by Nikki Brown
“If my son wakes up and you are not right by his side, he’s gonna tear this hospital up trying to find you to make sure you’re okay,” Siya said making Sutton break down crying again. This baby had her overly emotional. “Sutton, what’s wrong? I told you that boy is too stubborn to die, he wouldn’t give life the satisfaction to not see him there.”
“He got shot trying to save me!” she sobbed.
“As he should.” Siya simply said. Sutton just knew that if the family knew that he was shot trying to save her that they would hate her. Sutton grabbed her chest and leaned over and cried more. “When he said he would protect you with his life, girl he meant that. We raised our boys to be men.”
“I need to talk to Mega for a second, do you mind if I go back?” Hudson knew that his daughter needed a minute to get herself together before she went back, and he wanted to talk to Mega.
Sutton and Siya looked at Hudson for a minute, Sutton gave him a look that said don’t be on no bullshit. He knew what they were thinking but he wanted to let him know first-hand that he was on board with whatever they wanted to do.
“Dad-”
“I’ll only be a minute.” He held his hands up and Siya nodded.
“It’s okay,” Siya told Sutton as she silently began to panic. She knew her father still had his reservations and the last thing she needed was for him to go in there with his bullshit and they get to fighting making his situation worse. “Everything will be fine, now tell me what happened and why in the hell you were at the abortion clinic.” Siya lowered her eyes and Sutton closed hers. She knew that she would have to answer to that sooner or later, definitely hoping the latter.
“I was so mad that he was possibly having a baby with Karson and that she convinced him that I would betray not only him but myself and be with Trouble. Yes, he came to the shop trying to propose. At first, I was shocked then it turned to appalled and I flipped on him. She must have been there taking pictures because she got him getting down on one knee with the ring.” Sutton shook her head. “I would never do that to him, and I thought that he would know that.”
“You love my son.”
“With everything in me and that’s why it hurt so bad. I knew there was no way that I would be able to co-parent with him because it would kill me to see him with someone else. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this about anyone. It’s like he crept his way past my heart into my soul and claimed it. I can’t explain it but that’s my life in there.”
“Well first off, I knew the minute I met you that you loved my son and that’s why I love you. Secondly, there was no way that my son would ever let you be with anyone besides him, just a FYI. You are definitely stuck with him.” The two women giggled as Sutton wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“I hate that killing this baby was ever a thought.”
“It’s okay to have selfish thoughts just so long as you don’t act on them.” Siya kissed Sutton’s forehead and she closed her eyes. Her mother used to kiss her forehead all the time and Siya’s words and actions reminded her so much of her mother’s, and at that moment she was grateful for her. “I’m so glad you’re giving me a grandbaby; I love you for my son. He deserves someone like you.”
“So, this is why no one called me to tell me that Kahleno was shot saving her ass?” Karson walked up with Kahlil in tow. The minute Kahlil saw Sutton he ran to her right before he was pulled back by his mother.
“Karson, I promise you, you don’t want to do that. Especially not here, cause little girl, I’m in the fucking mood.” Siya slowly stood to her feet as her and Karson’s eyes locked.
“How can you stand here and defend her when she’s the reason he’s back there?”
“If my brother was awake and knew you were here, he’d tell you to get the fuck out. Don’t worry about nothing but my nephew,” Cassidy’s voice could be heard before his face appeared. “That’s his woman and that’s what he supposed to do; he’s supposed to protect her.” Cassidy was in her face in no time.
“I’m the mother of his child, I had a right to know,” Karson cried.
“Didn’t we just talk about this?” Siya stepped in front of Cassidy, emotions were so high that she didn’t know what he would do if the opportunity presented itself, and the last thing they wanted was to have to bail their oldest out of jail for assault on a female. The family had enough going on right now. “Cassidy go try and call your brother again,” Siya said over her shoulder but Cassidy didn’t move. “Cassidy go!” He looked down at Siya, scoffed, and turned to walk away.
She looked back at her son; she didn’t like the look he just gave her but she knew it had a lot to do with what just went on. They were going to have to have a long talk with all of them, their family was close and nothing was going to change that.
“Siya it’s okay, let her feel how she wants.” Sutton said struggling to stand up. “I’m gonna go back. Are you coming with me?” Sutton begged Siya not to give Karson what she wanted, attention. Right now, the only thing important was Kahleno.
Siya nodded her head and headed in the direction of Sutton, when she noticed that Karson was behind them with Kahlil in tow she turned around and stopped her.
“Where do you think you’re going? You will not see my son like this, if he was up, he wouldn’t even let you be anywhere near him so we’re gonna keep that same energy.” Siya snapped. “And think about your son, do you really think that he needs to see his dad like that? Do you think that Kahleno would want him to see him like this?” She kept the last part quiet so that only Karson could hear.
“Why you let my daddy get hurt Sutton?” Kahlil yelled out with tears down his face. Siya immediately glared at Karson.
“Baby come here.” Sutton said and reached for Kahlil, he hesitated but went when Karson let his hand go and folded her arms across her chest. “Your dad got hurt making sure that I didn’t get hurt. I hate that it happened and if I could have changed it, I would have. Your dad always protects those he loves, that’s what’s so special about him and I have no doubt that when you get older, you’re gonna be just like him.”
“Who tried to hurt my woman?’ He ran his hands down the side of Sutton’s face making her smile. “Me and daddy gone ride out,” Kahlil said as serious as he could be.
Sutton kissed his jaws and whispered in his ear. “I’ll always love you more.” Kahlil smiled and then went and took his place back with his mother.
Sutton gave Karson the nastiest look and shook her head before she disappeared into the back. She should have been back there but she wanted to get herself together before she actually went back. Her talk with Siya was just what she needed.
On the way in the room Sutton ran into Mega and Hudson who were coming out of the room. Mega looked at her and pulled her into him.
“I don’t blame you for this, no one does,” he whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek. Hudson followed suit and the two disappeared. The seriousness on Hudson’s face let her know that whatever they needed to talk about had something to do with the demise of Trouble and she didn’t mind not one bit.
Mega made his way through the doors to let his wife know that they were about to move him. He wanted to go and find AD to let him know what was going on. He had been through enough and the last thing that he needed was for someone else to tell him that his brother was shot and in the hospital.
When he rounded the corner, he could hear his wife’s voice and tension in it. The minute she became visible he saw why she was so upset.
“Enough is enough Karson, why would you tell your son something like that? Didn’t we just have this talk about how desperate you have been? I guess that slap across your face didn’t help any.” Siya was in her face with her fists balled down by her side.
“Siya,” Mega’s deep voice flowed through the space that they were standing in and planted itself in her heart, calming her instantly. “This is not the place or the time. We’re all wired up, handle this another time and when Kahlil is not with her,
” he said into her ear and her shoulders shivered lightly at the warmth of his breath.
Locking eyes with her husband, she saw the hurt and pain deep within, she also saw the love that he had for his family along with the determination that he was going to need to fix this mess. He leaned down and kissed her lips.
“Call me if anything changes, and Sutton needs you. If she doesn’t calm down, she’s gonna lose that baby.” Mega pointed back to the doors he went through.
“Thank you for being there for Sutton,” Hudson said thinking about his wife. The love that was shared between the Maler’s made him think of her and made him miss her more than he ever thought he could.
“That is gonna be my daughter in law, there is no doubt in my mind or heart. I got her; I love her as if she was mine,” Siya stated and she meant every word that she spoke. Sutton had made her way into their lives and made more of a stance than anyone other than family ever had.
Mega and Hudson disappeared out of the hospital, Siya looked at Karson one more time and shook her head. Leaning down to kiss Kahlil, she turned and headed to the back to check on her son.
When she entered the room, she could hear soft sobs coming from Sutton. She had crawled in the bed with Kahleno on his good side and had her head on his chest where his heart was.
“I just needed to hear his heart beat, I had to hear it,” she sniffed. “I didn’t want to come back here, is that wrong?”
“No, it’s not wrong, no one ever wants to see their loved one like this,” Siya spoke softly.
“I love you Kahleno,” Sutton said as she closed her eyes. Siya took a seat in the window pane, pulled her knees up to her chest, and just thought about the events of today. A few tears slipped out of her eyes as she thought about what it would take to get everything back on track.
Now I know
“If you were just gone lay with that nigga, why in the hell you have them bring you a bed?” Cassidy said when he walked in the room causing Sutton to look up and glare at him. She hadn’t had much sleep since they had been there. She was afraid that if she closed her eyes, she would miss something.
“Hush Cassidy!” She rolled her eyes and he chuckled, taking a seat beside Kahleno’s bed. He desperately wanted his brother to wake up, he hated seeing him like this. Cassidy needed Kahleno to tell him how to handle the AD situation. After they left the hospital yesterday, they drove around all night looking for him and couldn’t find him anywhere.
Their phone calls went unanswered and he had turned the location off on his phone. His house was empty and there were no signs of him at his lab. Cassidy knew that AD could take care of himself, but he couldn’t help but to worry about him considering everything that went down.
“You need to get up nigga, we need you,” Cassidy said getting choked up.
He swallowed hard and then cleared his throat. He felt like he was soft for crying about this shit, but it was heavy and as bad as he wanted to control his feelings, he couldn’t. He felt for both of his brothers right now.
“Cas, you good?” Sutton noticed the pain in his voice, she sat up and gave him her full attention. Something was telling her that whatever it was that was bothering Cassidy would more than likely affect Kahleno too.
“I need this nigga to get the fuck up, shits all fucked up sis.” Dragging his hands down his face, he looked up at Sutton. He could feel her sincerity; his brother was lucky to have her. She was made to be a Maler and he knew it.
“What hap-” Sutton started but Kahleno began to stir under her. “Baby?” she whispered with her hands over her mouth. Tears immediately rolled down her face as she sat on the side of the bed waiting on Kahleno to finally open his eyes.
Kahleno moaned as he shifted in the bed, he felt like someone was holding him down with cinderblocks. Every time he moved; he felt a sharp pain in his side. Grabbing it he bit down on his back teeth as the events from the day before flashed through his head. His eyes popped open and came face to face with Sutton.
Reaching out for her, he winced in pain, quickly drawing his hand back.
“No baby don’t move. You’re hurt,” Sutton said reaching for the button to call the nurse to let them know that he was up.
Cassidy and Sutton moved out of the way while they checked his vitals and bandages, they wanted to make sure that the wounds didn’t get infected.
Cassidy called his parents and told them that Kahleno was up, they said that they were on their way back up there. They wanted to see for themselves, Siya said that she was gonna stop by and pick up Kahlil and that made Sutton happy.
“What you over there smiling about?” Kahleno said as the nurses got him situated in bed.
“I’m just so glad you’re awake.” Tears raced from her eyes.
To hear his voice made her heart do flips, and just like any other time she was in his presence butterflies filled her belly. The fight that they had before seemed so stupid, just the thought of losing him brought a lot of things into perspective for her and she hoped that he felt the same way.
“Let me find out yo ass gone be crying the whole nine months.” Sutton placed her hands on her stomach and glared at him through her tears.
“You remembered?” She thought back to when she told him that she had kept the baby, he was going in and out of consciousness. “And don’t talk about me crying, I can’t help it.”
“You can cry every day, all day, as long as it’s with me.” He reached out for her and the minute she was in his reach he used all of his strength to pull her to him. The scent of her hair brought a feeling of completeness, it was something that he had felt since the minute she walked into their barn.
“I’m sorry about-”
“No, me first.”
“Look, I ain’t want to hear this shit. I’ma go holla at Key real quick, some shit about to hit the fan bruh but I’ma let you get all the bitch shit out then we’ll get down to business.” Sutton picked up the pen that was on the table beside the bed and threw it at Cassidy. “Aye, I’m just saying you got my brother a little soft these days.” He chuckled and walked over to the bed where Kahleno was trying to sit up. “I’m glad you came through lil bruh, but you need to get the fuck up, we got shit to do.”
Cassidy pushed Sutton’s shoulder causing her to lean over against the bed. He ran out of the room before she could hit him. She knew that he needed to talk to his brother about whatever was going on in their family but she appreciated the fact that he gave her the chance to say what she needed to say first.
“His ass.” Kahleno chuckled and then winced in pain. Every little movement hurt him. He lifted the hospital gown and looked down at the bandage on his side from where the bullet hit him.
“They said they were able to get the bullet out; you lost a lot of blood and they had to give you some.” Sutton choked back her tears. “You tried to leave me, but they brought you back.” Grabbing her chest, she tried to get the thought of having to live without him out of her mind. Running her hands through her sandy brown hair, she looked at Kahleno whose eyes glossed over and that was all it took for her to break down.
“No baby girl, I’m right here. I ain’t going nowhere. You think I’m about to leave you and give another nigga the chance to taste the heaven that I now call home? There is no way I could leave my heart.” Kahleno grabbed her up and sat her on his lap, it hurt like hell but he needed to feel her close.
“I don’t think I could live without you,” she said looking up at him. “I love you and this is your baby. I would never hurt you. The minute I realized what Trouble was doing, I flipped. I don’t want him; I don’t want anyone but you. I’m so sorry that I thought about killing our baby, I was just so mad and-”
Kahleno quieted her by crashing his lips against hers drawing a soft moan. She had been missing those lips for the last couple weeks that they had been fighting. Exhaling and submitting to the connection that was flowing between the two, Sutton relished in the moment.
Grabbing the back of her head, Kahleno
deepened the kiss and showed her just what she meant to him. There wasn’t another woman that would ever touch his heart like she did and he couldn’t wait to make it official.
He had a few things that he needed to handle before he did that though. He didn’t know if she saw it, but he knew exactly who shot at them. He also knew whose car they drove. They all were gonna pay, but the situation was a little sticky at the moment. He would be sure to keep an eye on it, so that nothing else like this happens.
“I love you and none of that shit matters, okay?” Kahleno said finally coming up for air. “I should have never gone that far. It’s just I know you and that nigga got history and seeing him that close to you in that position did something to me. I couldn’t think straight; I couldn’t even formulate the words to ask you, so I did what the fuck I knew how to do-”
“What act like an ass?” Sutton raised a brow.
“No, fuck shit up.” He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and stared into Sutton’s light brown eyes. She was his world and there was no denying that, there was nothing that he wouldn’t do for her, including put his life on the line. “You’re beautiful,” he said, rubbing his hand down the side of her face. “Everything about you is beautiful.”
Sutton’s cheeks got warm and her heart fluttered in her chest. Watching his chocolate skin glow under the hospital lights turned her on, her nipples hardening under the thin fabric of her shirt proved just how much.
“Is what Karson said true?” Sutton asked. She didn’t want to kill the mood, but she needed to know. It wouldn’t change how she felt because it would have been before they made it official. She just needed to know what she was going to be dealing with.
“You said yourself that the only one of y’all carrying babies with Maler blood in them was you. Didn’t you say that?” Kahleno asked pecking Sutton’s lips. She nodded, she only said that out of anger, she really didn’t know if it was true or not. “Unless the bitch had vials of my sperm sitting somewhere, there is no chance in hell that the baby she is carrying is mine.”
