3. Don’t Let Me Down
CHAPTER THREE
DON’T LET ME DOWN
“Audiemar.” Phoebe rushed to him with tears in her eyes when he appeared in the waiting room.
She’d been pacing for the last twenty minutes, and her feet were starting to hurt in the Prada heels. Latching onto his arms, she sniffled.
“Thank God you’re here.” She sniffled, throwing herself into his arms and pressing her head into his chest as Kong came up behind him.
“What happened? What are they saying?” he asked.
“Nothing! Not a damn thing!” Her head popped up, and a fierce darkness rested in her eyes.
“They haven’t said anything since I got here other than, she’s in surgery.
The police have been here. I guess there was some kind of ambush, and a car chase.
Her car was hit during all that. They said it spun out of control, and she went through the windshield.
” Phoebe choked, hand slipping over her mouth and releasing a soft wail.
“Come here. Have a seat.” Audiemar led her to a chair. “Kong, go get her some water please.”
He turned to his son briefly with a sharp stare.
Nodding, Kong quickly ambled to the end of the hall where he spotted the vending machines.
Nay had to be okay. He realized their last conversation was heated, but he didn’t want her to die.
Before the two of them started smashing, he respected her and liked spending time with her occasionally.
She was a gorgeous distraction, and they could laugh together.
Kong didn’t do that with a lot of people aside from his brothers.
He spent most of his time dealing with stiff clients or conversing through email and teams all day.
One on one time with Nay was a break from his mundane routine.
Moments later, when he rounded the corner, his stomach tanked when he spotted the surgeon speaking with Phoebe and his father.
If he ever questioned that she loved her daughter, seeing her distraught over her current condition was proof.
Phoebe might not be winning any mother of the year awards, but she would do anything for her child.
All she wanted was to spare Nayelli from all her mistakes, and she’d made plenty over the years.
Kong neared them just in time to catch what the doctor was saying.
“We’ve got her in recovery. She hasn’t woken up yet, but she is stable.
She suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, and there was a lot of swelling.
We were able to stop the bleeding and repair any tissue damage.
We won’t know the extent of any side effects from her injuries until she wakes up, but it could lead to memory loss, trouble with speech, and even mobility.
She’ll need therapy, but we are hopeful from the initial post op exam. ”
“Can we see her?” Phoebe swiped a few tears that had fallen from her eyes.
“Yes, follow me.”
“Kong, will you come with me?” Phoebe asked, blinking away the mist in her eyes when she faced him.
He cleared his throat and glanced at his father. “Yeah, sure.”
His legs felt like lead moving beside her. Once they reached Nayelli, Phoebe rushed past the other patients recovering and straight to her.
“Oh, my baby!” She gently threw herself over her and held her.
Aside from the white gauze wrapped around her head, she seemed to be sleeping. Phoebe swept some of her hair onto her shoulder and studied her. Grabbing her hand, she held it between both of hers and kissed the top.
“Come on baby, wake up for mama,” she pleaded.
Kong grabbed a nearby chair and slid it closer to the bed so that she could take a seat.
“Thank you.” A rare, soft smile graced her full mouth when she sat down.
“I appreciate you being here, Kong. I know you two had a little argument or whatever, but… as far as I’m concerned, we’re basically family.
I care about your father, and you. I know I might not come off all nurturing like Jane…
” She tittered, and Kong immediately went rigid at the mention of his mother’s name.
It was so easy to push her to the furthest corner of his mind and try not to disturb the memories.
The minute someone dropped her name, it all came crashing out like an overstuffed closet.
Missing Jane had become part of who he was.
For so long, he wondered if he would ever be free of that, until he realized he didn’t want to be.
She and Twyla reserved a part of him that another living being could never touch.
“There won’t ever be another woman like Jane,” Kong declared. “She was one of a kind and cut from a cloth they stopped making a long time ago.”
Phoebe silenced her rebuttal and bowed her head so he wouldn’t catch the flicker of jealousy behind her gaze. The topic of Jane was still very sensitive to her.
“You’re right. She was lucky too. I don’t think anybody ever loved her as much as Audiemar, you, and your brothers. I know she would walk through fire for any of you too. I used to envy that,” Phoebe muttered, eyes drifting to Nayelli again. “Did she ever tell you how and where we met?”
“Nah.” Kong shook his head.
“At the mall, in the security office. We both got caught shoplifting in the same department store. We ended up having to take diversion classes and everything. So, I guess you could say that’s how we bonded.
” Phoebe snickered and lifted her eyes to the ceiling.
“That was so long ago. Feels like another lifetime.”
“Mommy,” Nayelli whispered.
Both Kong and Phoebe’s attention flew to her face. Her eyes weren’t open, but a grimace of pain warped her features, and her brows came together. Jumping to her feet, Phoebe moved closer.
“Hey, baby. I’m here.”
“Where am… wh-what happened?” Nayelli’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
“You were in a car accident. How do you feel?”
“Everything hurts,” she whimpered.
“I know. Let me get the doctor. Kong, stay with her.” Phoebe quickly brushed past him to the door.
“Kong?” Nay swept her tongue over her dry lips. “You’re here. Jones is going to kill us about that assignment due.” She reached for his hand and squeezed.
“Nay, what you talking about?”
“Our marketing assignment for Professor Jones’ class. It’s due in a few days, right?” Wincing, she sat up, burying her head into her pillow and taking a breath.
Confusion marred his features. Kong hadn’t heard that name in a long time. He and Nay went to high school and college together, sharing a lot of classes in between.
“Nay, we not in college no more, ma. We graduated a long time ago.”
“What do you mean?”
This had to be that memory loss the doctor mentioned.
The flirty glint that usually flickered through her eyes had been replaced with something else.
It was warm and humble, drinking him in slowly.
She took note of his beard and the maturity of his features and her brow creased.
Peering around the hospital room, panic ignited over her face.
“What’s happening?” she asked, her tone trembling with fear.
“It’s all good.” Kong moved closer and wrapped her in the warmth of his big arms.
Nayelli clung to him to avoid hyperventilating and he hugged her tighter, perching himself on the edge of her bed.
“I don’t understand,” she wept.
“The doctor said it might happen. You just gotta give it some time,” he assured her, resting his chin against the top of her head.
“What year is it?” She sniffled, pulled away, and looked up into his weary eyes.
“2026.”
“Oh, my God.” Shock displayed over her face first, followed by some kind of resolve, but her head spun as it settled on her new reality. “That’s a long time from college. And you’re still around?”
Nodding, Kong bowed his head. “A lot has happened, but yeah.” He stroked her cheek and watched her lips curve into a natural, sensual smile.
This was the version of Nay that initially drew him to her back in the day. The more Phoebe sank her claws into her, the more self-involved and arrogant she became. He’d remained friends or cordial with her over the years because part of him knew she wasn’t all bad.
“Thank you for being here. I hope my mama didn’t drive you too crazy.” She groaned, a sharp pain shooting through her temple when she rolled her eyes.
“I’m just glad you’re good. I have to head out and check on the kids—”
“Kids? We got kids?”
“I have kids. Two. With Twyla,” Kong told her.
“Twyla?” Nayelli sneered. “I don’t understand. Didn’t she play you for that frat boy?”
Kong’s blood ran cold. Nay was on a different timeline, but that shit was triggering him. Flaring his nostrils, he sucked in a breath to compose himself. He’d gone through so much to keep the beast inside him tucked away.
“Listen, Nay, we can catch up when you get out of here, mama. You need to get some rest.” He stepped forward and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll check on you later.”
As bad as she wanted to grill him, she reluctantly let him go when her mother appeared with the doctor heading their way. Kong looked relieved, and Nayelli figured she would pump her mama for information when he was gone.
“Okay. I’m holding you to it.” She smiled, watching him walk away.
Kong stopped briefly to talk to Phoebe before vanishing into the extended hallway. Ready to leave, he met up with Audiemar at the elevators. He had to get the hell up out of there. Watching the numbers slowly move to his floor, he took a breath when he sensed his father’s presence at his side.
“How is she?”
“Phew.” Kong blew out the same breath he’d inhaled and shook his head. “She doesn’t remember anything. Thinks we’re still in fucking college.”
“That might be a blessing right now.” Audiemar fisted his beard. “We need all hands on deck. Tomorrow night. Nine p.m. at headquarters.”
“I’m heading to the house. Been a long day,” Kong said when the elevator doors slid open.