Pissed was an understatement. Knowing for a fact Khrome was carrying his child made Cam’s actions that much more heinous. He was going to pay, and Lethal put that on everything he loved. Khrome was busy talking to the doctor and the nursesfor the first thirty minutes or so. When she finally got a chance to breathe and take everything in, she erupted into tears.
“My dumb ass really thought he was going to leave me alone.” She angrily laughed through her tears as she wiped her face. “I knew better. I just had to keep working at the bar knowing he knew I worked there.” Her tongue angrily clicked. Lethal wasn’t the only one that was pissed.
She hated Cam’s guts. If he dropped dead, she would have rejoiced. Her being upset wasn’t good for her, but Lethal was too upset himself to attempt and offer her words of encouragement. His jaw muscles flexed, and his nostrils expanded. Tech texted him that he was in the waiting room, and Lethal left without a word.
Tech wasn’t alone. Brazil, Block, and Blak were at his side. “Goofy-ass niggas done already posted that shit on social media,” Block reported with a murderous gleam in his eyes. “That nigga is as good as dead,” he promised.
Tech flicked the tip of his nose and spoke in a hushed tone, “He’ll definitely get what’s coming to him but no time soon. Too many people saw Lethal put his hands on that man. If he suddenly turns up dead, that won’t look good for him. This is going to be handled, but it's going to be handled the right way.”
“I don’t want any of you putting your freedom on the line for that fuck nigga. Khrome is carrying my child. I’ll handle it.”
Blak drew back with a frown. “You’ll handle it?” he spat like it was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard. “Nah. Hell nah. You got too much to lose.”
His response didn’t surprise Lethal. In fact, he expected it, but that didn’t make the statement any less infuriating. Yes, he had a lot to lose, but he was still a man, and Cam came for his. Block and Blak were retired from the drug game, and they had shit to lose as well. Blak had a baby on the way. Noticing the grimace on his son’s face, Tech intervened.
“Nobody is getting their hands dirty. The shit will be handled. How is she doing?”
“They gave her something to try and stop her body from going into labor. They also gave her a steroid shot for the baby’s lungs. She’s only six months though. It’s way too early for the baby to come. The doctor came in and did an ultrasound. The baby is only three pounds.
Tech expelled a sigh. “If they can stop her labor, that will be a good thing. Either one of you need anything?”
“Nah, she’s upset, which is understandable. When I let them know I’d be paying for everything, they put her in a nice suite. I’m not sure how comfortable the couch is, but I’ll be sleeping up here. Even if she doesn’t go into labor, I don’t see her being discharged any time soon.”
Tech bobbed his head. “Aight. Let us know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
Lethal gave each of the men dap before they turned to leave. Back inside the room, Khrome was sitting up in bed, looking at her phone. When he crossed the threshold, her tear-streaked face lifted. “You got the email?”
“Yeah. That was the reason I went to the bar. You having contractions?” Khrome was hooked up to monitors to alert the nurses of contractions and the baby’s heart rate, but Lethal didn’t know about any of that stuff.
“No, I don’t think so. My stomach feels kind of tight like she’s balled up or something, but it doesn’t hurt.”
Taking his seat, Lethal sighed and looked around the room. “I’m spending the night, but I have to leave around five in the morning. I’ll try to leave out quietly, so I don’t wake you up. As long as you’re good and not in labor, I’m going to continue training. I have a fight coming up.”
“I understand. I’ll be fine here alone when you’re not here.”
Lethal realized that she must have been telling the truth when she said she didn’t have anybody. Now that he knew for a fact that she was carrying his child, all of that was about to change.
Giavanna had just placed the lash strip on her eyes when the doorbell rang. It amazed her that only one round of chemo had her hair falling out. Her lashes were thinning by the day and so were her eyebrows. For the first time in what felt like a very long time, Giavanna woke up with the energy to care about her appearance. She gave herself a pep talk and convinced herself that she didn’t have to look like what she was going through. When the hair on her head was gone, she’d wear wigs. Until then, she put it in a ponytail and placed a cap on her head. The denim hat read: Black reading is sexy.
Giavanna put lashes on, then lined her lips and put on lip gloss. It had been a while since she dressed in anything other sweats and leggings, so Giavanna dressed in white jeans, a white mock neck crop top, and pink sandals. Unique stayed with her overnight because Brazil was out of town. He was coming to pick her up, and Giavanna was going to get out of the house and run some errands. Fresh air would be nice also. Her next round of chemo was in a few days, and she wanted to take advantage of the days when she felt human.
Unique was comfortable in her swing, and the sounds of Ms. Rachel filled the living room. When Giavanna was done getting dressed for the day, she straightened her room then went to the kitchen to make a smoothie. When the doorbell rang, she sauntered into the living room, already knowing who it was.
“Hi.” She smiled at the sight of Brazil standing on the other side of the door.
A light chuckle pushed from her throat when she noted the surprised look on his face.
“What up? You look nice.”
“Damn, I must really look bad every time you see me.” Giavanna giggled.
“Hell nah, not at all,” Brazil countered. “When I see you, you just look relaxed and comfortable. Today, you’re looking like you’re about to go on a date or something.”
“Date no, but I do have to run some errands. On the days I feel like shit, looking decent is the last thing on my mind. When I feel good, though, I want to look good. I think doing so will help my mental health.”
“I think it will, too. You hungry? Let’s go grab some brunch.”
