by A'zayler
“Man, get your ass in here and hang up.”
Summer tapped her screen to make her phone hang up before getting in and getting situated. Love turned his music down and pulled away from the curb.
“Why you and Jacorey always showing y’all ass?”
Love was dressed in his dark blue firefighter jersey shorts and shirt with a pair of black boots. His hair was twisted back in one a long fishbone braid that touched the middle of his back. The smell of him flowed up Summer’s nostrils, reminding her of his manly presence. He truly was a cool ass nigga. Even with him being as fine as he was, all she got from him was brother love. She could definitely understand why bitches like her sister would love him, but that was as far as that went.
Now that nigga, Jacorey, was a totally different story. He made every nerve ending in her body stand to attention. His tall light-skinned ass, with those sexy ass lips and eyes. Summer rolled her eyes up to the sky because she really hated the way he acted sometimes. It seemed like since meeting him, all she did was laugh or roll her eyes. They never had anything in the middle. That was their problem. They needed a medium.
“Man, that be that nigga.”
“Let him tell it, it be your ass. It’s probably both of y’all muthafuckas.”
“No, for real, it be him. He tells me he ain’t trying to be in a relationship, and he likes what we are and all that extra single nigga shit, but as soon as I agree with him or friend zone his ass he gets mad. I can’t take Jacorey serious. He makes my damn head hurt.” Summer looked out of the window.
“See what I’m saying? That’s both of y’all. Why you be testing the nigga by bringing up the friend zone stuff?”
“I don’t just bring it up, we be already talking about it.”
“I feel you. Just give my boy some time. It’s been a while. He ain’t been exclusively fucking with nobody since I met him, and that’s been well over five or six years.”
“You only saying that because he’s your friend.”
“Nah. I’m saying that because it’s the truth.” Love pressed the button on the screen of his truck to answer his ringing phone. “What’s going on, baby doll?”
“You got my sister?”
“Yeah, I got her orphan ass.”
Summer punched Love in the arm. “Don’t get the whooping I owe Jacorey’s punk ass.”
“Heyyy Summer.” Rain sang.
“Hey bitch.”
“You better be glad I like you. I don’t let women ride with my man when I’m not around. Especially single women with butts bigger than mine.”
Summer looked at Love and started laughing. “Girl, don’t nobody want Love in the club’s black ass.”
“No bitch. Don’t do that. My baby sexy as hell… see that’s your problem, you keep running your ass behind all these light-skinned men. You better get on this dark-skinned train, boo. Those niggas is where it’s at. Fine and got good dick. Whoooo! Dakota hurry up and come home baby. I need me some of you right now. Drop that smart mouth hoe off at home.”
Love and Summer both were so busy laughing they couldn’t even say anything back before she said something else.
“Nah, but for real, though, Summer. Where you finna go?”
“Home, I guess. I was supposed to go to another club with stupid tonight to look at some more rappers, but that shit ain’t happening.”
“Why, Summer? You gon stay mad that long?” Love asked her.
“Yeah. He hurt my feelings for real. You should have seen how he tried to flex on me in front of those people. You would have thought I was some dusty foot bitch from the hood.”
“I’mma slap him when I see him.”
“Yo pregnant ass ain’t gon do shit,” Love told Rain, making her laugh.
“It’s cool, sis. I ain’t worried about that. I’ll call you when I get inside. We just pulled up at my house.”
“K. Kota, hurry up and come home. I miss you.”
“Miss you too, baby doll. I’m on the way.”
“Can y’all lay off all the lovey dovey shit? I’m going through right now.” Summer opened the door and jumped out.
“Just take your ass in the house. I shouldn’t have even picked you up. When me and Rain was into it, you was stiff-arming my ass like hell.” Love’s smile made everything he said that much funnier.
“That’s how it goes. Nothing personal. Appreciate you Dakota Love.”
“You got it, Summer. I’ll holla at my boy for you.”
“Don’t do that. I’m good.”
She closed the door and waited for him to pull off, before she went in the house. Once she got in, she took her shoes off before unbuttoning her shirt and peeling her jeans off. Once she was comfortable in her panties and bra, she grabbed her ice cream from the freezer and made herself comfortable on her sofa.
The dark brown throw blanket that she normally had over the back of her sofa was now thrown across her legs, leaving the top part of her body exposed. Summer had scooted down and was deep into the movie Brotherly Love on Netflix when she heard her phone ringing. She looked around, trying to locate where it was. When she saw that it was on the dining room table, she made up her mind to just call whoever it was back.
She was in no mood to get up. Her couch was too comfortable and she wasn’t really in the mood to be talking anyway. Her eyes had just gone back to her show when it rang again. Summer huffed as she stood from the sofa, almost tripping over her blanket and walked to her phone. When she saw Jacorey’s number she had the mind to let it continue ringing.
“What?” she answered, with an attitude.
“Summer…” He sounded breathless.
She lost her attitude. “Jacorey? What’s wrong with you? What you doing?’
“I’m outsi—”
Summer almost hadn’t heard what he said because he’d said it so low. With nothing but her blanket wrapped around her, Summer took off running out of her apartment. When she saw Jacorey’s car parked in the same visitor’s spot that he always took, she ran to him. His window was down and he was laid back in his seat.
His eyes were closed and he was holding the side of his stomach. “It hurts, Summer time.” He spoke through the pain.
The sweat covering his forehead and arms let her know that he was serious. He was breathing hard and his body was almost balled up in his seat.
“Can you move?”
He shook his head.
“You gon have to. I need to drive you. What did you eat?”
“Catfish and macaroni and cheese.” He squinted tighter.
“You know better than that. That was too much grease.” Summer leaned in the car so she could see his face. “Let me run upstairs and put on some clothes then we’ll go to the hospital.”
Jacorey shook his head. “Call the ambulance.”
“Damn, bae, it’s that bad?”
He nodded.
“Okay, I still have to go get my phone, but I’m coming right back, okay?”
He nodded.
Summer turned around, still holding her blanket, and ran back to her door. She ran straight to her room and grabbed a pair of black tights and her white PINK shirt. She combed her wrap back down and threw on her watch, then slipped on her black foams and grabbed her purse before running back into her living room.
Her cell phone and keys were back in her hand as she exited her home. She dialed 911 before locking her door, and told them her emergency as she walked to the car. Jacorey was in the same spot, clearly still in pain. He was balled up a little tighter in his seat with his head down. Summer took a seat next to him in the car. She squeezed as much of her as she could on the floor in front of his seat.
She rubbed the side of his face with one hand while placing her hand on top of the one he was holding his stomach with.
“The ambulance on the way. It’s gon be okay in a minute.” Summer looked away to keep herself from crying.
“Unnnn,” Jacorey moaned and rocked back and forth subtly. “Summ—” He tried to cal
l he name, but he was in too much pain.
She leaned her head on his arm and began to hum to him. “It’ll be alright. I’m here.” She ran her hand over his head. “We’re going to the hospital.”
Jacorey lay back in his seat, afraid to move. The pain was excruciating and Summer knew it. She had gotten on him the last time they went to the doctor about his gallbladder. The dietician had been very specific about what he was and wasn’t supposed to eat. She didn’t understand why he would eat something he knew was going to have him in pain.
Summer sat next to him, rubbing his head and stomach until she heard the sirens. The ambulance had just turned into her complex, so she stood up, wiped her tears, and walked to the edge of the parking lot so they could see her. The driver nodded his head when he saw her waving her arms. They pulled over and hopped out of the ambulance, quickly.
“What’s going on with him, ma’am?”
“His gallbladder is acting up and he’s in too much pain to move.” Summer stood back so that the paramedic could squeeze in next to him.
“Sir, can you tell me what may have triggered this attack?”
“He just had lunch and it had too much cheese and grease. He’s not supposed to be eating that kind of stuff.”
The paramedic nodded as he touched Jacorey’s knee. “Sir, do you think you can walk to the ambulance, or do you need us to put you on a stretcher?”
“Excuse me, but didn’t I just tell you that he can’t move? You need to get the stretcher, if you don’t mind.”
Jacorey threw his head back against the seat with his eyes closed, tightly.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll get it.” The man stood to his feet and met the other paramedic at the back of the car with the stretcher.
“Summer.” Jacorey reached for her.
Summer rushed to him and leaned inside the car so that she could hear him. “I’m right here.”
“Help me up.”
“You sure?”
He nodded.
Summer leaned down and wrapped both of her arms around his waist while he threw one of his arms around her neck. As soon as she tried to lift him up, he yelled.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, bae. I’m sorry.” Summer apologized profusely. “Y’all come and get him, I don’t want to hurt him.”
“No,” Jacorey told her. “Just help me. I can do it.”
“You’re too big, Jacorey, I can’t lift you.”
“Yes, you can. I’mma help you.”
Summer didn’t know why in the hell he wanted her to help him so bad, but she did it anyway. This time, she used a little more force and was able to help him out of the car. He was moaning quietly, but he did it anyway. As soon as he was on his feet, the paramedic rolled the stretcher behind him and helped him lie down.
Summer ran ahead so that she could get into the back of the truck and wait for him. It took both paramedics to load him onto the back before one jumped in and the other closed the doors. Summer kneeled next to him on the floor as they pulled off. His eyes were still closed and his body was balled up so close that his knees were touching his chest.
With him being so tall and big, he looked a little uncomfortable on the bed. Some of his body was hanging off in certain places, but he didn’t seem to care, so neither did she. All she cared about was making sure he was all right. She grabbed his hand in hers and held it until they got to the hospital. They unloaded him quickly, and got him into the emergency room.
From there, things began to roll faster than she could keep up with, but she managed. He was in his own room with painkillers and an IV before she knew it. Wrapped in a sheet, Summer sat with her back pressed against the wall and her head propped up on her hand. Jacorey was lying in bed with his eyes closed. He looked to be sleeping, but she wasn’t sure.
“Summer, you sleep?” His voice answered that question.
“Nah. How you feeling?”
“Like a bitch.” He laughed, as she stood up from her chair.
She took a seat on the edge of the bed next to him so she could see his face. “Why you feel like a bitch?”
“Look at how I been acting today.”
“You mean before or after the gallbladder attack? Because if it was before, I’m going to have to agree with you. You were definitely acting like a bitch. A lil bitty, stupid, spoiled ass bitch at that.”
“Damn, you got a filthy mouth to be a teacher.”
“So.”
Jacorey turned over in the bed so that he was lying on his back. “I was talking about while my stomach was hurting, but I guess you right about the before part too.”
“Yeah, you were fine during the attack. That’s normal behavior for somebody in pain. Everything else was just uncalled for.”
“I’m sorry, Summer time. I just get so caught up in my feelings sometimes. You forgive me?”
“Let me think about it.”
“You must forgive me if you here.”
Summer looked out of the door and into the hallway. “No, I don’t. I’m just here because you needed somebody. That don’t mean we’re cool. If one of your other bitches would have come, I would be gone by now.”
“Don’t try to flex. I heard you calling me bae and shit when my stomach was fucked up. I couldn’t say nothing then because I was hurting too bad, but I heard you.”
Summer held her head down. “That didn’t mean nothing, though. I just wanted to comfort you in your time of need.”
“Um huh.”
Summer got up from the bed and sat back in her chair. “You’re too crazy. I can’t deal with you. And you don’t know how to take care of yourself. I really can’t deal with you now.”
“I can take care of myself.”
Summer motioned her hand around the room. “I see. You take care of yourself so well you managed to end up in the hospital.”
“I be forgetting what I can’t have sometimes. If somebody wouldn’t have been acting so crazy today, they would have been there to make sure I ain’t eat the wrong shit.”
“Well somebody wouldn’t have left if another somebody wouldn’t have been acting like a butthole.”
Jacorey’s hand ran over his face as he scooted himself back in the bed some more.
“That was your fault. You play too many games.”
“How? We both agreed that we’re just friends, but for some reason you only remember that when it’s pertaining to you. Anytime it comes to me, that little bit right there just goes out of the window.”
The room fell silent when he couldn’t think of anything to say.
“I know I’m right, you ain’t got to tell me.”
“Man, whatever.”
“Yeah, whatever. Either you good with just being my homie or you not. I’m straight either way. I just wish you would make up your mind and let me know what you choose because I’m not going to take too much more of your foolishness.”
“I like what we have. No titles, we just doing our thing. I like it like that. It’s less stress.”
“So do I.”
“Well, let’s keep it the way it is.”
“Will do.” Summer looked at the door as the doctor came in. “Hi. How’s everything with him?”
“Well, in order to stop the pain, we can do a minor surgery called a cholecystectomy. That’s the simple removal of the gallbladder. This will prevent him from having any more attacks, but there is still a certain diet that he must maintain to avoid pain. I’ve noticed that the patient chooses not to follow his diet plan, so I’m going to ask you. Can you please make sure he’s eating accordingly and following all necessary instructions?”
“Of course, I can. He’s a little stubborn, but I can handle him.” Summer looked at Jacorey out the side of her eye.
“That’s my girl. Thank you,” the older African doctor told her before looking at Jacorey. “Is this something that you would be interested in?”
“I’m interested in anything that will prevent me from feeling like I did today. I felt so bad I wanted to die.�
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Summer looked at him with concern on her face. “Don’t say that.”
“I’m serious, Summer time. That shit was hurting bad,” He looked at the doctor. “Excuse my language.”
He smiled. “It’s quite all right, sir. I’ll have one of my nurses come in to discuss things further with you before setting up an operation date.”
Summer and Jacorey spoke their appreciation as he left. When he was gone, Summer stood up and pulled the curtains closed before sitting back down.
“Why you close the curtains?”
“I’m tired of those ugly ass nurses at that station. They keep looking in here like they lost something, so to keep from going to jail, I just closed the curtains.”
A smile crossed Jacorey’s face. “Why they can’t look? I’m single.”
Summer cut her eyes at him. “Don’t fuck with me.”
Laughter escaped his lips as he watched her. “You my fucking nigga, Summer time, for real. I love yo ass.”
“I know you do.”
“Your lil sexy, chocolate ass be wilding.”
“You like it.”
“Damn right.” He scooted back some more in his bed and patted the empty spot beside him. “Come lay down with me. I know you got to be as sleepy as I am.”
“Not with all these people coming in and out.”
“I ain’t thinking about them people, and you shouldn’t either. Hell, it’s a bed. We’re supposed to lay in it.”
Summer hesitated for another minute, but figured she might as well. After all, he was right. She was dog tired. The warm sheet they had given her when they first arrived was tossed to the floor as she climbed onto his bed. He pressed the button to lay the bed down flat as she scooted around, trying to get comfortable.
“We’re too big for this bed.”
Jacorey scooted down behind her. “No, we’re not. See, we fit.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and scooted as close to her as he could then hit the lights.
The room went completely dark, minus the lights from the monitors he was hooked up to. Summer couldn’t remember anything past agreeing to get in the bed with him before her eyes closed. They were both fast asleep in a matter of minutes.