A Gangster's Dream 2

by Charmanie Saquea

  A Gangster’s Dream

  2

  Treasure Malian

  &

  Charmanie Saquea

  Previously in A Gangster’s Dream…

  Carmelo's eyes fluttered rapidly but didn't open. Still a victim of darkness, he could hear the sound of machines beeping and voices in the distance. The inability to open his eyes or to make out what was being said frustrated him. Unconsciously he stirred in an attempt to get up, causing the hospital bed that held him captive to make noise. The noise caught the attention of Summer, who instantly rushed over to her uncle’s bedside.

  "I think he's trying to wake up," Summer said aloud as she reached for Carmelo's hand and gave it a light squeeze.

  In his head, Carmelo was smiling at Summer, but in actuality he was just lying still trying to will his eyes open. Slowly but surely, he was able to make out the voices of the people who were around him. There was Summer, Caiden, and Shaq.

  "Fuck is Shaq doing here? What happened to me? Where is Dream?" he thought to himself.

  "Come on, Uncle Melo," Summer started to plead before she felt him squeeze her hand.

  She leaned over and kissed his cheek. Summer was the only one who had faith in her uncle. She knew that regardless of how bad things looked, he would pull through. Carmelo once made a promise to her that he would never leave her, no matter what. If there was one thing about him that remained constant, it was his ability to keep his promises. Carmelo squeezing Summer's hand was enough for her. She knew it would be soon that he would be back to himself. She just didn't anticipate it being that soon, though. Summer glanced down at Carmelo just as his eyes blinked open.

  She clutched her heart and let out a low gasp.

  "Dad, get the nurse, or the doctor, or someone. Uncle Melo is up," Summer yelled with excitement.

  Without hesitation, Caiden had left the room in search of Melo's doctor. Summer, on the other hand, didn't leave her uncle’s side. She rubbed his hand and insisted that he kept calm. There was nothing calm about Carmelo, though. He had no idea why he was lying motionless in a hospital bed, hooked up to wires, tubes, and machines. Apparently, he was in the hospital. There wasn't any pain from whatever it was that put him in the hospital. What hurt was that the woman he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with was nowhere in sight.

  Moments later, Caiden returned with Carmelo's Doctor. Dr. Grant checked Carmelo's vitals and once he was sure that he was actually stable, he removed the tube that was assisting Carmelo's breathing.

  "Mr. Love, do you remember what happened and why you ended up in the hospital?" Dr. Grant asked as he scanned over Carmelo's chart.

  He shook his head from left to right, telling the doctor no. His eyes roamed the room idly. "Where is she?" he thought again.

  "You do know who these people are, though?" Dr. Grant asked in a concerned manner.

  He nodded his head yes.

  "Wh--, uhum," Carmelo tried to speak. The words were caught in his throat, which was dry. He thought clearing it would help him say what it is he needed to say but it didn't.

  "Please do not try to speak. You haven't used those vocal chords in a while. We'll get there, but for now, let’s take it a step at a time. Is there something you need to know?"

  Carmelo nodded yes.

  Dr. Grant handed Carmelo the pad that he gripped in his right hand and removed a pen from the pocket of his lab coat.

  "Here. Write down your question here."

  Carmelo had to muster up the energy to write what he was thinking. The writing was barely legible, but Dr. Grant did his best at reading it.

  "Dream?" Dr. Grant stated.

  Melo nodded his head.

  "He's asking for Dream? Any of you know where she is?"

  Summer cocked her head to the side and spoke. "Who is Dream?"

  "Dr. Grant, I've never heard my brother mention a ‘Dream’ before this incident," Caiden added.

  "Me either," Shaquille said.

  "Wh--at thh the fuck are you do--iing here Shaq? What happened to Dream? Wh--re is she?" Carmelo managed to get out before coughing uncontrollably.

  Caiden, Summer, and Shaquille were taken aback by Carmelo's response. For one, they all were confused as to why he was coming at Shaq sideways, and secondly, they had no idea who Dream was.

  "Uncle Melo, we don't know a Dream. You don't remember being shot? We almost lost you. You went into a coma and have been in it for two weeks,” Summer said in an attempt to reason with him.

  Flashes of what happened to land him in the hospital started coming back to him at once. The realization that Dream wasn't real and neither were any of the memories he thought he had after the shooting pained him to the core.

  Chapter One

  Carmelo laid his head back on the not so comfortable hospital pillow and closed his eyes. He could still feel everyone's eyes on him and they probably thought he was crazy, but at this moment he didn't care. He had to deal with the reality that the memories of Dream really weren't so vivid at all since he was actually dreaming. So it was all a dream? he thought to himself. Does this Dream person even exist? His mind was blown because it seemed so real but to find out that it was all in his head really hurt him.

  He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his doctor’s voice. “Is there anything I can get for you, Mr. Love?” Carmelo shook his head no as he slowly opened his eyes. “Okay, well, since you are woke, I think it's best that I check your vitals now and make sure everything is fine.”

  He didn't respond as he looked over at Shaq. He stared at him real good for a few minutes without saying a word. Shaq looked over at Carmelo because he felt him staring a hole in the side of his face. “What's wrong with you, man?” asked Shaq.

  Carmelo knew that only in his dream did he feel that Shaq was a snake, but now he was starting to wonder if that dream was actually trying to tell him something. Knowing he had been in a coma for two weeks had him questioning what all had happened and had down since he had been in there. He hoped that Shaq stepped up and ran things just as he would have.

  “Maybe he's just happy to see you. It has been a while.” Summer smiled, having no idea how far from the truth that was.

  Carmelo looked over at Summer and cracked a smile. She was the only person he found joy in at this moment. Just looking at her made his eyes wander to his twin brother, Caiden. He looked from him to Summer, then back at Caiden. Once again he knew he was just dreaming about Alexandria coming to him about possibly being Summer’s father, but he couldn't help but to wonder now.

  That had brought back a memory that he had long ago forgotten about when the two had been intimate with each other. When she had come over saying that she was pregnant by Caiden, it still didn't dawn on Carmelo that he could have actually been Summer’s father instead of her uncle.

  He reached out his hand for Summer and without a second thought, she walked into his embrace and hugged her uncle tightly. Carmelo kissed her on the top of her head as the two shared a hug. “You really scared me, Uncle Melo. Let's not let that happen again, okay?” she asked.

  “Okay,” he said in a scratchy voice.

  Summer reached over on the table and grabbed his cup of water so he could get a sip. Just that little sip of water soothed Carmelo’s throat. He wanted to ask Shaq what the word was on the niggas who had put him in this predicament. He knew better than to discuss that type of information in front of Summer, so he would save that for later.

  <><><><>

  Shondrell had been laying low for the past two weeks waiting for the streets to announce the demise of Carmelo. He had heard that he was laid up in the hospital bed in a coma and he was praying that he didn’t make it so that h
e could claim the throne that he felt was rightfully his. Even if Carmelo survived, he still had plans to take over his empire.

  He had already hit him where it hurt; his pockets. He had a million dollars and five hundred thousand dollars’ worth of work that he had used to take over the streets. Since Carmelo was out of commission, he crew wasn’t as strong as it once was, so Shondrell stepped up and did what he was supposed to. He supplied the streets with the product that he had stolen and didn’t give a damn.

  Niggas weren’t dumb and he was pretty sure that they knew what was going on, but nobody had the balls to step to him without their boss to back them up.

  “Word is that nigga woke up yesterday,” Maino, one of Shondrell’s workers, informed him.

  “Is that right?”

  “Yea and they got that nigga guarded like he Obama or something. If we do choose to get at him again, it won’t be as easy before.”

  “True. He got caught slipping once, so he damn sure won’t get caught slipping again. Just be on the lookout because we already know that nigga coming for blood,” said Shondrell.

  He wasn’t surprised that Carmelo had lived. He was too stubborn to go out like that. Nothing changed just because he got confirmation. Shondrell was going to continue to carry on with business as if Carmelo was dead.

  Chapter Two

  Fuck what you heard, for that bird I'm a dirty nigga

  Laid to rest by the one you thought was workin' with yah

  War ready, the game just wanna take my life

  War ready, pussy boy we all could die tonight

  War ready, fast cash above the law

  War ready, gas mask when them choppers talk

  Rick Ross’ “War Ready” blared through the speakers as Carmelo drove through the Brooklyn streets. The words that Rozay was spitting was exactly how he was feeling. He was war ready and didn't have any plans of going down easily. People were expecting him to bow down to Shondrell now for the simple fact that he had gotten shot up, but those that really know Carmelo knew that that wasn't about to happen.

  Carmelo had a lot of things to get in order, starting with his business. He was pissed that niggas acted like they didn't know what the fuck to do while he was down, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why. It was like they all froze up and let another nigga take over without even putting up a fight. He was also trying to understand why Shaquille would even allow that shit to go down.

  He expected his so-called best friend to hold things down and run the business just as he would have, but he couldn't, or at least he chose not to. Once again his mind traveled to the dream he had about Shaq being a snake. He tried to shake the feelings and the thought, but it just seemed so surreal to him. He didn't want to think that his right hand man would turn on him.

  Carmelo pulled up to his trap house where he had called a mandatory meeting. He wasn't in the mood for bullshit or games and everyone could tell by the look on his face. When he walked in, everyone was quiet as expected. He looked at every man that was in attendance and shook his head. Everyone was either too afraid or ashamed to look him in his face.

  “This shit is ridiculous and pitiful. Ain't no way in hell that we should even be having this damn meeting right now for the simple reason that business should be booming as usual right now. Since I was out of commission for a while, I knew some shit would change as understood but for y'all to completely bitch up and let this nigga sell our shit, my shit, is bullshit!” his voice boomed.

  Everyone wore the look of a child being chastised by their parent. They knew it was better to take a verbal lashing from Carmelo than a physical one, so no one dared to speak up.

  “Two weeks? A nigga was only out for two weeks and that was a means for y'all to close up shop? Y'all should have been out there gunning for that nigga’s head because not only did he, and still is, fucking with my money, his fucking with all y'all money too.”

  That statement pained a few hearts. It was no secret that since Carmelo was gone, people’s pockets were hurting. He was the shepherd of the flock, and without him, his sheep were lost and confused. He thought he had instilled in them the necessary skills they needed, but obviously he didn't.

  “I will be meeting up with the connect because I'm pretty sure he's wondering what the fuck is going on. After we straighten a few things out, I will be giving you exactly two weeks to get this shit together. I would hate to have to get a new crew and start from scratch with some niggas who would know what the fuck to do, but you know I will if I have to.” Tired of seeing the dumb looks on their faces, he dismissed them. “Everyone but Shaq get the fuck out.”

  “Melo, these niggas…” Shaq started, but Carmelo cut him off.

  “What's the point in having you as my right hand man if you're going to act like a bitch along with everyone else? Where the fuck were you when you were supposed to be holding it down until I got back? Or were you not expecting me to come back?!”

  Shaq stepped back and looked at Carmelo funny. “Yo, Melo, I know your emotions are running sky high right now, but I'm not for all that crazy talk.”

  “I don't care what you're for, Shaquille. I expected you to keep things in order like a real nigga would, but you didn't. You folded like all the rest of them niggas, and for what? You know better than anyone else in this unit. You failed me,” Carmelo spat as if he had a bad taste in his mouth.

  “I failed you, but I was the only one who was out looking for that nigga all day and night,” Shaq defended himself.

  “That may be true, but the fact remains that you damn near let this shit that I worked hard to build damn near crash and burn. There’s no telling what would have happened if I would have been in a coma longer than I was.” Carmelo was so pissed off with Shaq that he had to walk away from him. He was about two seconds away from putting a damn bullet in his head.

  <><><><>

  Carmelo pulled up to his house in Staten Island. He needed some time away from everyone so that he could take a minute to strategize and get his mind right. He had to think of a good plan of how he would get his business back booming like it should have been.

  He had just plopped on the couch when his cell phone started ringing. He had a mind not to answer it but he knew this was one person he wouldn’t be able to avoid for too much longer.

  “Hello?” Carmel answered the phone with a sigh.

  “Mr. Love, long time no hear from my friend,” Nigel, Carmelo’s connect, said in his strong English accent. Nigel was born and raised in the UK until he turned sixteen years old when his parents packed up and moved to the United States.

  “I know Nigel, I just got…”

  “No need to explain what happened. Your friend Shaquille called and told me that you had got caught up in a situation where you would be out for a while. Of course, I don’t really like to deal with him and don’t trust him as far as I can see without my glasses, so I took the pleasure in doing a little research for myself.”

  “Well I’m back now and I’m better than ever. Have no worries, because I know you still…”

  Once again, Nigel cut Carmelo off. “No stress, Mr. Love. You and have done great business together for years and I have no doubts that you will come through. You should be getting a get well soon gift from me by tomorrow, and I know you know what to do with it.”

  Carmelo just smirked. He already knew what Nigel was talking about. Nigel made it a point to stay on top of things when it came to Carmelo. They had more than a customer and connect relationship; he was more like a mentor to Carmelo. “Thank you, Nigel.”

  “No need to thank me, but I do need you to do me one.”

  “What would that be?” inquired Carmelo.

  “Keep your grass cut low so you can keep an eye on the snakes,” Nigel said before abruptly ending the phone call.

  He always made it a point to drop a jewel on Carmelo, and Carmelo always made it a point to listen and take heed to what Nigel said. He knew Nigel could have only been talking about one person;
Shaq. Since day one, Nigel had been telling him to watch his back around him but the two had been best friends since grade school so he never could understand why he always said that. Now Carmelo was starting to see the signs.

  He was still pissed with Shaq for letting everything he worked hard for go down like he didn’t give a fuck. That whole ordeal was a big eye opener for Carmelo. He felt like if he couldn’t trust the one person who was supposed to be his best friend, then who cold he trust?

  Chapter Three

  Ever since Carmelo had been out of the hospital, Summer had been trying to spend as much time with him as possible. Her days consisted of going to school then straight to her uncle’s. The usual social butterfly was worried about the well-being of her uncle over everything else. Summer almost lost her mind when she found out her uncle had been shot. She thought she was going to lose him and his slipping into a coma didn't make matters any better. Carmelo was more than an uncle to Summer. He was basically a second father to her.

  She had both Carmelo and Caiden wrapped around her finger and it didn't take much effort to get something from them. Even if she didn't ask for one of them to buy or get her something, she was going to receive something.

  “What you doing in my kitchen, girl?” Carmelo asked.

  “Cooking. Something you don't know how to do,” Summer said, followed by a chuckle.

  “What? Girl, I know how to cook, I just choose not to,” smiled Carmelo as he playfully mushed his niece.

  Once again, his thoughts traveled back to the dream he had about Alex telling him about the possibility of him being Summer’s real father. He wasn’t about to shake some shit up by trying to get a DNA test or something like that. For sixteen years, Caiden had been her father, so that's how it was going to stay. He always played the role as her second father anyways, so in his mind, that was good enough.

  “Uncle Melo, you know what you need?” asked Summer, snatching him from his thoughts.

  “Nope. I'm sure you're going to tell me though,” he answered.