Rebuilding Our Empire

It Can't Possibly Start Off That Bad

Cookie stared in Lucious' hazel green eyes and tried to calm down. The thought of her youngest son not making it was making it so much harder for her to breathe. Tears started rolling down her cheek as Lucious wiped them away with his thumb. Cookie felt her phone vibrate from a text from Andre, telling her that he was on the way to the hospital. She calmed down enough to let Lucious know that he could go back to driving. They headed to the hospital and didn't say a single word the whole way there.

Cookie's POV

I can't believe that someone would hurt my baby. I know that we've been through a lot this past year, but I never thought that my son would be in the hospital. I know that Lucious wants me to stay calm but how can I?

I look at Lucious while he drives to the hospital and I see him trying to fight back tears. I grab his hand and lean to lay on his shoulder. I'm trying my hardest to stay strong but I begin to think about the day I found out that I was pregnant with Hakeem.

Flashback

Lucious had gotten up early to go make a drop. I woke up to a huge headache and 2 loud ass kids running around. Once I got up I went downstairs to cook some food so my kids would sit still even if it was only for 30 minutes. Once I made the boy's plates, the silence was heavenly. I sat down on the couch and closed my eyes, hoping that my headache would subside. That was wishful thinking considering Bunkie and Carol came in arguing about Carol not making drops anymore and trying to sober up. Everyone knows that Carol is a crackhead but it seems like she's getting worse and honestly I just don't want to deal with it right now. Since they decided to be loud, it set off a domino effect.

Dre started wrestling Jamal while he tried to eat, which turned into Jamal screaming at the pain Dre was causing him. The activities happening in my house that morning was something that happened often but that day it was just too much for me.

Lucious finally came home and told Dre to stop fighting Jamal. He saw Bunkie and Carol still arguing, then looked at me as I laid on the couch trying to relax. He walked over to me with a plate of food in his hand. I looked at him trying to figure out why he was just standing over me. "Sit up," he plainly demanded.

"Did this negro just tell me to sit up? He sees that I am trying to rest but he wants me to get up so he can be comfortable," I thought to myself. I looked up and rolled my eyes while rolling over on the couch.

I heard him put down the plate, then picked me up and sat down on the couch. I laid my head in his lap and looked up to him. He leaned down gave me a kiss. I couldn't help but to smile but that smile quickly turned into a frown because this headache was so bad. "What's up with you?" He gave a concerned look.

Lucious is a thug but he always turned into a teddy bear just for me. I knew he wasn't going to leave me alone until I answered. Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't have cared. He would've picked up his plate, started eating while adding more fuel to the argument that was still going on in the living room. "It's nothing Lu. I just have a headache. I'll be fine. Just go ahead and eat," I told him, hoping he'd let me rest.

I went to grab his plate for him and something about seeing the food made my stomach turn. I tried to go and run to the bathroom but I couldn't move. I closed my eyes for a second and when I opened them, I couldn't hold it in anymore. Lucious jumped up as I threw up on Carol, who had ended up right in front of me. Bunkie tried to hold in his laughter, but he couldn't help it. The boys stood and stared at me like I needed an exorcist. The only person who tended to me was Lucious.

Once I stopped throwing up he picked me up and took me to the bathroom. He sat me on the counter and got a wet towel so I could wipe my mouth. "Babe why didn't you say you were sick?" He placed a hand on ny forehead to see if I had a fever. "Because I'm not. At least I didn't feel sick this morning. The food triggered it. It just didn't sit right with me," I swatted his hand away. "You good?" He asked before stepping back.