Chapter 15 #2
I couldn’t bare having to stand here and wait another second.
When I asked that question, and he sighed, I swear it felt like I saw every moment with my brother flash before my eyes.
I felt as if my knees were going to give out on me, but my pops was right there to hold me up, even with him being strong, and holding my mom up as well.
“My name is Doctor Lewis. I’m the trauma surgeon who operated on Mr. Shaw.
I know that this has been a long, scary few hours for all of you, so I’ll go ahead and get right to it.
To answer your question, your brother is going to be fine.
Surgery was successful,” he started, and when he said that to me, it felt like I’d just taken a breath again since Riot called me, screaming and crying about what had taken place.
I needed to hear those words. Hearing them gave me the calm that I needed. It gave everyone that relief. My mom was a wreck, crying, and thanking the doctor for saving her son.
Dr. Lewis went on to clear his throat, so that he could finish.
“Mr. Shaw sustained two gunshot wounds to the chest. One of the bullets caused significant damage to his right lung, which caused just a small collapse and some internal bleeding. Because of that, we had to insert a tube into his chest, so that we could expand the lung, and repair any of the damaged tissues. I won’t sugarcoat to you with what happened with the second bullet.
I need you to know that Mr. Shaw cheated death.
It missed his heart by mere millimeters.
He is lucky to be alive,” he went on, and hearing that, just proved to me that there was a God up there, and He knew that nobody in this family would be able to properly function without having Diego here.
I didn’t want to even have to envision a life without my little brother.
No lie, hearing this shit, it made me pull Riot a little closer to me.
I pulled her closer because I knew that four years ago, when her brother was gunned down, that she wasn’t given the same outcome.
Her brother died right there on the spot.
Riot and her family didn’t get the chance to stand in a hospital, and witness a doctor coming out, and telling them that surgery was successful, and that he was going to recover just fine.
Knowing that she didn’t get to hear those words, it made me hurt for her, so that’s why I pulled her in front of me, making her back post up against my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her waist, still standing here, waiting to see what else the doctor was going to say to us.
“We’ll continue to keep him here, so that we can monitor him. Right now, you all are welcomed to go in there, but just keep in mind that he is heavily medicated. Please allow him to get his rest,” he finished.
We all thanked him, and with a simple nod, he went on to tell us what room Diego was in. I wasn’t surprised that my mom was the first one out the room. My dad was right there, following behind her.
I kissed Riot on the top of her head, and I let her go. She turned around to look at me, while wiping her eyes.
“Go ahead and check on your brother. I’ll wait in here,” she voiced.
“Nah. Baby, you gotta come back there with us,” I said, and she simply shook her head no.
“Dolo, go ahead. Have that moment in there with your family. I don’t do well with stuff like this. I’ll probably go back there eventually to have my moment with him, but just not right now. Go ahead,” she voiced.
She leaned in, and she kissed me on the cheek.
She didn’t even give me another chance to beg her again because she walked away, and she sat down in one of the chairs.
I watched her as she folded her hands, placed them in her lap, and she dropped her head.
I’m sure this shit was traumatizing for her.
I wasn’t going to leave her in here to sit in this shit alone for too long.
I just wanted to lay eyes on my brother, squeeze his hand, talk to him, and then I would be back to check on Riot.
I left out of the waiting room, and I had to take the elevator up to where Diego was. They had him in ICU. When I made it to his room, it was just my parents inside, along with Loco. Loco was standing at the foot of the bed, watching him, while my parents stood on either side of him.
Walking in, seeing him in this hospital gown, with all these machines going off, it did something to me.
Not getting that big ass smile from him whenever I would walk into the same room as him was hard.
He looked to have been in a deep ass sleep.
My pops moved out of the way, so that I could get a little closer to Diego.
I picked his hand up, and it was bruised. I remember Riot telling me that he dove on top of her to save her, so he probably bruised it when he did that.
I squeezed his hand, wanting some kind of reaction out of him, but I didn’t get one. Just holding warm hands.
I held his hand in mine for about five minutes, before my pops tapped me on my arm.
“Step outside. Let me holla at you,” his voice was firm. I already knew that was coming though.
When Diego decided to follow in my footsteps with this drug shit, I remember my pops looking me in my eyes, telling me that I better guard this nigga with my life. I’m sure he was about to get in this hallway with me and make all kinds of threats. That’s just the kind of nigga that he was.
We walked out of the room, leaving Loco, and my mom inside. My pops posted up on one side of the wall, and I came over, posting up right next to him.
“I already know what you going to say. I’m on it,” I went on to get the first word out.
“Then I won’t say it. You a wise man, Dolo.
You know what the fuck gotta happen after this.
Whoever the fuck just did this shit, find all parties involved, and make their motha fuckin mama cry the same way that I just had to witness my wife cry for the past four hours!
I almost had to bury my son. Get in the motha fuckin field for your brother and handle it.
And if you feel like you can’t handle it, let a nigga know something before I go in my closet, pull out and lace up my boots, and handle the shit myself.
Do it quickly, nigga!” he spat, punching me in my chest, like how he used to do us when we were little boys.
Had he been any other nigga, I would have beat his ass for punching me in my chest like that. I expected this shit from him though. He almost lost his son tonight, so I was going to give him a pass.
I heard him though. Heard the nigga loud, and clear. I had to put some shit on hold right now with the business and tend to my brothers ‘almost killer’.
Miami about to feel me. I’m about to make this city bleed about mine, and that’s a fact.