“No, but I’d like these flowers removed,” Bridgette said, glancing toward the colorful arrangements that lined both sides of the wall. There had to be well over two-dozen flowers. Some from her staff, sorority sisters and friends, but most of them had been from Nick. Bridgette was sure it was his feeble attempt at trying to ease his guilt. But, it was an epic fail. As her husband, his treatment of her had been deplorable and she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to get past it.
“Are you having some sort of a reaction to them?” she asked.
Bridgette shook her head, even though it probably appeared that way since her eyes were still red and puffy from crying.
“No. I just don’t want them in here anymore,” Bridgette said.
The nurse glanced around the room. “They’re beautiful,” she mused.
“Well, you’re welcome to as many of them as you want. But, please just get them out of here,” Bridgette said.
The nurse gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’ll send some of the volunteers in here to remove them,” she said.
“Thank you.”
The nurse smiled at her one last time before leaving. Ten minutes later, two hospital volunteers came in and began removing the flowers when Savannah and Julius along with Ivy who was carrying another large bouquet entered the room.
“What’s going on here?” Ivy asked with a deep frown, sitting her bouquet down on one of the now empty tables.
“I feel like I’m suffocating with all of these flowers,” said Bridgette. Her eyes filled up with tears again at the sight of her family. She was glad to see them. She’d felt alone, especially after Fatima had left. And, she was missing her children terribly. Her eyes focused on Savannah, praying that she didn’t hate her. And when, Savannah rushed over and hugged her she couldn’t hold back her sobs.
The two sisters held onto each other as if their lives depended on it. Both of them crying, bound by their loss. Ivy and Julius stood back, giving them their much-needed moment as tears filled Ivy’s eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Savannah,” Bridgette cried. Her voice was barely audible amongst both of their sobs.
“It’s not your fault, Bridgette. You tried and I know how much you wanted to have this baby for us, and for that I’ll always be grateful. I’d never blame you. You’re my big sister, and I love you so much,” Savannah cried.
Ivy finally joined her sisters at the bed and wrapped her arms around them in a group hug.
“We’re going to get through this, sissies,” Ivy whispered.
“I love you, Ivy. And, I’m sorry. For everything,” Bridgette said.
“Me too, Bre Bre,” Ivy responded.
Bridgette knew they had a lot of work to do as a sisterhood, but their sisterly love was a bond that nothing could infiltrate. Not distance, not disease, not arguments or tragic losses, and they’d endured them all. If anything, it always made them stronger.
Chapter Thirty-Two
S
avannah and Ivy sat on either side of Bridgette’s hospital bed as they all ate dinner from Bojangles’ Chicken that Julius had gone out to get them because Ivy said she was starving and she refused to eat any more food from the cafeteria. Julius stayed briefly, but felt they needed their sister time together, which they appreciated. Bridgette was thankful that he’d come to visit her and offer his support, letting her know that he didn’t blame her either. She felt a little better hearing him and Savannah say that, even though she would always feel some guilt.
They were watching TV, and Bridgette decided to inquire about the altercation they’d had earlier with Nick. It was nagging at her.
“So, when will one of you tell me what happened out there earlier? Fatima was here and we heard you,” Bridgette asked, looking from one sister to the other.
Savannah glanced at Ivy, and Ivy gave her a look as if to say, “You tell her”. It reminded Bridgette of when they were younger, and their mother would catch the two of them doing something they weren’t supposed to. They both wore the same guilty expressions.
“That was your baby sister over there acting like she was Floyd Mayweather,” said Ivy, biting into a chicken drumstick.
“What? Savannah did you hit my husband?” Bridgette asked.
Savannah glared at Ivy. “You can’t keep your mouth shut about anything, can you?”
“Savannah Leah, I know you didn’t? You’re in no condition to be behaving that way,” Bridgette admonished.
“Ain’t that the pot calling the kettle? Didn’t you do the same thing?” Ivy asked Bridgette.
“Well, that’s beside the point. That’s my husband, not hers. How would you feel if I hit Julius?”
“Julius wouldn’t treat me like Nick has been treating you. He’s the reason you’re here. And why—,” Savannah dropped the piece of fried chicken she’d been eating onto the plate in her hand and sprung to her feet, placing it in her chair as she hurried to the adjoining bathroom with her hand over her mouth.
A few seconds later, they heard her vomiting. Ivy sat her plate down and went to check on her. Shortly thereafter, both sisters retreated from the bathroom. Ivy wet a paper towel in the small sink next to the bathroom door and handed it to Savannah who used it to wipe her mouth.
“Are you okay?” Bridgette asked. Her momentary anger with her baby sister for slapping her husband dissipated. Savannah’s fragile appearance softened her stance. While she didn’t approve of what she’d done, she understood it because she’d been in her position hours earlier, feeling frustrated and emotional. Savannah had lost the most out of all of them, and she had every right to feel however she felt. Who could really blame her? She was enduring so many battles. And Bridgette couldn’t help but to feel responsible for adding yet another.
“I will be,” Savannah murmured. “Ivy, I’m ready to go home, now. It’s been a long day and I’m starting to feel tired.”
Ivy placed a hand on her back. “Sure, sweetie,” she replied. “Do you need anything before we leave, Bridge?”
Bridgette shook her head. “I’m fine. I’ll probably start one of these books you bought me from the gift shop,” Bridgette motioned to three novels stacked on the bedside table, “and then try to get some rest myself. I don’t know how well I’ll sleep in here, though.” She was glad she was being discharged the next day.
“I tell you what? I’ll take Savannah home, make sure she’s settled in and then, I’ll come back here and stay with you tonight,” Ivy said.
Bridgette smiled. It was definitely a new experience to see Ivy stepping into the supportive sister role since Bridgette had been doing it for most of their lives. But, she appreciated it.
“You don’t have to do that. I’d feel much better if you look after Savannah,” said Bridgette, glancing at her baby sister and feeling saddened by how vulnerable she looked.
“I’ll be fine once I get home. You won’t have to stay and look after me. Julius will be there,” said Savannah.
“I’ll just stay one more night. Julius will just have to deal with it,” said Ivy, grabbing her purse from a table and swinging it onto her shoulder. She walked over and kissed Bridgette on the cheek. “I’ll be back tomorrow to pick you up. Get some rest. Love you.”
Both of her sisters were now at her bedside with hugs and kisses.
“Love you, sissies. Thanks so much for coming. Savannah, you try to get some rest as well. Okay?” Bridgette said.
Savannah gave her a weak smile.
Bridgette could tell she wasn’t feeling well. She was glad Savannah was finally done with her cancer treatments. She watched them leave, as Ivy escorted Savannah out with her arm around her shoulder for support. The gesture touched Bridgette because it just reminded her of how much they were always there for each other when they needed it the most. She had to admit, it was strange not having Nick there. A part of her wanted him to be. He was still her husband, regardless if they were having issues. She wanted the life she had before everything started to fall apart.
Chapter
Thirty-Three
I
vy heard wailing from the guest bedroom where she had been sleeping and hopped out of bed to investigate the source. It was coming from Savannah’s baby nursery down the hall. Ivy rushed towards the cries, her bare feet suddenly feeling like lead against the cool hardwood floor as she got closer. When she finally got to the door and turned the knob, her heart clenched at the sight before her.
“Oh. My. God. Savannah, what happened?” Ivy screamed as she ran and knelt down on the plush carpet next to her sister who was surrounded by a pool of blood and lying in a fetal position. Ivy gingerly turned her over on her back as Savannah gasped for air. She was suffocating from her own blood that was seeping through her silk, nightgown from her stomach.
“Oh. My. God. Oh. My God,” Ivy yelled repeatedly, her tears blinding her. “Hang on, sis. You can’t die on me. Julius,” she screamed.
“He can’t help you. He’s dead. And you’re next,” said the icy voice behind her, causing Ivy’s own blood to run cold. She turned her head slowly as her eyes locked with a set of steely, distant ones she thought she’d never see again; At least not in eight more years.
“Tessa?” Ivy uttered in shock at the woman who’d traumatized her two years ago on that cold November evening.
“I told you I was going to finish what I started,” she threatened and Ivy noticed the box cutter dripping with blood clutched in her hand as she lunged toward her.
Ivy let out a bloodcurdling yelp as Tessa raised the deadly weapon over her, plunging it at her face.
Ivy shot up in bed covered in a cold sweat and slightly panting. She hadn’t had a nightmare in a while, at least in the last six months, but they were often brought on by added stress. And Tessa Baxter was always the antagonist in these nightmares, threatening to finish what she started, but this one unnerved her because this was the first time that it had involved her family. Maybe it was because she was staying the night at Savannah and Julius’s.
She grabbed her iPhone off the nightstand to see what time it was. It was 1:58. She’d gone to bed only two hours ago. She hated that she was out of her Ambien prescription, but hadn’t had time to fill it because it’s what helped her sleep through the night most of the time. She’d have to do it ASAP. Ivy placed her phone back on the nightstand before hopping out of bed to head to the adjoining bathroom to splash her face with cold water.
After retreating from the bathroom, she decided to get something to drink and headed downstairs to the kitchen for some water, but her steps slowed down at the soft cries she heard coming from the baby’s nursery down the hall. Ivy had an eerie feeling of déjà vu as her heart rate quickened. She walked slowly toward the sound and when she reached the door and turned the knob she saw Savannah balled up in a fetal position on the carpet, clutching a stuffed animal to her stomach.
“Savannah?” Ivy mumbled as she rushed over and kneeled down next to her sister.
“My baby,” Savannah sobbed.
“I know, sweetie. I know it hurts,” Ivy said, rubbing her arm. She lay down next to her sister, her face close to hers as she wrapped an arm around her, comforting her while she released her sorrow. Ivy couldn’t help but to cry with her because her sister’s pain was so palpable. It reminded her of when they were younger, and Savannah got scared after having a nightmare from staying up late to sneak and watch scary movies, something they weren’t allowed to watch at eight and ten years old, and she’d climb into Ivy’s bed and sleep under her the remainder of the night.
In that moment as her sister mourned the loss of her unborn baby, Ivy knew she had made the right decision to turn down working on that Ava DuVernay movie. This was where she needed to be.
Chapter Thirty-Four
B
ridgette was glad to be home from the hospital the following Saturday and with her boys as they sat huddled together in the family room watching the Disney movie, Frozen. They didn’t seem to want to let her out of their sight, and Bridgette hated that they felt that way. She knew how frightened they’d been when she’d had to go to the hospital and hadn’t returned home that day. She explained to them that she hadn’t been feeling well and that the doctor wanted to make sure she was okay, so that’s why she couldn’t come home, purposely omitting the fact that she was pregnant and lost the baby. She felt like it would be too much for them to process, and debated if she would even tell them in the future. She didn’t know what purpose it would serve since they didn’t know she’d been pregnant in the first place.
She heard the chime of the doorbell and Dylan raced out of the room towards the foyer to answer the door. He walked back into the family room with Ivy in tow, carrying two large boxes of pizza.
“Auntie Ivy brought pizza from Mellow Mushroom, Mom,” Dylan said with excitement. Bridgette smiled at her sister.
“I know, sweetheart. She wanted to surprise you guys. You and Ryan take them into the kitchen. And make sure you wash your hands before opening those boxes,” said Bridgette.
“Did you get pepperoni, Auntie Ivy?” Ryan inquired.
“Of course, I did, Ry-Ry,” said Ivy; referring to her youngest nephew by the nickname she’d been calling him since he was a baby. “And just plain cheese for Dylan.” She handed a box to each boy.
“Thank you, Auntie Ivy,” Dylan exclaimed.
“Yeah. Thanks, Auntie Ivy,” Ryan repeated after his twin brother. Both boys hurried out of the room to enjoy their pizza, the movie they’d been watching with their mother, now a second thought.
“How you doing, sissy?” Ivy asked. She leaned down and placed a kiss on Bridgette’s cheek and then sat next to her on the sectional.
“I’m okay. Just glad to be home. I love those boots,” said Bridgette, pointing to the thigh-high, brown, suede, wedge boots Ivy was sporting with a pair of fitted, dark blue jeans and a crème-colored sweater.
“Thanks, sis. You know how much I love the fall season, and being able to break out my boots.”
“I love this time of the year too. It’ll be time to take the boys to the state fair soon. They always enjoy themselves and manage to wear Nick and I out in the process,” Bridgette chuckled.
“Where is he?” Ivy asked.
“I have no clue. I haven’t been able to look at him since I’ve been home.”
“Has he tried talking to you about what happened?” Ivy asked, bending to unzip her boots.
“He’s apologized, but I don’t feel it’s genuine. I just think he’s feeling guilty about how he’s treated me and let Cassietta fill his head with a bunch of nonsense. I’d been trying to get him to talk to me so we could try to work out our issues, but he always brushed me off and pretty much gave me his backside to kiss. So, I’m at an impasse right now on how to move forward with this marriage,” Bridgette lamented.
“I really hate to hear that. I think he has his faults like we all do, but I don’t think it’s anything you two can’t get past. I know how much he loves you and the boys.” Ivy removed her boots and then got comfortable on the sectional, propping her feet up behind her.
“I’m going to pray about it because that’s all I’ve got right now. What’s been going on with you?” Bridgette asked, eager to change the subject.
“Well, I debated if I was going to even mention this, but I got an offer to work with Ava DuVernay on the set of a new movie she’s directing next month in Toronto,” said Ivy.
“Ivy, that’s wonderful. I know how much you love her work. Why wouldn’t you mention it?”
“Because I turned it down. I called my agent this morning and told him I couldn’t accept this time.”
“Why would you do that? That’s like one of your dream jobs,” Bridgette queried, looking at her sister with confusion.
“I need to be here in Charlotte with you and Savannah. There’s no way I’m running off again and leaving you two after what you’ve both been through,” said Ivy.
Bridgette couldn’t believe what her sister was saying. She was truly dumbfounded.
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br /> “Who are you and what have you done with my sister?” she asked, making Ivy chuckle.
“There’s something else I want to talk to you about also,” said Ivy. She had a nervous look on her face that Bridgette had never seen before.
“What’s up? And what’s that look about? And please don’t tell me something crazy like you’re getting married. I might pass out right here, and I’m not trying to end back up in the hospital,” Bridgette joked.
“Girl, bye. It’s definitely not that,” said Ivy, waving a hand in dismissal like that was the most ridiculous thing her sister could say.
“Okay. I was about to say. Not that it would be a bad thing, but I’d probably go into shock.”
“Well…you might want to hear me out first,” said Ivy, gazing at her sister with uncertainty.
“I hope you’re going to tell me some time today and stop torturing me,” Bridgette said.
Ivy took a deep breath. “What do you think about me being Savannah’s surrogate?”
“Huh?” Bridgette had an incredulous look on her face.
“I’ve been thinking about it and it’s been weighing on my mind heavily,” said Ivy.
“Ivy, where is this coming from? Do you have any idea what you’re saying? This isn’t a game. You can’t play with people’s lives,” Bridgette balked and Ivy frowned. It was obvious she wasn’t expecting Bridgette to react the way she did, but it was the most ludicrous thing she’d ever heard Ivy say, and there had been many.
“Who said that I was playing? I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”
Bridgette could tell she’d hurt her sister’s feelings by the pained expression she was wearing. She remained silent, haunted by Ivy’s last statement because she’d said those very words to Nick, and he’d made her feel the same way Ivy was.
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