Chapter 8 #2
“I, um…” Khrome’s voice was raspy. She was rubbing her neck while tears swam in her eyes. Suddenly, her lips parted but no sound came out. Her eyes closed but right before they did, Lethal noticed the panic in them. “No,” she lowly mumbled. So low that he barely heard her.
“What’s wrong, Khrome?” The anxiety lacing Lethal’s words made her eyes open. A tear spilled over her eyelid as Khrome’s stomach tightened. “My water just broke.”
The past hour had been a blur. Lethal got Khrome to the hospital as quickly and safely as he could, and they didn’t waste any time admitting her.
So far, they’d given her steroid shots for the baby’s lungs in case she did come early, but they also gave Khrome medication to try and stop her body from going into labor.
Lethal was equal parts pissed and worried.
As soon as he found out there was a chance they could stop the labor, he stopped stressing just enough to text his parents.
Lethal knew Tech would tell his brothers and Blak what transpired.
Pissed was an understatement. Knowing for a fact Khrome was carrying his child made Cam’s actions that much more heinous.
He was going to pay, and Lethal put that on everything he loved.
Khrome was busy talking to the doctor and the nurses for the first thirty minutes or so.
When she finally got a chance to breathe and take everything in, she erupted into tears.
“My dumb ass really thought he was going to leave me alone.” She angrily laughed through her tears as she wiped her face. “I knew better. I just had to keep working at the bar knowing he knew I worked there.” Her tongue angrily clicked. Lethal wasn’t the only one that was pissed.
She hated Cam’s guts. If he dropped dead, she would have rejoiced.
Her being upset wasn’t good for her, but Lethal was too upset himself to attempt and offer her words of encouragement.
His jaw muscles flexed, and his nostrils expanded.
Tech texted him that he was in the waiting room, and Lethal left without a word.
Tech wasn’t alone. Brazil, Block, and Blak were at his side. “Goofy-ass niggas done already posted that shit on social media,” Block reported with a murderous gleam in his eyes. “That nigga is as good as dead,” he promised.
Tech flicked the tip of his nose and spoke in a hushed tone, “He’ll definitely get what’s coming to him but no time soon.
Too many people saw Lethal put his hands on that man.
If he suddenly turns up dead, that won’t look good for him.
This is going to be handled, but it's going to be handled the right way.”
“I don’t want any of you putting your freedom on the line for that fuck nigga. Khrome is carrying my child. I’ll handle it.”
Blak drew back with a frown. “You’ll handle it?” he spat like it was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard. “Nah. Hell nah. You got too much to lose.”
His response didn’t surprise Lethal. In fact, he expected it, but that didn’t make the statement any less infuriating.
Yes, he had a lot to lose, but he was still a man, and Cam came for his.
Block and Blak were retired from the drug game, and they had shit to lose as well.
Blak had a baby on the way. Noticing the grimace on his son’s face, Tech intervened.
“Nobody is getting their hands dirty. The shit will be handled. How is she doing?”
“They gave her something to try and stop her body from going into labor. They also gave her a steroid shot for the baby’s lungs. She’s only six months though. It’s way too early for the baby to come. The doctor came in and did an ultrasound. The baby is only three pounds.
Tech expelled a sigh. “If they can stop her labor, that will be a good thing. Either one of you need anything?”
“Nah, she’s upset, which is understandable. When I let them know I’d be paying for everything, they put her in a nice suite. I’m not sure how comfortable the couch is, but I’ll be sleeping up here. Even if she doesn’t go into labor, I don’t see her being discharged any time soon.”
Tech bobbed his head. “Aight. Let us know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
Lethal gave each of the men dap before they turned to leave. Back inside the room, Khrome was sitting up in bed, looking at her phone. When he crossed the threshold, her tear-streaked face lifted. “You got the email?”
“Yeah. That was the reason I went to the bar. You having contractions?” Khrome was hooked up to monitors to alert the nurses of contractions and the baby’s heart rate, but Lethal didn’t know about any of that stuff.
“No, I don’t think so. My stomach feels kind of tight like she’s balled up or something, but it doesn’t hurt.”
Taking his seat, Lethal sighed and looked around the room. “I’m spending the night, but I have to leave around five in the morning. I’ll try to leave out quietly, so I don’t wake you up. As long as you’re good and not in labor, I’m going to continue training. I have a fight coming up.”
“I understand. I’ll be fine here alone when you’re not here.”
Lethal realized that she must have been telling the truth when she said she didn’t have anybody. Now that he knew for a fact that she was carrying his child, all of that was about to change.
Giavanna had just placed the lash strip on her eyes when the doorbell rang.
It amazed her that only one round of chemo had her hair falling out.
Her lashes were thinning by the day and so were her eyebrows.
For the first time in what felt like a very long time, Giavanna woke up with the energy to care about her appearance.
She gave herself a pep talk and convinced herself that she didn’t have to look like what she was going through.
When the hair on her head was gone, she’d wear wigs.
Until then, she put it in a ponytail and placed a cap on her head.
The denim hat read: Black reading is sexy.
Giavanna put lashes on, then lined her lips and put on lip gloss.
It had been a while since she dressed in anything other sweats and leggings, so Giavanna dressed in white jeans, a white mock neck crop top, and pink sandals.
Unique stayed with her overnight because Brazil was out of town.
He was coming to pick her up, and Giavanna was going to get out of the house and run some errands.
Fresh air would be nice also. Her next round of chemo was in a few days, and she wanted to take advantage of the days when she felt human.
Unique was comfortable in her swing, and the sounds of Ms. Rachel filled the living room.
When Giavanna was done getting dressed for the day, she straightened her room then went to the kitchen to make a smoothie.
When the doorbell rang, she sauntered into the living room, already knowing who it was.
“Hi.” She smiled at the sight of Brazil standing on the other side of the door.
A light chuckle pushed from her throat when she noted the surprised look on his face.
“What up? You look nice.”
“Damn, I must really look bad every time you see me.” Giavanna giggled.
“Hell nah, not at all,” Brazil countered. “When I see you, you just look relaxed and comfortable. Today, you’re looking like you’re about to go on a date or something.”
“Date no, but I do have to run some errands. On the days I feel like shit, looking decent is the last thing on my mind. When I feel good, though, I want to look good. I think doing so will help my mental health.”
“I think it will, too. You hungry? Let’s go grab some brunch.”
“Um…” Giavanna was so caught off guard by the invitation, that she had to think about whether she was actually hungry.
At that point, she should have been used to Brazil being nice to her. It was who he was, but she was still surprised every time he did or said something sweet. “I just made a smoothie, but I can eat.”
“Bet.” He gave a curt nod.
Brazil entered the house and when Unique saw him, her entire face lit up.
She started kicking her feet, and the way all of his teeth showed as he grinned at his daughter was too cute.
It warmed Giavanna’s heart to see her cousin interact with her father.
The same way the moment made her heart full it also made her chest tight.
Every day, Giavanna wished Kera was around to see her daughter grow and reach milestones.
Even before her diagnosis, she knew life was precious.
It just wasn’t fair that Kera didn’t get to know her baby.
The closer Brazil inched to his daughter, the more excited she came. By the time he lifted her out of the swing, she was cooing and drooling. “How did she do last night?” He looked over at Giavanna.
“She did really well. She went to bed around eight, and she didn’t wake up to eat until like one. After she ate, she went right back to sleep.”
Giavanna got her purse from the bedroom and followed Brazil from the house.
She knew that they weren’t on a date but should anyone see them out in public and know who either of them were, Giavanna knew that it would be presumed they were on a date.
When he opened the car door for her, Giavanna thanked him and eased into the car.
Since learning she had cancer, one thing she was used to was the up and down in her emotions.
Often, the same things that warmed her heart chilled her veins.
She was the literal definition of the same thing that makes you laugh can make you cry.
Hearing Unique laugh and coo behind her as Brazil softly talked to her while securing her carrier made Giavanna smile.
So, this was what it would feel like to have a family?
The exact moment the question entered her brain made her heart lurch.
This was the feeling that she may never get to have.
If leukemia robbed her of her fertility or her life, she may never get to experience sitting in the passenger seat while her husband buckled their child in.