Chapter 11 #2
Cam’s body violently jerked forward, and he threw up.
Tech jumped out of the way as the contents of Cam’s stomach hit the floor.
Tech didn’t care if he threw the nuts up.
He was going to keep eating them until they killed him.
Unfortunately for him, throwing up did nothing to stop Cam’s body from reacting to the walnuts.
His skin was clammy, and hives had appeared on his arms. He didn’t have an EpiPen because he was old enough to know to stay away from nuts.
If possible, he needed Benadryl, and that would only hold him over until he could get to the ER, but neither of those things were happening.
His breathing became shallow as sweat blanketed his forehead.
Cam couldn’t speak. He could barely swallow.
His heart raced as his lips swelled. Shit, maybe a head shot would have been quicker than suffocating.
Placing his hand around his neck, Cam opened his mouth and attempted to suck in air.
He couldn’t breathe, and his lips were double their normal size.
He wheezed and struggled to breathe while Lethal and his goons just watched him.
More than likely, begging would have been useless, but if he could have formed words, he would have asked the men to spare his life.
Cam’s tongue felt thick, and his eyes watered.
Lethal, Tech, and Belvin watched as the man’s lips turned blue.
Like a fish out of water, he was kicking and trying his best to get air into his lungs, but it was to no avail.
The experience seemed as if it was taking forever, but in actuality, it only took about six minutes for him to completely stop breathing.
His entire face had turned blue, and he died with his eyes open.
The men were sure he was dead but in case he wasn’t, he would be by the time he was found.
And just that simple, his life was over.
The men slipped quietly out of the house like thieves in the night.
Hopefully, it would appear that Cam died from an allergic reaction to walnuts, and his death wouldn’t be investigated further.
If by chance Lethal was questioned, he had an alibi.
There were cameras at the front of the gym that he trained at.
He walked in the front and slipped out of the back to accompany Tech and Belvin.
He was going to sneak back inside and let the camera capture him leaving.
Stopping a man from choking the mother of his child days ago, shouldn’t automatically make Lethal a suspect.
Especially if Cam’s death wasn’t classified as a homicide.
“You good?” Tech looked over at his son as Belvin drove off. Technically, he was the one that took Cam’s life, but Tech would be willing to bet that his son had never seen a person die.
“I’m straight.” Lethal’s voice was void of emotion. “Every time I think about the fact that we have to wait to see what kind of complications Lyric might have to live with due to being born so early, I get pissed. Fuck that nigga. He’s exactly where he needs to be.”
Tech gave a curt nod while Belvin remained quiet.
In his opinion, if Khrome did take $50,000 from Cam, he deserved it.
But was she lying to him and pretending not to have much?
Was she still finessing? With a sigh, he slouched down in the car seat.
Having to raise a child with a person he didn’t trust wasn’t going to be easy or fun, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Lyric was there. They couldn’t take that night back.
Lethal refused to have to side eye her every time she was in his presence.
No fucks were given that she was Lyric’s mother.
If she stole from him again or did some shiesty shit, he’d be raising Lyric alone and explaining to her that her mother died when she was a baby.
Lethal wasn’t a gangster, but he wasn’t built to let people keep playing with him either.
He would hate for Khrome to have to learn that the hard way.
When Giavanna came to, it felt as if a weighted blanket had been placed on top of her.
Her body felt insanely heavy, and it was hard for her to force her eyes open.
When she finally, did confusion clouded her as she realized she was in a hospital bed.
What was even more insane was that Brazil was sitting beside her bed.
“Where’s Unique? What happened?” she panicked as she sat up.
“Hold on, she’s good,” Brazil replied in a soothing tone. “My people came and got her while I was waiting on the ambulance to come get you. By the time I talked to the EMTs and told them what it was, he was pulling up. I just followed the ambulance here.”
Giavanna attempted to steady her breathing as she sat back and tried to remember what happened. “I left the store,” she recalled with furrowed brows. “I went home, and I didn’t feel good.” She remembered walking out to the car and then falling.
“I came up and saw you on the ground. Your door was open, and I could hear Unique crying. I was scared as shit. I didn’t know what happened or how long you’d been out there. My baby’s whole face was red. She had to have been crying for a minute.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” Giavanna was on the verge of tears.
“She’s good, Giavanna. It’s not your fault you passed out. The fact that I didn’t know what happened had me stressed. Your phone has been ringing, but I only answered it when I saw that your mom was calling. She’s on her way up here.”
Giavanna looked down at her hand and saw that she’d been hooked up to an IV. “How long have I been here?”
“About an hour. Your mom just called like fifteen minutes ago. I grabbed your keys and phone and locked your door.”
“Thank you so much, Brazil. I really don’t know what happened.”
A nurse entered the room, and she smiled when she saw that Giavanna was awake. “Hi. How are you feeling?”
“Um”—she took a moment to process how she actually felt—“tired. My face hurts probably from where I fell. My head hurts, too.”
“Your friend gave us your name, and we accessed your medical charts. We did labs and checked your vital signs. Your white blood cells are low, which is very normal being that you are taking chemo. Chemo kind of kills them, and the white blood cells are what helps your body fight infections. Your immune system is compromised at the moment, but I’m sure you know that. ”
Giavanna nodded. She had to be extra careful with avoiding crowds, washing her hands, and trying not to get sick because her body wouldn’t handle it the same.
“You have a fever, and it’s pretty high.
When you got here it was 103. Since you’re awake, we want to look at your mouth and throat to rule out strep.
Your blood pressure is also low. So, more than likely, you have a slight infection and that along with the side effects of chemo just had you feeling really bad.
I put antibiotics in your IV and something a little stronger than Tylenol to break the fever.
The doctor will be in to talk with you soon. ”
Giavanna nodded. “Thank you so much.”
She was relieved that it seemed to be something minor. Prayerfully, the antibiotics would help her to feel better. Giavanna was so tired of doctors’ offices and hospitals, but she had to thank God that Brazil found her. When the nurse left the room, she sat up in bed.
“My mom is on the way, so you can go. I’m sorry if I inconvenienced you, and I hope this doesn’t make you hesitant to leave Unique with me.”
Brazil simply stared at Giavanna for a few seconds, and his intense gaze made her pulse quicken. She couldn’t read his expression, but the fact that he wasn’t speaking had to mean something.
“I promise you on everything I love if you apologize to me one more time for something that isn’t your fault, we’re going to have an issue. Do you want anything to eat?”
Giavanna wanted to crawl underneath the bed and hide from embarrassment when her stomach growled louder than she’d ever heard it growl in her entire life. “Oh my God,” she groaned while Brazil laughed.
“I got my answer. Your body probably knew you were going to lie or some shit.” He shook his head. “I’m going to the cafeteria. I’ll text you when I get down there to tell you what the options are.”
“Thank you.”
Brazil ambled out of the room, and Giavanna shook her head.
How did she go from planning to prepare dinner to being in the hospital?
She knew the people that called to check in on her regularly were worried sick, but she didn’t even possess the energy to look at her missed calls and text messages.
Giavanna felt like she wanted to sleep for days, and not only to rest. If she was asleep, then she wasn’t conscious to think about how terrifying and unpredictable her life had become.
Now, she was going to be hesitant to be home alone when she didn’t feel good.
What if Unique wasn’t there, and Brazil wasn’t on his way?
Had she passed out inside the house, there was no telling how long it would have taken someone to find her. Brazil left the door open, and Giavanna’s mother walked right in.
“Oh my God, I was worried sick. I was so discombobulated on the way here, I almost got into two accidents. What happened?”
Giavanna’s phone vibrated, and she remembered that Brazil was going to text her. Grabbing her phone, she unlocked it and read the message. After texting him back that she wanted soup, grapes, and Gatorade, she repeated everything the nurse told her to her mother.
“I’m so glad Brazil answered your phone. Did he leave?”
“No. He went down to the cafeteria to get me something to eat.”
“I’m so glad he was there. Jesus.”
Brazil entered the room with a large plastic bag. Giavanna’s brows hiked because it looked like more than she’d asked for.
“I got soup, grapes, apple slices, chips, wings, pasta salad, a brownie, and a few candy bars.”
“Brazil, you act like I’m going to be here for three or four days.”
He shrugged. “The nurse didn’t say when you could leave. Two things I’m sure you need to do are rest and eat. These aren’t all healthy choices, but you’ll be aight.” He winked. “Call me if you need anything.” He smiled and nodded at her mother before leaving the room.
Giavanna and her mother both stared after him for a few seconds before her mother turned to face her daughter with a slack jaw. “That’s Kera’s baby daddy?”
“Yes, that’s Kera’s baby daddy.” Giavanna chuckled. She already knew what was coming.
“He is fine.” Giavanna’s mother clutched her invisible pearls. “And he likes you?”
“Who said that?” Giavanna dug through the bag. “Brazil is nice to me because I help him with Unique. He calls me family. That’s it. That’s all.”
“Um”—her mother waved her hand in front of her face as if she was hot—“if you say so.”
Giavanna was glad that the doctor walked into the room, so the conversation about Brazil would end. She was conflicted enough and didn’t need the opinions of others clouding her judgment.