The passed five days my face have been plastered all over the news stations and talk-shows. The home invasion story was a lie and Cairo had it all planned. Those two young men that were arrested were men that Cairo knew and been to our place several times before. It was believable, and Cairo had his way of convincing two men to agree on taking the wrap for what he did.
I knew Cairo was crazy, and I knew that he threatened me on several occasions that he would kill, but I never thought in a million years he would seriously shoot me and he did.
I stopped breathing twice—once when he shot me and the complication during surgery.
The only reason I told the officer's that the young men were the robbers was because I was afraid if I didn't Cairo would actually kill me this time. I seriously feared for my life.
Now I was in this hospital bed, donning oversize t-shirt and hospital provided socks, watching the same falsified home invasion story on the TV that has aired at least five times all this morning, on other different channels. My lip and right eye was still swollen. The pain medication my doctor had me on helped with the gunshot wound in my stomach. But I could trauma of it would never go away.
The TV cut off suddenly and my gaze averted to Cairo. "You don't need to keep watchin' that."
I swallowed, eyeballing Cairo slip on the Off-White hoodie. "H-How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Get two innocent men to say they done something they didn't?"
Cairo angled his head. "Innocent? There was a home invasion baby, that they strategically planned out. Did you forget?" He came to my bedside, touching my hand and made me flinch. He leaned to my ear and whispered, "You can never leave me."
Cairo rose up, smirking evilly, when my mother came in. "Okay, I'm back on duty."
"I gotta head to the label for a few," Cairo eyed me hardly for a moment, then looked at my mother. "I appreciate you staying this long. You know you don't have to."
"I can't leave my baby." My mother gave me a soft smile and stroking my hair. "You head to do what you have to, son in-law. I got her from here."
Cairo smooched me on the forehead before he left.
"Have you walked today?" My mother asked and I shook my head. "Come on. Get up. I know you're tired and it hurts. But the quicker you are up and moving, the quicker your doctor will discharge you."
I hissed every inch I moved, while my mother assisted me. She stood ahead of me, holding my hands, and I stood in the socks. "Careful."
I nodded and my mother reminded me to be careful every step I slow step I took. "I know that you're ready to get out of here."
I winced. "You have no clue, Mommy."
"I know baby. Don't you miss your friends?"
"Of course. I just don't want them to see me like this."
"They are worried about you." My mother informed me. "I'm worried about you."
"Why? I'm fine."
"Because I know that Cairo's been physically abusive towards you." I paused suddenly when that left her mouth. "Don't deny it. I know."
"I need to sit." She helped me plant a seat on the hospital bed. "Where's this coming from?"
"It doesn't matter. When your doctor discharges you and clears you to fly, you're coming home."
"Coming home?" I repeated, "Mommy. I have Margo here. I have our baby coming."
"And we will figure the whole custody thing out about the baby, but I will not leave you here with that prick! And don't try making any excuses because I'm not losing my only fucking child. I'm not. Do you hear me?" Her voice trembled, eyes watering.
Seeing my mother emotional made me the same way. "Mommy."
"I know that you are scared, sweetheart, but please don't stay behind and put yourself through this any further. Do you still want to leave?"
I nodded quickly, breathing in shakily. "I love him but I have to go. But what about our baby, Momma? He's not going to make it easy for me."
My mother understood my worry. "We'll handle that. But right now, we need to worry about getting you out of his hold. File for separation. I'll stay down here until you can travel and rent out a condo. I'm not leaving you. I'm here, sweetie. I'm here."
There was a knock on the door and my morning nurse came in. She checked my belly wound, and asked me the normal questions. "Dr. Bartali signed for you to discharge tomorrow morning. Are you happy to go home?"
"Very." I chuckled lightly, "Thanks for everything, Nurse Powell."
"Of course," Nurse Powell squeezed my hand gently then left.
"Can I use your phone to call Caren? Mine broke." My mother gave me her phone and quickly dialed Caren's number.
"Hello?" Caren answered.
"Hi, it's Jade."
"Oh, my God!" Caren exhaled so much relief, "We've been tryna visit you since it happened but Cairo wouldn't let us come up. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, considering." I eyeballed my mother packing up my clothes, "My mother knows."
"Uh yeah," Caren cleared her throat and it confirmed what I already knew. "Joie and me had to do something Jae. We knew you were ready to leave, and after this happened we knew you would be even more scared. We had to tell Joan. But honestly, she already had her suspicions. Please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad Care." I assured in a gentle tone, "I need y'all help."
"Anything."
"My doctor's discharging me in the morning and my mother's renting a condo until I'm able to fly. I'm still leaving him, but I have to do it quietly. Can you come up here and get my card and book me a hotel for a few days?"
"Of course," I heard keys jingle on her end. "I'm coming now."
"Okay, thank you."
We hung up, and my mother helped me lay down. "She coming?"
"Yeah." I dialed up Andi next, and she answered. "Are you busy?"
"Jade?" She recognized my voice, "Thank God. Are you alright? Of course you're not alright. You were shot. We been so freaking worried. Cairo wouldn't let us up. Did he do this to you?"
"I'm good, and I need your help. I'm still leaving him. Do you know if there's any empty condo's in your building?"
"The Powells that lived across the hall from me moved last month. It's still empty. I can talk to the property manager. I'm close with her."
"Please."
"Once I'm out of my meeting, I will call her. We got you Jae."
"Thank you."
I returned the phone to my mother's hand. "Everything done?"
"Caren's on her way to get the hotel. Andi will talk to her condo manager about the vacancy across from her." I leaned back on the pillows my mother propped behind my head. "Do you think this will work out?"
"If I have anything to do, everything will work out just fine." My mother held my hand in comfort. "I refuse to leave you."
Soon, the nurse called up to room, just to ask if Caren could come up and I approved of it. It was usually Cairo that answered that phone to control who could visit me and that's only been my parents, but since my father had to return to New York for work, it's only been my mother.
Caren came in and her eyes immediately drenched. "Don't, Care. It's worser than it looks. I promise."
"Yeah, and it looks like it hurts like hell." She kissed me on the forehead softly and eyeballed my injuries.
"Care, I need you to focus."
"Right, right. The hotel." Caren remembered, "Which one?"
I gave her my card. "The CANVAS. Book for two, three days. I have Andi looking into the condo across from her. I'm serious about leaving. I'm filing for separation."
Caren breathed out in solace. "You definitely deserve better. Let me go handle this for you."
Caren leaves, and my mother took a seat in empty space beside me. "You have some great friends. They genuinely care about you."
"I know." I took a hold of my mother's hand, "Everything's gonna be okay."
My mother placed a smile on her mouth, but I could tell she was worried. And honestly, so was I.
✗
Cairo never returned last night with him handling stuff at the label and it made it easier for me to discharge the next morning and check in to our hotel suite at the CANVAS Hotel. The doctor ordered for me to have a walker to assist me with walking, but at least I was out of the hospital bed.
My mother went to answer the door and I heard collective voices racing in and I knew who they belonged to. I smiled, watching Caren, Joie, and Andi rush towards me.
"Hold on! I'm still hurting."
"Shut up. We'll hug you soft." Joie said as they all embraced me. It kind of hurt but I enjoyed it.
My mother smiled walking up. "I'm gonna go grab you some outfits from that boutique I seen until we can get your stuff out of there. I'll be gone a hour. Are you ladies staying?"
"Oh yeah, we not going nowhere." Joie responded instantly.
"Don't worry, Miss Joan. We'll be here when you get back."
After enough reassurance, my mother felt comfortable and left.
"How are you feeling?" Andi asked me gently.
"Just sore." I hissed sitting upright, "Can you hand me that water and a pill out of there Care?"
Caren retrieved the items, handing it to me while Joie asked, "So what's your plan? Does Cairo know you're here?"
I swallowed the pill to help subside the pain. "No, he doesn't. At least, not now. Can we...just talk about something else? I don't..."
"We understand." Joie nodded.
"Well I have a problem." Andi said, grabbing all of our attention. "I think I really fucked things up with Hassan."
"Why do you say that?"
Andi took a deep breath, then started to explain everything. "She's actually my sister and I confirmed that by finding my birth mother. She was...a escort for Winston Gordon."
"Now this is juicy!" Joie snickered, rubbing her hands together.
"When I told her that I'm an employee at Gordon Bank, she got so scared." Andi continued, "I went to go eat and went back to ask her why she was so afraid and her neighbor told me she left with her luggage. I even called the apartment manager yesterday and she told me that the apartment was now vacant. I'm trying to figure out why the hell a guy like Winston Gordon have her that afraid she had to pack up and leave as fast as she did."
"You'd be surprised what a powerful man can do." I vocalized, pinching the fabric of the throw blanket covering my legs.
"Yeah, Kut was mine."
"Mine's forcing me into marriage counseling later on and paused our divorce." Caren referred to Xavier.
"Yeah, but what does all of that have to do with you thinking you messed things up with Hassan?" I asked.
"Because the person the helped me find my mother was..."
"Don't say fucking Jarvis." Joie commented and Andi didn't reply, and that gave us our answer. "Andi, what the hell! How you tell him before us?"
"I don't know. He was just...there. He drove me to Odessa the other day-"
"Hold the fuck up!" Joie interrupted again, "You was supposed to be at a barbecue with Hassan. Not with your married ex in Odessa doing something as close as you meeting your birth mother Andi."
"I know, okay? That's not even all. I didn't have sex with him. But I did do something of that nature and Hassan's not answering my calls."
"Oh, Andi." I said making her cover her face in shame.
"Uh-uh, don't hide." Joie pulled her hands from her face. "You done it. Now you have to live with it. Have you told Hassan?"
"Noo!" Andi whined, "He won't answer my calls."
"If he doesn't know, then why'd Hassan be upset? Because you didn't attend the barbecue?"
"I was supposed to meet his mother, the woman Cree—she owns that Cree On Wheels food truck—I bailed to go with Jarvis to Odessa."
"And once he finds out that you were with your ex and had some type of sexual activity with him, he will possibly leave you alone." Caren concluded.
Someone knocked on the hotel door and Caren went to answer it.
"I really don't want to lose Hassan," Andi declared.
"Then you need to keep trying to get in contact with him and be honest." I voiced, "I know he's busy with basketball but don't use that as an excuse. You need to out with it."
Andi groaned as the way Caren came back averted my attention. "Everything all right?"
"Um, Cairo. He's here."
I felt my heart accelerate, pounding in my ears.
What. The. Fuck.
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