To What I Owe You

Chapter 8- Sirens

To What I Owe You

Chapter 8- Sirens

"It was like slowly but surely police sirens became the soundtrack of our love story. If they make a movie out of this shit that's all that would be in the credits."

"A movie? You want this romanticized by people?"

"No I want everyone to hear my story, show young girls the end of the road isn't no good."

~~~~~~~~~

My dad hates the color red. He hates it, but he watches the red jello on my dinner tray move from left to right. He's been watching it for a while. I guess he doesn't care about the color red right now, I guess no one cares about anything right now, but me. Renée doesn't mention Devin for hours, and my mom doesn't care that she's laying her head on my fathers shoulder like at a point in time he wasn't the scum of the earth. Montrell doesn't care to ask me a million and one questions anymore and that's alright; all of it is alright. Everything is better this way. For once I get to have everything I wanted in this room: silence, my family and some nonverbal understanding that everything we're always so fucking worried about doesn't mean shit at the end of the day.

I lay there for a while longer thinking about the one thing I care about before I decide to get up. Everyone's attention shifts onto me but I don't care. I I grab hold of my IV and cart it through the room with me.

"Where are you going?" My mama is the first to question.

"To talk to someone."

"Sit down Kadeejah." Montrell mutters.

I roll my eyes and keep rolling the IV cart with me right out of the room. They know better, they know better than to tell me shit more than once like it changes something. The doctor said I could go see Kevin later, it's later, and I intend on seeing him. I couldn't rest easy until I did, until I said my peace, and made sure he was good. Everything about what he did for me meant the world to me.

I walked quietly down the hall not wanting to draw any attention to myself once too many folk on this floor and the nurses station was around the opposite corner making me damn near unnoticeable. I walked, and walked, peaking my head into open doors, and seeing different people laid out, different family members, and so forth. I made it to a room where there wasn't anyone but an older lady, and a man sitting in chairs with maroon TSU shirts on, barely awake themselves. The woman was pretty definitely not like she could of been someone's grandmother or mother. Her brown skin shined like how it did for women on Ebony Magazine back when they'd still deliver it to the house. The dad slouched over in his chair but it didn't take away from the definition in his broad shoulders. I could tell by his face though it had to be Kevin's father.

Realizing his parents was here made me almost back out of coming to talk to him. I'm not the real social type around folks I don't know and shit, but for Kevin I'd suck this shit up. "Excuse me?"

Both their heads lifted, and turned in my general direction with curiosity. "Yes?" The woman asked softly.

"I'm a friend of Kevin. We were in the shooting together."

"Oh my, you're the girl?" The woman questioned with worry wrapped all up in her voice. She hopped Up off her seat along with the dad before coming over to me.

They both tried to help me walk further into the room. Shit was uncomfortable with them touching me and all, but shit, can't lie like I didn't need the help. My body all achey from laying up in the bed all this time. The man grabbed a chair and scotched it to the edge of the bed. I hadn't paid much mind, but as I slowly sat in the chair I caught a glimpse of Kevin who was wide awake and smiling lightly at me. I chuckled at the goofy ass grin because this man here is a character. I know he gone take my visit too far, but hell I kind of like that about the nigga.