“No.”
“Well, shit, couldn’t you have waited ’til the mornin’ to tell me about this nigga?” Ke’yoko asked, relieved.
“I guess I could have, but I was thinkin’ you probably would want to know what happened to him,” Kailo said.
“What happened to him?” she inquired, sitting all the way up in the bed.
“Come open the door and I’ll tell you.”
“Oh, my goodness! How come you just didn’t ring the doorbell in the first place?” Ke’yoko asked as she struggled to get out of bed.
“Shit, it’s two in the mornin’. I ain’t about to be waking people up.” Kailo laughed.
“Oh, but you can call and wake me up? That makes no sense.” Ke’yoko laughed too. “Bye, boy.” Ke’yoko hung up the phone and wobbled down the stairs and opened the door.
“Daaaaang, girl, you big as hell!” Kailo smiled while stepping in the door and rubbing his sister’s big, round belly.
“Get off me.” Ke’yoko smiled back while playfully smacking her brother’s hand away from her stomach.
“Where’s Aiko?” Kailo asked, closing the door behind him and following Ke’yoko into the living room.
“Where any five-year-old child should be this time of mornin’: in the bed,” Ke’yoko said, sitting down on the sofa.
“Shoot, these five-year-olds nowadays be staying up later than their parents do,” Kailo replied, sitting down in the chair adjacent to his sister.
“Who you tellin’? Now, wassup wit’ Ja’Rel?” Ke’yoko asked, cutting all the small talk.
“Oh, yeah, well, my dude Riley called me; remember him?”
Ke’yoko smiled and shook her head yes.
“He’s married,” Kailo said, shooting his sister a dirty look.
“It’s okay. I can look without touchin’,” Ke’yoko said.
Kailo shook his head and smiled. “Anyways, he said Ja’Rel got into a fight in the county, got Tased, and fell back and bumped his head on a steel stool.”
“Whaaaat? Is he okay?” Ke’yoko asked, concerned.
“He said he don’t know. They rushed him to the Cleveland Clinic. He said we can come up there and see him during his shift tomorrow.”
“What time is that?” she inquired.
“He said come before nine a.m.”
“Dang, that early? I gotta get Aiko up all early and drop him off at daycare,” Ke’yoko said.
“Well, do what you gotta do. I’ll meet you at the hospital around eight forty-five a.m.,” Kailo said, standing up and yawning.
“A’iiiight. I’ll call you when I get there.” Ke’yoko struggled to push herself up off the sofa.
“You need some help?” Kailo asked, watching his sister struggle.
“Naw, I got this,” she said, finally getting up.
“All right, sis, I’ll see you in a few hours. Get you some sleep,” Kailo said, walking toward the door.
“Sleep? Nigga, I ain’t gon’ be able to go back to sleep now. Hell I gotta get up in a few hours. If I go back to sleep now, I’m not gettin’ up until around noon,” Ke’yoko said, following her brother.
“I feel you. I’m about to hit the gym and work out for about an hour or so.” Kailo opened the front door.
“Do a sit-up and a couple of squats for me too,” Ke’yoko joked.
“I got’chu.” Kailo laughed. “I’ll see you in a few, sis. Love you.”
“Love you too,” Ke’yoko replied as she watched her brother walk down to his car.
Ke’yoko waited until her baby brother made it safely to his car before closing the door and locking it behind her. She headed back upstairs and sat on the edge of the bed, too big to get on her knees, and began doing something she hadn’t done in a long time: she began praying. She prayed for Ja’Rel, her mother, and even Ka’yah. Everybody she prayed for played a huge part in hurting her in one way or another, but Ke’yoko knew if she wanted happiness, she would have to learn how to let go of the hurt and anger and move on with her life.
After praying for her family, guidance, and understanding, Ke’yoko felt a sense of relief. She said, “Amen,” lay down, and tried to get a couple more hours of rest before having to meet Kailo at the hospital.
Chapter Forty-one
After Kailo left with the news about Ja’Rel, Ke’yoko tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. She lay in the bed wide awake, thinking about different events that occurred in her life and wondering what she’d done so bad to have deserved some of things she’d endured in her life. She was dragging around the house trying to get Aiko and herself ready. After about an hour of fussing, and flipping out, she dropped Aiko off at the daycare and headed up to the hospital. She called Kailo when she pulled up in the crowded hospital parking lot. He told her to stay put and he would come meet her at her car so she wouldn’t have to walk by herself. Ke’yoko sat and impatiently waited for her brother. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer to calm her nerves. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. She smiled when she saw Kailo walking toward her car. She opened the door and got out.
“What’s up, sis?” he said, wrapping his arms around her body.
“Wassup, big head,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“You okay?” he asked, feeling her body trembling.
“Yeah, I’m good, just a li’l nervous, that’s all,” she admitted.
“You good. I got’chu,” Kailo assured his sister as they turned to walk away.
“Always have.” Ke’yoko smiled.
“Damn right, and I ain’t gon’ stop now,” he replied as they walked into the hospital and got on the elevator.
Ke’yoko’s body trembled even more as they rode the elevator up. Since Ja’Rel was still locked in the county when he got hurt, they had to keep him on the floor that they kept all the inmates on; technically, he was still a ward of the state.
Kailo and Ke’yoko both stepped off the elevator at the same time. They both began smiling when they saw Riley.
“Hold up, what you smilin’ all hard for?” Ke’yoko looked up at her brother and asked suspiciously.
“What?” Kailo asked.
“Damn, him too?”
All Kailo did was smile at his sister.
“Uhhhhh unnt, I thought he was married,” she said, disgusted.
“He is, but what that mean?” he said with a wink.
“You a ho,” she mumbled as Riley walked over to them, smiling from ear to ear.
Kailo shot his sister a crazy look, hearing what she’d said.
“Wassup, y’all?” Riley asked, giving Ke’yoko a hug and Kailo a firm handshake.
“Hey,” Ke’yoko said, feeling disgusted now that she knew his secret.
“What’s going on, bruh?” Kailo asked.
Bruh? More like sis. Mental note to self: gots to be more careful.
“The doctor is in there now with him. He’s waitin’ on y’all so he can tell y’all what’s goin’ on wit’ him. I got a call from the chief and he said the person he got down for next of kin will be up here around ten a.m.,” Riley said.
“So what that mean? I’m his wife,” Ke’yoko questioned with a slight attitude.
“It mean that since you’re not on his emergency contact form, you not allowed to visit him while he’s here, wife or not; but since I’m cool wit’ ya brother, I’ma look out for you,” Riley answered with a smile.
“Good looking,” Kailo said, giving him a handshake with a shoulder bump.
“Thanks,” Ke’yoko said, still feeling some type of way about not having no rights to visit Ja’Rel even though she was his wife as she walked into his room with Kailo walking in behind her. Ke’yoko looked over at the CO who was standing next to Ja’Rel’s bed and then over at Ja’Rel. Seeing him lying there with all those tubes running out of his entire body tore her up on the inside.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Arnell,” the doctor introduced himself when Ke’yoko and Kailo walked in.
“Hello, I’m Kailo, and
this is the patient’s wife, Ke’yoko,” Kailo replied. Kailo gave an upward nod to the CO and the CO gave him one in return.
“What’s the deal wit’ my husband,” Ke’yoko said, cutting to the chase. She stood next to the doctor as he lifted both of Ja’Rel’s eyelids one at a time and shined a little flashlight into both of his eyes.
“Well, I’m gon’ give it to you straight wit’ no chaser,” the doctor said.
Ke’yoko and Kailo were all ears.
“He took a pretty nasty blow to the back of the head when he fell. He’s really lucky to still be alive. Unfortunately, he’s paralyzed from the neck down and is unable to speak. One good thing is he’s been communicating with his eyes whenever we can get him awake and he has a little strength in his left hand, not much though,” the doctor explained.
Ke’yoko shook her head as the doctor continued to talk. Seeing Ja’Rel lying there in the bed, cuffed to the bed like he was some sort of a monster, tore her up even more.
“Wow.” Kailo shook his head in disbelief. Even though he didn’t like his brother-in-law, seeing him lying there like that had him feeling sorry for him. “How long will he be paralyzed and unable to speak?”
“Well, it’s hard tellin’ right now. We’ve done a few CAT scans. His brain is bleeding in a couple different spots, and we’re tryin’ to get that under control. We got a team of the best doctors working with Mr. Barnes. There’s like a ninety percent chance that he’ll have seizures for the rest of his life,” the doctor replied.
Tears formed in Ke’yoko’s eyes and slowly began to fall. Kailo wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulder and pulled her into his body. Ke’yoko was hurt that the man she thought would be her everything was lying in a bed in this condition. She was hurt that the whole story was ending this way, but they’d left her no choice.
“Is there any chance that he can recover?” Ke’yoko asked as she wiped away her tears.
“To tell you the truth, he’ll never recover; and if he does, it’ll be a miracle. Right now, all we can do is keep observing him and hope for the best. You’ll have to get your house set up for him; he’ll definitely be needing care around the clock. That’s all I have for now,” the doctor said.
“Damn, man,” Kailo said, shaking his head, feeling sorry for his sister.
“Can I please speak to my husband alone for a few minutes?” Ke’yoko looked at the doctor and then over at the CO and asked. She could not stop crying.
“It’s okay wit’ me,” the doctor replied, jotting down a few notes in Ja’Rel’s chart.
The CO was hesitant at first but soon remembered that Riley said he was cool with Ke’yoko and Kailo.
The doctor and the CO headed out of the room. Kailo stayed just in case his sister needed him. Ke’yoko wiped away her tears as she looked down into her husband’s lifeless face. It may have just been her mind playing tricks on her, but Ja’Rel looked like he’d aged about ten years since she’d last seen him. She touched his graying hair and then the side of his cheek.
“Ja’Rel,” she called out. “Can you hear me, baby? Please, baby, open your eyes if you can hear me.”
Ke’yoko watched as Ja’Rel struggled to open his eyes. She was hopeful when she saw his eyelids fluttering.
“Come on, baby, open your eyes,” she cheered. “You can do it.”
Ja’Rel tried his best to open his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to be able to look at his wife’s beautiful face.
“Come on, baby, open your eyes,” she repeated.
Ja’Rel finally opened his eyes. Ke’yoko had a huge smile on her face, seeing her husband’s eyes open. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about, baby. I knew you could do it,” she said, grabbing his hand.
Ja’Rel wasn’t really aware with what was going on or what had happened. All he knew was he was unable to move or speak no matter how hard he tried.
“He’s up,” Ke’yoko looked back at Kailo and said, excited.
“That’s what’s up,” Kailo replied with a smile.
“Can you hear me, baby? If you can, squeeze my hand,” Ke’yoko said to Ja’Rel.
Ja’Rel squeezed Ke’yoko’s hand, applying little to no pressure at all, letting her know that he could hear her.
“Good.” She smiled. “I just wanna let you know that I know about everything you’ve done to me. I know about your fiancée, Kassidy, and y’all’s two kids. I know that Aiko is really your son. I couldn’t believe you thought I was so naïve. I knew about all the drugs you sold; shit, I was sellin’ drugs too and even took all your custos from you. Me and Nadia even got Mitch and Jonesy workin’ for us now.”
Ja’Rel’s eyes grew big.
“You know what the killer is? I even know about you druggin’ Nadia and rapin’ her. Oh, I don’t know if you know this or not, but A’Niyah is your child too.” Ke’yoko shook her head and chuckled.
The more Ke’yoko spoke about the things Ja’Rel had done to his sister, the madder Kailo got.
“Boy, you somethin’ else. I don’t know what I done to you to make you do all this shit to me. Crazy thing is, I ain’t even mad at you. All I can do is continue to pray for you. I was gon’ set you up to fall, just like I did Ka’yah. Yeah, I know I had you thinkin’ Ka’yah killed Bo, but naw, it wasn’t her; it was me. I’m good, ain’t I? God works in mysterious ways because He beat me to you, nigga, ’cause I was comin’ for ya head!”
Exposing all of Ja’Rel’s bullshit to him felt somewhat like a cleansing.
“Do you have anything to say to your brother-in-law?” she looked back at Kailo and asked.
Kailo walked up to the bed and looked down at Ja’Rel and wanted to spit in his face, but he would never sneak a man while he was down. “Who’s the weak-ass muthafucka now?” Kailo asked angrily. “I should turn you over and fuck you in the ass! But I wouldn’t put my dick in you even if you begged me to.”
Ja’Rel’s eyes were as big as saucers.
“All righty then?” Ke’yoko laughed. “I’m selllin’ both houses and movin’. You don’t have to worry about ever seein’ me or the baby. By the way, before I go, I’m givin’ Ross the shop. He’ll run it way better than you ever have.” She smirked.
Neither Ke’yoko nor Ja’Rel knew where he’d got the strength from, but he nearly tried to squeeze the life out of Ke’yoko’s hand once she mentioned Ross. Ke’yoko pulled her hand away and shook her head. As she bent down and kissed Ja’Rel on the forehead, Kassidy walked in carrying her newborn in the carrier with Ja’Rel Jr. on her other side.
Kassidy was confused as hell. The only thing that was going through her mind was what was the lady she ran into at the grocery store doing up here kissing her fiancé on the forehead?
Ke’yoko looked down at Ja’Rel one last time before walking toward the door. She walked over to Kassidy, removed her wedding ring, grabbed Kassidy’s free hand and placed it in her palm and closed it.
“He’s all yours now,” Ke’yoko said with a huge smile and walked out the door with Kailo in tow, leaving Kassidy and Ja’Rel both confused.
Epilogue
Ke’yoko stood out on the balcony in her bedroom while taking in the beautiful scenery of the clear, light blue water. It was definitely a sight to see. All she could think about was how blessed she was to be able to raise her child and nephew in such a beautiful and peaceful place. It was definitely paradise. Selling everything she and Ja’Rel owned and moving to Turks and Caicos was something Ke’yoko had been wanting to do ever since she and Ja’Rel had vacationed there. She’d walked away from everything including the streets to finally make her dream a reality.
“Auntie, can me and ’Niyah get in the pool?” Aiko ran out on the balcony and asked, interrupting her train of thought.
“Ain’t nobody out there to watch y’all,” Ke’yoko said.
“Can you come?” he asked with innocent eyes.
“I’m ’bouta go out there in a few,” Nadia interjected, walking out on the balcony with the mail and handing it to
Ke’yoko.
“Yessss,” Aiko screamed.
“Go get y’all’s swimmin’ suits on and wait for me by the pool,” Nadia said.
“Boys don’t wear swimmin’ suits,” Aiko corrected her.
“Boy,” Ke’yoko said, shooting him a dirty look.
“Well, they don’t,” Aiko said and turned and ran away.
Ke’yoko shook her head and smiled. “That li’l nigga always got somethin’ smart to say. I don’t know how you gon’ handle him and A’Niyah all by yourself when I go to the hospital next week.”
“Shit, wit’ a lot of hard liquor and some blunts, that’s how.” Nadia laughed.
Ke’yoko laughed too.
Nadia and Ke’yoko stood silently taking in the sight together as the warm summer’s ocean breeze blew across their faces.
“I hope I made the right decision,” Ke’yoko finally said while moving a piece of hair out of her face.
“About what?” Nadia inquired.
“About movin’ Aiko way over here. I mean, since they lost the evidence in Ka’yah’s murder case, she’ll be home a lot sooner now,” Ke’yoko said.
“Yeah, that was crazy that they offered her a deal without tellin’ her they’d lost the evidence and her dumbass copped out to twelve years,” Nadia said, laughing. “Aiko will be grown by the time she does get out.”
“True.”
“This was one of the best decisions you’ve made in a long time for yourself and your little family. I can handle the business by myself and anything else you need me to take care of in the States. Do you for once, Ke’yoko; it’s all about you and yours now. You have nothin’ and no one holdin’ you back!”
Ke’yoko still had an unsure look on her face.
“You’re gonna be givin’ these kids an opportunity of a lifetime. How many other kids we know can say they live in such a beautiful place where they’ll learn a new culture and a different way of livin’? Shit, half of the kids we know ain’t never been off the west side of Cleveland, let alone out of the United States,” Nadia said.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Ke’yoko agreed. “I really appreciate you for comin’ out here wit’ me to keep Aiko while I have the baby.”
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