Bless
BLESS
Luckily, one of Legacy’s neighbors had been in her window when Aesop showed up. She had called the police immediately. Therefore, the police had arrived mere minutes after he was shot. They called the ambulance right away for Legacy, but the coroner was called for Aesop because paramedics had been unable to resuscitate him.
The bullet had entered through the right side of Legacy's forehead, just above his temple. Miraculously, it had missed all the critical areas by a mere fraction of an inch, avoiding the brain's major arteries and motor functions. The trauma team at the hospital had acted swiftly. Dr. Jenkins, the neurosurgeon on call, had performed an emergency craniotomy to relieve the pressure and meticulously remove the bullet fragments.
Legacy was incredibly lucky. The bullet trajectory had caused minimal damage to the brain tissue. Surgeons were able to extract it without affecting his speech or motor skills. He’d have some headaches, but physically, he was going to be fine.
When Legacy first woke up from surgery, he could hardly keep his eyes open because of the heavy pain medication in his system. I watched him struggle with the grogginess. Every now and then, he’d slip back into a deep sleep, leaving me and Darrell sitting by his bedside. The sight of him so vulnerable and drugged was a cruel reminder of the battle he’d fought against addiction. Darrell and I had concerns that the painkillers would reignite old demons.
Over the next few days, Legacy drifted in and out of consciousness. But once he was fully awake, he refused any more pain meds. The fierce determination in his eyes catapulted me into a deeper love for him. He had insisted on managing his pain with over-the-counter meds.
Watching him endure the discomfort, I was filled with renewed love and admiration. Legacy’s resolve to remain clean even in the face of excruciating pain was a testament to his unwavering commitment to his sobriety.
Sitting by Legacy's bedside, I gently placed my hand on his. "So, what do you want for lunch?" I asked, glancing at the tray of untouched hospital food that looked more like a science experiment than a meal.
He grimaced. "Anything but this bullshit. I need some real food, babe."
My eyes bucked a bit. Legacy’s headaches had been so bad since he’d refused the opioids that he hadn’t had much of an appetite.
"I’m so happy that you actually want to eat, but you know you can’t have greasy or spicy stuff right now."
“Come on, baby," he groaned weakly. "Just a little something. I feel like I’m being punished."
“You want a salad?”
He grimaced as if I'd cursed him. “ Fuck no.”
“It can be a good one from Pizza Capri or someplace else.”
“How ‘bout a half-white dinner from Harold’s?”
“Nigga, no .” I laughed. “You want the salad or a green smoothie?”
“A green what?!” he croaked out through a raspy voice.
I cracked up.
“Girl, I almost called you out your damn name.”
"All right, all right," I relented, shaking my head with a smile. "I’ll get you something decent. But it’s still going to be healthy. You have to keep your blood pressure down." I opened the Uber Eats app on my phone.
He squeezed my free hand as I scrolled through the app. "Thanks, baby."
His gratitude had pulled my eyes and attention away from my phone. I leaned in closer, kissing him softly on his dry, chapped lips. "You know I love you, right?”
He nodded. “Mm humph.”
“If you didn’t really want to be with me, you could’ve just said that. You didn’t have to get shot."
The sound of his laughter, though it was extremely weak, warmed my heart. I silently thanked God because for those hours that we’d spent in the waiting room during his surgery, I feared that I would never hear his voice again.
"I had to show you how life would feel without me so you would never leave me again.”
Before I could respond, I heard Pam’s unmistakable voice echoing down the hallway. "I used to fuck Al B. Sure. I'm pretty sure he’s my oldest daughter’s father."
My face flushed with embarrassment. "Oh no," I muttered under my breath, glancing at Legacy. He was already laughing, his eyes dancing with amusement.
“Oh my God!” I cringed. “What the fuck is her crazy ass doing here?”
Pam entered the room, followed closely by NaNa and one of the ICU nurses.
NaNa looked at me apologetically.
"Why is she here?" I gritted.
NaNa sighed regretfully. "I needed somebody to drive me because I wasn't feeling well, and Sky was at work. She’s sober, I promise.”
But it was obvious to me that Pam was in the midst of a manic bipolar episode. She stood behind us, her hands animatedly moving as she talked to the nurse. "He got a lil’ dick, though, girl," she declared as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “He used to think that singing my panties off was going to keep me, but it was the money that kept me fucking him.”
I groaned aloud as Legacy raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by the scene unfolding in front of him.
"Pam!" I called out through gritted teeth. "Shut up and sit down ."
Pam waved me off. "Girl, I’m grown. You don’t tell me what to do.” She gave her attention back to the nurse. “Me and Al had such a wild time together back in the day. But then he cheated on me with that Kim. You know the one Puffy ended up with.”
Looking over my mother, I got the nurse’s attention. “I am so sorry. She is not well.”
The nurse waved me off, laughing. “It’s okay. She’s funny.”
Pam’s head tilted as a stern look washed over her eyes. “Ain’t nothing funny about my sex life, girl. You think this pussy a joke?”
“Pam!” NaNa snapped as the nurse started cracking up. “Leave that woman alone and let her work.”
Finally looking away from the nurse, Pam’s eyes fell on Legacy. Her eyes grew with excitement. "Oh, Legacy, you’re here! Good! Tell her I used to fuck Al B Sure."
I sighed loud and dramatically as Legacy laughed, saying, "Yeah. Everyone knows that man couldn’t get enough of you."
Pam plopped down in the chair next to the bed, folding her arms across her chest with satisfaction. “Told you hating-ass hoes. I got that celebrity pussy.”