"Oh shit!" Bre's eyes widened as I showed her the positive pregnancy test on facetime. "Are you serious Chey? This ain't a prank?"
"Look me in my eyes and tell me you think I'm joking." I said putting my red swollen cheeks and puffy eyes in the camera. "I haven't slept all night Bre, I don't know what to do. How to tell Cliff, if I should even tell him, because do I even want to keep it? I am so confused right now."
"Take a deep breath Chey, please you stressing me out."
I chuckled dryly. "Stressed ain't even the word girl. How did I let this happen? I'm twenty one years old with nothing to my name. What am I going to do with a baby?!"
"Well, not to be devils advocate, but you probably couldn't be having a baby with a better man. Just putting that out there."
I rolled my eyes because she was right. Me and this baby would be well taken care of, but that was not my only concern. I still hadn't told Bre everything about Clifford and I didn't think this was the time. Tati's concerns are starting to resonate with me heavily.
———
I held Tati's hand as I sat between her and Clifford, who had his arm around me. We were sitting behind Tyreek and his legal team as we waited for the judge to begin speaking.
Although I was here to support Tyreek I could not stay focused on anything anyone was saying. My mind was racing about the fact that I was pregnant. I never thought I would be in this situation. I don't know why I'm surprised, it's not like I'm on birth control or Clifford and I use protection. It just feels surreal.
I wanted to tell Clifford so bad but I just couldn't even think of a way to say the words. Plus today was already stressful enough with Tyreek's case and us finding out that he took a deal. I just didn't want to add more problems to the mix.
I snapped out of my trance hearing the judge bang the gavel. Tyreek plead guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon like he and his lawyer agreed. The Judge honored the plea deal and Tyreek was sentenced to the two years without possibility of parole, which started immediately. He kissed Tati who was being pulled away from him while he was being handcuffed.
"It's all good mami. Imma be back home to you real soon baby. Unc I - "
"I got them Reek." Clifford nodded to him. Tyreek nodded his head back as the guards pushed him away.
I stood there frozen as Tati cried in my arms and the doors closed behind Reek. I felt my eyes start to fill up with tears but then my mouth started watering, and I knew I was getting ready to throw up.
"I need to find the restroom." I whispered as I ran out of the courtroom. I rushed into the women's bathroom and threw up as soon as I entered the first stall.
This was all too fucking much. I started to get hot and could feel sweat starting to form on my forehead. I pulled off my sweater and continued to hang my head over the toilet. Then I started to cry. And not a cute little silent cry. I was full on bawling and hyperventilating.
"Cheyenne?" Tati kneeled down next to me.
"Tati I'm - "
"Pregnant..." She whispered. "I knew it! I knew it," She half smiled. "Reek told me I was tripping but I saw it."
I sat down in the stall with my knees to my chest. "Fuck." I rolled my eyes. This just can't be my life.
"Everything is going to be okay Chey. Does Cliff know?"
I shook my head. "I just found out last night and it's just so much going on I couldn't say anything. I don't even know what to say to him. It's too much Tati."
"Chey, Clifford loves you so much. This man is going to be so excited you're carrying his child."
"But what if... I don't want to keep it?" I sighed.
"Listen to me. Either way Cliff is going to understand. I know for a fact he would never be mad at you for not being ready to be a mother."
I wiped the tears from my eyes and pulled myself off the floor. "You're so right." If I was dealing with anybody else I would be worried, but it's Clifford. I know him, and I know he has me through anything.
Tati and I got ourselves together in the bathroom mirror before going back outside and meeting Clifford.
"Tati we're gonna take you to your house to get some stuff. I don't want you staying there by yourself until we get y'all new security system put in." He stated as we walked to the truck. It wasn't a question or suggestion, and Tati did not put up a fight.
"Babygirl?" Clifford pulled my chin up so that we were looking in eachothers eyes. "Everything okay?"
I nodded my head and looked away from him. I was bound to start crying again the longer I looked at him.
"You ain't looked me in my eyes all day. What's going on Chey?" He rubbed my cheek.
"Baby can we talk about it later? I just want to go home."
He kissed my forehead. "Aight." He opened my door and helped me in and then did the same for Tati.
Clifford rubbed my knee as he drove. This right here is why I loved him. Where most men would be upset, Clifford could tell I wasn't okay and that I needed his comfort. He was making me feel better without even knowing what he was doing, but in this moment I knew we would be okay.
———
As we pulled up to Tati and Reeks house Clifford furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Y'all sit here. I need to check on something."
"What's wrong?" Tati asked unbuckling her seatbelt.
"Hold on Tati. I'll come back and get y'all." He said grabbing his pistol from under his seat.
I watched Clifford as he opened the slightly cracked door. Somebody had left the door open.
"I know I closed the door behind me this morning." Tati said under her breath. "Something is not-"
The sound of gunshots cut Tati off. Without thinking twice, I opened the glove compartment and grabbed the .22 Clifford kept in there, checked that it was loaded and went in the house.
Out the corner of my eye I could see someone leaving out the living room window. My heart started beating faster as I hid behind the wall in their kitchen. I was listening to see if there was any other movement, but all I could hear was my heart beat.
I made my way down the hall and my breath got caught in my throat.
"Chey," I could hear Clifford's moan. He was hurting.
"Baby where are you?" I tried to follow his voice.
"Here!" He said louder. I found him in the living room, sitting against the back of the couch.
"Ah fuck," Clifford winced holding the wound in his stomach.
"Baby," I froze. The blood seeping through Cliffords white button up made my stomach turn, but the look of agony on his face snapped me out of it. I ran over to him grabbing my phone out of my pocket and dialing 911. "Oh fuck fuck fuck!
"Hello 911, what's your emergency?" The operator answered the phone.
"We need help, please hurry! My boyfriend was shot in the stomach. There is a lot of blood..." I felt myself getting ready to pass out.
"Oh fuck, Chey!" Tati came into the living room and bent down next to me.
"Here Tati please talk to them." I handed her the phone. "Baby please stay with me," I held his head in my lap, tears covering my cheeks and falling on his face as I kissed him.
I could tell he was in pain but he was fighting it. He kept squeezing my hand as if he was still trying to comfort me. As if I were the one with a hole in my stomach right now.
My heart sank as his eyes started to flutter. "No! No! Clifford open your eyes right now, baby you can't leave me. You can't leave us..." I cried out.
I heard the sirens getting louder as they approached the house. Everything felt so cloudy, like I was having an out of body experience.
Paramedics entered the house and pulled Clifford away from me to work on him.
"Ma'am are you okay?" One of the paramedics asked me, but I couldn't comprehend what he was saying.
Another one of the guys came over to pull me up off the floor and I snapped. "Don't fucking touch me! I'm not leaving his side, okay? You worried about me and you need to be helping him! Get the fuck off me!"
"Chey..." Tati grabbed my arm. I looked up at her but I couldn't see. I couldn't see anything but red.
"Aye man leave her alone and get the gurney in here, we need to go to the hospital now, we're losing him!" Another paramedic yelled.
We're losing him. That was all that repeated in my head as I got in the ambulance with the paramedics.
They continued to work on Clifford the entire ride to the hospital. It felt like hours but it was really maybe seven minutes before we pulled into the trauma center.
"Ma'am?" One of the paramedics looked to me as they pulled Clifford out and pushed him into the hospital.
"Ma'am! Are you okay?" She asked. I realized I wasn't moving.
I nodded my head. "Yeah, I'm fine I'm not hurt. Is he going... how bad is it?"
"I can assure you they're going to do everything that they can. He has three wounds, all with clean exits. His odds are good, but nothing is one hundred percent. That's all I can say until he comes out of surgery."
"Okay..." I took a deep breath. "Okay." I got myself together and climbed out of the ambulance.
When I walked into the hospital I sat in the waiting room with other families. I felt so alone. Not knowing what was going to happen to Clifford terrified me.
"Chey!" Tati called my name as she entered the waiting room. "What did they say?"
"He's in surgery. They told me to wait here. Tati..." I felt my lip quiver.
"Don't Chey. You know Clifford. He is going to be good." She wrapped her arms around me.
I still had Cliffords blood on my hands and on my dress. But I didn't want to move, not even to go to the bathroom. I needed to be here when he got out of surgery.
———
Tati squeezed my arm as two police officers entered the building. They walked to the front desk and shortly after the receptionist was pointing in the direction of me and Tati.
"Hello ladies." The woman officer spoke. "I'm Officer Williams, and this is Officer Jones. Cheyenne, we would like to ask you for your account of what happened today for the police report."
Tati and I shot eachother a look but I nodded my head. Tati had given her account at the house, but since I left in the ambulance with Clifford they still needed to talk to me. I really didn't see shit or know shit so I had no reason to be worried, but of course talking to cops made me nervous.
"You're Cheyenne, correct?" Officer Williams asked me.
I nodded my head yes.
"Okay Cheyenne, could you tell us what happened today when you arrived at the residence?"
"Uhm, I don't really know. We pulled into the driveway, the front door was cracked open, Clifford noticed that first and went in the house. He told us to wait in the car. Maybe 15 seconds, less than 30 seconds later we heard gunshots. And that's when I went in the house..." I felt my eyes starting to water again as I relived the events of today.
"And what happened when you went in the house? What did you see?"
"I didn't really see much, none of the lights were on. But I noticed someone leaving out of the window. And then Clifford called out for help and I just went to find him. That was really it."
"Did you see the face of the intruder, or anything we could identify them by?" The male officer, Officer Jones, asked.
"No," I shook my head. "I hid as soon as I noticed them. I didn't want them to see me so I just-"
"Do you know of anyone who would have a reason to want to harm Tatianna, Tyreek, Clifford or yourself?" Officer Jones asked bluntly.
What the fuck kind of question was that? I knew with what Clifford and Reek were involved in that they were bound to have enemies. But I didn't know who specifically so I just shook my head.
"I told y'all everything that I know and remember. I'm not sure how else I can help y'all." I gave them both a cold stare. I didn't like the police in general, but I was protective over Clifford. This situation situation is too sensitive for me to just go yapping off to 12. The less I said the better.
"Cheyenne, you and Clifford were the only ones in the home at the same time as the intruder. So, if you can think of anything else, please give us a call." Officer Williams half smiled as she handed me her card.
"And have him give us a call when he wakes up as well." Officer Jones added before walking away.
I rolled my eyes at that last statement. The last thing he was going to want to do when he woke up was talk to the damn police.
I joined Tati back where we were sitting in the waiting room. We sat there for what felt like hours before anyone came out and said anything about Cliffords state. Tati continuously went up to the front desk asking for updates but they just kept saying he was in surgery and that a surgeon would come update us when he was out.
I stood up as we were finally approached by a doctor. "Are you here for Clifford Smith?"
"Yes." I gulped. "Is he out of surgery? How is he?"
"He is out of surgery, and he's doing well considering. He's a very lucky man. None of the bullets did extensive damage to any major organs. He's going to have to stay here for a little while, but we're confident he will make a full recovery."
"Oh thank God," I sighed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I hugged the doctor out of pure excitement and relief. I couldn't control that instinct and she laughed a little. "Is he awake?"
"Not yet. We're moving him to a room now. The anesthesia should be wearing off soon."
"Can we see him?" I basically begged. It had been hours since I last laid eyes on Clifford and I just needed to see him for myself.
"Sure, follow me ladies." Tati and I followed the doctor hand in hand as she led us down a maze of hallways. We finally reached the room and my breath got caught in my throat as the doctor turned the handle.
"Cliff..." I gasped. I've never seen him like this. For the first time in the entire time I've known him he looked helpless. Frail. Weak. Before I knew it there was tears running down my cheek.
"Who did this to you?" I whispered as I rubbed his cheek. He was cold. I grabbed his hands and those were cold too. It sent a chill up my spine.
Tati stood next to me with one hand on my shoulder. I shook my head in disbelief.
This whole situation was weird. I realized that neither of us knew what to do without Tyreek and Clifford. They always had the plan, and we always followed it through. But right now we both looked lost. It was like the blind leading the blind.
The nurses pulled a cot in the room for Tati to lay on since she refused to go home and she was clearly tired. I sat in the chair right next to Clifford. I was exhausted too but I couldn't close my eyes even if I wanted to. The nurses were coming in like clockwork checking on all of us to see if we needed anything.
I was zoned out staring at the painting on the wall across the room when he squeezed my hand. It was very weak to the point that I almost didn't notice it, but then he did it.
The tube in his throat prevented him from speaking but he still tried which caused him to start coughing.
"Tati!" I called her name, waking her from her nap. "He's up!"
Tati pushed the call button for a nurse, and three of them came running in the room. "He's awake!"
"Clifford, do you know where you're at?" One of the nurses asked him as the others pressed buttons on machines and wrote notes on pads. It was so much going on I couldn't keep up, but my eyes never left his.
He shook his head, his worried eyes causing mine to water. "You're okay baby." I rubbed his hand.
"Clifford there was an incident. You were shot. You are now in the hospital, okay? Are you in any pain?"
He nodded slightly as he looked around the room and finally looked down at himself. Blood was starting to leak through the gauze on his stomach. He pressed his eyebrows together in confusion.
"Hey," I lifted his chin up so that he was looking at me. "I love you."
I stood next to Clifford's bed holding his hand when I could as the nurses ran various tests. They gave him more medicine for the pain, and changed his gauze. They had to leave him intubated until the doctor could come in and make sure it was safe to remove it, so he couldn't talk to me but his eyes were saying it all. First he was confused, then scared, and then he was pissed. He was fuming actually. His heart rate kept climbing and I tried to rub his face and talk to him to calm him down, which usually worked. But not today.
I knew somebody was going to pay for what happened today.