“There she go. Speed past them, Zeus. You don’t have any smoke or something you can blow out the back?”
“Auntie, what type of truck you think this is? Even if I did have smoke and nitro in this, it would be used to get away from the police not to make an old bitc—” he stopped once he saw the look mama was giving him—“not to make an old lady jealous.”
“Forget that, what you say about running from the police?”
“Huh?” Zoo tried to act like he didn’t hear her.
“Yea, ok. Let me get out of this truck with you criminals. My husband will pick me back up.”
“That’s the biggest one of all, you are safer with us,” I told her, making her mean mug me now.
She pranced inside of the building and fake spoke to Lil’ Bertha like she wasn’t just talking about her. When we saw she was inside, we pulled off. My stomach was growling, so I prayed this nigga was about to find some food.
CHAPTER 10
BRIANNA
“Lil’ Baby, yo' phone going off somethin' serious.” I heard Brooklyn, but I did everything in my power to drown him out. Tired was an understatement with how I felt right now. After all of the shopping I did, having to do more stuff with Mimi and PJ, then coming home to let this man twist me like a Rubik’s cube, I was tired.
“Bronx, Baby! It’s your sister.” Opening my eyes, I noticed his forehead creased with worry. Seeing that he was holding his phone out to me and not mine, let me know it had to besomething serious because Brixie wouldn’t have called him for something simple.
“Is everything ok?” I quizzed him, too afraid to take the phone to find out for myself. It felt like déjà vu from the last time I got a call at this hour about my dad. I felt it in my soul that this was another one of those calls.
“I don’t know, Baby, but she’s crying, hysterically.” Shaking my head,no, I pushed the phone back to him. “She’s scared to get the phone, just tell me what’s up, Brix.” Concern grew on his face as he listened. I heard her yelling and talking fast but couldn’t make out what she was saying. “Damn. I’ll get her up there soon. Just calm down.” She continued to cry and at this point, my heart was beating so fast and hard that it felt like I was about to pass out.
“Get up, I gotta get you to the hospital.” Brooklyn scrambled to get out of the bed to find his boxers. He slipped them on then his sweats while I just sat there, too terrified to even ask what was wrong. Just knowing it was something already had my emotions high.
“I can drive myself, just tell me what’s wrong.”
“What? Why would I let you leave out the house alone?”
“It’s not a big deal, Baby. The night I met you at the hospital when my dad was there, I was alone. So, what’s the difference?”
“You heard what you just said, right? You met me! Why would I give another nigga a chance to meet you while you’re in a vulnerable state or shit, meet you at all? When all I had to do was get my ass out of the fucking bed to make sure my shawty gets to the hospital to check on her people.”
His words had me reflecting back to that night my dad went to the hospital. It’s crazy that this was the same scenario but with a different outcome because these were two different calibers of men. Teddy didn’t give one fuck about me needing to get to the hospital.
“Can you just tell me what happened?” Tucking the cover under my arms, I gripped it tight to embrace the blow that he was about to hit me with. I just knew it was my daddy all over again.
His exhale even has me on edge.
“Just spit it out, Baby, damn. Is it my daddy?”
“BJ was shot leaving out of a chick’s house. Shit, ain’t looking too good so I need to get you there now.” The words he let out of his mouth were unexpected.
“Whaa, what? Why? How? BJ... you sure?”
“Brianna.” When he called me that, I knew he was serious. Since he’d learned my middle name, it’d been Bronx, so I knew I needed to get my ass up. No longer asking questions to prolong what I needed to be doing, I rolled out the bed, slipped on me some clothes, and followed Brooklyn down the steps. My heart was racing and I was racing right behind it to the truck.
Silently, I prayed the entire way to the hospital. Brooklyn held my hand tight and even that didn’t settle the uneasy feeling that I had in my spirit. I was just about tired of seeing this damn hospital. From my daddy, Naomi passing out, Zoo getting shot, and now my brother. I swear I didn’t want to see this place again until I was giving birth to my own damn baby.
When Brooklyn pulled up to the hospital, I wiped the flood of tears away and waited for him to come around to open the door, instead of me jumping out of the truck. When he opened the door, I sat still. I didn’t make one attempt to get out of the truck. Staring into the glass windows of the hospital, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“I can’t do it.” I needed to run, to scream, but my body had become petrified stone. My legs felt like they were being weighed down with bricks.
“Yes you can, Baby. You got to. If you don’t, you’ll regret not going to check on him. Besides, it’s your brother. Nowget’cho ass out of this truck.” When I didn’t move fast enough, he lifted me bridal style and walked me to the double doors. Brooklyn placed me on my feet right at the lady's desk, who he’d threatened to knock back her lace front a few weeks ago.
“Can you tell me which room my brother is in? His name is Bryson Kincade.” After clicking a few times, she told me the room number and allowed me to go straight to the back. As soon as we got on the hallway, my sister’s loud cry stopped in my tracks and my heart sank. “Brooklyn, I can’t!” I started to back track but Brooklyn only pulled me to him. The door to my brother's room came open, and Brix’s cry came out louder and more hysterical than what she sounded like inside of the room.
