by Navi' Robins
“Maybe she was setting me up to get lynched or something!”
“I doubt it. She more than likely has some serious issues with being called a bitch and decided to respond with something she knew would bother you just as much as being called a bitch bothered her. Both of you are insane. I think you should marry her.”
“Fuck you very much, Doctor. No thanks. I’m never calling her again.”
“I would hope not . . . She might take away your freedom next time around.”
Starting to laugh again, Daniel turned toward the mirror to wipe away the tears from his eyes. “So, does this mean we aren’t going out tonight?”
“Hell no, we are hitting up that new martini bar on LaSalle tonight!”
“You sure you don’t need some time to lick your wounds or double-check your freedom papers, just in case she really does have a claim on you?” Daniel teased, laughing so hard again, he had to lean on the sink.
Timothy stared at Daniel with eyes filled with anger. Shaking his head while walking out of the bathroom, a sudden thought made him pause before he stepped out the door.
“It was good seeing you laugh, Danny, even if it’s at the expense of my civil rights being violated. See you later tonight . . . and don’t you dare stand me up like you did the last time.”
“Oh, I’ll be there, hoping the ‘WG’ is there as well. You may have to dance for your freedom tonight, Toby.”
“Man, fuck you, dude,” Tim responded while laughing.
Chapter 3
Opening Old Wounds
For several months, Daniel had been getting calls from an unrecognized number. They always called around the same time each day: 8:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. Daniel wasn’t in the mood for anything out of the ordinary, so he decided not to answer the calls and deleted the voice messages without listening to them. He felt his life already had an overabundance of drama, and he didn’t need any more added to his plate—especially from someone he didn’t know.
It was a beautiful Wednesday morning, and Daniel was on autopilot in the ICU and trying to save lives in the process. Summer was in full swing, and so was the gang violence in the city. The innocent were always the ones delivered to the hospital dead on arrival and the combatants alive and kicking—at times literally kicking, trying to keep the cops off of them. Daniel would shake his head as he looked on at the state of the youth today.
Someone should drop them all in the middle of a warring third world country and see how tough they really are, he thought to himself.
He’d just pulled five bullets out of a twelve-year-old girl who miraculously survived a gun attack intended for her gangbanging father. Dr. Kohlman seemed disappointed that she survived and made a comment about “another future welfare queen allowed to live another day in my great country.” Daniel’s unwillingness to allow himself to care made him ignore the doctor’s racist comment and continued to fill out the little girl’s report. Daniel had no illusions about Dr. Kohlman, and he knew that the doctor more than likely believed Daniel was too afraid to speak up. Daniel was far from afraid. He just didn’t see any reason to reprimand a racist that decided to become a doctor. No other profession outside of law enforcement brings different races of people in direct contact with one another than medicine. Anyone in their right mind that wanted to be separated from another race would’ve chosen another profession suited for their separatist beliefs.
Seeing that Dr. Kohlman chose medicine shed light on his lack of proper brain function, and Daniel considered arguing with him about his racist views a waste of time. After giving the little girl’s family the news of her progress, he decided to retire to his office to take a quick nap before he jumped back into the chaos again. Daniel routinely closed his office door before heading out into the madness of the ER. In his mind, his office was his fortress of solitude, and keeping the door closed kept the madness of the outside from infecting his sanctuary. So, when he arrived outside his office, and he noticed his door was slightly ajar, he swallowed deeply, cringing at the thought of someone invading his quiet place.
He slowly opened the door, and standing at the front of his desk was a man in military uniform, accompanied by two women occupying his office. One of the women wore a navy-blue business suit and had a long, blond ponytail that flowed midway down her back. She wore a pair of glasses that covered her ultramarine-blue eyes that were the color of a tropical sea. She was a very attractive middle-aged white woman, and the lack of makeup other than some red lipstick made her beauty more apparent. Her elevated chin and rigid posture let Daniel know that she was a determined woman, and she wore her pride like the suit that covered her thin, athletic frame.
The other woman possessed a beauty that surpassed anything Daniel had ever seen. Her skin was like the color of expensive dark chocolate, so dark it seemed to absorb the sunlight that poured through the window behind his desk. Her hair, just as long as the other woman’s, was also in a ponytail, allowing her beautifully maintained locked hair to flow down her back. She possessed a pair of captivating light brown eyes that seemed to pierce through him, exposing the shattered man that stood before her. She was tall, at least a foot taller than the average woman, with a curvaceous yet physically fit frame that was so inviting, Daniel unconsciously begin to lick his lips, imagining the amazing secrets her naked body could contain.
She destroyed every stereotype concerning the unattractiveness of darker-skinned women. Looking at her, Daniel assumed either she had to be married or well on her way because he couldn’t find a reason any man would be unwilling to marry such a beautiful woman. They were all looking at the doctor as he walked into the office, each of them with an expression that detailed what they expected from him. The uniformed gentleman watched him closely, making sure he didn’t pose a threat to either woman in his office. The businesswoman looked at him like a woman on a mission, and she couldn’t continue her journey until she got what she needed from him. The other woman just smiled at him with compassion in her eyes. Her attitude toward him caught the doctor at a disadvantage, and he began to look away from her piercing gaze.
Trying to keep his eyes off the beauty standing next to his desk, he cleared his throat before speaking.
“How can I help you?”
The businesswoman reached out to him, shaking his hand firmly. Her hand was soft, and she had the most frigid look on her face that he’s ever encountered. He knew that whatever she wanted, she was not here to play games.
“Hello, Dr. Bennett, you’re a hard man to get on the phone. My name is Meagan Quinn. I am from the United Nations War Crimes investigation team. It’s a real honor to meet you. I would also like to introduce Ayana Burundi, who is also from the United Nations. She is our top counselor for survivors of war and genocide.”
Ayana smiled brightly as she held out her hand. When Daniel took her hand in his, warmth immediately began to flow up his arm, and then traveled throughout his entire body. His hand immediately began to sweat as the softness and intricacies of her hand seemed to fit perfectly in his own. Her handshake wasn’t as firm as Ms. Quinn’s, but it was embracing, and he felt his nerves come alive with excitement. Startled by his reaction to merely shaking her hand, he pulled back and began to move toward the other side of his office, trying to avoid eye contact with the smiling goddess near his desk.
Noticing his reaction, Ayana shook her head, smiling brightly, exposing a mouthful of pearly white teeth that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. The contrast of her white teeth and dark skin made her even more amazing. He could tell she was used to this kind of reaction from other men, and it amused her.
“It is also an honor to meet you, Doctor,” Ayana said, still smiling. Hearing her voice startled him, and he began to sweat all over his body. Her accent was heavy, her words spoken like poetry as she pronounced each letter and said each word with meaning. He’d heard someone speak like this before, years ago when he was a volunteer doctor in southern Sudan, and he never dreamed he would hear that melody
again. Actually, he prayed he would never have to relive the nightmare of that melody because it reminded him of the young dead girl in his arms and a village slaughtered right before his eyes.
Ayana was Sudanese, and Daniel feared they were here to ask of him the unthinkable. Feeling a deeper kind of fear grip his body, Daniel tried his best to calm his nerves in order to deal with the possibilities of this visit. After going over every possible scenario, he discovered none of them were favorable for him keeping the little sanity he had left. His nerves were in a frenzy now, and he decided to have a seat at his desk to stop his legs from shaking like twigs in the wind.
“Doctor, Ayana and I are here because we need your help in bringing a monster to justice. United Nations Security Forces captured Kronte a few months ago, the man responsible for the murder of your daughter, and we are building a case against him. If we are successful, he will spend the rest of his life in prison, and his followers will disband.”
“And when you say ‘help,’ you mean testify in court, correct?”
“Exactly. The hearings will be held in Juba, and your testimony could help secure his conviction.”
Realizing his worst nightmare has come knocking on his office door, Daniel immediately decided he wanted no part of reliving an ordeal that nearly claimed his life.
“Listen, you said that this guy attacked other villages, so I know there are other witnesses that will have a more damaging effect than me.”
“That’s not entirely true,” interjected Ayana. “Many people that survived his massacres are too afraid to testify for fear of retaliation. The United Nations has him in custody, but his murdering gang is still at large in South Sudan, intimidating my people from testifying.”
“Listen, Doctor, you were there during one of their raids. You witnessed everything, and they even attempted to murder you,” Meagan continued. “Your testimony could inspire others to come forward, once they see that this man won’t get away with the atrocities he’s charged with. I know you went through a lot over there, and we are asking a lot of you, but what’s the point of surviving such an ordeal if the man responsible is allowed to get away with it?”
“Evil people get away with a lot nowadays. As a doctor in one of the worst areas in this city, I see it every day. So many murders with very few convictions, but I don’t see the United Nations coming into my office asking for testimony for all the little dead black or Hispanic boys and girls that are murdered right up the street from this hospital. I have yet to see a tribunal being held for the drug dealers and gang leaders of this city. Where is the outrage for them, huh?”
Ayana’s bright and welcoming smile began to dissipate with each word that came out of the doctor’s mouth, and by the time he paused from his geopolitical tirade, her face was twisted with disgust at the man in front of her.
“I heard a lot of things about you, Doctor, but being a coward wasn’t one of them. I am ashamed that I held you in such high regard and disgusted that you and I breathe the same air. It’s men like you that allow men like Kronte ‘The Terror’ Kroma to flourish and their evil infect this entire planet.”
The melody of her voice was now more aggressive, and she sucked her teeth before storming out of his office. Daniel leaned slightly to the side to try to sneak a quick peek at her swishing backside to confirm what he secretly thought to himself when he first saw her.
Damn, I knew it! She has an amazing ass. One down, one to go, he thought to himself while watching her leave his office.
Meagan, forcing a smile, attempted to ease the damage that Ayana’s rant may have caused.
“Listen, Dr. Bennett, I completely understand your apprehension, but I can assure you that you will be safe from any retaliation by his followers if you would just—”
Cutting her off, Daniel responded, “You are right. I will be safe because I’m not going within 10,000 miles of that trial. I would say I’m sorry, but I’d be lying. I paid my dues to the motherland, and I don’t intend to give another ounce of blood to that godforsaken continent. Let Africans handle their own business, and let Americans do the same.”
Now looking at the doctor with the same look of disgust, Meagan sat there staring at him for a few seconds longer before preparing to leave his office. Then without warning, the door flung open and in ran Timothy, anxious with something to say. Daniel could tell from his expression that Timothy had either something vulgar or disrespectful to say about women on the tip of his tongue, and he threw both of his hands in the air, attempting to warn him before he let it slip out. Timothy’s excitement prevented him from seeing Daniel’s gesture, and he yelled out, “Dude, white bitches are fucking crazy!”
His words seemed to explode like a grenade in the office, and Daniel cringed at the thought of what could be going on inside Meagan’s head after hearing his proclamation. Now guilty by association, Meagan looked at Daniel, shaking her head and immediately left his office with the silent uniformed escort quickly following her. Burying his head in his hands, Daniel grunted and then chuckled at the events that just unfolded in his office.
Looking completely lost and confused, Timothy whispered, “Oh shit! Was that a white woman?”
Chapter 4
Unforgettable
The time, 4:05 a.m., glared back at Daniel from the digital clock on the nightstand. The red light from the clock barely seemed to penetrate the darkness of his bedroom. The horrible nightmare of the massacre in Sudan continued to haunt him, and with Ayana and Meagan’s arrival, it seemed the nightmares took on a life of their own. The nightmares now seemed to concentrate more on the pain of his beating and the multiple gunshot wounds he received from his attackers. Even after waking up screaming, drenched in sweat, he could still feel the pain of his legs being broken and the searing burn of the bullets piercing his flesh repeatedly. He stumbled, falling to the floor when he tried to walk to the bathroom, his legs refusing to follow the orders of his brain to move.
He sat up on the floor and began rubbing his legs while gritting his teeth. He knew his body was healthy, and the bones in his legs were completely healed, but his mind refused to let go. His body felt like it was losing blood at an alarming rate from the healed bullet wounds on his torso. He tried to fight back the tears of anger and pain, but an emotional tidal wave came over him, and he broke down, sobbing on the floor. Unable to move, he decided to lie there and let his emotions take over until his body had enough, and his brain would come back from the past and into the present . . .
Later that day, Daniel was sitting in his office, staring at the wall when he heard a light knock on his door.
“Come in.”
It was Timothy, looking worried and concerned. “Hey, dude, did I fuck up something big yesterday? Because you left in a hurry and didn’t say anything.”
“Naw, not really. You actually may have helped.”
“Huh? How so?”
Daniel decided to fill Timothy in on the reason why the three visitors were in his office yesterday afternoon and how his outburst helped him.
Timothy sat there listening attentively, and once Daniel was done, he stood up and began walking around.
“Listen, I won’t pretend to know or understand what you went through over there, but don’t you think you were unreasonable . . . just a little bit, bruh?”
Daniel remained silent and just shook his head.
“Hmmm, so that chocolate dreamboat was here for you? Dude, with all that body that woman has and that face? Oh my God! Bruh, I would’ve followed that ass to Jupiter and testified against God himself if she would let a brother hit . . . mmm-mmm . . . I’m usually not into dark-skinned girls, but that one right there . . . woooweee! She was bad!”
Daniel laughed at Timothy’s rantings about Ayana’s beauty.
“All that beauty will get you killed too, Tim. What they are asking me to do could put my life in danger all over again.”
“Or it could give you some closure.”
Shocked by Timothy’s comment, D
aniel decided to leave the office and get away from him, before he started trying to have a heart-to-heart. Timothy, seeing Daniel’s reaction, quickly ran to the door, shutting it, and standing in Daniel’s escape route.
“Nope, I’m not letting you get off that easy. You need to hear this. You haven’t been the same since you came back from Africa. It’s like even though your body is here, you’re breathing and you talk . . . well . . . something like talking . . . It’s like the Danny I grew up with died in that village, and the man standing in front of me is someone else. You’re my boy, and I got your back regardless, but you can’t keep going on like this. It’s not healthy.”
Daniel stood there, giving Timothy a blank stare showing no emotion whatsoever. Looking in his eyes, Timothy couldn’t tell if his friend was even listening to him or if his soul left the room, leaving behind this empty shell of a body. Feeling uncomfortable with the way Daniel was looking at him, he looked down at the floor before stepping aside. Daniel quickly opened the door and walked out of the office, leaving Timothy standing alone in the room, confused.
Daniel’s mind was racing a hundred miles a second as he hurried toward the ICU, attempting to escape Timothy’s assessment of his state of mind.
The nerve of him! Who the fuck does he think he is? He doesn’t know anything about what I went through. I’m perfectly fine. I don’t need anyone telling me what I need to do. I know what’s best for me.
Aggressively walking into ICU, Daniel began yelling out orders to the nurses on duty, startling them in the process. It had been years since anyone has seen him this aggressive. It was clear to everyone that he was furious about something, and they all decided to tread lightly while he vigorously moved from one patient to the next, blaring out orders and demanding their undivided attention. By the end of another twelve-hour shift, he was physically and mentally exhausted, and more than likely had burned a few bridges with the nurses on duty.