8. Nakyra
Chapter 8
Nakyra
“ N akyra, if you don’t hurry up, I’m going to leave you!” Summer called out as I made my way back into the living room with my water bottle in hand. I had just finished letting Bella out and refilling her water and food.
“ Here I am. Calm down,” I signed, making my way to my jacket on the couch.
“About time.”
Rolling my eyes, I pulled the jacket on, zipping it up and bending down to grab the bag with my tennis racket and shoes inside.
“ I am ready. ” I took up playing tennis in high school after Summer introduced me to it. She had been playing since junior high. It was the perfect thing to get me out of the house when being around my parents became too much and I happened to be good at it. We made sure to get together a couple times a month and go to the community courts near one of the dog parks I took Bella to frequently.
We started for the door with Bella following me. “No, Bella, stay,” I said, pausing. She looked at me with her head tilted. “You’re not coming with me today, girl.” I reached down to pet her head. Normally, when I had my tennis gear, I got her ready too; so I could take her to the dog park after I was finished. Today, I planned on going to the hospital after leaving the courts.
She whined and I shook my head. “Home,” I demanded, pointing toward her doggy bed.
On our way out the door, it opened and Creed made his way inside the house. “Oh, wassup.” He paused and looked between me and Summer, then focused back on me with a smile. “You heading out?”
I eyed him; he looked handsome in the dark gray suit he was currently wearing. It was the first time I’d seen him dressed business-like and he filled it out well.
Nodding, my cheeks reddened when his brow lifted. “Uh, yeah. We’re headed to the tennis courts.”
“Tennis? I didn’t know you played.”
“Yeah, since high school.” A smile played on my face as I adjusted my tennis bag on my shoulder.
His eyes scanned me. Since it was on the cool side today, I had on a dri-fit long sleeve under my jacket and leggings. For some reason it felt like we were doing something wrong when he looked me over. His stare made my stomach flutter.
Summer cleared her throat, bringing attention to her. “Oh shit, I’m being rude. Summer, right? It’s nice to meet you in person.” Creed stepped forward with his hand out.
“It’s actually my cousin who’s being rude.” Summer cut her eyes at me with amusement on her face and shook her head.
Bella had come over to where we were and moved to Creed’s side. “Hey, girl.” He petted her after releasing Summer’s hand. “I won’t keep you two.” He focused on me. “I got a few more business things I need to handle, do you mind if I use your office?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s all yours.”
He grinned, showing off his pearly whites. “’Preciate it. Summer, it was nice officially meeting you.” He nodded in her direction.
“Same here. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again soon.”
I squinted at my cousin. I couldn’t tell if she was flirting or just being friendly. “ Come on, let us go before the rain comes, ” I signed and grabbed her arm, pulling her along.
“See you later, Creed!” I called out behind us.
“Aren’t you riding with me?” Summer asked, noticing me going to my car, parked in front of hers in the driveway.
“I decided to go to the hospital right after we finish instead of later, so I’ll drive myself.”
At first Summer looked like she was about to say something but then she suddenly shook her head. “Okay.”
Today was the first day in the past month I hadn’t gone by the hospital first thing in the morning. The Thorntons made it so Rome couldn’t have overnight guests, so I was never able to spend the night, but as soon as visiting hours started, I was there. Summer had to twist my arm to get me to agree to keep our tennis date and go later today instead. My life was at a standstill right now. Every day I did the same thing, hoping Rome would open his eyes. Getting back to something normal might be exactly what I needed.
____
Panting heavily, I used the rag I brought and wiped my forehead while taking a seat on the bench on the side of the court.
“You’re getting sloppy,” Summer taunted, taking a seat next to me while taking a sip of her water bottle.
“Guess my head’s just not in it today.” I rolled my head between my shoulders. We had been out here for over an hour.
“Thinking about Rome? Or that fine ass brother of his?”
Side eyeing her, I scrunched my face. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t be coy, I guess I kind of see it, but Rome doesn’t hold a candle to Creed. He gives off corporate thug.”
“You talked to him for two seconds; how did you come to that conclusion?”
Summer shrugged. “I can just tell. Tell me I’m wrong.” Her chin tilted up as she took another drink from her water bottle.
My mind went to when he came into town and how he looked. Although he was dressed down that day and wore his grills, there was no doubt he came from money by how expensive the diamond studs in his ears and the gold chain around his neck looked. Even by the way his grill shone. I had been around Rome’s friends a lot and none of them would be caught dead dressed like that. All of them carried themselves as if they were about to be on the cover of GQ Magazine or something. Creed couldn’t care less. Even though he always looked well put together, he wasn’t always dressed up.
“You’re crazy.” I shook my head and reached for my bag to grab my water bottle.
“So you never gave Creed a second glance? Not even once.”
I choked on my water. “What. No!” I struggled to get out. “That’s my future brother-in-law. I’m engaged to his brother!”
Summer rolled her eyes. “Whatever, you’re crazy. If I wasn’t just getting out of a relationship, I would have taken my shot. You think he’s down for some rebound sex?” She wagged her brows, causing me to frown at her.
“I’m sure he’s not. That’s not why he stayed in town anyway.”
She shrugged. “Can’t blame me for trying.”
Small droplets fell on my face, causing me to look up.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“I hoped we beat the rain!” Summer hopped up.
The two of us stood and gathered our things quickly. I needed to grab something to eat before I headed to the hospital.
____
When I made it to the hospital, neither of Rome’s parents were there. According to the nurses they hadn’t been there all day, which was great for me. The two of them made it hard for everyone around them when they were here. They were always throwing demands at hospital staff and micromanaging the care plans the doctor put in place, not to mention they never included me in anything. I was sure the doctors and nurses were able to breathe better when they weren’t around.
Unfortunately, I was informed Rome had spiked a fever last night and the doctors had to administer medication for the infection that had sprung.
“Ah, Ms. Moon, it’s nice to see you,” Dr. Brown said when he stepped into the room. He paused and looked around. His eyes focused on the bathroom.
I snickered. “It’s just me here.”
He cleared his throat and his shoulders visibly relaxed. “I don’t know what you mean.” He stepped closer to the bed. I grinned but didn’t call him out. Dr. Brown was the head doctor on Rome’s case. He was the head of neurological surgery and the Thorntons did an extensive background check on him to make sure he was “qualified enough” to be over their son’s care.
“Have you spoken to the Thorntons today?” he asked, walking to the monitors in the room and checking them.
I shook my head. “No. Is something wrong?”
He paused, and just as he was about to answer, the door opened and a nurse walked in. “Dr. Brown, the scans are back.” She walked to the doctor and handed him the tablet.
He read them and his brows furrowed. “This wasn’t expected.”
Panic shot through me and I stood up, releasing the grip on Rome’s hand. “What’s wrong?”
“We need to prepare Mr. Thornton for surgery. Call down to tell them to get a room prepared,” Dr. Brown commanded. “Page for Dr. Robinson to come in here as well.”
My heart slammed against my chest and knots built in my stomach. “Wait… surgery, what’s wrong?”
“We need to do an emergency removal of Mr. Thornton’s spleen.”
“His spleen!” My eyes widened.
He nodded. “It has become enlarged and is more than likely the cause of his fever. Dr. Robinson, the surgeon who will be performing the task, will be here shortly to explain more.”
My head was spinning, not expecting Rome to need more surgery. I thought the whole point of the coma was for his body to heal, but it seemed like he was in worse condition than he had been the whole time he’s been in a coma.
There was a knock on the door and another middle-aged, brown-skinned man walked in. “This is Dr. Robinson. Dr. Robinson, this is Mr. Thornton’s fiancée, Ms. Moon.”
“Please call me Nakyra. Can you explain exactly what’s going on?” I asked, nibbling on my bottom lip.
The doctor went over the scans and explained the next steps. Since Marisol and Deacon weren’t here and forms needed to be signed I went ahead and signed them. I was anxious, not knowing what to expect following this operation. Hopefully it would stop the sicknesses Rome continued to have and he would wake up. I knew it would still be a long road to go even if he did wake up right now. There was no telling what damage had been done to his mental state or spine. I was praying for the best.
____
While Rome was in surgery I decided to finish up my final couple of pages of my children’s book. He had been under for going on two hours now. I went to the vending machine on this floor, grabbed chips and a water, came back into his room, turned my aids off, and got lost in my illustrations. It was the only thing I could do to ease my mind. I had been texting Creed to keep him updated. His responses had been slow, but I made sure he still knew about his brother since I was sure his parents weren’t telling him anything.
Impatient tapping on my shoulder caused me to jump and my head to shoot up. At first I was confused until I noticed Rome’s parents had arrived.
His mom instantly started talking but I had to put my hands up to halt her. I was good at reading lips, but hers were moving a mile a minute and I couldn’t catch everything. I reached for my ears to turn my aids on.
“Okay, what were you saying?”
His mom’s eyes seared into me with a raging fire brewing within. “You!” she shrieked pointing her finger at me. “How did you sign off on anything concerning my son without running it by me and his father first?!”
My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to speak but she continued. “You had no right to okay that operation!”
Furrowing my brows, I closed the case flap over my tablet and set it, along with my stylus, down and stood up. I didn’t like the fact that she was towering over me.
“The doctors couldn’t get in contact with you and the operation was gonna get done regardless. I just signed?—”
“I don’t care! It’s not your place to make any decisions concerning his health.”
My mouth turned upside down. “I’m his fiancée.”
Deacon spoke up. “And we’re his parents. If he wanted you to have a say in his health when he isn’t able to, then he would have made sure you were properly in the position to do so.”
My eyes bounced between the two, both stared at me in disdain.
I pushed a deep breath out and balled my hands at my sides. Keeping my cool around Rome’s parents was becoming harder each day, but I tried. I grew up in a household with difficult parents, so this wasn’t anything new for me, but I’d long grown from that mental punching bag I used to be as a kid. Growing up how I did and with my disability forced me to learn to defend and speak up for myself, even when my voice didn’t work.
“ I understand the two of you are in charge of his medical decisions, ” I signed and spoke at the same time. It often happened when I found myself growing upset. The two stared at me like I was crazy but I continued. My hands and speech moving faster as I went along. “ But it is not fair for me to not be included in those decisions either. Rome is going to be my husband in a few months and that means we will be partners. I should have a say in what goes on while he is in this condition.”
My body heated as my heart pounded wildly in my chest. I was tired of them trying to take my voice away. They were used to their word being bond and no one challenging them, but it was time for some things to change around here.
The couple didn’t speak right away. They made eye contact, as if they were having a silent conversation with one another, and Marisol gave a nod before they faced me.
“Since you feel that way, it’s going to make this easier…” Deacon started.
My face twisted in confusion. A dreadful feeling passed through me and my stomach twisted. “ Make what easier? ”
Deacon stepped forward so he was now side by side with his wife. His hands went into his slacks. Right now he just looked like a perfect mix of both of his sons. Although Rome favored his mom more than his dad, the seriousness on his face right now made them look more similar.
“Me and my wife were talking and we think it’s best if you don’t come up here for a while.”
My eyes bucked and my heart dropped. “Wh-what?”
“Rome is in a delicate state right now. With his spleen being removed he’s going to be more vulnerable to illnesses. We want to limit the amount of company and germs coming in and out while he recovers; so for now it’s best if you stay away,” Marisol continued.
I was left speechless. My mouth opened but I couldn’t seem to find the right words to speak. It felt as if I had been punched in the gut.
“ You can’t do that! ” My hands moved rapidly, barely able to keep up with my words. “ Rome would not want that!”
“Right now we are our son’s voice and we believe this is what’s best for him. When we feel he’s healed enough to have visitors again, or he wakes up, we will get in contact with you, but until then we need you to collect your things and leave.”
“ You are not even going to let me see him once he gets out of surgery?”
“We’ll keep you updated.”
Bouncing my eyes between the two I could tell by the looks on their faces there was no changing their minds, but the last thing I wanted to do was leave. I had as much right as anyone else to be here. Rome needed to know I was waiting for him to wake up and didn’t leave his side.
“I do not think this is fair. ”
“We don’t want to have you escorted out, Nakyra. Please have some dignity and leave on your own.” Marisol turned her nose up while Deacon stared at me with hard eyes.
My shoulder sank forward in defeat. I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth, not sure how to deal with this. Confrontation and me didn’t get along well, but I also didn’t like being pushed around either. Unfortunately, I had no say in things here.
The Thorntons didn’t like to feel challenged, and when they did, they had no problem putting whoever it was in their place. I wasn’t sure if me signing the forms the doctor needed triggered this response, or if it had been building, but I didn’t agree with it. For now, there was nothing I could do, but I wasn’t going to stand down.