“Intelligence and efficiency,” Toni said. “I like that in my men.”
The three males in the room remained quiet, sharing a private observation between them. “That’s why we’re a team. J.R. and Winston will get you started, and . . .”
“Before I go off with your handsome sons to do some real work, I’d like to know if you’re available for a late lunch when I’m finished.”
Jefferson wasn’t ready to answer Toni’s question, especially in light of their conversation prior to Toni walking into their office. He could see Winston and J.R. rolling their eyes and trying their best to keep from laughing out loud. While he was up for a leisurely meal, he didn’t want to sound desperate . . . respond too quickly. He was about to say yes, when his cell phone rang. Jefferson hit the TALK button and before he could say anything, Margo started talking.
“Jefferson, baby, I need you.”
“What is it, Margo?” Jefferson looked up at Winston and J.R., who stared back at him.
“The babies . . .”
“What about the babies?”
“The babies . . . we were hit by a car.”
“Are you all right? Are the babies all right? Where are you?”
“Come quick, Jefferson. We’re at Wake Med. I need you.”
“Hold on, Margo. I’m on the way.” Jefferson hit the END button, grabbed his keys off the desk and proceeded to leave the room.
“Dad, what’s up with Mom?” Winston asked.
“Your mother and the babies were in an accident. They’re at Wake Med.”
“We’re going with you,” J.R. said, as he rushed to his office to get his jacket and keys. “I’ll drive.”
“And I’ll call Winter,” Winston chimed in.
“Another time, Toni,” Jefferson said, looking back at her. “I’ve got an emergency.”
“I understand.”
Father and sons rushed from the building on their way to Wake Med to see about their mother and Jefferson’s soon-to-be ex-wife.
• • •
Toni sat back in the office, not sure what had just happened. One moment she was enjoying the view—Jefferson, J.R. and Winston, and in the next, she wasn’t sure. Daddy had blessed each son with his genes, and each one looked as good as the next. But the one she had her eyes set on was the eldest of the bunch—the mature sapling that had turned her world inside out only the night before. Now, she wanted all of him and there was no way Margo was going to take him from her, even in an emergency.
Toni looked up when she heard footsteps along the tiled floor leading to Jefferson’s office. Cheryl walked through the door, giving Toni the once-over like she didn’t belong. Toni knew that Cheryl didn’t like her, but Cheryl was like crumbs at the bottom of a cookie bag—ready to be tossed out.
Cheryl continued to look Toni up and down. “So, you got left high and dry. You weren’t as important as you thought you were.”
Toni uncrossed her leg and stood up and stared straight into Cheryl’s eyes. “You need to mind your manners, little girl, before Mr. Myles loses this contract. I don’t know what your issue is, but I don’t take kindly to being disrespected, especially as a well-paying client. And I’m sure Mr. Myles won’t like it either when I tell him.”
“You don’t scare me.”
“We’ll see. Let me leave you with a little something because I’m going to be around. You better put that little attitude of yours in check because if you don’t, it may have harmful effects.”
“Is that a threat, Ms. Gillette?”
“Call it what you’d like, but don’t ever say I didn’t warn you.” It was Toni’s turn to give Cheryl the once-over. “Umph. Honey, I don’t know why you’ve got your nose turned up at me because you’re not even in my league. Now, I’ve wasted too much time in idle chitchat with the likes of you. Good day.” And as Toni came, she left . . . alone—this time.
Thirty-Two
The emergency room was chaotic by the time Jefferson, J.R., and Winston arrived. Victims of yet another accident that involved a school bus carrying thirty children and a large SUV had just arrived at the emergency room and everyone was scrambling to assist. Jefferson rushed to the receptionist desk to see if they could locate Margo and the babies.
“I’ll take you to her,” one of the triage nurses, a Ms. Cassandra Little by her nametag, said. “All of you won’t be able to go in, but . . .”
“I’m her husband,” Jefferson said, cutting off Ms. Little. Winston and J.R. gave each other the eye.
“Hey, everybody,” Winter said, out of breath, “I got here as fast as I could. How are Mom and the twins?”
“We just arrived, too. I’m on my way back to see them now,” Jefferson said. He turned and followed Cassandra.
“Why can’t we go back and see them?” Winter asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “I can’t believe this has happened.”
“Policy,” Winston said. “Hopefully, they’ll let us know something soon.”
The trio sat down in the waiting room without a word. People came and went, and although only ten minutes had gone by, it seemed like an eternity.
“Has anyone called Ivy?” Winter asked finally. “She ought to be here. I think she’d want to know.”
“No, we didn’t think to call her,” Winston said. “But we should wait until we know something. No need for all of us to be in panic mode.”
“You would be the one to sympathize with her feelings, while the rest of us are worried stiff.”
“Lighten up, Winter,” J.R. cautioned, getting up from his seat. “Ivy is your sister and she hasn’t done anything to you. You ought to be the bigger person and give her a call. I’m going out for some air, but come and get me as soon as you hear from Pops.”
J.R. went outside and out of sight. “He’s right, Winter,” Winston said. “Ivy hasn’t done a cotton pickin’ thing to you. You’re angry because of the way she’s treated Mom, but woman up and call your sister.” Silence. “Cat got your tongue?”
• • •
Jefferson stepped back when he saw Margo’s blood-soaked clothes. She looked like a budding teenager—so young and innocent. The doctors were cleaning her off and preparing her for surgery. She was drifting in and out of consciousness.
“Where are my babies?” Margo said in a soft voice, opening her eyes. When no one spoke, she turned to the right, and Jefferson knew she had seen him. “Jefferson?”
“Baby, I’m here,” he said, going over to where she lay. Jefferson took her hand in his and squeezed.
“Where are Ian and Evan? Where are my babies?”
“Shhh,” Jefferson whispered. “Relax, I’ll find them.”
A tall, older gentleman with sandy-red hair looked over at Jefferson. “Hello, I’m Dr. Calvin Betts, Chief Orthopedic Surgeon. Ms. Myles has a broken pelvis and fibula fracture from the x-rays we’ve taken. We are going to move her to the operating room as soon as we get clearance.”
“Thank you, Dr. Betts. I’m glad it isn’t any worse than it is.”
“She’s lucky, and so are those twins boys. If she hadn’t sacrificed herself by falling over on them, their outcome certainly would’ve been much different.”
“Dr. Betts, where are the twins?”
At that moment, as if on cue, a middle-aged, African-American female doctor approached them from another room. She looked from Margo to Jefferson. “Mr. Myles, I presume?”
Jefferson extended his hand. “Yes, Jefferson Myles. I’m Margo’s husband. I got here as fast as I could when I received the phone call.”
“I’m Dr. LaTika Anderson, and I’m the boys’ doctor. I’m glad you’re here. I was coming to tell Mrs. Myles that while Evan suffered minor lacerations, Ian suffered a minor concussion, lacerations, and is experiencing what seems to be some internal bleeding for which we’ll need to do surgery right away.”
“Oh, my God,” Margo cried out. “Is that necessary? How could that be, he wasn’t even on the side where we were hit.” Jefferson continued t
o hold her hand.
“The impact threw Evan into Ian, and without anywhere to go, Ian suffered the most from the weight of Evan and Margo,” Dr. Anderson stated. “Right now, I need your permission to proceed. Dr. Betts and his team are anxious to get Mrs. Myles to the operating room.”
“Yes,” Margo and Jefferson replied in unison. “Please save my babies,” Margo cried.
“Just tell me where I need to sign,” Jefferson said, taking the documents from Dr. Anderson. “I’ll handle the paperwork for all of them.”
“Good, but before we proceed, we noted that after taking Ian’s blood sample, his blood type is A with an RH negative factor. I need your blood types so I’ll know which parent to go to in the event you may need to donate blood.”
A cold chill enveloped the room. Jefferson stood still and looked over at Margo, whose eyes were now shut. Dr. Anderson swiveled her head to the side, arched her eyebrows, and looked at both Jefferson and Margo, then up at Dr. Betts. “Is there a problem?”
“I don’t believe either of us is blood type A . . . in fact, I know that Margo and I are both O positive. None of our other children has ever presented an RH negative factor.”
“This complicates the issue,” Dr. Anderson said. “Your little boy may be dependent upon replacement blood, and his twin is too small to even be considered as a donor. We need to make a decision right away.”
Jefferson glanced at Margo again, dropped the papers on the bed, and walked out. A few minutes later he walked back in.
“Is there something you aren’t telling me, Mr. Myles?” Dr. Anderson asked. “Ian’s life is on the line.”
“I’ll sign the papers, but Mrs. Myles needs to make another phone call.”
Thirty-Three
Ivy lay on the bed exhausted and emotionally spent, but she was happy. Not only had her husband satisfied her in ways unimaginable, her conscience was free and clear—her pregnancy no longer a secret. Malik seemed genuinely happy about the prospect of finally becoming a father and now they could move on with their lives and flourish with thoughts of nothing but good times ahead. For sure, Ivy expected that Malik would win the senate seat for Cumberland County.
Malik strolled into the room and sat on the bed next to where Ivy lay, bringing his arm down beside her. “You’re beautiful, Ivy.” He leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly, and she kissed him back in the same manner. They savored the moment and then Malik pulled up, raised her silk nightgown, and caressed her stomach gingerly. “Life . . . our baby.” He smiled, then reached down and kissed her tummy that only gave a slight hint that a new life was growing inside.
“Our love child that we’ll cherish and watch grow into adulthood.”
“Not so fast, girl. I want to play ball with my son or daughter, take them to their first kindergarten class, watch them become a teenager, have a girlfriend or boyfriend, watch them go to their first dance . . .”
“Now, hold up, Malik. You’re getting serious on me.”
“Of course, I am.” He rubbed Ivy’s stomach again. “There’s a human life growing inside of your belly—one that we created. And yes, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since you told me. I’m excited and thrilled about bringing our child into the world, and I love that you’re going to be our baby’s mother. I want to do everything right. He or she is going to have a good upbringing, have a good education to include higher education if they so choose, and I want us to be the best parents we can be.”
Ivy smiled and sat up. “Thank you, Malik. It means so much to hear you say that. This baby will have two special parents who will love him with all they’ve got.” A tear escaped and rolled down Ivy’s face. “I’m glad you’re my baby’s father. Our child is so blessed.”
Malik held Ivy, then kissed her passionately. She prayed for this moment, this day. She was happy.
She felt Malik retreat and reach in his pocket. He grabbed his cell phone and answered it. “Perry, what’s up?”
“Where are you? Sterling Garrison has moved ahead of you by five points in the polls, man. You need to get down to campaign headquarters and put the spark of life back into this campaign. We need you down here to get us back on track. It would be a disgrace to lose this race to that fool.”
“You’re right, Perry. I’ll be down there later on. Right now, I’m trying to spend some quality time with my wife.” Malik smiled at Ivy.
“You can spend time with your wife later. The campaign will be over if you don’t get your head out of the clouds or wherever you got it, if you get what I mean.”
Malik snickered. “Okay, Perry. I got your drift. We’re going to win this thing. Sterling may have a few points on me, but it isn’t checkmate yet.”
“All right, Malik, but I’m warning you, brother. You need to get serious.”
“Okay, gotta go. I’ve got another call.” Before Perry could say goodbye, Malik switched over, looked at the caller ID, and allowed a puzzled look to cross his face.
“What is it?” Ivy asked, her face now voicing the same concern.
“Hold on,” he said to Ivy. “Hello?”
“Malik?”
“Yes.”
“This is Margo.”
“I know. How may I help you?”
“What is your blood type?”
“What do you mean, what is my blood type?”
Ivy sat up and listened.
“What is your blood type?” Margo screamed.
“A.”
“We need you to come to Wake Med in Raleigh right away. The babies and I were in an accident today, and one of the twins needs surgery and may need blood. His blood type is A with an RH negative factor. Neither Jefferson nor I are A-positive. You need to come right away.”
Malik looked at his phone. “I’m on my way.” Malik hit the END button and stared at the phone and then at Ivy, who was staring at him.
“What is it?” Ivy asked, afraid of the answer.
“That was your mother. She and the twins were in an accident.”
“Oh my God,” Ivy said, jumping to her feet and covering her mouth with her hands. “Nothing . . . nothing bad has happened to them . . . I mean they’re all right, right?”
“No, there’s going to be a surgery.”
“I’m going with you.”
“Are you sure you want to do this, Ivy?”
“Why would you ask me a stupid question like that, Malik? You’re talking about my mother and brothers. Yes, I’m going with you. Let me jump into something real fast. I’ll be ready to go in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” Malik said in a hushed voice. He sat on the side of the bed, lost in his thoughts.
Thirty-Four
The drive to Raleigh was met in silence. Eyes shut, Ivy pressed her head firmly against the headrest, while Malik navigated the interstate, going a little above the speed limit but not too fast that it wasn’t safe. He knew that Ivy was saying a prayer for her mother and baby brothers, no doubt feeling some guilt for being selfish for not contacting her mother to let her know that she was all right, back in town, and getting married.
Malik reached over and rubbed Ivy’s arm for reassurance—reassuring her that things would be all right. While she didn’t open her eyes, Ivy squeezed Malik’s hand, and he could hear her praying out loud.
Repressing a sigh, Malik concentrated on the road, knowing that the worst was yet to come. They were twenty minutes from Raleigh, and he never got a chance to tell Ivy why Margo really called. How was he going to explain to his wife that her mother’s children might be his own? In fact, there was a very good chance that the baby boy lying in the hospital and possibly in need of a blood transfusion was his because neither Margo nor Jefferson carried an A-positive blood type with a RH negative factor, but he did. But there were two babies—twins. God help him.
As they neared the exit to turn off for Wake Med, the nerves in Malik’s body were strained. He seemed to be unable to catch his breath, unable to separate himself from what seemed like more of a dream than that
of reality. Malik pulled into the hospital parking lot and found a place to park, glancing periodically over at Ivy. He could see that she was as tense as he was, bracing herself for what was yet to come.
“You all right, baby?” Malik asked, rubbing her arm.
“Yeah, baby.” Ivy sighed. Her eyes began to water. “I hate myself because now that my mother may be in critical condition, I show up, but when my mother needed me . . . when all that she cared about was my welfare, I abandoned her. I don’t blame my sister for the way she acted when she saw us at the restaurant. Winter, I believe, is so much more mature than I am, although I’m the oldest. She has that get up and go and just because I’m a woman don’t think I can’t handle it attitude that I wish I had. I miss her a lot. We better go and see about them.”
Malik opened Ivy’s door and they proceeded to the hospital emergency room. They clutched each other’s hand, put on a brave face, and walked in together. Ivy spotted Winter first. She dropped Malik’s hand and ran and hugged her sister who had been pacing the floor. Winter was surprised but eagerly hugged Ivy back.
Winston and J.R. got up from their seats when they saw their sister and brother-in-law. They hugged, and Malik could see that Ivy was happy that she’d been reunited with her family.
“Where’s Margo?” Malik asked.
“My dad is with her,” Winston said, his arms crossed over his chest, exerting himself as the family spokesperson. “They’re not allowing any of us to go back just yet. Dad has been out once and told us that they’re taking Mom to surgery as well as Ian. They still have Evan back there under observation. A car hit them while they were crossing the street.”
Malik sighed. “My God.” He sighed again. “Margo called me and said that I needed to come right away.”
“Why would she ask you to come? I’m her daughter,” Ivy said with a huff.
“Well, I aim to find out, and I’ll let you all know,” Malik said in his defense and walked away from the group toward the nurses’ station.
In My Rearview Mirror Page 14