by Deja King
"I'm sorry, Nichelle, but the baby didn't make it."
"How do you know?" she asked, as her lips trembled.
"When I brought you in, the doctor and nurses assumed I was the father, so they told me."
Nichelle put her head down in defeat. "I can't believe I lost Carmelo's baby! This child was all I had left of him!"
"That's not true. He may be dead, but he's still with you in spirit."
Nichelle looked up, meeting Renny's glare. "I would've never pegged you as the spiritual type."
"Thugs can be deep too."
"True. Carmelo was one of the deepest people I knew." Renny was already sick of hearing Carmelo's name, but he understood Nichelle was very much in love with the man, so it was to be expected.
"Not to change the subject, but you never told me who did this to you."
"This trife chick named Lerrick I go to school wit'. I told that bitch I was pregnant too, and she still kicked me in my stomach!"
"Lerrick...what's her last name? Because she has to be dealt with."
"No need. My signature has been permanently engraved on that raggedy heffa's face. But that won't bring back my baby. I had mentally started making so many plans for a child I'll never see. How dumb was that?"
"There's nothing dumb about it. What's dumb is some stupid broad robbed you of those plans. You can never replace the baby you lost, but try to take some comfort in knowing you can have another one."
"You're right. And hopefully, next time the father will be around to share in the joy with me."
"He will."
"I've been talking to you all this time, and I don't even know your name, or maybe you did tell me and I can't remember. Regardless, tell me, because this time I won't forget it."
"Renny O'Neal."
"Thank you, Renny, for thinking enough of me to bring me to the hospital instead of leaving me on the corner where you saw me."
"It's not even in me to be that careless about another person's life. But you're welcome, and I hope you get better soon."
"Are you leaving me?" Renny could detect the fear in her voice and on her face when he stood up. "I shouldn't have asked you that."
"Why not?"
"Because, bringing me to the hospital is more than most people would do, and I'm sure you've been ready to go. I mean, you have more important things to do then sit in a hospital room, keeping a girl company that you hardly know."
"Actually, I would like to keep you company."
"Seriously?"
"I don't have anything to do for the rest of the evening. Besides starving, I'm good." Renny managed to get a slight laugh out of Nichelle, which was a difficult task under the circumstances. "Can I bring you anything back?"
"No, I don't have much of an appetite, but thanks."
"I'll be back shortly."
"Hurry." Nichelle did want Renny to hurry back. She was at a place in her life where she was scared of lonely. Everybody she loved was taken out of her life. From watching the only man she knew as a father die at the hands of her mother, to Carmelo being murdered, and now her unborn child, she felt lost and was desperate for a savior.
"Miss Martin."
Nichelle stepped out her gloomy thoughts when the nurse came in.
"Yes."
"I don't know if your boyfriend told you-"
"Oh, he's not my boyfriend," Nichelle quickly said, cutting the nurse off.
"I apologize. He seemed so concerned about you, I assumed he was your boyfriend."
"He did?"
"Yes, very concerned. He refused to leave your side. He must care about you a great deal."
To Nichelle's surprise, hearing that gave her this funny tingling feeling inside.
"But what he couldn't tell us, was what happened to you. How did you get all those bruises on your face and there was bruising on your stomach?"
Nichelle thought about what the nurse asked her, and whether or not she should tell her it was Lerrick's jealous ass. But no matter how much she detested Lerrick, Nichelle wasn't a snitch. She would rather get street justice, which she already did, than ever fuck with the police.
"I was walking home from school and some girls ran up behind me and tried to rob me. I tried to fight back, but as you can see, they got the best of me."
"Did you see their faces? Do you know who it was?"
"Nope. All I was trying to do was hold on to my purse, which I did."
"A purse isn't worth your life. I need to call the police so you can file a report."
"Report what? I didn't even get to see their faces. I was too busy tryna block punches. You know the cops ain't gon' do nothing anyway. They can't close cases even when they got witnesses."
The nurse shook her head, too tired from working double shifts to argue with Nichelle. "What I came to tell you is, the doctor wants you to stay overnight for observation."
"Am I okay?"
"You should be fine. But, you lost a significant amount of blood when you miscarried, so the doctor wants to monitor you, to be on the safe side. If you need anything, just push the button."
"I will." When the nurse left, Nichelle called her mother so she wouldn't worry when she didn't come home.
"Hello."
"Hey, it's me, Nichelle."
"Hi, baby. I just walked in from work. How was your first day back at school?"
"Not good."
"What happened?"
"I'll talk to you about it when I get home tomorrow."
"Why aren't you coming home until tomorrow?"
"Because I'm at the hospital."
"What! Nichelle, what happened? What hospital are you at, because I'm coming up there!"
"Don't, please! I'm gonna be fine. They just wanna keep me here for observation. Don't worry, I'll be home tomorrow. But, I want to be alone right now."
"Nichelle, what is really going on with you?" Her mother's voice had gone from being alarmed, to straight pissed that her daughter was laid up in the hospital again, but wanted to be so vague about why she was there.
"Ma, I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow," Nichelle said, quickly hanging up the phone when Renny came in.
"You didn't have to hang up with your mother because of me."
"I didn't. She was asking me a bunch of questions I wasn't in the mood to answer. I'm glad you came back, but visiting hours are gonna be over soon. I wish I could leave with you, but the doctor wants me to stay overnight."
"It's understandable. You looked real bad when you came in here. I know they must've thought I was some abusive boyfriend that fucked you up."
"No, the nurse said you seemed to really care about me."
"I do."
"Why? You don't even know me."
"When I say this, I don't want you to think I'm some crazy guy you should be afraid of."
"I would never think that. If you hadn't helped me, I could be a lot worse off than I am right now. You probably saved my life."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"The nurse told me I lost a lot of blood. I never paid a lot of attention in school, but I do remember learning that losing too much blood leads to death. So, say what you were about to tell me, and I promise I won't think you're crazy."
"Remember you said that."
"Would you say it already?"
"This is gonna sound soft but it's true... I've had a thing for you since the first time I saw you."
"You mean at Carmelo's funeral?"
"No, months ago, when Radric and I came to pick up Tierra and Simone."
"Where was this?"
"You came to Simone's house to baby-sit so she could go out."
"Oh, yeah, Tierra had called me at the last minute. But, I don't remember seeing you there that day."
"I was in Radric's car. You didn't see me, but I saw you. I can't lie, I was diggin' your physical beauty, but it was something about the way you held Simone's baby that drew me in. You seemed so innocent. I think that's why when I saw you on the street looking fucked up and in pai
n, I was fuckin' fuming. I didn't understand how anybody could hurt you like that."
"I don't know what to say."
"I knew you were gonna think I was crazy."
"Definitely not. If anything, I'm surprised. As cute as you are, you can have any chick you want. I can't believe you were checkin' for me like that."
"You mean that shit too, and that's what makes you appear so innocent, `cause you don't even know how fine you are. For me, that turns me on even more. I run into broads all day that don't even register a five on a scale of one through ten, but you can't tell them they ain't the coldest thing walking the streets."
"That's funny!" Nichelle couldn't help but laugh at his candidness.
"No, that shit ain't funny, it's a fuckin' nightmare, `cause there's a lot of delusional broads runnin' around here. But yo, back to you. I didn't tell you what I did to put any pressure on you. I know you been through a lot, losing your man, friend, and the miscarriage. But I wanted to tell you how I felt, and if nothin' comes of it, I hope we can at least be friends."
"I want that too-I mean the friendship part. Honestly, right now I can't think about tryna be in a relationship with somebody else. My heart belongs to Carmelo."
"I respect that. But, um, it's getting late. I better head out."
"You are coming back tomorrow?"
"Do you want me to?"
"Yes," Nichelle admitted, nodding her head.
"Then I'll be here. Get some rest."
A devilish grin crept across Renny's face after he left Nichelle's room. She wasn't ready yet, but eventually he was positive she would be his. He sincerely felt bad about what happened to Nichelle, but he also believed it was divine intervention that made it possible for him to be the one to save her. And he planned to fully use it to his advantage.
CJcizfa~r~-rrd
If you maintain long enough in the game, at some point you reach a pinnacle. It's the point where you've stacked enough paper, balled until you're about to fall, flossed so ridiculously that your iconic status is forever engraved in the minds of the streets you ran. To the few that reach that level, it's no longer about the need to help your people who are indigent. It becomes about your addicition to the chase. But be careful what you keep chasing after, whether it is money or women, because both can lead to a dead end street.
Arnez watched from the back seat of his car as Talisa came out of the high-rise apartment she shared with Genesis that was until he disappeared. Now, he was on the run from the Feds, and yet she stayed put, instead of going back home to her family in New York.
"Arnez, every other day you're out here in this car watching her. What is the point?" Chanel wanted to know.
"I'm waiting for her to lead me to Genesis."
"Then what?"
"So I can kill him, of course."
"You want that bitch back, don't you? You think after you kill Genesis, Talisa will come running back to you? Doubt it!"
"Watch your mouth, Chanel!"
Arnez kept his glare on Talisa and observed as she looked around briefly before getting in her car. "Follow her," he directed his driver.
The driver steadily but discreetly trailed behind Talisa's black Aston Martin as she maneuvered through the streets of Philly for about fifteen minutes, until pulling into an outdoor parking lot. Talisa got out the car, signaling the alarm before heading into a nondescript brick building.
"Max, go find out what type of building that is," Arnez ordered his driver to do, after waiting a few minutes to make sure Talisa wasn't coming right back outside.
"Yes, Mr. Douglass." The driver ran across the street and went inside the building. A few minutes later, he came back out and got in the car. "It's an OBGYN, Sir."
"Is Talisa pregnant? If so, could the baby be mine, or is that motherfucker, Genesis the father?" Arnez asked out loud as Chanel cringed in her seat. "Drive," Arnez told his driver as he lit up a cigarette.
"So what now, Arnez?" Chanel questioned, in an icy tone.
"I find out if the baby Talisa is carrying is mine."
"What if it is?"
"Then Talisa and the baby can live. If not... " His voice faded off, but Chanel knew how the sentence was supposed to end, and she prayed it wasn't his. She was tired of living in Talisa's shadow. She had lied, cheated, and turned on her own sister for Arnez, but yet, he continued to stalk a woman that wanted nothing to do with him.
On several occasions, Chanel considered putting a bullet through Talisa and getting rid of the competition permanently, but knew Arnez would kill her if he ever found out. She was also sure that he probably had one of his men watching Talisa's every move, so the chances of getting away with it were slim to none. But if it did turn out that Talisa was pregnant and Arnez was the father, Chanel knew her relationship with him would never go any further than what it was right now. Forever being his bottom bitch wasn't a position Chanel intended to keep playing. She was prepared to do anything necessary to not only be the main, but the only bitch in his life... period!
"I know you ain't still sleep like you want to stay in this cold ass hospital room another day," Renny said, when he entered Nichelle's room.
"No, I'm up," she answered, turning around in her bed to face him. Her eyes widened when she saw he hadn't come empty handed. "What's all that?"
"Some flowers to celebrate your release, and a change of clothes, unless you tryna put back on what you came in."
"Hell no! I was hoping they burned those clothes. That was very considerate of you. I had so much on my mind, I forgot all about what I was going to wear home."
"That's what you got me for. I hope they fit a'ight, but I'm usually pretty good at sizing up a woman's measurements," he said, handing Nichelle the bag with the clothes in them.
"I'm sure you are. Oh, and the flowers are beautiful. Do you know you're the first guy that has given me flowers? Carmelo never even did that. Wow, that's crazy."
"That is surprising, but I'm sure he made up for that in other ways."
"Yeah, he did, but having you bring me some makes me realize how nice it is. Thank you."
"You welcome. Now get dressed. I'm sure you're ready to get outta here, and honestly, I ain't neva liked hospitals. So the sooner we bounce, the better. "
"I'm with you."
"Cool. I'll be waiting out in the hall."
"Renny," Nichelle called out as he was leaving.
"What's up?"
"I really do appreciate you being so nice to me."
"I know," he smiled and left.
When Nichelle got out the bed to go to the bathroom, her body was still aching from the beating Lerrick put on her. All the events from the last week or so had her completely drainedemotionally and physically. She turned the light on in the bathroom, and the very sight of her face made her want to scream. She didn't understand how Renny could even stand looking at her. Her whole face appeared to be swollen.
"I can't walk out this hospital with my face looking like this. I would scare the shit out of people. Damn, I wish I had a hat to put on. At least that would cover me up somewhat," Nichelle thought out loud as she examined herself in the mirror.
Then she opened up the bag and pulled out a red velour sweatsuit Renny got her, and noticed that he not only bought a new pair of sneakers for her, but also a baseball cap and some sunglasses. Her insides lit up.
"It's like he read my mind," she said, taking off the hospital gown.
When she finished getting dressed, she didn't look like her regular self, but she felt way better than when she first looked at herself in the mirror.
"Not bad. I didn't do bad at all," Renny commented when Nichelle came out.
"I think you did pretty good. The sweatsuit fits right, and better than that, you brought me a hat and some sunglasses to cover my face. Thank you."
"I want you to know I brought you that, not because I have a problem looking at your face, because you still beautiful to me. But I know women can be self conscious about their appearance, and I
didn't want to make shit uncomfortable for you."
As Nichelle walked out the hospital with Renny, a feeling of guiltiness swept through her. She had just lost who she considered the love of her life, but at the same time, she couldn't front. She was already feeling another man. She was trying her best not to acknowledge it, but it was becoming increasingly harder for her to deny. It was as if his swagger was contagious. She glanced over at Renny, and dude was straight up fine. Then, he was such a gentleman. He conducted himself in the kind of way that you only heard or saw in movies and shit.
I mean, Nichelle wasn't completely naive. It was clear to her that with all the kindness he had been showering her with, that he also had a very dark side. It wasn't obvious, but the eyes never lie. Through the calm exterior, there was so much more brewing underneath.
"Am I dropping you off at the same spot I saw you yesterday?" Renny asked when they got to his car.
"Yeah, I guess," Nichelle said, getting in the car.
"I thought I remember your girl telling me and Radric a while back that you lived in Long Island," Renny inquired, already knowing what had gone down, but wanting to get some feedback on the situation from Nichelle.
"I did, before Carmelo died. But I had to leave," she answered earnestly.
"Damn, the building management made you leave so soon? That was cold!"
"It wasn't exactly the building management."
"Then who? `Cause real talk, the building management can't just throw you out on the street like that, whether homeboy died or not. There is a legal procedure they got to go through."
"So I heard, but after what I found out, I didn't want to be there anymore anyway."
"If you don't mind me asking, what did you find out?"
Nichelle hesitated for a minute, but she was feeling at ease around Renny and wanted to discuss what had happened to her with somebody else, besides Tierra.
"I feel embarrassed to admit this, but it is what it is. Carmelo was married."
"What!" Renny played it perfectly, like it was new news to him. "I can't believe that nigga was married! But you ain't got no reason to be embarrassed. You ain't do nothing wrong. That was on him."
"Then why do I feel like it's my fault, like somehow I'm the blame for him lying to me all that time?"
