Here I was laid up in a coma but could hear everything that was going on. I wanted to wake up, but I just couldn't. I tried moving my eyes, my fingers, and my toes, but nothing would work. After the news I had been getting while I'd been up under, a nigga needed to come to so I can figure out what the hell was going on. My wife had been talking to some nigga name Mekhi, calling him boo and shit. I heard the doctor tell her that I could hear and try and talk to me because it may be a way of helping me overcome this situation. I heard Aja come in damn near every day, I think, and talk to me. She told me I was gonna be a father to her baby boy. I knew Aja wasn't lying because wasn't nobody hitting that but me. Shawty was my ride or die and down for whatever. She was what my wife should have been. Was it wrong to say I was in love with her but had my reasons for why I wouldn't end things with T? My mom and my brothers had been here a few times but that's about as many times as I could count on both hands.
Everyone would tell me how Tenia had moved on with this Mekhi dude, but that wouldn't be for long if I could just wake up. She had told me that she wanted a divorce and she even broke down about why she didn't want a baby at the time. I was so fucked up about what she had told me that it made me hurt and want to be there for her. I didn't even know she had ever experienced anything like that before. I had been trying to get out of this coma since I first heard T pour her heart out to me. It was so hard for me to understand through her cries, which hurt me even more. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was for hurting her the way I did. I didn't want her to move on; I wanted her to be my wife and for us to work this out. I didn't know what I was thinking by trying to have my cake and eat it too. The nurse came in and did her normal check on me, to see if I had woken up and talked to me to see if I would respond to her commands. I tried lifting my arms or blinking my eyes, but what I felt I was doing was only my imagination. She would ask me to wiggle my toes and fingers or if I could feel when she touched me, but I could never do any of those things.
"Dominic, your family is rooting for you to come through this. I know you can do it; you're a strong man. Come on honey," she said to me. Something felt different today though. I felt like I could overcome this coma. As she continued to touch my feet and ask of me to wiggle my toes or make a movement if I could feel her, I actually blinked my eyes a few times before I finally had them open. I looked around the room until my eyes were laid on this beautiful young nurse. She was about 5'3", light complexion, full lips, and long hair with blonde streaks. Her body was amazing or, should I say, the way that ass was sitting in those scrub pants had ya man smiling. When she saw me sizing her up, that's when I noticed the prettiest set of white teeth and one deep dimple in her left cheek. She was gorgeous. I'm a man, so I know y'all thinking fresh out the coma the nigga ready to cheat but, if you saw my nurse, you'd understand. I tried to talk to her, but my throat felt like sand had been renting some space in my mouth. I could feel something that felt like a tube down my throat.
"Don't try and talk Mr. Chapman; there's a tube down your throat that's not permitting you to speak. Let me get you some water and I'll be back in with your doctor," she said before disappearing. I sat there looking around the hospital at all the 'get well soon' balloons and the unopened cards that were on the side of me, on what I assumed to be a nightstand. My nurse was taking a long time to be getting some water and the doctor. As I was about to push the nurse's station button, she walked in with a tall white man with salt and pepper hair about 5'11", maybe around the age 55 or so.
"How are you feeling Mr. Chapman? My name is Dr. Kleizher. I have been the physician treating you since you came in. I know you can't speak right now with the tube down your throat and having been out for some time now but, with a head nod of up or down, do you remember what got you in this situation?" he asked me.
I looked around the room trying to gather my thoughts and recall my reason for being here. My nurse, whose name I saw on the white board was TiShae, sat a hospital cup filled with ice and water on the stand next to the bed I was in.
"Mr. Chapman, I'm going to take the tube out of your mouth. It may hurt a little and cause you to gag, which is why I have the water here. Are you ready?" Nurse TiShae asked.
All I could do was nod my head and prepare for the worse feeling. As she started to pull on the tube, I started to gag and, in a matter of seconds, the tube was coming out, along with some vomit. She immediately cleaned me up and handed me the water. After taking a few sips of water, I was able to speak, but my voice seemed unrecognizable, as it was very raspy.
"Is it possible I can have someone call my wife?" (cough) I tried to get out as I was coughing.
"Take your time Mr. Chapman. You have been in a coma for 3 months. It may hurt to talk because you haven't spoken in a while, which is also why you may not recognize your voice. Let me give you a notepad for now and try drinking the water, it'll help when you are trying to talk. Until then, try and use the notepad for now. I'm gonna have my nurse, TiShae, run some test on you, call your wife, and I'll be back shortly to check on you," he said after taking a light and flashing it in my eyes and doing some vital signs before he disappeared.
I had time to think about the things I was gonna say to T but, for the life of me, I couldn't get my words together. I wanted to apologize for hurting her and getting Aja pregnant. I wanted to apologize for not being the perfect husband I told her I would be the day we said our vows. I really wanted to be there for her, but it was something in me that wouldn't allow me to do it. I have done so much wrong to her, but what about the reasons that led me on to do the things I'd done.
I had been laying there just thinking about my life and how easily it could have been taken away from me. I wanted my marriage to work but, as bad as I wanted it to work, it took two to make it and not just me. Lying there in my thoughts, I heard the door open and the voice of the woman I had fell in love with.
"D? Oh my goodness, I knew you'd pull through," T said, walking through the door and taking me out of my thoughts.
"Yea, you know nothing can hold your man down. Why weren't you here?" I couldn't go straight into who this nigga was that I heard her speaking to or even the situation that she had brought up when I was under. As bad as it was hurting me to talk, I had to stay strong, so I took a few sips of water before continuing.
"D, I've been here every day praying that you'd make it through this. I come when I leave work and I'm here majority of the day on weekends. I have been here D. I took off work the first 3 weeks you were in here. Let's not discuss that right now; there are other things that I'd much rather discuss," T said with this look in her eyes that I'd never seen before.
"T, what's going on? I thought you'd be happy that I pulled-
"Mr. Chapman, I'm gonna take you down to have an MRI done. Dr. Kleizher is ordering an MRI, along with some blood work as part of the tests he told you he would run on you," Nurse TiShae came in with a wheelchair saying.
"Hello, how are you? I'm Tenia, Dominic's wife," T introduced herself with a little bit of attitude.
"Nice to meet you! My name is TiShae; I'm Mr. Chapman's nurse," TiShae said, looking unbothered.
I knew my wife wanted to say more, but she looked as if she had other things on her mind. We were walking to the elevator, when Aja came walking off the elevator. Aja's arm was in a cast with some minor scarring on her face that looked as if it just healed but, aside from that, she looked to be fine. I vaguely remembered the accident, but I did know she and I were together. She walked over to us and looked from me to the nurse from the nurse to the Tenia.
"Dominic, when did you wake up?" she asked me, showing more concern than I thought she'd show with T right here.
"He woke up today, Aja. What are you doing here anyway?" T managed to say before I could get anything out.
"O, little Ms. Wifey, I've been here the entire time while you weren't here. You come and go as you please while you're out playing family with another man and his daughter, like your husband wasn't laid up in the hospital fighting for his life," Aja said with her free hand on her hip and her neck rolling.
"Bitch, I will mop this whole floor with your young ratchet ass! You think because you pregnant that stops anything? It will be molly wop city in here. Try me if you want, but we both know I'll show you better than I can tell you," T said, attempting to get close to Aja.
I was still lost looking at Aja's baby bump. I mean, I heard her tell me she was pregnant, but to see it right in front of me had ya man feeling all types of emotions. I heard T when she came in a few times crying about how could I had gotten that young girl pregnant, but for Aja to be actually standing in front of me and I actually see her stomach got me here looking like what the fuck. Don't think I ain't peep that shit Aja was saying about T walking around town playing house with another nigga. I was gonna get to the bottom of that, best to believe that shit.
"Excuse me, but I'll have to call security if one of you don't escort yourselves out of here," a short older white lady said behind the nurse station.
"Aja, just go ahead and leave. It seems as if things are already being complicated right now. I'm just trynna get these tests done, so I can get out of here. I'll call you," I said but speaking real low.
"Oh, so you want me to leave after I've been-"
"Yea bitch, leave and he won't be calling you," T said through clenched teeth and a raised eyebrow, cutting her off.
Aja took a look at me, shaking her head while laughing. I was not really sure what that meant, but I honestly I didn't give two fucks. I was trynna get these test done, so I could get the fuck out of here. After Aja left, we got on the elevator and headed down to get the MRI, along with the blood work the doctor wanted me to get. I had to get a lot of shit done. After getting everything done and heading back to the room, I was exhausted but had some things I wanted to talk about. We were back at the room for about 5 hours, not saying shit to each other because we were so pissed. Me because I shouldn't have to deal with this shit as soon as a nigga wake up and, T, for many reasons I'm guessing. Dr. Kleizher walked in my room to speak with us, but T's phone went off and she stepped out to take the call. It was like whatever the doctor had to say about my results didn't matter to her. I made a mental note to check her on that shit once we got some alone time. She had been doing some disrespectful ass shit lately, but a nigga was back so it damn sure wouldn't be any more of that.
"How are you feeling Dominic?"
"I mean, how would you be feeling doc? Don't take this the wrong way, but cut to the chase. Let me know if I'm getting up out this bitch or not." I crossed my arms across my chest, showing that I mean business.
"Straight to the point huh? Well, the tests I ran look good. I do want to get you set up with some physical therapy, since it's been 3 months since your feet have hit the ground to walk. Are you still feeling a little pain when you talk for long periods of time?
"I mean, after I drink some water I'm good, but I do have spit that come up or rather a lot of spit gather in my mouth when I talk too long. That has never happened before." I scrunched up my face, becoming irritated. I wasn't upset with the doctor; I was more upset with Tenia, who was still in the hallway on the phone, smiling at whoever was on the other end of the phone.
"Well, I want to keep you overnight to monitor you. I will discharge you tomorrow if everything looks good enough for you to go home. I would recommend you getting a nurse, unless you have someone at your home that can come to stay with you until you're able to do things on your own. I'm going to get some appointments set up for you with the physical therapist tomorrow morning; depending on how that go, I can release you from them."
"That sounds good to me, Doc." I smiled, feeling a little relieved.
As the doctor was stepping out from our conversation, Tenia was coming in. I had a scowl on my face as did she. I have been trying to figure out why the hell she was the one with the attitude, when she the one doing all the foul ass shit.
"Wassup T? What's the attitude about? You came in here acting like you were so excited that I had come out of the coma, then you poppin slick with the nurse and shit cause you got an attitude for whatever the fuck reason; now, you come in here after being all smiley face and shit out there on the phone with a scowl on your face now. So, let me know what's good?" I said in the nastiest attitude, with my scowl matching hers."
"So, what did the doctor have to say?" She folded her arms with a raised eyebrow, ignoring every fucking thing I just said to her.
"If you were in here, you would have known what he said but, instead, you were out there running your mouth on the phone. Who the fuck got you cheesing all hard and shit cause I was in here?"
"Look, I wasn't for the bullshit but you asked for it, so I'm gonna give it to you, baby boy. The fact that you got that trifling ass bitch pregnant is the reason why I've been parading around here playing family with a friend and his daughter. This bitch is 5 months pregnant Dominic and you mean to tell me that you knew nothing about this shit? Not only is the bitch pregnant, but the condo she lives in is courtesy of you, a bank account that I had no knowledge of with money coming from there going to a condo that she lives in. Just secrets beyond secrets with you, which has been this way since we first got together. I'm not happy with you. This isn't working for me anymore. I thought I could overcome this feeling, but I can't. Aja is the one giving you your first son, not me, so congratulations Dominic Chapman; you've got what you've always wanted. I'm sorry I was 13 with the body of a grown woman and some pervert decided he wanted to rape me and I got pregnant. I was too scared to tell anyone, so my cousin took me to someone she knew to get an abortion that fucked me up to where I was told I would never be able to have kids. I'm sorry Dominic, but you got what you wanted, so give me the divorce and we'll be even. I have already moved out, so all I need is your John Hancock on the dotted lines or we can take it to court." Tenia cried as she pulled out two envelopes with my name on both and sat them on the cart before she walked out of the room, leaving me looking stupid and speechless.
