by Darrien Lee
Keaton and the guard stepped aside so the maid could unlock the door. They walked in and the maid closed the door behind them.
Meridan’s heart was beating wildly as she rode up the elevator in silence. Once she reached the designated floor, she stepped out and headed toward the suite. As she got closer to the room she heard angry voices. When she slid the card key into the slot and opened the door, she gasped.
“Oh my God!”
Meridan looked down and saw the bloody body of the guard on the floor. “Meridan! Get out of here!” Keaton yelled.
She was frozen in fear when she looked up and saw Sam dressed in a maid’s uniform holding a gun on Keaton. Sam motioned for her to go move over next to Keaton, which she hurriedly did.
“Meridan, you’re trembling,” Sam said sarcastically. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Hmm, and I must say you have a delicious tongue.”
Keaton gritted his teeth and said, “You bitch!”
Laughing, Sam said, “What’s wrong, playboy? You’re just mad because I’ve had a taste of your girl here?”
Meridan was angry and scared. “Why are you doing this, Sam? Why don’t you leave me alone?”
“No can do, babe,” Sam boasted. “I’m going to have you right here, right now, and I’m going to let your boy here have a ringside seat.”
Meridan began to cry.
“Get into the bedroom!” Sam yelled angrily.
Keaton said, “You must be crazy if you think I’m going to stand here and let you do anything to her!”
She pointed the gun directly at Keaton and asked, “Oh! Do you want to be a hero tonight? Huh, playboy?”
“I don’t care what you do to me, but you’re not going to hurt Meridan!” he screamed.
Sam yelled, “I said, get into the goddamn bedroom!”
Keaton took a step toward Sam, but Meridan grabbed his arm, stopping him. It was obvious Samantha was unstable.
Staring at the gun, Meridan asked, “Sam, haven’t you ruined my life enough? Put the gun down!” she begged.
“No! I’m tired of people coming between us!” she yelled.
Crying, Meridan said, “Why can’t you understand that I’m not like you?”
Sam shook the gun at Keaton. “You’re not supposed to be standing here anyway. I loved the way your car zoomed down that hill. I wasn’t counting on that truck missing you though.”
Making fists, Keaton said, “I knew it was you who tampered with my brakes!”
Meridan yelled, “You’re going to end up back in that horrible place you just got out of, or dead!”
Keaton stood there trying to think of something to do to distract Sam and his wait wasn’t long.
Aiming the gun at Keaton, she said, “You know what? Maybe I should go ahead and get rid of you. Say goodbye to your lover boy, Meridan, because starting tonight, it’s going to be just you and me.”
Meridan’s eyes widened as she watched Sam’s finger squeeze the trigger. At that moment, Jacob burst through the door and yelled, “Sam!”
She turned and fired, missing Jacob. He shot back, striking her in the neck.
Keaton shielded Meridan from the gunfire as he knocked her to the floor. As Sam lay bleeding, Jacob walked over and stood over them. He asked, “Are you guys okay?”
Keaton looked up at Jacob in disbelief. As he helped Meridan up off the floor, he said, “Thank you, Jacob.”
He blew his breath across the nozzle of the gun and said, “Don’t mention it. I had to do something to help out my homegirl.”
Meridan hugged Jacob tightly and whispered, “Thank you, Jacob. You saved our lives.”
Jacob smiled. “I told you I’d be your guardian angel, didn’t I? That Amazon got what she deserved for hurting you.”
Before Meridan could respond, another shot rang out in the room. Keaton turned and realized that Sam still had her weapon in her hand. The bullet struck Jacob in the back and, since Meridan was still holding onto him, they both fell to the floor. Keaton picked up Jacob’s gun, but before he could shoot, security guards and several police officers stormed the room. As they apprehended Sam, they realized she had expired and she was quickly pronounced dead at the scene. The officers went over to assist Jacob and he also was pronounced dead at the scene, as well as the guard who was with Keaton.
Everything was moving so fast and what Keaton hadn’t realized was that the bullet that struck Jacob had passed through his body into Meridan. Keaton looked down and yelled, “No!”
A policeman yelled, “Is she breathing?”
Another officer yelled, “I think so! Get some help in here!”
A guard checked Meridan’s pulse and yelled in the radio, “I need LifeFlight here, now!”
Keaton cradled her lifeless body in his arms in total hysterics as she lay bleeding. Officers tried their best to comfort him.
“She’s going to be all right, man. Talk to her,” one of them urged.
Keaton leaned down and whispered the depth of his love in her ear. Luckily, there were paramedics onsite and, within minutes, they were on the scene. They rushed in to give medical attention to her and, at the same time, Arnelle walked through the door. She screamed when she saw Meridan bleeding on the floor.
An officer comforted her and said, “It’s okay, we’re taking care of her.”
She ran over to Keaton and frantically asked, “Keaton! Are you okay?”
He mumbled, “I’m fine, but Meridan’s hurt bad.”
“Oh my God!”
The paramedics were working frantically to save Meridan’s life.
A plainclothes detective walked into the room and asked, “Sir, can you identify this gentleman?”
With sadness, Keaton explained, “That’s Jacob Richardson, her childhood friend. He saved our lives.” Keaton looked up at a guard and asked, “How did this happen?”
The guard said, “I’m sorry, Sir, but some protesters stormed the ballroom, distracting everyone. We lost sight of Miss St. John in the crowd. You have my deepest apology.”
Watching the paramedics work on her, Keaton mumbled incoherently, “How am I going to tell her father? He’s downstairs and has to know something has happened!”
Arnelle tearfully said, “I’ll get him, Keaton. You ride along with Meridan and we’ll meet you at the hospital.”
Keaton stood there in a daze, unable to tear his eyes away from Meridan as they put her on the stretcher.
Arnelle hugged Keaton and yelled, “Keaton, she’ll be okay…go! I got this.”
Keaton followed the paramedics out of room and up to the roof for air transport to the hospital.
CHAPTER 59
At the hospital, Keaton and all the rest of the family paced the floor as they waited for Meridan to get out of surgery. William had been in the hospital chapel for a while praying. Keaton slowly made his way to the chapel to join him.
He sat down next to him in the serene room and sighed. With his head hanging, he said, “William, I don’t know what I’ll do if—”
“Don’t even think like that, Keaton. Meridan’s going to make it. She has to. She’s my baby girl. I lost Eleanor and that was painful enough.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Keaton sat there looking down at Meridan’s blood that still stained his shirt. He cradled his head in his hands. “I wish she’d never come back here,” he cursed himself. “I was being selfish by wanting her here.”
William put his hand on Keaton’s shoulder. “You weren’t being selfish, son. We all knew this thing had to eventually come to an end. I just hate that my daughter and Jacob ended up this way.”
Keaton openly sobbed.
Angry, William said, “That girl was out of her mind! The police found a couple of vials of cocaine in her jacket. I don’t know how I’m going to break the news to Jacob’s parents. I’ve known that boy all his life.”
Keaton cleared his throat and softly said, “Jacob saved our lives.”
William closed his eyes and continued to pray.
Keaton sat there in silence as he said his own special prayer for Meridan.
Moments later, Leona came to tell them Meridan was finally out of surgery. They hurried upstairs and stood in complete attention as they listened to the surgeon explain the extent of Meridan’s injuries.
The surgeon said, “We’ve repaired all the damage and removed the bullet fragments. Meridan’s a lucky woman because had it been a few more inches either way, she would’ve been in serious trouble. But even better news is that the baby is just fine.”
The whole family stood there in shock and silence staring at him. Gwendolyn’s and Nichole’s mouths hung open as tears dropped from Keaton’s eyes.
Zenora yelled, “Praise God!”
William asked, “What did you say?”
The doctor said, “I said, Meridan’s unborn child is doing just fine.”
They all continued to stare at him.
William asked, “What baby? Are you telling me my daughter is pregnant?”
“I’m sorry. I assumed you already knew,” the surgeon answered.
“No, we didn’t know,” William explained. “My daughter can’t have children!”
The doctor tucked the clipboard under his arm. “I don’t know Meridan’s medical history, but I know at the present, she is pregnant. We’ll need to keep a close eye on her for a few days, but her prognosis looks very good.”
Gwendolyn and Nichole hugged each other and cried openly after hearing the news. William turned and looked at Keaton. He asked, “Did you know about this?”
Wiping his tears away, he said, “No, Sir, I didn’t know.”
William also teared up as he pulled Keaton into a warm embrace. The two men hugged each other tightly. They were both thankful that their prayers had been answered, in more ways than one.
Releasing Keaton, William turned to the surgeon and asked, “Excuse me, doctor, when can I see my daughter?”
The doctor looked at his watch. “She’s being moved into Intensive Care. You can see her in about thirty minutes, but only for about five minutes. She’s been through a lot tonight so it might be best to wait until morning.”
Keaton shook the surgeon’s hand and said, “No, Sir. I have to see her tonight.”
Smiling, he said, “I understand, but remember only for about five minutes.”
William turned to Keaton and asked, “I wonder if Meridan knows she’s pregnant?”
Nikki stepped up and said, “I doubt it, Mr. St. John. She would’ve told me.”
Keaton looked seriously at everyone and said, “If all of you don’t mind, I would like to be the one to tell Meridan about our child, but I want to wait until we get home. Agreed?”
The family nodded in agreement as well as the doctor.
Nichole walked over and hugged Keaton. “Keaton, I’m so happy for you guys and I’m so glad this nightmare is over. I’m so sorry about Jacob, but I’m glad he was there to save you guys.”
Keaton hugged her. “I know, Nikki. I can’t believe I’m going to be a father. I told Meridan it didn’t matter whether we had children or not.”
William walked over and said, “I guess God had a different plan for you two.”
“I believe he did,” Keaton said as he hugged William again.
They walked side by side down the hallway to the Intensive Care Unit.
CHAPTER 60
Meridan recovered after spending two weeks in the hospital. Now she was ready to go home so she could fully recover. Keaton hardly ever left her side unless William or his parents stopped by to relieve him. When William told her that Jacob was dead, she was devastated and cried hysterically for him. He had been a good friend over the years, but thankfully they settled their differences before his untimely end.
When Keaton pulled up to his house, everyone was on the porch to welcome Meridan home. There were balloons and a huge sign welcoming her.
Blushing, she looked up at Keaton. “You did all this?”
“Nah, the family did it. Let me get you inside.”
Opening the door, he helped her out of the car and picked her up into his arms. He carried her up the stairs and into the family room. He sat her in the chair and she looked around at all the food and decorations.
Becoming emotional, she said, “Thanks, you guys. This is so sweet.”
Hugs and kisses were showered upon Meridan until she eventually sobbed with joy. While everyone was mingling, Keaton tapped on his glass to get everyone’s attention.
“First, I would like to thank all of you for your prayers and help during Meridan’s hospital stay. If it hadn’t been for you guys, I don’t know if I would’ve made it.” Everyone smiled as Keaton’s voice cracked as he spoke. He held Meridan’s hand and continued. Turning to William, he said, “William, I love your daughter with all my heart and it’s because of that love that Meridan and I would like to let you and the rest of the family know that we decided to make it official.”
Everyone in the room was silent as they watched Keaton help Meridan up out of her seat. They knew it was inevitable for him to propose to her and it seemed the time was now.
Meridan kissed him. “What Keaton is trying to say is that we are officially Mr. and Mrs. Keaton Lapahie and have been for some time now.”
William yelled out, “What the hell? When?”
Zenora folded her arms and said, “I know you two didn’t!”
The whole room immediately filled with noisy chatter as everyone tried to get an understanding of what they had just heard.
Keaton looked at Meridan and said, “I told you they would be upset.”
“They’ll get over it,” she said with a smile.
Keaton tapped on the glass again and said, “We’re sorry for breaking the news to you like this, but we wanted to wait until we could tell you all together.”
Nikki, Gerald, Gwendolyn, and Arnelle all clapped loudly upon hearing the news. Winston walked over nonchalantly, kissed Meridan on the cheek, and said, “Congrats, you two.”
Keaton smiled back at him and said, “Thanks, bro.”
Winston hugged Keaton and said, “I’m really happy for you guys.”
“Thanks, Winston.”
He stared at Keaton once more and said, “I’ll give you a call later, bro. We do have some unfinished business to discuss.”
Laughing, he answered, “That we do. I look forward to talking to you.”
William was still stunned. Meridan walked over to him and asked, “Daddy? Are you okay?”
He hugged her and said, “I’m more than okay. You just don’t know how blessed I feel right now. He’s a good man, Meridan, and you two deserve each other.”
She hugged his neck and said, “Thank you, Daddy.”
Turning to Keaton, William yelled, “Keaton! You do know my daughter will get a proper wedding?”
Zenora agreed, saying, “I know that’s right!”
Keaton smiled and said, “Whatever Meridan wants is fine with me, William, and again, I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. Momma, don’t be upset.”
She hugged them both and said, “Don’t mind me. That’s just my motherly selfishness kicking in. I do want you two to let us give you a proper wedding, like William said.”
“We’ll think about it, Momma.”
Zenora put her hands on her hips and asked, “Now, when did you two get married?”
“We did it when I visited Philly a few weeks ago. Meridan told me everything about Sam as well as some other things. She thought it was best we kept our marriage a secret until we could relax a little easier.”
William smiled, took a sip of punch, and said, “Well, I’ll be damned! You guys pulled a fast one over on us, but as they say…the best is yet to come.”
William winked at Keaton before walking over to talk to other family members.
The family only stayed for about an hour before they started cleaning up. After saying goodbye to everyone, Keaton picked Meridan up and carried her upstairs.
She held onto him and said,
“There’s nothing wrong with my legs, Keaton.”
“I know. I just like having you in my arms,” he said before kissing her. He smiled mischievously and said, “I have another surprise for you.”
“You do? What is it?”
He sat her down and took her hand into his and said, “Close your eyes.” They walked down the hallway and Keaton swung the door open. He softly said, “You can open your eyes now.”
Meridan opened her eyes and immediately became speechless. Keaton had transformed one of the bedrooms into a nursery. She couldn’t control her tears as they fell from her eyes. Keaton had decorated the room with the Noah’s Ark theme. He had everything from the crib to the changing table to the baby bed, all in shining gold. A huge rocking chair sat near the crib and soft lighting radiated throughout the room. She turned to him and solemnly asked, “Why did you do this?”
“I did it because our baby has to have somewhere to sleep.”
She turned to him in confusion and asked, “So does this mean you want to adopt?”
He laughed out loud, unable to contain his excitement.
Meridan turned to him and folded her arms. “What’s so funny, chief?”
Hugging her, he said, “Oh, nothing much.”
“Then why are you laughing? All I did was ask you if this meant you were ready to adopt?”
He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “No, sweetheart, I’m not interested in adopting because we’re having a baby of our own.”
Meridan looked up into his eyes in shock and asked, “What did you say?”
“I said…we…are…having…a…child…of…our…own.”
Meridan’s legs turned to jelly as she fought to maintain her balance. Keaton quickly steadied her. She put her hand over her mouth momentarily, then asked, “Keaton, what are you talking about? If this is your way of playing a joke on me, it’s not funny.”
He sat down in the plush chair, pulling her into his lap. He caressed her back and said, “Babe, I wouldn’t joke about something that means so much to you.”
“You’re not making any sense. I told you I can’t have children,” she said, clearly agitated.