Chapter 3
The next day
I heard voices and machines beeping, but I couldn’t open my eyes. I knew I wasn’t in my bed, but I wasn’t sure where I was or how I got there. I listened to my friends and my parents talking for a few minutes before I slowly peeled my eyes open.
“What happened?” My voice came out in a whisper. My throat felt like it was filled with sandpaper. I licked my dry lips, and my eyes landed on my mother first since she was the closest person to me.
My mother popped up from her seat and stood over the bed. “Hey, honey. You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
I looked around the room at my two best friends and my father as they waited for my answer.
The room was bright, and the beeping bothered me, so I tried to tune it out.
“I’m—” I paused and licked my lips again. “Can I have some water?” I grimaced because it hurt to talk.
My mom reached for the water pitcher on the small table and poured some into a cup. It looked like one of the cups from my house.
My eyes scanned the room again, and I spotted the Styrofoam cup on the windowsill. I was thankful that someone thought enough not to give me that cup to use. The egg carton wasn’t the only thing I didn’t like. I tried to avoid any Styrofoam as much as possible.
“Here you go.”
I leaned forward when my mom put the straw to my lips. The water was cold and felt so good going down my throat. I sipped until there was nothing left.
“Better?” my mom asked as she placed my cup back on the table.
“Yeah.” My voice was still scratchy, but the water helped a little. “How did I get here?”
My mother stroked my hair as she told me about an electrical fire in my house and how I passed out.
As she talked, the night before came rushing back to me.
I remembered trying to get out of my room, but the doorknob felt too hot, and everything was too smoky.
I remembered coughing uncontrollably. I didn’t remember calling for help or anything, so I wasn’t sure how they came.
“Your alarm went off, and it dispatched emergency services to your house. It’s a good thing you have that thing.” My mother wiped a tear that had fallen. “I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t.” Another tear fell.
I grabbed her hand. “I’m okay, Mommy.” My eyes watered as I looked into my mother’s eyes.
Gemma Foster was my heart. Being the only child, I spent a lot of time with my mother since she stayed home with me until I went to kindergarten.
Once I went to school, we had girls’ days every other week.
She was also always home to fix dinner and help me with my homework.
My dad was a surgeon, so he wasn’t home as much as my mom.
That didn’t mean we didn’t have a great relationship, because we did.
I heard movement on the other side of me, and it was my dad.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hi, Daddy.” I turned my head to look at him.
My dad rubbed my shoulder, then kissed my cheek. “I was worried about you for a second, but I knew I raised you to be strong, and wasn’t no punk ass fire going to take you out,” he joked.
“You got that right.” I smiled. “I need to sit up.”
My mother helped me sit up and fluffed the pillows behind me. Once I was situated, my friends came over and hugged me. Both of them had tears in their eyes.
“Friend, you can’t be doing that.” Kayla cried as she hugged me again.
“Don’t squeeze her oxygen tube,” Angie fussed.
I giggled along with my mom and dad.
“Sorry.” Kayla apologized as she released me.
Kayla had always been the more dramatic one. Angie would fight someone before she cried over them. I was the one in the middle that balanced everything out.
“Since you’re awake, I’m going to get some coffee,” my father said. He then asked my mom and friends if they wanted anything before leaving the room.
“Did they say when I could go home? Do I even have a home to go to?” A sinking feeling filled the pit of my stomach because I had no idea how much damage the fire had caused to my house. “And I have to call to tell them I can’t get Spencer yet.”
I felt myself on the verge of hyperventilating because I suddenly felt overwhelmed. I had patients to see. I had to call the insurance company. I probably would have to get a whole new house.
All of a sudden, the heart monitor started beeping loudly.
“Maverick, honey, calm down.” My mom rubbed my arm and spoke soothingly to me.
I looked at Angie and Kayla, who wore worried expressions. I took a few deep breaths, and eventually, the beeping returned to normal.
“What happened just now?” my mom asked.
I closed my eyes and dropped my head on the pillow. I grabbed the cup and took a few sips of water because my throat was still so dry.
“Everything is messed up. I’m going to be homeless.” Water slipped from my eyes.
Kayla and Angie sucked their teeth at the same time, and my mom looked like she wanted to pop me upside my head.
“Spencer is fine, and he will be ready for you when you are. As far as your patients, your father took care of that, and he called the insurance company. Since it just happened, they haven’t filed any claims, but they are aware.
According to the police and the fireman your father talked to, there’s not too much damage.
They don’t know the full extent yet, but he doesn’t think you would have to fix too much.
What’s important right now is that you get better enough to get discharged.
You know you can stay with your father and me if you want to. ”
Staying with my parents was out of the question for multiple reasons.
My mother would be doing too much and probably wouldn’t let me rest, and they had a healthy sex life, and I didn’t want any parts of that.
I made the mistake of not ringing the bell one time and saw some stuff I didn’t want to see.
“Um, no thanks,” I told her with a giggle as I wiped my tears.
“You can stay with me,” Kayla added.
Before I got the chance to respond, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” my mom called out.
I was in the middle of drinking more water when the door opened, and a man fine enough to stop traffic walked in. The water got caught in my throat, and I choked. When he looked at me, I wanted to disappear as my body heated from embarrassment and being turned on.
Multiple tattoos covered his dark, muscular forearms. His long locs were pulled into a low ponytail and gave a clear view of how handsome he was. He had a mustache and a beard that was kinda of long, but not that full. It glistened like he had oil in it, but my pussy juice would look better on it.
Where did that come from?
This man was probably there in a professional manner, and I thought about rubbing my pussy on his face.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he stepped further into the room. The way his eyes assessed me made my pearl tingle.
The pace of my heart increased as his deep voice flowed over me like silk.
I cleared my throat and tried to sit up straighter and smoothed out my hospital gown.
“Um, yes. I’m good, thank you. Who are you?”
He smiled, and damn it was beautiful. Perfect white teeth, and I spotted a small dimple on the left side.
“I’m sorry. My name is Onyx. I was the one who pulled you out of the fire.”
Onyx. With his dark skin and dark eyes, his name fit him perfectly.
“Well, damn. I might have a cat stuck in the tree by my house,” Angie flirted with him.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and let out a low chuckle. Even his laugh made my body vibrate.
“Excuse my friend.” I cut my eyes at Angie, and she shrugged. “Do you make it a habit to check on all the people you save?”
“Nah, just the gorgeous ones and children.” He had the nerve to wink at me. “Now that I see that you are good, I can sleep better tonight.”
“I doubt my well-being would affect your sleep, but thanks for checking on me.”
“You’d be surprised. Take care of yourself, gorgeous. Ladies.” He nodded at my friends and my mom, then swaggered his way out of the room.
The four of us stared at the door, even when it closed. I exhaled loudly once he was gone because it felt like he’d taken my breath with him.
My mother was the first one to speak. “Baby, that was one fine man.”
“Yes, he was,” Angie added.
“It’s a good thing my dad wasn’t here, or he would have had something smart to say,” I told them.
“Girl, your dad would have given that man the third degree, after he thanked him for saving your life,” my mom said.
She wasn’t lying about that. I laid my head back on the pillow and thought about that quick interaction. Onyx had me intrigued, and I wondered if I would ever see him again.