by Chunichi
“Ouch!” A streaking pain ran through my head, diverting my attention back to my injury.
I couldn’t believe what was going on. I couldn’t understand how we went from a night of celebrating the New Year, to Touch being shot and me in a coma. The more I played that night over and over in my head, the more the pieces of the puzzle began to come together. Before long I’d recapped the entire night in my head, and I knew exactly what had gone down. I was sure Calico had shot Touch, and Sasha had hit me in the head. Now that I knew the deal, I knew exactly what I had to do. Calico and Sasha had to pay.
Misty returned to the room with a wheelchair. “Miss Diaz?”
“Yes?”
“I’m gonna take you to see Mr. Davis. The doctor wanted you to wait until he was able to come in and do a quick examination, but I convinced him to let me go ahead and take you to see your boo.”
We both laughed at her usage of the word boo.
“Thanks, girl,” I said to Misty as though we were longtime friends. “I really appreciate it.”
“Oh, trust me, I understand. I was in your place once. Me and my man were in a car accident, and when I came to, all I wanted to do was see him. So I feel your pain.” Misty parked the chair next to my bed and began to prepare me for my trip.
My opinion suddenly changed about her. Instead of looking at her as another greedy street-bitch, I actually saw her as a pretty cool female. She helped me out of bed, and minutes later, I was comfortable in the wheelchair.
Misty swept me off to Touch’s room. As we entered the room, I instantly felt the same tightness I’d felt in my chest earlier, and again, I began to struggle to breathe. The sight of a lifeless Touch with tubes coming from every direction and constant beeps of the monitor and inflation of the breathing machine was just too overwhelming for me.
“Why are there so many tubes? What’s going on?” I asked Misty between my tears and pants.
Misty rolled me right next to Touch’s bed, and I grabbed his hand as she explained his current state and what the different tubes were for. My heart literally ached as I watched the love of my life lay before me unconscious.
“Just leave me here,” I said to Misty. “I want to spend some time with him alone.”
“No problem, but I must tell you. Detectives have been up here several times to speak with you and Mr. Davis. They asked that we give them a call when you all regain consciousness.”
“I’m really not interested in speaking to no DT right now, or ever for that matter.” I kissed my teeth and rolled my eyes simultaneously.
“Well, I’m not going to call them, but I just wanted to make you aware.” Misty smiled.
“Thank you so much. You are so understanding. I owe you.” I smiled back and then diverted my attention to Touch.
“I love you so much, baby.” I caressed his hand as I spoke to him. “I know you can make it out of this. Come on, Touch. I need you here. Your twin girls need you here. Too many people are depending on you, baby.” I knew Touch loved his daughters with all his heart, and if anyone could inspire him to fight, it would definitely be them.
I laid my head beside him on the bed. I could still smell the fresh scent of his Vera Wang cologne. “I love you, Touch,” I constantly whispered to him until I dozed off to sleep.
The next day I was discharged from the hospital with enough pain pills to sedate a horse. I had fifteen staples straight down the center of the back of my head. When I got home, all I could think about was Touch. After calling his mother, situating things at home, and taking a much-needed shower, I got in my car and headed back to the hospital, no more than two hours after I’d left. That’s where I spent each day—by Touch’s side—until he regained consciousness.
Chapter 5
“Sad Reality”
Touch
“Aaaahhh fuck!” My body ached with so much pain, and it throbbed as though I’d been hit by a fucking bus. I slowly opened my eyes and struggled to figure out where I was.
I heard a familiar voice say, “Touch, baby,” and felt a gentle touch on the side of my face.
I turned to my left side to see Jewel sitting next to me. “What?” I struggled to talk but noticed something was preventing me.
“No, no, baby, don’t try to talk,” Jewel said to me. “There’s a tube in your mouth.” She then called for the nurse.
I noticed I felt extremely thirsty, as I took the time to examine my body and things started to register. It seemed like I had tubes coming from every hole in my body. I had tubes coming from my mouth, arm, and even my dick.
Shit was really starting to sink in. I remembered getting shot at the club. Although I was shot in a matter of seconds, the events seemed to have occurred in slow motion. I remembered seeing Calico dip in his waist and me thinking, This nigga got a fucking gun, knowing he was going to shoot me. My first instinct was to push Jewel to the floor to get her out of danger. The last thing I remembered was locking eyes with her, and then feeling extreme pain to my stomach. And from the way things were looking from that hospital bed, Calico had really fucked me up. But the one mistake that bitch nigga made was to leave me breathing.
Minutes later, the nurse walked in. After checking my vitals and a quick exam, she removed my breathing tube from my mouth. My first request was water. After quenching the severest case of cotton mouth a nigga could ever experience, I began to ask the thousand questions that had been plaguing my mind.
“How many times was I shot?” I forced out the first question.
“Once,” Jewel answered right away.
“Where?”
“In the stomach and exiting out your back,” Jewel said, confirming exactly what I’d suspected.
“So, how bad is it?”
I watched Jewel’s expression change after I asked that question. That was a sure sign a nigga was fucked up.
Jewel came with some bullshit answer. “Baby, don’t worry about all that. You’re alive, that’s all that matters.”
“Yo, this me you talking to, Jewel. Don’t give a nigga the runaround. What’s the deal? Am I paralyzed or something?”
“No, you’re not, but you’re gonna have to go through extensive rehab to learn to walk again.” Jewel dropped her head and began to cry.
There was nothing I could say. So many emotions were hitting me at one time. I was so fucking vex that I let this nigga Calico take so much from me. I was hurt that Jewel had to see me go through this. I felt like shit because, at the time, a nigga was like a fucking baby. Somebody had to feed me, bathe me, change me, and I even had to learn to walk again. What good was I? I didn’t know if you could even consider somebody in that state as a man.
“I’m gonna kill Calico,” I said, pure hate in my heart and eyes.
Jewel tried her best to divert my anger to positive energy. “Baby, please don’t talk like that. Don’t even focus on him. Put your energy into your health. We just need to get you better.”
“Matter of fact, why are you even here? I can’t do shit for you. If I can’t walk or even feed myself, I definitely can’t fuck you. Plus, we both know how you love money. If I can’t grind, the money will be gone soon, which means you’ll be out looking for the next cat. Ain’t no point in waiting. Just leave now. You ain’t gotta stick around because you feel sorry for me, or because you feel like it’s the right thing to do. Haul ass!”
“Touch, why are you acting like that? I’ve been here by your side every day and night for an entire week while you lay here unconscious. I love you and I’m not giving up on you, no matter what!” Jewel cried.
“Did you not hear me? Get the fuck out, Jewel!” I then began to yell for the nurse. “Nurse!”
The nurse rushed in. “Yes, Mr. Davis?”
“Could you have her leave?”
“Mr. Davis, she’s been here by your side every day and night.”
“So what? Are you gonna make her leave, or do I need to call security?”
Misty hesitated before speaking. “I’m sorry, Jewe
l. I have to respect his wishes,” she said reluctantly. “I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
“Misty, I’m not going anywhere. He’s just upset right now. This is a lot for him to handle.”
“Jewel, if he calls security, you won’t ever be able to re-enter the facility.”
With tears in her eyes and hurt written all over her face, Jewel gathered her things and headed toward the door. “I love you, Touch, and I refuse to give up on you, even if you give up on yourself. I’m standing by your side, no matter what.” Her words were followed by the sound of the door closing behind her.
The next few weeks were filled with intense rehabilitation and constant questioning by detectives. At times, I didn’t know if the DTs were trying to find my shooter or get up in my business. On the real, this one detective was making me feel like I was the fucking criminal instead of the victim. They kept asking if I knew my shooter.
Of course, I lied and said no. Shit like this had to be handled on the streets. There was no getting the cops involved. But they just weren’t happy when I told them I didn’t know my shooter. From there they tried to insinuate it was drug activity that provoked my shooter to come after me, like a drug deal gone bad or some shit. These niggas had to be crazy if they thought I would admit to something like that. Needless to say, after two or three of these bullshit interrogations, all contact was off when it came to the police.
Jewel and I had made up. She didn’t give up on me. I swear, if she hadn’t done just like she promised and stayed by my side the entire way, I would have fucking lost it. In fact, she showed me more love than I’d ever expected. She’d shown me so much that I knew I had to give her all of me. I had to give her a part of me that no other woman ever had. There were times when I felt like shit, less than a fucking man, and I took that frustration out on her, but no matter what, she still was there encouraging me. She was at my bedside each day, feeding me at mealtime. Although she had no proper training, she would beat the nurses to giving me a bath and assisting me to the bathroom. I always knew Jewel was that down-ass bitch, but now I felt like I owed her big time.
Chapter 6
“Here Comes the Bride”
Jewel
“Come on, baby.” I helped Touch out of bed and into a standing position so that he could use his walker.
He had made a lot of progress over the past few weeks. He’d gone from being totally dependent to walking, bathing, eating, dressing, and basically doing everything on his own. Although Touch was recovering, I still had a deep hatred for Calico, and I wasn’t going to be happy until he paid for his deed.
Touch’s mother walked through the front door.
“Hey, Ma!” I said.
Touch’s mother would come over periodically to give me a break. That gave me an opportunity to do any errands I may have. I refused to leave Touch alone until I was sure he could bust a nigga ass if he had to. Until then he would never be alone. I’d purchased extra guns and placed them throughout the house for added protection. I’d even gone as far as to teach his mom how to shoot. This nigga Calico had just tried to take Touch’s life, and there was no way I was gonna take a chance of him coming back to finish the job.
“Okay, baby, I’ll be right back.” I kissed Touch and then headed toward the front door prepared to set the alarm on my way out. Although we lived in a prominent high-end neighborhood, crime had no address, so I needed to protect my man at all costs.
“Wait!” Touch called out as though he was in pain.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I said in a panic.
“Come sit next to me.” Touch patted on a stool at the breakfast bar next to him. “I wanted to wait ’til my mom was here before I did this.”
Confused, I slowly walked toward him and sat on the stool as he requested. I watched as he struggled to dig an item from out of his pocket. I immediately reached out to assist him.
“No, baby,” he said, resisting. “I got it.” He then finally pulled out a small box. “This isn’t the way I dreamed of doing things, but this can’t wait any longer. You’ve shown me love that no other woman, other than my mother, has ever shown me. We’ve shared good and bad times, and between it all, you stood your ground as my ride-or-die chick. Jewel, I love you, baby, and I can never repay you for your loyalty, but I can give you all of me for the rest of my life. If you would accept, I would love for you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
My eyes filled with water, and it felt like someone was literally tugging at my heart. “Yes, baby. Of course, I will be your wife.”
We kissed each other passionately.
My ring was beautiful. Touch had outdone himself. As soon as I’d seen the name Harry Winston, I knew there was no way I could be disappointed. He was a celebrity jeweler, so I knew Touch couldn’t go wrong with him. I opened the box to see a 14-karat white gold princess and baguette matching ring and band set with a total weight of eight carats. I immediately placed the ring on my finger and admired it, leaving the band in the box for our actual wedding day.
“Well, it looks like I’m finally getting my wish,” Touch’s mom said. She’d always wanted me as a daughter-in-law.
Way back when Touch and I were truly platonic friends, I could remember his mother constantly saying, “Boy, I sure wish you were my daughter-in-law.”
“Now get out of here and go do your wifely duties. Get me some groceries, woman!” Touch said in a playful tone.
I grabbed my Gucci bag and headed out the door and made my way to Wal-Mart. Like always, the Wal-Mart parking lot was full, and the store was busy like a damn nightclub. I breezed my way through the aisles of the store, picking up items and checking them off my grocery list.
“Yo, Jewel,” someone called out to me.
I turned around to see one of Calico’s boys that went by the name Poppo standing before me. I unzipped my purse that sat in the child seat of the shopping cart. I wanted easy access to my gun in case I needed to shoot this nigga.
“Yeah?” I responded with an attitude. I didn’t know what type of shit he was on, and I didn’t want to make the mistake of showing fear.
“What’s good with you, baby girl? Still looking good, I see.”
I could tell by his body language and his words that he wasn’t on no beef shit. In the past, he had tried to get with me, but since Touch had gotten shot, I didn’t know what to expect or who could be trusted.
“Whatever, nigga.” I blew him off then continued to look for Touch’s favorite cereal, Fruity Pebbles.
“Why you keep blowing me off? I been trying to holla at you for a minute now.”
I was just about to diss the hell out of this nigga, but then it hit me. Poppo was obviously one of those niggas that was weak for pussy. He had been trying to get with me since I was dating Calico. Every time Calico would send him to pick up some shit from me or to deliver me some money or anything, he would always make a pass at me. One time he even grabbed my ass. I figured, if he would stab his boy in the back during that time, why not do it now? Literally, that is. Plus, I knew firsthand how Calico treated his boys. He treated them like shit. I knew I could easily get in Poppo’s head, so I executed.
“Yeah, you have, Poppo, but I’m a boss bitch, and I need a boss by my side. I can’t have no nigga that’s being bitched out every day by some other nigga that thinks he’s the boss.”
“Man, fuck that nigga! I’m trying to do a little something on my own, so I can break off from that nigga now. He be trying to play niggas for a little bitch, and I’m getting tired of that shit.”
Poppo’s simple ass played right into my little game when he said exactly what I wanted to hear.
“So you think all you need is a little drug connect to get away from Calico? Hell, if that’s all it takes, I can put you on to a connect, but Calico will kill your ass if he knew you was trying to do your own thing. That shit makes you his competition.”
“Man, I’ll deal with Calico.”
Poppo’s words were music t
o my ears.
“Okay, look . . . this is the deal. You know Touch is fucked up, so he ain’t even fucking with the drug game right now. So I’m gonna need a new boss by my side. If you can get rid of Calico to assure we won’t have problems, I will put you on to my connect, and me and you can build a new empire of our own.”
“Done deal. Say no more. How can I reach you?”
Poppo’s weak ass had fallen right into my trap. Just like the average nigga, he was weak for pussy. I knew I could tell him anything and have him eating out of the palm of my hand. Sure, I made him feel like he was the man and I was gonna be by his side, but it was only to get what I wanted, which was Calico out of the way and my man safe. What better way to have Calico killed than to have his own boy do it?
Poppo and I exchanged phone numbers, and I finished up my grocery shopping excited as a kid on Christmas.
Chapter 7
“Indecent Proposal”
Poppo
“Damn right!” I said to no one in particular as I walked back to my car in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart shopping center.
Running into Jewel was a coincidence, but the offer she made had to be a sign that it was time to break away from Calico. But, still, I had to wonder if this bitch was for real. I must admit, her offer did seem too good to be true. Was this bitch trying to set me up? After all, my man did just try to kill her nigga. Maybe, once I get Calico out the way, I would be her next man. All kinds of shit was running through my head, but fuck it! I needed the come-up. It was whatever.
Once I got to the crib, I couldn’t get that shit off my mind. This would be the perfect fucking come-up. I could be on top, and I knew that’s all I needed to get Jewel. I’d wanted that ass for a long time and it looked like my time was finally coming. I stayed up late watching episodes of The First 48 and eating pizza and drinking Heineken, which eventually got a nigga tired as hell. I slowly began to doze off to sleep.