“What happened? Is she okay?” Alisha said, rushing over to the nurse.
“Yes, she’s fine. She is asking for you. She’s also asking for someone by the name of Chance. Do you know how to reach him or her?”
Alisha stood silent for a few moments, not sure what to say. She dreaded the moment that she’d have to tell Lucky that Chance had been murdered. She let out a sigh before responding to the nurse, who now stood with a look of confusion on her face.
“Actually, he was killed and I really don’t know how I’m going to break the news to her.”
“Well, maybe you should wait you know. It probably isn’t the best time to share that sort of news with her. I’d say let her get out the woods before dropping the bomb.”
“Okay, can I see her now?”
“Sure, I’ll walk you back.”
Alisha walked into the room with a huge smile on her face. She was excited to see her but she was also nervous because she knew Lucky wouldn’t rest until she saw Chance. She knew it would be even more difficult once she learned that she was carrying his child. Luckily the trauma hadn’t terminated the pregnancy and with the help of medication and life support the baby was actually doing well.
“There’s my best friend.” Lucky’s face lit up when she saw Alisha enter the doorway.
“Girl, I am so damn happy to see your eyes. You just don’t know,” she said, walking over to the bed right into Lucky’s opened arms.
“Girl, what the hell happened?” Lucky asked, still unsure about the events that led her to the hospital.
“You were shot, girl. I thought I lost you. I couldn’t have that. What the hell would my life be without you?” She laughed and sat down on the stool next to the bed.
“Boring as all hell.” She laughed. “Have you seen Chance? I really need to talk to him. I know he’s probably out working like the workaholic he is.” She smiled.
“No, actually I haven’t seen him, but I can try to contact him for you.”
“Great, girl, because they just told me that I’m pregnant! I know he’ll be so happy. I wasn’t ready for kids just yet but, hey, God has His own plan.” She smiled and rubbed her hands across her belly.
“I know, they told me when they bought you in. I’m happy for you, I really am. I’m just glad that you are awake.” She struggled to hold back tears, as she wanted to tell her that her unborn child’s father would never hear the good news. She decided that she’d leave and allow her to rest. This way she could figure out how and when she’d break the news to her.
“Well, I’m going to let you get some rest, girl. The nurses have my number if anything goes down, but I will be back first thing in the morning to see you, okay?”
“Promise?”
“I promise, girl.” She leaned in to hug her before turning her back and leaving the room.
Lucky sat there, wondering where Chance was and why he hadn’t been by her bedside when she opened her eyes. She decided not to worry herself with it that evening and soon she drifted off to sleep.
The following morning she was allowed to use the phone and she dialed his phone only to find that the number was no longer in service. An hour later Alisha walked through the door with flowers and a huge teddy bear.
“Hey, girl, here as promised with a little friend,” she said, setting the flowers down on the counter.
“I called Chance and his number is disconnected. What’s going on with him, Alisha? He’s not breaking up with me is he?” she said with her face full of sadness. Dry tears were on both sides of her face. It would break her heart if he’d walked out on her, especially when she needed him the most.
Alisha sat down on the stool and looked down at the floor. She knew that it was inevitable and she was going to have to tell her regardless of the nurse’s advice. She couldn’t leave her out in the dark any longer.
“What is it, Alisha? Please be honest with me,” she pleaded.
“Look, you know I love you and I never want to see you hurting.”
“Just spill it already, Alisha.” She raised her voice. She wanted to know what it was regardless of how it would feel.
“He’s dead,” she said after a short sigh.
“What?” She sat up in bed. “That’s a joke, right? No way he’s really dead, Alisha.”
“I’m sorry, Lucky, but it’s not a joke. He was murdered. Shot over ten times.”
“Nooooooooooooooooooo,” she screamed in agony. She had prepared herself for something else. She thought for sure he’d left her for another woman, but never dead. It had never crossed her mind as one of the reasons why she didn’t see him when she opened her eyes. Her body was aching and tears began to pour from her eyes.
Alisha hugged Lucky and let her tears fill her shoulder. She felt her pain and she knew that the news would be devastating. She wished that it was really a cruel joke and Chance would come walking through the door, but she was there at his funeral so she knew for certain that it would never happen.
“Who killed him? Do they even know?” she asked, pulling herself away from Alisha.
“They do know but they haven’t told me. I told Romeo you were awake and he said he would come talk to you.”
“I can’t believe this. Why him? He was everything that I needed in a man. Now I’m going to have to raise this baby alone.” She continued to cry.
“You’re a fighter, Lucky, and I know you’ll get through this. I’m here for you. Anything that you need.”
“I don’t know what to do. I can’t understand this, I just can’t.”
Alisha reached in to hug her again. The two hugged until they heard a knock at the door. Lucky sat up and quickly tried to wipe the remnants of sorrow from her face.
“Hey, I came as soon as I heard,” Romeo said with a letter and flowers. He set the flowers down and handed Lucky the envelope.
“Aww thanks, Romeo. What’s this?” she asked, waving the envelope in the air.
“It’s from Chance. He told me to give it to you if anything ever happened to him. Sorry that I had to deliver it. I’d rather it be him to speak to you instead.”
“Do you know what happened? I mean how did this happen to him?”
“Yeah, I know what happened and believe me, we’re going to take care of it. I don’t want you to worry about that though. I just want you to get well and worry about that baby you’re carrying. He wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“I just . . . I just . . .” she stuttered.
“I know, believe me. He was my best friend. Killed me to bury him. I wanted to go kill everybody, literally.”
“I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I have nothing. I left everything to be with him.”
“Don’t worry about that. You’ll be taken care of. His house, I’ll have it signed over to you, and also the money that he had put up for something like this. I don’t want you to stress about anything. You’re family to me because he was like my brother and he loved you to pieces.”
“I know he did. I just can’t believe that I won’t see his face again. I miss him so much already.”
“Well again, I don’t want you to worry. I’m gonna roll out to handle some business but I wanted to make sure you got that letter. Here’s the key to his house. Call me when they are discharging you so I can come by to make sure everything is good at the crib.” He passed her a small key chain with two keys on it.
“Thanks a lot, Romeo. I appreciate you coming.”
“No problem. Get well soon, all right?” he said before leaving the room.
“I’m almost afraid to read this letter,” she said, looking down at the white envelope.
“Well, I can give you some privacy if you want me to,” Alisha said, placing her hand on top of Lucky’s hand.
“No, you don’t have to leave. Really, I want you to stay. Who knows what the hell is in this letter. I want you here as a shoulder to cry on if I need one.” She laughed.
“Well, let’s do it,” Alisha replied with a smile.
Lucky took a deep breath before flipping the envelope over to the back and tearing it open. She was anxious but nervous at the same time. She pulled out a single sheet of paper with a handwritten note that read:
Dear Lucky,
If you’re reading this, it’s most likely because I am no longer here to tell you how I feel. When I came home from prison I looked forward to returning to my life the way that it was. My home, my business, my child, and my wife were all that kept me going while I was away. When I came home and realized that nothing was the same it was a hard pill to swallow. I didn’t know how to handle it. All I could think about was getting back on top, getting my life back, minus the conniving woman I married. I had no intention of jumping into a relationship but then I met you. You were truly a breath of fresh air and I can honestly admit for the first time in my life, I was head over heels for a woman. When I met you, I vowed to take you away from the life that you lived. I wanted to see you blossom into the woman you were meant to be. I know how much you care for me and I know that it’s breaking your heart right now to be without me. I want you to know that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for any pain that this will cause you because one thing that I never planned to do is hurt you.
I’m sitting here now writing this letter knowing that what I am about to do could lead to my death in the end but I need to gather the things that belong to me. I want to get the things that I need to give you the life that I want to provide. One thing that I want you to know, which, if you’re reading this, you probably already know, is that you never have to worry about money or a place to live because everything that I have is yours. I know that none of what I am saying will ever take the place of me being there with you but I want you to know that I am sorry. I never wanted to cause you any pain and regardless of how things may seem I love you. I want you to make sure that you finish school and use the money that Romeo provides wisely. I know you’re a smart girl so I trust that you will.
Well, I’m going to end this letter with this. If things had turned out different, I’d be asking you to marry me and become the mother of my child. I love you, Lucky, with all of my heart.
Reed
Tears flowed out of her eyes as she took the letter and neatly placed it back inside of the envelope.
“How could you?” she said aloud. “If you loved me why would you leave me here alone? Why would you leave us alone?” she said, rubbing her stomach. She had a lot to figure out and there wasn’t any amount of money that could take the place of a father. She hated the fact that she was going to have to raise their child alone. Her child would never know the amazing man she fell in love with.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She wanted to know who the culprit was. She needed to know just like she needed air to breath. She wanted them to pay for what they’d done and taking Romeo’s word wasn’t going to be enough. Their heads on a platter would be the only things that could suffice for the pain that she felt.
Alisha sat next to Lucky, silent. She knew that her friend would never be the same. She didn’t know anything that she could say at that moment that could make her feel any better.
Finally, after a few minutes more of crying, Lucky wiped her face and looked at Alisha. “I need you to get Romeo on the phone,” she said with a sharp, even tone.
“Okay,” Alisha replied, knowing that she meant business. Alisha pulled her cell phone out of her bag and dialed the number that Romeo gave her. The phone rang twice before a deep male voice boomed through the receiver.
“What’s wrong?” he said, wondering if things with Lucky had suddenly turned bad.
“Lucky wants to speak to you,” she replied before passing Lucky the phone.
“I read the letter and I just want you to know that I appreciate all that you have done and will do for me, however, it doesn’t change the fact that my child will now be born without a father. I need them to pay, Romeo. Do you hear me? I need their family to feel the pain that I’m feeling at this very moment.”
“I got you, Lucky. I have everything under control, okay? If you know anything about Chance you know that he wouldn’t trust me with his assets if he didn’t think that I would do the right thing. Trust me, okay? He was like my brother, I told you this. Just worry about you and that baby getting well and I will see you when you get home.”
She paused before responding, hoping that he was as trustworthy as he appeared. “Okay, I will see you soon,” she replied.
“What did he say?” Alisha asked anxiously.
“He says that he has it all under control.”
“Do you believe him?”
“What other choice do I have, Alisha?”
“Well, I guess you’re right. Well, I’m going to go and let you rest. I will see you first thing in the morning okay?”
“Okay. Thanks for coming, girl,” Lucky replied before reaching out to hug Alisha.
“No problem,” she said before leaving the room.
Lucky leaned back on the bed and turned her head toward the window. With the letter still in her hand she placed it close to her chest and hugged it tightly. The scent of his cologne could still be smelled on the outside of the envelope and the scent was just enough to soothe her until she could fall asleep, confident that his soul was with her and that everything would truly be okay.
“I love you too,” she whispered before drifting off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-six
Finale
“I have a gift for you,” Romeo said, walking into the living room as Lucky sat on the sofa, watching TV.
Six months had passed since she was released from the hospital and her due date was approaching quickly. She hadn’t been outside much as she didn’t feel comfortable with her present shape and situation. Luckily, Romeo had stepped up and been there for her just as promised.
“A gift for me? Why do you keep spoiling me, Romeo?” She smiled.
“I’m trying to cheer you up. I don’t want you sitting around here all miserable and shit. It’s a lot out there that you can be doing you know. I told you I took care of everything so you don’t have to ever worry about those niggas in the street. I’ll be damned if I’d let any muthafucker hurt someone I care about,” he said, holding a small box behind his back.
“You care about? You care about me?” she asked, surprised by the last comment.
“Come on now, you know I care about you. Why else would I be here every day?”
“Because you promised Chance,” she replied.
“No, I promised him that I’d see to it that you were taken care of. I didn’t promise to be here with you every day.” He laughed.
“Well, I guess that I care about you too, Romeo.”
“You guess? Well shit, I might as well walk back out with my gift then, shit.” He began to back away toward the door.
“I’m just joking.” She laughed. Up until this point she never knew how he felt about her so she hadn’t really thought about revealing her own feelings for him. Naturally, when you spend time with someone you gain feelings, especially when they bend over backward to make sure that you’re happy. She could see why he and Chance had been such good friends, because he resembled him. He reminded her of the things in Chance that she fell in love with. “Now can I have my gift already?” She laughed while holding her hand out.
“You still haven’t said that you care about me, Lucky.” He stood still.
“Yes, Romeo, I care about you and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”
He smiled, showing all of his pearly whites before walking over to the sofa and sitting down. “All right, here,” he said, putting the small box into her open hand.
The small white box was decorated with a teal-blue bow. She gently untied the bow and lifted the top off of it to find a small ring box inside. She looked up at him, confused.
“What?” he asked.
“What is this, Romeo?”
“Just open it and see,” he replied with a smile.
She pul
led the ring box out of the box and slowly opened it, revealing a platinum ring with a huge five-karat pink diamond in the center.
“Before you say anything let me tell you what it’s for. Before Reed died, around the same time that he gave me that letter for you, he gave me this ring to hold. He told me that if anything happened to him to wait until this day and give it to you. He was going to ask you to marry him with this ring, on this day, his mother’s birthday. Now, he truly believed that on this day, I would care about you and he also told me that he wouldn’t want or trust any man to be with you except me. At first, I was confused, believe me. I looked at him liked he’d lost his mind. At the time, I thought for sure he was talking crazy and he would be here to give it to you himself. I also thought in the event that he wasn’t here, I’d never be comfortable loving the same woman he did, even with his blessing. However, regardless of the way I felt that day, I do care about you and I do love you, Lucky. This ring is his blessing. It’s his way of letting you know that it’s okay to care about me, and it’s okay to love me. I’m not asking you to marry me, Lucky, but what I am asking is that you let your guard down and let me in. I promise that I will be here for you and the baby. The baby will never want for a father because I will be all the father he needs.” He paused to wipe the tears from her face. “Can you do that for me?”
She sat there stunned and relieved at the same time. She never wanted to do anything that would disrespect his memory. Knowing that he wanted her to move on and be happy relaxed her mind and made her heart smile. She looked down at the ring and looked back at Romeo, who was sitting silent, waiting for her to respond. She wasn’t going to fight any longer. She wanted to be happy and she truly believed that Romeo was more than capable of keeping her that way.
“Can you help me put it on?” she asked, breaking the silence.
He smiled and grabbed the ring box before pulling the ring off the holder and placing it on her finger. As he slid the ring on, she grabbed his hands and moved in and kissed him. He gently grabbed both sides of her face and took control of the kiss, doing what he’d wanted to do for so long. After a few seconds they separated and stared at each other.
Black Diamond 3: Lucky Chance (Urban Books) Page 18
