“You’re lucky. Doc told us to ignore your fucking ass,” he said just loud enough for her to hear through the crack of the door. “But I got something for you tonight for all that banging you was doing. I’m going to make sure you never forget me when you leave here.” Orderly Joe flashed a smile at her. Then, he disappeared.
Baby’s skin crawled at his words. She knew what he meant. Right then, she decided there was no way she was going to take her medication that night. She knew the only way she would be able to defend herself was by not being drugged up. Baby promised herself, if and when the time came, she would not go out without a fight.
Chapter 15
Ron’s alarm on his watch blared, startling him, causing him to snap out of the doze he had just succumbed to moments earlier. The sound of his motorcycle magazine hitting the floor echoed down the silent hallway. He let out a sigh in frustration. He hated the midnight shift, which was why he usually worked the daytime, but, because he was the one with the least amount of time in at the facility, he had no other choice when he received the call ordering him to come in and cover for one of the other orderlies who had taken ill.
Ron stood up and stretched. It was time to make his hourly suicide watch round. That would be his third of the night. He secured his personal keys to his belt as a reminder for when his shift ended. He was notorious for losing keys. A couple of months ago, he had received a warning for the first set and had gotten written up just the day before for losing a second set. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out where he had misplaced the facility keys, but he knew he had to be extra cautious if he wanted to keep his job. Orderly Ron made his way over to the box on the wall and pulled out the mini flashlight. He shook it to make sure it contained batteries. Then, he clicked it on and off to see if it worked. He took another deep breath and headed down the hallway.
As he made his tour, he shined his flashlight into each of the square glass blocks. For the most part, the kids were either fast asleep or staring up at the cracks in the walls. It’s gonna be a quiet night, Ron thought. Just then, he noticed something on the floor at the far end of the hallway. The lack of lighting made it difficult for him to make out what it was from where he stood. Not giving it much thought, Ron continued his routine suicide watch tour. He had been fortunate not to have experienced a suicide on his watch.
As he got closer to the second last door on the left side of the hall, he was almost sure he heard a noise. Ron stopped and backed up. He took a second look into the last glass block. The young boy in the room appeared to be sound asleep, so Ron moved along. He pointed the flashlight ahead of him once again, attempting to determine what it was that he had seen on the floor. As he got closer, he realized that it was a liquid of some kind. Instead of checking the last two doors or inspecting the storage closet, Ron hurried his way down the hallway. Once in front of the room, he stared at the liquid with surprise. Ron quickly shined his pen light into the glass block. He was puzzled. He noticed Red wasn’t in her bed. Ron stepped back and reached for the key chain attached to his belt. Before he could unhook the keys, he felt a sharp pain to the right side of his head right before his vision became blurred.
Ron crashed into the metal door. The jolt from his body hitting it woke him up just in time for him to attempt to break his fall. He used his left hand to brace himself as he landed in the liquid that lay on the floor in front of the door. The second hit to the head put Ron out completely. His body fell over into the pool of blood and darkness fell upon him.
Treacherous’s plan couldn’t have gone any smoother. When he first noticed the set of keys lying in the hallway yesterday morning after receiving the disturbing news about Baby, he was convinced it was a sign from God. The blood in front of room B6 was an unexpected stroke of luck that had added to his execution. Treacherous bent down and grabbed a hold of Orderly Ron’s legs. He dragged him down to what was once his own room and opened the door. His adrenaline was in overdrive. Although he had planned this, for the most part, he was now moving off pure instinct.
“Nothin’ personal,” he whispered to an unconscious Ron.
After relieving Orderly Ron of his keys, Treacherous closed the door behind him and locked it back up. The first part of his mission was complete. Now, it was time for him to move forward with the second part.
Chapter 16
Baby lay still on her bunk. She had just woken up from one of her nightmares. In this one, she wore a pink dress, white socks, and white shoes. It was Sunday, and she was getting ready for Sunday School. Baby could see herself in the bathroom mirror, which was still covered with steam because of the shower she had just taken. She had both arms up as she pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. As the dream advanced, she was no longer alone. A figure appeared behind her. Baby fought to wake herself from the dream but was unable to. The figure had her in his embrace while penetrating her with two middle fingers from behind. Baby attempted to scream, but there was no sound in her dream. She tried to fight the figure off, but she had no strength. The knock on the bathroom door saved her by waking Baby from her dream.
Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and all down her back. She heard footsteps walking down the hall, and she knew who it was. Baby slowly slid out of bed. She squatted down, walked over by the door, and stood up against the wall. She braced herself as the lock clicked. Baby was determined not to let the monster finish what he had started.
Treacherous moved slowly down the hall. When he reached the door, he peered into the room. To his surprise, the room was empty. Treacherous slid the key into the lock and slowly turned the knob. He stuck his head into the room. Then, he stepped in.
“Baby,” he whispered.
“Fucker!” was all Treacherous heard as a gust of wind passed by him. The kick to his leg caused him to reach for his shin while the punch to his chin slightly dazed him.
“Baby, it’s me,” Treacherous whispered again, moving out of striking distance.
Baby did not hear him. She was too busy throwing punch after punch, missing and landing them all at the same time. Treacherous got up under her and grabbed her by the waist. He body slammed her onto the bed. Then, he forced his weight on top of her.
“Baby! Baby! It’s me,” he repeated just loud enough for her to hear.
The sound of Treacherous’s voice in her ear took Baby by surprise and snapped her out of her blind rage. Her only focus prior was hurting who she thought to be Orderly Joe. A wave of relief swept over her when she realized it was Treacherous. She stopped moving and stared at him. Treacherous released her arms and touched her cheek gently.
“It’s me, Baby. I got you,” Treacherous said, while staring down at her.
Baby wrapped her arms around Treacherous’s neck. She was so happy to see him.
“We gotta get up outta here,” he said, pulling her arms from around his neck and standing up. “Come on. Get dressed ’cause we gotta move.”
“Where are we going?” Baby asked, hurrying off the bed.
“I don’t know, but we gettin’ up outta here. Just trust me.”
Baby quickly slipped into her jeans and sneakers. Then, she bent down to tie them. Treacherous dropped to his knees and grabbed her face.
“You trust me, don’t you?” His voice was soft and rough at the same time.
“I guess,” Baby replied.
“No, that’s not good enough,” he said. “I need to know.”
“Yes. For now,” Baby retorted with a slight smile on her face.
Both Treacherous and Baby slipped out of the room and down the hall. Baby noticed the blood coming out of Red’s room as they passed by.
“Come on.” Treacherous knew the sight of the blood bothered Baby but he needed her to stay focused.
Baby and Treacherous raced down the staircase at the far end of the hall, taking two steps at a time. Once at the bottom of the stairs, Treacherous looked out the window. He immediately spotted the exit.
“When we get out here, I need you to go to
the left and stand by that gate at the end of the hall. I need to go take care of something real quick. Can you do that?”
Baby just nodded her head.
“Okay, here we go.”
Treacherous kissed Baby on her forehead, turned the knob and opened the door. He heard a noise coming from the room directly in front of the stairwell. He turned to Baby, who had apparently heard it too by the expression on her face and the shrug of her shoulders.
Treacherous slid to the right side of the door from where the noise had come from as Baby followed and stood to left. Treacherous cursed to himself because Baby was closest to the door. There was no doubt that whoever was coming through it would see her first. The door swung open and the curly hair of Orderly Joe appeared in the window.
Baby could hear the wheels of the cart rolling toward them. Seconds later, Orderly Joe emerged, walking right past her, pulling the cart into the hall. The mini earbuds and the blaring music coming out of them were a distraction for Joe, making him oblivious to Baby’s presence. Baby intended to take full advantage of the situation. She let Joe enter the hallway. Once he had cleared the entrance, she sprang into action.
Treacherous heard Joe humming to the music as he watched the door close behind him. Treacherous flashed a psychotic smile as Joe’s eyes widened with fear when he set them on Treacherous. He was so afraid of Treacherous’s presence that he never noticed the true danger he was in.
Baby grabbed hold of the fire extinguisher from off the wall and swung it with all her might. The extinguisher connected with the side of Joe’s head. He fell onto the cleaning cart and knocked it over right before he went crashing to the floor. Cleaning supplies went everywhere.
Treacherous watched as Baby followed through with her assault. She stood over Joe, kicking and stomping him intensely as she called him names like “sick muthafucka” and “pervert.” Joe curled up into a fetal position. Baby was in a blind rage as she continued to bash Joe’s face in with the fire extinguisher. All she could think about at that moment was the violation Orderly Joe had committed against her. With each blow she delivered, images of him touching her flashed in her mind. She switched from Joe’s head to his private parts. Orderly Joe lay there motionless. Unbeknownst to her, he had taken one too many hits to the head.
“Baby! Baby!”
The sound of Treacherous’s voice snapped her out of her trance. She looked up at him. Then, she looked down at her hands. She could feel the blood on her face as well. It reminded her of why she had been committed to the hospital in the first place.
“Here! Take this,” Treacherous said, handing her his T-shirt. “Use that to clean yourself up and go over to that gate and watch out for anyone else. I gotta go handle this.”
Baby nodded as she wiped Joe’s blood from her face.
Treacherous stepped over Joe’s body and headed for his destination. As luck would have it, the doctor’s office was unlocked when Treacherous checked the knob. He let himself in and made his way over to the file cabinet. He skimmed through the alphabetized folders. When he reached his and opened it, it was empty. Treacherous became upset instantly. At that moment, he wished Doctor Flannigan was present at the hospital. He wanted to kill him. He was nearly in tears as he thumbed through the file cabinet for a second time, but to no avail. The manila envelope meant everything to him, and he couldn’t believe he would have to part with it.
In the midst of his search, he came across Baby’s file. He snatched it up and slammed the file cabinet shut. He then turned to make his way out of the office. Out of sheer luck, he spotted what he was looking for on the doctor’s desk. His mother’s notebooks were sitting on top of the manila envelope along with his file. Treacherous was relieved. He stared at the notebooks and took a deep breath. After scooping them and his file up, he headed for the door. He heard footsteps on the other side just as he reached it.
Baby was leaning on the gate, waiting on Treacherous to return. Her head had begun to hurt, so she closed her eyes in an attempt to slow the pain. As she opened them, she thought she saw a figure at the end of the hall. She blinked in attempt to clear her vision. Once she realized her eyes were not deceiving her, Baby moved to the left then squatted down and waited with anticipation as the figure drew closer. A smile appeared across her face and her headache instantly went away.
Convinced whoever had walked by had moved past the doctor’s office, Treacherous slowly opened the door and peered out. He immediately recognized who it was. He didn’t, however, see Baby. He knew he had to act fast. It was just a matter of time before the figure discovered Joe’s body.
As expected, he heard Nurse Johnson’s scream as he made a mad dash down the hall in her direction. Before he could reach her, Baby appeared out of nowhere and silenced her. By the time he got down the hall, Baby had Nurse Johnson on the floor and was straddling her and pounding her in the face. He knew if he didn’t stop her, she would beat Nurse Johnson to death. He grabbed Baby by the arm to cease her rage. She turned and gave him an evil stare. Then, she rose to her feet, but not before kicking Nurse Johnson in the midsection.
“That’s for not helping me, bitch!” she yelled down at Nurse Johnson. Her words fell on deaf ears. The kick had instantly put Nurse Johnson’s lights out.
“Baby, let’s get the fuck out of here,” Treacherous insisted as he headed for the door.
Baby trailed behind him.
Once outside, Treacherous searched the parking lot for the black Ninja 750 that Orderly Ron had always bragged about. He spotted it parked over in the corner by itself. He and Baby rushed over to the machine and hopped on the bike. He handed Baby the manila envelope along with their files. Then, he retrieved the motorcycle’s key from Orderly Ron’s key chain. Treacherous started the bike up. The sound was music to his ears.
“You ready?” he asked, looking back at Baby.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied.
“Well, let’s get the hell out of here then.”
He paused and reflected on a particular scene he had read about his parents in his mother’s memoirs. For the first time, he truly understood the significance behind his mother’s words. Treacherous looked back over at the place that had been keeping him confined for the past couple of years and stuck his middle finger up at it. He smiled when he saw Baby doing the same.
“Hold on tight.”
Treacherous popped the bike into gear and yanked the throttle. Baby held on tight as the two of them peeled off into the darkness, leaving the hospital in the distance.
Chapter 17
Mrs. Jazmyne Love had just enjoyed a luxurious bath before rinsing off in a hot, steamy shower. She snatched up her towel and wrapped it around her nudeness. Then, she climbed out of the shower. She wiped the steam away from the mirror. She smiled at what she saw. Her silky, shoulder-length hair belonged in a Maybelline commercial, and her natural 38 Cs could easily be mistaken for implants done by one of the best doctors money could buy in the Dominican Republic.
Jazmyne’s flat, flawless mid would make the average young girl jealous and women her age who had given natural birth, like her, envious. It was hard to believe she was the mother of a seventeen-year-old. At the seasoned age of thirty-eight, she was convinced that she could still give any twenty-one-year-old a run for her money and turn the heads of men her age and younger and even women for that matter.
Jazmyne grabbed hold of another towel and wrapped her hair. The sound of what seemed to be the house phone slamming down startled her.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Jazmyne asked her husband, rushing out of the bathroom. The first thing she noticed was the disturbed look on her husband’s face.
Arthur Love could not muster up the words to answer his wife. Instead, tears spilled out of his eyes and onto the hardwood floors in the bedroom.
“Sweetheart, who was that on the phone?” Her voice was full of concern.
“The station,” Arthur Love managed to reply. He sat on the edge of the bed with his shoulder
s hunched over, shaking his head like a man who had just been defeated.
“What’s wrong? Talk to me.” His wife walked over to him. She placed her hands on his back and rubbed it. She knew how he got when it came to his work and wondered what had him so upset.
Arthur continued to shake his head. He was too choked up to spit out the disturbing news.
“Honey, please. You’re scaring me.”
Jazmyne sat next to her husband and wrapped her arms around him. She hadn’t seen him that emotional in quite some time. She knew there weren’t too many things in the world that could upset him or make him shed a tear the way he was at that moment. One was his work; the other was his family.
In the eighteen years they had been together and the sixteen they had been married, she had only seen him cry three times: once, when he had killed someone in the line of duty for the first time; the second was out of anger when a criminal had won a case he was guilty of; and the third was out of hurt when he stood in court and felt he had failed their daughter. As the thoughts crossed her mind, an uneasy feeling swept through her body.
“Art, what is it? Tell me!” she demanded.
Arthur Love took a deep breath. “It’s Baby!”
Those two simple words nearly took her breath away. Her name hadn’t been spoken in their house in over a year because they had agreed that they wouldn’t. The sound of her daughter’s name raised the hairs on the back of Jazmyne’s neck and flooded her eyes with tears. She tried to fight them back, but she couldn’t. The floodgate of tears came gushing out of her eyes. Only, her tears were of anger. The memories that came behind hearing her daughter’s name flashed through Jazmyne Love’s mind at warp speed. A sharp pain jolted through her heart as the images of what had torn their family apart invaded her mind.
“No!” she screamed. “I won’t do this again,” she said, shaking her head vigorously. “I won’t let her destroy what we’ve managed to repair in this past year.”
Carl Weber Presents Ride or Die Chick 3 Page 7
