She Gave Her All to the Hood’s Finest 2

by Shvonne Latrice

  As requested though, Keira had been replaced, so I felt much more at ease when I had to go to work. I could barely concentrate before, worrying about what she was doing with my husband even though he was beyond weak. And I didn’t know if it was because she flirted with him a lot, in my opinion, or because I’d done some wrong with Rahim and my guilt was making me side eye my man.

  It was true he’d never cheated or never even given me the impression that he had, but he could say the same about me, yet look what I’d done. I’d gone and slept with a man I barely knew, in a club bathroom, and had yet to cut him off completely. So as bad as it sounded, because of my wrongdoings, a part of me didn’t trust my man in the presence of Keira. I’d learned from my own mistakes that no one could be trusted, not even the people who presented themselves as the utmost trustworthy.

  “No problem. I missed hanging out with you, so I will take anything.” Camarih nodded. She didn’t want to meet inside of the hospital because of her unborn baby.

  I admit seeing her bothered me a bit because, from the looks of things with Paul, he and I would never make a baby. That was something we always talked about but put it off because we agreed that thirty was a better age for us. We’d be further into our careers and would have enjoyed years of marriage together. But now I was wishing we weren’t so selfish years ago.

  “I miss you too, especially with all this gloomy news I’ve been getting.”

  “I know. What are they saying?”

  “The same old stuff but worse; that it’s not looking good, and the only reason he’s even still alive is because of his age. They’re saying if he was middle aged, he’d be dead already, but his heart is strong.” I began tearing up, even though I’d tried to hold it in, so Camarih got up to sit next to me.

  “Don’t cry, Shanece.” She rubbed me.

  “He’s in so much agony, and look what I did to him?” I sobbed. I felt like shit, and I also felt like God was punishing me by slowly killing my husband right in front of me.

  “I know that has to be hard, but don’t think about that right now. At this moment, you need to be spending time with him and making him feel good while he’s still here. Sulking and harping on what you did is only going to make the experience worse than it is.”

  I sniffled as I listened to Camarih. She was so wise to have never gone through this.

  “Yeah. But what can I do? He’s not really in a position for sex.” I sat up, speaking sadly.

  We chuckled in unison as she used a napkin to dab my tears.

  “Well I can assure you he’s not strong enough for all that,” she grinned. “But maybe you can just talk to him, make him laugh, play cards, just simple stuff to make him forget. Remember Shanece, even though this hurts you, it hurts him too.”

  “Yeah, I will do that. I thought you hated Paul.”

  “I don’t hate anyone, other than the men who murdered my ex, because they’re cruel. I don’t too much care for Paul’s attitude, but I think if I met him before all this, he would’ve been great.”

  Little did Camarih know, hearing her say that made me feel good. Most people that had encountered the nasty side of Paul didn’t understand how different he was before all of this. He was literally perfect, at least to me, which was all that mattered.

  I remembered being so anxious to marry him that my mama had to tell me to relax. I was obsessed with him from the first day he got my number and texted me. His smile, his personality, his drive, and of course his looks were all so alluring.

  “Yeah. He was so funny, sweet, and driven.” I reminisced, making Camarih smile as well.

  “So that’s how we’re doing things?” A familiar female voice boomed over us, making both Camarih and I look up.

  Standing next to our table was Keira. She was in her scrubs, with a Chanel purse clutched at her side while wearing a deep frown. Per usual, her hair, nails, and makeup were done up.

  “Who are you?” Camarih’s brows dipped.

  “What are you talking about?” I quizzed Keira who ignored Camarih and kept her eyes on me.

  “You told Dr. Laura to switch me out for someone else.” Keira gritted her teeth. This hoe was looney.

  “What the hell is going on?” Camarih interjected.

  “Yes, I did, because I felt like the way you worked with my husband was inappropriate and made me uncomfortable.” I glanced around the establishment because I felt eyes on us.

  “Inappropriate? What the hell have I done that was inappropriate, Shanece?”

  “Look, we should step outside because you’re doing way too much right now.” I got up and both Camarih and Keira followed me out.

  “I work hard for my money, and I also work hard for my patients. No one takes care of them as well as I do. Why the hell do you think Paul has been living longer than he was expected? Because of me! These other nurses could give a damn whether he dies or not! He’ll just be another black man dead to them!”

  “I don’t need you giving my husband extra attention!”

  “Seems to me you do! Every time we look up, you’re gone off to work! I can count on one hand how many times I’ve walked into his many of hospital rooms and saw you sitting with him! He would’ve been better off married to me over your neglectful ass!”

  WHAM! WHAM!

  Before I could even fully process her words, I was beating Keira’s ass. She tried to hit me with her purse but missed, so I just kept on fucking her up until the manager of the burger spot came out to tear us apart.

  “What are you looking at me for? I’m pregnant, asshole.” Camarih sneered when the manager gave her a look like he expected her to stop the fight.

  “My apologies, Miss.” He nodded to Camarih. “You two, get the hell away from my business right now.” He glared at both Keira and me.

  I gave her one last look and then stormed to my car with Camarih in tow. Once in, I was about to crank up, but she stopped me.

  “You need to calm down before you drive. If you kill me and my baby, Tony will bring you back to life and kill you again.”

  As mad as I was, I couldn’t help but to laugh.

  “True.”

  And my hands were shaking.

  “What was that?”

  “She flirts with Paul. Okay, she doesn’t flirt, but she makes him light up, and I don’t like it.”

  “Understandable. Do you think she’s making him better?”

  “Uh, no. I just see that she makes him happy, and she’s not supposed to. I am his wife, that’s my job. Yet I’m too busy working and chasing Rahim.”

  Camarih giggled.

  “If what you’re doing is called chasing, you’re horrible at it.” She cut on the air conditioner once I started my car.

  “I shouldn’t have hit her, but she was out of line for coming all the way over here.”

  “That bitch said she should be his wife instead of you; she deserved that ass whooping. I would’ve helped had I not been pregnant and if I didn’t have anything against jumping people.”

  “I know.”

  Camarih and I talked as I drove back, which literally only took a couple minutes because the burger place was across the street in the shopping center near the hospital. I drove her to her car and then parked myself. I fixed my makeup and hair then went inside.

  As soon as I saw Dr. Laura, I pulled her to the side.

  “Feeling better now that you’ve ate, Mrs. Porter?”

  “I am. But Keira came over there, I’m guessing once she learned of the news, and we got into a fist fight.”

  “Oh my gosh!” Dr. Laura covered her mouth.

  “Yeah, so, I will be filing a complaint because last time I checked, nurses weren’t supposed to be so damn emotionally involved, that they’d put hands on the family member of the patient.”

  “I agree that you should, and I will find out who told her the reasoning behind her removal.” She nodded.

  “Do that.”

  I slipped past her to go into the room and chill with my hu
sband. He was relaxed, watching TV, so I decided to just chat with him like Camarih said.

  At first, he gave dry responses, but eventually, I could see him lighten up, mainly when I began reminiscing.

  “You know I’ll always love you.” He looked over at me, head still lying on the pillow.

  Weakly, he reached his hand out for me to hold, so I did.

  “Yes, and likewise.”

  After a few moments of silence, he said, “Even though I know I’m not gonna make it, it kind of feels wrong, don’t it? We were supposed to be together forever.”

  “Yeah.” I whimpered before looking away briefly to wipe my tears. “Maybe that means you will overcome this.”

  Paul chuckled very subtly. When we made eye contact, I knew what he was about to say, so I shook my head.

  “You’re right. Woman plans, God laughs.” He changed it up for me. “I could miraculously get healthy in a month or so, and we can get right to baby making.”

  “Yes, I am ready! Seeing Camarih pregnant is bittersweet.”

  “Camarih. I know she can’t stand me.”

  “Not this new version, but the true you, I think she would love; she even said so herself.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes.” I leaned over to kiss him.

  We talked for a little longer, but he was tired, so I let him sleep. I was a little sleepy as well, but before I closed my eyes, I went to toss my birth control into the toilet. Just in case Paul and I were able to get it in, I wanted to be ready for the result. I was pretty healthy, so one time should be enough to get a baby.

  Smiling, I drifted off to sleep.

  Some hours later… a few minutes after midnight…

  “Mrs. Porter, we need you to clear the room!” A nurse shouted in my face, shaking me from my sleep.

  “What? What is going on?” I asked groggily, seeing Paul’s bed surrounded with nurses.

  “Mrs. Porter, please, honey, we need the space!”

  The nurse was frantic, so I got up quickly, not wanting to get in their way. I watched at the door and almost decked another nurse in her face when she tried to close it in my face.

  “Let’s get him to ICU!” Dr. Laura called out, rushing the nurses along as they wheeled Paul’s bed past me so fast that it almost ran over my foot.

  Right along with them, I ran, asking questions and hoping someone would answer. I got a glimpse of Paul’s face, and it was completely blue, making him look dead since he was passed out.

  “What is wrong with him! What the fuck is wrong with him!” I began shouting from the pit of my stomach.

  “Mrs. Porter.” One of the male nurses pulled me to the side. I tried to break free, but he was too strong.

  “Let me go!” I cried loudly as they wheeled Paul away.

  “Please, Mrs. Porter, the doctor needs space and time to do what she can. Having you there, panicking, is only going to make things harder.” He restrained me against the wall as I sobbed.

  “Is he dead? He looked dead.”

  “No, no, he’s not dead. And we want to keep things that way, but you need to calm down.”

  “Okay.” I sniffled. I was feeling a little better knowing Paul was alive. “Can you tell me anything?”

  “Just that he got a little bit of fluid in his lungs, so he’s having trouble breathing, so we need to get him into ICU, drain the fluid, and get him on a respirator.” After looking me over with worrisome eyes, he continued. “Go have some coffee or some tea and get fresh air. Let us handle this; it’s what we’re here for. And if you need anything, I’m Gary.”

  “Yeah, okay.” I looked up into his eyes. “Are you flirting with me?” I sniffled.

  Laughing, he replied, “No. You’re not exactly my type.”

  “Really?”

  “No, no, you’re beautiful. Gorgeous, but you’re missing some equipment.”

  “Oh.” I chuckled, and so did he. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime, Mrs. Porter.”

  I went to one of the vending machines for a snack, and then another for some hot chocolate. It made coffee too, but I didn’t trust coffee that didn’t come from Coffee Bean.

  Once I had my snacks, I went outside into the cold Los Angeles air, taking a seat on the bench. Cars were still out, driving around as if it wasn’t extremely late.

  Pulling out my phone, I went into my contacts but changed my mind on calling Camarih. It was late, she was pregnant, and her nigga was crazy, so I’d call her during normal hours.

  My finger hovered over Rahim’s name, and after remembering that this was just gonna be over the phone, I pressed it.

  “Hello?” I heard him walking, jogging almost.

  “Oh shit.” I covered my mouth after swallowing my hot cocoa. “Am I disturbing you?”

  “I’m at the studio, but you good. Eitan is recording, so my part is pretty much done for the night unless we hit any hiccups on the beat.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “So what’s up? I ain’t expect a call from you and at this time.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t expect to call. My husband, he’s… progressively getting worse. I would’ve called Camarih had I known Tony was with you and not with her.”

  Rahim chuckled.

  “You straight. But damn. I thought things were looking up.”

  “Me too. But they’re not, so…” I held back tears, allowing the wind to dry them. “You don’t wanna hear this; you like me.”

  “I do, but I don’t mind. I can’t really be jealous right now; it’s not the time.”

  I smiled as much as I could as I took another sip of my hot drink.

  For the next fifteen minutes, I ranted to Rahim about what had happened so far with Paul’s illness and even brought up Keira. He didn’t have much to say, but I didn’t mind because right now, I just needed an ear, not another mouth.

  6

  Camarih

  This past week, I’d sold way more products than usual to the point where I didn’t have time to stock up on everything. The African lady I got my oils from needed at least two weeks in advance to have my order ready, but since I didn’t think I’d sell out the way I had, I didn’t order.

  My comments on social media had been blowing up begging for restocks, so I needed to jump on it. I did place a bigger order with her for next time, but again, that wouldn’t be ready for two weeks.

  Because I refused to use just any old oils in my stuff and even on my skin, the only option I had right now was to get the big ass stock I’d left back at my mama’s house. I thought I’d gotten everything that day Tony helped me until I remembered that I kept my oils in the kitchen so they’d be at a specific temperature. My room got too hot at times, and therefore, keeping them in there would sometimes ruin them. And a bitch was too hard up for cash to let that expensive shit go to waste.

  It was about 7 p.m. when I drove past my mama’s house and noticed neither her car nor Bobi’s truck was there. Feeling like this was God helping me out, I swooped into a street park.

  My phone rang just as I did, scaring the shit out of me, and being pregnant, I almost peed my panties.

  “Hello, babe.” I answered the random number. Tony wasn’t about to catch me this time.

  “How you know who this is?” The voice replied, and it definitely didn’t belong to my man; however, I did recognize it, just couldn’t pin it.

  Not wanting to get caught up again, I quizzed, “Tony?”

  “Nah, this ain’t no fucking Tony. This the nigga you really love,” the man retorted angrily.

  “Phillip, what the fuck do you want?” I relaxed my frown filled with confusion once I realized it was his ass.

  “You. Look, baby, I made a song about you and everything. Let me sing it to you?”

  “No. I don’t want to hear it. Is there anything else, because I am kind of busy right now?”

  “You for real don’t love me no more? After all I did for you?”

  “What did you do for me?” I was honestly curious.

/>   “That’s not the fucking point, Ari,” he spat, despite the fact that he’d brought the shit up. “I miss you, and I’m going fucking crazy over here thinking about not having you. Just tell me whatever it is I can do.”

  “Become Tony Wacko.”

  I laughed when dead silence lingered over on his end.

  “That was a low blow. You—”

  “Goodbye, nigga.” I hung up and blocked that number as quickly as possible.

  It was funny he called me because I’d just seen on social media that his little secret, aka a pregnant Isis, was out. He still acted like she didn’t exist and like it wasn’t true, but I knew it was. Isis was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a hoe, which is why a lot of this shit didn’t make sense to me. Her betrayal was so out of left field, but I hated the whore too much to get any more information.

  Putting my phone into my purse, I got out of the rental I was driving until my car was fixed. Tony was paying to have my seats and pedals put in after he’d sawed them off like a maniac.

  Using my key, I entered the house and went straight to the kitchen to gather my oils. Just as I had everything in a plastic grocery bag, I heard the front door close and Bobi’s loud boisterous voice booming through the house. I almost dropped the bag in fear when her eyes landed on me.

  “Let me call you back, Cyrus.” She hung up the phone, moving closer into the kitchen.

  “Hi.” I mumbled softly, gripping my belly. All I could think about was my baby.

  “What you doing in my house, Camarih?”

  “Just getting some last-minute stuff.” I held up the bag.

  “Could’ve sworn ya mama told yo’ ass not to come back through here after yo’ thug boyfriend acted a monkey on us.” Bobi gritted her teeth as she got even closer, pointing her hand at me.

  I noticed two of her fingers, the pointer and the one next to it, were nubs now.

  “Wh—what happened to your hand?” I had to know.

  “Ya little punk ass boyfriend.”

  I was puzzled until I remembered telling him what she’d done to me with her fingers. Inside I was laughing in disbelief at what he’d done, but I wouldn’t dare show that to Bobi. I was a bit handicapped being pregnant, and I couldn’t kick ass or defend myself normally, so I needed to tread lightly.