The Union II

by Tremayne Johnson

  CHAPTER ONE

  Dr. Callahan rushed into the emergency room behind paramedics who had just rolled in Mox’s blood soaked body. “Nurse,” he called out. “What’s his status?”

  “Ahh,” The nurse flipped through some papers on a clip board.” Twenty-six year old black male with a gunshot wound to the head.”

  The heart monitor beeped loudly and the little squiggly lines changed.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. His BP is decreasing, eighty-nine over sixty.”

  Dr. Callahan moved closer to Mox. “Increase the dopamine delivery rate to twelve point five.”

  “His brain waves are spiking and his blood pressure levels are erratic!” the nurse yelled.

  Dr. Callahan stood at the foot of the bed. He tried to get Mox to speak. “Mox, are you still with us… Mr. Daniels!?”

  Mox didn’t answer, he couldn’t respond.

  One of the nurses shouted. “We’re losing him. Get the crash cart!”

  __________

  The surrounding chaos agitated Priscilla as she watched the doctors attempt to pump life back into the only man she had ever loved. It was a torturous sight, but she couldn’t pull her eyes from it, she hadn’t blinked in minutes.

  Plastic tubes were inserted into his nose and mouth to help with his breathing. The nurses did whatever was necessary to keep the bleeding to a minimum.

  His clothing was cut and ripped from his body and he lay there naked, on ER bed, fighting for his life.

  As the tears hastily cascaded down Priscilla’s cheeks, she silently prayed to a higher power and begged him not to take Mox. It’s not his time, she thought. This couldn’t be a part of what God had planned for her. She had just gotten her life in order, and was willing and ready to start over, with the hopes of Mox wanting to live as a family. She thought about how long it had been since his easeful touch soothed her tense nerves and made her feel as if there was no one but the two of them on earth. She dreamt of the day that everything would be right and the three of them could peacefully grow together and get to know each other as a family unit.

  Her thoughts drifted, and an image of Brandi flashed before Priscilla’s eyes. Instantly, an overwrought look of concern flushed her face.

  “My baby!” she shouted, slapping the hard plastic window. “Mox wake up! Where’s Brandi?! Oh my God, where’s my baby!?”

  Doctors quickly pulled the shade over the window so no one could see inside, and two tall dark skinned security guards made their way over to Priscilla. They tried to get her to calm down, but nothing seemed to work.

  __________

  Sybil sat in a waiting chair that was pressed against the wall only ten feet away in a distraught trance. Her nerves were ashake and her small palms were clammy. The chatter from the visitors and employees was on mute. Her mind was strained with the events that had so suddenly taken place.

  A part of her felt free, but yet she was still extremely saddened at the fact that she had held on to a secret so disheartening and so destructive; a secret she knew would taint, sever, or even worse, end her once close relationship with her nephew.

  She tried to cry, but the tears just wouldn’t fall. Maybe she did have more than a tad bit of animosity towards her sister, more than even she believed. Had she been putting on an act, or did she really care?

  Several thoughts raced through her brain faster than Usain Bolt in the 100. She couldn’t stop her left leg from shaking. It was a display of fear; an instinct she had been living with her entire life.

  Sybil turned her head and saw her brother, Earl, propped against the far wall, one leg up, hands in his pockets, and his head down.

  “Earl.”

  He looked in her direction; a brief, indistinct look of confusion. “Ain’t no fixin’ this one, sis.” he uttered, shaking his head.

  Earl was reluctant to speak openly about the situation, and on top of that, he was getting sick.

  Pellets of sweat started to form on his head. His stomach turned and his nerves began twitching. He yawned every few minutes and kept glancing down at his watch, and then up at the clock that hung on the wall. He was counting the hours it had been since his last fix. Seventy-two. The diarrhea was about to kick in.

  “Shit!”

  He imagined he was saying it in his head, but it came out loud.

  Everyone in the waiting area turned their head to Uncle Wise and he scowled back. “Fuck y’all lookin’ at?”

  “Earl!” Sybil scolded.

  “Fuck that sis, I gotta use the bathroom.” He surveyed the large space. “Excuse me; guard, where’s the restroom?”

  The guard pointed down the long corridor and Earl took off.

  __________

  Priscilla relaxed her nerves and tried to bring herself together. She looked up at the clock; it read 1:50 pm. Without delay, the panic she had just overcome was slowly settling back in. It almost slipped her mind that she had to report to the shelter by two o’clock. If she didn’t show up or was late, the case worker was going to push her application to the bottom of the pile. She remembered what her counselor in the program, Mrs. James had told her before she left.

  Priscilla, please don’t let me down. These people are expecting you, and they’re doing me a favor by moving your name to the top of the list. You have to be there by 2:00pm on the day you’re released from the treatment center. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. If you don’t show up, there’s nothing else I can do for you. This is your chance to make the change you’ve been talking about. Don’t screw it up.

  Don’t screw it up. Don’t screw it up! she told herself.

  Priscilla turned and looked to the operating room where Mox was. The last thing she wanted to do was leave his side, but it was either that or end up on the streets again. The thought of becoming her old self was frightening enough for her to rationalize and make a quick decision.

  She brushed the tears from her face and took a few steps toward Sybil. “Excuse me, Ms. Daniels. I know that right now you’re dealing with a lot, I mean… we all are, but I need to find my daughter. Do you know where she is?” she anxiously waited for an answer, but Sybil didn’t even raise her head in acknowledgement, she just looked down at the floor. “Ms. Daniels?” Priscilla tried again to get her attention without being rude.

  Sybil finally lifted her head; her face, full of grief. “It’s all bad, Priscilla, It’s all bad.”

  “I don’t understand??” She glanced at the clock again. What did she mean it was all bad?? Prsicilla’s nerves were about to go haywire, but she remained calm. “When was the last time you saw, Brandi?”

  Sybil stared into Priscilla’s eyes and the affliction was evident. She could tell just by looking at her that she had been through hell and back. The last time she had seen her, Priscilla was strung out on cocaine. She sure didn’t look her best. Her hair was ragged, garments were squalid, and her spirit was in the mud. But today, she was a brand new woman and all she wanted was to see her daughter.

  Sybil tried to tell her. “She’s gone.”

  The words hung in the air for a few seconds before they came down and slapped Priscilla in the face. “Who’s gone?” she asked, not believing the words she thought she heard.

  “Brandi is gone, Priscilla… they took her.”

  Her face went blank. “Took her?” she sat in the chair next to Sybil. “What do you mean, they took her? Who took her??” her voice was getting louder.

  “Excuse me, miss?” One of the guards stepped over to where she sat. “We asked you to keep your voice down. I’m afraid you’re going to have to leave.”

  Priscilla ignored him. “Who took my baby!?” she shouted.

  “Miss,” The guard went to grab her arm to escort her from the building.
<
br />   “Get the fuck off me!” she pulled away and faced Sybil. “Who took my baby!?” she cried.

  The tears were pouring from her face and her heart felt like it was about to explode through her chest.

  Two more guards came around the corner to help ease the situation, but Priscilla was livid. “Miss, you need to calm down before we call the authorities.”

  Sybil put her head back down and remained silent. She couldn’t imagine the anguish and heartache Priscilla was feeling. The only man she had ever loved was stretched out on a bed fighting for dear life, and her young, innocent daughter was in the custody of child protective services.

  “Where’s my baby!?” She repeated, trying to grab at Sybil’s shirt. The guard restrained her and had to drag her out of the waiting area and into the street.

  Unlike earlier, the shining sun had taken cover behind a fluffy grey cloud and the gloom had set in. It was still hot, but now the humidity and dankness was making it sticky and uncomfortable. The frustration and displeasure, mixed with the heat, only increased Priscilla’s anger level. She was confused, and didn’t have a clue as to where her child was. Nobody would tell her anything, and to top it off, she had to be at the shelter in 5 minutes.

  She bent down to fix her shoe and a cab rolled up to the emergency entrance. After the two passengers got out, Priscilla begged the driver to drop her off a few blocks over. When she got settled in, she would have to contact her mother to find out if she knew anything about where Brandi was.

  The two and a half block ride took only a few minutes, but when Priscilla burst through the Providence house doors at 89 Sickles Avenue, the clock read; 2:05.

  Shit!

  She was late.

  An older, brown skinned, heavy set woman with black shoulder length hair sat behind a desk, rambling into a cordless phone about her baby’s father not paying child support. She paused in the middle of her conversation. “You’re late.”

  Priscilla froze. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

  “Yeah, girl, I’ll call you back.” she rolled her eyes at Priscilla. “Umm hmm, my two o’clock finally decided to stroll in.”

  “I’m sorry. My name is Priscilla Da—”

  “Ms. Davis,” she cut in, “like I said, you’re late. You see that clock?” She turned and pointed at the clock on the wall behind her. “It says two-oh-five and your appointment was scheduled for two o’clock. That means you should have been here fifteen minutes ago. I’m sure they told you about being on time in the program.”

  Priscilla started to say something, but got cut off again.

  “You know, you’re lucky Mrs. James and I are cool.” She reached into a cabinet and grabbed a small stack of papers. “Usually, you would have come through that door late and I would have kindly told you to turn it right around. Are you serious about this?” she asked.

  “Yes, very serious. And again, I’m sorry for being late.”

  The woman sucked her teeth and shook her head. She had seen a thousand Priscillas walk through that door. “Sorry ain’t gone get you nowhere in this world, so that’s the first thing you need to do…” she placed the papers in a clipboard and pushed it toward Priscilla. “Stop being sorry, and be responsible. Chile’ don’t nobody owe you a damn thing, so don’t expect anything, and you won’t be disappointed. Now, I don’t know your situation or the things you been through in life, but let me tell you this,” she looked directly at Priscilla. “You can’t help nobody if you don’t help yourself first. And that’s the truth. It took me a long time to figure that one out.”

  Priscilla listened closely to every word that was said. She watched the woman’s body language and it was like this woman knew exactly how she was feeling, like she understood what she had been through; like she had walked in these same shoes some time ago.

  She stepped closer to the desk, grabbed the pen and started to fill out the questionnaire. Her emotions were chaotic, and the pressures of life felt like a ton of cement bricks on her shoulders. No longer able to hold it up, she broke down, and a tear drop slowly descended her cheek. It splashed the paper she was writing on.

  “God, please help me…” she whispered.

  The woman came from behind the desk and grabbed Priscilla’s hands to console her. Her palms were warm, moist, and shaky from anxiety. “Listen baby, we’re gonna help you. I don’t want you to think I was trying to come down on you or belittle you in any type of way. I just have to give it to you the same way somebody else who stood behind that desk gave it to me.”

  Priscilla lifted her head. “You—?”

  “Yup, me. I was just like you. It was ten years ago when I came strolling on through that door.” She nodded toward the entrance. “Young, disrespectful, with a heart full of hate, and a heavy addiction to heroin. I was bad, and now, I’m sitting here looking at you and I know you’re a good person. I can see it. You got a good heart. All you need is some guidance. If you’re willing to put forth the effort, we will assist you in reaching your goals.” She let go of Priscilla’s hands and walked back behind the desk. “It’s all up to you.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  The black Town Car barreled down the block and then skidded to a stop on Webster Avenue and Krest. Cleo knew who the driver of the vehicle was, but after what just happened, he was nervous and extremely cautious.

  “What the fuck took you so long, Chris?” He jumped into the backseat and pulled the door closed.

  “There was traffic, Cleo.” Chris put the car in reverse, and quickly made an illegal U turn. “I got here as fast as I could.”

  Cleo stretched across the backseat and tried to regain control of his breathing. The humidity had him drenched in sweat, and red splatters of blood looked like ink blots on his grey t-shirt.

  “You alright back there?” Chris asked. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror.

  Cleo grimaced. “Yeah, why?”

  “I mean, you are back there breathing hard and sweating profusely. And you do have some blood on your shirt.”

  “Oh, you mister funny man today, huh?”

  “Naw, not like that Cleo. I’m jus’ sayin’.”

  “What the fuck you sayin’?” He sat up in the seat, but Chris kept silent. “That’s what the fuck I thought. No, I’m not alright.” Cleo wasn’t playing at all today.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “Yeah Chris, shut the fuck up and drive the car. Take me to Vito’s.”

  Twenty minutes later, the sleek Town Car pulled up to the sidewalk in front of the Bar & Grill. Before Cleo exited, he checked his weapon. He gripped the handle firmly, then looked down at the blood on his hands.

  It was Mox’s blood.

  A voice in his head whispered, Why? But he pushed it from his thoughts, and stepped out into the warm, moist, summer air.

  Cleo was agitated and confused at first, but when he thought about the situation rationally, he came to the conclusion that there was only one person that could have leaked that missing surveillance tape. For a short minute, he even considered storming into Vito’s and brazenly opening fire on whoever was within distance, but what good would that do? So on the ride over, he reasoned that Vinny Telesco was the only one who could get him away from all the trouble that was shadowing him, and he needed to see him face to face.

  As he stepped closer to the entrance, Cleo’s mind was so clouded that he wasn’t aware of his surroundings. He missed the county police car that was parked two spaces up.

  He pushed the door open to Vito’s and walked in.

  The music played at a very low volume and the atmosphere was sedate. Three patrons sat casually on stools along the front of the bar watching an old war movie on the flat screen, while Tony, the bartender, fixed up another round. He turned when he heard the bells on the door jingle.

  “Aye, Tony wassup?” Cleo waved, but didn’t break his stride. He continued straight to the back.

  Tony tried to stop him. “Hey, you can’t go back there!” His words fell
on deaf ears.

  Cleo walked past the tables, nodding his head at the few customers who sat eating, and advanced to the back of the restaurant. He came to a stop when he spotted a small crowd of people sitting at a large table and three dark suited henchmen standing off to the left; two dark haired and one dirty blonde. His focus solely lied upon Vinny Telesco’s pale, wrinkled face.

  Their eyes locked and Vinny made a gesture to his goons who quickly stepped over to where Cleo stood. “Pat ‘em down.” he said, rising from his seat.

  One of the dark haired henchmen felt Cleo’s waist and removed the pistol he had tucked. “Why’d you leak the tape, Vinny!?” Cleo shouted.