“If my little girl doesn’t make it, you’ll have every reason to press charges. You better hope and pray that nothing happens to Ivy.”
“That goes for me, too,” J.R. said through clenched teeth, still rubbing Ivy’s hands with eyes full of tears. “I’ll kill you myself,” he shouted to Malik.
“Enough of that kind of talk, guys,” Elaine said, throwing her hands in the air. “We need to pray that Ivy makes it. All this talk of killing one another is not the way. God is not pleased and isn’t going to even hear our prayers if you all keep talking like that.”
“I hear a siren now,” Winston said, moving from the bedroom to the living room. “I’ll go and get the door.”
Malik stood and looked down at Ivy, tears streaming from his eyes. He couldn’t believe that after all the good reports he received today regarding his campaign being back on track, Ivy would take this moment to retaliate. No matter how hard Malik tried to shake it, he was connected to the Myles family in some crazy kind of way, and it seemed that their purpose was to make him pay for something . . . for what, he wasn’t sure.
The paramedics rushed into the room at Winston’s direction and took Ivy’s vitals. The two paramedics looked at each other and immediately put Ivy on the stretcher. “We need to hurry,” one of the paramedics began, “if she’s going to make it.” Winston gave them the bottle of Percocet, which they believed to be the culprit.
“She’s pregnant,” Malik said as an afterthought. “Please don’t let anything happen to the baby.” And they followed the paramedics outside, and then they were gone.
Jefferson grabbed the front of Malik’s shirt and pulled him within an inch of his face. Malik slapped Jefferson’s hand away, and pulled his shirt down.
“I’m giving you fair warning,” Jefferson began. “If anything should happen to my daughter, I will beat you to a pulp and serve your carcass to the vultures.”
“As soon as I know Ivy is out of the woods, I’m going to the police and have your sorry ass arrested,” Malik retorted. “Put your hands on me again, and I won’t wait.”
“Dad,” Winston called, “Forget him. We’ve got to go to the hospital to see about Ivy.”
“Be glad I have urgent business elsewhere.” Jefferson spit on the ground and turned and walked away.
Malik watched as Jefferson and family got into their car and drove away before turning to get into his own. “You’re going to pay, Jefferson,” Malik said out loud. “No one disrespects me and thinks there’s no consequence.”
Fifty-Seven
Toni Gillette dialed Jefferson’s number, but her call went straight to voicemail. It was now nine in the evening, and for sure he wasn’t still at the hospital worrying about the woman who was soon to be his ex-wife. She thought about the morning they had—steamy, juicy, and full of unadulterated sex. Toni blushed at the thought.
Her objective met for the day, Toni thought about her life as it was now. It was empty. Yes, the new career that she was remodeling for herself was off to a great start. To stay on track, she had to nail down some loose ends and stay on task according to the business plan she had created. Once the website was finished and her online political magazine was up and running, she’d be able to move full steam ahead. Having those juicy tidbits about Malik Mason had already done more than she had anticipated, giving her the jumpstart she needed.
A glass of wine would mellow her out. Toni went to the fridge and pulled out a chilled bottle of wine that was less than half full. She poured the remnants into a wineglass and took a sip.
Lonely was the word that best described how she felt. Fifteen years had passed since the one man she truly loved was killed in a boating accident off the coast of Florida. He was Cuban and went by the name Carlos. They’d been together for five glorious years. Toni called him her canary because he could make her sing high notes when they made love. Carlos was Toni’s heart and soul—a breath of fresh air. He was a great dancer, exciting her with his sultry moves whether he was doing a Latin tango, a salsa, the cha cha cha, or a slow-moving rumba, especially when he wore a white linen shirt and slacks that lay against his olive-brown skin. And as a Latin lover, he was all that—nimble and passionate. He was the best!
Toni took another sip and closed her eyes to the memory. And then Jefferson came into view, although she wasn’t certain why she’d become asphyxiated with him. But then she remembered how Margo talked about her good man who had fallen from grace—now tainted and labeled a bad boy. The picture Margo painted had Toni wanting to meet him, and when the opportunity presented itself, she made her move. He wasn’t her Latin lover, but he was darn near close. But it was his warmth, grace, and the way he approached intimacy that made him almost Carlos’ equal.
She’d make an appointment with him to see how the website was progressing. He’d have to give her time then, especially since she had already given him an advance for the project. Toni grabbed her BlackBerry and sent a text. It was business but she would settle for an intimate evening with him in a heartbeat. She hoped he would respond soon.
• • •
The anxious group sat huddled together in the emergency room waiting area. Elaine held J.R. as he rocked back and forth, trying to calm his nerves. Winston jumped up from his seat and went outside. He dialed Winter’s number once more, hoping to reach her in order to let her know what was going on. Jefferson and Malik were on opposite ends of the waiting room, Jefferson getting up from his seat every three minutes or so to pace the waiting room floor, while Malik didn’t move, say a word, or bother to look in the others’ direction.
Seconds, minutes flew by without any word. Forty-five minutes later, a nurse appeared from behind the main arterial of the emergency room and stopped in front of Malik. Jefferson stood and began to walk to where Malik stood talking to the nurse. However, before Jefferson got there, the nurse whisked Malik away. Just before they disappeared through the doorway that led to where Ivy was being treated, Jefferson called out.
“Excuse me. I’m Ivy Mason’s father. Is she all right?”
The nurse cocked her head and frowned at Jefferson. “She will be.” And then they were gone.
Jefferson was defeated and uttered a string of curses. He sighed, then walked over to where Winston, J.R., and Elaine were now standing, each of them waiting to find out what was going on with Ivy.
“What did the nurse say?” Winston asked excitedly when Jefferson was in front of them.
“The nurse said that Ivy will be all right. It pissed me off that the nurse dismissed me like I was nobody. I’m Ivy’s father and I have a right to know what’s going on with my daughter.”
“Malik might have said something to her,” J.R. added. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“He can’t keep me away from my daughter,” Jefferson retorted. “It’s Malik’s fault that she’s here in the first place.”
“It’s going to work out, Pops,” J.R. interjected. “I’m sure that when this ordeal is over, she’ll want to be as far away from Malik as possible. I wished she had come and stayed with me when she returned to North Carolina.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” Winston stated. “No one had any idea what Ivy was up to and that it would come to this. You couldn’t have prevented it if you tried.”
“Listen to your baby brother,” Elaine said, squeezing J.R.’s hand. “Ivy is going to be all right.”
“I guess there’s nothing we can do but wait,” Jefferson said. And they sat down and waited.
Fifty-Eight
Malik followed the nurse and was taken to a private room. His stomach was in knots and tiny beads of sweat dotted his forehead. He wasn’t sure how Ivy was going to look, so he braced himself for the worst, although the nurse had already said she was going to make it.
They entered the room, and an ER doctor and nurse were checking Ivy’s vitals. Ivy’s eyelids were closed and she lay still in the bed. Fear gripped Malik, his stomach muscles tightening even more. He exhaled and waited to
hear the doctor’s prognosis.
“Mr. Mason, I’m Dr. Sexton. Your wife is a very lucky woman. If she had arrived in our ER even ten minutes later, I don’t think there would have been a happy ending. Having said all of that, I can’t say that all of my news is good. We’ve pumped the pills from her body; however, the fetus that was growing inside of her did not survive.”
“No!” Malik said out loud in desperation. “No, please don’t tell me we lost the baby. Please say it’s not so.”
“Mr. Mason, as I said, you’re fortunate to have your wife with us. She’s young, and you can have more children.”
Malik went and stood next to Ivy. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he cried unashamed. “Ivy, I’m sorry, baby. Whatever you were thinking when you took those pills, if I’m the cause, I’m sorry.”
“Mr. Mason, we’re going to keep Mrs. Mason overnight for observation,” Dr. Sexton began. “I’ll need you to go to the administrative office so we can admit her. The nurse will give you papers to do so. You can stay with her the night if you like. We’ll have to report the overdose to the police.”
Malik straightened up. “Do you have to . . . ah . . . report this to the police? My wife is rather private, and for whatever reason she took the pills, I’m sure she wouldn’t want this to go to press.”
“Do you know why she would try and take her own life, sir?” Dr. Sexton inquired, searching Malik for a clue.
Malik looked at Dr. Sexton with a puzzled look on his face. “No,” Malik said defiantly.
“All right then, as soon as you’ve taken care of the paperwork, we’ll move Mrs. Mason to a private room. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Malik let Dr. Sexton’s words roll around in his mind. Do you know why she would try and take her own life? Yes, he had a good idea but he wasn’t going to sing like a canary when his political career was on the line. Political career? Oh my God. He needed to get out of there fast and call Perry. Malik took the paperwork from the nurse and left the room.
He avoided Jefferson and his sons by exiting the ER through a set of doors that led into the hospital’s interior. Out of earshot, he immediately pulled his cell phone from its holder on his waist and called Perry.
Malik plunged forward, not waiting for Perry to extend his customary greeting. “Perry, don’t panic.”
“Malik, what’s up? Sounds like you’re the one in panic mode.”
“You won’t believe this. Ivy took an overdose of pills. I found her in time, though.”
“Damn, Malik! Is she all right? Where are you?”
“I’m at Cape Fear Hospital.”
“The hospital?”
“We had to call the ambulance because Ivy wasn’t responding when we found her.”
“Who’s we?”
“Her father and brothers. They were worried about her and drove to Fayetteville to see about her. I can’t believe this is happening.”
“You and me both. This couldn’t have come at a worse time. Your numbers are going up and all I can see is our hard work going down the drain. Maybe we can keep this quiet.”
“That’s just it, dawg. The doctor said he had to report it because it was an attempted suicide.”
“Damn. Malik, your middle name must be sabotage. You need to take a moment to think about whether or not you want to continue this campaign. This little event with Ivy is not going to be good headline news material. We’re in a sinking ship.”
“I’m not giving up, Perry. Now if you want to jump ship, be my guest. I’ll get someone else to run it. I thought you were in it for the long haul—for better or worse. Hopefully the news about Ivy will blow over as quickly as it happened.”
“Why did she try to kill herself, Malik? The press is going to want an answer to that question. I’m not a quitter, dawg, but I know what it looks like when the chips are down.”
“We’re going to pull this off, Perry. Just hang in there. I can make this right.”
“You better because this is the last straw, friendship be damned.”
“Okay, frat. I’ll make it up to you . . . don’t cop out on me now.” And the phone conversation ended abruptly.
Fifty-Nine
Two-and-a-half hours passed without a word from Malik or the doctors. Jefferson tried unsuccessfully to gain access or get an update on Ivy’s condition. When the group looked up, Winter and Phillip rushed toward them with Evan in Winter’s arms. Winter looked as if she’d make a great mother.
“What’s up with Ivy?” Winter asked out of breath. Elaine got up and took Evan from Winter’s arms, while everyone else got up to give Winter a hug and Phillip a fist bump.
“We believe Malik has prohibited the hospital staff from telling us anything,” Jefferson said. “If it weren’t for your brothers, I would’ve stormed the place by now but I’m smart enough to realize that it’s not the way to get answers. So here we are waiting to see if Malik is going to do the right thing. He’s only seconds away from an ass whooping anyway.”
“That selfish son-of-a-bitch isn’t going to get away with this,” Winter rushed to say. “Malik knows good and well that Ivy is in this hospital because of what he said. If it didn’t mean that I’d be locked up behind bars, I’d beat his brains in myself. I don’t understand how he could destroy our family like this when he was once someone we looked up to and held in high esteem. Makes me sick.”
“Believe me,” Jefferson said, “Malik is not going to get away with this. He may think he’s off the hook, but I guarantee he’s going to have a heavy price to pay.” As an afterthought, Jefferson said, “I remember when I loved him like he was my own brother.”
“Hold that thought, Dad,” Winston said. “Malik must have heard you because he’s walking this way.”
“He looks strange,” Winter added.
Jefferson stood with his arms folded across his chest. There was no warmth in Malik’s face as he moved toward the hostile-looking group. Malik stopped and stood in front of Jefferson.
“Ivy is going to be all right.”
There was a collective sigh from the group. “Can we go and see her now?” Jefferson asked.
“She’s being admitted for observation and I’ve just completed the paperwork. I’ll let you know as soon as they’ve placed her in a room.” Malik sighed. He looked from Jefferson to the rest of the Myles clan. “Ivy lost the baby.”
“Oh my God,” Winter cried out. “She wanted that baby so bad. God, why did this have to happen?”
Malik was quiet with downcast eyes. He finally looked up. “I’ll be back.” And he was gone as quickly as he had come.
“What’s happening with this family?” Winter pushed. “First Momma, now Ivy. Who’s next?”
Phillip put his arm around Winter. “It’s going to be all right, Winter.”
“Yes, it’s going to be all right, sis,” Winston chimed in. “The Myleses are a family and we stick together. Right, Dad?”
“You got that right, son.”
“Ivy must be out of it knowing that she’s lost her baby,” Winter blabbered on. “I need to see my sister now.”
“We all want to see her, Winter,” J.R. put in. “We haven’t been here all night for the fun of it.”
“It’s all right, J.R.,” Winston said, being overprotective of his twin. “Winter always gets emotional.”
“Hell, I’m emotional, too. Ivy and I are very close . . .”
“So close that she didn’t tell you she was marrying Malik?” Winter remarked.
“Okay, guys,” Jefferson jumped in. “This is not the time. Anyway, I see Malik coming down the hall. Don’t let him see us disjointed.”
Lips shut, everyone watched as Malik approached. Malik handed Jefferson a piece of paper. “This is the floor and the room Ivy is in. I’ll stay here so that you all can go up and see her. She’s only been awake for a half-hour and . . . and she,” Malik sighed, “doesn’t know about the baby.”
Everyone looked in Jefferson’s direction as the spokesperson for the group. Jef
ferson was seething, but he decided to keep his emotions in check. “Thanks for the information.” Jefferson looked around at his family and nodded for them to follow.
“I’m sorry,” Malik said.
Jefferson turned around as did the other family members. There was no love lost and the only thing Jefferson could do was stare. When he couldn’t look at Malik any longer, he turned and headed for the elevator with the rest of the family tagging behind.
“Can you believe that sorry SOB had the nerve to say he was sorry?” J.R. said to the group. “God knows that I’m trying very hard to act as an adult should, but something in me wanted to slap his face and stomp him into the ground.” J.R. looked at Elaine. “I guess going to church has done some good because pastor’s preaching reached the sane part of my head in time.”
Everyone laughed.
“Believe it or not,” Jefferson began, “I felt the same way. I wanted to make good on my threat to Malik. The urge to beat him into oblivion was so at my fingertips, I could taste his blood. However, something inside made me back down. I feel sorry for Malik. He’s been searching for something his whole life that he’s yet to find. Oh, he was always the good friend with the positive outlook on life, and he was for awhile. Now the real person has shown up. Even made me take notice of my own life and what I’ve done to my family. I love you all; I love your mother. I’ve been praying that this family can become whole.”
“Oh, Daddy,” Winter said, reaching up to give him a big hug. “You are my hero at this moment. You’ve said the first positive thing tonight. Now, I’m ready to go see my sister and help her any way we can.”
“I’m there for your mother if she wants my help,” Jefferson said.
“Uhm hmmm,” Winston hummed. “Yeah, right, Dad.”
“Pops, I’m proud to be your son,” J.R. added. “I believe the Myles family is on its way to recovery.”
“Yes, we are,” Jefferson said. “Yes, we are.”
In My Rearview Mirror Page 23