Aunt Shirley headed for the door but stopped when she got in front of me. “You and Li’l Ray go on up there and check on y’all friend. Call me and let me know how she’s doing when y’all get there, OK?” I nodded my head. “Tasha, you can gon’ ’head and leave too. I’ll watch the baby until Semaj gets back.”
I looked over at Tasha and couldn’t make out the look on her face. I didn’t have time to try to decipher what was going on in her head, so I turned around and left.
As Li’l Ray was placing a call back to LaLa’s mom to find out what hospital they were in, I said a silent prayer for her and JaNair.
“Man, did you find out where they are?” I asked Ray as we got into my car.
“Yeah, she said there at Cedar Sinai. She’s gonna text me the room number any minute now.”
“I didn’t know you and La were kicking it like that. I mean, to the point that her mom is calling you in the case of an emergency and all,” I said jokingly.
“Naw, you know we’ve been chilling off and on for a while. That’s why I was kind of tripping when she was on a blind date with that nigga JaNair hooked her up with that night we ran into them at the Lotus Bomb. I thought we were good, but I guess not. She’s been acting strange though for a minute now.”
My eyebrows rose. “Strange . . . like what?”
“Strange like I used to be able to call her and get pussy whenever I wanted, but now whenever I call, she’s either busy or not in the mood.”
“Did you ask her what was up?”
He nodded his head. “Yeah, and she said it was nothing. I didn’t really bother that subject again after that because I started fucking with that new chick I was telling you about.”
After Li’l Ray finished telling me more about his newest bed buddy, I turned the music up and focused on the road. I kept wondering why he was running to the hospital to check on LaLa when he didn’t seem too interested in her anymore. Then again, who am I to call the kettle black? Especially when Tasha was just gobbling up my dick a few minutes ago.
By the time we arrived at the hospital, we already knew where to go, thanks to the text Li’l Ray got. When we got off the elevator and over to the waiting area, there was nowhere to sit. The place was packed.
We spotted LaLa’s mom in the corner sitting down with a few people huddled over her as she rocked back and forth.
“Hey!” Li’l Ray said as he bent down in front of her. “How is she?”
She looked up at him and began to cry. “I don’t know, baby, I don’t know. We’ve been sitting here for hours and can’t nobody tell us anything. I even tried to see what was up with JaNair, but since I’m not family, they wouldn’t tell me nothing.”
“Where the hell is Mya?” Ray and I said at the same time.
“I called Niecey and Mya about an hour before I called you. They should’ve been here by now.”
I shook my head. Anger had me balling up my fist real tight. I knew Mya was as trifling as they came, but to not be there for family in their time of need was beyond low.
I needed answers right now, though. I’d worry about Mya’s ass later. I needed to see how JaNair was doing, and if I had to go through every room on this floor to find out, I would.
Before I had the chance to turn around, I heard an all-too-familiar voice boom from behind me.
“What the fuck is he doing here?”
Jerome
“Samir, Samal, or whatever the fuck your name is, thanks for coming to see about my girl, but you’re free to go.”
I was burning up on the inside. Who the hell did this nigga think he was? Showing up to the hospital and shit, checking on JaNair like he was her man or something.
He slowly turned around and stood in my face.
“Why I’m here shouldn’t even be your concern right now. However, JaNair’s health should be.” He leaned in closer to my ear so that only I could hear. “You might wanna take that opened condom wrapper from out of the cuff of your pants. If I can see it, I know everyone else can.” He stepped back and smirked. “We wouldn’t want your girl stressing over unnecessary bullshit now, would we?”
This dread-headed motherfucker was getting on my last nerve. I subtly looked down at my pant leg and saw the shine of the gold wrapper I’d opened earlier.
“Damn!” I silently cursed to myself. This bitch-ass nigga was right. And what made matters worse, it seemed as if everyone had zeroed in on what I was trying to cover up with my other leg.
“Family of JaNair Livingston!” a nasal voice announced.
I turned around and ran right smack into Mya’s ass. I didn’t even know she was so close behind me. The look on her face was sort of twisted, as if she was mad at something. Regret of what we were just doing earlier started to seep in.
“They just called JaNair’s name. Shouldn’t we be heading over there?” I asked as I tried to walk around her.
“So what we just did didn’t mean shit to you, huh?”
What the hell? I looked at her, then around the little area that we were standing in. When I glanced toward the doctor who obviously had news about JaNair’s condition, that snake-head motherfucka was all in her face. I noticed some woman who I hadn’t seen earlier huddled in the circle too.
“Look, Mya, I need to go over there and see about JaNair. Don’t start this bullshit in here!”
She walked into my face. “It’s funny how you’re so concerned about her now, but an hour ago, you were screaming how good my pussy felt!”
The moment those words left her mouth, it was as if the whole waiting room and hospital got quiet. Thank God everyone who we were around earlier happened to be over talking to the doctor.
Toby, who was sitting next to a crying Niecey, looked up at me and shook his head. Not trying to even go there with Mya, I forcefully pushed past her and walked over to where everyone was.
“What about LaNiece Taylor?” I heard someone ask.
“The last I heard, Ms. Taylor was still in surgery. I was not her attending physician. When I find out a little more information, I’ll be sure to come out and inform you,” was what she said as she turned to the nurse behind her, handed her a clipboard, and walked off.
“Did she say how JaNair was doing?” I asked no one in particular. They were all standing around the same doctor when they called her name, so I’m sure someone heard something.
“Where were you when the doctor was looking for any family or close relatives of JaNair? I’m pretty sure with her being your girl and all, you fit somewhere in that equation.”
The smug look on this bitch-ass nigga’s face had me balling up my fist. Semaj had another think coming if he thought that he could keep getting away with snide-ass remarks like that. I hope he wasn’t letting the business attire I had on fool him.
I counted to ten in my head, then cracked my neck. After releasing a few deep breaths, I’d finally calmed down enough to ask my question again.
Instead of hearing bitch boy’s smart-ass mouth, the woman I assumed to be LaLa and Niecey’s mother answered the question for me.
“They said she’s doing fine, baby. After they run a few more tests on her, we’ll be able to go back there and see her,” she said as she patted my arm and headed back to the waiting area.
I cut my eyes at a smirking Semaj, then excused myself to go to the restroom. I need to freshen up a bit and get rid of the condom wrapper that was now in my pocket.
While I was drying my hands, I heard my cell phone ding, indicating a text message had been sent. I pulled the phone out of the holster and scrolled through my log.
BM: Am I going to see you later on tonight after you close up?
Damn, I forgot I told my baby mother that I’d roll through tonight. I had to come up with a good lie for her ass, or else she’d be blowing my shit up all night.
Me: I’m gonna come by in the morning. Had to fire two waitresses tonight. Been behind the bar fucking all the drink orders up.
I was glad in that moment that I told her
about the employees stealing from me a couple of weeks ago.
BM: LOL. I bet that’s a sight to see. Too bad I was called into work tonight. I’ll see you in the morning then.
Me: All right.
BM: I love you!
Me: Me too. Kiss my little man for me.
BM: OK.
When I finally returned to the waiting room, the doctor who had come out earlier with news about JaNair was just walking off. I looked to Mya for answers but was met with the coldest grill I’ve ever seen. Asking her what the doctor had just said was totally out of the question. I looked toward Semaj’s punk ass and didn’t even attempt to go in his direction.
“Aye, bro, where you been?” Toby said as he walked up beside me. “They’re letting people go back to see her . . . Two at a time, though. I’ll go back there with you if you want.”
“Thanks, man, I really appreciate it,” I said as we clasped hands.
“You know you done fucked up, right?”
I couldn’t do anything but laugh at what he just said. Not only was that a poor imitation of the detective from Menace II Society, but the truth was funny as hell. I knew when Mya walked her ass up into my office that I should’ve just escorted her right back out. But those hips, lips, and perky-ass titties just kept calling a nigga.
On top of that, a few of the things she said while we were fucking on the desk kind of threw me for a loop.
“JaNair’s pussy ain’t as good as this, huh? She can’t fuck you like I can, Jerome! This is all your pussy from now on, baby. You won’t need that bitch JaNair for shit!”
At the time, all that shit she was moaning sounded real good while we were going at it, but now that I’m thinking with the head on my shoulders, the shit sounded kind of crazy. It’s like she’s obsessed with making me forget all about JaNair.
“Aye, the doctor just gave the green light to go back there to see your girl,” Toby said, breaking me from my train of thought.
I looked over at Mya who was huddled in the corner with a woman I’ve never seen before. As soon as we made eye contact, both she and the woman she was talking to stared right back at me. A small smile spread across her face as she waved her fingers. The woman took one look from Mya, then to me, and started to smirk. She turned back around to Mya and said something to her, causing her gaze to fall from me.
I took that small opportunity and hurried in the direction of JaNair’s room, dragging Toby right behind me.
“Dude, I feel sorry for your ass. That girl is going to make your life a living hell.”
No truer words were ever spoken. Not only did I make the mistake of having sex with my girl’s cousin, but I obviously made the mistake of fucking a psycho in the making.
LaNiece
I sat in my hospital bed blankly staring at the TV which was on a rerun episode of Cheaters. I never understood how someone would want to go on national television to expose being cheated on. The thing is, they already knew what was going down before Joey and the crew even came to town. Women, as well as men, could always tell when their significant other is cheating. Whether they wanted to care or acknowledge it was a different story.
As the show went to another commercial, thoughts of my current situation started to invade my mind. Once my little secret came out, friendships, relationships, and lives would be changed.
A light knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.
“Come in!” I said as I pushed the tray of cold hospital food out of my way.
“Hey, baby. How you feeling today?”
“I’m good, Mom. My head still hurts every now and then, but besides that, I’m good.”
“And my grandbaby?” she asked, sitting in the chair beside my bed.
I looked down at my little kangaroo pouch and smiled. God sure was watching over my little angel in that car accident. I placed my hand on top of my stomach. I couldn’t believe that I was a little over twelve weeks pregnant.
“He or she is doing just fine, Mom. Did you bring what I asked for?” She dug into her big purse and handed me a brown paper bag that was covered in grease at the bottom.
“You know you shouldn’t be eating that mess. All these monitors are gonna start going crazy when your blood pressure skyrockets. Plus you need to start eating a little healthier for my grandbaby.”
I wasn’t even trying to hear what she was talking about right now. The tantalizing smell of jalapenos and warm tortillas had all of my attention. I quickly unwrapped the big-ass carne asada burrito from Cliff’s and dug in.
As I was stuffing a handful of french fries into my mouth, my mother decided to start up another conversation.
“So, LaLa, who’s the daddy?”
I rolled my eyes. “Mom, can I please eat in peace? Don’t you want me to feed your grandbaby?”
“I do. But I would also like to know what other bloodline is gonna be running through his or her veins as well.”
I took another big bite of my burrito. “Why does it matter? Are you not going to claim my baby as your grandchild if it’s by someone you don’t like?”
“LaNiece, I’ll slap the shit out of you if you say something stupid like that again,” she scuffed. “I just want to know who your child’s father is.”
The truth of the matter was, I really didn’t know who my baby’s father was. There were two possibilities and a maybe. I’d never tell my mom that, but by the look on her face, I knew I needed to tell her something.
“Li’l Ray” was the first name that came out of my mouth.
A wide smile spread across my mother’s face. “RayShaun, huh?” She nodded her head. “My grandbaby is gonna be cute as hell.”
We both fell out laughing. That’s the only reason why she wanted to know who the father was so badly. She always told me and Niecey that she couldn’t be a fly-ass grandma with ugly-ass grandbabies.
While we sat there talking about baby clothes and names, my mind drifted off to Li’l Ray. I knew once it got out that I was pregnant, he would be questioning me.
For real for real, though, I was hoping and praying on the inside that Li’l Ray was indeed my baby’s father. If it just so happened that he wasn’t, all hell was going to break loose once the two possibilities were revealed.
“I knew it was your greedy ass that had the hallway smelling like that,” JaNair said laughing as my sister rolled her into my room.
I was actually glad to see her moving around a bit. It was my fault that her pelvic bone was broken in three places. Had I not been texting like she said, the accident would’ve never happened.
“I saw JaNair’s ass struggling out there with this wheelchair when I got off of the elevator, so I decided to help her out,” Niecey informed us.
“And thank you so much for that, girl. It’s already been a week, and I still don’t have the hang of this.”
“Well, you’re looking good, honey,” my mom interjected. “You and LaLa both. I’m so glad you guys made it out of that accident with nothing too major.”
“Me too, Ms. Kat . . . me too!” JaNair turned her attention back toward me. “So what’s happening with you, girlie? You ready to get out of here tomorrow?”
I nodded my head as I chewed the massive amount of food I had just shoved in my mouth. I don’t know what it was about this burrito, but for some reason, it tasted ten times better than what it normally did. Maybe it was the extra jalapenos I requested.
“Sis?” Niecey said, looking at me side eyed. “You sure are taking that burrito down mighty fast.” She paused for a second as I took another big bite. “Are those jalapenos you’re eating?”
JaNair looked at my almost eaten burrito and cosigned. “Yeah, those are jalapenos. When did you start eating those? You can’t stand spicy food.”
I ignored their nosy asses and continued to eat, turning the volume up on the new episode of Cheaters that had just come on. I could feel them staring at me, but I didn’t care. Telling them that I was pregnant was something I wanted to hold off on. Especially since
I didn’t know who the daddy really was. I knew that as soon as they found out that I was with child, the father’s identity would come into question, and I wasn’t ready for certain people to know.
JaNair
A couple of weeks had passed, and I was finally being discharged. I was so tired of these hospital walls that I didn’t know what to do. All I wanted was to lie in my own bed, eat my own food, and rest in the serenity of my own home.
I was mad as hell right now, though. Not only was I stranded at the hospital after I was discharged, I had to catch a fucking cab all the way home.
I glanced at the meter for the millionth time. I was already a little over fifty dollars. By the time we got to my house, I knew I’d be somewhere near eighty or ninety dollars.
I scrolled through my phone and looked at all the times I called Jerome, Mya, and even LaLa. But none of them answered my calls. All I kept getting was constant ringing or being sent straight to voice mail. I sent text messages and everything. Still, there was no response. I called Semaj, and he answered on the second ring to my delight. But when he told me that he was in the studio, I nixed the idea of asking him to come get me.
Letting my head fall back on the headrest, I closed my eyes and thought about everything that happened earlier.
I looked at the clock on the nightstand beside my bed and frowned. 12 o’clock was quickly approaching, and there was no sign of Jerome anywhere. I told him a few days ago to have his ass here no later than 11:30. Here it was, fifteen minutes till, and he still hasn’t shown up.
“Good morning, Ms. Livingston. I hear you’re leaving us this morning,” the nurse I’ve come to know as Tangie said.
“Yeah, I’m supposed to leave in about fifteen minutes, but my late-ass boyfriend hasn’t shown up yet.”
She laughed. “Girl, you know how men are when it comes to time. Let me help you get all of this stuff together, then put you in your wheelchair. He should be here by then.”
After Tangie arranged all of my get well cards, balloons, flowers, and gifts on a roll-away cart, she helped me out of the bed and into the wheelchair the candy striper had just dropped off.
What Bae Won't Do Saga Page 8