She cleared her throat, standing upright.
"You have suresure?"
A pause.
"Nah."
That one word slammed in her chest.
She didn't mean for her breath to hitch, but it did.
"She didn't let you see her?"
"You called just to check on that?" He chuckled—but it wasn't soft.
It was tight, mocking.
"Thought you ain't care what go on between me and mine."
"I didn't call for all that, Ghost. I just..." She shook her head and walked toward the far end of the breakroom, away from the door.
"I felt bad, alright? I know I pushed you last night. I shouldn't have put you in that spot."
"Oh now you got a conscience?" he muttered, more to himself than her.
She closed her eyes.
"Why you gotta go there?"
"'Cause you don't even see what you be doing." His voice was harder now, angrier—but quiet.
Like he was somewhere he couldn't yell.
"You act like I'm the one playing games when you the one who be dangling me."
Tianni's stomach turned.
"You and I both know you were still sleeping with your baby mother. Also, nobody's dangling you."
"Bet. So what you call it then?" He let the silence stretch.
"You show up with that hospital nigga, then make me prove myself like I'm some clown ass nigga. You don't want me, cool—but stop acting like you do just enough to keep me close."
She bit her lip hard.
"That's not what I'm doing."
He laughed bitterly again.
"You just like the attention, huh?"
Her eyes opened.
She swallowed a lump that tasted like guilt and pride all mixed up.
"I called to see about your daughter, Ghost. Don't do this."
"You think I ain't wanna see her?" His voice cracked a little, but he caught it.
"You think I ain't hurting about that? But you know what make allis worse? You. You standing right in front of me like you want this... then pulling back every time I reach."
"You were still sleeping with your baby mother!" she snapped suddenly, the words tumbling out raw.
"You think I'm supposed to just ignore that?"
"I stopped for you!" he hissed.
"You stopped when I pressed you in a parking lot and made you call her. Don't act like it was some grand gesture."
That silenced him for a beat.
She could hear his breath, slow and tight.
"Man..." he muttered under his breath.
The line was silent.
The tension so thick it wrapped around her like smoke.
And even still—her body reacted to the silence.
Her pulse kicked.
Her thighs pressed.
"I don't know what this is," she whispered.
YOU ARE READING
Code Red
Non-FictionTianni, a dedicated ER nurse who thrives in chaos, and Treyvon or as the streets know him as "Ghost", a feared gangster with a reputation that keeps most people at a distance. When Ghost is rushed into her hospital one night with a gunshot wound, T...
