Chapter 12
Baby peered out of her favorite window and watched as the rain beat against the glass. It looks as if the sky is about to erupt, she thought. The trees swayed from side to side and the colors of the clouds changed as they passed. She watched while the sun fought a losing battle to stay up only to slowly but surely fade behind the mountains. Baby listened to the sounds of the wind attacking the window as she waited patiently for who she knew would soon appear. Although they didn’t talk about much, their meetings had become a kind of ritual, and she looked forward to them with each day that passed.
“Enjoying the weather?” Treacherous asked.
Baby cut her eyes over at him. Normally, he would just stand or lean on the opposite side of the wall, but, today, she noticed he had pulled up a chair next to her.
“Oh. My bad.” Treacherous stood back up, walked over to the table, and returned with a second chair. “For you,” he offered.
Treacherous thought he had caught a glimpse of a grin on Baby’s face but was unsure. Baby continued to stare out of the window. He tried to read Baby’s mood. He noticed how peaceful she seemed as she watched the leaves on the trees do the tango. He decided against striking up a conversation. Instead, he pulled the chair closer to the window and joined her. Treacherous felt a sense of serenity as they watched and listened to the sky pour out its own tears. He leaned back in the chair and took it all in.
“What do you want from me?” Baby asked, looking down at him. The question came out of nowhere. Her voice had trampled over the tranquility in the air. Even she was surprised by her words as they spilled out of her mouth.
“I just want to get to know you.” Treacherous’s voice was subdued.
“Why?” Baby enjoyed his company but was curious as to why he kept coming around her.
“It’s your eyes,” Treacherous answered, smiling.
“My eyes?” Baby asked, full of doubt.
“Yeah. Your eyes. They keep calling me over here.” Treacherous didn’t blink or stutter.
Baby tried fiercely not to fall for his words, but she couldn’t help it. He was cute, and she liked him. She couldn’t contain the smile that appeared on her face. She turned back to the window to conceal the mood he had put her in.
For the next half hour, Treacherous and Baby remained quiet. Treacherous sat and stared at her with each turn of the page in his magazine. Baby eyed him from the corner of her eye as she continued to enjoy the beauty of the rainfall. She felt comfort in his presence and didn’t know why. For the past couple of days, she had felt that way. She turned to Treacherous and exhaled. Baby was the first to break the silence between them.
“Do you believe in fate?”
She had wanted to ask him the question after the first couple of days they had sat and exchanged small talk, but she had not been able to bring herself to. She had felt a connection to Treacherous the first day he had introduced himself to her. Ironically, she didn’t want him to think she was crazy despite the fact the two were in a mental institution. Now, here it was a few weeks later, and she had finally built up the nerve to ask.
“I don’t know,” Treacherous replied, “but I understand what you’re feeling.”
Baby looked at him with raised eyebrows and asked, “What do you mean?”
“I know how you feel.”
“I don’t think so.”
“No, I do,” Treacherous replied.
“It doesn’t feel right. I mean, I’ve barely known you a month and it’s like . . . I don’t know. I can’t explain it. It’s like—”
“Like we have a connection,” Treacherous stated, finishing her sentence.
Baby nodded her head. Then, she glanced over at him.
Treacherous stared at her. Her eyes look so sad, he thought. He could feel her pain, and it reminded him of his own.
Baby was surprised by his words. “I bet you think I’m crazy now, huh?” She chuckled.
“Not at all,” he assured her.
“You don’t have to say that just to try to make me feel better. I’m a big girl,” Baby retorted dryly.
“I’m only saying what I mean,” Treacherous shot back.
His answer made Baby blush.
“Have a seat.” Treacherous patted the chair next to him. Baby looked from him to the chair. Then, she sat down.
“So, um, why are you in here?” His words came out choppy. He had wanted to ask the question since he had laid eyes on her. Like him, he felt she didn’t belong there.
Baby shot Treacherous a look. She wasn’t certain if she wanted to tell him. She lowered her head. She became nervous. Treacherous could see the beads of sweat that formed on her forehead. He could tell his question had made her uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“I killed someone,” Baby blurted out.
The declaration rolled off her lips so swiftly that Treacherous had barely heard it. “What?”
Baby’s eyes shot in his direction. “Fuck. I killed somebody,” she repeated.
“That’s why I’m here too,” Treacherous replied. His straightforwardness caught Baby off guard.
“Don’t mock me,” Baby spat. She stood up and began to walk away, but Treacherous grabbed hold of her arm.
“I’m for real.”
Baby looked into his eyes and sat back down. She could see he wasn’t lying.
“So, who did you kill?” he asked with a straight face.
“Who did you kill?” she shot back.
“A kid who was making fun of me and disrespecting me,” Treacherous calmly announced. “Your turn. Who did you kill?”
Baby took a deep breath and answered, “My aunt.”
“What did she do?”
“Nothing.”
“Did y’all have an argument or something?”
Still, Baby did not respond.
“Do you think she deserved it?”
The question caused Baby to squirm in her seat. “No. I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it,” she answered without looking at him.
Treacherous moved on. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Treacherous wanted to know.
“No.”
“Me, neither. I know it must’ve been hard on your parents.”
“Mind your business,” she lashed out. She stood up for a second time, but she didn’t move. She posted back up on the wall and stared out the window.
Treacherous just put his hands up as if to surrender. “You’re right.” He could see that he had hit a sore spot. “Baby?”
She didn’t answer. She had tuned him out. Treacherous moved in closer. He didn’t know what to do or say.
“My bad. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he tried to apologize.
Baby chuckled sarcastically.
“Nah, for real.”
Hearing Treacherous’s second apology, Baby seemed to relax her shoulders and calm the fire that had begun to brew within her. His voice melted something inside of her. She sank back down into the chair. She looked around the room to see if anyone had seen the miniature scene that she had just put on.
Treacherous moved closer to her. He invaded her space, but she didn’t flinch. He was sure she was going to smack him or, at least, tell him to get the hell out of her face, but she did neither. The awkward moment was interrupted by the commotion behind them. Both Treacherous and Baby turned to see what was going on. Apparently, one of the other kids had stolen a page from Baby’s playbook. Nurse Johnson and her tray of pills were all over the floor and bottles of water were rolling under the tables.
Baby and Treacherous stared at the scene. Kids were all over the place, stepping on the pills and snatching up water bottles. The sight of Nurse Johnson on the floor and the pandemonium in the room caused Baby to laugh. She threw her head backward and held her stomach. The sight put Treacherous at ease. He joined her in laughter.
The orderlies came running in and ordered everybody to their rooms. Treacherous and Baby stood up. Baby flashed him
a warm smile.
“Apology accepted,” she said before walking to her room.
From that day on, they were no longer strangers. They were friends.
Chapter 13
Two years later
The banging on the door of his room caused Treacherous to jump out of his sleep. Since he and Baby had been talking, he had been oversleeping. He hadn’t had one of his nightmares in months and had been enjoying a good night’s sleep despite where he was. His nights consisted of thinking about Baby until he drifted off. His mornings couldn’t come quick enough for him. He anticipated the next day when he would see her.
As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, their relationship had progressed. Treacherous felt as if he were reading scenes straight out of his mother’s notebooks whenever he was around Baby. Baby’s favorite window had actually become their favorite window.
Treacherous’s days in the facility got easier and went by faster with Baby as his friend. The more time they spent together, the more they opened up to each other. With only a few months left to go before he reached eighteen, Treacherous explored the strong possibility of life outside of the mental hospital with Baby. He knew once he was released, she would be released seven months later and he was looking forward to that happening. He had no idea where he would go or what he was going to do once he was released, but whatever the case he knew he wanted Baby around.
Treacherous climbed out of bed and dropped to his knees. Once he finished his morning talk with his parents, he hurriedly got dressed.
Treacherous made his way into the dayroom. Aside from the normal operation of the facility, from the television blasting to Nurse Johnson handing out morning medication, something was out of place, and Treacherous immediately picked up on it. Baby was not in their usual meeting spot. Treacherous did another scan of the room. He jumped back when he turned to his left and saw a redheaded girl standing just inches away from his face. He detected the sadness in her facial expression.
“They’re taking her away from us,” she pouted.
Although she was one of the only kids he and Baby had taken a liking to, he was not in the mood. “Not now, Red,” Treacherous said, looking past her. “I’m looking for Baby.”
Treacherous noticed Orderly Ron making a beeline over to where he and the redheaded girl stood.
“Red, go back and sit down,” Orderly Ron instructed as he approached them. Red flashed her puppy dog eyes at Treacherous. Then, she ran off.
“Ron, you seen Baby?” Treacherous asked before Orderly Ron had the chance to say anything.
“She’s in her room,” Ron answered. “On quarantine,” he added. He looked around as he spoke.
A confused look appeared on Treacherous face.
“Look, Treacherous. You didn’t hear this from me.” Orderly Ron’s voice became low. “The doc’s not too happy with you two spending time together like y’all been. Me personally, I don’t see anything wrong with it, but Doc said it’s setting a bad example for the others.” Orderly Ron paused. “So, they’re transferring Baby to another facility out in Williamsburg tomorrow morning.”
Treacherous couldn’t believe his ears. He felt as if he had just been shot in the heart with an arrow. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He kept his voice low to match Orderly Ron’s, but his flared nostrils and clenched teeth displayed how angered he was by the news.
“There’s nothing you can do about it, Treach.” Orderly Ron shook his head empathetically. “Just be happy for the time you guys did have together,” Orderly Ron said before making his exit.
Treacherous couldn’t think straight. It was if the room was closing in on him. His heart began to ache and an instant migraine came on. “Fuck! This can’t be happening,” Treacherous cursed.
He banged his right fist into his left palm. The words “there’s nothing you can do about it” resonated in his mind as he dragged himself over to his and Baby’s favorite window and pulled up a chair. He stared out into the horizon.
There’s nothing you can do about it, continued to sound off in his head. Treacherous closed his eyes. All he could think about, at that moment, was never seeing Baby again. The thought infuriated him. He applied pressure to both sides of his head in an attempt to cease the throbbing. There’s nothing you can do about it, added to the splitting headache. Treacherous jumped up and grabbed hold of the back of the chair he had been sitting in. Then, he flung it across the dayroom. All movement froze, and everyone’s attention was drawn to him.
“What the fuck y’all lookin’ at?” he barked.
Then, he stormed out of the dayroom. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement from Orderly Joe. Treacherous slowed his pace. He wanted to hurt someone, and Orderly Joe was a worthy candidate.
Orderly Joe cracked his knuckles and attempted to approach Treacherous. He was quickly advised by Orderly Ron to stand down. Against his better judgment, he complied.
When Treacherous looked over to his right, he could see Orderly Ron’s arm preventing Orderly Joe from coming over to him. That was the best decision you could have ever made, Treacherous thought as he exited the dayroom.
Chapter 14
Baby lay on her bunk in tears. She had nearly lost her mind that morning when Orderly Joe told her she was going to be transferred the next day. All she could think about was Treacherous. She imagined the look on his face when he discovered she was gone. Just when I started to feel safe again, they want to take me away from the only person that makes me feel sane, she thought.
She had grown accustomed to their talks and longed to hear his low, raspy voice each day. She loved having someone who understood how she felt listen to her. Although there was still so much she hadn’t shared with him, she had never felt more comfortable talking to a person. Baby had never felt that way she did around any other person, not even her father, as much as she had loved him. For a while, she had felt dead inside, but Treacherous made her feel alive again. She didn’t think she was in love with Treacherous or even loved him, for that matter, but she knew she felt something. She closed her eyes and imagined Treacherous sitting by the window, thumbing through one of the motorcycles magazines he loved reading. She knew she was going to miss the time they spent just sitting and enjoying one another’s company. The thought of having that taken away from her angered Baby.
Baby banged her fists on the wall. Then, she rolled over and hopped out of her bunk. She walked over to her door and looked into the hallway. Then, out of nowhere, she turned backward and began kicking on door. The sounds of her kicks echoed down the hallway. She was in the mood for a battle and knew her antics would cause one. As she kicked on the door, she envisioned Orderly Joe being the first on the scene. She pictured herself wrapping her arms around his neck and choking the life out of him before snapping it. As Baby continued her assault on the door, the kicks grew louder, but no one showed up. Baby was surprised. She was sure they would have come running to her room, ready to subdue her.
She screamed hysterically and threw herself onto her bunk. She breathed uncontrollably. A combination of sweat and tears trickled down her face. She knew if she didn’t calm down and gain control of her breathing, she would likely pass out. Baby closed her eyes and tried to focus on something relaxing. Surprisingly, an image appeared and caused her to travel back in time to when she was still just an innocent little girl.
Baby waited patiently on the front step. The morning air was chilly, but she didn’t care. She busied herself mutilating ants. The small insects were struggling to make their way back to their anthill, which was not far from where she sat. The black, six-legged creatures were in the line of fire and didn’t even know it.
“You better hurry up.”
Baby’s tone was childlike but devilish as she waited for the sound that was music to her ears. The sound stopped her attack on the ant family and caused her to spring to her feet to see if she could see what she had been waiting for.
Baby ran to the end of the black tarred driveway. Al
though she still couldn’t see, she knew it was getting closer.
She walked from the end of the driveway back to the middle and back to the end again. Moments later, the CBR 750 came to a screeching halt at the beginning of the driveway. Baby beamed with excitement. She watched as the driver put the kickstand down, killed the ignition, and pulled off his helmet.
“What are you doing out here?” He smiled at Baby.
“Waiting on you!”
“Aren’t you cold, baby girl?”
“Nope.” She smiled.
He lifted Baby into the air, and she laid her head on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t be out here this early in the morning in your PJs. I bet your mother doesn’t even know you’re out here.”
Baby just shrugged her shoulders.
“Okay. What do you want to do?”
Baby pointed to her father’s bike.
“You wanna ride this early?”
Baby nodded her head excitedly. Her father shook his head and laughed.
“Okay.” He quickly gave in.
Baby waited as her father went to retrieve the extra helmet from the garage. He returned and handed it to an ecstatic Baby. She could see her father smiling as she skipped her way to the bike.
After her father helped her climb onto the back of the bike, Baby held on tight as he took off. She always felt like a big girl whenever she rode with her dad. That day, the wind cut into her skin through the thin pajama pants, but she didn’t let on to her father that she was cold. She was too busy savoring the moment. Baby and her father rode for what seemed like hours that morning. She lit up when she realized he was pulling into her favorite ice cream parlor.
“Only the best for my baby girl.”
Baby’s father climbed off the bike and held his hands out to help her off.
The loud bang on her door pulled the plug on her memory. Baby was pissed. The interruption reminded her of how much she had lost. When she looked up, she saw Orderly Joe staring at her through the glass perversely. She shot him a disgusted look.
Carl Weber Presents Ride or Die Chick 3 Page 6
