by Ambria Davis
I attempted to get out of bed, but I sat back down when I realized that my strength wasn’t at 100 percent. Holding on to the side of the bed, I inched my way up. I was about to take a step when I heard someone walking through the door.
“What are you doing?” Margie asked, running toward me. “Why are you out of bed?”
“Making a break for it. I’m getting out of here while I have the opportunity. I need some answers, and Detective Webber isn’t trying to help me, so I’ll have to help myself,” I said, standing to my feet.
“But you’re in no condition to leave.”
“Don’t matter what condition I’m in, I’m getting up out of here,” I grunted.
“Now you know you can’t go anywhere like that,” she said, trying to stop me.
I looked in her eyes with a straight face and said, “I can and I will. Now you can either help me, or you can let me go.”
I stared at her intently. I could see the wheels in her head turning, wondering if she should help me. Hell, she was probably scared of losing her job.
“If you’re worried about losing your job, I can help you. I have money, I can give you some,” I said, trying to ease her burden.
“I don’t want your money, Amina, and although I know that you’re in no condition to leave, I’m going to help you. I like you. As a matter of fact, I care deeply for you. You’re like the daughter I never had. All I ask is that you be careful and take care of yourself,” she said with her voice cracking.
“Aw, that’s sweet. I promise that I’ll take care of myself, Margie. I just can’t stay in here not knowing what’s going on. I don’t know how I got here. I don’t know where Troy is, where Kaylin is, or where my kids are. I wanna be able to see, hear, and hug my kids, but I can’t do that. I need to find them and I can’t if I’m locked up in here.”
“I understand all that, baby, I really do. Now I’m going to help you get out of here, but you have to be patient,” she replied, looking at the door like someone was standing there.
“Okay. Thank you so much for helping me. I really appreciate it,” I said, hugging her.
“Child, you don’t have to thank me, just get out there and find those babies. When you find them, make sure you bring them by to see me.” She hugged me back.
“Okay.”
“All right, now, let me go get you a wheelchair. Lord knows you can’t walk up out of here in your own,” she said, preparing to leave, but she stopped just as she was about to open the door. “Will there be someone here to pick you up?”
“Hell, no. I didn’t even think about that. I can’t remember anybody’s number to try to call them,” I replied, looking stupid. I thought about a lot of shit, but finding a ride away from here wasn’t one of them.
“It’s okay. I’m going to get you away from here. Stay here.”
I sat down in the chair while I waited for Margie to return. I ain’t gonna lie, I was a nervous wreck right now. So many questions were flooding through my mind. What if Detective Webber came back and caught me? What if Margie was caught and lost her job? I would have been devastated if any of that were to happen. I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to do it.
“What are you doing?” Margie asked, seeing that I was trying to walk over to the bed.
“I’m not doing it, Margie. I can’t. So much shit can go wrong, and I don’t want you to lose your job behind me.”
“It’s okay, really. I’ll just act like I’m taking you for a walk, then act like I forgot something. When I get back, you’ll already be gone in my car.” She smiled, handing me the keys.
“Won’t you have to report your car stolen and shit? Margie, I ain’t trying to go to jail.” I handed her keys back.
“I won’t. I’ll give you my number, and you can tell me where you are. I’ll catch a cab to come pick it up, and I can check on you at the same time.”
“Margie, I don’t think we should do this.”
“Amina, it’s going to be all right. Now while you’re standing over there wasting time, we could be getting you out of here before Detective Webber gets back.”
“Okay,” I finally agreed, walking toward the wheelchair. “But if you get caught and lose your job, you have to promise to let me help you.”
“Okay, little lady, just come on before we both get caught,” she replied, shooing me into the chair. I sat down and waited for her to move. Opening the door, she peeked out of it first before grabbing the chair and pushing me out.
“Be real quiet, but if anyone asks where we’re going, tell them that we’re going for a walk,” she whispered to me. We passed two patients who being wheeled out also. Smiling, we waved at them and kept on about our business. I could hear my heart beating super loud. The shit felt like it was going to come out of my chest. It wasn’t that I was scared of getting caught. I was scared of not getting up out of here and finding my kids. Shit, by the time they let me out of here officially, Kaylin might be long gone with my damn children.
We made it all the way to the elevator without getting caught. It actually went smoother than I expected. Now if the rest of our little journey went like that, we’d be on easy street, I thought as the elevators opened. Moving quickly, we bumped right into Dr. McKenley.
“Morning ladies, how is it going?” he asked, stopping to talk to us.
“G . . . good morning, Dr. McKenley. Everything is going good,” I stuttered.
“Good morning, Dr. McKenley. Everything is great. We’re just going for a walk,” Margie spoke from behind me. I was glad that she interrupted the conversation, because my nervousness would’ve given us away.
“Where’s Detective Webber?” he asked, looking through the elevator doors.
“Oh, uh, he stepped out for a little bit,” Margie replied. “He said he’ll be back shortly.”
“Oh, okay. Remember to take it easy.”
“We will.”
“Okay, then, have a great walk.” He walked off toward the nurse’s station.
“I thought he was going to catch on to us,” I whispered the minute the elevator had closed.
“Or get us caught,” Margie said chuckling, as the elevator started to move. It felt like the elevator was taking forever to get to the first floor. If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn it wanted us to get caught.
“Come on, elevator,” I complained. My nerves were all over the place. I wanted to get away from here as fast as possible. I needed to get to my children.
“Finally,” I yelled when the elevator stopped on the first floor. We carefully made our way out of the hospital toward the front entrance. We were almost home free when we spotted Detective Webber outside, smoking a cigarette.
“Oh, shit, what are we going to do, Margie?” I started to panic.
“Child, calm down. We’re just going to have to go around back,” she said, pushing me in the opposite direction.
“Margie, we can’t do this. We’re going to get caught. Just bring me back upstairs.”
“We can and we will. Now hush up and save your energy for when you get out of here,” she fussed, picking up speed. We made it to the back of the hospital in no time.
“My car is parked on the left side of the parking lot. It’s a black Chevy Malibu with tinted windows.” She gently helped me out of the wheelchair. It took a minute for me to get my bearings, but I was fine after that.
“Thank you so much, Margie. You don’t know how much this really means to me,” I said, turning around to hug her. “I’m so happy that I’ve met you.”
“Aw, baby, you’re welcome. Now go out there and find those babies. Don’t you forget to call me when you get settled in.” She gave me a little push.
“Okay, I will. Thanks again,” I replied, heading out of the entrance. My legs felt like Jell-O at first, but after the first few steps, I was back to normal.
I slowly made my way to the left side of the parking lot in search of Margie’s car. When I couldn’t find it, I used the remote on the keychain to make the headlights flash. Onc
e I located the car, I got in and started it up. I took my time as I backed out. I didn’t want to cause an accident because I hadn’t driven a car in a minute. On my way out of the hospital parking lot, I spotted Detective Webber by the entrance. I passed by him slowly, praying I didn’t alert him or hospital security. Once I drove past him, I turned out of the parking lot and headed for the expressway.
Pulling onto the highway, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I’d been holding my breath from the minute I spotted Detective Webber by the hospital’s front entrance. Now that I was a good distance from the hospital, I could breathe right.
I had no plans on where I’d be staying. I knew I couldn’t go home, because that was the first place that they’d look for me. I could go to Troy’s, but I didn’t want her to know that I was alive and well right now. I needed a place to rest, gather my thoughts, and to form plan. I spotted a service station and decided to make a quick stop.
Pulling into the parking lot, I parked on the side away from the gas pumps. Looking in the glove compartment, I found a loose five dollar bill. I figured I could pay Margie back, so I took it and went in.
Walking to the back by the coolers, I reached in and picked up an AriZona tea. After getting my drink, I went to the front and got a pack of Skittles and a sample pack of Tylenol. Then I paid for my things, and I was out the door. The minute I stepped outside, I spotted a white Camaro. I thought it was Kaylin. I slowly crept over to where I had parked the car. I got in and waited to see if he got out. When the Camaro’s car door opened, I frowned. It was Kaylin’s car for sure, but he wasn’t the one driving. It was his stupid-ass friend Arthur. I never liked his loud, obnoxious ass, because he always thought he was all that.
“What is he doing with Kaylin’s car though?” I wondered aloud as I started up the car and drove off. Once I made it back on the freeway, I knew exactly where I was headed. It was the one place I’d be safe, and no one would find me.
Chapter 5
Troy
It felt like it was taking forever and a day to make it back to my place. The whole ride there, I was getting a bit agitated. I didn’t know how I was going to get through this. I had a feeling that something was going to go wrong. I didn’t know how or why. I just had that feeling.
The minute we pulled up on my block, I felt an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. When we passed by the spot where I was shot, I felt like I was about to hallucinate. I knew it’d been a week now, but I still couldn’t believe that Kaylin’s sidepiece shot me. I mean, I knew I gave that ho one hell of an ass whooping, but she should’ve taken her problems out on Kaylin, not me.
“Where’s my car?” When we pulled up in my driveway, I immediately noticed that it wasn’t there.
“It was a little messed up, so I put it in the shop,” Mark said, looking at me. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh, okay. That’s cool. I don’t mind at all.”
We all just sat in the car as if we didn’t want to go inside. I didn’t know about them, but I knew I wasn’t ready. I hated coming back to my condo. It made me think too much about everything.
“You ready to go in, ma?” Mark asked me softly, breaking me from my thoughts.
Clearing the lump that had formed in my throat, I gulped and said, “Yes.”
He then got out of the car and walked over to the other side to open my door. He reached out one of his hands and helped me out of the car. While he grabbed my things, I quickly glanced around. It suddenly felt good to be home. It just dawned on me that I could’ve died a week ago.
“All right, come on.” Mark grabbed my arm to assist me. I wanted to object and remind him that I wasn’t a child, but I didn’t. He was just trying to help me out, and I was thankful for that.
The bright sun beat against my face as I slowly made my way toward my front door. I felt like it was going to take me forever to make it to there, because my legs were unsteady and I was afraid I’d fall.
“Where are your keys, ma?” he asked, once we made it to the door.
“They’re in my purse.” I pointed to the purse he had in his hand.
“Hold on to my shoulder.” He handed me the purse, and I fished out my keys and gave them to him. He opened the door and allowed me to go in first. “Where do you want me to put these?” he asked, holding up my bags.
“You can put them on the kitchen table,” I replied, pointing to the kitchen as I took a seat on the sofa. I had gotten tired just that fast.
“You good, ma? You need anything?” He patted my leg as he took a seat on the sofa next to me.
“Nah, I’m all right.”
“You sure?” he asked again.
“Yeah, I’m sure, boo,” I responded by scooting a little close to him. Looking into his eyes, I leaned forward and gave him a passionate kiss, the kind that takes your breath away.
“What was that for?” He looked surprised.
“Just because. What, I can’t give my nigga a kiss now?”
“Nah, ma, it’s cool. You just took me by surprise, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh.” I folded my arms across my chest.
“Come on, ma, don’t be like that.” He looked hurt, but I ignored him.
He tried to move over to me, but I raised my hand, stopping him in the process. “Get Jayden in here so we can discuss everything,” I said to him. I wasn’t really mad at him. I thought I was still feeling some type of way about what had happened between Weedy and me earlier.
“Cool,” he said, pulling out his phone. He dialed Jayden’s number and told him to come up.
I got up from the sofa and went into the kitchen to get me something to drink. When I came back, he was still sitting over there pouting. I walked over to him and sat down on the coffee table in front of him.
“I’m sorry, Mark. Everything is just too much for me right now.” I apologized yet again today. “I want to thank you for being there for me. I really don’t know what I would’ve done without you being by my side. Not just through this, but also when Mimi got killed. You’ve been everything I need and more.”
Getting up, I sat on his lap and started kissing him. I was trying to make up for getting mad at him when he was only trying to help me. I needed him to know how much I appreciated him.
Looking directly in my eyes, he stopped kissing me and said, “Ma, I told you time and time again that you don’t have to keep thanking me for doing what I’m supposed to do. I don’t know how dudes used to treat you before, but I’m different. I’m with you, so I’m going to be there for you, no matter what.”
Hearing him say those words made my heart skip a beat. Other than Mimi, no one had spoken to me like that, especially not the niggas I’d been with. Hell, my parents weren’t even there for me, so to hear him say that made me teary-eyed. Leaning my forehead against his, I let the tears fall freely.
“Why are you crying, ma?” He leaned my head back, but I couldn’t say anything, and I didn’t want to. How would it sound if I told him about everything that I’d been through with Weedy? He might have thought I was all kind of dumb bitches and shit.
“I’m fine, Mark,” I said as Jayden knocked on the door. “Come on in, Jayden.”
“Sup with y’all?” he asked as soon as he saw me crying on Mark’s lap.
“I’m just emotional, that’s all,” I replied, rising up from Mark’s lap. I sat next to him on the sofa as Jayden sat down on the loveseat across from us.
“Y’all want anything, something to eat or drink maybe?” I nervously bit my lip.
“Nah, I’m good,” Jayden replied.
“Me too,” Mark responded after him.
“Okay.” I exhaled. “Well, I need to discuss a few things with you guys. I already told y’all about the stalker, the salon being trashed, and the notes. Y’all also already know that we can’t find Kaylin or the kids.”
“Yeah, we know all that,” Jayden replied.
“Well, Mimi’s funeral services are scheduled for tomorrow.” I took a deep breath
and exhaled, then continued. “But what y’all don’t know is that Mimi will be having a closed casket.”
“Why? I thought she was shot in her back. Why she gotta have a closed casket?” Jayden asked, looking confused.
My heart started to pound while my stomach was doing back flips. “The reason she gotta have a closed casket is because they can’t find her body.”
“Say what?” Jayden exclaimed, leaning forward.
“The people at the funeral home cannot find her body!”
“What you mean?” Jayden jumped up in anger.
“I’m saying that they can’t find her. As in it wasn’t there when the coroner went to pick it up,” I said.
“Where is she? How can someone lose a whole body out here? That’s impossible! Somebody had to see something, or knows what the hell happened,” he said, pacing back and forth. From the way he was pounding his hand in his fist, I thought he was about to spazz out.
“I don’t know. I went through all that with them. Nobody knows anything, so they say.”
“This shit sounds fishy as fuck, ma. You talked to the detective about this shit?”
“No, I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet.”
“Why though? This shit is serious. You can’t just lose a fuckin’ body and not expect the family to ask what’s goin’ on!”
“Every time I call him, he doesn’t answer, and when I went down to the station, they gave me the runaround.”
“Oh, yeah. We ’bout to see ’bout this shit now,” he growled.
“No, Jayden, it’s no use. We’re just going to have to wait until after the funeral to find out what happened to her body. I already have too much stress on me as it is, and I’m sure you guys have a lot going on yourselves.” I was trying to talk a little sense into him, because I needed him to wait. Now was not the time to be starting trouble, especially when Mimi’s kids were out there somewhere.
“I’ll wait, but just know I’m not waiting too long,” he said, slamming the door.
I turned to Mark for comfort. He took me into his arms, and I snuggled up closer to him.
“He’s just mad. Give him some time to cool down,” he said, rubbing my arms.