“About an hour. Your mom just called like fifteen minutes ago. I grabbed your keys and phone and locked your door.”
“Thank you so much, Brazil. I really don’t know what happened.”
A nurse entered the room, and she smiled when she saw that Giavanna was awake. “Hi. How are you feeling?”
“Um”—she took a moment to process how she actually felt—“tired. My face hurts probably from where I fell. My head hurts, too.”
“Your friend gave us your name, and we accessed your medical charts. We did labs and checked your vital signs. Your white blood cells are low, which is very normal being that you are taking chemo. Chemo kind of kills them, and the white bloodcells are what helps your body fight infections. Your immune system is compromised at the moment, but I’m sure you know that.”
Giavanna nodded. She had to be extra careful with avoiding crowds, washing her hands, and trying not to get sick because her body wouldn’t handle it the same.
“You have a fever, and it’s pretty high. When you got here it was 103. Since you’re awake, we want to look at your mouth and throat to rule out strep. Your blood pressure is also low. So, more than likely, you have a slight infection and that along with the side effects of chemo just had you feeling really bad. I put antibiotics in your IV and something a little stronger than Tylenol to break the fever. The doctor will be in to talk with you soon.”
Giavanna nodded. “Thank you so much.”
She was relieved that it seemed to be something minor. Prayerfully, the antibiotics would help her to feel better. Giavanna was so tired of doctors’ offices and hospitals, but she had to thank God that Brazil found her. When the nurse left the room, she sat up in bed.
“My mom is on the way, so you can go. I’m sorry if I inconvenienced you, and I hope this doesn’t make you hesitant to leave Unique with me.”
Brazil simply stared at Giavanna for a few seconds, and his intense gaze made her pulse quicken. She couldn’t read his expression, but the fact that he wasn’t speaking had to mean something.
“I promise you on everything I love if you apologize to me one more time for something that isn’t your fault, we’re going to have an issue. Do you want anything to eat?”
Giavanna wanted to crawl underneath the bed and hide from embarrassment when her stomach growled louder than she’dever heard it growl in her entire life. “Oh my God,” she groaned while Brazil laughed.
“I got my answer. Your body probably knew you were going to lie or some shit.” He shook his head. “I’m going to the cafeteria. I’ll text you when I get down there to tell you what the options are.”
“Thank you.”
Brazil ambled out of the room, and Giavanna shook her head. How did she go from planning to prepare dinner to being in the hospital? She knew the people that called to check in on her regularly were worried sick, but she didn’t even possess the energy to look at her missed calls and text messages. Giavanna felt like she wanted to sleep for days, and not only to rest. If she was asleep, then she wasn’t conscious to think about how terrifying and unpredictable her life had become. Now, she was going to be hesitant to be home alone when she didn’t feel good. What if Unique wasn’t there, and Brazil wasn’t on his way?
Had she passed out inside the house, there was no telling how long it would have taken someone to find her. Brazil left the door open, and Giavanna’s mother walked right in.
“Oh my God, I was worried sick. I was so discombobulated on the way here, I almost got into two accidents. What happened?”
Giavanna’s phone vibrated, and she remembered that Brazil was going to text her. Grabbing her phone, she unlocked it and read the message. After texting him back that she wanted soup, grapes, and Gatorade, she repeated everything the nurse told her to her mother.
“I’m so glad Brazil answered your phone. Did he leave?”
“No. He went down to the cafeteria to get me something to eat.”
“I’m so glad he was there. Jesus.”
Brazil entered the room with a large plastic bag. Giavanna’s brows hiked because it looked like more than she’d asked for.
“I got soup, grapes, apple slices, chips, wings, pasta salad, a brownie, and a few candy bars.”
“Brazil, you act like I’m going to be here for three or four days.”
He shrugged. “The nurse didn’t say when you could leave. Two things I’m sure you need to do are rest and eat. These aren’t all healthy choices, but you’ll be aight.” He winked. “Call me if you need anything.” He smiled and nodded at her mother before leaving the room.
Giavanna and her mother both stared after him for a few seconds before her mother turned to face her daughter with a slack jaw. “That’s Kera’s baby daddy?”
“Yes, that’s Kera’s baby daddy.” Giavanna chuckled. She already knew what was coming.
“He is fine.” Giavanna’s mother clutched her invisible pearls. “And he likes you?”
“Who said that?” Giavanna dug through the bag. “Brazil is nice to me because I help him with Unique. He calls me family. That’s it. That’s all.”
