by Bailey West
They both laughed.
“She just didn’t know real talent when she heard it,” Roc laughed.
“I will let you visit with your family, Mr. Valentine. I will be back in a few hours to go over some tests we will have scheduled for you in the morning. If you have a sudden onset of nausea, blurry vision, headaches or anything out the normal, call the nurse immediately. I don’t foresee that happening but just in case,” Doctor McIntyre instructed.
“Thank you, doctor,” Samuel said.
Doctor McIntyre and his team left the room.
Samuel
I reached for Averie’s hand. She came closer and kissed me again. Her lips were pliable and tasted like freshly made candy apples.
“How are you feeling?” Averie asked.
“I feel good. Are you okay?”
“I’m perfect now,” she smiled and kissed me again.
Roc moved the chairs around, so everyone had a seat close to my bed.
“I was in a coma for three weeks?”
“Actually, it was four weeks,” Mom corrected.
“Do you remember anything?” Roc asked.
“I remember seeing someone with a gun in my peripheral. I pushed Xavier out of the way before I felt the first bullet hit me. I remember Xavier and Raymond waiting with me until the ambulance arrived and I remember the searing, unbearable pain of the gunshots.”
Feeling a faint pain in my side, I rubbed it reliving where I felt the most pain that day. I didn’t remember the ambulance ride or arriving at the hospital. I would have brief moments of lucidity. I heard voices, but the words were not always clear. What was clear every time was the music playing. I always heard music.
“Did you get to see who had the gun?” Roc asked.
“No, I think he had on a mask. He didn’t get very close before he pulled the trigger, so he was not a trained assassin. He had the opportunity to finish me, but he didn’t get close enough to do it.”
“Maybe because of the close proximity of the police officers. I mean it was on the courthouse steps,” Averie said.
“That’s a possibility. I don’t know.”
“Is there anyone that you can think of that has a vendetta against you?”
“No.”
Two police detectives were questioning me. They’d already asked me all the standard questions about the shooting. I didn’t have any answers for them.
“We’ve had a couple of leads, but they’ve all been dead ends. We were hoping that you at least caught a glimpse of the perpetrator,” the female detective said.
“I can’t say that I did. If I did, I can’t remember. My memory is of someone wearing a mask.”
“There were reports that he did have on a ski mask,” the male detective confirmed.
“Well, we will let you rest, Mr. Valentine. We will keep you informed of any updates,” the female detective said, handing me one of her cards, “If you think of anything about that day that may have been out of the ordinary, please give us a call. We want to get some answers for you.”
“I will. Thanks.”
“I will show you back to the elevators,” Ray said leading them out of my room.
As soon as they left one of the nurses entered the room.
“Mr. Valentine, I am going to take you down for a couple of tests.”
I hadn’t committed her name to memory, but she was the one who called Averie for me.
“Okay. What is your name again?”
“It’s Victoria.”
“Victoria, thanks.”
“You know,” she continued as she and two orderlies helped me from the bed to a wheelchair, “You are fortunate to have Ms. Patterson. She’s had the entire hospital working together to take care of you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, she had a meeting with those of us that would be providing your care, and she laid down the law and set her expectations. At first, I thought who does this lady think she is? We are professionals, so we know how to do our jobs. But then she learned all our names and has celebrated grandbabies being born. She brings us food and tells us thank you all the time. We don’t really hear thank you a lot but working with her has been a joy. She has been here every day to check on you. She watched how we cared for you and learned to do some things herself. She won’t let us touch your beard,” she chuckled, “She has been amazing. I know she loves you and she told you every day when she walked into the room and before she left—if she left. Don’t get me wrong, your entire family has been great, but Ms. Patterson has been a rock. She even had the hospital chief up here checking in on you.”
I didn’t know her well enough to discuss the intimacies of my relationship with Averie, so I chose a diplomatic response, “I chose smart, wouldn’t you say?”
“You did.”
Arriving back to my room after the tests, I was greeted by Countee, Xavier, Ray, and Roc. Victoria started to help me back into my bed, but the fellas stepped in to do it. Aside from some slight pain from my wounds and my legs being a little weak, I was feeling well.
“Welcome back,” Xavier started after Victoria left the room.
“It's good to be back. How is your arm?”
I remembered seeing blood coming from Xavier's arm while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.
“It's good. That didn’t do nothing but get my street cred up,” he laughed.
“And some sympathy,” Countee added, “You should've seen all the women in the family doting on him. His sister flew in and everything.”
“Nette came in? Did Vee finally get to meet her?”
“She did, and yes they met. She and Blue came by here to see you. The other Bluettes did too.”
“How is everything at the firm?”
“Perfect. The Monday after the shooting, I called a meeting with everyone because I didn’t want information to be dispersed inaccurately. Averie came in with Doctor McIntyre. He detailed your condition to the staff but not before Averie threatened to hunt them down if they shared any information with anyone,” he smiled. “She gave a pep talk and told them to make money, so that’s what we did,” Xavier finished.
He handed me a piece of paper.
“I figured you would want to see this. It’s a concise report of the billables and payouts in the last month.”
The numbers in the report were phenomenal. It looked like everyone was working hard.
“And, Morris landed The Meyers Corporation which is the second largest distributor of airplane parts.”
“I thought they were with a firm in New York?”
“They were, but they were looking for new representation, and Morris got the job done. I was very impressed with him closing them and taking care of his daughters.”
“I will have to congratulate him in person. Ray, can you send Gretchen a message about a gift for Morris?”
“Yep,” Ray said while typing on his tablet.
“Roc, any movement on your Wonderland project we discussed?”
“Some. I am looking at some land and vetting some architects. I’ve spoken with Go-cart manufacturers and found a place to order the golf clubs at wholesale. Things are progressing slowly.”
“Good. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.”
“I will.”
“What do we know about this situation so far? Do you have any idea who did this?” I asked Countee.
“No, I don't not yet. The police have even less information than I do. There was one shooter and a driver. We found the car over on the east side discarded and torched. Someone had reported it missing from the Soulard area close to the courthouse. We know he came for you because he waited across the street for you to come out. We saw that on some of the video footage. Averie was worried that it had something to do with the stuff going on over at Patterson, but it doesn't. No one over there carries that type of weight to pull something off like this without us knowing, but she made me dig just to be sure.”
“Anything go on over there while I was down?”
“No, it’s been relatively quiet,” Countee responded.
“I wouldn’t have figured this had anything to with Patterson Law. Besides they would hurt her. They wouldn’t hurt me to get to her.”
“Right, so we are looking through old cases, corporate and criminal to see if something comes up,” Xavier added.
“I got my ear to the streets also. They will show up sooner or later,” Roc added.
“Speaking of, what do you want to happen when we do find him?” Countee asked.
“I will answer that when we find him.”
“In the meantime, I'm going to put men at your houses, and one will stay with you at all times. It’s been quiet, but we can't take any chances,” Countee explained.
“Make sure Averie is covered too.”
“Laila will stay close to Averie,” Countee finished.
“I know they feel a little heavy, but you haven’t used them in a month. Hold on to the walker and see how far you can get.”
I was sitting in a wheelchair in the hallway of the hospital outside of my room. All of the tests from earlier in the day had come back normal. No brain trauma, no skull fractures, everything seemed to be fine. I nodded to the large man standing in front of me who had introduced himself as Greg Baden, a physical therapist.
“Brace yourself with both hands on the walker, the wheels on the chair are locked. Then push yourself up. I will help you, but I think you can do it yourself,” he instructed.
I thought so too. I didn’t need some big dude all on me trying to help me up. I would figure it out. I put my hands on each side of the walker and then pushed myself up. He was right, my legs did feel like Jell-O, but I had enough upper body strength to stand erect.
“I knew it. Now move towards me. We will start with a couple steps and over the next few days add on more.”
Pushing my right leg forward, I held on tightly to the walker. Moving my leg was harder than I thought it would be. My left leg was next. I moved it forward to meet the right leg. Cool, I think I got this. Looking up to judge how far away Greg was and how many more steps I would need to take to get to him, I encouraged myself, “You got this, El.”
I moved my right leg again, then my left. I continued this cycle two more times before looking up again to see my goal. But, my goal had changed. Instead of seeing Greg standing in the distance waiting on me, I saw Averie. She wore a straight purple and teal dress that hugged her curves and a pair of stilettos that enhanced her toned calves. She had a jacket in the same hand that she held her leather portfolio. She was breathtaking. She smiled at me, and I smiled back.
Feeling the pressure of a pee wee sports player who had found their parent in the stands and wanted to perform for them. I straightened my spine, held on to the walker and took the last few steps until I was face to face with my lady. I heard a distant cheer from Greg but the only thing concerning me at that moment was feeling Averie’s lips on mine.
“This is light work for you, Valentine,” she said while tossing her chin in the direction I’d come from.
“Absolutely, Patterson.” I leaned forward and kissed her expecting to pull away. She stepped in and put her hand around my neck and pulled my bottom lip into her mouth, sucking lightly. She held me in place causing me to experience a serious erection. She pulled back and looked at me with hooded eyes while licking her lips.
I couldn’t wait to be inside of her again.
“Have a seat, Mr. Valentine,” I heard Greg say behind me.
I stood up straight then spoke over my shoulder, “No, thank you. I will walk back.”
Averie sat in the chair next to my bed telling me about her day. She was trying to keep up appearances, but I could tell she was tired. She yawned confirming my suspicion.
“Come up here with me.”
“No, I can’t get in the bed with you.”
“Why not?”
“There’s not enough room for both of us.”
“Yes, it is,” I moved over to show her how roomy the bed was. “Come up here with me. I want you next to me.”
She kicked off her shoes while I lowered the bed to the proper height for her to climb in. She snuggled into my side resting her head on my chest.
“Are you okay? Am I too heavy?”
“I’m fine. Relax,” I said after kissing her forehead.
“I’ve missed sleeping next to you, El.”
“I’ve missed having you next to me. What would you say about us consolidating our living arrangements when I get out of here? We can find something to purchase in the city together, or we can decide between my place or yours. We can keep the house out of the city, and if you want, we can build a house for your parents out there. We have plenty of acreage to build on.”
Nothing.
“I understand if it’s going to take some thought. I know how much you like your place and you haven’t been there long. I just don’t want to sleep without you ever again, and it doesn’t make sense for us to maintain so many residences.”
Nothing.
“You don’t have any thoughts on anything I just said?”
Nothing.
“Vee,” I said looking down, “Are you asleep already?”
I was met with closed eyes and light snores. I chuckled. She could fall asleep anywhere, I thought, I guess I will ask her again when she is awake. I loved feeling her next to me. Her body providing the right amount of warmth and softness.
“Mr. Valentine,” Victoria said as she entered the room.
I put my finger up to my lips, “Shhh. She’s tired.”
“Okay,” Victoria whispered. “I just need to check your vitals and record them,” she said while resting two fingers on my wrist checking my pulse. “Do you need any pain medication?”
“No, I don’t.”
She checked my blood pressure and recorded everything on a chart at the foot of my bed.
“Can you let everyone know that we are resting. I’m not expecting anyone but if anyone stops by, can you tell them to come back tomorrow? I don’t want her disturbed.”
“Absolutely. Hit that call light if you need anything. I will tell security to keep everyone away. This is the first time I’ve seen her sleep in here. She is usually up learning what I am doing and asking questions. She deserves some rest.”
“Thanks, Victoria.”
“No problem, Mr. Valentine.”
Averie
“Ohmygawd! Samuel! Why did you let me fall asleep?” I said after lifting my head from his chest. I’d planned on lying next to him but not falling asleep. I didn’t even remember dozing off.
“You were tired obviously,” Samuel shrugged.
I looked outside and noticed it was dark then looked at watch.
“I’ve been asleep for a couple hours?”
“At least,” Samuel replied.
“Are you okay? Was I too heavy on you? Did you eat? Do you need your meds?”
“Vee! I’m fine! Calm down.”
I moved to get out of the bed.
“No, don’t go. I want you next to me,” he said while tightening his grip around my waist.
“Can I pee?”
“I’m sure there is a bedpan around here somewhere.”
“Ewww, shut up,” I chuckled as I pushed away from him and climbed out of bed.
I went into the bathroom and relieved my screaming bladder. I stood over the sink to wash my hands while examining my face. I looked like I needed some rest. I really hadn’t slept soundly since Samuel went into the hospital.
I finished in the restroom and walked back over to the bed. Samuel pulled the blanket back, and I climbed back in forgetting about my hesitation earlier. I wanted to be close to my man.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to order some food?” Samuel asked after I’d gotten settled next to him.
“Does a cat purr? Of course, I’m hungry. What about you? I’m sure you have a taste for something.”
“I always have a taste for Ulysses’ cooking. I will call
Ray and have him pick something up from the restaurant.”
“Chicken and Waffles, please.”
I rested my head on his shoulder while he spoke to Ray on the phone.
“He will be here shortly,” Samuel said after disconnecting the call. “Tell me what’s been going on with Patterson Law. Have you had any problems with Caroline?”
“Baby, I don’t want to talk about work…”
“Vee, nothing is wrong with my brain. I’m a little weak physically but other than that, I’m fine. I didn’t wake up a different person. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Well, I had an unexpected visitor that made it up to my floor without an appointment.”
“What?” He sat up and turned to me. “Made it up to your floor? The security on your floor stopped them, correct?”
“Yes, they did, and Laila almost threw her out of the window,” I chuckled.
Samuel’s glowering scowl could not be mistaken, he was angry and found no humor in anything I’d just said.
“Almost? Why didn’t she?” he deadpanned, “Who was it?”
“It was Jennifer Leathen, Barry’s wife.”
“Leathen’s wife! What the hell? And she made it up to your floor past the guards who have been given explicit instructions not to let anyone up?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me. I need to call the building’s owner. We should have sued them when you got attacked.”
“No, it’s fine. Laila handled it with security, but I did talk to Jennifer.”
“What did she say?”
I recounted the entire story of my meeting with Jennifer; from her accusation that we were messing around to me threatening her with legal action.
“She actually thought that you and Leathen had something going on?”
“Yes, she did. I shut her down using some colorful adjectives.”
He continued to frown.
“Baby, fix your face. It’s handled,” I reached out and ran my fingers through his beard.
“I want you to move out of that building.”
