Destiny 2: Decision of The Next Generation

by Blue Saffire

  Swelling could be serious. Meliyah would break my little Victor’s heart if something happened to her. She would break my heart too. I had fresh tears now and new anger. I felt so helpless.

  Victor began to stir a little as his face twitched in pain. I reached for his hand and he squeezed mine as his eyes opened. He looked over at me and gave me that little boy smile I loved so much. He was growing up so fast and it was beginning to look more and more like the smile of a grown man.

  “Hey, honey,” I said as my voice cracked.

  Vic licked his lips and swallowed hard. “Hey, mommy,” he said. I could tell his throat was dry.

  Alex stepped out of the room at once. I was sure he was going to get a nurse to get Victor some water. It looked like he may have needed something for the pain as well.

  Vic was winced and squeezed my hand. I wished I could do more for him. I didn’t want him to talk with his throat so dry, so I just waited for Alex to return as I stroked my baby’s hair.

  Alex and one of the nurses came in the room. She carried a cup and a pitcher with ice water. She poured Vic the water and repositioned his bed so that he could drink. He looked like he was in so much pain. I snatched the cup and put it to his mouth for him so he didn’t have to move.

  “Thanks Mommy,” he smiled. “Where’s Meliyah? They wouldn’t let you all in? She knows I’m okay, right?”

  “Vic, honey, I want you to get some rest. You can see Meliyah later,” I responded quickly. I didn’t want to stress him out about her. I was already doing enough of that for the both of us.

  “Is she okay? I pushed her kind of hard. That guy was aiming at her head,” Victor asked anxiously.

  “Which guy?” Alex hissed.

  I could tell Alex had his own plans for handling what happened. The thought just added one more thing to my list of worries. I wanted them in jail, not my husband for trying to fix things the old way.

  “Not the one that Meliyah was seeing, some guy that was with him,” Victor mumbled.

  “What happened, Victor?” I asked.

  “They followed us in the gate. That guy Meliyah was go to see got out and wanted to talk to her. I told him to leave. He didn’t and he said something to Meliyah I didn’t like, so I punched him in the face,” Victor shrugged as he frowned.

  “The other one got out of the car and pointed the gun at me and Meliyah, but it was pointed at her head. I pushed her out of the way and he shot me. The other one was screaming at him not to, but it was too late.”

  “So Raul was not the one that shot you?” Alex nodded.

  “No, he was too busy picking up his face,” Victor chuckled then winced.

  “This is not funny, Victor. You and that temper of yours almost got you killed,” I fussed at him.

  “I’m fine. I’m not going anywhere. I have too many women that love me,” Victor cracked a smile and winked at me.

  “You,” I fussed again and leaned to kiss his forehead. “I love you, my baby. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

  “Speaking of women that love me, can I see Meliyah before I go back to sleep,” Victor asked anxiously.

  “Honey, rest first, she’ll be here when you get up,” I said softly and kissed him on the cheek.

  Victor sighed and rolled his eyes. “Tell her I love her, okay,” he said as he closed his eyes.

  He looked too tired to try to argue with me, thank goodness. I didn’t want to tell him Meliyah hadn’t woken up after hitting her head. Especially now that I knew he had pushed her.

  I needed to go check on her. I was sure Vic was okay now. I felt in my heart he was going to be fine. Now, I needed to go be with my other baby. The one that always feels like she is on the outside looking in.

  When we got to Meliyah’s room the panic set in. The front of her head was bandaged up and the bandages looked stained with blood. I was sure they would be changing them soon.

  She looked like she was in a deep, peaceful sleep. I pulled up a chair next to her bed and started to whisper in her ear. I had read somewhere that it is good to talk to your loved ones when they’re unconscious like this.

  “Hey, Meliyah, sweetie, Victor is okay. He said to tell you he loves you,” I said in her ear. “I love you too, Honey. You’re going to be just fine.”

  Alex pulled up a chair on her other side. He sat as he held his head in his hands. I knew he was stressed about letting me, Victor, and Juan down.

  Alex wanted nothing more than to keep his promise to us all. I saw the same hurt look he had when he thought it was his fault Victor didn’t make it out of the game. I started to feel bad for taking things out on him. I remembered how broken he had been after what we went through and how long it took for him to recover.

  “Hey sweetie, your Uncle Alex is here. You have to wake up to show him you’re okay. He loves you too. Oh, guess what Meliyah?

  “I got the call today. They were able to change the head piece to the one you wanted. It will get here in time for the wedding. You know you were right. I think it is perfect, much better than the one you had at first. Things are really coming together.”

  I knew she would be squealing about it if she were awake. I had to pull all types of strings to get that head piece. She had seen it in a magazine at the last minute and it had to be special ordered and shipped from overseas.

  I was seriously thinking about going to get it myself, if it wasn’t going to get here in time. I saw the way her face lit up when she saw it. She tried not to make a fuss about it when she found out how much it cost because she thought it was too expensive. I never deny my babies anything based on a price. That’s why Alex and I work so hard, it’s all for them.

  I sat for two hours with Meliyah talking to her and she still didn’t open her eyes. The doctor came to check on her a few times. They started to talk about running more test, the possibility of memory loss, and a bunch of other stuff I refuse to accept.

  Alex moved back and forth between Victor and Meliyah’s room. Victor had been fast asleep while I sat with Meliyah. I was sure it was the drugs he was on for the pain.

  I stepped out for a few minutes to call home to check on the rest of the kids, and was right back at Meliyah’s side. After three more hours, she still didn’t wake up. I started to get concerned about what I was going to tell Victor.

  I have seen what lying to my babies does to them and I refuse to do that again. I was concerned about Meliyah. It was hard for me to rip myself from her room when Alex came to tell me Victor was awake. Alex offered to stay with her when he saw my face and my hesitation. It felt like I was being torn in two. A feeling I had come to know all too well.

  I went to Victor’s room and found him picking at the food they had given him. He stabbed at it with a fork as he frowned down at the tray. My baby and that frown on his face.

  Vic is much too handsome to always make such faces. I laughed at him as I walked in the room. Vic looked up and smiled at me. He looked behind me to see if I was alone.

  “Fix your face,” I laughed.

  “What is this?” he chuckled. “Can you get Glenda to send me some real food.”

  “Maybe now you will appreciate Glenda and her cooking more,” I teased.

  “Glenda knows I love her. I just hate when she gets creative on the nights when I’m hungry.”

  Vic had a big smile as he poked fun at our chef. Vic is always giving her a hard time because she spoils him. She makes him whatever he wants if he pouts enough.

  “Eat up, you need your strength,” I chimed as I sat in the chair next to him.

  “What I need is to see my fiancée. Where is Meliyah?” Victor asked with an eager look on his face.

  “Honey, Alex is with Meliyah,” I replied not knowing what else to say.

  “What does that mean? You’re not telling me something, Mom. Is she okay?” Vic said sounding like a wounded little boy.

  “She passed out on the way here and she hasn’t woken up yet,” I explained as I held his hand.

 
“I need to go see her,” he rushed. “Help me.” He started to fumble with wires around him, trying his best to get out of the bed.

  “Victor you can’t go anywhere. Meliyah will be fine. She is a fighter,” I said to reassure us both.

  “Mom, I pushed her. She hit her head. I didn’t mean to push her so hard. I just wanted to get her out of the way. I need to make sure she is okay,” Victor pleaded. He looked like he was in pain physically and emotionally.

  “Victor, I never promise you anything that doesn’t come true, do I?” I asked patiently.

  “No, mommy,” he said sadly.

  “Well I promise you, Meliyah will be alright and you can rest,” I said. I said a silent prayer that Meliyah wouldn’t make me a liar to my son.

  Vic fell back against the bed and reached to wipe his face. This was hard for my baby. He is a protector. It had to be hurting him not to be able to protect someone he loves. I know he was blaming himself for Meliyah’s being hurt. I sat on the side of Vic’s bed and wrapped my arms around him as the tears wet his face. He buried his face in my shoulder the way he always does when he is upset.

  I sat there with him as he cried himself to sleep. Victor would be the first of my children to jump into a fight, but he is also a sweetheart under it all. He feels things deeper than the rest of my babies.

  If he loves, he loves you. If he hates you, then he wants absolutely nothing to do with you and that’s all. My heart hurts for him. I just knew Meliyah had to be okay. She would break my son if she wasn’t.

  chapter Twenty-Nine

  Impatient

  I went home last night after there was nothing more I could do. Meliyah hadn’t woken up and Victor was knocked out once they gave him more pain killers. He’d woken up for the third time in pain. He was still upset about Meliyah, so I’d been happy to have the meds knock him out.

  I went home to check on the babies and get the other kids together for Monday morning. I knew I’d more than likely be at the hospital the whole day on Sunday. I wanted to make sure the rest of my family was set before I returned to my two babies in need.

  When I got to the hospital, Victor was awake giving the nurses attitude because he wanted to go see Meliyah. Alex took the first shift with Victor because his attitude was way too much for me, after dealing with two fussy, cranky, nursing twins. I was too tired to deal with him and not crack.

  I sat with Meliyah and talked to her some more. The doctors said the swelling had decreased and they definitely sounded more hopeful than the day before.

  After a few hours, Alex came to tell me that Victor was looking for me. I think Alex wanted to spend some time with Meliyah anyway. Alex hadn’t slept at all. He and Sisqo were on the phone for hours last night.

  I told Alex I wanted things done right. The cops had picked up Harry already. Sisqo wanted to do things his way. Alex wanted Sisqo to take care of it too, but Alex did what I asked. Alex spent hours trying to talk Sisqo out of bailing Harry out to deal with him.

  When he did get off the phone, he sat up stressing about Meliyah. He held Celica on his chest all night. Alex has always had a soft spot for his daughters and Meliyah has become just like a daughter to him.

  Alex was so happy when Meliyah asked him to give her away at the wedding. He thought she was going to ask Sisqo, but when she came to him, he was more than happy to tell her yes. I always knew she would ask him.

  When I got to Victor’s room, he had the most evil look ever. His arms were folded across his chest and his lip was poked out as far as it could go. If I didn’t know how much he had to be hurting, I would have teased him.

  His eyes softened the minute I walked in the room. As if me just being there could make everything all better. I sat on the bed next to him like the day before and wrapped my arms around him.

  “You called,” I chimed, hoping to cheer him up.

  “Is she awake?” he asked, sounding hurt.

  “No sweetie, not yet, the doctors said her test looked a lot better today. They are hoping she will come out of it soon,” I offered.

  “Mommy, I just want to see her. Please, can’t they let me go see her?” My heart was breaking with his words.

  “Victor, Meliyah would want you to take care of yourself. She is going to be fine.”

  “Okay, but I’m not if I don’t get to see her soon. Maybe she will wake up if I can be with her,” Victor huffed.

  “Vic, you have a hole in your chest. You need to lay here and rest, be patient Poppa.”

  “Don’t call me that,” he grumbled. I lifted a brow at his tone. “Sorry, it just makes me think about her.” He quickly corrected himself.

  “Vic honey, I understand how you feel, but it’s not doing anyone any good for you to be so upset.”

  “Mommy, just ask for me. I’m her family, you can understand that. She needs me,” Vic said as he played with my hand.

  In that moment, I could only think about Victor. The Victor that blessed me with the one sitting right next to me. He always wanted a family, that was all he wanted from me, love and a family.

  That was what Meliyah wanted as well and my baby was bent on giving her that. I could understand where his heart was. I sighed and thought about it for a few minutes.

  “When the doctor comes around, I will ask. But Vic you are not staying in her room long. When she wakes, we will let you know,” I sighed.

  “She’ll wake up for me,” he smiled. “My baby knows her poppa’s voice. She just needs me.”

  “When did you get so conceited?” I teased.

  “Not conceited, confident.” He beamed with his success. Vic knew I would do my best to get him what he wanted.

  Victor was in a better mood for about thirty minutes. When the doctor still didn’t come around, he started pouting again. I wanted to go sit with Meliyah myself. So, I to understood his feelings more clearly.

  It was driving me nuts as a mother, not to be able to be with her. I was ready to just unhook Victor myself. I wanted to get to Meliyah’s room before I drove myself nuts, or Victor did it first.

  I decided to ask the nurse to page the doctor and see if they could get an answer for me. Victor was getting on my nerves after another hour went by. I prayed Meliyah had awaken by now.

  If Meliyah wasn’t awake, I was going to have to have them sedate Victor before he drove everyone out of their minds. Lord, help us all. I may have to hurt my own son.

  The nurse came with a wheelchair and started to unhook Victor from the lines and the machines around him. She explained to me that he had had his last unit of blood and his levels came back satisfactory, so he was free to go see Meliyah. Before we went she changed his bandages and took his vitals. Victor was almost jumping out of his skin rushing to get in the chair and to go Meliyah’s room.

  “Vic prepare yourself for her not being awake, Honey,” I said as he got in the chair.

  “I feel her. She’s up!” he chimed.

  “Vic,” I started.

  “Mommy, she’s up!”

  I hoped he was right for his sake. The bandage on her head wasn’t as big as last night, but seeing her laying there with the bandage on her head wasn’t easy to deal with. If it was hard for me, I was sure it would be hard for Victor.

  chapter Thirty

  Waking Up

  Meliyah

  I had no clue where I was when I first woke up. It took me a few minutes to remember what happened. When I did remember, I tried to spring up from the bed I woke in. I had to get to Victor. There were tubes and things all over me. I tried to rip them from my hands and arm.

  “No, Meliyah,” Uncle Alex rushed. “Relax, mama. You need to relax.”

  “Victor,” I sobbed. “I need to get to him.”

  “Meliyah, Victor is fine. His mother is with him. You need to rest. You hit your head pretty hard.”

  “He’s okay, you promise.”

  “I promise, Meliyah. He’s okay. He has been throwing a fit just like you right now, but he’s okay,” Uncle Alex smiled
. “You’ve been through a lot, kid.”

  “I’m fine, I just want to see Victor,” I cried.

  “I know, but I don’t mean this. I mean everything, your life overall. You’ve been through more than any girl your age should,” Uncle Alex said and stroked my hair.

  “I guess. I just wish my other life would go away,” I sniffled.

  “I know what you mean. I was trying to make that happen for me and Tali,” Uncle Alex sighed.

  “And I brought it back to you. Maybe, I should just leave. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me,” I said as I looked down at the foot of the bed.

  “Meliyah, when are you going to get that we’re not sending you away? What happened was not your fault.”

  “Yes, it was. I should never have been involved with Raul in the first place and I should have told him I was getting married before now,” I demanded. “I’m always getting myself into a mess when it comes to guys.”

  “Well, good thing you are marrying such a good guy. You won’t have to worry about that,” Uncle Alex said reassuringly. The smile on his face said a million words.

  “Worry about what?” I heard Vic’s voice. I looked up to see Aunt Tali pushing him in a wheelchair, looking annoyed, as a nurse walking behind her.

  “Thank God you’re up. I was going to have to kill this boy myself,” Aunt Tali grumbled. Victor looked up at her and frowned.

  “It’s been a whole day and a half,” Victor pouted. Aunt Tali pushed him into the room. I tried to sit up, but my head started screaming.

  “Relax,” Uncle Alex said as I frowned at my own head.

  Aunt Tali and the nurse rushed to Vic’s sides as he moved to get out of the chair. He scowled at both of them as he tried to make his way to sit on the side of my bed. It was slow, but he made it on his own.

  “I’m fine,” he murmured.

  “Says my son with the hole through his body,” Aunt Tali said, narrowing her eyes at Victor.

  “Mom– ,” I started and sighed, “Aunt Tali, Mrs. Tali, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your family.”