I'm Doin' Me 2

by Anna Black

  She smiled until she drifted off to sleep. She dreamt of her baby and Rose’s and Asia’s baby playing together. Her dream was so vivid and colorful, and their kids were happy. Then her dream shifted and she saw Tressa. Tressa was as beautiful as the day they met, and she stretched out her arms. “Tressa,” she called out in her dream. “What are you doing here? Why did you leave Mr. Green?”

  Tressa laughed. “I didn’t leave my father. I just wanted peace, and there was no peace there.”

  “Wait, Tressa, I don’t understand, why are you here?”

  “Call me, Isabella. My daddy loved Isabella, so call me Isabella.”

  “Okay, Isabella, why did you leave us?”

  “I left for me,” she said, and Tiffany jumped. She woke up out of her sleep, and her heart was racing. She was breathing fast, and she was frightened by her dream. She sat up straight and reached for her bottle of water that was on the little table and drank it all. A few moments later, Asia called for her.

  “Huh, what?”

  “Come on inside. Everything is ready for you and your guests are starting to arrive,” she said.

  Tiffany took a few moments to get herself together, then she stood. Her stomach was large and low, and she had to go to the bathroom bad. She went inside, went to the bathroom, and then went to enjoy her baby shower. She wondered what was keeping Kory, so she texted him. He didn’t reply, but a few minutes later, he walked in. It was a coed shower, so they did things that both men and women could enjoy, and after she had opened all of her gifts, Kory gave her his. It was three charm bracelets; one for him, one for her, and one for the baby, and on all three charms, it had a mommy, daddy, and Kourtney charm. They had agreed to name her Kourtney a couple of weeks ago, and Tiffany was happy with her gifts.

  She and Kory headed home and settled into bed. At four a.m., Tiffany was jolted out of her sleep with pain. She lay back down, but ten minutes later, there it was again. “All right, now, little one, relax . . . I didn’t eat that much salsa,” she said rubbing her belly.

  She nestled back next to Kory, and ten minutes or so later, another pain. “Kory, baby, wake up,” she shook him.

  “What, baby, what is it?”

  “I think I’m in labor.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve had the same pain to hit me ten minutes apart, Kory, and it is not gas,” she stressed. She went to the hospital one night because gas had hit her so bad she thought it was labor, but after a Sprite and a few windbreakers, she was better.

  “Okay, baby, but we should—”

  “Awe, awe, awweee,” she panted. “If you are going to suggest waiting, wrong answer, Kory.”

  He got up and threw on some clothes. He helped her into a summer dress and flip-flops. By the time they made it, her contractions were five minutes apart. The nurse checked her, and she was at five centimeters dilated, so they paged her doctor. By eight twenty-five a.m., Tiffany and Kory were parents.

  Tiffany called Rose and Asia, and then she called Mr. Green. She could not wait for Langley and Estelle to arrive to introduce them to their daughter. Rose and Asia vacated the room when the Greens made it, and Tiffany handed her to Langley.

  “Kory and I would like you to meet Ms. Kourtney Isabella Banks.” Estelle gently rubbed her head, and Mr. Green teared up.

  “Tiffany, I know you are not my daughter, but can you let her call me Pop-Pop?”

  Tiffany smiled brightly. “Yes, indeed.”

  Kory kissed the side of her head, and she allowed Mr. and Mrs. Green time to bond with little Isabella. She wasn’t a replacement, but she would make sure her little Isabella was a part of their lives.

  “She is going to be spoiled beyond belief,” Langley said as he handed her back to Tiffany.

  “No muy mal estado, aunque,” Estelle said in Spanish. Tiffany and Kory both looked at Mr. Green.

  “She said, not too spoiled, though.” They all laughed.

  Two days later, Tiffany and the baby were home. Everything was perfect, and Tiffany couldn’t have asked for more.

  It’s My Time to Shine

  Episode 36

  Tracy

  Tracy sat in her car watching the Banks’s home like a hawk. She had camped outside their home for the past two months, and she had their routine and schedule down. Now that Tiffany had had the little bastard child, she would be home, and it was finally time for Tracy to make her move. She’d wait until Kory leaves for his morning run. She planned to get in and get out as quickly as possible. She didn’t want to wait until Kory left for work, because that wasn’t consistent since he’d come and go at different times, but he always did his morning run at the exact same time.

  As soon as she saw Kory leave the house she got out. He’d leave from the front door every single time, and she never once saw him lock the door. She crept up to the house and hoped no nosy neighbors saw her. She didn’t know if Tiffany would be sleeping or up or what, but she knew she’d be off her game. She had had a baby four days ago, so she knew she probably wouldn’t put up much of a fight.

  Heart racing, palms sweating, hands trembling, Tracy approached the front door. She turned the knob, and the door opened. She didn’t open it wide because she tried to be as quiet as possible. She pushed the door shut and looked at her watch. She only had twenty-five more minutes to go in and take care of Tiffany, and then get out of Dodge. She should have hurried to the second floor, but she paused and looked around Tiffany’s beautifully decorated home.

  It looked as if it belonged in a magazine, but she didn’t have time to admire the décor or design. She crept up the stairs trying to be as quiet as she could, but the step before the last one made a sudden noise. Tracy froze.

  “Baby, are you back?” Tiffany called out.

  Tracy said nothing.

  “Baby, can you please get a bottle for Isa,” Tiffany said.

  Tracy was glad she spoke, so she wouldn’t have to guess what room she was in. She inched her way to the room where she heard the sound come from. Then she boldly walked in.

  “I’m not your baby.”

  Tiffany gasped. “Tracy, what are you doing in my house? Why are you here?”

  Tracy looked at her in her huge Cal king-sized bed. Her bedroom was just as spectacular as the rooms she saw on the first floor.

  “It’s my time, bitch, and it’s time for you to pay up for everything you’ve done to me.” Tracy pulled out a gun.

  “Please, Tracy, I just had a baby. Please put that gun away. If you want a job, I’ll give you a job. Money, I have plenty, just please put that gun away.”

  “Don’t! You sorry piece of shit. How dare you say please or beg me for anything! You think you’re better than me!”

  “No no no,” Tiffany whispered and shook her head. She held her baby tightly in her arms, and Tracy was ready to do what she came to do.

  “Put the baby down, Tiffany.”

  “Tracy, please don’t do this. I’m a mother. My daughter needs me. Don’t do this. We can work this out.”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Tracy yelled. She was at the end of the road, and the only thing that would give her satisfaction is putting a bullet in Tiffany’s head. “Put the baby down now!” she demanded again, and Tiffany laid her infant close to her, near her thigh.

  “You can do whatever you want to me, Tracy, but please, I’m begging, don’t hurt my baby, don’t hurt Isabella, please,” Tiffany begged.

  “Fuck you and your baby!” Tracy said and squeezed the trigger—but she didn’t squeeze it before Kory got one off. His bullet caught her in the head, and her bullet caught Tiffany in the right shoulder.

  Tracy went down, and Tiffany wailed in pain.

  * * *

  Through tear-filled eyes, Tiffany watched Kory as he stood in the doorway with his gun still drawn and aimed at Tracy’s body on the carpet, and Tiffany assumed she didn’t make any more moves after he put his gun down. Kory went to her body first, knelt down, and made sure Tracy was incapacitated, a
nd then he rushed over to Tiffany. She shook uncontrollably. Blood was everywhere, even on their newborn. Kory called 911, and then he picked up the baby.

  “Is Isabella okay, Kory, is our baby okay?” Tiffany moaned. Kory quickly examined her to make sure she wasn’t hurt. The only blood on her was Tiffany’s blood. Isabella cried loudly from all of the excitement, Tiffany figured, but she wanted to make absolutely sure she wasn’t hurt. He held Tiffany close, even though she had a bullet in her arm.

  “I’ll never let either of you go, baby,” he cried holding them tightly. Tiffany was sobbing and shaking so bad that Kory said. “Baby, you’re going to go into shock. You have to calm down,” but that didn’t make her shaking subside.

  “Tiffany, baby, you have to calm down. Breathe, baby, breathe. Isabella is okay, baby, and we need you to breathe, honey,” he instructed.

  Tiffany looked up at him and nodded her head, but still shook uncontrollably. “How did you know?” she cried to Kory. “How did you know she was up here?”

  “I left from here so fast this morning that I forgot my headphones. When I came back into the house to look around for them, I heard everything on the baby monitor. Luckily, we keep one of the guns locked away downstairs, because I would have been defenseless otherwise. The gun over there in the nightstand would have been too far for you to reach.”

  “I didn’t hear her come in, Kory. Even if I would have, I would have thought it was you. Thank God you came back when you did. She came into my house to kill me, Kory. She wanted to kill me,” Tiffany cried.

  “I know, baby, and it’s my fault. I never lock the door in the mornings. I didn’t know that nut was lurking around,” he said, and then held her tightly until they heard the police and paramedics. He moved away and went to the top of the stairs. “We’re up here,” he yelled, and within seconds, the paramedics and the police were in the master bedroom. They stabilized Tiffany to get her to the hospital. Although Kory wanted to ride along with Tiffany, he had to stay and answers questions and assure they removed Tracy’s body from his home.

  He sent Tiffany and the baby to the hospital and dealt with the police. Finally, they removed Tracy’s body from the bedroom. Blood was everywhere. Kory called Rose to let her know what happened. He called Langley after he got to the hospital, and Mr. Green ordered him to stay with Tiffany like a concerned father. No way would Kory leave his wife’s side, but he assured Mr. Green that he would.

  Later, Rose, Asia, Mr. and Mrs. Green, Myah, and whoever could fit in her hospital room were there to see her. The staff warned her about all the people and noise, but Mr. Green ordered that she be put in a private room, and no one bothered her again about the noise and the many visitors. By the time Tiffany was released to go home, Kory had suggested that they get a hotel for a few days until their room was cleaned and all the traces of the tragic day were no longer visible. When they got home, their room looked as if nothing ever happened.

  Thanks to Mr. Green, her house felt safe again because he had cameras installed, their circular driveway that was once open to enter from the street had a huge gate that required a code to enter. Their home was now fenced in, front and back, and although Tiffany thought it was a bit much since Tracy was dead and no longer a threat, she was grateful and felt like she and her family would be safe. Mr. Green made sure Tiffany had everything she needed and promised her as long as he lived he’d take care of her like a father.

  Three weeks later, Tiffany returned to work and took things day by day. She learned to appreciate all she had and the people she loved, and she promised herself that she’d live life to the fullest and let the past be what it was . . . the past. Asia and Edward conceived again. Rose and Levi had a healthy baby boy, and Myah and Cameron got engaged. As for Dee, let’s just say he is too fly and to all about himself to fall in love!

  The End