Teri
Eyeing Khamar with disbelief crowding my eyes, I grew of agitation all while seeing him and Sheila standing before me.
"Khamar, could you give us a minute, please?" I motioned between Sheila and I.
He agreed to give us a moment, then walked away, slowly.
"Sheila, what're you doing here and why are you with--"
She cut me off with, "We're seeing each other," speaking straightforwardly.
"You're seeing him? Okay, well you should know he's the reason he's divorced."
Sheila shrugged her shoulders. "I know all of that already, and I know what he's done to his ex-wife." She then paused. "But, I assure you I am okay with it."
"Okay with it?! Sheila, that man was out having an affair while his wife was home tending to their kids and trusting him. You don't think something similar could happen to you?"
She rolled her eyes. "Teri will you stop acting like nobody makes mistakes. He's not a horrible person, and he is far from perfect. But aren't we all?! I mean, yes he's made bad decisions, but that doesn't mean he can't be trusted again. I trust him."
"Yeah, you trust him because it didn't happen to you!" My forehead found the palm of my left hand.
Sheila sighed as she grew in irritation. "Just because he made a mistake with Sherri, does not mean he'll make that same mistake with me."
I eyed her closely as I tried to understand how she could trust Khamar so effortlessly all while having the knowledge of his thoughtless mistakes and the possibility of those mistakes happening to her. "Mmm, I know why you have so much trust for that man, Sheila." Then it hit me: Sheila was no different than Khamar. She was a woman, in a relationship giving her all to somebody whom was not her somebody. Wasn't that what Khamar did to Sherri? "The both of you enjoy the same game."
"Excuse me?!" Her voice rose.
My shoulders went up and down. "Khamar had his turn at cheating, now you're having yours." I watched as Sheila's eyes fell to the floor, peering at the guilt crawling up her legs. "Your lover back home doesn't know about Khamar, does he?"
She couldn't take the truth I was throwing at her. It was the pill everyone wanted, but couldn't seem to swallow. "Teri, that is none of your business. Let's change this subject, please. H-how is Sherri?!"
I looked at her sideways, and silenced her with the exact words she had said to me. "Sheila, that is none of your business."
She walked away with her heart beating fast, then stood next to Khamar--who had been speaking with Sherri's mom and the doctor. Watching their hands join together brought me great disgust.
I breathed deeply as I began walking to the spot they'd been standing in, communicating about Sherri, and learning newly of her condition.
Once I had reached my previous space, which was next to Mama Saum, the doctor shot me a smile then walked away.
Sherri's mother looked weighed down by disbelief as tears formed in her eyes. I looked over at Lisa and only hoped for answers.
"What did the doctor say?!" I asked, growing of concern.
She turned to me, breathing deeply as words gathered upon her tongue.
—
Sherri
My body was there and it did as it pleased. But my soul--where had it gone off to? I knew I was here physically because I could feel the boiling blood circulating, but I didn't feel as if I was myself.
My bebes. Where were they? Oh God, I would've done anything to see them. To just hold them and place gentle kisses upon their soft noses. And Teri. Couldn't she have just told me what was going on?
Or was I just overreacting? I mean, I was physically in a place that I couldn't see, nor could I breathe. Of course I was freaking out.
"...and to save you the job, I'll be the one to tell the family." There went one of those obscure voices again. Who were they? And, what were they talking about?
"Thank you." A second voice replied. "Listen, Dr. Edwards, we have to do everything we can to save Ms. Saum. Apparently she's an actress and if we gave up on her, the world will blame us. Anything we can do to save these kidneys, let's do it. It'll be hard, but there's nothing wrong with trying."
I knew it. I knew my kidneys were fighting me.
"I hear you, but first we need to ring her Nephrologist."
The first voice hesitantly responded. "Why do you say that?"
I heard sighing. "Because, there's no way Ms. Saum's kidneys should be this bad if she's been going to treatments." The human paused. "Have you seen them? Obviously her doctor didn't inform of her kidneys like he or she should have."
–
Teri
While Lisa, Mama Saum, Khamar, and Sheila went down to the cafeteria to grab a quick bite to eat, I sat to myself with my head in the palms of my hands. Lisa told me the doctor explained to them that Sherri's breathing has gotten quite worse just in a matter of minutes.
How could one small headache cause this much damage? How could kidneys have the audacity to put my fiance—the only person that I've ever truly loved—in such coma?
"I shouldn't have brought her here." A familiar voice sounded.
I lifted my head and seen that it was Khamar. I assumed that he must've been talking about Sheila. "Mhmm, I agree. How did you two even meet?"
"Well, I needed furniture for my new apartment." He replied, taking a seat next to me. "She said she was an expert at interior designing, so she offered help."
I rolled my eyes at Khamar's response. "I'm sure that isn't all she offered." I then muttered.
There was silence after my muttering. I didn't know what words to voice, and I couldn't figure if Khamar had anything to say. What could we possibly talk about? At a moment like this—where the woman that he was supposed to love and the woman that deserves nothing but my love—was somewhere in this hospital trapped in a coma?
"So," Khamar broke the silence. "How-how are you coping with all of this?"
I placed my eyes on his. "Um, I've just been trying to be strong, y'know? I just—I just want to see my baby. I mean, who knows what's going on back there."
Khamar's head went up and down. "Agreed. She probably doesn't want to see me but I can't leave here until I see her. There's something I have to do."
"Something like what?"
"Make peace." He responded, staring at me with tears circulating his pupils.
I sighed at the thought of Khamar considering to make peace. Why now? Why should he use this time to try to squash things? When Sherri was lying upon some bed with machines hooked up to her that she's not responding to.
"It's only right, Teri." He went on.
Just as I was going to respond, the same doctor that spoke with us before, walked over to where Khamar and I were seated with a smile upon his face. "Ah, I know you're probably tired of seeing me, but I have to report everything to the family. It's my job."
Khamar and I looked at eachother. "Okay, well what is it that you have to tell us?"
The reappearing doctor breathed incredibly deep breaths. "Well to be straightforward, the good news is Ms. Saum is able to be seen now, one at a time. The not so good news is her kidneys are far worst than we imagined for them to be. Therefore, we need to contact her Nephrologist."
A/N
Sherri, chile..if you don't respond to those machines..wake up for us! 😿😭.
Okay, so what are y'all thoughts?
-Not Edited.
-Chapter Dedication: dammilamano Jackie2024 💞
