“I’m gonna enjoy paying you back for every vile word you’ve ever said to me. Get her in my fucking car now,” my mother says and the cop immediately obeys her.
“Fuck you both. I’ll make sure you both pay for this shit,” I promise them as my attention goes to Eric once more to find him trying to get off the ground to no avail. He’s still rapidly losing blood and I’m surprised he hasn’t passed out yet.
I’m forcibly shoved in the back of the old car my mother has been driving around for years. I’m surprised it still works with how old the piece of shit it. There’s more rust on it than paint these days and I saw more than a few holes in the exterior. The inside isn’t much better. There’s garbage and drug paraphernalia all over the place. I’m honestly worried about getting poked with a used needle or something. Still, I struggle to get loose despite my hands being trapped behind my back in too tight handcuffs. The second I’m far enough in the backseat, something hits me in the back of my head and everything goes black.
Chapter Nineteen
Tease
EXCITEMENT FILLS ME knowing that Leo will be coming home with us when we leave the hospital today. We won’t have to sit there for hours with him in a small room with nurses and doctors constantly watching over us. There won’t be any alarms blaring of the other babies who aren’t doing as well as Leo is. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard those alarms going off and watching parents cry and be ushered away from their child because he or she is in distress and has something going on with them. It’s the hardest thing I’ve witnessed in a very long time and I thank God every single day we haven’t experienced that with Leo. Other than once or twice when he was first born and his oxygen went way too low. Sheridan didn’t have to witness that, but I did. I almost lost my shit and only managed to keep myself under control because it’s what my son needed. I had to be strong for him and make sure I didn’t get kicked out of the NICU and hospital because I couldn’t control myself. Sheridan also needed me when I had to leave the NICU even if she wasn’t awake to know I was at her side.
Pulling into the hospital, I don’t see Sheridan’s SUV. She usually parks as close to the door as she can get because it sometimes hurts too much for her to walk long distances. Not just because of the surgery to deliver our son, but her back. She qualifies for a handicap parking permit, but refuses to get one. I know her dad has tried to convince her to get one and use it, butshe can still walk and will never once use something she doesn’t see herself needing. A feeling settles in the pit of my gut and I find myself running in the hospital and heading straight for the stairs. The elevator will take too long.
Taking the steps two at a time, I don’t stop or slow down until I’m pushing the door of the maternity ward open so hard it slams into the wall. Nurses walking from one room to the next trip over themselves to get out of my way as I run down the hallway straight toward the NICU. Knuckles is standing outside with Homicide and both turn to face me as I practically burst through the door and slam into one of the nurses. I barely stop long enough to wash my hands and put a gown on over my clothes to walk through the room. The need to see Leo and Sheridan is all consuming.
When I finally get in the room where Leo has been, I don’t find Sheridan waiting for me. He’s all alone in his bassinet and sleeping. A nurse looks in with confusion on her face and I know she’s wondering what’s going on because I’ve never acted like this when I’ve come here. The few times I haven’t driven with Sheridan to the hospital, she’s always beat me. She doesn’t stop anywhere along the way and has teased me relentlessly about me being slower than her. Today, she’s nowhere in sight and I know she was excited to get here so we could bring Leo home.
“Where’s Sheridan? Has she been here yet?” I question the nurse while continuing to look around the NICU.
“I haven’t seen her yet. I’m the one who called to let her know Leo was going to be discharged today and could hear the excitement in her voice. We all know she beats you here if you arrive separately,” she answers me, her voice wavering in fear as I look through the doorway toward the window where Homicide and Knuckles are staring at me, waiting for me to let them know what’s wrong.
“Can they come in? I need to talk to them, but I’m not leavin’ my son,” I ask her, my voice breaking as I think of something happening to Sheridan and me not being there to protect her.
“I’ll get them,” she says before rushing away from me.
I turn my attention to Leo. Today he’s wearing a pair of pajamas Sheridan picked out. They’ve got motorcycles all over them and are white. I swear she picked them because a few of the bikes look like ones my dad and I ride. He’s covered up with a thick blanket my mom got him. It’s dark blue and I know has a bear having a picnic in the middle of it. This room is always so damn cold and Sheridan has several blankets here in a bag to ensure Leo is warm and never gets too cold.
“What’s goin’ on?” Knuckles asks me the second they’re in the room with Leo and me. He can tell something is wrong with one look at me.
“Sheridan’s not here. I was on the phone with her less than twenty minutes ago. We got the call Leo was bein’ discharged today. He’s been doin’ really good and his oxygen hasn’t been droppin’ at night like it was before. She was so fuckin’ excited to come get him. We only had to wait for the doctor to come in and see him one more time and then we’d be given his discharge papers and a follow-up appointment for him. I was worried about her drivin’ here on her own, but Eric is with her today. So, I allowed her to drive on her own instead of callin’ someone to drive her. She always beats me here. Everyone knows that. She’s not here though,” I tell them as I pull out my phone because until this very second I didn’t think to call her.
Homicide also pulls out his phone and answers a call.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I hear him ask as Sheridan’s phone goes directly to voicemail. Sheridan neverturns her phone off. Especially not since she had Leo with him being in the hospital. We could get a call at any point in time for him.
Homicide stays on the phone for a few more minutes before he hangs up and turns toward me. I’ve called Sheridan a dozen more times and it always goes straight to voicemail. Something is definitely wrong. At the very worst, her phone would ring until voicemail picked up because she put it on the passenger seat of the SUV.
“Her phone’s goin’ straight to voicemail. She never turns her phone off,” I inform my cousin and Homicide.
“Eric’s on his way here. He’s bein’ brought in by ambulance. The guys were headin’ here and saw him bein’ loaded up. Sheridan’s SUV is parked on the side of the road and Eric’s bike is back from that. Sheridan’s nowhere to be seen,” Homicide tells us and my heart completely shatters.
The urge to destroy the room around me fills me but I know I can’t. Not only is it dangerous for my son, but there are other babies and families here. They can’t know anything is going on. Honestly, it’s no one’s business.
“Why the fuck was Eric bein’ loaded in an ambulance to be brought here?” Knuckles asks Homicide because I’m at an absolute loss right now. My mind can’t concentrate on any one thing.
“They don’t know. He managed to call Omen. Omen didn’t hear everythin’ but there was some kind of confrontation between Sheridan, a man, and a woman. If I had to guess, I’m gonna say the woman is Sheridan’s mother. He said she sounded older. That wouldn’t be Jess or Foxy. Heard the woman call Sheridan a whore and your girl was tellin’ the guy to get the fuck off of her. Don’t know what that means though. It couldbe anythin’, Tease,” Homicide informs us, his voice full of dread and anger. “Your parents are on the way here along with Mr. Russell. He doesn’t know Sheridan isn’t here yet. Jolene called him when you called to let her know Leo was bein’ discharged. He stopped long enough to close the garage and that’s it. That man is gonna lose his mind when he finds out his daughter is missin’.”
“That’s the fuckin’ truth. Mr. Russell and Sheridan are closer than close. She’s always been his shadow and he loves his daughter more than anyone else in this world. She’s his entire reason for livin’ and he feels as if he owes her for the shit her mother’s done to her over the years. That’s why he never once complained about the time she spent with my family growin’ up. Told my mom once that she was the only female role model Sheridan had because her grandparents had recently passed away.”
“I always knew your parents loved her. Didn’t realize she was like that with your family,” Homicide says as he looks out the door to find the rest of the club here and standing outside the NICU.
“They always considered her the daughter they never had. Marcus loved her too. Told me once that if I didn’t make her mine, he was goin’ to,” I say not even being able to laugh at the memory of my brother telling me that as we watched Sheridan rescue a puppy from a large bush filled with thorns and other shit. She cut the hell out of her arms and never once paused to protect herself.
“Your dad and mom are gonna lose their minds. I’ve seen how they treat her. Heard his words in church when Foxy was voted out. He really loves her and won’t rest until she’s brought back home to us. To you and Leo,” Homicide says as he leavesthe room and I know I have to join them so we can figure out what’s going on and put a plan in place.
Knuckles leaves me alone with Leo as my mom and Janessa enter and wash up before heading in with us.
“You go with them. Janessa and I will stay here with Leo. Bring our girl home, Axel,” my mom says, tears rolling down her face as she places a hand on my arm.
