“Happy Birthday!” She yelled, as Sasha and Mike made it through the door. Sasha looked truly gorgeous in a chocolate satin A cut dress that lay against her skin perfectly and showed off her toned legs. Her hair was pulled back in an elegant ponytail, displaying her dangling diamond earrings. Her long eyelashes curled and almost appeared false and her lips were succulent in a beige iridescent lipstick. She looked breathtaking.
“Thanks mama! Oh my god, it’s gorgeous in here!” Sasha exclaimed, making her way into the dim restaurant. Jayde had it set up so nice, with floating candles in glass bowls of water. A long table with a row of roses in vases going down the center was in the middle of the room, and servers walked around serving champagne and hor’duerves to the select group who were standing around, conversing. Sasha wished that Tatum could’ve seen it.
She spotted a few familiar faces, like girls from the salon where she got her hair done, people from Mike’s hospital, Jayde’s mother, and finally, Jayde’s new business associate, Chauncey.
Sasha acknowledged him with her eyes, but made her rounds, saying her hellos with Mike by her side, as Chauncey’s eyes stayed glued to her beauty.
“Oh, Sasha, this is Dr. Winslow,” Mike introduced eagerly, as they had almost made their way around the entire room. She shook his hand and smiled, but focused on Chauncey who was now talking with some average faced, big butt female that she recognized from the salon. She noticed Mike becoming enthralled in the conversation with the fellow doctor, and used the opportunity for her escape.
Grabbing a flute of champagne, she stepped in the direction of Chauncey.
“Hello,” she said to Chauncey, interrupting the girl’s sentence. Her greeting dripped with a territorial sass and the girl turned and faced her.
“Oh, hey Sasha. Happy Birthday,” the girl said, as if she knew her well.
“Happy Birthday, baby girl,” Chauncey added with a yearning smile.
“Thanks.” Sasha kept her eyes on Chauncey and waited for the girl to catch a hint. When she didn’t, Chauncey broke the silence.
“Can you excuse us for a minute?”
The girl, obviously disappointed, half smiled and then walked away.
“Who was she?” Sasha asked, not masking her jealousy.
“Damn, you look good as hell.” Chauncey said that like he had a hunger for her.
“Chauncey, I’m serious. Who was that chick?”
“I don’t know, she just came up and started talking. But for real ma, you look good. I think I might need you tonight,” he added in a deep whisper.
“Chauncey,” she whined, starting to blush.
He took a sip of his champagne, stepping closer to her, and eyed her sincerely.
“I’m serious. You might as well tell homie that you coming home with me, you and my little princess… and that, you know…it’s a wrap.”
Sasha didn’t answer because she felt an immense amount of pressure. She noticed Mike stealing glances in their direction.
Just then, a familiar face made their way up to them and Sasha smiled wide.
“E! How are you… how you been?”
“I’m good…how you?” He greeted with a smile.
E hugged Sasha and wished her a happy birthday and Sasha reflected on how long it had been since she’d seen him. Back in Newark, E was the one she would talk to about all of her and Chauncey’s bullshit.
“Where is Bri, anyway?” Chauncey inquired matter of factly, breaking up the reunion.
“Oh, she’s at home with the babysitter,” Sasha said, taking a sip of her champagne.
“Babysitter?”
“Yeah, Mike’s cousin Amanda…Excuse me guys, I gotta work the room,” she said glancing around, noticing all eyes on them.
She strutted away, leaving them standing there and finished her rounds. E started talking to some female and Chauncey watched Sasha, and then as if he could sense it, he looked up and noticed Mike was watching him, watch her.
They locked eyes with each other.
Both held a stare of challenge and defiance.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m going to ask that we all be seated at this time,” Jayde interrupted loudly.
Everyone made their way to the table and began to take their seats, with quiet chatting. Sasha and Mike sat side by side and Chauncey sat almost directly opposite of them.
Jayde, who was seated towards the end of the table, stood up, drink in her hand and tapped the glass with her fork lightly. When she had everyone’s attention, she proceeded.
“I’m gonna make this quick, ‘cause I know everyone’s hungry.” Everyone giggled. “I just want to make a toast… to a beautiful woman… a fantastic mother… a wonderful wife…” Sasha swallowed hard at that part as Mike wrapped his arms around her. “And an amazing friend…Sasha Seals. Oops, I mean Sasha Bernstein!” Jayde corrected, laughing, while Mike smirked. “To Sasha!” Jayde toasted and everyone followed suit.
“To Sasha!”
Sasha smiled wide, loving the attention. She noticed the waitress coming over and she was ready to eat, until…
Ding...Ding…Ding…
Chauncey tapped his glass with his fork and rose.
“If I could…just have a moment.”
Everyone’s eyes fell on him and Sasha noticed how almost every woman stared with lust. It was infuriating.
Mike’s friends from the hospital wondered exactly who Chauncey was.
Chauncey looked at Sasha with his deep brown eyes and she tried to remain composed sitting there in Mike’s arms.
“I just want to say…you and me, we been through a lot kid. A lot good…a little bad,” he chuckled. “But you always held me down.”
Sasha breathed hard and Jayde smiled, as Mike’s friends wondered what Chauncey’s thug vocabulary meant.
“You gave me a beautiful daughter…you’ve been a great mother to her…and I love you with all my heart for it.”
Sasha felt her eyes become misty and she contemplated jumping up and kissing him right then and there, but she was scared. Chauncey stared her right in the eyes, not caring about Mike’s scowl.
“I hope your day is everything you want it to be, you deserve it…you deserve the best.” Chauncey said the last part with some sadness, as if he knew that he wasn’t the best for her.
As he took his seat and everyone drank to the toast, Sasha eyed him speechless. She couldn’t move. Mike stood up abruptly, ready to top it.
“Excuse me, I just want to make one more toast,” Mike boomed, sounding flustered. Sasha noticed the waitress coming over to her.
“Excuse me, are you Sasha Bernstein?”
Sasha smiled.
“Yes, I’m sorry. You guys can start serving,” she whispered as Mike stood ready to talk. She was ready to get to the good food.
The woman had an uneasy, almost worrisome look on her face and it caused Sasha’s smile to slowly fade.
“I’m sorry, there’s a phone call for you. They say it’s urgent.”
Sasha’s heart beat stopped and she stood up quickly, walking hurriedly across the room.
My baby, my baby. Please let everything be okay at home.
Sasha finally reached the front of the restaurant and spotted the phone sitting on the hostess stand. She lightly pushed the hostess out of her way and frantically reached for the phone.
“Hello! Hello!”
“Mrs. Bernstein,” a woman said in a comforting tone when Sasha picked up the phone. Sasha was relieved that it wasn’t Amanda calling and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yes, this is Mrs. Bernstein,” she said, warily.
“Mrs. Bernstein, this is Kathleen Philips…I’m calling from St. Joseph’s hospital…in regards to your daughter, Aubrey Mills…”
The air left Sasha’s body and she could only hear key words as her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Come here immediately…unconscious…critical condition…”
She closed her eyes and her head began to spin. Tears form
ed at her heart. It was like a bad dream, a worst possible nightmare.
Somebody wake me up. Please, somebody wake me up.
Her body shook violently and she dropped the phone. She had to get to the hospital, but she couldn’t move.
Oh my god, my baby…My baby…My baby…My baby…
“Miss, are you okay?” The hostess asked as she noticed how pale Sasha had become and how bad she was shaking. Sasha broke down crying and grabbed onto the woman for dear life.
“Oh my godddddd! Noooooo!!!!” She wailed in dire agony and terror.
Chauncey, Mike, E, and Jayde all heard the screams and made their way quickly to the front, all fearing the worst.
Oh no, not Aubrey, Jayde prayed. Please don’t let it be Aubrey.
Chauncey and Mike reached her first, with Jayde and E right behind them. She was holding onto the poor frightened woman who had no idea what was going on.
Chauncey grabbed her by the arms.
“What happened?” He asked, scared to his bones from her crying. His heart broke at the thought of it being something with Aubrey.
“Babe, are you okay?” Mike asked, concerned and trying to grab her from Chauncey.
“Get away from me!” Sasha screamed at Mike. “It’s your fault! Your stupid ass cousin! My baby!”
She was frantic and Jayde teared up and shook her head no as E just dropped his head in worry.
Chauncey’s face filled with pain as he gripped her hard. He needed answers.
“Sasha! What the fuck happened?”
She snapped into reality and realized they had to go. They had to get to their baby girl.
“We gotta go Chauncey. She’s at the hospital…Bri-Bri’s there,” she cried hard, her words coming out in mumbles and getting caught in her throat. “And she…she won’t wake up.”
She broke down in his arms and tears poured from her eyes. Chauncey closed his eyes tight and squeezed his fists in pain - pure, heart wrenching pain. And something else he’d never felt before, complete fear.
“Let’s go. We gotta go.”
They raced to St. Joseph’s in Chauncey’s car, terrified and praying. When they reached the entrance, they double parked and jumped out, busting through the doors, and all sprinting to the emergency area.
Sasha, Chauncey, and Mike ran up to the receptionist.
“Please, Aubrey Mills,” Chauncey said with pleading eyes.
Please tell me a room. Please, if it’s a room number, then she’s fine.
The young girl entered the name into the computer and gave them a solemn look.
“The doctor will be out to talk with you shortly.”
Chauncey’s face went blank as he cradled Sasha strongly in his arms who cried hard, hoarse moans of pain coming from her throat which sounded like a dying animal.
“Oh god, Chauncey,” she cried. “Why…why can’t we see her? Oh god, it’s all my fault…I’m a bad mother…I left her! I left her, Chauncey!”
Chauncey could feel himself breaking down but had to remain strong, Aubrey had to be okay. She just had to.
“Can you at least tell me what happened?” He asked the girl, in almost a begging whisper. He had been unable to get anything out of Sasha.
The girl looked on, not knowing what to do. Chauncey was about to get irate, but the doctor approached.
“Mrs. Bernstein…Mr. Bernstein…” He greeted Sasha and Chauncey hastily.
“Actually, I’m Mr. Bernstein,” Mike chimed, who had been playing the background the whole time, truly not knowing what to say up until this point. Anytime he tried to comfort Sasha, she would pull away and lean on Chauncey. Chauncey shot him an ice cold look and Mike retreated back to the sidelines.
The doctor ignored the unimportant comment.
“Your daughter is in ICU. She’s ingested a vast amount of poison and her nervous system and vital organs are in terrible danger. We’ve tried a gastric lavage, in other words, the stomach pump but it seems like we may need to attempt a second option.”
“A nasogastric aspiration,” Sasha mumbled, knowing the procedures from medical classes.
“Yes,” the doctor agreed. “She was unconscious when she arrived but we were able to revive her, although she is not stable…”
“Will she be alright?” Chauncey needed to know, not following too much of what the doctor was saying. Sasha looked up with hope, needing to hear that answer as well, but the doctor frowned slightly and dipped his eyebrows low.
“I…I’m not sure. But we’re doing our best.”
Chauncey’s strength was gone. He wobbled slowly over to the wall and ran his hands over his face, collapsing down and sitting on the floor, with his knees to his chest.
He couldn’t lose Aubrey, he couldn’t lose his life.
Sasha opened her mouth in pain, like she had been stabbed in the heart, but nothing would come out. Tears clouded her vision as she gradually moved her feet, and made her way in front of Chauncey. She squatted down in front of him and laid her head on his knees, but he kept his hands over his face. Nothing short of Jesus Christ himself promising her that Aubrey would be okay would heal her agony.
She cried hard onto him, her tears and snot covering his jeans, and Chauncey felt his own tears falling, wetting his face.
Mike walked over and crouched down, rubbing Sasha on the back soothingly.
“I’m so sorry babe…it’s gonna be okay. It’s gonna be fine.”
E sat in the chair with his head hung low, praying for little Aubrey, and Jayde covered her mouth in shock and sadness. The scene was all too unreal.
Jayde walked over to them and leaned down.
“I’m gonna call your parents, okay baby?” Sasha didn’t answer, and Jayde felt her own cry coming on, seeing Sasha in so much pain. The pain of the room was so strong. “I’m gonna call Tatum too.” Jayde knew how close they were, they were like sisters.
Jayde turned around and her heels clicked down the corridor as she made her way out of the exit to make the calls. She hurried faster when she felt herself breaking down. She wanted to remain strong, because that was all that she knew. But as she reached the night air, her tears ran like they were pouring from a faucet.
It didn’t matter if you were the strongest of the strong, the bravest of the brave, everyone’s heart went out to baby Aubrey that night. Bri-Bri, pull through. Pull through, little Bri-Bri.
Chapter 18 - Sin
“I can see it in your face, son…don’t lie to your father, it’s not wise. I’m the one person you can not fool.”
“What are you talking about?” Ree asked, feigning ignorance to his father’s accusations. They were seated in his living room, both with their choice of poison. Ree’s being a blunt and his father’s, a drink.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about Sean. And let me just add, your discontentment will always lead you in search of new things. And new things, won’t always mean better.” His father’s warning came accompanied with a worried smirk.
Ree massaged his temples with his forefinger and thumb. His father’s logic was giving him a headache.
“Pop, I don’t know what you think you know…but I’m content. I have what I want…I have who I want…I’m satisfied.” Even as the words came out of Ree’s mouth, he knew they were not totally true.
“Really?”
“Really,” Ree assured confidently.
“Okay, so even the smallest part of you has no desire to dabble into anymore of your past lifestyle? No drugs, no fast money… no murder?”
Ree let the question penetrate and then he shrugged and shook his head no.
“Nah. Why would I?”
His father laughed like he knew something Ree did not.
“So, if that’s the case, why didn’t you quit long ago? You’ve had enough money for years, correct? So it wasn’t the money.”
Ree and his father shared an intense stare as his father continued.
“No son, I would say…I would say it was the thrill that kept you.
The allure of the game. You were a gangster, like myself, and like your grandfather, because you were good at it. And now that you aren’t anymore…you don’t know what else to be. Of course, Tatum being here has made it better. You know, getting the girl always makes it better…” His father chuckled. “But all in all…you’re miserable. You’re bored.”
Ree inhaled his weed smoke and looked on blankly. He could only produce one response.
“Once you get away, it’s idiotic to go back.” His statement came out more as a question and Ree’s father nodded, knowing that he knew his son well. Before he could reply, Tatum came storming into the room. She was distraught in tears.
“I…I have to go.”
Ree stood up and went to her, concern on his face. His father looked on, also concerned.
“What’s wrong?”
She covered her mouth and her voice cracked as she spoke.
“It’s Aubrey…she’s in the hospital. Jayde says she’s in critical condition…I have to get to Sasha.”
Ree sighed, devastated to hear the news. He knew this was crushing for Sasha, and Chauncey.
“Okay, I’ll call the jet.”
He grabbed Tatum up and held her close, and she wept. He placed his hand behind her head as she cried into his chest.
“Oh my god, Ree. What if she doesn’t make it?”
“It’s gonna be alright Tatum. She’s going to be fine.” And then he pulled back, holding her shoulders, and looked in her eyes, seeing how scared and worried she was. It caused him to decide. “I’m coming with you.”
“Are you sure, that this is…you know, smart?” Tatum asked, as her and Ree boarded his jet. She was devastated and her mind was on Aubrey, but she also knew that the last time she had checked, Ree was a fugitive on the run. Now he was flying with her back into the states.
“It’s fine,” he replied, taking his seat next to her.
“But, what if someone recognizes you?”
Ree looked out of the small jet window into the black night and answered.
“No one’s gonna recognize me.”
Still thicker than water Page 20
