4. Sametra #2
Him stopping me felt like a slap against the head. My baby, my everything, was choosing the man who’d abandoned us both. At least that’s what it felt like.
“Afternoon, LT. Maj,” Malik said, walking in not realizing something was off. His tone was calm, joyful but his presence shifted the whole room. Before I could even respond, he looked up and spotted the guest that wasn’t supposed to be here.
“LT, is there a problem?”
He didn’t raise his voice. Didn’t have to.
Malik had that kind of presence, cool, commanding.
Hell, he was bigger than everyone in the room.
And even in a room full of people, his focus never left me.
If his words weren’t checking on me, his eyes were.
There was a clear undertone that suggested he was reading the situation just fine and not a fan.
I felt covered.
“No problem,” Ashe said, turning to face him. “Just visiting my son. And you?”
Malik didn’t even blink. Didn’t give him the courtesy of a full answer. He looked at me instead, eyes flicking down to how I stood between Ashe and Samaj, tension written all over me. He didn’t miss a damn thing.
“Sametra,” he called out, and my head snapped to him like it was instinct. Our eyes met in a heated stare, “I asked you a question. Is there a problem here?”
The way he said my name. Whew. My spine straightened like he was my commanding officer. That man had me standing tall, feeling like I had backup for the first time in forever. I felt like Griselda Blanco, ready to clear the room. He didn’t ask Ashe shit. He asked me .
“Opp,” Halo mumbled from the corner, crunching chips like this was a drama series and not real life. “Yeah, Sametra, do we got a problem with our little guest?”
I shot her a side-eye that said, girl, shut up , but when I looked back at Malik, he was waiting. One eyebrow raised. Asking for permission to handle it. Letting me know if I said the word, Ashe would be out of here so fast he’d forget why he showed up.
“Samaj’s sperm donor showed up. A day late and a dollar short. Here nonetheless.”
Yeah, I was bitter and so what? I didn’t care what anyone thought about it.
Ashe had left, that was the beginning and the end of the story.
And I wasn’t complaining, Samaj was my son and I’d do any and everything for him.
I’d give my life for him. However, I had to quit school.
I had to find odd jobs, sometimes work two just to make sure he had a comfortable life. It was twice as hard doing it myself.
Malik’s gaze didn’t budge. He was locked in. On me. On Ashe. On everything.
“Mr. Lowe showed up unannounced and uninvited,” I said, keeping my voice steady.
“Dr. Holloway,” Malik finally addressed him, sharp but calm. “I’m the one responsible for your son’s recovery. And your name?”
“Ashe Lowe. Samaj’s dad, like she said,” Ashe repeated. Malik ignored him again. And kept his focus exactly where it needed to be.
“That’s funny,” Malik said, stepping all the way into the room now, the walls practically shrinking behind him. “I’ve reviewed every emergency contact, every intake form. Your name’s not on anything.”
Ashe’s jaw tightened. “Probably a clerical error. Either way it’s a family matter. We good.”
Ashe was so damn dumb, it pissed me off.
“Family?” I questioned. Ashe was giving me a headache. He couldn’t read the room at all. And why was he trying to act like he was a present parent? I wanted to laugh in his face, but I was too damn mad to find anything funny.
“Is it?” Malik’s tone stayed measured, but there was steel underneath. “Because what I see is a patient recovering from serious injuries and someone causing visible distress to him and his mother. It’s been a week.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ashe snapped. “I had to travel to get here. I’m here, that should be enough.”
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to leave. Now.”
“Excuse me?” Ashe tried to puff up and act tough. Malik didn’t even flinch.
Malik’s voice never raised, but somehow it filled the room and tickled my ears. I loved it. “This is a medical facility. My patient’s recovery is my priority. And right now, your presence is detrimental to both my patient and his primary caregiver. I’m going to ask you to leave one more time.”
“You can’t tell me I can’t see my son, bruh. MiMi, talk to him.”
“I can. And I just did,” Malik replied. “You can walk out, or get carried out. Your call, bruh. And the lady said call her Sametra. You lost the right to call her anything the day you chose to be a ghost instead of a man.”
Ashe looked between Samaj, who was staring down at his hands, and me. My whole body was tight. Heart racing. Jaw locked. But I didn’t recoil, and I didn’t say a word.
“This isn’t over,” Ashe muttered finally.
“It is. And trust me, you don’t want to find out what happens if it’s not,” he said, but stepped closer to Ashe. He leaned in and whispered something I could hear or make out, but it got Ashe’s feet moving.
The air shifted as soon as the door shut behind him. Like we could finally breathe again.
“My bad, Ma,” Samaj said quietly. “I didn’t think it’d mess with you like that. I just...life is short.”
I swallowed hard and crouched beside him, resting a hand on his knee.
This wasn’t what I wanted for him. I didn’t want him to feel he was in the middle.
I’d already decided after the accident that I wasn’t going to control whatever Samaj chose to do about his father.
Some lessons he’d have to learn on his own. Today wasn’t that day.
“Samaj, whatever you decide about your dad, I’ll respect it. However, I won’t be left out. It’s still my job to protect you, and I take that seriously. If I see real change, I won’t stand in your way. But not today. Today, I just want to get you home. Eat. Rest. Then we can figure out the rest.”
The look he gave me said he understood, even if he didn’t love it.
I stood, turned toward the wheelchair behind him, needing a second to steady myself. Before I could move too far, Malik stepped in close and brushed his fingers against my arm.
“MiMi,” he said, voice low against my ear, “breathe. Right or wrong, selfish or not, you’re doing what you think is best. That either has to be enough... or you gotta let go.”
He let his hand fall away and stepped back.
“I’ll check on y’all later.”
And just like that, he walked off, cool and collected, like somebody’s knight in scrubs. I bit my bottom lip, watching him disappear around the corner.
Samaj stared after him, too, then glanced at me with raised brows.
“Yo...Dr. Holloway not one of them,” he said, letting out a laugh that turned into a wince. “Ashe was spooked.”
“Don’t hurt yourself,” I said, trying to sound serious, but my lips twitched. “You think it’s funny that he checked your father?”
He nodded, still chuckling. “I mean...yeah. I invited him, but I’m still mad. Just... conflicted.”
I nodded. “I get it.”
“Lowkey?” he said, leaning back into the chair with a slow grin. “That was kind of dope.”
I didn’t say anything, but the warmth creeping up my chest said I agreed.
The nurse came in to take over, and just as she started wheeling Samaj out, Halo bumped her hip into mine hard enough to almost knock me sideways.
“Bitch,” she whispered, grinning. “You’ve been holding out.”
Later that night
Me, Halo, and Winnie had all linked back up in my backyard.
We sat on my back deck with neo-soul playing softly, wine flowing, and throw blankets over our legs as the evening air cooled down.
Getting Samaj in the house had been easy with the three of us working together, but I was emotionally drained from the whole Ashe situation, plus the wreck. Everything felt so unsettled.
I was just so happy to be back home and have my son with me.
The thought of losing him had been weighing on me heavily for the past week, and being separated from him at the hospital had damn near killed me.
Every night, I’d gone to bed wondering if he was okay, if he needed me, if something would happen and I wouldn’t be there.
My girls had helped me get him settled in his room we’d set everything up.
His game system was plugged in, water pitcher filled, medication organized, and TV remote within reach.
He’d been fairly quiet on the ride home, and I could tell he had a lot on his mind about his father showing up.
I was giving him space to process, but I was also taking some much needed me time with my sisters.
“Okay,” Halo said, taking a sip of her Moscato and fixing me with that look she got when she was about to tell somebody business or stir the pot. “This bitch been holding out on us. Got secrets and shit. Acting all mysterious.”
“What secrets?” I tried to play innocent, but Winnie was already shaking her head and sitting up, ready to get her cup filled with tea.
“Girl don’t even try it. You said he was fine, you didn’t say he was fucking gorgeous, with a full beard, perfect line up, and a deep voice that shook the ground under us.
Dr. Big Daddy had to check Ashe as too. He said ‘Sametra, I asked you a question’,” she mocked, causing me to roll my eyes at her attempt at his voice.
“Simmer down, hot pocket. His name is Dr. Holloway to you,” I corrected, which only made them exchange looks. “And I may have liked it a little more than I want to admit.”
“Excuse me, I guess she told me,” Halo laughed. “Winnie you should’ve seen how he handled Ashe’s trifling ass? Had that man almost escorted out like the trash he is. Got his ass right on up outta there.”