Chapter 21 #4
Fist to face, I tried to reconstruct every feature on his shit.
He fell backward, unconscious. Before his body could drop, my hands were at the top and bottom of his head.
Together, we hit the concrete beneath us.
Twisting, I tried my best to remove his head from his shoulders.
Even the cracking of his neck wasn’t enough to halt my attempts.
“Umph,” Laike grunted at the sound of it.
I blacked out, unable to control myself, my thoughts, or my actions. Still, I clung to his lifeless body, forcing his spine to bend in ways that was unnatural and scientifically impossible.
“Luca.”
I heard my father calling my name but I couldn’t see him. I couldn’t see anyone or anything but Ever’s pretty face that had been destroyed.
“LUCA.” My father called again.
I tightened my grip, biting into my bottom lip while mustering every ounce of strength I had stored.
“Son!”
“Let him get that out of him, Pops,” Laike advised.
His voice was faint, but I’d heard every word.
“Luca. Come on, son. It’s done. It’s over.”
Unable to collect myself, I remained in position. Blood filled my mouth. I’d broken skin, piercing my flesh.
“Luca. Come on, son. Emorey and Essence are waiting for you.”
It wasn’t until their names fell from his lips that I snapped back into reality. Slowly, I loosened my grip, allowing Dewayne’s lifeless body to hit the ground. At that moment, I felt vindicated, not only for me but for the three girls that owned my whole heart.
“Bitch,” I grunted, stepping over him and heading out.
My phone vibrated constantly, waking me up from my sleep. I opened my eyes and took a look out of the window to find that the sun was just beginning to rise. It could be no later than seven.
“Yeah?” I answered, groaning at the sudden movement I’d made.
It was then that I realized I had Emorey’s feet in my side and Essence’s feet on my chest. They were still sound asleep, unaware of anything going on around them. My back was aching and so was my side. I’d slept horribly wrong.
“Hey,” Ever’s voice sounded clearer and her spirit seemed lighter.
“Hey,” I responded.
“How are they?”
I hadn’t told her I’d brought the girls home, and I was sure no one else had. She just knew.
“Sleeping and breaking my back in the process.”
“They’re in bed with you?” Ever chuckled. “Owwww.”
She was still in pain, and I couldn’t wait for her to get better.
“Yeah. We’re in my room. They didn’t want to sleep alone.”
“How are they? Really?” The seriousness in her tone let me know she wanted to know more about their mental, physical, and emotional states due to the tragedy they’d faced.
“They’re scared. Terrified. I can’t leave their sight for more than a minute or two. They don’t want to be alone at all. Emorey said that she wasn’t hurt but that her dad hit Essence. I’m sitting here wondering if it’s possible to do a motherfucker twice.”
“Luca.”
“It is what it is.”
“Let’s just leave it at that, OK? Does Essence have any bruising?”
“Na, but she’s not saying anything. And, I don’t mean the normal silence. I mean, not saying anything but ‘Me, too,’ to everything that Emorey says.”
“My poor baby.”
“I hope she feels better when she wakes up. Emorey is a tough cookie. She’s going to be alright. It’s my Essence that I’m worried about most.”
“I know. I’m going to look into some therapy for her. Or, maybe you know someone who won’t share whatever she tells them with anyone else.”
“My mother is a licensed pediatric therapist. She can help, and if Essence doesn’t feel comfortable talking to her, then she can put us on to one of her friends. The network is extensive. Just tell me what she needs, and I’ll make it happen.”
“How are you?” She was always worried about everyone else.
“I’m better.”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, Mommy,” I toyed, trying to get her to smile at least. I knew her heart was still heavy and so was mine, but we’d get through it together.
“I can’t wait to get out of here.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m still hurting, but that’s expected. My swelling is almost gone but there’s bruising. Lots of bruising. A blood clot has formed in my eye. The doctor says everything is fine, however, and it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Mentally?”
“Better knowing my girls are home. Sad because I miss them so much, but don’t want to see them while I’m in the shape that I’m in.”
“They saw what happened.”
There was a gasp before the line fell silent.
“I hate him.” Ever cried to me. “I hate him for doing this to us.”
“Hey. Hey. Heeeeey. Everything is okay, baby. Don’t upset yourself.”
“I should’ve fought harder. I should’ve fought back harder, but I was so afraid of losing the baby. My only goal was to protect the baby.”
“And you did. That’s what’s important. You left that nigga for me to deal with, which is what you were supposed to do. Our baby survived. You succeeded. That’s all that matters.”
“I feel like I saved one kid and failed the other two.”
“Ever, you’re talking crazy, baby. Have you eaten this morning?”
“No.”
“Lyric there?”
“Yes.
“Tell her to come to the crib. I’m going to bring breakfast, and we can eat together, aight? Hopefully, that’ll make you feel a little better. Anything you want in particular?”
“You.”
“I’m coming, baby.”
With the girls asleep, I knew it was the perfect time to shower. It had been a long fucking night, and I wanted to clear my head before I went to the hospital to see Ever. It had been two nights too long without her at my side.
I slid from between the girls with ease, knowing that neither of them would wake up.
They slept hard, and they slept well each night.
Ever was the same. While the slightest noise would wake me, the three of them could sleep through a tsunami.
It was baffling to me. I’d never aspired to get that type of rest. It was insane.
It was only eight in the morning, and my home was jumping with cartoons playing in the background as I finished a batch of pancakes for Emorey and Essence.
They’d loosened the rope on me and allowed me to cook while they watched television on the couch.
Pancakes, eggs, and fresh fruit were their choices.
The duo were still in their pajamas. I, on the other hand, was fully dressed and ready to walk out of the door whenever Lyric decided to make an appearance.
It felt like she was taking her precious time, but I knew it wasn’t the case.
She’d been thugging it out with us, too.
I knew that before she came to my rescue, she wanted to clean herself up.
It had been a long two nights for us all.
“Breakfast is ready!” I yelled to the girls.
A second later, I heard tiny footsteps trampling through the living room and heading for the dining room.
I followed behind them, happy that they were gaining their independence so quickly.
For a moment, they had me spooked. This morning, they were almost back to the little girls I’d seen off to school the day that everything happened.
“You not eat with me?” Emorey was the first to inquire.
“No. Not today. TT Lyric is on her way over to eat with you. Is that OK?”
“Umm hmmm. You not eat?”
“Yeah. I’m going to grab something to eat on the way to see Mommy.”
“I want to see Mommy,” Essence told me as she sat down at the table.
“Me, too, Daddy.”
All movement in my limbs ceased as I turned in Emorey’s direction. Though the smile didn’t reach my face, it was surely on my heart. There’d never been a child to refer to me as Daddy and only three months out of the FEDs, I wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon.
I assumed it would be a few years before I found the perfect wife, married her, and then filled her with my babies.
Ever stumbling into my life unexpectedly had put my aspirations of fatherhood on the fast track and made it happen within a week.
Now, as I stared back at Emorey as she smiled at me, I couldn’t help but thank her mother for that.
“Mommy wants you to stay home until she feels better so that she won’t get you sick, too,” I regained my composure and responded. My mind was still blown, and my heart was still racing.
Me, too, Daddy. Her little voice rang in my ears.
“OK. Her feel better soon.”
“Yes. She’ll feel better soon.”
Emorey and Essence both had two separate plates to keep their hot food away from their fruit.
“Anybody want syrup?”
“Me, too!” Emorey screamed.
“I do,” Essence said.
“Alright. Not much, or your mother will kill me.”
Ever hated the idea of too much sugar being given to the girls. She tried her hardest to keep them away from candy and even snacks that were loaded with sugar. As I poured a reasonable amount of syrup on both of their pancakes, I heard bags rattling and footsteps nearing.
“It smells good in here!” Lyric rounded the corner. “Hey, Essence. Hey, Emorey.”
“TT Lyric, you wan’ eat wit’ me?”
“Sure, baby. If Luca made enough for me.”
“He name Daddy, TT Lyric.”
Her eyes bloomed just like mine had a few minutes ago before she walked in. It took her a second to adjust to the new piece of information she’d received but when she finally did, she agreed.
“Yes. His name is Daddy for you and Essence, but I have a different daddy. His name is Liam. You’ve met him, right?”
“Umm hmmm.”
“Luca, how about you come fix me a plate, too?” She tilted her head toward the kitchen with hiked brows and urgency in her eyes.
“Aight.”
I followed her out of the dining room and into the kitchen. There was plenty of food left. I’d cooked extra just in case she hadn’t eaten.
“Daddy?” She blew out, fanning her face. Between her and Laike, I wasn’t sure who was the most dramatic.
“Same thing I said. Blew my fucking mind right before you walked in the door.”
“Wow.”
“She asked if she could call me daddy last night, and I told her yeah.”
“She wasted no time.”
“I like that shit, too.” I chuckled. “Shit kind of has a kick to it. Don’t it?”