Chapter 12 #2
He nodded with this heaviness in his eyes.
“Dad was mad at me because I wouldn’t call that girl ‘Mom’.
He, um, . . . hit me, so I took the car keys and tried to drive us home.
” More tears came to his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Mama.
I know it wasn’t right, but I was just trying to get us away from him.
I told you I didn’t want to go over there. ”
Everything my baby was feeling spilled out of him as he broke down right before my eyes.
For a second, I sat frozen in place, but the harder he cried, the harder it was to stay away.
So, I wrapped him in my arms and cried right along with him because he was right.
He’d voiced more than once that he didn’t want to go.
Even my intuition was telling me not to let them go, but I just had to be the bigger person.
I didn’t want to be labeled as bitter or jealous, so I ignored all the signs from the universe to try to allow my kids to have a relationship with their father.
As I held my baby, I knew this situation was all my fault.
If I’d listened, none of this would have happened.
My head shot up when I heard yelling from down the hall. “Poppa,” I whispered, realizing one of the voices belonged to him. Loh must’ve told him what happened. I hopped up. “I’ll be right back, baby.”
“I’m going to fucking kill you!” Poppa yelled when I made it into the hallway.
I ran as fast as I could to where I’d heard the voices.
He was in front of the receptionist’s desk, calmly removing his gun from his waistband.
“I ought to empty my clip in your bitch ass, but I’m going to enjoy knocking all your fucking teeth out. ”
By the time I made it over to him, he was already squaring up with Drey.
He opened his mouth to speak, and Lyrix popped him in it.
Blood instantly gushed from his busted lip, but Poppa didn’t care.
He savagely whupped his ass while the hospital staff was freaking out about his abandoned gun.
I picked it up and slid it into my purse before trying to get closer to the fight.
“Lyrix, please, stop,” I pleaded with him from where I stood.
I glanced over my shoulder when I heard footsteps.
Two burly police officers raced over to the fight.
My heart was beating wildly as I watched them yank Poppa off of a barely breathing Drey.
I guessed the only good thing about what Poppa had done to him was that he was already in the hospital.
He was beaten black and blue. He was going to need their help, without a doubt.
He snatched away from the police, pointed at Drey, then spat on him.
“Don’t you ever put your fucking hands on my son again in your fucking life!
” he roared so fiercely it brought tears to my eyes.
I knew everyone heard malice in his voice as he spoke, but also the sternness. He was not fucking around about that.
Now that he had finished his handiwork, he held his hands up for the police to cuff him. I rushed forward with tears blinding me. “Lyrix, what were you thinking?”
He gave me a panty-dropping smile that almost dropped me to my knees.
This was not the time for his charm. “That ain’t nobody ever fought for y’all, but I will every fucking time.
You and my boys are my world, Bubbles. I don’t be saying that to hear myself talk. I mean it. That nigga had it coming.”
He held no remorse in his eyes or voice for a moaning Drey, who was still lying out on the fake, shiny sheet vinyl floors.
I could tell by how the officers were handling him that this was very serious.
Drey was the type to press charges, and the thought of Poppa getting in trouble behind this situation made my body sway.
I leaned on the receptionist’s desk for support.
“Breathe, Bubbles. Everything will be okay.”
“Yes! My husband will be pressing charges. He just viciously attacked him!” Brandaisha yelled from where another officer was now speaking with her.
I balled my fists up, ready to do the same damage to her ditzy ass, but Poppa’s voice stilled me.
“Chill, Bubbles. Our boys need you right now. Fuck her ugly, bad-built, desperate, pregnant ass. She wanted your life, and now she’s got it.
Let them be miserable. Everything is going to be okay. We’re good.”
I shook my head, feeling dizzy. “No, you don’t know that.” He gave me a smirk, clearly not taking any of this seriously.
“Protecting y’all is all that matters. From day one, shit has been different with us, so you gotta know I’ma step for my three heartbeats every time, and I’m not going to regret the shit either.”
My bottom lip trembled. I ran my hands through my hair, feeling hopeless as the police began to lead him away. I had my sons laid up in this hospital while my safety net was being carried away in handcuffs. A girl could only take so much at once.
I walked alongside Poppa, refusing to be away from him.
“You’re not just the boys’ protector, but you’re mine too.
If they press charges for assault, what are we going to do without you?
” My voice shook as I admitted, “I need you, Lyrix. I . . .” I lost my voice before I could express the depth of my love for this man.
How dare he put us in this position? I was infuriated and terrified at the same time.
If the police weren’t leading him away, I’d beat him on his back like he stole something.
His expression turned serious just as the officers made it to their squad car.
The back door was open, and Poppa was shoved forcefully inside.
Even through the dark tint of the vehicle, I could feel his eyes on me.
I hated that there was nothing I could do to yank him back out of there.
He didn’t belong there. He was only protecting the boys, but I knew what it looked like to outsiders.
He was the aggressor and had done major damage.
There was no way Drey was going to take two L’s in one day.
Since he was already whining about his car, I knew he was going to press charges without a doubt. He was petty like that.
Even when the squad car pulled off, I remained rooted in place, trying to make sense of everything. Slowly turning around, I found the strength to go back inside the hospital to be there for my boys. Without Poppa, they were going to need me more now than ever.