Read Quiet As It's Kept Online
Authors: Monique Miller
Quiet As It's Kept (13 page)
“Ci Ci. It is you,” the woman said. “And this is your cute little baby. Ah, he is cute and he does look like you. Wow, he looks just likeâ”
Morgan cut the woman off. “Excuse me, but my name isn't Ci Ci. You must have me mistaken with someone else.”
The woman did a double take and put a hand on her hip. “Excuse you? Ci Ci, how you gonna act like that? It's me, Sharon, from James Kenan High School. We cheered together in ninth grade. I was the base for all of those pyramids we formed in the cheers. And I held you up many a day.”
“I'm sorry, Miss . . . Sharon, is it? My name isn't Ci Ci. I am so sorry you have me mistaken for someone else.” Morgan turned her attention back to the baby's bag, pulling out two jars of baby food.
Will watched the exchange between the woman and his wife. Morgan had basically dismissed the woman. She ignored the woman as she continued to stand there.
“Oh, is that how it is now? I see how it is, you get a little money and fix yourself up and now you don't have time for us little people anymore.” The woman shook her head. “You can act like you all that now, but in my eyes you will always be Ci Ci Jackson from the other side of the tracks.” The woman held her bags closer. “Humph. Good riddance to you.” She walked off in a huff.
After the woman was gone Morgan shook her head. “You never know when you are going to meet crazy people nowadays. I guess they let them out sometimes to shop in the mall.” She laughed at her own joke.
“That was weird,” Will said.
“I agree. You know they say everyone has a twin. Obviously she has me mixed up with someone else.”
Will shook his head. He'd seen stranger things in his life. He turned his attention back to the papers next to his plate. Morgan opened up the jars of baby food and offered some to the baby. The baby tasted the food and then spit it back out. When Morgan tried to give him more food, he squeezed his mouth shut and shook his head, refusing. He reached for Will's plate.
Morgan stared at Will. “What in the world? He doesn't want these green beans and sweet potatoes. These are his favorite.” She made another attempt to give the baby some of his food. This time he swatted the spoon away from his mouth, causing sweet potatoes to splatter all over Morgan's face and shirt.
“Great.” Morgan took a napkin and wiped her face.
Will held his breath, knowing that his wife was going to get upset about her clothing getting dirty.
In one of the sweetest, calmest voices he had ever heard Morgan speak in, she said, “Isaiah, honey, Mommy is just trying to feed you.” She stood and kissed his forehead. She looked at Will. “Baby, can you try while I run to the bathroom and see if I can get at least some of this off of me?”
“Sure, honey.”
Morgan picked her purse up and went to the bathroom. Will tried to feed the baby, but he continued to refuse the food. He made sure to keep it away from the baby's hand so as not to get green beans on his suit. The last thing he wanted was either to be late for the interview, or to make it on time for the interview with green smudges on his dress shirt and suit.
Hoping Morgan wouldn't return too soon, Will mixed a little of the greens in with the potatoes and fed them to the baby. Isaiah ate the food quickly, as if sensing he needed to do so before his mother returned. And, although he knew it was wrong, Will took some of the baby food out of the jars, hid it in some napkins, and balled them up to make it look like the baby had eaten some of his food. By the time Morgan returned, Isaiah was drinking his sippy cup of formula.
Morgan blotted her shirt with a dry napkin. She smiled when she saw that the baby had eaten his baby food. “Now that's a good boy.” Isaiah smiled back up at his mom.
Will looked down at his watch. His interview was in less than an hour. He closed up the container with his remaining food. “I need to go ahead and head over to my interview.”
Morgan looked at her own watch. “Oh, yeah. I didn't realize it was so late.” She helped him pick up his papers. “I'll take the rest of this food home and save it for later.”
Will stood and adjusted his suit jacket. Morgan stood, closing the distance between them. She straightened his tie and removed a piece of lint from his shirt. “Honey, I know you are going to knock those people off their feet. I am sure none of the candidates will even come close to your qualifications. And you'll be back in the workforce in no time.”
“Thanks, baby.” Will appreciated the boost of confidence his wife was offering to him. He needed to hear that she believed in him; too often he felt like she didn't have his back when it came to believing in him. He knew it was because of the strain their marriage had been going through. “I appreciate you for believing in me.”
Morgan gave him a lingering kiss on his lips. When she pulled away she looked him directly in his eyes and said, “Honey, I know that after today your luck will go in a whole other direction. I can feel it.”
“I don't know about luck, but I pray that God's favor will grant us the changes we need.”
Morgan turned and gathered up the food containers to put them back in the bags they'd come in. Then she picked up the baby bag and baby. “We'll walk you out.”
They passed by a trash can and Will threw the napkins and their drinks into it. When they passed a pole separating two tables, Will said, “Bread and butter?”
Morgan replied, “Huh?”
“Bread and butter. Aren't you going to say it? You normally do when a pole splits us.”
Normally Morgan was superstitious about things like opening an umbrella in the house, stepping on cracks in the sidewalk, and walking around the opposite side of a pole from Will. She would rather walk around the same side of the pole, and when Will refused to do so, she always said “bread and butter.” He figured that maybe his wife was finally dropping her superstitious ways.
“Nah, no need to say that right now.”
When they got to their cars, Morgan said, “I wish you luck, baby.”
“Wish me favor, honey,” Will said.
Morgan laughed. “Honey, you can be so silly sometimes. I love you.”
Will put his arms around his wife and son. “I love you two also.” He kissed his son on his forehead and kissed Morgan again on her lips.
“Okay, I gotta go if I'm going to get there a little early.” He unlocked his SUV and got in.
“Knock 'em dead, baby,” Morgan said.
He waved at his wife, watching her in the rearview mirror. She smiled at him, looking on as he drove away.
Will pulled onto the interstate and figured it would take him about fifteen minutes to get to his destination. He'd then have about five minutes to go back over the information he'd researched about the company, and then that would allow him to be at least ten minutes early for the appointment. If he was early enough, he might even be able to see the candidate interviewing before him as he or she was leaving.
He switched lanes, passing a dump truck that was going under the speed limit, and then passed another car that was also going slower than the flow of traffic. He needed to slow down when he approached another SUV that was tailing another car as it waited for its chance to pass, but when Will placed his foot on the brake, it didn't budge. He pressed and pressed, but the brake pedal didn't want to be depressed.
Will panicked as he tried to swerve around the SUV. To his right was a compact car. To his left was the cement barrier separating the shoulder of the road from the three lanes of traffic going in the opposite direction on the other side of the road. He placed his hand on the emergency brake and pulled it up, but that only caused him to swerve to the right, barely missing the compact car. He then slammed into the cement barrier. Will squeezed his eyes shut as he spun out, crashing over and over again.
Chapter 15
Will's eyes fluttered open as he wondered why sunlight was pouring into his bedroom so brightly. He wondered what time it was and what day it was. The ceiling wasn't familiar. Instead of seeing the ceiling fan from his bedroom, he saw a bright light above him. His head hurt and he tried to lift his hand to rub his forehead, but it felt as if something was holding it down.
He closed his eyes again, wondering why he had such a bad headache. The first and last time he'd had a headache this bad was when he was a freshman in college. He'd gone to a party off campus and had some alcohol for the first time. He'd always been the model son at home with his parentsâalways getting good grades, helping out around the house, volunteering in the communityâbut when he got to college he wanted to change his good-boy image. And he felt like drinking what had seemed like a keg of beer would help him do that.
Boy, had he been wrong. After the first few cups of beer, he ended up so drunk and dizzy that he couldn't remember what else had happened that night. But the next morning he had felt so bad that he thought he was going to die. He'd even gone to the infirmary at school, hoping the doctors there could help him. He was too embarrassed to tell the doctor that he was getting over a drinking binge from the night before. His body felt so bad that he had even hoped that he would die so that he could be put out of his misery. But God had not been so kind to him. He'd had to endure the nausea, vomiting, and the throbbing headache.
As Will lay there trying to get out of bed, he didn't have any nausea and didn't feel like he had to vomit, but his head sure did hurt. He tried to sit up, but as he did his chest hurt also. He groaned and then heard Morgan.
“Oh, baby, are you okay?”
He opened his eyes again. He saw his wife leaning over him, blocking the bright light. Will wondered if he had overslept. Why else would Morgan be asking if he was okay?
He tried to speak, but when he tried to open his mouth he found that it hurt too. The only sound that came out was a raspy, “Hey.” He tried to wet his lips but his throat was dry.
Morgan placed her hand on his forehead and caressed it. “Don't try to move, honey. Let me call the nurse.”
Listening to what she said, Will didn't try to move anymore, feeling that this was good advice since every time he tried to move his body hurt. He couldn't imagine what might happen if he tried to move his legs also.
“Yes, how can I help you?”
Will heard someone who sounded like she was on some sort of intercom. He was confused, and tried to answer. “Huh?”
“Shh, Will,” he heard Morgan say. “Yes, this is Mrs. Tracy in room three-eleven. My husband is waking up. Can you please send his nurse in here?”
Nurse?
Will thought.
Did Morgan just say something about a nurse?
Will thought.
Did Morgan just say something about a nurse?
Will turned his eyes toward Morgan and furrowed his eyebrows. She looked worriedly into his eyes as he heard someone come into the room.
“Mr. Tracy, how are you feeling? My name is Alexis and I'm your nurse for tonight.”
“He keeps trying to talk, but he is having a hard time,” Morgan said.
Will tried to lick his lips. The next thing he knew, he felt a straw in his mouth. He sucked and felt cold water trickling down his throat. It was the best feeling in the world. He sucked and sucked until he could tell that he had emptied the cup.
“Mr. Tracy, you were in a car accident. You are in the hospital, and from the tests we've run so far it looks as if you were pretty lucky. You've only got a couple of cracked ribs.” The nurse chuckled. “And from what I hear, you must have had a guardian angel watching you, because your SUV was totaled.”
With those words from the nurse, the memory of the accident flooded back to him. The last thing he remembered was spinning around in his truck and praying that God would protect him. He closed his eyes again, thanking the Lord. When he opened them, tears welled in his eyes because God had protected him from death.
“Thank the Lord my husband is okay,” Will heard Morgan say.
Again Will attempted to speak. “Isaiah?”
“Isaiah is with Phillip downstairs,” Morgan said.
Again, Will was baffled. And as if Morgan could read his thoughts, she said, “Shelby was the one who called me and told me about your accident. She was here, working in the emergency room when you came in. She called Phillip after she called me. He came right over. We've been waiting for hours for you to wake up.”
Will knew he was blessed with life, with good friends, and with his loving wife. He couldn't help but be overcome with joy. Tears continued to well in his eyes until they finally seeped out to stream down his face.
Will felt Morgan take his hand.
“Oh my goodness, Alexis, he is crying. He must be in pain,” Morgan said.
He squeezed her hand, beckoning her to look at him. When she did, he made his best attempt to smile, and figured it must have worked because Morgan smiled back at him.
“Mr. Tracy, you are probably going to be pretty sore for the next few days. The doctor wants us to monitor you overnight and run a few more tests. If everything turns out fine, then you'll be able to go home tomorrow. In the meantime, do you want some pain medication?”
Will nodded.
“I'll get you some. I'm sure you must be pretty sore right now, and your head probably hurts too. You did hit your head, but the tests show you didn't have any damage other than the bruises from your head hitting the air bag.” Alexis squeezed his forearm. “I'll be right back.”
“Thank you, Alexis,” Morgan said, then she turned her attention back to Will. “Honey, I was so scared when I heard the news. I don't know how I drove all the way to the hospital without getting Isaiah and me into our own accident. But thanks be to the Lord for looking after us all.”
For a second Will wondered if the pain medication was making him hallucinate, because he had never in his life heard Morgan be so spiritual and thankful to God. But then he also realized that a brush with death could bring anyone to the realization that life is precious, and a relationship with the Lord cannot be taken for granted. And God certainly had a way of getting people's attention.
Will heard a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Morgan said.
“Hey, hey. Can somebody please tell me what is wrong with this picture?” Will heard the voice of his best friend, then saw him as Phillip looked down at him.
“Sit up,” Will did his best to whisper, and hoped Morgan understood what he said. The next thing he knew he felt the head of the bed being raised. His head, back, and chest hurt as the back of the bed was elevated. He moaned and urged her to continue raising his back until he was at a comfortable level. Phillip helped Morgan put pillows behind his head.
Will chose his words carefully, as if selectively abbreviating in a text message. “Water.” There was no need to say extra words that were only going to make his throat hurt worse with each syllable. And as it turned out, his choice of word had been sufficient. Morgan poured more water into his cup, and he drank through the straw again like a man in the desert.
Once finished, his mouth didn't feel so dry and his throat didn't hurt as much. “Hey, man. So what you been up to?” Will asked as if they'd just happened to see each other in the grocery store.
“Watching my godson,” Phillip said. “And before you ask, he is fine. Shelby just got off and she's touring him around the hospital, introducing him to all of her co-workers.”
“Thank you,” Will said.
“Yeah, thanks, Phillip, for watching Isaiah for us,” Morgan said.
“No problem, I just wish it were under different circumstances,” Phillip said.
“Me too,” Will agreed.
The nurse returned with the pain medication. “Okay, Mr. Tracy, this pain medication might make you a little drowsy. But you should be able to sleep pretty well with it. I'll come back to check on you in an hour or so. But if you all need anything before then, don't hesitate to push the call button.”
“Thanks, Alexis,” Will said.
“Will, honey, I'm going to go to the bathroom down the hall. I'll be back in a few minutes.” Morgan turned her attention to Phillip. “Would you mind staying with him for a few minutes until I get back?”
“Sure, no problem.”
After Morgan left, Phillip rolled his eyes. “Is she serious? Do I mind staying with you for a few moments while she steps out?”
“I don't know, man, I think so.”
“Okay, sorry, I don't mean to roll my eyes at your wife. Let's change the subject. You gave us a scare. Man, when Shelby called me I couldn't move fast enough to get over here to see about you.”
“Where are P.J. and Nyah?”
“They are at home. Taren is here for a week and it just worked out that he was already there. He's watched the kids a couple of times before by himself, so they should all be fine. The kids love it when their big brother comes to visit, so I am sure they are all having a ball staying up way past their bedtime,” Phillip said, talking about the son he'd had from a previous relationship in college.
“I'm sorry about that.”
“Don't worry, Shelby is going to go home after I leave from here, and kids are resilient. One night of losing a little sleep won't hurt them.”
“Man, Alexis wasn't joking when she said this medication might make me sleepy. I am getting tired already.”
“Well, I'm not going to stay long, I just wanted to check on you and let you know we are praying for you.”
“Thanks, P.T. It sounds like the Lord was looking out for me. I don't know what happened. I mean, one minute I was driving, smooth sailing down the freeway on my way to a job interview, then the next moment I was coming up pretty fast on another car. I tried to slow down, but when I hit the brakes they failed. I swerved to one side and almost hit another family in their car, then I swerved to the left and hit the cement barrier. The next thing I knew I was spinning and praying to God to protect me. The rest, as they say, is history.”
“Shelby knows a policeman who was at the accident. He said that you were lucky not only to be alive, but to have gotten away with only a few bruises and a few cracked ribs,” Phillip said.
Will yawned. The medication was making his eyes heavy.
“But your brakes didn't fail, Will.”
“Humph?” Will asked in a mumbled moan.
“The officer said there was a baby toy lodged underneath the brake. That is probably why you were unable to brake while you were driving.”
“A toy?” Will thought he'd heard Phillip say something about a toy being under his brake, but wasn't sure. He just needed to rest a little, and then he'd ask him again what he'd said. It felt good to close his heavy eyes. And he drifted off to sleep.
Other books
Ride Out The Storm by John Harris
The First Last Day by Dorian Cirrone
Suzanne Robinson by The Rescue
Left for Dead: A gripping psychological thriller by Deborah Rogers
Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart
One Crazy Ride by Stone, Emily
The Body in the Landscape (A Cherry Tucker Mystery Book 5) by Larissa Reinhart
The Return of Elliott Eastman by Ryan, Ignatius
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
I Am Abraham by Charyn, Jerome
