Chapter Twenty; Aftermath Two
I lifted my lids, only for them to force themselves shut due to the piercing white light that was above me. The sound of a beeping monitor that at first seemed so far away was now constant and seemed to be right next to me. Adjusting my eyes, I looked around the room; what the fuck? I pushed myself up and opened my eyes wide, what the hell was I doing at the hospital? I looked at my arms and pulled out the IVs. I had a mad ass headache but that was the least of my worries. I got out of the bed, wincing from a sharp pain in my ribs. The door opened and Lisa walked in. She looked like shit to be honest, but who was I to talk?
“Bryce!” she shrieked as she rushed to me. “Oh my God!” she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me, hell squeezed me.
“Lisa? What’s up, what you doing here? Why I’m here?” I questioned as I searched her eyes for an answer; however, all I saw was pitty.
“You don’t remember anything?” she asked as she shook her head.
“Nah, I just got up and I’m here. Where’ Ashton and them at?” I asked, looking over to the door.
“Baby, I think you should get back in bed,” Lisa hesitantly replied. Assisting me back into the bed she exhaled deeply .
“Where they at though?” I asked again. She began to look down to the floor, I wanted to know about Natalee but I would be a dumbass to ask her. “Can you just call’em for me?” I asked, “and tell me how the hell I got here?” I asked. Lisa nodded and grabbed her phone, dialing a number before handing me the phone.
“It’s Trey,” she said quietly, “I’m gonna go get some fresh air,” she said before leaving rather quickly.
“Lisa?” Trey asked in a questioning tone, “What up, Bryce good?” he asked.
“It’s me nigga, where you at?” I said.
“Yo you serious?” Trey said in surprise and relief, “Aye, me and Ash on the way, sit tight,” before I could get a word in, he hung up.
Thirty Minutes Later
Lisa sat in the chair near the window as Trey & Ashton dapped me. I was confused as hell. Lisa wasn’t telling me shit, and the little bit that I could remember made me even more nervous. Trey and Ashton both looked like they hadn’t slept in days. What I couldn’t understand was why Leo wasn’t here.
“Where Leo at?” I asked. Trey looked at Ashton, just as Ash looked at Trey.
“On God you don’t remember shit?” Trey asked.
“On God, damn! Where Leo at?” I asked, frustrated because I was tired of answering the same question while my questions went unanswered.
“Leo called you to roll wit’em, he was making a drop. Everything went wrong,” Trey stopped as he looked down.
“What chu’ mean bruh?” I asked, my hands already bald into a fist.
“They shot Leo, he didn’t come through,” Trey said looking down. If I had never felt pain, I felt it at that moment. It was like losing my parents all over again. I bit down on my lip as I forced my fists to my forehead. I had lost my brother, my homie..over some dumb shit. I had every chance to talk him out of it, I just never thought it would end, not like this. By now my eyes were red and glossy, but refused to cry. Lisa was balling her eyes out as Ashton held his face in his hands.
“When’s the….the funeral,” I said, almost killing myself to even say it. Trey shook his head.
“It was yesterday,” Trey said, the pain, anger and remorse deep in his voice.
“Dammit!” I cursed. What the fuck had happened that I couldn’t remember a damn thing?! My boy was dead, and I missed his home going. “Fuck!” I screamed as tears came from my eyes. “Who did that shit?!” I yelled as my furious eyes went from Trey’s to Ashton’s.
“Quien and Lilly got som to do with it. I already took care of Quien’s homeboys, its just them two left.”
I tossed the covers off of me. Seeing a duffle bag with my clothes in it, I grabbed some jeans and put them on before tossing the hospital attire to the side. I didn’t care about the pain to my ribs, that wasn’t important. I put on the shirt and looked at the both of them. “We handling this shit tonight.”
“What?!” Lisa asked as she jumped up. “You can’t be serious! Leo was killed because of this, but yall made it and your gonna turn your back on a chance at life to kill someone?” she asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I aint heard shit you said. Let’s go,” I said as I laced my Js.
“So you’re just gonna walk out? Trey, Ashton! Stop him!” Lisa begged.
“Look aint nobody stopping me! It is what it is, I’ma handle mines! Don’t nobody kill my brother and get to live to tell the fuckin story! Fuck that shit! Lisa miss me with that crying shit! Let’s fuckin’ go!” I said with true malice in my voice as I walked past her.
“So you’re turning your back on Kalil? Bryce, just think about this, please! If you could’ve told Leo not to go and do the drop, would you? Well I’m sitting here telling you, so please, don’t go! Trey, Ashton back me up! This is your fuckin’ brother!” Lisa cried out. In the back of my mind, I knew she was right. I wanted to be there for my son, but I couldn’t let Leo’s killer walk. I opened the door to the room and walked out of the hospital room, Trey & Ashton followed me.
“Wait, sir you can’t leave!” a nurse spoke from the nurse station. Ignoring her, we proceeded to the elevators.
“I heard Q was hiding out at that motel on Burke,” Trey said as he stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. I simply nodded my head. After this though, I was done. I wanted to be there for Kalil, I wasn’t putting this before him; I just needed to handle it before it hurt him. The elevator opened and we stepped out, I just had that feeling, like I was leaving something, like I was missing something. In the back of my mind I knew that feeling would never leave, cause we were missing Leo, and my nigga wasn’t coming back.
“Bryce!” I looked over to the familiar voice and saw, Natalee. She was dressed in sweats and a tee shirt. Her hair was in a bun and she wore her black rimmed glasses. I couldn’t lie, it was something good to see her. She ran to me and hugged me tightly. Her embrace was warm and sincere; she looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay. You scared me!” she cried as she placed her soft hands on my face. My eyes stared deep into hers, and I saw something that I had only seen in my mother’s eyes; Natalee truly cared for me. She had this glow in her eyes, like a passion. Her lips collided with mine, she put all of her energy into as she melted in my arms. Placing her forehead on mine she looked up at me once more. “Tell me you’re okay,” she spoke so innocently. I could tell she had lost sleep over this whole thing.
“I’m good Natalee,” I said, giving her the reassurance she needed. Her bright smile curved on her lips and she exhaled, like she had just been giving the right to breath. She looked at Trey and Ashton who stood nearby. She let me go and hugged them as well. She turned to me and smiled.
“I’m glad yall are here, I have some good news,” she smiled. If she wasn’t saying Leo had magically came back to life, she wasn’t saying much. Besides, we had a job to do, and not even Natalee was gon’ stop that. “They found Quien, he’s being charged with Leo’s murder, they have enough evidence to convict him.” That news took all of us by surprise.
“How is that even possible?” Ashton asked.
“Lilly, she’s gonna testify against him, in exchange she’ll be in protective custody for a while. I guess she got tired of protecting him.”
“She got tired of him beating her ass, she aint doing that shit for nobody but herself,” Trey said as he looked away, still hot about the situation, as we all were.
I knew this had to be God, or my parents had begged Him to spare me, because I was willing to take a bullet to prove a point. I grabbed Natalee’s hand and pulled her to me, I kissed her like my life depended on it. Throughout all my bullshit, she stayed true to me, she was there for me when I needed her the most. From Ciara’s death to Mythic’s bullshit – whatever came my way, she was right by my side.
“I hope this means you’re staying,” a voice said from behind us. We all turned around to see Lisa, who had a bit of envy in her face. I released Natalee, who looked like she wanted to say something, but didn’t.
“Its cool, it’s handled,” I said as I turned to her.
“So, Kalil wasn’t worth you staying, but she was?” Lisa asked as she pointed to Natalee.
“Lisa chill, it aint even like that. I can’t get my hands on his ass because somebody else already did. Nothing else could’ve changed what I was gonna do. Shit went beyond me because he wasn’t after just me, he was after my family. I’d be damned if I didn’t die for my son. I rather me take a bullet before any of yall. If I could’ve died for Leo I would’ve,” I said as Lisa closed her eyes at the thought of me dying.
“Bryce, you were giving a second chance, too many times. Make your life count; if not for any of us, Kalil deserves it more than anything.”
I knew she was right, I wanted to be there for Kalil, and be the father to him, that my father was to me before he died. I knew my life would’ve been a whole lot different with him here. I wanted my last name to mean something. I didn’t want my kids to be looked down on because their father was the city’s biggest criminal. I had to get my shit together, for my futures sake.
srry for any typos!!! SO Bryce is...AWAKE!!!
What do y'all think of Lily?
What should happen next!?
upps!
I didn't know!!!
Thu Jun 18, 2015 10:33 am by