Jaylin

by Brenda Hampton

  I hopped in my SUV that was parked in the back garage. The police never saw me, and after I sped away, I found myself caught up in a traffic jam. It was interesting how something always slowed you down when shit needed to get done. Phone calls usually came, too, and when I saw Nanny B’s number flash on my phone, I didn’t even answer. A few minutes later, she sent me a text, telling me to call her. I wasn’t sure if Shane said anything to her or not; hopefully, he hadn’t. Either way, I was stuck. Traffic crawled. I kept thinking where Travis would probably be, and I hoped like hell that he would be alone when I got to the hospital. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Nokea had endured. I wondered how it all had started. Possibly, after my phone call, because there was no question in my mind that he was the one who had hung up on me. His anger had been festering for a long time. He was envious of my relationship with Nokea. The fool didn’t even realize how much she really loved him; I was convinced that she really did.

  Nearly an hour later, I was still caught in traffic, but cars were moving. This gave me more time to reflect on my life with Nokea. We had our ups and downs, but I kept telling myself that there were more good times than bad. Even she knew that, but I guess it was kind of hard to look at it that way, considering all that had happened. I just wanted her to be okay. I was eager to get back to the hospital to see how she was doing. By now, hopefully, she’d been cleaned up and was in a bed, resting. I predicted that she would be upset with me for doing this, but I didn’t want her to live another day, knowing that a man like Travis was still on this earth breathing. If he was alive, she would remain fearful of him coming after her. She wouldn’t be right—her road to recovery was already going to be difficult.

  I had to get off the highway to get gas, and finally made it to the hospital nearly two hours later. But when I arrived, several police cars were parked outside. Many people were standing around. Some people were running, and cars were being directed to another area. The whole scene was chaotic. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I put on my dark shades and checked my gun that was still tucked behind me. I then got out of the car. Several crowds of people were standing around. The media was there as well. I was trying to get the scoop, and as I moved in closer, I started hearing people mention that a prominent doctor had been gunned down inside. The media was known for getting it wrong—maybe they were referring to the incident between Travis and me. Even though it was brutal, no way did it cause this many people to be on the scene. Then again, maybe Travis died after falling down the stairs and hitting his head. I wasn’t so sure, but I needed more information because the doctor everyone was referring to could have been someone else.

  “I need everyone to back up,” an officer said. “Move away from the doors, and for the last time, this section of the hospital is closed. If you need to enter, you must go around back where you will be screened before entering and leaving.”

  I wasn’t about to be screened with this gun on me, so I waited around for a little while longer to see if I could find out more. I finally saw a black officer standing alone. After I walked up to him, I inquired about what had happened.

  “All we know at this point is they found a doctor in one of the rooms shot up pretty bad. Two more doctors were injured, so we don’t know if this was some kind of planned attack against doctors or not.”

  “Damn, that’s messed up. I know many of the doctors who work here. Have any of the names been released yet?”

  “No, not yet. Maybe soon.”

  I nodded and backed away from the officer, standing around for a little while longer to see if there was any additional news. There wasn’t. I would surely catch up with Travis sooner or later, and after I got back in the car, I headed to the other hospital to see Nokea. When I got there, my requests hadn’t been honored. I was given her room number, but she was in a room with someone else. There was no security outside the door. I was already on edge, especially when I went into the room and saw her lying on her side. An IV needle was in her arm, her eye was covered with a gauze pad, and her left wrist was wrapped with a beige bandage. An ice pack was beside her, and the eye she could see out of was open. It was red and filled with tears. I stood next to her, bending over to kiss her forehead.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked while listening to the other patient’s loud ass TV that was annoying. So was his laugh.

  Nokea moved her head from side-to-side without speaking.

  “Are you still hurting anywhere?”

  At first she didn’t say anything, but she slowly nodded.

  “Did they give you anything for the pain?”

  She barely opened her mouth. It was so dry and swollen that her lips stuck together. “No,” she whispered. “And I’m thirsty too. Will you get me some water?”

  No pain medicine, no water, no private room, no security, no nothing but a big ass fucking bill they would send for services not provided. I went into the hallway, stopping the first doctor I saw.

  “I need some ice water and pain medicine in that room. I also need a wheelchair, so I can wheel my wife the fuck out of here.”

  He held up one finger. “Okay, sir, I’ll be with you in one minute.”

  I wasn’t too fond of doctors right now, so I went off on him. “One minute my ass! How long does she have to wait for some fucking water and pills? All these muthafuckas walking around here and can’t nobody help?”

  Another doctor stepped forward to assist. “Calm down, sir. I was just getting ready to go in there and check on her. It appears that she’s going to be okay, even though she lost a substantial amount of blood. Unfortunately, we were unable to save the baby. It is imperative that we keep an eye on the swelling, especially in her legs. She hasn’t been able to tell us what exactly happened to her, but maybe you can shed some light on her situation. This may be a case where we have to get the police involved, especially if it revolves around domestic violence that occurred within the home. Have the two of you had any instances occur like this before?”

  I fought hard to stay calm. “Are you implying that I did that to her?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”

  “And I’m asking you to get her an ice cold cup of water, some pain medicine and a wheelchair.”

  “Under the circumstances, she can’t leave here with you, sir, unless—”

  I’d had enough of listening to this idiot. Everybody with a Ph.D. wasn’t necessarily bright. I looked around, spotting a wheelchair near the end of the hall. As I rushed to get it, the doctor followed after me.

  “Sir, considering the condition your wife is in, you can’t remove her from here. She is the only one who can sign herself out of here, and I recommend that you don’t—”

  I swung around to address him. “Get the fuck away from me. I’m not in the mood today, and if you need her signature, you’ll get it.”

  I rolled the wheelchair into Nokea’s room, placing it beside the bed. “Let’s go home,” I said. “I’ll make sure you get the proper care, okay? Do you trust me?”

  She nodded, and as I carefully removed the IV needle from her arm, the doctor attempted to shove me away. I pushed his ass back, warning him not to touch me again. He held on to the wheelchair to break his fall.

  “Back the hell up and get her whatever she needs to sign so we can get the fuck out of here. You got two minutes to get those papers or they won’t get signed.”

  He stood with his mouth open and still hadn’t moved. I carefully lifted Nokea out of the bed and sat her in the wheelchair. I kneeled in front of her, touching the side of her pretty face with my hand.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Yes. I just want to go home.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  I swerved the wheelchair around the doctor and made my way to the elevator. It wasn’t long before we arrived at my car; I tried to help her get in. She insisted that she could get in by herself. I watched her take small steps to the passenger’s seat, before scooting in to sit down. I
made sure she buckled herself in, before closing the door.

  The ride home was quiet. Nokea’s eyes were closed and her head was leaned back on the headrest. I wanted her to get some rest; it had definitely been a long ass day. And even though I suspected that her thoughts were all over the place, I didn’t want to pry, until she was ready to talk. The second we got home, I helped her out of the car. She wrapped one of her arms around my neck and I guided her to the front door.

  “Where are the kids?” she said softly. “I don’t want them to see me like this.”

  “They won’t. Can you make it or do you want me to carry you?”

  “I can make it. Just help me, okay?”

  I helped Nokea inside, and as we made our way through the great room, we could hear the kids in the kitchen laughing. Nanny B was saying something, and being real quiet, Nokea and I got on the elevator, instead of taking the stairs. The moment we made it to the second floor, Nanny B came from the kitchen and looked upstairs.

  “Jaylin, is that you?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. I’ll be downstairs to get something to eat in a minute.”

  “Okay. Hurry. The police were here earlier. What’s that all about?”

  “I’ll tell you when I get down there.”

  She didn’t respond, but as soon as I helped Nokea get in bed, my door flew open. Nanny B paused as she looked at Nokea, gasping as she clenched her chest.

  “Lord, Jesus, what happened to you?” Her face appeared distorted. She turned to me for answers. “Jaylin, what is going on?”

  I wasn’t sure if Nokea wanted me to tell Nanny B, so I waited for her to say something. She held out her hand, extending it to Nanny B who stepped forward to hold it.

  “I’ll be okay, so don’t worry. Jaylin will tell you, but please keep the kids away from this room. I don’t want them to see me like this.”

  Nanny B nodded, tears filled her eyes. She rubbed Nokea’s arm and couldn’t stop gazing at her. “Okay, sweetheart. I’m so sorry about whatever happened. Let me know if I can get you anything.”

  “She needs water and aspirin, but I’ll get it,” I said. “If you can call Dr. Birch and ask him to come over here, I would appreciate it. Meanwhile, give me about ten minutes. I’ll come downstairs and explain what happened. Are the kids almost done eating?”

  “Almost. Scorpio came by a few hours ago and they went shopping with her. They just got back not too long ago.”

  “Okay. Thanks and don’t forget to call Dr. Birch for me.”

  Nanny B left the room with a frown on her face. I turned to Nokea who was lying on the bed with a hospital gown on.

  “I have a shirt you can change into. And if you want to take a shower or bath, let me know. I’m going to get your water and aspirin. As soon as Dr. Birch gets here, he’ll give you a thorough examination. Is that okay?”

  “That’s fine, Jaylin. Thank you.”

  I was glad Nokea was here so I could keep my eyes on her. I had so much to do before the night was over, but the first thing I did was get her situated. I went to the kitchen, and when the kids saw me, they started telling me about a dispute between LJ and Mackenzie.

  “Daddy,” Mackenzie said. “Wasn’t Dr. Martin Luther King the one who wrote the ‘I Have A Dream’ speech? LJ said it was Malcolm X. I keep telling him he’s wrong.”

  “Dead wrong,” I said to LJ. “And you should know that, shouldn’t you?”

  LJ scratched his head. Just like me, he caught an attitude when somebody tried to correct him. “I mistakenly said it was Malcolm X, and then I corrected myself and said it was Martin. Mackenzie just thinks she knows everything, but I got a thousand dollars that says she can’t beat me at golf.”

  Mackenzie responded with snap in her voice. “I do know everything . . . way more than you do. And if you ever want to play against me at golf, bring it on.”

  “Alright,” I said, frustrated with the bickering. “Time to cut it and get ready for bed. By the way, LJ, I’d like to know where you have a thousand dollars to put up for a bet.”

  “If you got it, I got it,” he said with confidence. “That’s what you always told me, Dad, plus I’ve seen my bank account. Trust me, I got it.”

  “Justin’s got it too, Daddy,” Jaylene said. “That would be another orange soda. Look!”

  She pointed to Justin who was in front of the refrigerator turning up a soda can to his lips. I needed to get back to Nokea, so I didn’t bother to go there with him tonight. I did, however, get at Nanny B for continuously bringing soda into the house. She ignored my gripes and told me she had contacted Dr. Birch. The earliest he could get here was around ten tonight. I told Nanny B we would talk, after I tended to Nokea, and after the kids were asleep because I didn’t want them to hear us talking.

  I returned to the bedroom, seeing that Nokea wasn’t in bed. She was in the bathroom, examining her face in the mirror. She had removed the gauze from her eye and bandage from her wrist. She kept touching the swelling in her face. I felt so bad for her.

  “I brought your water and aspirin. Dr. Birch will be here at ten. I’m sure he can give you something stronger. Until then, why don’t you go lay back down.”

  “I need to take a shower first. Will you get the water ready for me and give me a shirt to put on?”

  No questions asked, I did as Nokea had asked. She kept looking at her face in the mirror, and as she touched the puffiness in her lips, her eyes traveled to me. “I look a mess, don’t I?” she whispered. “Why didn’t I realize what kind of man he was?”

  “No, you don’t look a mess. Don’t even think about Travis right now. Take your shower and get comfortable until Dr. Birch gets here.”

  She glanced at the mirror one last time, before removing the gown. As she walked over to the shower, waterfall faucets rained from six different angles. I held the glass doors open for her, and she stood in the center, allowing soothing warm water to pour on her. So much anger was inside of me, as I saw numerous bruises on her back, hips, butt and legs. Travis was a damn animal. The moment Nokea got settled tonight, I had some unfinished business that needed to be taken care of. I reached out to hand her a soapy sponge that I had already lathered with soap. She didn’t take it.

  “Would you mind washing me?” she asked.

  Knowing that it wouldn’t be in my best interest to get naked, the only things I removed were my shoes and socks. I kept my jeans and T-shirt on and joined her in the shower. As she stood with both arms by her side, I proceeded to circle the sponge on her chest and arms. Nokea closed her eyes, in thought. I couldn’t help but to think about how much I missed her being here with me. I squeezed the wet sponge around the nape of her neck, hoping that my gentle movements made her feel good. When she turned around, I washed her back that had more bruises on it than any other place. Her mountains had bruises too, but they were so perfect that I squatted behind her to tackle them up close. I then made my way down to her legs and feet. When I rubbed between her toes, she lightly snickered.

  “That tickles,” she said. “You can get to my feet when I sit down. I need to sit because my stomach is cramping real bad.”

  She moved over to the seat; I kneeled in front of her. I lifted one leg at a time, washing them, along with her feet again.

  “Your clothes are drenched,” she said, raking her fingers through my hair that had loose wet curls. Water rained on my face and dripped from my chin. My clothes were melted on my skin. “Why didn’t you take your clothes off?”

  I hated to admit how hard I was, and I definitely didn’t want her to see. “It’s best that my clothes stay on, trust me. I’m good, just like this.”

  Nokea smiled and continued to run her fingers through my hair. “Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate this. I appreciate everything you’ve done, but please don’t tell me you went after him today. Did you?”

  I squeezed the sponge on her leg and looked at her. “You told me not to tell you so I won’t. I also don’t want to talk about him right now, but eventu
ally, I do want to know the details of what he did to you.”

  “Trust me when I say that you don’t want to know. The sooner I can forget about today, the better.”

  I wanted her to forget, but I knew it would be a while before that happened. I continued to wash her, and after I was finished, I dried her with a soft white towel. She was still bleeding from the miscarriage. None of the personal items she needed were at my house, not even a pair of her panties. I lifted my Calvin Klein briefs, asking if she wanted to put them on.

  “At least for a few hours, until I can go get some of the items you need,” I said with a smile.

  “I’ll manage,” she said, sitting on the bed. “The shirt works and this towel underneath me should be fine.”

  I flicked on the TV, before going into the closet to remove my wet clothes. I dried my hair with a towel and then changed into another pair of jeans and a cotton shirt. With the wet clothes in my hand, I left the closet. My steps halted when I saw Nokea staring at the TV, as if she was in a daze. The volume was up, and the reporter was talking about what had happened at the hospital today. I moved closer to watch the news with Nokea. When a photo of Travis flashed on the screen, our heads turned to each other.

  “Jaylin, nooo,” she said, tearfully. “Please don’t tell me you had something to do with this. You’re going to be in trouble and the last thing—”

  She paused to control her emotions. I was shocked by this as well. I knew exactly what I’d done to Travis, and I wasn’t responsible for shooting him. Nor did I have anyone do it. I sat on the bed next to Nokea, telling her the truth while holding her in my arms.

  “Listen to me, alright? Yes, I went to the hospital and fought Travis today. But after that, I left. I honestly wanted to kill him, Nokea, but apparently somebody beat me to it. A man like that had to have enemies. You mentioned before that he and his brother didn’t get along. Maybe somebody in the hospital saw us fighting and used that as an opportunity to possibly frame me. An officer I spoke to said a few other doctors were injured. It could’ve been something related to a personal attack on doctors. I don’t know yet, but I’m going to the police station with Frick tomorrow to try and clear my name. The police were here earlier, I assume to inquire about the fight I’d had with him. I promise you that I will get this taken care of, and I hope you know that I wouldn’t lie to you about this.”