Chapter 13
I love you, but I won't be a fool for you... Ciara, "I Bet"
Nurse Katy Ann trolled through the patients’ hallway of the hospital. Visitation hours were long over due. She had an underling hate when it came time to break the news to families about the visitation hours and demands that can with them. Although, it was one of the bitter sweet moments that came with her title, she made sure to deliver a strong and confidence presence.
Mama Jingles gazed at her platinum Coach Boyfriend Watch that was once a gift from Casey. She was wearing it on her left wrist to compliment her in mirror metallic leather Coach Designer Nolita Wristlet. She peeped the time before she kissed Casey goodbye. She gave her a tender kiss on her forehead. Talisha had already had her wanting to really embarrass her in front of her invited company. So, she decided to make her thoughts known, since she was ready to end the tragic night.
“It’s time to be leaving y’all. That nurse lady will be in here any time now, and before she have to tell me any damn thing. I’m leaving, before she can fix her mouth find the words to tell me goodnight. Come on Cavon. Kiss your mama good night and we will be right back here first thing in the morning.” she insisted as she waited for Cavon to kiss his mother goodbye.
Mama Jingles pursed her lips in Talisha’s direction and told Raymond and his daughter goodnight. She ignored Talisha’s presence on purpose as she walked out of the door and waited for Cavon.
“Wait, so your Mama J. acting bad tonight, huh?” Raymond joked as he thought about how Mama Jingles didn’t tell Talisha goodnight.
“I could care less about her and her spiteful ways Raymond. She really do not want to hear what I really have to say to her old ass. I would hurt her damn feelings.” She snapped back and said at Raymond’s messy comment.
Raymond smiled and nodded his head. Knowing the type of female he was dealing with, he rather had not test Talisha’s wicked ways.
Talisha waited as her nephew kiss her sister goodbye. Cavon parted ways with his mother and made his way to the door behind his great grandmother. Tears were then starting to form in streams down her face. The experience was still surreal to her. Seeing Casey in God knows what condition laying in front of her in a hospital bed was just too much to witness. A two-way love affair left her in the hospital fighting for her life silently after a deadly situation. She imagine how much pain her lil’ sister could have been in before she came into the hospital. As if only Raymond could have read her thoughts he stood by her side and rubbed her back to comfort her.
“Baby, crying won’t change the situation that she is in. I’m not trying to sound like an asshole or anything like that. I just don’t want you constantly crying over your sister. She is a fighter and she will make it through this. Believe me. Revenge on Everton and Warren won’t heal her wounds any faster either baby.” He said as she still faced her sister in her deep sleep.
*****
Nurse Katy Ann walked in on Talisha and Raymond and his daughter.
“You guys do know that visitation hours have ended? Am I correct?” She asked in a stern tone.
“Yes, we know. We are leaving right now. There is no need to rush us.” Raymond answered the nurse back in the same tone.
“I just told your family member’s goodnight. I was heading in here to make sure that you are not planning on spending the night here. I can reassure you that Casey will be just fine and she will be in great hands. Visitation tomorrow will be from 9:00am sharp to 8:30pm.”
Talshia wiped away her tears. She smiled at the nurse with a fake smile and made her way to the door. She walked passed the nurses’ station feeling judged from the LPN who cut her eyes at her. The LPN was brown skin complected with jet black boxed braids. She looked a bit familiar, but she couldn’t place her face once she looked up from her computer in her direction. Talshia smacked her teeth at the LPN. Raymond picked up Farea’ and followed right Talisha’s lead without saying another word to the nurse Katey Ann. Raymond followed her lead pass the nurses station and locked eyes with his baby mama’s lil’ sister. Who was the LPN.
The LPN stood behind her computer and flaunted her waist length box braids. She just had to end the night with a special closing appearance for Raymond.
“Look at my niece!” she said with joy as Raymond tried to ignore her petty comment.
Farea’ smiled big with a sleepy daze in her eyes. Raymond turned around still holding his daughter and said, “Not tonight lil’ sister. I’m going to keep it professional in here ‘cause I know what you already about.”
The LPN name was Stacy. She walked from behind her desk and made her way into the hall way away from the station. Her co-workers smiled knowing that Stacy was known for her phony ways in the hospital. She was a very hard core street chick. She couldn’t shake her persona in the work place and all her co-workers knew it too. Raymond and her never saw eye to eye, but she knew he had a thing for her. They had sex a few times before her sister, Salen announced that she was two months pregnant with her niece. During that time, the love affair that they kept behind close doors was on the edge. She had threatened him to leave her sister numerous of occasions. Raymond had no clue how many times she talked to her sister about getting an abortion, because she wanted her sister to do better. When Raymond was “better”. Raymond gave her big sister the life that she longed for. Her sister, Salen was the first for everything in their immediate family. She was the daughter that their mother admired the most out of her four children. She was the first to graduate from high school, the first to go to college, and the first to find a man who loved her. Stacy envied her sister, but loved the woman that she grew to be. Raymond came into her sister’s life with the intentions of being her husband and the father of her child. Stacy had to step in and bring hell to her sister’s ghetto Uptown fairy tale life story.
Raymond was worried about Talisha’s feelings. Talisha turned around before stepping onto the elevator to leave. Her mind was already shattered. She had no where to lay her head for the night. She no longer had her personal belongings or any more clothes to where. The house that her sister own and where she once called their home had become crime a scene. She turned back around to see where was Raymond and Farea’. She walked back towards the nurse’s station. Raymond stood in the LPN’s face with an expression that explained enough to Talisha.
Stacy placed her hands on her wide hips that her lavender scrub complimented nicely. Talisha didn’t give a damn if she was about to get extra in the hospital or not. Things where about to get sour, real quick!
“You think you are going to have me lookin’ like some type of fool tonight in this hospital Raymond, then you are sadly mistaken baaaaby. I don’t know and don’t give a damn who this chick is that you call yourself having a life time conversation with, but tonight is not the night!”
Raymond stared at Talisha with a confused and sarcastic look. Stacy opened her mouth before Raymond could find the words to say and said with a spicy attuide right back, “I can easily have you escorted off of this floor and out of this hospital, so please don’t pressure me love. If Raymond hasn’t told you about me then I will. I am Salen’s lil’ sister. If he hasn’t told you about her, which he probably hasn’t found the time to, well that’s his baby mama and ex. fiancé
Farea’ wanted to go home and wanted to sleep. She pulled on her daddy’s dreads to leave, because she never wanted to see her step-mama Talisha get upset.
Talisha looked at Stacy’s co-workers behind the nurses’ station and back at her. “I bet all your co-workers would love to see me whoop yo’ ass and hand it to them on a clip board. You better thank God that I’m pregnant ‘cause I really don’t have mercy fo’ no bitch talkin’ to me like you running shit up in here.”
Stacy looked at Raymond surprised and back at her co-workers, who acted as if they didn’t here a word Talisha said.
“So just because you pregnant for my brother-in-law, I am sapose to feel like you don’t pose a threat. You are pregnant for the same man, who tasted everything I have to offer, but my cooking.” She laughed and shooked her head back and forth as she walked back behind her desk.
“Stacy you real petty. You are real petty.” Raymond shot back as he walked past the nurses station with his daughter.
Talisha followed him and said, “Don’t you speak to me or visit my sister until you can keep your lies in order.”