by Tiece
“Is he okay?” She asked, unable to contain her tears. “Please, tell me that he’s okay.”
Dillon nodded his head, trying to speak then finally he said, “He’s in surgery, I think. I pray that he’ll be okay.” Zoe felt bad for him. All she wanted was to comfort him the best she knew how. She had fallen in love with him in just that little time and never wanted to see him hurt like this.
“Don’t worry. I’ll pray with you.” She kissed him softly on his lips and wiped his tears. “I love you,” she confessed and with that, he stood to his feet and hugged her tightly around the waist.
“I love you, too.” He whispered in her ear.
At that time, Olivia stepped out of the waiting room and into the hallway. She just stood back and silently watched the two love birds while they were caught up in a deep emotional embrace. Not wanting them to know that she was there, she stepped back inside the waiting room contemplating if she should make that call or not. However, in the back of her mind thoughts of Zay and his condition continued to heavily tug on her heartstrings.
“God, I pray that he’ll make it through this ordeal and that he’ll be fine,” she said just above a whisper, and then she nervously pressed the key pad on her cell phone to reach out to her parents.
Chapter 2
About ten minutes later, Zoe stepped into the waiting room carrying an oversized Michael Kors bag and searching the sad and sick faces of the people that were in there. She was looking for her sister whom she’d spotted in the back sitting with her head down. Olivia looked up with sad, teary eyes. When she saw Zoe coming her way she immediately stood up to hug her. As they embraced one another, they both started crying again. Feeling the comfort of her sister being there made her warm inside. Zoe backed up to take a look at her. Olivia’s eyes were already red and swollen from crying so much, but Zoe just wanted her to get it together.
“You gotta be strong, Sis.” She said. “Dillon explained everything on the way over and I know you’re going through it right now, but you gotta pull yourself together for Zay. He’s going to need you by his side when he comes out of surgery.”
Olivia attempted to wipe her tears. “You’re right. He saved my life or Mark would’ve probably killed me.”
“It’s apparent how much the man loves you, because I don’t know if I would’ve jumped in front of a bullet for your ass.” She teased, causing Olivia to finally smile a little.
“You so crazy,” she said gently hitting Zoe on the arm.
Zoe hated seeing her sister like that. She felt bad for her and couldn’t believe that Mark would stoop to such low levels as if he was a saint.
“Where’s Dillon?” Olivia asked just as Dillon entered the waiting area. “Here he comes now.”
Dillon walked up to them. “Let’s pray that the doctors give us some good news.” He said, grabbing their hands just wanting to say another prayer. “Father God, we're coming to you in prayer tonight to ask you to protect my brother and help him heal. We also pray for a speedy recovery to bring him back to good health… Amen.”
“Amen.” Olivia and Zoe whispered in unison, as well as a person sitting next to them.
They raised their heads and looked at one another. Zoe took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and made a smile appear across her face. She wanted so badly to reveal the disturbing information that she’d found out from Felisha about Mark being the father of Lil Romeo, but now was clearly not the time for it.
“Are you okay?” Dillon asked Zoe as she nodded her head indicating that she was. Olivia picked up on their vibe immediately, but she didn’t say a word. Just as they sat down in the empty seats there, a white collared doctor appeared at the family room entrance. He wore a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and khaki pants, holding a small notepad and pen. He stood in the doorway of the waiting room entrance like he was looking for someone.
Olivia looked up and noticed him first. “Do you think he’s looking for us?” she questioned.
Dillon stood up quickly just as the doctor called out while asking, “Are there any family members here for Xavier Dubois?”
Dillon faced him as he walked towards the doctor. Their eyes stared deeply at one another with Dillon’s heart thumping ninety miles per second. Olivia and Zoe were just looking at first. They both seemed to be stuck in one spot, not knowing what kind of news they were about to receive.
Dillon reached out to shake the Doctor’s hand. “I’m his brother, Dillon Dubois. How is he? Is everything okay?” He nervously asked.
The Doctor nodded his head with a light smile. “Your brother is expected to make a full recovery.”
Dillon’s Colgate smile spread clear across his face. “He's fine! He’s okay?!”
“Yes, he’s okay.” The bullet only grazed his muscle tissue and passed through him. Luckily, it missed his organs so there are no signs of internal damage whatsoever. We didn’t have to perform surgery on him, because a lot of times surgery carries the risk of infection and other complications.”
“That’s great news Doctor!” Dillon exclaimed with excitement, then without any type of warning he hugged the doctor. “Thanks again!” He was relieved and feeling good. Olivia and Zoe hurried over to them to make sure that the smiles and hugs meant that Zay was going to be okay.
“So, you’re saying that he’s alright?” Olivia asked for reassurance then wiped another falling tear from her face.
“Yes, he is. Are you his wife?” The doctor asked.
“No, but I’m, I’m -” she paused, because saying that she was his woman sounded funny being that she was still married.
“She is his woman,” Dillon cut in to help free her conscience.
The Doctor smiled at her. “Okay, well Xavier is going to be fine. However, because we didn’t perform surgery he will have to stay here for a couple of days. We’ll be testing to evaluate for intra-abdominal injuries. This includes x-rays, laboratory testing, and urinalysis.”
“Whatever y’all have to do to make sure that he’s going to be fine and is able to come home is okay with me.” Olivia said feeling relieved. The smile on her face was definitely genuine and the tears were that of joy. She couldn’t have gotten any better news and she was thankful that their prayer had been heard.
There was a box of Kleenex sitting on the wooden table next to a few magazines. Zoe quickly pulled about four sheets from it and wiped her own eyes. She then handed Olivia a couple of sheets as the doctor continued.
“I’ll have a nurse come get you once he is settled in his room and cleaned up.” The Doctor told them.
Everybody agreed to wait. They were just elated that Zay would be okay. The doctor shook all of their hands then turned and disappeared. As soon as he left, a detective entered the waiting room. He was a fairly handsome, black guy in an earth-tone, two-piece suit, a white button up shirt and a matching tie. He flashed his badge at Dillon and nodded his head at the same time.
“I’m here to talk with someone about the shooting at the club tonight.” He said like Dillon fit the description of the guy he needed to question.
“You can speak with me,” Dillon said, reaching out for a handshake.
“I'm detective Moore, how are you doing?”
Dillon smiled at him while still holding his hand. “I was kind of shook up at first, but since we just got the good news that my brother is alright, I'm doing just fine.”
Detective Moore released his hand with a smile on his face. “Well that's definitely good news. I’m glad to hear that.” Then he cut his eyes over at Olivia and Zoe, and then back to Dillon. “Are you two with him?” He asked since they were standing there with him. Plus, he could see the blood on Olivia’s clothes which told him that she had to be involved in what had happened back at the club.
“Yes we are,” Olivia spoke up.
“Well, I need to ask y’all a few questions. Is that okay?”
Dillon spoke up before Olivia could answer. “Sir, with all due respect we’ve answered all the questions we could ba
ck at the club. All I know is that this man got out of his car and ran up to us, seemingly upset and irritated already. He started asking for our money. My Bro wasn’t having that, so they exchanged a few words, and then he just shot his gun twice and unfortunately, one of the bullets hit him. I believe the guy just thought we had money on us, because my brother was driving in his Bentley. Plus, we were parked in the darker part of the parking lot.” He said.
The Detective did just as the cop did and jotted down what he’d heard on his notepad then looked back up at Dillon. “Unfortunately, the people that were outside of the club didn’t know much, either. A lot of them scattered when someone shouted that the man had a gun. Because y’all were in the back parking lot and its pretty dark back there, I’m sure he figured that he had a sweet lick. Too bad for him that y’all didn’t cooperate; however I’m glad that it didn’t turn out to be worse especially with a gun involved in these types of cases. People play for keeps nowadays,” he added with a simple shrug of the shoulders.
At that time a nurse stepped into the waiting area. “Where’s the family of Xavier Dubois?”
“Right here,” Dillon quickly said.
“I can take you to his room. Y’all can see him now.”
The detective scribbled something down a few words on his notepad then cut his eyes back up at Dillon.”What is your name sir and your number?”
“Dillon Dubois and my number is 404-555-0965.” He stated calmly.
“Okay, well thank you. If I get any updates or have any more questions I’ll contact you. Tell your brother to take care of himself.” He said then looked over at Olivia and Zoe. “Good night ladies.”
“Good night,” they both said in unison. They were just glad that he was leaving. Olivia wanted to tell on Mark, but the way Zay squeezed her hand in the back of the ambulance had her not wanting to say anything until she cleared it with him first.
As they followed the nurse down the corridor, Dillon’s phone began ringing from his front pocket. He retrieved it, looked down at the screen and saw that it was his mother calling. “Hey ma, how are you doing?”
“I’ll be better when you tell me how Zay is doing. What's going on, Dillon? What happened to him?” She’d bombarded him just that quickly with her worried concerns wanting nothing more than for him to answer them.
Dillon’s eyebrows bunched together. First of all, he didn't know how she'd found out because he hadn't told her anything, yet and he knew that Zay hadn't told her, either. Somehow she knew, though. He took a deep breath and continued on with the same story as he was now walking behind the ladies, trying to talk low.
“We came down to Augusta to visit some friends and a guy tried to rob us.” He said.
“Lord have mercy,” She chimed in. “What you mean tried to rob y’all? What time did this happen?”
“Ma, don't panic. It was a couple of hours ago and Zay is alright. Honestly, the bullet went in and out. They’re just keeping him a few days to run tests and make sure he’s clear to go home.”
“Don't panic?!” His mother exclaimed. “How am I not supposed to panic and you’re telling me that Zay was shot?!” She nearly yelled then she added. “Why didn’t you call me right away, talking about a couple of hours ago?”
“Because I didn’t want to call you and have you act like this; especially knowing that everything is fine with him.” He explained.
“Well, Angel is on the way down there to see how he’s doing for herself.”
Dillon frowned with a confused look that came across his face. He’d stopped in his tracks, fanning his hand forward for Olivia and Zoe to keep walking with the nurse. He covered up the phone. “I’m coming,” he said to them then directed his attention back to the phone call. “Wait a minute, how did Angel find out, Ma? And why is she on the way down here?”
“You know Angel is a news reporter and has all kinds of connections. Your brother is a known NFL sports agent. I’m sure they ran his name when all of that happened. However, she didn’t tell me exactly what had happened. She just said that she was on her way to check on him and that I should call you to see if you knew anything.”
Dillon took another deep breath and began shaking his head. Angel had no right calling his mom and getting her upset without, at least, calling him first. He didn’t even realize that she still worked as a news reporter being that she’d just showed back up on Zay’s doorstep like she’d started a new life. He never cared much for her and now she was headed that way. This couldn’t have been a worse time for her to just pop up on Zay.
“Is your brother really okay?”
“Yes Ma, he’s good. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Dillon said to assure her. “The doctor gave me the good news that they didn’t have to do surgery and I’m actually headed to his room now to see him. I’ll call you back once I’m around him, okay.”
“Okay, but tell him that we’ll be there bright and early in the morning. I love you and tell Xavier I love him, too.”
“Will do, Ma,” he responded then ended the call. There was no way he could talk his mom out of coming to Augusta. If nothing else he and his brother always came first. She’d give her clothes off her back for them. In their younger, less privileged days she’d go hungry just to make sure that they had enough to eat. She didn’t play about her boys and anybody that knew her, definitely knew that. Before he could put his phone back in his pocket, it rang again. He looked at the caller ID and it was Angel.
“Now she wants to call,” he whispered with an annoyed shake of the head. Instantly he answered. “Why the hell did you call my mama?”
“Don’t be fussing at me!” Angel quickly shot back. “I’m calling to see what’s going on with your brother. I’d gotten a call from a former co-worker that Zay had been shot and was being rushed to the hospital. I called his phone several times, but he didn’t answer.”
“Just because he didn’t answer didn’t mean that you should call our mama? You know how she is. Why the hell you didn’t call me first?”
“I wasn’t thinking about all of that. After Zay didn’t answer, I just thought to call your mama to see if she’d heard anything.”
“Well, Zay is fine. His battery is dead on his phone and it’s in the car. He did get shot, but he’s good. He doesn’t need you coming here to see him.”
Angel smacked her lips. She and Dillon never really were close at all and since she’d been back he definitely didn’t mind letting her know that she wasn’t his favorite person. “I’ll let your brother tell me that in person, because I’m coming.”
“You can be so stupid sometimes, but if you wanna come that badly then come on.” He said, and then hung up the phone on her. He took in a deep breath knowing that Zay was going to get caught up with Angel showing up and Olivia being there. He was going to have to think of something before the shit hit the fan, yet again. This time instead of it being troubles with Olivia and her husband, it would be troubles with Zay and his irritating ass fuck buddy.
****
Meanwhile, Mark was in his 760 BMW, sweating bullets and checking the rear view mirrors feeling like the police was somewhere lurking to catch him. His mind was racing with thoughts as he high tailed it to get out of town. He knew that he’d fucked up, but was now regretting it with all of his heart.
“Damn, what was I thinking?” He pondered. He didn’t want to pull the trigger. He wasn’t a killer. He just wanted to scare Olivia in hopes of letting her know that he was in this too deep to let go. However, after following her and seeing that she’d showed up to meet her lover, put him in a whole different train of thought. The last thing that he wanted was to see her kissing another man like she was a single woman. That’s what really pushed him over the edge.
“Damn, that was stupid!” He scolded himself while hitting the steering wheel. He was angry with himself for even going there and especially with taking a gun. If Olivia had any chances of taking him back, it was over now. “Damn, how I could I shoot her? I have got to see if she’s al
right, but how? I know that the police must be looking for me, but I’m not turning myself in. I gotta think of something.”
He drove for about thirty more minutes still lost in thought. The only person he thought to call was Felisha. He was wondering if she’d heard anything, yet. After pressing the numbers to call her phone, he drove down the highway thinking for a moment as it rang. Thoughts of how he could break the new to her weighed heavily on his mind. Eventually, after the fourth ring, Felisha finally answered.
“Look,” she answered already with an attitude. “I’m sorry that I told Zoe about lil Romeo being your son, but she was pushing buttons tonight at my shop that I didn’t know could be pushed. The bitch pi-”
“Hold up,” Mark cut in with a serious frown on his face. “You did what now?”
“I told Zoe that,” Felisha then stopped mid-sentence as she thought about it. Damn.
“What did you say?” He asked her again.
Felisha took in a nervous deep breath. “Well uh, I said that uh,” she sighed heavily then started back. “I had told Zoe about you being Lil Romeo’s father.”
Mark forgot all about his reason for calling since now he’d found out that their secret was out. “Why the fuck would you do that!?” He yelled at her.
“I told you that she came by my nail salon acting a fool and wanting to fight me about me and you fucking around. She kept saying shit that was pissing me off and the next thing I know, I’m cursing this bitch out and it just slipped.”
“It just slipped? What the fuck you mean it just slipped?” Mark wasn’t trying to hear that shit.