The whole time Josiah was at work, inmates came up to him begging for drugs ,and he couldn't focus much because his phone kept vibrating. He also couldn't stop thinking about Bailey and their talk last night. Unlike KoKo, she actually listened to him and could hold an intellectual conversation. Once Josiah clocks out and gets into his car, his phone vibrates for the 13th time and once again it's Giovanni.
"Goddamn G, you know I've been at work. Why you keep calling me?"
"It's Granny, she fell and she's at the hospital. I'm sending you the location now." Gio says before hanging up.
Clicking the location, Josiah starts speeding to the hospital; only slowing down when a police car gets behind him with the lights on.
"Shit, not this too!!" He yells and slams his hand on the steering wheel.
Josiah pulls his wallet out of the arm rest and gets his license then gets his insurance from the glove compartment box; a blunt falling out in the process. He hurriedly rolls it under the passenger's seat and acts normal.
"Hello sir, do you know how f... JoJo, what the hell you doing? I should've know it was you in this orange ass car." Officer Mack smiles, shaking Josiah's hand.
"Aye get off my car and I'm tryna get to the hospital. My grandma fell and I need to make sure she's okay."
"Well turn ya emergency lights on so you work get pulled over again. I hope she's alright. Be easy."
Officer Mack returns back to his car so Josiah does as he told him and starts back driving to the hospital. Josiah lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and is grateful that it was Mack that pulled him over. Him and Mack used to chill when they were younger until Josiah's grandma found out that Mack was gay. Since she's through the roof religious, she made sure to keep her grandsons away from him so they wouldn't get any "sinful"'ideas. Making it to the hospital, Josiah parks his car and calls Giovanni.
"Aye bruh, I'm walking in now. Come down and get me."
By the time Josiah pushes past the crowded waiting room, he's faced to face with his brother Giovanni who has tears in his eyes.
"So what happened to her?" Josiah asks as he hugs his brother and follows him to the elevator.
"Ion know yet, she just came out of surgery. Her arm was broken, bone sticking out the skin...I'm waiting on her to wake up so she can tell us how it happened. Her and Mrs. Mary was supposed to bake pies today and granny had the door open while she was baking like she always do. Mrs. Mary found her passed out, called 911 then called me. Said she didn't have yo number."
Josiah nods his head trying to process everything that his brother just said. Making it into his grandma's room, he sees her with an IV in her healthy arm and a cast on the other one.
"Awww granny, how'd you do this to yourself?" Josiah asks while sitting in a chair and holding his grandma's hand. "On the bright side, you're quiet for the first time ever."
Josiah and Giovanni spend multiple hours talking about girls, their memories, and the drug market; only being quit when they hear their grandma's voice.
"Get this shit off me." She says hoarsely, nodding her head at the IV.
"You gotta keep it in, Grams." Giovanni laughs softly.
"The hell if I do! NURSE!!!! NURSE!!!"
A nurse that was passing by the open door makes a sharp right into the room when she hears Hattie's calls for help.
"Is everything okay, ma'am?"
"Shit naw, get this thang outta my arm. I gotta get back home and finish cooking. I ain't got time to be laid in here all damn night. Hurry up Na."
"Granny, don't talk to her like that... Nurse, excuse her. She's missing a few brain cells. She can't control her mouth." Josiah smiles, letting the nurse know that his grandma is crazy.
"It's fine, sir."
The nurse checks Hattie's vitals then goes to talk to the doctor, finally returning with discharge papers.
"Now Mrs. Payne, you need to take it easy with that arm which I know will be hard since it's your dominant one. Eventually you'll have to come back for therapy but we'll let you know, after it's time for the cast to come off. We're gonna get you into this wheelchair after you sign your papers and your grandsons can get you home. You can pick up your prescription at the drug store. " The doctor says, handing Hattie a pen and the papers.
"Yeah yeah, I know." Hattie scoffs while struggling to sign the papers with her left hand. "And I don't need no damn wheelchair! Do I look handicapped to you?...You know what, don't answer that."
"JoJo, you gone have to drive us to grandma's. I got dropped off." Giovanni says as they walk over to Josiah's car.
After the nurse helps Hattie into the passenger's seat of the car, she disappears back into the hospital while Giovanni lifts Josiah's seat up and climbs into the back.
"Aite na, slow this ugly ass car down." Hattie tells Josiah.
"Grandma, could you please just enjoy the ride? Matter of fact, tell us how you broke your arm."
"Well I was baking me some pies and I dropped some butter on the floor. I planned to pick it up but I kept getting distracted. Walked back through and slipped on that damn melted butter, I started falling hard and hit my head on the stove. I guess I hit the ball of my elbow on the way down, that's why the bone was out."
"You gotta be more careful or we gone put you in the nursing home. You can't be scaring us like that! You know you're all we got." Giovanni says from the backseat.
"Gio, the day y'all put me in the nursing home, I'm gone commit suicide and haunt y'all for the rest of y'all lives. Whatever y'all do ima be right there watching. Just imagine fucking one of them skanks y'all be with then turning around and seeing my ghost floating around. Gone shit y'all selves."
The rest of the ride is spent with Hattie running her mouth like always until she eventually falls asleep. Josiah takes that as his opportunity to leave her and Gio in the car while he gets her medicine from the drug store then returns to the car.
"Wake up granny, you're home now." Josiah says, softly touching her shoulder.
"Boy I'm up, stop touching me." She scoffs, waiting for somebody to open the door. "Open this door and hurry up cause I'm hungry."
Jogging around the passenger's side, Josiah opens her door and helps her into the house, making her sit down on the couch; turning the television on for her.
"What you want us to go get you to eat?" Gio asks as he brings in her pills.
"Don't go get me nothing. I got food here, it just need to be cooked. JoJo, gone in there and make me some collard greens, corn bread, and fried chicken."
"Alright." Josiah says, laughing when he hears his brother and grandma's conversation.
"Damn grams, why you didn't want me to cook it?"
"Cause you don't know how to cook, Giovanni. While you was out there showing ya ass in them streets, ya brother was here with me learning how to cook. He was doing so good till you drug him into yo mess like you always do. Now don't ask me nothing else, sit down and watch good times with me."
"My bad." Giovanni says, guiltily.
Everything Hattie said was the truth, every time Josiah turned around his brother was in the streets getting caught up while he was helping his grandma. He's glad that he always cooked with her because now he'll always be able to cook himself a meal. Cooking with his grandma all those times, is one of the reason why they have such a strong bond. Although she doesn't claim favorites, everyone that knows the family knows that Josiah is her favorite. She'd do anything for him and he'd do the same for her.
As Josiah is cooking their food, his phone starts vibrating and it's a message from the person he least expected: Bailey.
Bailey: So when are we going to finish that talk? Tonight? 🤔
Josiah: Awww you miss me huh?
Bailey: I actually don't. We had a good conversation and I want to finish it..that's all🤷🏽♀️
Josiah: you lying, you miss me and my lips on yo neck😏 but nah fr, I'm cooking for my grandma right now because she broke her arm earlier and had surgery. If you really wanna talk, you can come over here. She talk a lot of shit though so you better bring ya A game.
Bailey: Oh no! I don't wanna intrude but I'll pray that she has a speedy recovery.
Josiah: You could just spend the night at my place. We can talk all night if you want to.
Bailey: HELL NAW!😂 I just wanted to hear more about your life but we'll just talk another time. I'm actually about to go to sleep because I have a long drive home tomorrow.
Josiah: I knew you wasn't from here. I could tell by the way you talk and carry yourself. So where exactly is home?
Bailey: Jackson, Mississippi
Josiah never would've guessed that Bailey is from Mississippi. It's crazy how she's all the way in New Orleans.
He's got to figure out what made her come there.