got for Junior.

  “Monica probably gave that man a heart attack,” I said more to myself as I kept stride right past him and made my way to the elevator. I knew I shouldn’t call her crazy ass, but I knew I had to. I reasoned in my head that she probably just wanted to see her son.

  I made my trip quick to the café, and by the time I got back up to Jordan’s room, Jazz’s mom was there. I stood outside the door to let her have her moment. I could see the tears glistening in her eyes and running down her cheeks. At the moment she reminded me so much of Jazz, and I knew that’s exactly how Jazz would look when she reached her mom’s age. After a few more minutes I walked into the room and gave her a hug. She leaned into my shoulder and accepted it, and I knew in that moment that regardless of how raggedy this situation was between me and her daughter, she still loved me like her son.

  “James, you’re doing a good job with these children,” she began in a sad voice. “I know you were caught off guard by the discovery, but these are your kids. Just promise me you will continue to do right by them.”

  “I will . . . I definitely will,” I reassured her as I held her tight. Didn’t she know that these kids were my everything? I’d been beating myself up every day about this horrible accident, and I promised myself that I would be more active in their lives and help Jazz out more.

  “That’s your son, James, that test doesn’t mean a thing.”

  I didn’t even bother to respond because I already felt that in my heart. We were a unit, and nothing would break us. I was just ready to get my family back together so that we could have a clean slate and start fresh.

  “Mr. Cinque, glad I was able to catch up with you.” The doctor greeted us both as he walked into the room. “Your son is doing well, and I’m thinking he may be released early next week. He hasn’t shown any sign of rejection, and his vitals are looking good. Right now he is doing pretty good sleeping on his own, and as you can see, he’s just on a drip to keep him hydrated and asleep for now. This will keep him down during the night, and once he wakes up in the morning he should be okay.”

  “Wow, that’s great, Doc! I wasn’t expecting it to be that quickly,” I responded as I looked from the doctor to my son’s sleeping form in the bed.

  “Well, the transfusion portion only takes about an hour or so, and his ribs are positioned and bonded. He will definitely be sore, and we will give you pain medication to manage that. Expect him to sleep a lot the first few days home, which is probably better for him to deal with the pain. As long as he isn’t developing any fever or hives he should be okay. The tenderness in his ribs will subside over time as well.”

  I was elated to hear this news, and so was Jazz’s mom. She was just telling me how much the kids missed their brother, so I knew they would be hype that he was finally coming home. I knew I would put him in the bed with me where I could keep an eye on him just in case he needed to go the bathroom, or needed more medicine. This was going to be a journey, but I was more than ready to take on the challenge.

  “And what about Jasmine?” my mother-in-law asked. I was wondering the same thing.

  “We are going to keep her under for a little while longer just to be sure that the pressure in her skull is going down the way it’s supposed to. That way it would hopefully lessen any brain damage that may have occurred. With the drilling we performed on her skull, the pressure will subside fairly quickly if everything continues to go as planned. ”

  “Brain damage?” she said more in disbelief than shock. We were informed of the possibility of such things on the night of the accident, and I guessed we were all just hoping for the best.

  “How would we know the severity of it?” she asked again, fear creeping up in her voice.

  “We won’t know until she wakes up. She may be perfectly fine, or it may be severe. As of right now she’s having normal brain activity, but it’s hard to tell.”

  “Okay, thank you for everything you are doing,” I finally intervened to keep her from getting even more upset. This entire situation was depressing, and I just wanted it to be over.

  “No problem. If you have any other questions I’m on call.”

  After he left the room, we both sort of breathed a sigh of relief. We had one out of the woods, and if Jazz would pull through soon everything would be on track.

  Later in the evening Jazz’s mom followed me over to the house so that we could prepare for Jordan and the rest of the kids coming home.

  We got to work with changing the linen on all the beds, and picking up around the house. Jazz’s parents were staying at her brother’s house not too far from here, so once we were done she called Jazz’s father to let him know she was on her way. I sat by the window with the phone in my hand and waited until she was safely pulled off, and I didn’t move until she called to let me know she had arrived safely. It wasn’t until then that I was able to kick back and grab me a beer. I needed to get my head on right, and I knew once the kids got back I would have to focus on them. I reminisced about my life over the last four years, and I knew I would do whatever I had to do to get us back.

  All of it wasn’t a total bust. There were those times over the years when Jazz and I were able to come together as a unit and operate like a normal family. Especially when it came to supporting the kids with school. Even when a morning was hectic, we always showed up to any function, parent-teacher conference, school play, or whatever else was going on the way we were supposed to. I must say, when things were good with me and Jazz, it was amazing. When things got bad though, oh, my goodness it was the worst ever.

  Rising early the next morning, I made my way up to the hospital to check on my family. Monica had been on my mind all night, but I was able to refrain from calling the number that I got from Jazz’s mom. I didn’t feel like playing with fire.

  When I got to my son’s room, he was up being fed breakfast by the nurse in between talk about SpongeBob SquarePants. I was so happy to see him up. He still looked tired, but he was alive. At that moment that was all that mattered in the world.

  “Daddy!” he yelped out in a weak
, scratchy voice that almost brought me to tears. There was no way in the world I was going to be able to tell this boy that he wasn’t my flesh and blood.

  “I’m here, son. How are you feeling?” I asked as I kept my tears in check, and resisted the urge to scoop him up into my arms.

  “Everything hurts, Daddy,” he spoke in a tiny voice that pulled at my heart.

  “We had just gave him some pain medicine, Mr. Cinque, and it should be kicking in soon.”

  I thanked her, and told her that I would feed him the rest of his breakfast. Switching places, I sat close to the bed after kissing him on the forehead. Studying his slightly swollen face, I couldn’t help but try to place it. Whose face did he have? Banishing the thought immediately, I smiled as I fed him a little more food. The medicine was starting to take effect, and I could see him trying to fight to keep his eyes open.

  “Daddy, will you be here when I wake up?” he asked right before drifting off.

  “I sure will, son,” I responded as I laid the back of the bed down, and positioned the pillows so that he could be comfortable. He would be going home pretty soon, and I couldn’t wait.

  Monica

  All’s Fair in War and War

  I waited a little while longer before backing out of the driveway just to make sure my little follower wasn’t creeping back up on me. Well, that and I saw the shades move in the old Cinque house, and I didn’t want the resident to think I was lost or crazy. It puzzled me what all of that was about, and I didn’t have a clue as to who would want me trailed. Yeah, I had tons of enemies in Philly, but there were too many to pinpoint at the moment. Besides, I still had to figure out where I was going to stay.

  It had been a few hours since I’d been back to the hospital, and I had yet to make it to the mall. I didn’t even feel like going at this point. Turning the car onto the street, I decided to just go back to the hospital, and figure it all out from there.

  When I entered the building, the cute little receptionist was back at the desk with her sunny disposition, but I didn’t even feel like trying to figure her out today. I did wave hello on the walk by though, and hopped in the first elevator available going up to the room. As I was walking down the hall, I was relieved that none of the Cinques were out and about. Their son was on a different floor, so I was sure someone was there, just not down here right now.

  As I strolled the hall, I could see into the patients’ rooms. The rooms in the intensive care unit were different, and a shaded window was there as opposed to a solid wall. This entire floor was depressing, and gave me goose bumps.

  Making my way down the hall I almost tripped over my own feet when I came across Jasmine’s room. Now, when the judge was admitted to ICU I didn’t think the possibility of running into Jasmine was high because the ICU was huge and there were a ton of rooms on this floor, and when we got here everything was a blur so I wasn’t really thinking about it. To see her now was crazy. My goodness, she looked horrible! I mean, her car was wrapped around a utility pole just a few days ago, but I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Her entire face was black and blue, and she had all kinds of tubes coming from her body. I couldn’t believe my damn eyes, and had to get a closer look.

  Checking my surroundings to make sure the coast was clear, I dipped into her room and stood beside her bed. She had tight, angry-looking stitches across her left eyebrow, wrapping around her jaw, and stopping just at her perfect lips. Dark purple to almost black bruises covered her swollen face, making her look like an alien. A small patch of hair near her ear was shaved off, and I assumed it was from having to have her jaw wired shut. I found myself having to get wired down once years ago, but that’s a story for another time.

  The dull beep of the machines that she was hooked to in combination with a slight swooshing sound let me know that she was still alive, but the machines were probably what was keeping her here. I reached out hesitantly to touch her hand, and it felt cold and clammy. Snatching my hand back, I was shocked to find a lone tear traveling down the side of my face. I knew the accident was bad, but I didn’t know it was this serious.

  “Jazz, what were you doing out in a storm?” I asked the dead air, not really expecting a response. I stood there for a little while longer just taking it all in, deciding to leave before I was caught. Just as I was turning around, I could hear someone clearing his throat. Spinning around completely I was greeted by a handsome doctor who held an amused yet puzzled look on his face.

  “She’s been down for a few days now, but I don’t remember meeting you. Are you a friend of the family?” the doctor asked in a deep voice as he entered the room. Taking a second to wipe the tear from my face, I got myself together before answering.

  “Yes, Jasmine and James are . . .” I trailed off, not sure of how much to reveal. He didn’t need to know that I was a home wrecker who left my baby because I was selfish, and just now decided to pop up and check on him. I also didn’t want to say too much because I was sure the doctor would mention it to James whenever he came back up to visit. “They are good friends of mine. I’m here visiting another friend, and I just happened to see Jasmine in here.”

  “Oh, okay, well, Mrs. Cinque is unresponsive at the moment, and since there isn’t a visitor restriction list I guess it’s okay, but I want you to make this visit quick so that she can rest peacefully, Mrs. . . . ” He trailed off, waiting for a name.

  “Stone . . . Sheila Stone,” I replied, giving him the judge’s secretary’s name instead of my own. In fact, I needed to see what was going on with old Sheila anyway. It’s been years, and I’m sure she misses me. Not!

  “Okay, Mrs. Stone. Wrap this visit up quick, and have a great night.”

  “Okay, I will.”

  Once the doctor was gone I turned and stared at Jazz for a few more minutes. What was going on in the Cinque household that shit got this bad between them? This was how I was able to get back in before, and something told me I needed to use this down time between them to get next to my son while I still could. James, I was sure, wouldn’t have a problem, but if Jazz was anything like I remembered, she would definitely make this shit an issue beyond what it really was.

  Pulling out my cell phone, I focused in on her bruised face and snapped a few pictures of her. Securing my phone back in my bag, I walked off to find the judge, contemplating if I would sell the pictures, and to what news station. I was sure they were worth some type of money, but for now I would sit on them. Just in case I had to use them to my advantage. You just never know these days.

  Making my way down the hall, I was stopped by two bodyguards who were blocking the judge’s door. Before I could go clean off, I was given an envelope and a menacing look as I was instructed to leave the premises. One of the guards took the liberty of escorting me to the elevator, and warned me not to spazz out and to just read the letter. I saw a woman sitting next to the judge’s bed, but I couldn’t really make out her face from the door. It was probably his miserable-ass wife. I saw her at the airport, so she knew I was here. I was just wondering if she knew we were hooking up while I was here. Still shocked, I got into the elevator, and stepped back as he pushed the button for the ground floor and stepped back out, giving me one last evil look as the doors closed.

  I was numb as I walked through the hospital and out to my car, seemingly not breathing until I was safely inside with the doors locked. I sat in silence for a long while before realizing I still had not opened the envelope. Hurriedly, I tore open the sealed envelope. Inside was the key to the hideaway, a note, and the address with directions on how to get back there. The butler instructed me to stay there until the judge was able to communicate. What kind of backyard barnigan’s bullshit was this?

  Feeling like I didn’t really have a choice—after all, all of my shit was at the judge’s spot—I started the car and got myself together so that I could take the drive out. This was some bullshit if I’d never been involved in any before, and I knew I needed to make my stay in Philly short and sweet.

/>   The directions were precise, citing landmarks and all as I carefully drove out to the outskirts of the city. A dusting of snow fell as I drove, and I took my sweet old time, not wanting to end up wrapped around a pole like Jazz had been just days ago. The only difference between us two was that she had family who cared enough to visit and rush up there to make sure she was okay. If my car skidded out of control and crashed who did I have to call? My sister? If anything she would only care long enough to get a hold of my money and any policy info that I had to collect on. My brother had been MIA for as long as I could remember, and most of the time I forgot that he even existed.

  These thoughts made me sad as I drove, knowing that I was really in the world all by myself. Pulling the car to the side of the road to avoid a potential collision, I put my head on the steering wheel once I was safely in park and cried my little eyes out. One would think that I would be immune to these feelings by now, but every so often they crept up on me and broke me down. For a second I thought about calling Jaydah up for company and comfort, but she worked my nerves so bad in Atlanta that I couldn’t even be bothered.

  Shaking off the sad feelings as best as I could, I eased the car back on the road and kept moving toward the judge’s spot. When I finally got there, the butler greeted me at the door, and came to help me inside. Once the door was locked for the night, I barricaded myself in the room, and hopped in the shower to wash the day off. I made sure the door was locked because I didn’t want the butler’s creepy ass to be masturbating to my naked body while I was in the shower. I mean, he didn’t look creepy as far as description, but there was a quiet creepiness about him that I just couldn’t put my finger on at the moment. On top of all of this, I was horny as hell, and I didn’t want him to catch me at a weak moment. I saw the way he looked at me, and if he kept it up my pussy would be sitting on his lips before he could hum a tune.