Diana didn't blame Stokeley for what he did to her, he clearly wasn't himself and Diana knew that. Her husband, Malik, on the other hand thought otherwise. Malik wanted to kill Stokeley which was understandable. Stokeley almost killed the love of Malik's life and he wasn't planning to lose her anytime soon, or ever.
So for her to be in a hospital for a few days for Stokeley's reckless actions, it definitely scared Malik but with Diana insisting she was okay almost comforted him. Almost. Diana struggled to walk in the house they shared, due to the stack of file folders she held in her arms and her purse hanging in her forearm. Kicking her heels off at the door and throwing her keys in the tray next to the door, she was definitely in need of a foot massage.
Diana was only in the hospital for a couple days since she didn't need a lot of treatment because of small injuries that Stokeley left. The injures that she did have could be easily treated with a couple of antibiotics and home remedies.
Hearing the front door slam, Malik rushed from their upstairs bedroom and to the front door. Diana groaned internally, becoming frustrated. She hated the fact that Malik cradled her as if she was a baby but she also had to understand where Malik was coming from. Malik, as he husband, is supposed to be her main supporter and protecter and when he couldn't do that it honestly made him feel less of a man.
The fact that he couldn't be there for his wife messed with his pride but of course he didn't want to admit that to Diana, "Hey baby" Diana smiled as she pecked his lips before he embraced her into a hug. Malik let go from their hug as he held her hand and walked her past the living room and into the kitchen. Malik let go of her hand as he leaned back on the stove with his arms across his chest, while she hopped on the kitchen island swinging her legs back and forth on the edge.
"You seem like you want to talk about something" Diana said getting to the point while playing with the ends of her hair, twirling it around her finger ever so often. Malik scoffed, putting his head down before looking back up at Diana letting her know it was serious. "Baby I think you should stop working at the hospital, you've been there for 3 years-"
Diana interrupted him with a small chuckle falling from her lips making Malik scrunch his eyebrows, he simply wondered what she thought was funny, "Malik I didn't go to school for psychology and psychotherapy just to not put it to use" Diana tried to get him to understand but it just wasn't registering not because he didn't understand it, it's because he didn't wanna hear it. "Look Dee, in these 3 years you have been in many experiences with a lot of them kids but ain't none of them ever make me or you fear for yo life" Malik protested making Diana roll her eyes.
"Baby I love you, and I have been loving you for the past 7 years, but you gotta understand that these kids can't control their actions it's their illnesses that get the best of them—"
"Bullshit!" Malik yelled causing Diana to jump a little at his tone. Diana didn't wanna argue but she did wanna get her point across, Malik sighed realizing he got a little too loud with her "I'm sorry for raising my voice baby but you gotta understand that I almost lost you to your job and that feeling will forever be the scariest shit I'll ever experience" Malik admitted being honest with her and Diana understood that.
"Leek, I get that but me being there gives these kids a sense of hope. I'm not just their therapist I'm more like a mother figure to these kids and even if they don't have mother issues I constantly let them know that I'm there for them. I'm the only one that's hearing them out and listening to their problems, even if it is my job it doesn't feel like that to me and when they pour their hearts out to me I make them feel comfortable to do so." Diana explained hoping he was listening.
Malik rubbed his hand down his waves before sighing. He wanted to be done with this conversation, he just wanted his wife to listen to him but he acts like she wasn't. Diana was fully paying attention to what he said, Malik's problem was that he always wanted to be right. He wanted to be the one to win the argument so they could just go to bed and it be over with but with this subject, Diana wasn't letting it go. "Dee look can you at least consider it-"
"I'm good baby, I'll get to making dinner like I planned" she smiled and hopped off the kitchen island. Diana walked a few steps forward before leaning forward and pecking Malik's cheek and finding her way upstairs to their bedroom and changed her clothes so she could fix them both dinner trying to distract herself from the issue.
—-
Meanwhile at the mental hospital Stokeley was getting ridiculed for what he did to Diana. Everyone loved Diana as if she was their own mother and to know that she was hurt in any way made most blood boil. Billie was the only one defending him and Stokeley couldn't wrap his head on why?
Half of the time Billie would be talking to herself because every time Stokeley and her were together he didn't say a word. Every time some one walked past him they'd mug Stokeley or say some outlandish comments like how they'd wish his mother would burn alive or how they'd kill him in his sleep, but Billie said something back before he could. It wasn't like Stokeley was talking much these days anyway.
"Stoke you can't blame yourself forever" Billie said as she toyed with a unstitched string on her gray sweatshirt. Again, Stokeley said nothing which was becoming something that Billie was getting use to. She hated hearing her own voice in a conversation, it made her seem more insane than she already was. Billie was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder at the age of 14, once her mother found out about her diagnosis she immediately felt unsafe and uncomfortable with her child and sent her to the mental hospital.
Being here for the last 3 years taught Billie a lot about her illness and how dangerous she could get, but somedays the bad parts of her would surface. The parts she couldn't control.
She'd be damned if she let Stokeley see that side of her, she despised her terrible parts and she wished she didn't have the illness at all but the lesson that Diana wanted to teach her was so simple but Billie just wasn't trying to hear it.
You can't control the inevitable.
Diana taught Billie, actually, all of her patients that no medicine can control the real monster.. inevitability. No medicine on God's green earth could control something that is bound to happen but what Diana wasn't trying to say that they shouldn't be content with this ideal they should do everything in their power to control it but if they couldn't, she wanted to let them know that it wouldn't be their fault.
That's why the kids adored Diana so much because she gave them the truth but she also tried to help them control it in the process and that's all they could ask for.
Billie and Stokeley sat in the dayroom with Billie laying down on the couch with her upper body resting on the arm of the couch while her legs sat in Stokeley's lap since he was sitting up on the end. Stokeley just simply looked over at Billie ignoring her comment and going back to staring at the coffee table that sat in front of them.
As both of them sat content in silence someone walked in that Stokeley had seen many times while he was in here but only interacted with him once. Jahseh walked around the room and stopped at the bookshelf that was next to the TV, examining all the books they had. His back was turned but Billie knew exactly who he was she'd spoken with him before but somehow she never got a chance to tell Stokeley.
"Aye Jah" Billie called getting Jahseh's attention making him turn around and give her a small smile. Stokeley, confused by all of this, scrunches his eyebrows in confusion at Billie and she gives him the 'I'll tell you about it later' look. "Wassup Billie-" Jahseh paused as he looked over at Stokeley.
"Ain't that the nigga that beat on Miss D?" Jahseh asked recognizing Stokeley, making Stoke smack his lips irritated. "Jah don't start please" Billie said in a annoyed tone making Jahseh look back and forth between Billie and Stokeley before dropping it. Jahseh was about to walk away but then turned around making on of the boldest decisions thus far. Talking to Stokeley.
"Look, I know everybody ain't fucking with you right now cus' of what you did to Miss D" Stokeley wasn't even listening he was just playing with the many of short dreads in his hair but he let Jahseh continue on, "But if Billie one of the nicest of us crazy muthafuckas in here can fuck with you, then I'm sure I can give you a chance" Stokeley chuckled at his last line.
'Give him a chance?' Stokeley didn't need a strangers approval. Some boy Stokeley has met on a few occasions and every interaction they had was negative thought Stokeley needed his 'chance' or approval on anything. It was an insult to Stoke and gave Stokeley amusement, "Look, I can tell you don't know me but" Stokeley said purposely imitating Jahseh's voice from the first line he said.
Jahseh wasn't phased by Stokeley's immaturity but he let him keep talking, "ion really give a fuck bout what you gotta say" Stokeley said causing Billie to roll her eyes. Why couldn't anyone get along.
"Stoke don't-"
"Nah blue, this nigga don't know me so lemme introduce myself" Stokeley said calling Billie by her nickname that he gave her since her blue hair stood out the most when they met. Billie moved her legs from Stokeley's lap as she prepared for the train wreck that was Stokeley Goulbourne.
______
Idk if I shoulda ended it there or not but I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible.
How's life been?
Diana and Malik's argument? What y'all think?
Billie and Stokeley's blooming friendship?
Will Jahseh and Stokeley ever be cool?
Until next update ‼️
Sincerely, Tori