Free Indeed

by Bailey West

  Wasting my gotdamn time.

  I stood to my feet and opened the conference room door.

  “Goodbye, Mr. Green.”

  He stormed out of the conference room. I apologized to my client and walked her to the elevators.

  I rushed to my office to grab my bag and sped over to the hospital.

  Looking down at the cars passing under the footbridge, I walked as fast as I could to get to Samuel’s room.

  I made it to the elevator bank just as the doors were opening. I hopped on and pushed the button to El’s floor.

  A million thoughts were running through my head as I stepped off the elevator. Did I miss the doctor’s take home instructions? If I did would Samuel tell me what they said? Hopefully, he is well today, and nothing got changed. I guess if something had changed, someone would have called me.

  I pushed the door open and saw Vivian, Roc, and Torrey.

  “Hey,” I said while hugging everyone. “That darn deposition was like amateur night at the Apollo. I had to Sandman the other attorney out of there,” I rolled my eyes while everyone else chuckled, “What did the doctors say? Have they all been in?”

  “Nothing more than we already knew. Just continue with the wound care and physical therapy. Other than that, they gave him a clean bill of health,” Vivian explained.

  “Where is Samuel?”

  I turned to the bathroom and everything that had weighed so heavily on my mind earlier, dissipated when I saw Samuel grooming himself in the mirror. He leaned on the cane in his left hand, but he was standing without wobbling, straining or sweating. His progress was remarkable. He wore a blue and white plaid striped shirt with a pair of jeans that hugged his thighs deliciously. His blue Gucci loafers finished the outfit. It was good seeing him in something other than pajamas and sweats.

  “Good afternoon,” he smiled through the mirror while running a comb through his beard.

  “Hey,” I smiled back.

  I stood behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

  “You’re getting used to it?” I asked referring to his beard.

  His beard had grown in nice and full and thick. Most men had patchy starts, but his was full, black and sexy as hell.

  “I will probably cut it before I go back into the office.”

  “You gone let me test it out first?”

  He turned around and wrapped his arms around my waist.

  “I may let you keep it if you act right.”

  “Aww, well, let me get it in now cause you know me and act right don’t get along.”

  We both laughed.

  Doctor McIntyre walked into the room and greeted everyone. He’d become an unofficial member of the family. The way he examined Torrey every time he came around made it seem like he wanted to be an official family member. I don’t know if she saw the way he looked at her, but I noticed, and so did Vivian. He was single, educated and successful. He was the middle child, but he, his older brother and younger sister were only minutes apart, he was a triplet. We’d been around each other enough to discuss matters other than Samuel. He was sweet, and he was sweet on Torrey.

  “Mr. Valentine, are you ready to get out of here?”

  I released Samuel so he could walk out of the bathroom.

  “I am,” Samuel responded.

  “Good. I’m finished with all your paperwork. Victoria is about to bring it in along with a wheelchair. It’s hospital protocol that we wheel you to the front door. On a personal note, it’s been a pleasure having you as a patient and working with your wonderful family. I hope we can keep in touch.”

  “Thank you for everything you did to save my life, your words of encouragement, your prayers and the way you led the team. Your faith along with your skill kept me alive. I appreciate you more than I could ever express. Yes, let’s keep in touch.”

  The two men embraced. I opened my purse in search of Kleenex. I knew these tears were going to come sooner or later.

  “Alright, Mr. Valentine!” Victoria announced when she entered the room pushing a wheelchair, “Your chariot awaits!”

  “Vic, this is not your shift. What are you doing here?” I asked surprised to see her at hospital during the day.

  “We are all here to see off Mr. Valentine. The rest of them are waiting in the hall,” she motioned behind her.

  Samuel opened his arms to hug Victoria.

  Without hesitation, she walked into his embrace.

  “Thank you, Vic. Your smiles and stories carried me through this. Thank you for your gentle and skilled hands.”

  “You’re welcome, Mr. Valentine,” she smiled while wiping her eyes.

  “You are going to remind me of the vow renewal for you and Harry, right?” Samuel asked.

  “I will be sending the save the date shortly. Now come on so we can get you out of here.”

  Samuel sat down and passed his cane to Roc. I followed her out of the room with the rest of the family in tow. The hospital staff that worked with Samuel on all the shifts was there to see him off. They lined the hall as Victoria pushed him past them toward the elevator. Each person said their goodbyes and Samuel, in turn, thanked them by name. I did as well. I had made sure to give each person a personalized thank you card with a little something on the inside—from the custodian who came in daily to clean the room to the hospital chief. Everyone worked together to take care of Samuel, and I appreciated it.

  We made it to the first floor where Ray was waiting by the car parked at the entrance. Brick, the security guard assigned to Samuel stood next to Ray.

  Brick, whose nickname fit his six-seven, three-hundred- and twenty-four-pound frame, had been working for a pop star for several years but had been reassigned since she was not touring.

  Samuel stood from the chair and hugged Victoria one more time before getting into the car.

  “We’re headed to the house, correct?” Ray asked from the front seat as Brick pulled from the hospital parking lot.

  I looked back to see the hospital in the rear of the car. I felt hundreds of pounds lighter.

  “To the house,” I responded.

  “Hey, why are you all the way over there?”

  Samuel pulled me to his side of the car.

  After looking back at the hospital, I was flooded with memories and thoughts of what could’ve been. I thought back to the moment I found out Samuel had been shot then fast forwarded to the moment I watched him die. Life had certainly been a roller coaster, but now we were finally moving on.

  “What's going on? Why are you so quiet? I can hear your brain working. Did something happen at the office or something?”

  “No, just thinking back and feeling grateful. I don’t ever want to live without you and a little tired too,” I admitted.

  “I’m grateful too. I’m so ready to sleep in my own bed, with you.”

  “That would be nice to go straight home, curl up in the bed next to you and relax.”

  “Do you want me to tell Mom that we are not up for dinner with the family?”

  “Heck naw!” I chuckled. “Are you trying to get me murdered? Vivian has been planning this dinner for days and the party this weekend for weeks. No sir. We are going there, we are going to eat, and we are going to enjoy it!” I laughed.

  “You sure everything is okay?”

  “I got my man, he's well and going home. I'm perfect.”

  Samuel

  Roc and I waited for my father to enter the small visiting room. I’d spoken to him on the phone, but this would be my first time seeing him since the shooting. The guard escorted him into the room and sat him down across from us. He waited until the door closed behind the guard before he stood, walked over to me and hugged me. We’d never really hugged like that before. We usually did quick bro hugs but never a prolonged embrace. It may have had something to do with the prison environment that kept us from showing affection even when I was released. I never thought twice about it until now. He released me then went and hugged Roc before sitting back in his
chair.

  “It’s good to see you, Sun. How are you feeling?”

  “I feel good. Getting stronger every day. Soon I won’t need this cane. I don’t use it all the time, but if I have to walk long distances, I use it.”

  “Good. How are your wounds healing?”

  “They’ve all closed up nicely. I still have some time before they are completely healed, but the doctors say that I’m making great progress.”

  “Good and Roc, how are Coco and the kids?”

  “Everyone is good, Pop. We are trying to find a school for Princess because she needs to get around other kids. She thinks she is a socialite and she is only five.”

  We all laughed.

  “Coco had been talking about going to college for business which I whole heartily support, and Princeton is a quiet genius. He’s like a sponge soaking up books and documentaries. He likes to spit out random facts like, ‘Hey Pop, did you know that if you lift a kangaroo’s tail from the ground that he can’t hop? Or an elephant’s tooth can weigh up to nine pounds.’ I be on Google typing; ‘kangaroo hop tail lift’,” Roc laughed.

  “Did they get their birthday cards that I sent?” my father asked Roc.

  “They did. They said thank you.”

  “Alright, so do we have any leads on who pulled this stunt?” my father leaned into the table awaiting my response.

  “No, Countee is working on it.”

  “Did you see his face?”

  “If I did see a face, I can’t remember. The surveillance cameras caught the whole thing. Countee is working with someone to see if they can clean up the footage.”

  “What about Trell?” Roc asked.

  “I thought about Trell as soon as I started thinking about people who would want to hurt me but what would he gain?”

  Dontrell and Roc were thick as thieves for years both having their own territory that they maintained. I treated Trell like my little brother because of his relationship with Roc. During a party for Trell’s men, two cars drove past and shot up the party. At the same time, one of his stash houses was robbed. Dontrell immediately accused Roc based on the word of a low-level street thug. Trell’s crew ambushed my brother at one of his warehouses then told me to bring the money necessary to replace what they’d lost, which was close to four million dollars if I wanted to see my brother alive again.

  I walked into the warehouse with the money and saw my brother tied to a chair with a black eye and a bloody lip. Junebug, one of Dontrell’s men, held a gun to Roc’s head and taunted us saying that Roc was about to lose his life. The level of rage I felt was only matched by the rage that coursed through my body when the police arrested me at my mother’s house. In the time between Trell calling me and me getting the money together with Coco, I had found out who the real hittas were. I even had video proof. It took me a minute to convince Trell, but he had no choice but to believe me, I had the proof. Roc’s guys were gearing up for war, led by Coco. She had already planned an attack on some of Trell’s houses.

  I convinced both sides to stand down. I had people that I Ioved on both sides and couldn’t stand the thought of losing one of them. Trell never acknowledged any wrongdoing on his part and didn’t accept the money. He found the guys who were responsible and handled it. Trell was dead to Roc and me when we walked out of that warehouse. I hated disloyalty. He should have known that Roc didn’t have anything to do with his misfortune, but he chose to believe an outsider over family, so he lost his family.

  “Trell is the type of nigga that don’t have to gain nothing. He’s just impulsive and filled with hate. If Trell did it, he would brag about it. Or at least the streets would brag. Neither has happened, so it’s not him,” Roc said.

  “What’s the plan to secure you until the bastard is caught?” my father asked.

  “Count has a guy that will be with me until this all blows over. He’s actually out in the car with Ray.”

  “Is he trained to kill?” My father asked.

  “He’s built like he is trained to kill and then feast on the corpse. Dude is gigantic,” Roc explained.

  “Do they know if you were the target?”

  “Yes and Xavier was hit by mistake.”

  “How is Xavier?”

  “He’s good. He stayed with me. Him and Ray, until the ambulance came. I will be forever grateful to them.”

  “Absolutely. It’s important to surround yourself with good people,” my father said.

  “True and I have.”

  “I was able to meet the beautiful Ms. Patterson,” my father smiled.

  “She told me she came to see you and then she kept in touch.”

  “She did. She is smart and strong. She reminds me a lot of your mother.”

  “Yeah, she is. The night nurse told me that she never saw Averie sleep while she was there with me. She stayed awake watching the nurses and doctors learning how to care for me herself.”

  “I never saw her sleep in the hospital. We would have to convince her to leave and get rest. She worked there, took conference calls there and everything. She earned my respect,” Roc said.

  “What does the future hold for you two?” my father asked.

  “I want to marry her, get her pregnant a couple times and grow old with her.”

  “Sounds like a solid plan.”

  “So, I read over the emails I received from the parole board. You know your parole hearing is coming up soon, right?” I asked.

  “I am counting down the days. I’ve spoken to Officer Huntington’s wife and son. They will both be there to speak on my behalf. I hope that and my record of good behavior will get me out of here within the next ninety days.”

  “I got a spot for you too, Pop,” Roc said. “I purchased the house next to mine down in the city, so you will have everything you need.”

  “Having a stable place to stay will go far with the board. Also, I have a neighborhood revitalization project that I want you to spearhead. I’m going to purchase some land in your old neighborhood and built some affordable housing. You will be able to list that as your job, giving you even more points with the parole board.”

  “That’s right up my alley. Will there be space that I can rent for my counseling practice? I’ve decided that I want to counsel at-risk youth at my own practice and volunteer my counseling services down at the juvenile detention center. I want to keep as many of them out of here as possible.”

  “Absolutely. Make sure you say all of that at your hearing.”

  “I will. Let’s hope this works. I am ready to get out of here.”

  Samuel

  “Good morning!” I smiled when Averie finally opened her eyes.

  I’d been laying on the pillow next to her watching her sleep the same way I’d done for the last few days that I’d been home. I don’t know if any other woman would have held me down the way she did. She looked after everything even though none of it was hers. She cared for my mother and sister like she was born into the family. Both Mom and Torrey told me that Averie was their rock while I was in the hospital. The hospital chief told me that the financial account for my medical care was in Averie’s name and she’d been paying it. My mother being my next of kin had access to my financials, but Averie wanted to handle it. I planned to replace all the money that she had spent on my care.

  I’d been brainstorming ways of showing her how much I appreciate her. One of the things I wanted to do was ask her to marry me. I didn’t ever want something to happen to me and she not be taken care of. I was ready to build a life with her. I thought about just slipping the ring on her finger while she slept but that was very Tyler Perry-ish. I had another idea, though.

  “Good morning,” she smiled.

  I kissed her forehead while she stretched then got out of the bed to go to the restroom. She came out of the bathroom and climbed back into the bed with me.

  “Are you ready for the big celebration today?”

  My mother had planned a welcome home party for me and had a full guest lis
t. I wouldn’t have minded spending a lazy day in bed or outside enjoying the unseasonably warm weather with Averie, but I knew how much work my mother had put into this party, so I was going to enjoy the day surrounded by family and friends.

  “I am. Are you? I know my mother has a list of things for you to do.”

  “No, she has a list of things for me, Torrey, my mom and Keeva to do,” she laughed. “Oh and Coco. Everyone has a job. Roc is managing the valets and Count is on security. Even Princess is helping put up decorations.”

  “Sounds like Mom. My grandmother was the same way. She threw parties and always expected everyone in the family to help.”

  “You don’t talk much about your grandparents. Did you have a good relationship with them?

  I sat with back on the headboard, Averie rested her head on my chest.

  “My Nana and Pop were both major influences in my life. Pop still made Nana giggle after over fifty years of marriage. Nana got sick and passed about five years after I was released from prison. Pop died two years later. I think he missed her and never really stopped mourning. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer and wouldn’t do chemo or radiation. He was ready to be with her. That was the first example I’d seen of true love.”

  “Did that make you want to have love like that?”

  “No. I didn’t really think about it a whole lot until I fell in love. Then I thought about it a lot…I think about it a lot. I think about how a man should treat the woman that he loves. I think about ways to incorporate you into my life. I consider changes I need to make to make your life easier.”

  “You think about me like that?” Averie asked looking up at me.

  “Every day, without fail.”

  “Wow.”

  I pushed Averie onto her back and laid on top of her. She put her hands on my face and brought it down to hers. She kissed me lightly.

  “I want you to be happy because this is forever,” I said while pulling her nightgown up to expose her breasts. I’d just sucked one into my mouth when her phone vibrated on the nightstand.