My Sister's Husband

by Ambria Davis

  “Nah, that’s not true,” she quickly interjected. I was about to ask her how, but she answered before I could. “Y’all have me.”

  “Is that right?” I asked, with a raised eyebrow.

  “Hell, yeah, it is. So not only do you have one sister to look after, you now have two.” She poked her tongue out.

  “Well, in case you didn’t know, everything I just said for Brinay applies to you too,” I said, playfully mushing her head.

  “My head is not big, but I can’t say the same for you,” she teased. “You got a water jug head.”

  “My head ain’t big, li’l sis.”

  “Aww. You called me li’l sis.”

  “That’s what you are now,” I said genuinely. Shorty was giving off a good vibe. I spent so many years worrying about my little sister, wondering how her life had been since I wasn’t there. I never stopped to think that everything I taught her about responsibility and people, she understood properly.

  “That I am,” she giggled. I knew she said that she was my little sis, and I agreed with her. On the inside, though, I really wanted to get to know her and possibly bang her out. “It’s going to be fun having a big brother now.”

  “You don’t have no brothers?”

  “Nah, unfortunately, I was adopted when I was a baby. So, honestly, I don’t know,” she said sadly.

  “Shorty, I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” I said, feeling bad now.

  “It’s cool. You had no idea of knowing that. I’m good. I’ve gotten past the idea of not being wanted when I met your sister. She’s shown me so much love, that all of that doesn’t matter to me anymore,” she responded softly, but I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was still feeling some type of way.

  “That’s good, shorty,” was all I said. I didn’t know how to address her. I’d never been in a situation like this before.

  For the remainder of the ride, the car was silent. I felt bad for shorty, but really, we were in the same situation. She’d never met her family and was placed up for adoption, while Brinay and I only knew our mother. Well, Brinay knew her father too. She just acted as if he wasn’t around. I only met my father while I was in prison, and our mother died when we were teenagers. We were all missing love from somewhere in life.

  Before I knew it, we were pulling up to the hospital. Shorty found a parking spot right in the front, pulled in, and killed the engine. She sat there for a minute looking into space, not even moving.

  “Look, shorty,” I said turning to her, “I’m truly sorry. I had no idea that you were adopted.”

  “I told you that it’s cool. I’m fine,” she smiled weakly.

  “No, you’re not, and it’s okay to still feel bad about the situation. People never really get over that, but you don’t have to worry about not being loved. You have Brinay and me. That all the love you’re going to need,” I told her. She nodded her head as I spotted a lone tear falling down her cheek. I reached over and wiped it with my finger. “It’s okay, li’l sis. Big brother is here, and I promise not to disappoint any of you gals again.”

  “Look at me. I barely even know you. Hell, I just met you all of twenty minutes ago, and here I am, crying like a big-ass baby.”

  “It’s cool, li’l mama,” I told her.

  “Thank you, Brandon, I really needed that.” She reached over and hugged me, placing a kiss on my cheek before pulling back. Her lips felt so soft against my cheek, I felt my dick jump.

  “Come on, let’s get out here. I know you can’t wait to see your sister, and I need some fresh air,” she said, getting out of the car. She waited for me, and together, we walked into the hospital, where we headed straight for the elevators.

  “Oh shit,” she suddenly said. “Do you want to go see your nephew first or do you want to go and see your sister? I forgot to ask you.”

  “It’s cool, shorty, it don’t matter. As long as I get to see both of them, then I’m fine.”

  “Okay,” she said, pushing the elevator for the second floor. The elevator bell rang a few seconds later, and we were heading to my sister’s room. With each step we took, my heart skipped two beats. I didn’t know what to expect when I walked in that room.

  “Now, I have to warn you. She’s hooked up to a few machines, so she won’t look like her normal beautiful self,” she said as we stopped by the door.

  “I’m cool. I can handle it,” I told her.

  “Okay, well, in that case, let’s go,” she said, pushing the door to the room open. I got the shock of my life when I spotted my sister sitting up in the bed. There were two other dudes sitting in the room with her.

  “Oh my God, Nay,” Shorty screamed, running to the bed. “I can’t believe it. You’re up!”

  “She got up right when you left,” a light-skinned dude said to her.

  “Why didn’t you call me then, Chance?” she asked, with her hands on her hips.

  “We did, but you didn’t answer.”

  “Uh-huh, I bet,” she said, turning to Brinay, whose eyes were fixed on me. “I’m so happy to see you up, sister.”

  “Say it ain’t so,” she spoke, just above a whisper. “Tell me that my one and only sibling is standing by the door, and I’m not tripping.”

  “You’re not, Nay Nay,” I said, calling her by the name I gave her when she was just a baby. “It’s really me.”

  “Come here, big bro,” she said, reaching her arms out to me. The minute I reached her and pulled her into my arms, she began sobbing uncontrollably. “When did you get out, and why you ain’t call to tell me?”

  “I did try, but you wasn’t answering the phone, Nay Nay.”

  “I was tied up, as you can see,” she said, with her eyes traveling to the dark-skinned dude. She rolled her eyes and turned back to me. Obviously, there was something going on between the two of them, and I was surely going to find out what.

  “I’m Brandon, Brinay’s brother,” I said to the two of them.

  “Oh, my bad, B. B, this here is Chance, and that one is Dontie,” she said, introducing the three of us. I noticed the way she introduced the dark-skinned dude as if she hated to say his name. I made a mental note to ask her about that later.

  “What’s up, man?” I said, shaking their hands. “Where’s the baby?”

  “He’s downstairs in the nursery. I just called for them to bring him up before you got here,” she said, just as the nurse came in with him. She rolled him over to Brinay’s bedside; then she took him out of the bed and handed him to her.

  I sat there watching my sister interact with her son. I was somewhat disappointed, but I was proud of her for standing up and being a woman about hers. Most females would’ve had an abortion, knowing that they were in school, but she didn’t. I wanted to know more about her baby daddy, and where that nigga was, but that was a topic for later. I was free, my sister was up, and my nephew was healthy. Right now was a joyous moment, and I wanted to enjoy it.

  Brinay

  When I woke up this evening, I didn’t know where I was. My vision was blurry, my head was hurting, and I couldn’t speak due to something in my throat. After a few minutes of blinking, my vision cleared up, and I found that I was lying in a hospital. I couldn’t remember how I got there. I used the hand that wasn’t filled with IVs to call the nurse. A minute or two later, the door flew open, and the nurse came in. When she noticed that I was the one who pushed the call button, she walked right back out, only to return moments later with a doctor.

  “Hello, Ms. Williams. It’s nice of you to finally join us,” he said to me. “I’m Doctor Martin. I’ve been your doctor since you were brought in. Do you remember why you’re here?” I shook my head, because I honestly had no idea. Everything in my mind was just a blur right now, but hopefully, as the day goes by, I’ll remember.

  “Well, you were involved in an auto accident a few days ago. Luckily, you and your baby are fine,” he said. The minute he said “baby,” everything that I’ve been through these past few days came speeding
back. Remembering my baby, my hands flew to my stomach. It wasn’t big anymore, and I immediately began to panic. “You can calm down, ma’am. We had to deliver your baby by emergency C-section. He’s fine and healthy, and he’s in the nursery. You can call for him whenever you want to, and the nurse will bring him in. Now, let’s get started on you. First, I’m going to check you to make sure that everything is fine, and then, we’re going to get that nasty tube out of your throat. Okay?”

  I lay there as he and his team of nurses went about poking and probing me. They checked everything, and I do mean everything. I was all for getting better, but when they got to my stomach and began pushing down on it, I wanted to scream. The staples had me in so much pain, I thought for sure that I was going to pass out or something. After they were done checking and making sure that I was fine, they removed the tube, gave me some ice chips, and handed me a few pills for the pain. They then left, but not before saying that they were going to be back later to run some more tests to make sure I was coming along fine and that I was healing properly. I nodded my head that I understood and lay back. I was tired, and I didn’t have any energy.

  I lay there as the medicine began to work. I was going to take me a good ol’ nap before I called down to the nursery so I can finally meet my son. Well, that’s what I thought I was going to do. Just when I closed my eyes, Chance and Dontie came walking into the room. They were the last two people I expected to see or want here. Figuring they’d leave knowing I was still out, I continued to lie there with my eyes closed.

  They began talking about any and everything. I wanted to bust their bubbles, but the minute my name came up, along with Skylar’s, I decided to continue to listen.

  “So what are you going to do about your situation?” Chance asked Dontie.

  “What situation?”

  “This situation,” Chance answered. “I know your wife is becoming suspicious. You’ve been running up here every day since she’s been in here, sometimes two and three times a day. Ain’t no way Sky don’t know something is going on now.”

  “Bruh, to be honest, I don’t even know. I’m still trying to work some things out. I love Brinay with every fiber in me. I love my son also, and I want to be with them so we can be a family, but I got to handle this Sky situation first. I really regret the day I said I do to that bitch, but I can’t change it. I’m trying to get my boy down at the courthouse to help me out with this marriage shit, but it’s taking me longer than I expected.”

  “So, what are you going to do in the meantime?” he asked.

  Shit, I wanted to know also. I don’t care how much he professed his love for me, he shouldn’t have married that bitch in the first place. Hell, he lied and said he didn’t have a woman, and that shit there still had me pissed. I can’t front, though . . . I love the hell out of Tae. I just wish that things didn’t happen the way they did. I’d be happy to be a family with him and my son, but now, I don’t know.

  “I’m going to fight for my family, that’s what I’m going to do.”

  “But what about Sky?”

  “Man, fuck Sky. I’m not trying to be bothered with her ass anymore. Truth be told, I don’t know what made me begin fucking with her in the first place. Something is seriously wrong with her. I’m really starting to miss the woman I was being with.”

  “I’m thinking the same thing. It’s like when I first met her, she was cool and shit, but now she’s not. She’s beginning to act as if she’s one of those crazy, stalking-ass broads. I’m just happy she’s your problem and not mine.”

  “She won’t be my problem for long, my nigga, believe that,” he said before the room grew quiet. I then felt his hand rubbing against my cheek, scaring me. My eyes immediately shot open.

  “Oh fuck!” he yelled, jumping back. “Aye, man, go call the nurse or something. She’s up. Her eyes are open.”

  I rolled my eyes at him because he was acting all concerned now, when his ass was part of the reason why I was in here. “You don’t have to call anyone. They’ve been in here already.”

  “So you been up?” he asked taking a seat on the bed beside me.

  “Yup,” I said dryly. I really wasn’t trying to have a conversation with him. I was still trying to figure how I felt about him and this whole Sky situation. I guess he got the hint, because he didn’t say anything after that.

  I cut the TV on, and the three of us sat in the room quietly watching it. I really wasn’t watching, I was busy trying to process everything. I wanted to be with Tae. I wanted us to be one big family, but the fact of the matter is, he’s married to my sister, and I still don’t know how to feel. Shit, what would my father think if he knew the man his daughter was married to, was the same man that his youngest daughter was pregnant by, and now had a baby by. That’s just not something you hear or see in real life. This shit was something like on The Young and the Restless. I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life, and to know I was living this life was crazy, but that was unimportant. Right now, I had to focus on getting better so that my son and I could get up out of this hospital. I needed to leave Miami and go back to South Carolina so that I could clear my head and get myself together.

  As I sat there, I was thinking about what had happened. Truth be told, I was still feeling a bit shaken up about the accident. Lord knows I had enough going on in my life. I’m just glad that I wasn’t seriously injured. All I can say is that I was blessed and highly favored. I thought for sure that when I had gotten into that accident, I was never going to see the light of day again, but my God had other plans. Not to mention, my guardian angel was there with me through the whole thing. I needed to talk to Kourtney. I was missing her like crazy, and I needed some advice ASAP. Sitting up, I reached for the phone to call her, when she and my brother walked through the door.

  The moment I laid eyes on B, my eyes got misty. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. My one and only brother was home, and I was beyond happy. I haven’t seen my brother since my mother died, and I missed him like crazy. He thinks I didn’t know that he was trying to keep me away from him, but I did. Every time I’d try to go see him, he’d always make up an excuse or change the subject. One time I came, and he denied my visit. I was hurt. I understood what he was doing, but I was still hurt. He was the only person I had until I met Kourtney. Since he was shutting me out, I was alone. It was a good thing when I met Kourtney, because I was damn near about to lose all of my sanity.

  I spent the next few hours catching up with my brother, Kourtney, and my son. Chance and Dontie had to leave, which I was fine with. I didn’t want to be bothered with them no way. Besides, I could tell that something was bothering Dontie. I think it was the fact that I didn’t want him to touch my son, or the fact that I ignored his ass the whole time. That didn’t stop him from trying, though. He finally got the hint after an hour or so. That’s when he decided to bounce. He said that he was going to be back later, but I told him not to even worry about it. I was going to spend the rest of the night catching up with my son. I didn’t want any disturbance.

  “So what’s going on with you?” I asked Brandon.

  “What you mean?” he asked as he sat in the chair, feeding my baby a bottle.

  “Are you going to stay in Miami, or are you going to come to South Carolina to live with me?” I asked, wanting to know what plans he had now that he was out of jail. I didn’t need him staying in Miami, getting into trouble, and possibly going back to jail.

  “Honestly, I haven’t given it any thought yet.”

  “Well, you know that you’re always welcome to come and stay with me if you want to move. Besides, I got a hideaway out here too, if you want to stay here. Just know that if you stay, I’m coming back home,” I said, letting it be known. I was always my brother’s baby. We didn’t have much as kids, but he would always baby me with the little things that we did have. He was more like my father than my real father was.

  “Let me give it some thought first. I’ll let you know when I decide.”r />
  “That’s all I ask,” I said, sitting up. “Now, can you give me my son? It’s Mommy and son time.”

  “No problem. I was about to get out of here anyways,” he said, standing up. He handed me my son before he attempted to walk out the door.

  “Where you going?”

  “I have a few things to do. I’ll come back and see you tomorrow.”

  “Really, Brandon?” I asked. I had no idea what his ass was up to, but I knew it couldn’t be anything nice.

  “I’m not going to get into trouble, little sis. I just want to hit up the mall, get myself a new wardrobe, and get something to eat.”

  “Well, if that’s all you’re going to do, then take Kourtney with you. She’s not busy, and I’m more than sure she doesn’t want to sit around Dontie and Chance all day,” I suggested. I know he was mad, but I didn’t care. I heard what his mouth said, but I wanted to be sure that my brother wasn’t going to get his ass in any trouble. “Besides, how are you going to get to the mall? You don’t have a ride.”

  “Nay Nay!” he yelled. “I told you that I’m going to be fine.”

  “I heard what you said. Since you’re going to the mall, then let Kourtney drive you there. Besides, if you’re going to get a new wardrobe, you should take her. She knows all the latest fashions. She’ll take you from looking like a chump to looking like a model with the quickness.”

  “Nay, that’s a grown man. He don’t need nobody following him around. Shit, he just got out of jail. What makes you think he want to be supervised?” Kourtney asked, looking at me sideways. I gave her a shut the fuck up and go with it look. “Leave the boy be. He’ll be fine.”

  “I know he’s going to be fine, because you’re going to be there,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. I knew if I pouted, he was going to give in to what I wanted.

  For a minute, everyone sat there, not saying a word. Kourtney and Brandon were both looking at me as if I was getting on their nerves, while I sat there, being the spoiled little brat my brother made me into. He knew I was only trying to look out for him and make sure that he would stay out of trouble. He was all I had. I’d be damned if I let him come home and go back to doing the same shit he was doing before he got locked up. There was no way I was going to lose my brother again. He’s lucky I’m up in here and unable to move, because I’d be the one going with him, but since I can’t, I’ll let Kourtney do the job for me. She’s just like me when it comes to life. She’ll make sure that he stays out of trouble, and I know that for a fact.