Chapter 10
"Ever since this all started happening, you've been like…Simone you need to do this, and Simone you need to do that. I'm a grown woman. I made decisions before you and I believe I am still capable of making them. Just because you put a ring on my finger doesn't mean you know what's best for me."
Decisions
Misty sat upon her sofa. Her hands were shaking and she was sure her heart was going to explode.
You've got to relax, she tried telling herself.
She clicked off the lights and allowed her head to rest upon a pillow. Images began to flash through her mind and then the tears came.
It's not your fault, right?
Maybe it is.
She switched on the television and turned to the news. She listened carefully.
I can't find a thing. That's good, isn't? Let me try another channel.
She franticly flipped through every news station she could find.
I need a glass of wine, maybe two.
Man, this is insane. Pull yourself together, girl.
She gulped down two glasses of wine.
As she stared at the wall of her kitchen it dawned on her, I better get an attorney, just in case.
Misty sat on her sofa again and stared at her phone. It had been years since they spoke. She wasn't even sure his cell phone number was the same.
She issued a sigh of relief when the voicemail picked up.
There weren't many things or people for that matter that made Misty nervous. Having to speak to her brother was definitely the exception.
Misty turned her attention back to the television. She raced back through the news channels and drank another glass of wine.
Thirty minutes later her cell phone rang. Her hands began to shake again.
"Misty?"
"Yes, it's me."
Silence.
"What do you want?" He asked her.
"I may need your help, Lynden."
"You know I don't get involved in your little schemes."
"This is serious."
"How serious could it be?"
"I may have killed someone."
"What!"
"It's not my fault."
"What do you mean it's not your fault? What happened? Start from the beginning, Misty, and don't leave anything out."
"First, you have to promise me you will help me."
"I can't make that type of promise, Misty."
"Please Lynden."
"I've never heard you beg for anything in your life."
Misty didn't respond.
"Okay Misty, I will help you, but you've got to start by telling me what in the world happened."
Misty took a deep breath…. she started to open her mouth when something on the television caught her eye.
"Lynden, I'm sorry. Let me call you right back."
"What's going on, Misty?"
"Give me a minute! I said I will call you right back."
"Don't bother."
"It's not like that." Misty had to catch herself. "Do you remember Jazzmyne?"
"Of course I remember her. You and Dad tried to…."
"This is not the time, Lynden."
"You brought it up. What does she have to do with your situation?"
"Nothing, well, not entirely. Look, I just saw a caption on the news that said that her husband, Chris, passed away yesterday."
"You're kidding me?"
"I'm sure of it. Let me call you back."
"Okay, but you had better call back, Misty. I'm not chasing you down."
"Trust me, I'll call."
Misty hung up the phone and turned up the television. She couldn't believe her ears. All she could think about was, Ken.
I miss him so much.
As she watched the news, she felt herself going there…
He's gone girl, gone.
She got up and walked into her bedroom, opened her top drawer and pulled out a photo of both of them standing in front of The Clue, on opening day.
I really did love you.
Misty walked over to her phone. It's time, she thought to herself; to make everyone who owes me a favor, pay up.
Her first call was to the police chief.
Simone and Carl sat at a restaurant table barely speaking to each other.
"Are you okay?"
Simone couldn't find the strength to eat.
"I know it's hard but you've got to eat something."
Maybe taking her out to eat wasn't such a good idea.
Carl had been struggling with the idea of them going to dinner ever since he had broken the news to her about Chris yesterday. It was the only thing he could come up with to get her out of the house so that they could spend some time together.
"I can't. I just keep thinking about her. I can't even imagine what she's going through right now."
"I know. When Felicia called me I couldn't believe it myself."
Carl looked at Simone intently.
"Say what you have to say." She already knew what was coming as Carl reached across the table and grabbed her hand. He waited for the waiter to pass by before he spoke.
"I was just thinking that maybe we should go see her."
"I wonder if my mother knows about Chris."
Carl knew she was trying to change the subject.
"I tried calling her but all I got was her voicemail."
"That's strange." Simone tried not to look his way.
"They still haven't spoken to each other yet, have they?"
"No, I don't think so."
"And you? How long are you going to keep putting off speaking to Monà?"
"I don't know. Honestly, I feel like I don't know anything right now."
"Maybe we need to go by there and check on her. Maybe she's heard."
"No."
"You can't just keep putting it off, Simone."
"Stay out of it."
"I'm a part of it because you are a part of me."
Simone didn't respond. She began to tap her fork on the table.
"I'm sick and tired of you trying to tell me what I need to do!"
"Where is that coming from?" Carl was rather taken back by her tone.
"Ever since this all started happening, you've been like…Simone you need to do this, and Simone you need to do that. I'm a grown woman. I made decisions before you and I believe I am still capable of making them. Just because you put a ring on my finger doesn't mean you know what's best for me."
"What are you doing, Simone?"
"What do you mean? I'm simply saying that you need to stop trying to tell me what I need to be doing every single time we have a conversation."
"No, you're doing more than that."
Carl removed his hand.
"You're my boyfriend Carl, not my father."
"I'm not your boyfriend Simone, I'm your fiancé. Remember?"
"Yeah, well."
"Well what?"
Carl felt an anger climbing up inside of him that he was trying to force back down.
"I just want to go home."
"No, you want to run away."
"Call it what you want."
"I'm calling it like I see it."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. It seems to me that you're just trying to find an excuse not to marry me?"
"That's your insecurity, not mine. I told you yesterday that wasn't true."
"You keep saying that, but your actions and tone say something else."
"Carl, every time you and I have a disagreement you throw up the wedding and start telling me how you think I feel about it."
"I'm just trying to determine what's really going on here."
"I don't know what's really going on. I just told you that I don't know anything right now."
"Talk to me, Simone."
"I don't know, Carl."
"You don't know what?"
"I don't know… maybe you're right."
Carl stared at her. Part of him wanted to get up and walk away and part o
f him wanted to grab her and hold her.
He reached out for her hand again but she moved it back.
Carl shifted his weight in his chair.
"Say it, Simone."
"Say what?"
"Say it and get it over with."
Simone looked around the restaurant. The tears were streaming down her face.
"I don't think I want to get married."
Carl got up, placed enough money on the table to cover the check, and walked away. He didn't let her see his own tears.
Part Two
Chapter 11
"When Naya saw the sincerity of her tears, she immediately wished she could take it all back. It was too late. Her words and actions were like feathers in the wind. Once let loose, they were impossible to retrieve."
Feathers in the Wind
Jonathan lay in his bed, staring at the clock. It was almost ten o'clock and still his wife had not come home. He wasn't even sure where she went.
When the phone rang he leaped over the bed to grab it.
"Is this Mr. Creek?"
"Yes, it is."
"This is the police department calling in regard to a Mrs. Felicia Creek."
"What is it? Is something wrong with my wife?"
"Sir, there was an accident. Mrs. Creek has been rushed to the emergency room at Emery-Cook Hospital."
"Is she alright?"
"We can't say."
"What about the baby? My wife was pregnant."
"We don't know, Mr. Creek, at this time…."
Jonathan hung up before they could finish.
He sat on the edge of the bed, rushing to put his shoes on. His hands shook and the pain in his leg seemed to radiate throughout his body. He refused to acknowledge it. His thoughts were running wild. His heart was full of fear.
What if I lose her? Even as he said the words, he knew he had to quickly dismiss the thought. But then, as he pulled himself off the bed with his cane he couldn't help himself…his thoughts took him to his unborn child. He felt like screaming.
The pounding in his chest scared him.
He began doing something he had never done before. He began to pray.
Ten steps later he was heading toward the car when he passed the door to what was to become the nursery. Looking quickly inside, his eyes gazed upon the layers of boxes filled with furniture he had promised he would put together weeks ago. The walls were still a bone white. Walls he had promised to paint a month ago. He fought the tears.
He sped away the moment the sitter pulled up. Trembling fingers fought to guide the steering wheel. His foot was heavy on the gas pedal.
He thought about the first time they met. Her soft lips were filled with a calming voice. There was passion for life in her heart and a caressing mildness in her touch. He had always felt that he never really deserved her. Her parents had felt the same at first. They passed away a few months after Felicia had their second child.
The wide glass hospital doors flew open and Jonathan fought to get himself under control.
The police were there. His heart began to pound again as he saw blood on one of them.
Is that Felicia's?
He moved fast, searching for a nurse. Searching for anyone that would tell him his wife and child were going to be alright.
There was a voice behind him.
"Mr. Creek?"
Jonathan turned around to see Dr. Banner walking up toward him. He searched her face looking for a speck of hope.
When she smiled, even she could see the relief upon his face.
"Mr. Creek, your wife suffered pretty severe bruises to the head but she is going to be okay."
His tears were already there.
"What about the baby?"
Jonathan watched as her smile faded. He grabbed hold of the edge of the counter and braced himself.
"I'm so sorry Mr. Creek, we did everything we could but we couldn't save them both."
"No!"
The trembling in his legs was felt throughout his entire body. The tears streamed down his face with a swift fierceness as his cane hit the floor.
Dr. Banner fought to control her own tears as she reached out to hold him up. A police officer stepped in to assist and they both managed to get him to a chair.
She watched him. She could see his mother in him and it pained her even more. She searched for comforting words but found none. Finally, she began to open her mouth when a loud beeping sound was heard at the nurses' station.
"Who is it?" Jonathan asked almost in a whisper.
The nurse was afraid to say it out loud as she watched Jonathan's face.
"It's Felicia Creek's room, Dr. Banner."
Jonathan scrambled to his feet and struggled to follow Dr. Banner to his wife's room.
Just as he reached the door a nurse came out and grabbed hold of him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Creek, but you can't go in there right now."
"What do you mean, I can't go in there? That's my wife!"
"Yes sir, I understand."
"No, clearly you don't. That's my wife! You hear me, that's my wife in there! You let me in that room right now!"
The nurse didn't let him go. He was pushing her back but she braced her feet and held on to him.
"Jonathan!"
He turned around and released his grip on the nurse when he saw her.
"Mother," he exclaimed in shock.
Naya reached out and grabbed hold of her son. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered in his ear, "I know it's hard son, but you've got to let the doctors do what they need to do. She is strong. She will fight. She will win, I promise you but you've got to let them do their job. She will be okay."
He began to sob.
"I can't lose her, mother. I can't lose her."
"I know son. I know. You won't."
The nurse was relieved. She knew she wouldn't have been able to hold him much longer.
As Naya stepped back, Jonathan's eyes rested upon JK.
"What are you doing here?!"
Jonathan moved toward him.
Naya stepped in between the two.
JK knew not to answer but he held on to his cane tightly.
"JK, can you do me a favor and wait for us in the waiting area?"
JK nodded his head as the two men glared at each other.
Naya turned her attention toward the nurse.
"Miss, do you mind helping him find it?"
"No, ma'am."
The nurse moved quickly around Jonathan toward JK. She wasn't prepared to witness world war three this evening.
Naya waited for JK to disappear around the corner.
"Did they say what happened?"
Jonathan leaned up against the wall.
"No. No one has said much, but I plan to find out who is responsible for this!"
Naya moved closer to her son. She chose her words carefully.
"Has there been any news about the baby?"
When she saw the tears and the way his legs began to shake, she knew. She stopped him before he could answer.
"This is my fault, entirely. I have caused so much pain to everyone close to me including my wife and now my child."
His sobbing became uncontrollable.
Naya didn't know how to respond. It took everything that she had, but she reached out for him again. She held him tight as she felt his tears soak through the crevices of her silk blouse. She understood his pain.
"You've got to save your strength for her. She will need you."
It took a few minutes, but finally Jonathan began to listen.
"Mother, I am so sorry about what I said about Chris. I really didn't mean it. I really do hope that he gets better. I'm so sorry."
Naya looked away. The thought never crossed her mind that he didn't know.
"My Chris is gone, Jonathan. My Chris is gone." She whispered.
It was Naya's turn to brace herself against the wall as he stared at her in disbelief.
The pain of a mother met the regret of
a son.
Slowly they headed toward the waiting area.
Jonathan sat on the opposite side, trying hard to imagine JK not being there. He kept his thoughts focused on his wife.
JK watched him. Naya had whispered in his ear about the baby. He wanted so much to say how sorry he was, but he knew it was not the right time.
In the waiting room, tears fell down cheeks. Hearts searched for hope and memories of smiles filled minds.
Two hours later, Jonathan once again found himself searching the face of Dr. Banner.
Naya spoke first.
"Did you save my daughter-in-law?"
Dr. Banner's heart began to beat at a rapid pace.
"Yes ma'am, she is resting now."
Dr. Banner could feel her glaring eyes searching through her. She placed her hands in her pocket as if that would give her some sort of strength.
"What is going on with my wife?"
"There was an allergic reaction to the pain medication that was given to her, but now that it has been changed, I expect a full, but slow, recovery."
"Can I see her now?"
Naya watched her. She saw the hesitation.
"Yes, Mr. Creek, you can see your wife now, but I have to warn you that she is not fully aware of her situation."
Naya moved directly in front of Dr. Banner. The two women stood eye-to-eye.
"You mean you didn't tell her about the loss of the baby?"
Jonathan didn't understand what was going on, but he did understand that he would have to be strong for his wife. He was the one who would have to break the news to her. He took a deep breath and headed toward her room.
Naya waited until she could no longer see him.
Dr. Banner spoke up.
"I'm so sorry, I know I should have been the one to call and tell you about Chris."
Dr. Banner barely had time to step back as Naya's hand came in full contact with her left cheek.
"How dare you! How dare you not tell me that my Chris was gone! How could you do that to me? You said he was going to be okay. What happened? What happened to my husband?"
"I know I should have been the one. I just couldn't. It was too hard. I allowed myself to get too close. You have to know that I did everything I could to try to save him; the cancer had spread too far. It had…" She couldn't finish. The tears came gushing out.
STRINGS of COLOR Page 8