by La Jill Hunt
“If he makes it through the next twenty-four hours, he’ll have a fifty percent chance of recovery.” He looked over at their mother, who was trying to keep her composure, but was slowly breaking down. Yvonne walked over and put her arms around her, leading her to the small sofa in the corner of the room.
The sound of Kayla’s sniffling could be heard, but just as Terrell headed toward her, the two sisters turned toward each other. He looked from one to the other as they stared into each other’s faces. His heart began beating rapidly as he tried to think of something to do or say. God, please don’t let them start fighting in here. They’ve been through too much already.
“Thank you, Dr. Stevens,” Anjelica told him, her eyes remaining on her sister. “When can we see my father?”
“I can take you to him now. He’s still in recovery,” the doctor told her. He moved toward the door and held it open, looking around to see who was coming. Yvonne slowly helped Mrs. Hopkins up and she turned toward her children, who continued to look eye to eye.
“Anjelica, Kayla?” she said aloud, wiping her eyes and running her fingers through her hair nervously.
Neither one answered their mother, nor did they move. Then, to everyone’s surprise, including her own, Anjelica extended her hand to her sister. At first, Kayla just stared at it, then slowly, she took it into her own and the three women exited together behind the doctor.
“Man, that was intense,” Jermaine finally said. Terrell had forgotten that his friend was there with them.
“That was nothing,” Geno sighed and took his seat next to Yvonne. “I’ve seen worse when those two were together.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Yvonne added.
Terrell introduced Jermaine to them then asked, “Where’s Roni? Toby was looking for her at the club last night.”
“Roni left a little while before you got here. She had been trying to call Toby but couldn’t get in contact with him,” Yvonne told him. “We got here a little after four.”
“Man, he probably went home and fell into bed. We had major drama after the club closed last night.” He went on to tell them about the shootout that occurred in the parking lot. He left out the part about Darla being the cause.
“I know Nicole probably fell out when you told her about it,” Geno replied.
“Nicole. Damn, I need to call her!” With all that had gone on, he had forgotten. Yvonne told him that he had to go outside the hospital in order to use his phone. He hurried to the elevator, dialing her number as he walked.
“Hello.”
“Hey, baby. I’m sorry. I just got a chance to call you,” he said before he even got off the elevator. He knew she was probably pissed and tried to think of how to explain why he hadn’t come over or at least called the night before.
“I’ve been calling you all night, Terrell! I don’t know what kind of game you’re—”
“Kayla’s dad had a heart attack last night,” he interrupted her before she could finish. He felt bad about using his best friend’s sick father as his alibi, but he had no other choice. He hoped Nicole would assume he had been at the hospital with Kayla the entire time.
“How is he? How’s Kayla?” she asked, her tone quickly changing from irritated to concerned.
“He’s still in surgery and we’re waiting,” he answered.
“Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do?”
“I’m good. Thanks for asking. You getting ready for church?” He knew she was. Nicole was a faithful member of Shepherd’s Heart Memorial Chapel.
“Yeah, I have to usher this morning. I’ll ride over to the hospital after service.”
“Okay. Say a prayer for Mr. John, will you, baby? Hey, you feeling all right this morning? No morning sickness?”
“A little, but nothing I can’t handle. I gotta get outta here. I love you.”
“Love you too,” he told her and ended the call. He thought about calling his brother but changed his mind. I don’t have the energy to deal with Toby’s judgmental behind or his double standards this morning. I got my own problems.
47
Toby tossed the keys on the coffee table and flopped down on the sofa. He took his cell from the pocket of his jeans, but it was dead. He picked up his cordless phone and dialed Roni’s cell. Her voice mail picked up instantly, so he knew that either her battery was dead or she had it turned off. He had already driven by her house and found out that she wasn’t at home, so he decided against calling there. He was tired both mentally and physically, and contemplated just staying on the sofa. He convinced himself that his bed would be much more comfortable and slowly got up.
As he climbed the stairs and entered his bedroom, he heard a noise. Someone was in the bathroom. He slowly pushed the cracked door open and heard the sound of the shower. He entered to the scent of jasmine and saw the silhouette of a woman’s naked body through the frosted glass. Her back was to him, and she hadn’t realized he was there. He watched her for a while, admiring her beauty and listening to her sing about finding love on a two-way street and losing it on a lonely highway. He meticulously removed his own clothes, making sure he didn’t make any noise. His soldier was at full attention as he carefully opened the door and stepped behind her.
“About time you came home,” she told him without turning around. His eyes took in her perfect body from head to toe. The drops of water clinging to her caramel shoulder were an open invitation for his tongue to lick, and he obliged. She arched her back and he pushed her long, black hair out of the way as he kissed her neck. His hand reached around her small waist and rested on her hips as he pulled her to him. His rock hard penis rested on her firm buttocks. “Mmm, seems like someone is happy to see me.”
Slowly, she turned and put her arms around him, smiling. He felt his heart melt as his eyes met hers. He wasted no time covering her mouth with his. He taunted her tongue and ran his hands through her thick hair, the steam of the shower surrounding them. She balanced herself on one leg as she wrapped the other one around him. His hands found their way to her center and he rubbed back and forth against her openness, causing her to gasp. Releasing the grip he had on her head, he lifted her into his arms and she wrapped her body around his. It amazed him that she was able to maneuver herself perfectly in one swift movement, and he smiled as he entered her.
She rocked back and forth, never missing a beat as he nudged the shower doors open and stepped out. She felt so good, her breasts crushed against his chest as she continued to ride. His eyes took in the sexiness of her hard nipples. He could feel her muscles contracting against his hardness, arousing him even more.
He quickly made his way to the countertop and sat her down, making sure they weren’t near the candles she had burning near the sink. He continued plunging into her as she clawed at his back and bit into his shoulder. Their lovemaking was ferocious and he loved it. The glow of the candles reflecting in the mirror seemed to cause her image to glow as she looked at him seductively. He was determined to control himself, but before he knew it, she had leaned all the way back and wrapped her legs around his neck. She tightened around him and he closed his eyes as he felt himself about to explode.
“Oh, God! Ice!”
“Toby! Toby!”
Suddenly, his eyes flew open. He quickly looked around and realized he was still on the sofa. He rubbed his eyes and saw that Roni was standing over him, looking at him like he was a stranger.
“Toby, are you all right?” she asked, frowning.
“Huh?” he asked.
“That must have been a hell of a dream.”
She was right; the dream had been vivid. He hadn’t had one like that in over a year. He sat up and stretched. “Yeah. It was crazy.”
“You’re all sweaty, baby.” She ran her hand along his forehead and showed him the perspiration that was apparent on her palm. “And you were calling for ice.”
His head snapped around and he stared at her. “What?”
“You were calling out for s
ome ice. Let me get you a wet washcloth,” she said and disappeared down the hallway.
As he sat on the edge of the sofa, he tried to get his thoughts together. He couldn’t believe the dream he had just experienced. Isis Adams. When she had first disappeared, he had them all the time, almost every night. But as time went on, they had become more and more infrequent. He laughed at himself nervously and stood up. Man, you are really tripping.
“Here you go, baby.” Roni gently wiped his face with the cool washcloth. Her touch was tender and he turned his head and kissed the inside of her wrist as she wiped.
“I looked for you last night. I called you too,” he told her. “What happened?”
“I was at the hospital all night.” She sighed and sat down.
“Hospital? For what?” he asked, sitting next to her.
“Mr. John had a heart attack. I was there with Kayla and her mom.”
“How is he?”
“He was still in surgery when I left. Yvonne is there with them now and so is Geno. Anjelica is nowhere to be found.”
He remembered Terrell leaving the club with Anjelica last night and reached for the phone to call him. He knew that the chances of them still being together were strong. He had begun dialing the number as Roni continued talking.
“Kayla was able to locate Terrell and he was on his way. Even he was M.I.A. last night. The club must’ve been off the chain.”
Toby clicked the phone off, knowing that if his brother was en route to the hospital, then Anjelica was too. He took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Roni about the shootout afterwards, leaving out the fact that Terrell left with Anjelica, of course.
“Oh my God. Who would be shooting at you?” she shrieked.
“Some dude was beefing with Terry about Darla or somethi—”
“Darla! I should have known her fat yellow ass would have something to do with this. Her hood rat, sleep-with-anyone-with-a-car, always-in-somebody’s-face, no-hair-doing self need to just go somewhere and stay!”
“Calm down, Ron. The important thing is that no one was hurt and everyone’s fine. Let me take a quick shower and then we can head back over to the hospital.”
“Are you sure? I know you’re tired after everything that happened last night.”
“I want to go. I wanna be there for Kayla and her family.” He kissed her quickly and headed upstairs to his room. Pulling out a pair of sweats and a T-shirt from his drawer, he walked into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, he tried to push all thoughts out of his head, but they continued to flash in his mind like snapshots of a movie.
“Toby? You want me to make you some breakfast, sweetheart?” Roni called from downstairs.
“Naw, I’m good,” he answered. Man, get your head together, he told himself. You got a good woman downstairs that you need to be focusing on, and you’re thinking about a damn memory of what could have been. He stood in the shower and let his mind drift to thoughts of Kayla and her family, saying a quick prayer for them and Mr. John’s recovery. He had just stepped out and was drying off when he heard the yelling.
“What the hell do you want?” Roni screamed.
“This ain’t got nothing to do with you!”
“The hell it doesn’t! You come knocking on my fiancé’s door at eight in the morning demanding to see him and you telling me it doesn’t have anything to do with me. You obviously don’t even have as much sense as I thought you had.”
“Look, I don’t have to tell you shi—”
He heard the door slam and then someone began beating on it like a lunatic. The door opened again and this time he knew who Roni was talking to.
“Girl, I will beat your big ass into the middle of next week. You don’t know who you’re messing with.”
“Toby!”
Toby quickly threw on his clothes and took off down the steps. His shirt clung to his still wet chest.
“What is going on?” he demanded. Roni was standing in the doorway about to bum rush Darla, who was standing outside the storm door, looking like a wild woman. Her clothes were rumpled and she kept folding and unfolding her arms as she demanded that Roni let her in. He knew from experience that Roni had no problem fighting, and he wondered if Darla remembered what happened the last time she popped up at his house and crossed Roni.
“I need to talk to you,” Darla pleaded.
“I don’t have nothing to say to you, Darla,” he said calmly as he stepped in front of the door. Roni was right behind him, ready to pounce if necessary.
“Please, Toby. Just give me five minutes, that’s all,” she begged. Her face was swollen and he could tell she had been crying. He felt sorry for her, but was disgusted with her at the same time.
“Go away, Darla. There’s nothing to talk to me about.”
“I need to explain about last night. I need for you to understand what happened.”
“What happened was that you almost got him and a whole lot of other people killed because of your ignorant ass!” Roni reached past him and tried to open the door.
“I didn’t have anything to do with that! I swear. Toby, you gotta believe me. I would never have done anything as stupid as try to have somebody shoot at you or your trifling-ass brother. I need to talk to you, please.”
“He already told you to get the hell away from here. What part of that don’t you understand? Leave him alone!” Roni was using all her strength to get past him at this point and Toby had to actually struggle to restrain her.
“Darla, just go away. Now isn’t the time or the place for this. Go,” he said as he stepped back and reached to close the door.
“Toby, please wait,” she pleaded. “That’s it? After all the shit we been through? It’s just that I told Terry—”
“Look, I didn’t have anything to do with what you and my brother had going on. I got my own stuff to deal with and I’m not being in the middle of this. That stunt you and your friend pulled last night was crazy and uncalled for.”
“Leave him alone. Leave Terry alone. Find somebody that wants you back for a change and quit being a doormat!” Roni yelled.
“Roni! Let me handle this,” he turned and told her.
“Handle it then. I’m so sick of her,” she huffed at him. It seemed that her attitude was now aimed at him and it took him by surprise.
“You’re out of line,” Toby told Roni.
“What? I’m out of line? You act like I should give a damn about her or her feelings, which I don’t. Every time I turn my head she’s over here crying on your shoulder about someone that’s done her wrong. Maybe if her high yellow ass would stop screwing—”
“Just go inside,” he cut her off.
She stared at him for a moment then rolled her eyes at Darla. “STD,” she murmured as she walked away.
He made sure she was out of earshot then turned back to Darla, who was looking like she wanted to burn down his house with him and Roni in it. He went to say something, but she stopped him. “I thought I was your friend, if nothing else, but like your fiancée said, I’m nothing but a STD.”
“I’m sorry, Darla, but right now the best thing you can do is let it go.”
“Let what go? What are you saying?”
“I’m saying leave me and my brother alone.” He closed the door, leaving her standing in the doorway with a defeated look on her face.
He stood there for a moment, staring at the back of the door, angry. Angry at himself for ever becoming involved with a girl whose self-esteem was so low that she would do anything to get anyone’s approval. Angry for even bragging and joking that she was just an STD. Angry at Terrell for taking advantage of her too, then getting her pregnant on top of that. Angry at Darla for allowing them to treat her like she was nothing. Angry at Roni for talking to her like that, making an already bad situation worse. He looked out the window and double checked to make sure that Darla had left. He saw her black Neon still sitting in front of his house behind Roni’s silver Celica. Their eyes met briefly, then she left. His a
nger turned to relief as something told him that she finally understood and wouldn’t be bothering them again.
48
“Hey, baby. How’s Mr. John?” Nicole greeted Terrell with a hug and a kiss as he walked through her front door. He was surprised she was still dressed for church because it was after 5:00 in the evening. He had remained at the hospital for the majority of the day, playing the waiting game with Kayla and her family. After making sure that there was no chance of any friction popping off between the sisters, he decided to leave for a while, promising to return later.
“Still in ICU. Everyone’s pretty much still there. The doctor says the next few days are the most critical. I’m probably going back in a little while and take them some food. Did you cook?” He knew she did. Nicole cooked a full meal large enough for ten people every Sunday, although most days it was just the two of them.
“Yeah, I baked some chicken. You want me to fix you a plate?”
“Naw, I’ll get it,” he told her. “I wanna take a quick shower first, though. Is that cool?”
“Of course. You look exhausted. Why don’t you lie down for a while before you go back to the hospital?”
He was tired, but he knew that if he lay down for a nap, he wouldn’t wake up until the morning.
“Nickey, do you have any glossy paper?” A voice came from the room Nicole used for a home office.
Terrell cringed, knowing that it was her brother, Gary.
“Look at the top of the closet. It should be a pack up there,” Nicole yelled to him.
“I looked and I don’t see it.”
“Never mind. I’ll get it,” she huffed and rushed down the hall.
Terrell shook his head in silence as he walked into the kitchen. Nicole had not only cooked baked chicken, but also cabbage, macaroni and cheese, rice and gravy, and cornbread. The growls coming from his stomach reminded him that he was hungry in addition to being tired. He grabbed a large plate and began piling it with food. Just as he sat down at the small kitchen table, Nicole entered with Gary right behind her. There was no denying that they were sister and brother. They were similar in looks, although she was older by two years, darker by two shades, and taller by three inches. Gary was barely five-five and she was easily five-eight.
