Epilogue #2
On the first floor, the trauma team waited for me. Adrian dapped me, then tilted his head as he peered at me.
“You aight, bruh?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
He didn’t buy it but let it slide when the double doors opened and the EMTs wheeled in our patient.
“The fuck…” The vision on the bed couldn’t have been what my eyes were seeing as the EMTs whisked the gurney past me and into the waiting trauma unit.
“Perc!” Adrian barked lowly.
Jumping into action, I went to the side of the gurney, glanced down at the unconscious patient, and instantly tripped back into time.
“You have to save her!” I begged the doctor.
“Sir, there’s nothing we can do!”
“Yes, you can! Save her!” I demanded.
“Perc!” Adrian barked a little louder, zapping me back to the present.
My hands moved quickly to assess my patient. She was in active labor, so assisting the baby safely out was paramount. Glancing at Zia’s face, I saw my wife there. Rylan’s eyes opened, transporting me back in time again.
“Save her!” I demanded, shouting louder even as security dragged me away from my wife’s bedside.
Rylan’s head lifted off the gurney. That wasn’t possible, though. According to the doctor, she was already gone. I heard the steady beep, signaling that she’d flatlined. Her monitor showed the flatline, too.
Her eyes met mine. The eyes that once held so much life barely clung to life now.
“Save her, Percy,” she softly stated. “Save them both.”
“Perc!” Adrian’s voice drew me back again just as Zia flatlined.
“Yeah,” I calmly replied, then smoothly transitioned into barking out orders.
On the way to the elevator, Adrian administered CPR.
Seconds later, we were on the elevator heading to the operating room.
We arrived on the floor with the obstetrics team prepared to perform an emergency Cesarean section.
Zia’s pulse hadn’t returned, but Adrian wasn’t going to give up until he brought her back.
This team of mine worked tirelessly to save Zia and her baby.
How she ended up here, I wasn’t sure, and I wondered where the hell her husband was.
Then again, I didn’t give a fuck about that nigga—and if he was the one who put her on this gurney, I was going to enjoy ripping his flesh off his bones.
Two grueling hours later, I opened the door of my apartment, walked inside, then quietly shut the door behind me. For a second, I took the time to breathe. Then, I released the pent-up frustration that bubbled over.
Starting with the couch, I flipped that bitch over, then went haywire all over the living room. Shit crashed to the floor, and I wasn’t nearly done. Bulldozing my way to the kitchen, I started with the plates. I had to break everything. That was the only way to relieve this anger inside me.
Suddenly, someone crashed into me.
“Chill, bruh!” Adrian’s bear hug lifted me off my feet. His strong ass pinned me against the counter.
“I can’t do this shit!” I shouted.
“Yes, the fuck you can!” he shouted back. “I got you! We got you!”
I broke down crying, some shit I’d never done before. The last time I cried like this, my wife had taken her last breath.
“I can’t do this shit,” I repeated.
“Yes, you can, Perc! On my life, I got you.”
Adrian let me fall to the floor where I sat with my back against the black cabinets behind me. Leaning my head back, I rested it against the structure. Exhausted, I let my tears flow and didn’t try to stop them.
“I’ve witnessed you bring life into this world with ease countless times.
Ain’t no muhfuckin’ OB/Gyn like you. Who the fuck gon’ keep shit in order ‘round here if you end it all? You gon’ have Adir waiting for you on the other side just so he can beat yo’ ass for fuckin’ up his walls and floors wit’ yo’ brain matter. ”
Chuckling, I said, “What kind of pep talk is this?”
“The one you need, nigga. Now, get up and put some respect on yo’ muhfuckin’ name. You saved Zia and her baby. Wear that win on yo’ chest, nigga. You deserve that.” Adrian gave me a hand in standing from the floor. I glanced around at the mess I made, regretting that I had to clean this shit up.
“You right,” I replied. “Shit, my fault about earlier.”
Adrian clapped me on the shoulder. “It’s all good. Ya know, my baby is a good listener. Won’t you make that appointment with her.”
Sighing, I agreed, “It’s time.”
“It’s time,” he seconded.
Adrian helped me clean up as much as we could before he was summoned for another trauma alert.
This one didn’t involve me, so I continued cleaning.
Evening had fallen by the time I was done.
Trudging into the bathroom, I started the shower.
While the water steamed, I stood in front of the mirror.
Staring back was the man who always knew he wanted to be a physician.
Obstetrics and gynecology weren’t my original plan, but I was here now, fighting for mothers and babies to get through healthy deliveries.
Rylan drove me to this field. I’d been doing all this for her.
Chuckling, I said, “I see what you did there, Ry. I told you I wanted to end it just for you to send me Zia.” I had to laugh. “What kind of shit is that, baby?”
If Rylan was alive, she would’ve laughed with me.
Sobering, I said, “I’ve been doing all this for you, baby. Every single bit of it. Now, I gotta do it for me.” Taking a deep breath, I peered at my reflection and uttered, “You ready to love me now?”
For the first time since Rylan died, taking our baby with her, the answer was yes.
ZIA HOLMES
A week later…
I heard his voice in the hallway. He spoke softly, but his deep baritone walked into my room and jumped into my ears.
Glancing at the basinet where my sleeping baby boy laid, I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep when a knock sounded at the door.
I heard the door open, then it softly closed.
Whenever Percy visited my room, I pretended to be asleep. That way, I wouldn’t be forced to face the love of my life. It was ironic that he plunged back into my life in this way. Percy’s presence had always been profound, and I saw that things hadn’t changed.
Percy’s cologne wafted through the air and sucked out every good intention I had. I’d just had a baby, lost a husband, and here I was lusting over a man who wouldn’t give me the time of day without all the baggage.
I listened closely and felt the heat of his body close to me. My heart beat a little faster. Percy’s low chuckle stirred my heart some more.
“Open ya eyes, Zia,” he lowly commanded. “I won’t bite.”
Now, my monitor went off because my heart rate increased. Popping my eyes open, I glared at Percy, who played with the monitor to stop it from blaring.
“Good mornin’,” he drawled.
Lord, this man was so handsome. He’d always been handsome…and kind…and considerate…and thoughtful. Percy was all the things my deceased husband wasn’t.
“Good morning,” I croaked.
“Ready to go home?” he asked.
No, I wasn’t. He saw the expression on my face and matched it.
“Have you talked to Kwamé?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “I’m not ready to face Bryan’s family.”
And because of Bryan, my family stopped fucking with me years ago. I hadn’t talked to my mom in over three years. She warned me of this day and told me not to call her when it came. So, here I was, laid up in the hospital, alone.
“Understandable. You’re welcome to stay a few more nights.”
Sighing, I shook my head. “Might as well get it over with.”
“Aight, cool. We’re here if you need us.”
Softly, I smiled. Without him saying so, I knew what he meant.
Bryan told me about Dr. Bell & Associates and its significance.
Bryan crossed a lot of people in his time but never anyone connected to Dr. Bell.
That included Percy. Bryan was a lot of things except stupid.
Eventually, Bryan couldn’t outrun the problems he caused on the streets.
I hated that I was caught up in it. However, that was the price I paid for being attached to a dope boy.
When Percy left my room, I sighed and thought about what life would’ve been had we stayed in each other’s lives.
Of course, people grow and change. However, I’d bet money on Percy still being as genuine as he’d always been.
I wondered if losing his wife and child changed him.
It seemed like it didn’t, but how could it not?
You’re not grieving Bryan, and you were married to him for six years.
Right, I thought. Just because I wasn’t grieving didn’t mean Percy wasn’t. Maybe he just hid it well.
Sighing, I let all that go. It didn’t matter now. Now, I had to focus on taking care of me and my son. After I buried Bryan, that is.
One month later…
“I find it funny that you didn’t shed a tear at my son’s funeral, but you’re still traipsing around inside a house that he paid for.”
Mrs. Donetta Holmes was a pain in my fucking ass. However, instead of cursing her out, I politely motioned around my living room.
“This is my house, also.” It wouldn’t be for long, but she wasn’t about to get that information.
A private sale was in the works, and I be damned if any of Bryan’s family tried to stop it.
“Might I add, he paid for this house with drug money. The same money that bought the house you and your husband live in.”
Mrs. Holmes glared at me. To think, I used to think she was so elegant and sweet.
Her armor fell the moment I married her son.
For so long, I purposely kept from getting pregnant just because of her.
She thought I was after Bryan’s money, and that was never the case.
I was young, dumb, and thought Bryan loved me.
His thoughtful gifts made me feel special.
When he put a ring on my finger, I thought that was the ultimate sign of love, but no.
It was the ultimate sign of control and entrapment.