The commotion caused the nurse to come running into the room. “What in the world is going on here?” she asked, a horrified expression on her face.
“That woman attacked me!” Liz yelled, rubbing the side of her head.
“No, I didn’t, but I’m about to!” Ida said, leaning in to try and hit Liz again. Dionne once again jumped in between them.
“Stop it! Stop it right now!” the nurse exclaimed. “And what are all of you doing in here anyway? There is only supposed to be one visitor in here at a time. Two of you need to leave.”
Liz crossed her arms defiantly across her chest. “I ain’t going nowhere.”
Dionne looked at the nurse in anticipation. “Neither am I. I mean, I’ve been here since he arrived.”
“Well, all of you can’t stay in here.” The nurse shot them a stern look.
“I’m his wife, so if anybody should be in here, it’s me.” Liz grinned wickedly.
Dionne looked at her, astonished. “You’re his wife in name only. You’re getting a divorce.”
“Getting. Not got. So I’m staying with my husband.” Liz walked over and began stroking Roland’s cheek.
“But…” Dionne looked to the nurse for assistance.
“But nothing. See ya,” Liz said airily.
The nurse motioned toward the door. “I’m sorry. I’m going to have to ask the two of you to leave.”
Dionne began crying. “No. That’s the father of my child. I can’t leave him.”
Liz let out a snort. “So you say. A DNA test will have to prove that. In the meantime, it’s a fact that I’m his wife, so I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
“Liz, please don’t do this. I mean, I’m the one who gave you the information to help your divorce.”
Liz snarled at her. “Thanks. Now beat it.”
Ida gently grabbed Dionne’s arm and led her to the door. “Come on, baby. Let’s go wait in the lobby before they put us out the hospital altogether.”
“But they can’t stand each other. She’s just doing this to be vindictive,” Dionne cried. “Roland would want me here, not her!”
Liz smiled as she waved at Dionne. “Buh-bye.”
Dionne sobbed uncontrollably as Ida led her into the waiting room.
Dionne couldn’t believe she’d ever helped that woman. She’d let her quest for revenge blind her so badly that it had led to this—Roland laid up in a hospital, his estranged wife sitting vigil.
She’d give anything if she could just turn back the hands of time.
Chapter 48
Thomas swung the door open and helped Vanessa inside the house. She’d spent four days in the hospital and although she was nowhere near her usual self, she was feeling much better.
“I’m not an invalid,” Vanessa complained, though not too hard.
Thomas smiled, but still didn’t move his arm from her waist. “I know you’re not. But I would feel much better if you’d just let me help you, how about that?”
Vanessa chuckled and eased down onto the sofa. Just as quickly as it came, the smile left her face. “Whatever, Thomas.”
She still ached over the thought that she would never have children, but over the last few days she’d come to realize that Thomas had done the only thing possible. He didn’t want to take a chance with her life, and the more she thought about it, the more she knew he was right. At the same time, she knew her inability to have children now ruined any chance they had of ever working things out.
Ever since he’d told her Alana’s baby wasn’t his, Vanessa had to admit, a small part of her wanted to believe that because of that, they might possibly stand a chance. But now, with this new situation, Vanessa didn’t ever see them being able to work things out.
Thomas got Vanessa situated on the sofa, helping her remove her shoes and get comfortable. “Let me guess: you want it on TNT so you can see more reruns of Law and Order.”
Vanessa smiled. “You know me so well.”
He paused, his expression serious. “I do.” He sat down next to her. “Which is why I know that we need to talk about what happened, I mean, with the surgery and all.”
Vanessa took the remote from him and pushed the button to turn the TV on. “What’s there to talk about?” Since going off on him in the hospital, she’d refused to speak about her feelings regarding the surgery.
She began taking the array of pills she’d been given out of her bag. There was a course of iron tablets, as the blood loss had left her anemic. There were also anti-inflammatory tablets and painkillers, which she knew she would use up. She also was going to have to have hormone replacement therapy to control the symptoms of menopause.
“For starters, let’s talk about us,” he said earnestly. “I don’t want a divorce.”
“Thomas, let’s be real. You wanted a baby so bad that you were willing to destroy everything we had. Now you want me to believe that that just changed?”
“I still want a baby, but the part that you never got is I didn’t just want a kid for the sake of having a kid. I wanted a family. I wanted a family with you. I want a family with you. Yes, I would love to have my own child. But if that’s not God’s will, then it’s just not. There is some beautiful child out there just waiting for us so we can complete our family.”
Her mind immediately turned to Shelly. As Aunt Ida would say, maybe this was God’s will all along.
Vanessa didn’t realize she was crying until he reached up and wiped her cheeks. She had been visualizing what it would be like to have Shelly in her life on a permanent basis, but she didn’t see how she could do it alone. But to hear Thomas say he would like to adopt made her so happy.
“Vanessa, baby. I am sorry,” Thomas continued. “The spiritual retreat helped me see that first and foremost, we need to take it back to God.”
Vanessa looked at him. Maybe Aunt Ida was right. Since they’d gotten married, they’d rarely gone to church as a couple. “Thomas…” Vanessa didn’t know what to say.
“I’m not kidding. I love you and I want this to work.”
“Thomas, I’m tired,” Vanessa said, her mind racing back to the reason they were heading for a divorce in the first place. She didn’t want to get so caught up in the idea of adopting Shelly that she turned a blind eye to everything they’d gone through.
“Okay, I’m going to let you get some rest.” He fluffed the pillow behind her back and helped her put her feet on the sofa.
The whole trip home and the conversation with Thomas was draining. Vanessa closed her eyes as she felt Thomas get up from the sofa. He returned a moment later with an afghan, which he threw over her. The last thing Vanessa remembered was Thomas leaning in and kissing her on the forehead and saying, “Sleep well, baby. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
Vanessa fell asleep with visions of her, Shelly, and Thomas as one big happy family dancing in her head.
Chapter 49
Dionne pulled the black, wide-brimmed hat down farther to cover her face. She couldn’t believe that she was having to go incognito to her boyfriend’s funeral. But Liz had threatened to have her jumped if she showed her “big-bellied ass” at the funeral.
Even still, Dionne decided she was going to have to take her chances. There was no way she was not going to pay her last respects to the father of her unborn child. Both Bruce and Rosolyn had urged her to let them come with her, if she insisted on going. But Dionne had felt like this was something she needed to do on her own. Roland had died less than thirty minutes after Liz kicked her out of his hospital room. She was devastated that she hadn’t been with him then. She had to be here now.
Dionne was seated in the next to the last pew. The pastor, Rev. Terrance Ellis, had just finished reading the obituary when Roland’s mother let out a piercing scream.
“Noooooo! Lord, Jesus, noooo. Take me.” She flung herself across her son’s coffin.
Dionne caught Liz rolling her eyes in disgust as she took her place at the podium. She also had on a big black hat, but hers
was complete with a veil. She wore dark sunglasses and an inappropriately short black suit.
Not only had Liz kicked her out of the hospital room, but she’d even tried to forgo formal services and simply have Roland cremated. Luckily, his mother wasn’t even trying to hear that.
“My darling husband would be so honored to see all of you gathered here today,” Liz told the congregation, a small smile crossing her face. “As many of you know, we had our issues. But we were working through them. We were on the path to rebuilding, so his death is simply devastating to me.”
Dionne struggled to contain her anger. This skank was sitting up in church, lying like a dog.
“I don’t understand God’s will…but…” Liz covered her mouth as she struggled to keep from bursting out crying. Dionne felt like giving her a standing ovation, because the acting job she was giving was worthy of an Oscar. Her stomach turned as Liz continued to play the grieving widow role. Dionne had noticed Tasha, who also seemed truly broken up. At one point during the service, their eyes met and they seemed to bond through their pain.
As the minister wrapped up the eulogy, Dionne read the obituary again. “Roland leaves to mourn his devoted wife.” There was no mention of her or their unborn child. Not that she expected anything, not with Liz behind the planning. But she felt that the woman should have some sympathy, knowing that she and Roland were divorcing and he had a child on the way. She didn’t love him. She was just an evil, conniving woman.
Dionne stood as the pallbearers began wheeling Roland’s body out. She felt her knees go weak and she wished she’d taken Rosolyn or Bruce up on their offer to come with her. But Dionne wanted to do this alone. She had to do it alone.
She held onto the bench in front of her to steady herself. The lady standing next to her must have sensed how difficult this was for her, because she gently patted Dionne’s hand. “It’s gonna be okay. He’s in a better place,” the woman said.
Dionne just glared at her through tear-filled eyes. Why did people say that? It’s not like it made a grieving person feel any better. Yes, he was in a better place, but she wanted him here with her.
Dionne didn’t know how she managed to walk past Roland for the final viewing, but the next thing she knew she was standing in the back at the cemetery, lost in her own world. Liz’s shrill scream knocked her out of her daze.
“How dare you show your face here?” she shouted. “Isn’t it bad enough that I had to deal with my husband’s death? And now you have the audacity to show your face here!”
Liz was being held up by Roland’s brother. Roland’s mother was behind them and she quickly came to Liz’s side. “Baby, what’s going on?”
Liz pointed her finger at Dionne. “Her. That’s the woman who broke up my marriage!”
Dionne’s mouth fell open. Several people gasped as they turned to stare at her. Roland’s mother looked at Dionne in disgust.
Liz sobbed and grabbed Roland’s mother’s arm. “Mother Lewis, she took him from me in life. Why can’t she let me have him in death?”
Dionne continued to watch in disbelief as Liz sobbed.
“Please, please, someone get her out of here. I can’t take it,” she cried, turning to Roland’s brother. “She robbed me of my final moments of joy. She’s the reason Roland and I broke up, and she’s the reason he’s dead!”
Roland’s mother stormed over to Dionne and wagged her finger in Dionne’s face. “I don’t know who you are, but you are obviously bringing more stress to my daughter-in-law. So I’m asking you to leave.”
“But—”
“But nothing,” his brother said, appearing next to his mother. “Leave. Now!”
Dionne’s hands were trembling, but she couldn’t move. Suddenly, she felt someone wrap an arm around her waist. She looked up to see Bruce by her side, his eyes full of concern.
“Come on, Dionne. Let me take you home,” he said.
Dionne seemed in a daze. Where had he come from?
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t let you go through this alone,” he whispered.
Liz let out another loud sob, startling Dionne.
“Get her out of here!” Roland’s brother snapped again.
Bruce nodded apologetically as he led Dionne out of the cemetery.
“Let me take you home. We’ll come back and get your car later,” he said, getting her settled in his van.
“Please, don’t be mad,” he said as he climbed in on the other side. “But I knew this would be painful for you, and I just couldn’t let you go through this by yourself.”
She didn’t respond as she stared out the window through tear-filled eyes. She wasn’t mad. In fact, she was grateful. She didn’t know what she would’ve done if Bruce hadn’t shown up at her side.
Chapter 50
Vanessa placed the phone in its cradle. Rosolyn had just finished filling her in on the fiasco at Roland’s funeral.
“I can’t believe she went to the funeral,” Vanessa said to Thomas, who was sitting on the sofa massaging her feet. “Someone called Aunt Ida before Roland was in the ground good and said his family just outright acted a fool toward Dionne.”
“I hate to hear that,” Thomas replied. “Do you want to go over there?”
Vanessa thought about it. “Rosolyn said Aunt Ida is over there. Let me call.” Thomas handed her the phone and Vanessa punched in her sister’s number. Ida answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Auntie. How’s Dionne?”
“She’s a little shaken up, but she’s fine. I knew I should’ve went and sat with her to make sure she didn’t go to that funeral.”
“I can’t believe what they did. Do I need to come over there?”
“Naw, I’m about to leave myself.” She lowered her voice. “Some strange-looking fella is over here. His name is Bruce. I tried to tell him I got her, but he gave me this look like he wasn’t going nowhere. Almost made me tell him off, but it was something about him that I liked. He was doting on her and treating her like she needs to be treated. And when I saw him in her bedroom saying a prayer for her, well, you know…”
“You were ready to get her married off to him,” Vanessa laughed.
Ida chuckled. “You know it. That’s the kind of man she needs in her life,” she declared before sighing wearily. “But don’t worry, your sister is gonna be fine. What about you? How you feeling?”
“Better. I go back to work tomorrow. I’m ready to get out of the house.”
Someone knocked at the door. “Auntie, let me call you back.” Thomas removed her feet from his lap and went to the door.
“Hey, Rosolyn,” Vanessa said as her sister walked in. “I didn’t know you were so close.”
“Yeah, I was just down the street when I called you. How are you?”
“I’m okay,” Vanessa said. “Worried about Dionne.”
“Well, Aunt Ida said she’ll be fine.” She glanced behind her. “Say, I have someone who wants to see you.”
Vanessa’s heart warmed when Shelly bounced in.
The girl’s eyes lit up at the sight of Vanessa. She raced over and threw her arms around her neck. “Miss Vanessa, I’ve been so worried about you.”
Vanessa hugged her tightly. The little girl felt so good in her arms. “Don’t worry about me, baby. I just had a little medical scare, but I’m fine.”
“You have to be careful,” Rosolyn told Shelly, easing her back.
“She’s fine,” Vanessa said. She looked up at Thomas, who was watching them in admiration. “Thomas, this is Shelly, the little girl I was telling you about.”
Thomas politely waved. “Hello, Shelly. You’re every bit as pretty as my wife said you were.”
Shelly blushed.
“I know you aren’t really up for visitors,” Rosolyn said. “But I swear, I thought I was going to have to commit this child if I didn’t bring her to see you.”
Vanessa squeezed Shelly’s hand. “I’m glad you brought her.” She turned to Shelly. “As you can see, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” Shelly asked, her nose scrunching up. “I mean, I know you think I’m just a little kid, but I can handle it if it’s some bad news.”
Vanessa rubbed her cheek, wanting to wipe the too-sober look off her face. “There is no bad news. I just had some stomach troubles.”
“My stomach hurts, too, sometimes, but I never have to go to the hospital,” Shelly said.
“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Vanessa said.
Rosolyn turned to Thomas and extended her hand. “Brother-in-law, it’s so wonderful to see you. Why don’t you come in the kitchen with me so we can catch up. Shelly has something she wants to give Vanessa.”
Thomas smiled again at his wife and Shelly before following Rosolyn into the kitchen.
“Ooooh, what do you have for me?” Vanessa asked as soon as they were gone.
“It’s nothing major,” Shelly shyly said. “Just a little something from me to you.” She pulled out a folded piece of paper and began reciting a poem.
“That is wonderful. You are so talented,” Vanessa said when she was done, pulling her into a bear hug. The hug felt so natural that Vanessa knew, without a shadow of a doubt, in her arms was where Shelly belonged.
Chapter 51
Vanessa slipped into her black Tahari suit jacket and grabbed her purse.
“Are you sure you need to be going back to work so soon?” Thomas asked.
Vanessa smiled. It actually felt good to have Thomas dote on her. As he had promised, he hadn’t left her side. As much as she tried to act annoyed, she loved his determination to be there for her, especially considering the fact that she wasn’t making things easy for him. Alana had been blowing up Thomas’s phone, but after he’d changed his cell number they hadn’t had any more trouble from her. Luckily, she didn’t have their home address—at least Vanessa didn’t think so. Thomas had been parking in the garage just in case.
“Thomas, I’m fine. And it’s not so soon. My leave is up. Plus, I took two extra weeks medical leave—ten weeks is plenty of time.”
Can I Get a Witness? Page 21