Chapter 16
When we arrived at the hospital, Denishia and Jerzey were escorted to the back. I assured her I would be okay in the waiting area, since only two people could go back at once. However, before I could sit down, a nurse approached me and said, “Follow me, Mister Wheeler.”
She’d recognized me. Times like these were when I thanked God for the celebrity status. It seemed people were willing to do more to accommodate you if you were famous. I hated that they were wired that way. No one person was worth more than another when it came to stuff like this. Everything boiled down to money and image.
It would look bad for them to have a somewhat famous actor waiting in the waiting area instead of being back there with his ‘loved one.’ I noticed a woman taking a picture of me, so word would have definitely gotten out that I was here. When we got to the room Denishia and Jerzey were seated in, Nishia stood from her seat with a slight frown.
“I thought they said only two could come back at a time.”
“You saying you don’t want me back here, gorgeous?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I didn’t mean it?—”
“I know, baby. I’m picking with you. One of the nurses recognized me and escorted me back here.”
She nodded, and we sat. “So, is she in surgery?”
“Yes. The doctor said they had to sew up her face… her beautiful face. He said she should make a full recovery physically. Mentally would be a different story. With support, she should be okay mentally too though. The stab wound in her side wasn’t deep enough to cause any damage. Thank God. I wouldn’t have been able to handle losing her, especially so close to losing my mama.”
“I understand, baby.” Peeking around her, I asked, “Jerzey, you good?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Jerzey? What are you doing here?”
I looked toward the doorway to see a shapely woman, who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties.
“Hey, Mekayla. Jamia got attacked at work.”
“At the floral shop?” she asked with a frown.
“Yeah.”
She walked over to Denishia and spoke, then hugged her. When she looked at me, I could see the recognition in her eyes. She gave me a one-sided smile, then extended her hand for a handshake. “Hi. I’m one of Jerzey’s older sisters, Mekayla.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Nishia’s boyfriend, Ezekiel.”
She nodded. “I’m aware of who you are, but congratulations on the relationship,” she said as I admired her wedding ring.
It was huge. She slid her hand from mine and turned back to Jerzey. “Do you want me to call Anika or Keonshay to be with you? I can’t stay. I have a patient.”
“Thanks, but no. I’ll be fine with Denishia.”
She nodded and gave her a hug, then smiled at us and walked away. I turned to Jerzey and asked, “How many sisters do you have? She said she was one of your older sisters.”
“Yeah. I have three older sisters and two younger. So I have five sisters. I also have two brothers.”
“Are your brothers older than you?”
“Yes. Both of them are.”
“It must have been tough having five older siblings.”
“You have no idea,” she mumbled.
Who had eight kids this day in age? I thought that was a thing of the past after the mid-eighties. She didn’t seem to be too proud of that. She actually looked embarrassed, as if her having that many siblings was her fault. There must have been some trauma there for her to say what she said. I was pretty good at reading between the lines.
“Mekayla and I aren’t that close. That was why she asked if I wanted her to call one of my other sisters. It had nothing to do with her having to see a patient.”
I frowned slightly. My curiosity wouldn’t allow me to remain quiet, so I asked, “Why? Did y’all not grow up in the same household?”
“Yeah. We shared a room. Let’s just say that I saw way more than I should have.”
Oh, I refused to get into that. This wasn’t the time or the place for that. Denishia grabbed her hand, and she said something in her ear as Jerzey nodded repeatedly. Sounded like she had serious issues she needed therapy to work through, more serious than I thought from what they talked about at the repast.
When the doctor appeared in the doorway, we all stood. “Surgery went well. She will have scarring in her face, but she will make a full recovery. I have to warn you, her face is completely wrapped with only gaps for her eyes, mouth, and nostrils. It was a blessing she wasn’t cut in her eyes. The reconstruction was a pretty simple procedure, though, thankfully. Most likely, she will be here for a few days, while we run tests to check for infections and to also keep her wounds clean, especially the one in her side.”
Denishia nodded. “Thank you so much. When can we see her?”
“A nurse will come back to get you shortly.”
We all nodded as the doctor turned to me. “Nice to make your acquaintance, Mister Wheeler. I’m a fan.”
I smiled slightly and shook his outstretched hand. “Nice to make your acquaintance as well.”
He nodded then left. We were all seated, and Denishia leaned into me. After a moment or two, she looked up at me. “My poor friend. I feel like this is all my fault.”
I frowned. “Baby, what do you mean?”
“I feel like they were after me because of Will. I just feel it in my gut. If it weren’t for me, that woman wouldn’t have gone to the shop to wreak havoc.”
“You can’t control other people… their thoughts nor their actions. You did nothing to warrant anything that has happened regarding that man. Had he been the man you needed, you would still be with him. However, there’s only one Ezekiel Wheeler, and he was meant for you. This shit ain’t on you.”
She smirked slightly. “So you’re saying you’re the man I need?”
“You gon’ tell me I ain’t?”
“Hell no. So far, you’ve been perfect.” She huffed. “I just wish Jamia didn’t have to endure that.”
I caressed her cheek with my thumb. “Everything is gonna be okay. This shit is on that lady that vandalized your place and attacked Jamia.”
She nodded, and I pulled her close, doing my best to comfort her. Her mental was feeling the weight of everything, and I wished I could relieve her of those thoughts and feelings of guilt. Hopefully, with time, she would be able to let that go and see the big picture.
“I sort of… attacked her.”
We were in Jamia’s room, and Denishia had been dying to talk to her to see what happened. She was in recovery for an hour or so, then they placed her in a room. She’d just awakened about an hour ago. Nishia gave her time to get her bearings and let the anesthesia wear off.
“What do you mean, Jamia?”
She closed her eyes briefly, then said, “I don’t think she knew we were there. We’d just gotten there, so the lights were off. She threw the brick through the front window, and I ran after her. I grabbed that bitch by her hair and drug her ass back to the shop.”
She stopped for a moment and winced in pain. Denishia gently rubbed her hand. “Jamia, why would you chase that woman down? You should have just let her go. You put your life at risk for shit that could be repaired. Don’t ever do that again.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You finally gave me a key, and I didn’t want you to regret trusting me with it. I was beating that face in until she got ahold of a piece of glass. When she hit me in the side with it, that was it. I fell over, and she got on top of me and went to work on my fucking face.”
I could tell she was crying by the sound of her voice, although I couldn’t see her tears. It trembled, and it sounded like she was taking quick short breaths. I hated this. Jamia was a beautiful woman, and I assumed the attacker didn’t like that. Of all the places she could have cut her, she decided to slice her face up. The shit wasn’t adding up, and I didn’t feel like Will would stoop this got damn low.
If he did, that nigga was bitch made for real. I could tell he wasn’t about that life, although he tried to portray that he was. He was way shorter than me, maybe about five feet eight or so. He wore glasses and was slightly meaty. He wasn’t fat, but he wasn’t solid either. When I had to hem him up over a week ago, I could see the fear in his eyes. I just didn’t feel like he was responsible for this.
Denishia turned to me and said, “I need to go to the shop and survey the damage. Jerzey said she got the man from the barbershop down the way to board it up best he could, but?—”
I put my fingers to her lips. “I gotchu, baby.”
“Jerzey, are you gonna stay with Jamia until I get back? I need to go to the shop.”
“Yes. The detectives will probably be here in a little bit to ask questions. I’ll be able to tell them what I saw. This is the worst personal day I’ve taken in a while.”
Denishia rubbed her back. Jerzey usually only worked weekends, but it was divine intervention that she was there today. She was a phlebotomist and typically worked Monday through Thursday and half a day on Friday. She would spend the rest of her Friday and all day Saturday at the floral shop.
Grabbing my hand, Denishia led us out of the room. As we walked to my vehicle, Denishia said, “I’m so sorry that our beginning is filled with so much drama. You don’t deserve that.”
“Neither do you. I’m glad I’m here to help you through it. I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. Believe it or not, I’m getting to know you even more. Your resilience in the face of adversity is admirable. The way you just handle things while dealing with what could be unbearable weight. However, I’m here. You don’t have to be strong all the time. I’m here for those moments when you need to be weak.”
She swiped a tear that had fallen down her cheek as she nodded. “Thank you, Ezekiel.”
She leaned into me and wrapped her arm around mine. Whether she realized it or not, this bullshit she was going through didn’t bother me in the least. For someone to be after her, it showed just how valuable she was. Niggas didn’t like to see you advance. There were some jealous people in this world, and it was sad. Jealousy could lead to all sorts of things… even the shit that happened today.
I kissed Denishia’s head and continued to my car, mentally preparing to help her put her shop and her mental back together.