Joshua watched the emotions going across the child’s face as her father was taken to the back. If anyone had paid attention they would know that the answers to their questions lie with her. He walked over, leaned against the wall next to the bench she was sitting on. “A penny for your thoughts.”
She looked up at him with eyes much wiser than her age. Her hair pulled back into a ponytail, diamond stud earrings in her ears, a very conservative shell top for a teenager and a smile so knowing, he really didn’t need to hear what she had to say. “My thoughts are worth about a million dollars right now.”
“Okay,” he pushed away from the wall and sat next to her. He took her small hand into his and gently squeezed. “I’m listening.”
She smiled at him then looked straight ahead as she began talking. “Adults make things so complicated.” She shook her head. “I don’t think we realize how decisions we make when we are young impact not only our lives but others as well. I think if my mother had thought about others when she made the decision to abort Mr. Davenport’s child, we would probably not be here today. If my father hadn’t made the decision to marry my mom even though he knew she never loved him, just to say he had something that once belonged to Mr. Davenport, we probably would not be here today. Any one of those decisions could have altered what happened here tonight. Tonight when I called my dad, I didn’t know he was in Richmond. When he picked me up, I told him about my mom’s plan to take down Mr. Davenport. I told him how much I liked Mr. Davenport and asked him what I should do. Instead of him helping me, he snapped. I’ve never seen my daddy that angry. He took me to the new site and we sat in the car. He must have seen the scared look on my face, because that’s when he broke. He told me he never wanted his baby girl to see him a broken man. But that’s what Zackary Davenport had done to him. Davenport took his starting position on the football team. Davenport took his girl. And now Davenport was trying to take his daughter. If he was ever to look himself in the face again, he had to make Davenport pay for all the damage he had caused him. He had to make Davenport lose everything, make him a broken man. But you know what my dad and my mom never understood?”
“What?” Joshua asked.
“Possessions, money, houses and cars, are not what break a man like Mr. Davenport. He is the type of man that can lose the shirt off his back, work hard and come back with ten more shirts. It’s not about material things with him, it’s about the things you can’t buy but people give willingly, like love and respect.”
“I think your father understood that. He was after Zack’s reputation. It was your mother that was after his money.”
She looked up at him. “You may be right.” She sighed. “But you know my father’s plan didn’t work. We sat there waiting for something to happen. The longer we sat the more irritated he became. Finally he got out of the car and walked around to the back of the house. I watched through the window as he walked up the stairs. A few minutes later he returned to the car and just broke down. I have no idea what went wrong, but he felt Mr. Davenport had beat him again.” She sighed, “I think things just went black for me. I was so angry, so very angry that my parents weren’t worth a damn. I’ve tried so hard not to let their insecurities in life affect me. But they did.” She shook her head. “Do you know how many everyday household cleaners are highly flammable? Quite a few I’ll tell you. The whole time I was walking into that house I kept thinking how freaking hard can it be to set a house on fire. I walked in, looked under the cabinet, pulled out the can of oven cleaner. Placed it in the oven, closed the door, turned the oven on then walked out the same way I walked in. I got back into the car and said, let’s go daddy.”
Joshua inhaled. This child should not be going down for this. This was an innocent child with a bright future ahead of her. Her only crime was having assholes as parents. “Did you know anyone was in the house?”
She shook her head, “No one was in the house when I was in there.”
Joshua pulled the child to him and kissed her on the forehead. “You wanted to be an actress right.”
“No, a dancer,” she corrected him. “There’s a difference.”
“Well either way, it’s a performance you have to put on and you have to be in the right frame of mind to put on that performance right.”
“Yeah,” she looked at him sideways.
“Okay, I want you to listen carefully to what I’m about to say. You are going to have to tell them what you told me. But I want you to add a little something. Now, this is going to be between you and me. Understand.”
“Okay.”
Joshua talked to the child a little longer. Then he had her to retell the story to him with the added script. Once he was satisfied, he took her by the hand and down to the interrogation room with her father.
L
Joe and Sally Lassiter held each other as they waited for word on their fifth child. “Funny, I always imagined us being here like this for Sammy or Joshua, but never Diamond,” Sally whispered to her husband.
Joe held her a little tighter, “Sammy is too skilled and Joshua too cocky to be in this position.” He felt the smile tug at his wife’s lips. That’s what he wanted. He wanted to ease her worry. That was his job, to protect his wife and their children. But it seemed he failed on that note. His mind kept wondering why Diamond was there in the first place. She was supposed to be at the dinner with Zack. He stared at the double doors leading to the treatment area of the emergency room. His heart went out to Zack. The woman he loved and his mother were in danger. People didn’t realize that more people died from smoke inhalation than burns. He had a daughter in danger, but Zack could lose both. Then he thought about Xavier and shook his head. “Lord I pray that boy is alright.”
“Which boy?” Sally asked.
Joe looked down at his wife, “Xavier. Can you imagine, just finding out his mother is alive and right under his nose to possibly losing her all in the same day. That has to be a lot to deal with.”
Sally kissed her husband’s cheek. “You are standing here worried about Xavier while your own child is fighting for her life.”
“Oh Diamond is going to be fine. Zack is too stubborn to let her go.”
“Mom,” Ruby, the oldest girl, called out.
Sally looked up to see a team of doctors come out. All of the Lassiter children gathered around. Ruby, Pearl, Matthew, Luke, Opal, Timothy, Jade, Adam, and Sapphire circled around the doctors. Sally reached over and pulled Xavier in with the family.
“Mr. and Mrs. Lassiter?”
“That’s us.” Joe replied.
The first doctor turned to Mr. Lassiter. “Your daughter is stable. We’ve done several intervals of chest x-rays to determine if there was any damage to the lungs. So far they have come back clear, however, we have to continue to monitor for delayed lung injury. A pulse oximetry was done to check the amount of oxygen in her blood. The levels were low, but the continued intake of oxygen will raise those levels. If respiratory problems persist, we will perform a Bronchoscopy. All in all, your daughter is stable and should recover from this incident. Dr. Nicolas will brief you on the other victim.”
The doctor stepped back and a very young female stepped forward. “Good evening. Which of you are the Davenports?”
Xavier started to step forward when Sally replied. “We all are.”
“Okay, Ms. Davenport’s situation is quite different. The first thing I’m going to tell you is we are not going to lose her.”
A sigh of relief resonated through the group. But then Adam, the shyest member and arguably the most intelligent member of the family, challenged the doctor’s words. “How can you be certain of that?”
Dr. Nicolas narrowed her eyes at the man and something in her eyes sparked as she replied. “Because I said so and I’m too stubborn to let her die.”
“You may be, but medicine, as I’m sure you know, is an area shrouded in uncertainty. As encouraging as your words are, we need to hear the facts of Ms. Davenport’s condition before
we are given what could be false hope.”
The entire family was staring at Adam as if he were a stranger. He rarely spoke a few words at a time to anyone except his twin Jade and here he was literally challenging the doctor. Jade took a step closer to her brother as a gesture to let everyone know she supported whatever he just said to the doctor.
Dr. Nicolas held Adam’s glare for a moment before blinking. “You’re right. I apologize.” She turned back to Sally. “Ms. Davenport is in grave condition. She sustained second and third degree burns on the left side of her face and torso. Once the burns begin to heal, she will have to endure a series of skin grafts to repair the damage. That’s the good news. The smoke inhalation has caused some damage to her lungs. Fortunately, she was not in the fire for a significant amount of time, therefore, the damage wasn’t as severe as it could have been.” Her eyes shifted to Adam, “If she survives, and I believe she will,” she turned back to Sally, “there may be respiratory problems in her future.”
“Second and third degree burns are painful. Is the patient sedated and comfortable?” Adam asked.
“Yes, we will keep her sedated while assessing the respiratory damage.”
“Once she stabilizes, I take it she will be transferred to the Burn Unit and cared for by the best physician available.”
The Lassiters’ eyes were riveted on their son. “Yes, once the patient is stabilized she will be moved and I will remain her doctor until she is released.”
Adam did not miss the emphasis placed on the word “I” when the doctor spoke. Everyone held their breath waiting for Adam’s reply.
“Adam?” Xavier asked before agreeing to the doctors’ plans.
Finally pulling his eyes from Dr. Nicolas, Adam nodded. “I’ll hang around for a few days to make sure all goes according to the doctor’s plan.”
Xavier turned back to the doctor. “Do whatever you have to to ensure she is comfortable at all times. Can I sit with her?”
“Not at this moment.”
“The patient’s mental state is as important as her physical under these circumstances. I think having a loved one nearby would be beneficial to her will to survive. Wouldn’t you agree, Doctor Nicolas?”
“I do,” Dr. Nicolas cleared her throat, “Once we get her in a sterile environment, we will advise you.” She looked around, “Only one visitor at a time. Okay?”
Everyone nodded and replied. “Okay.”
The medical team turned to retreat behind the double doors, but Dr. Nicolas paused for a moment to take another look at the man that dared to challenge her. He looked young, but then again she got the same reaction when people discover she is one of the top burn specialists in the country. She wondered if she would ever see him again, then turned and walked back through the doors.
L
It was well after four in the morning when Samuel tapped Zack on his shoulder. Zack was seated in a chair next to Diamond’s bed, asleep. She lay there with oxygen tubing in her nose and monitors constantly measuring her breathing. “How is she doing?”
Zack sat up, wiped his hand down his face and nodded. “I think she’s good. She’s opened her eyes a few times. Your father and mother came in for a while.” He chuckled. “Your father called out to her but she didn’t blink. Then your mother said, “Diamond Renee Lassister open your eyes this minute”, in that tone. I thought Diamond was going to jump out of her skin. The monitor started beeping like crazy. The nurses came running in. Diamond opened her eyes. Your mother smiled, kissed her forehead and told her to rest. Diamond closed her eyes. Your mother turned to me and said, ‘She’ll be fine, now you get some rest.’ I started to protest, and your father gave me one of those, do as she said looks and I just agreed. It’s not your father that puts the fear of God in you, it’s your mother.”
Samuel smiled. “Man I could have told you that years ago.”
Zack pointed to a chair for Samuel. He took a seat and the two talked. “Chanté?” Zack asked.
“She’s at my house with Joshua. Her father insisted that the child was trying to protect him. He said he set the fire. In a way he did, along with Celeste. That child has been dealing with too much for someone her age. It’s a wonder she turned out as balanced as she is.”
“She’s a special girl. I’ll make sure she doesn’t want for anything. Ask Cynthia to check into this dance school Chanté talks about. Whatever it takes I want her enrolled as soon as possible. I want her life back to normal.”
“I’m not sure that will happen. Celeste is going to be charged with embezzlement. Her father is definitely going to serve some time for arson and that’s going to leave her with no parents.”
Zack shook his head. “I won’t let that happen. If nothing else, Diamond and I will take her. Is there any idea who is her real father?”
Samuel laughed. “You’re not going to believe it.”
“Try me.”
“Teddy is her real father.” Samuel smiled at the look on Zack’s face.
“After all of this craziness. How did you find out?”
“I didn’t, Joshua did. He pulled the lab results from your DNA test, sent them to his tech friend along with a sample from Teddy and within an hour the results were back in. You should have seen the tears from the man when Joshua told him. I’m pretty sure Joshua is going to pull some strings for Teddy so that he and Chanté can eventually be together.”
“Hmm, I never thought Joshua had a sweet side to him.” Diamond’s foot moved and she moaned. Zack jumped up and leaned over her. “Diamond.” She blinked, looked at him and smiled. “Hey babe,” he rubbed her temple and kissed her cheek. She tried to say something, but nothing came out. Tears formed in her eyes and spilled down her cheek. “Don’t try to talk. Here,” he poured a little water into a cup. “Sip.” She did, but the tears kept flowing. Samuel handed him a pen and pad. He gave it to Diamond. She wrote: Ann Boom. Tears began pouring as she closed her eyes.
“No babe,” Zack kissed her cheek. “You pulled her out. She’s here.” Diamond opened her eyes and stared at him in wonder. “She’s here. X-man is with her. She’s safe.”
Samuel stood next to the other side of her bed. “Seems like we have another hero in the family.”
She reached for the pen and pad and wrote: House.
“We’re going to have to rebuild.” Zack replied. She frowned. Then wrote: I love you.
Samuel took that as his cue as Zack gathered Diamond in his arms and held her. “Thank you for teaching me how to love.”
She wrapped her arms around him and whispered, “You’re welcome.” Then fell asleep in his arms.
Samuel watched them and smiled thinking, one sister down, five to go.
Epilogue
At first Zack thought the initiation to the family football game was a joke. Today, his body told him it was anything but! Those girls, whom their father, Joe, refers to as his precious gems, should be linebackers on Luke’s professional football team. He was sure the men had the game in the bag until Cynthia made the play of the day.
Zack had taken a moment to enjoy a kiss from Diamond when he found himself being dragged away.
Samuel and Joshua grabbed Zack by the arms just as Ruby and Pearl grabbed Diamond and pulled them apart. “There will be no booty bumping tonight!” Phire proclaimed.
Everyone stopped and looked at her. “What? I just said what all of you were thinking.”
“You know the rule,” Sammy said to Zack, “no contact until tomorrow.”
“Don’t make me whip you again Sammy.” Zack laughed as they huddled for the final play of the game.
The girls gathered around Diamond. “This one is for you.” Pearl smiled. “Cynthia, you know what to do.”
“We’ll handle the other guys,” Jade added, “You go get your man.”
Diamond smiled as they all clapped signaling they were ready. They lined up with Diamond in the center flanked on the right by Cynthia, Pearl and Jade—on the left with Phire, Opal, and Ruby. Sammy had the ball,
Luke was the center with Joshua and Adam on his left, to his right were Timothy, Matt and Zack. Luke snapped the ball and lunged forward to tackle Diamond, but she wasn’t there. Instead of pushing forward, she fell back and followed Zack running to the goal line. Pearl and Jade took out Joshua and Adam. Cynthia jumped over Luke, right in Samuel’s face and yelled, “I’m pregnant,” just as Samuel released the ball. Phire caught the ball that came up short as Diamond tackled Zack to the ground.
“What?” Samuel stared at Cynthia.
“We’re going to have a baby.” Everyone went into an uproar, including Joe and Sally who ran off the porch to join the celebration. No one paid any attention to Diamond and Zack as they snuck around the back of the house.
As they rounded the corner of the house they came to a sudden stop. “Going somewhere?” Xavier stood there leaning against the back door of the house.
“X-man,” Zack frowned. “You don’t see us.”
“You expect me to go up against six feet eleven inches of Joe Lassiter. Not to mention, his sons?”
“You damn right I do.” Zack replied. He watched as X-man contemplated his next move. “Come on man. Help a brother out.”
Xavier looked at Diamond, “Are you sure you want to marry this Davenport?”
Diamond walked over, kissed Xavier on the cheek and smiled. “Yes.”
Xavier smiled at his friend then looked at his brother. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about Zack keeping his mother away from him, but he loved his brother. That would never be in question. He turned his back, “I see nothing.”
Zack patted X-man on the back. “I love you man.” He grabbed Diamond’s hand and ran towards the back gate.
“Be back in time for dinner, Diamond Renee Lassiter.” Sally yelled from the kitchen window.
Teach Me (The Gems & Gents Series) Page 28