Chapter 3
Hov
An hour later.
Ciara was turned over on her side when I slid the heating pad under her back. I plugged it in on the side of the bed and turned it up just warm enough to give her some relief, then I gently tapped her shoulder.
“Ciara.”
“Yes?”
“You can lay on your back now. This heating pad I got from Grandma should make you feel a little better.”
“Thanks babe,” she replied, slowly turning over and settling onto her back.
I didn’t know what else to do to help besides give her physical relief, because mentally, I didn’t know what the fuck to say. All I could hear in my head were the words she kept repeating to me.
Our baby is gone, Hov, and I had no idea what to say in return to ease that pain.
As she drifted off to sleep, I sat there watching her chest rise and fall, wishing I were watching her getting rest with our baby in her stomach.
Instead, there was an empty space that shouldn’t have been there, and that shit made something ugly twist inside of me.
Something that I’d tried to bury before, but they had woken that calculated cold hearted mutha fucka up.
What happened yesterday was something I will probably never forget.
Especially not when it came to having mercy for someone.
Because whoever shot at my birthday party didn’t give a fuck about my unborn child or my wife, so if they didn’t give a fuck about what belongs to me, then I don’t give a fuck about anything that belongs to them. I put that shit on everything.
I left the room quietly and went to make Ciara some warm tea from the recipe that my grandma had given me, which she swore eased stomach cramping.
It consisted of a bag of green tea, a few peppermint leaves, juice from two lemons, two oranges, and a drop of peppermint oil.
She said it would taste good and help with the ache the miscarriage was causing.
She offered to come up and make it for her, but I told her to get some rest, and I would take care of my wife.
We didn’t tell Grandma what really happened at the party because it would scare and upset her too much, and we simply told her that Ciara fell and lost the baby.
When I walked into the kitchen, I turned the lights on and then the stove, feeling proud of the kitchen for a split second.
We’d finally renovated this old-ass space that used to look like something out of a different lifetime, but now it was modern and sleek just like the condos I’d lived in for much of my adult life.
Ciara and I renovated from room to room and put real work into this entire house, boosting the property value while still holding onto that small house charm my grandma loved so much.
We kept certain fixtures in the house, the original stone fireplace in the living room, and Ciara made sure to find a place for all the photos my grandma had hanging that meant a lot to her.
The vibration from my phone snapped me out of my thoughts immediately, alerting me of motion from the security cameras which put me on alert instantly.
I went straight to the drawer I kept a gun in next to the stove, and I pulled up the camera feed, walking toward the bedroom where Ciara was, closing her door quietly because I didn’t want to scare her unless there was a real reason to be scared.
When I looked at the camera, I saw a person lying in the grass, trying to stand up, but whoever it was kept stumbling back down. This side of town wasn’t usual stomping grounds for junkies so who the fuck was this.
When I turned the camera’s speaker on, I heard a baby crying and a woman’s voice whimpering.
“What the fuck?” I whispered as I kept watching.
“Please help us, Ciara. Ciara, Hov, are you in there?”
My heart sped up, and that’s when it clicked to me. This was someone we know. Few people knew where Ciara and I live.
I unlocked the front door and ran out to the person in the grass, and when I got closer, I saw that it was Pernelle, with the help of the moonlight.
“Pernelle, what happened to you?” I kneeled next to her and a baby with the Umbilical cord still attached.
“Damn! We have to get you inside. Come on?” I looked up the street and over my shoulder to make sure this wasn't a set up.
I tried to help her up, but she couldn’t move on her own, so I picked up the baby, put her in her mama’s arms, and then scooped Pernelle up in my arms to carry her inside. Once in the house, I laid her carefully on the living room couch, where I could see that she was in really bad shape.
“I’m going to get you help, P, I promise. What happened? Tell me what happened.”
“Some guys broke in and took me from Crew’s house and beat the shit out of me.
They were waiting for him to come to the place they were holding me at, I guess, and I went into labor while there.
One of the guys felt sorry for me and helped me get away from them.
I ended up pushing her out in the backseat all alone. ”
Her words came out so rushed and broken, and her voice shook so bad it was hard to hear everything clearly, but I followed it all.
I heard the bedroom door creep open behind us, and soon after, Ciara gasped.
“Pernelle?”
She rushed over, forgetting the ache in her own body, eyes wide and panicked as she dropped down to her knees beside the couch. Her hands shook as she looked at the baby, then back at Pernelle.
“What happened? You had the baby? Oh my God, Hov, we have to get her to the hospital. What happened?”
“She was taken I'm sure by the Quatar family, but come on, we can go now. This baby needs to be checked out, and so does she. Should we cut the umbilical cord now?”
I asked.
“No, the baby needs it. Let’s just get to the hospital.” Ciara replied.
“Okay, mama, go downstairs and get Grandma, then we can leave. I'll load them into the car.”
Ciara ran out the back door and down the stairs, banging on Grandma’s door. While she did that, I picked Pernelle up, careful of the baby, and carried them out to the car, laying her across the backseat as gently as I could.
When Grandma came around the corner, confused and half-asleep, Ciara filled her in on what we knew so far, and I pulled out my phone, calling Crew back-to-back.
Where the fuck is this nigga at? I asked myself when I got no answer.
Don’t tell me they got my nigga, I muttered under my breath, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
I cranked up and drove off like a bat out of hell to the nearest hospital, about fifteen minutes up the street, and when I pulled up to the front, I parked crooked, killing the engine, before turning to the backseat.
“Listen. We can’t tell them who did this to you and why because if we do, we’re telling them exactly who we are going to kill, and they’ll know who to come for once bodies start dropping. You feel me?”
“Well, what is she supposed to say?” Ciara asked.
“Just say you got mugged, P. Say this happened during a mugging in an alleyway or something. Trust me. We will get justice for you in our own way. I put that shit on everything. They not getting away with this.”
They didn’t fully understand my reasoning, but they respected it enough not to argue.
Ciara jumped out of the car first and ran inside to get the nurses from the front desk. We waited in the car until they came out with a stretcher for Pernelle.
Once the nurses finally took her and the baby inside, I stayed back because I didn’t want anyone overhearing my conversation with Crew. That's if this nigga finally answers.
I dialed his number once again and still got no answer, so I didn’t know what the fuck it was going to take for this nigga to pick up the phone.
That’s when it hit me. Crew always put his family before himself, especially Ms. Debbie.
He loved that lady, and even if he was waist-deep in some pussy, he would come out for her.
I opened up my messages to write a text.
Me: It’s about your mama. Call me back ASAP nigga.
I sent the message out, and not even five seconds later, my phone was ringing and I quickly answered.
“What’s going on with my mama? What happened?” He asked in a panic.
“Nothing but I needed you to hit me back asap. I just found Pernelle and your baby on my front lawn.”
“Dead!”
“Nah, but she said who I’m sure are the Quatar niggas, kidnapped her, beat the shit out of her, and she went into labor.”
“How the fuck did she get back to y’all? I was just about to go to the drop they sent me to deal with them niggas.”
“You were on your way to them, and you didn’t call me nigga?”
“They told me not to call anybody or come with anyone, or they would kill her. I already knew you would not take any of that lying down, so I said fuck it. I was ready to die for my people.”
“Well, one of them niggas had a heart and helped her escape. I found her in my grass bleeding out and shit with the baby, but they beat her up pretty bad, bruh. I brought her right here to Maimonides.”
I could hear him swallowing hard, throat thick with heavy words he didn’t want to say.
“How is my baby doing, bro?”
“She seems good. Crying like crazy, but that’s normal I guess.”
“Alright, I’m on my way up there. Stay with them until I get there bro.”
“You know I am. Safety nigga.”
“Safety.”
I hung up the phone, whipped around and parked the car, before hopping out to join Ciara and my grandma, who were waiting in the lobby.
When I walked inside, Ciara was curled over her lap rocking back and forth.
“What are the doctors saying?”
I asked and she stood up from her seat.
“They are working on them and said they are going to call the police to get a report put in about the attack, but not until they make sure they are both stable.”
Ciara still looking dazed and confused in a way I wasn’t used to seeing from her. I pulled my baby in closer against my chest and lifted her chin to look at me.
“Listen to me,” I said low. “This shit is not going to keep happening. Them trying to hurt y’all is not sitting right with me. I care about P, and I can’t stop thinking about how that could’ve been you in there who they took.”
She looked up at me, eyes wide and glossy, like a little girl trying to understand something too big for her own understanding.
I know that this lifestyle was a lot for Ciara, coming from where she came from.
Castle Hill is full of petty criminals, but not the kind that kidnap women and beat babies out of females.
“Hov, I’m so scared.”
“I know, mama, but I promise this war isn’t going to last much longer, and I’m going to make sure you're good. I don’t give a fuck if I have to stand in a corner and watch you sleep at night, you are going to be good.”
She nodded slowly, then pressed her forehead into my chest, holding onto me tightly.
Her grip was tight around my torso, but I let her squeeze as hard as she needed to because I knew it made her feel safe.
This shit scaring her was just another reason the Quatar family has to die.
I don't play about Ciara or the people she loves.
We waited in the lobby for what felt like twenty minutes before Crew ran through the doors.
“Yo, where she at? Where is the baby?”
“They are in the back getting checked on,” Ciara said quickly.
Crew grabbed his head, pacing back and forth, not saying much after that, which was crazy as hell if you knew him.
My grandma stood and walked over next to him, placing her hand on his back.
“Everything is going to be okay, Crewshon. The baby is crying, and mama is breathing. God has still made a way for your family, so you have to have faith.”
Crew shook his head with no words in response, and I saw a tear slip from his eye.
I almost felt sorry for them niggas, knowing how me and my nigga were feeling right now.
Hell, I couldn’t imagine how Crew felt knowing that his baby girl had to endure that shit.
I was ready to kill, and my baby hadn’t even formed all its limbs yet.
That father's love is something different, and I can’t wait to feel it completely one day.
We waited another 30 minutes in the lobby before the doctors finally came back out. We all got up from our seats and stood around waiting for what he was about to say.
“Baby girl seems to be in perfect condition, and keeping her connected to her mother’s oxygen and nutrition through the umbilical cord was a great lifesaving measure.
As far as mom, we are making sure she gets fluids and pain medication as we do X-rays on her.
We do suspect that she has a few fractured ribs and a fractured jawbone, but we’re going to take care of her.
In the meantime, do you want the police to come speak with you now about anything that she said when you found her? ”
“No, I mean she didn’t say much. We don’t know anything,” Ciara said immediately, before me or Crew could open our mouths. That’s exactly why I loved her. She knew how to hold it down, even when she didn’t want to.
“Okay. We will keep you updated on mom, and a nurse from the NICU will come speak with you about baby girl more in a few.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Ciara replied.
Once they left, I sat down and pulled my baby back into my arms, holding her as close as I could while we waited.
I looked down at Ciara, who was leaning against me, holding her side from the pain I’d just been nursing her for.
“You sure you don’t want to go home until we hear something?”
“Hell no. I’m not leaving my best friend here. I know that physically she is fucked up, but mentally she is worse. Shit, I am, and half of that shit didn’t even happen to me.”
She replied, laying her head back on my chest.
Before I could respond, a nurse walked up to us wearing baby-pink scrubs with little bears printed all over them.
“Hi, I’m here for baby Jenkins.”
Crew jumped up from his seat.
“I’m her dad. How is she doing?”
“She’s doing just fine. You can come back and see her if you want. She can benefit from some parental touch while they work on mom.”
“Okay, just lead the way.”
“One more person can go back with you if you would like. We can allow two visitors at a time.”
Ciara stood up just as fast as Crew had.
“I will go, Crew, if it’s okay.”
“Of course it is, Ci.”
“Great, I’ll be back, baby.” Ciara kissed me on my lips.
“Alright, mama. I’ll be out here.”
“Please be baby. I want you here tonight. I don’t feel like worrying about you.”
I nodded my head and she followed Crew down the hallway to see the baby. As much as I wanted to leave and go to war right now, I knew I had to stay right where they left me.
Tonight, we have to make sure Pernelle, and the baby are straight. War can wait for tomorrow.