Snapped (Urban Renaissance) (22 page)

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Authors: Tina Brooks McKinney

BOOK: Snapped (Urban Renaissance)
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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
 
ANGIE SIMPSON
 
I opened my eyes and realized I was in Grady Memorial Hospital. I recognized this place because I had to research its trauma center for a term paper last semester. Then it dawned on me:
Trauma center? What the fuck?
I tried to sit up, but the agonizing pain that shot through every inch of my body caused me to sit my ass still. I didn’t even want to breathe too deep after that shit.
One by one I started noticing things. A morphine drip hung over my head to the left; an intravenous drip to the right. Then I remembered the fire and my skin crawled. I really didn’t want to do it, but I had to know. I peeked under my sheet and started to cry. Most of my body was covered with bandages.
A nurse came into the room, carrying a bedpan. “You’re back with us.” She started checking my vitals, then noticed my tears and handed me a tissue.
“I’m hurting.”
“I would imagine so with seventy-five percent of your body burned. God was with you because He saved this pretty face of yours.” She tinkered with my morphine drip and the pain instantly went away.
I remembered asking for God’s help as I ran through the fire. I didn’t remember anything after that. “How long have I been here?”
“Twenty-one days and counting. You’re healing well. With some physical therapy, you’ll get along just fine.”
“My parents,” I said. “I need to see my parents.”
The nurse checked her watch. “It’s two o’clock now. They’ve been here like clockwork every day at five o’clock since your accident.”
Two men walked into my room. They both wore cheap suits and worn-down walking shoes.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” the nurse said. “She just came out of a coma. She hasn’t even seen the doctor yet.”
The white man with a coffee stain on his Tasmanian Devil-printed tie stepped up. “Nurse Graham, we’ll only be a minute.”
I saw the bulge of guns under their suit jackets, and gold badges clipped to their waists.
Nurse Graham said, “Every time you come here you ask for a minute and take twenty, as if you have no concern for the patient. I’m going to get the doctor. When I get back, you two have to leave.”
“Fair enough,” the other guy said.
Nurse Graham left the room.
The guy with the Tasmanian Devil tie said, “I’m Detective Adams, and this is my partner, Detective Lyle.”
Detective Lyle waved. “Glad to see you pulled through.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling like I was in trouble about something.
Detective Adams looked at my morphine drip. “You must be feeling pretty good, Ms. Simpson. They got you on the good stuff.”
If he was attempting to be funny, I missed the damn joke.
“Let me tell you what we know,” Detective Lyle said, sitting in the chair beside my bed. “There was an accelerant used to burn your house to the ground. My guess is gasoline, but we won’t know that for sure until our lab results come back.”
Detective Adams stroked his mustache. “I really don’t think it was a suicide attempt on your part because you were found by Atlanta PD in your backyard, unless it was suicide motivated but you chickened out at the last minute.”
Detective Lyle leaned forward. “But what’s been keeping me awake at night is that you were naked. Why? My cop instincts tell me someone left you for dead.”
“The doctors can’t definitively say because of the severity of your burns, but they’re pretty sure you were beaten,” Detective Adams said.
Detective Lyle sighed. “How about you tell us what you know so we can stop guessing.”
I looked between the two as a dose of morphine hit me. If I wanted to lie to make myself look better in this ugly mess, the drugs wouldn’t allow it. “I got in the car with this stranger on Cleveland Avenue. We went back to my place and had sex. We got a little aggressive with each other, and the last thing I remember was him choking me. I woke up and the house was on fire.”
“So you got burned trying to get out?” Detective Adams started taking notes.
I nodded.
“What can you tell me about this stranger, Ms. Simpson?” Detective Lyle said. He too was writing on a notepad.
“His name is Merlin Mills. He’s twenty-two, and he’s stationed at Fort McPherson Army base. He’s six-two, approximately 190 pounds. He drives a 2002 Malibu, brown, with a dent on the back door, passenger side. License plate number is JE619.”
The detectives looked at each other as if they were amazed.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Detective Lyles said. “I’ve been in law enforcement going on twenty-two years, and I’ve never had anyone give me such a thorough description.”
I said, “Maybe because you’ve never asked for a suspect description from a criminal justice major. Would one of you mind getting Nurse Graham for me?” I didn’t like these condesending cops and I wanted them to Leone.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
 
GINA MEADOWS
 
“Babe, I’m at the airport, can you pick me up?”
“Airport? I thought you were going to drive.”
“Something came up and I couldn’t. Are you coming?”
“Yeah, I’m on my way.” Something didn’t feel right about this. Why would Ronald leave his car in Ohio if he intended to move here? What could have come up at the last moment? I tried to push all those warning signs to the back of my mind as I rushed to the car to go pick him up. Once I got in the car, I had to call him back because he hadn’t told me what airline he was at.
“Why won’t he pick up the fucking phone?” I had called him three times, and it kept going straight to voice mail, which either meant he was on the phone or he was ignoring me. Neither scenario left a good taste in my mouth.
Lord, don’
t let this motherfucker try to play me again
. I knew I was wrong for saying “motherfucker” in the same sentence with the Lord’s name, but I was tired of being taken for a ride like a broken-down pony at the fair. Then my phone rang. I answered.
“What’s up, where you at?” Ronald asked, sounding upset.
“I was calling to find out what gate you are at. You didn’t tell me what airline, so I need to know where to find you.” I wanted to ask him so badly why he didn’t answer the first three times, but I also didn’t want to start this visit off with an argument.
“I flew in on Delta. I’ll be at the end of the Delta platform.”
“Okay, I should be there in about fifteen minutes.”
“All right then.” He hung up.
It would have been nice if he said something nice like “I can’t wait to see you” or even better, “I love you, babe.” For a second, I wanted to cry, but I sucked it up. I was going to ride this bike until the wheels fell off. If he tried to play me again, I would know for certain it was over. I was getting too old for this shit.
 
 
“So what happened?” I moved over and allowed Ronald to drive my car.
“I wasn’t able to tie up all my loose ends in Ohio so I decided to fly in, handle the business, and drive back when I was done.”
As explanations go, his sucked. No kiss, no hello, and no “baby, I missed you.” I could have kicked myself for expecting it.
We drove to the house in Alpharetta to do the final walk-through. The house was beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to move in. The Realtor gave Ronald the keys, and Ronald left them with the gatekeepers so they could let the furniture people in.
Ronald said, “We should be ready to move in two weeks from now.”
I didn’t know about Ronald, but I was ready to move in that day. “Where to now?” I asked when we got back in the car. I was all fired up and ready to discuss our plans for the future. Now that he had the keys, I wanted to tell him I could start moving right away and have the house all set up by the time that he got here.
“We need to pick out some furniture.”
I hadn’t thought about that because I assumed we would take the furniture that I already had, but I liked his idea better. My stuff was old. We now had this fantastic house, so it was only fitting that we get new furniture.
 
 
We walked into the furniture store and Ronald said, “Pick out whatever you want, babe.”
It felt like when we first got together, and I was so happy. We got all the rooms furnished, and the furniture would be delivered the following day.
We spent the longest time in the furniture store. The rest of our business didn’t take long to finish. Ronald arranged for cable, electricity, water, and phone service. And the next thing I knew, we were back at the airport. He didn’t even bother to stop by the house for a quickie, which I was really ready for after that vivid dream last week that wore my pussy out.
“Why do you have to leave so soon?” I tried to keep the whining out of my voice, but it wasn’t working. We’d spent so many hours playing out life, but never talked about anything concrete as it related to us.
“I told you, baby, I am on a tight schedule. I’ll be back in two weeks, and we can get everything straight then.” He pulled up to the drop-off point and grabbed his carry-on from the back seat.
I didn’t know why he even bothered to bring a bag, because he didn’t open it one time. I got out of the car and went around to the driver’s side. Ronald kissed me on the forehead and headed inside the terminal.
“What just happened here?” I had a really weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something just didn’t feel right. Ronald and I hadn’t seen each other in months, and all I got from him was a peck on the forehead? What the fuck?
I drove home in a semi-daze with thousands of questions running through my mind. I tried not to think too hard as I finished packing up my house. I’d been packing for three solid days. I wasn’t going to take any of my furniture, but I certainly needed all of my clothes. I also wanted all of my pots and pans. It didn’t make sense to buy that stuff again when the pans that I had worked perfectly fine.
As I was packing a sense of joy filled my spirit, and I forgot about all the misgivings I felt when I was with Ronald earlier. For the moment, I felt like everything was going to be okay. Since it was close to the first of the month, I notified my landlord that I would be moving. My lease had already expired, and he was on notice that my plans were to move, so it was no big deal. I just needed to make sure my place was clean before I left.
I hadn’t seen Gavin in at least a week, but from the looks of it, he was gone. I went into his room to inspect it for any damage and confirmed the fact that he had moved. All of his clothes were gone. “Good, now I don’t have to have that conversation with him.” I started to strip the linen from his bed. I had no intention of taking them to my new house. Underneath his pillow I found a blue thong and a red teddy. I didn’t want to pick them up, so I just smashed them together with the soiled linen and dumped it all into a large trash bag.
Ugh, ain’
t no telling who the tramp was who wore these.
I couldn’t believe that bastard had the nerve to bring one of his whores into my house. I finished clearing out his room and cleaning the bathroom. I was tired, but I still couldn’t rest. I was full of nervous energy. I called the Realtor I’d been working with so closely for months.
“Hey, Dan, it’s Gina Mills.” I loved how the last name Mills sounded coming out of my mouth.
“Hi, Gina. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, listen. I know we said we would move in two weeks from now, but I’ve packed up a lot of things from my old house and I can’t see with the boxes. Is there any way that I can start moving things tomorrow?”
“I’m out of it now. Whatever you decide is fine. That house is sold. Congratulations again.”
I hung up the phone feeling satisfied that I could accomplish something while I was off from work. I would have felt better if I had keys to our new house, but since my credit was less than perfect, I was not listed on the mortgage papers. I would just have to get a copy of the keys from Ronald. I finished packing the rest of my kitchen items and fell asleep, totally exhausted.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
 
COJO MILLS
 
I was skipping work today and going to the doctor’s for the first time without Merlin. It was imperative that I find out if the baby was actually my husband’s. So far, Merlin had not mentioned his fears about raising a child who might belong to his brother, but I was sure he had done the math in his head.
“Lord, please let this baby belong to my husband.” I got up off my knees and started to get dressed. I hated to deceive Merlin in this fashion, but the guilt and shame were killing me. I’d lost weight instead of gaining it, and I knew it was because of the stress.
Even though I knew Merlin knew it was a possibility that the child was not his, he never ever expressed that to me, and that made me love him more than ever, especially since it had not been my intention to cheat on him in the first place. I had gotten tricked.
 
 
“Cojo Mills?” the nurse called out.
I stood up and followed her to the back, even though my nerves were wreaking havoc with me. I knew I was making the right decision by having a CVS, but I hated that I didn’t have the nerve to tell Merlin about it before I did it. The correct medical terminology was Chorionic Villus Sampling. Typically, this test was done to confirm the health of the baby, but it was also used to detect growth abnormalities on the fetus.
“Undress, and put on this robe. The doctor will be in any moment.” The nurse handed me the robe and left.
“Thank you.” I waited until the door was closed and started taking off my clothes. Once again I started praying.
Sweet Jesus, please be with me through this process and make it all right. Please don’
t let me be carrying the son or daughter of my husband’
s brother. Amen.
I got up on the table and waited for the doctor.
“How are you doing, Mrs. Mills?” An Indian doctor came in the room. He was a small man.
“I’d be better if I weren’t spread-eagle on this table in front of you.”
He chuckled. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that before.” He may have thought he was being funny, but I saw no humor in the situation.
His nurse entered the room to assist him with the procedure.
With his strong accent, he said, “This isn’t going to hurt, but it will be a little uncomfortable. I am going to place a catheter through the cervix and take a small tissue sample of the chorion villa cells for biopsy. CVS was used to find genetic disorders but it could also be used to determine the sex of the child. It should only take a minute, so please lie still.”
“How long should it take to learn the results?”
“The results are usually available within seven to ten days. I will have preliminary results within forty-eight hours, but they will not be one hundred percent accurate. Would you like those preliminary results e-mailed to you?”
“Yes, I would.”
“Okay, I will make a note to the file. It is common for women to experience mild uterine cramping. This may be slightly uncomfortable, but it is usually not painful. If you experience pain, contact me immediately.”
“Okay.” I was feeling a lot better knowing that my mind would be at rest soon. Even if it wasn’t my husband’s child, I just had to know. The unknown was killing my joy.
“You will be fine,” the doctor said.
 
 
“Are there any restrictions on my part?” I asked this question as an afterthought. Since I felt no pain, I assumed there would be no worries.
“It is recommended that you refrain from strenuous physical activity, heavy lifting, sitting in water—such as bath or pool—and sexual intercourse for approximately twenty-four to forty-eight hours. In addition, you should avoid the insertion of anything vaginally, including suppositories, for twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
He spit out his orders to me as if he were a naval captain and I was on one of his boats, but I got it. I didn’t plan on doing shit. Hell, I didn’t have to. Merlin took care of everything at the house. I walked out of the doctor’s office feeling better than when I went in, because I knew that I would have an answer soon.
 
 
“So, whose baby is it? Mine or his?” Gavin stood beside my car with an evil grin on his face.
Immediately, my heart started beating faster. He was the last person on God’s green earth that I wanted to see, and I certainly didn’t want to see him today.
“You need to get the hell away from me.”
“Where is this animosity coming from, sis? I just want to know whose child you are carrying.”
I didn’t hate many people, but I could honestly say that I hated Gavin. “None of your fucking business.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, ’cause if it is my child—and I have the right to know—I will not allow anyone else to raise it other than me. Let’s be clear about that shit.”
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
My mind was spinning. The fact that he knew about my doctor’s appointment, when my own husband didn’t, spoke volumes. It was apparent that Gavin had been following me or had other insider information. That didn’t bode well for Merlin and me. I also knew that I couldn’t allow him to see me sweat.
“I tell you what. If I find out that the child I am carrying does not belong to my husband, you can follow me right back here while I abort the bastard.” I got into the car and slammed the door.
Outside the car, Gavin was acting an ass. I ignored him and pulled out of the parking lot. It unnerved me to know that he was following me. Initially, I had no intention of telling Merlin about the test, but I now knew I could not afford to keep it from him. He needed to know. And now that Gavin had showed his ugly face, the sooner I told him, the better.
I pulled over to the side of the road and sent Merlin a text message: When you get a chance, I really need to speak with you.
My phone rang back almost immediately, and I used my Bluetooth to speak with my husband.
He said, “What’s wrong, baby?”
This was not the way that I wanted to have this conversation, but I felt it was better if it came from me rather than Gavin. “Honey, I went to the doctor’s today to have a paternity test. I felt I owed it to you to make sure that I wasn’t carrying your brother’s child. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it, but I wanted to be certain that this child is ours. I wasn’t trying to deceive you, but I didn’t want to worry you, either.” I started driving.
“Baby, I fully understand what you did. I have had my doubts, but I’d already made up my mind to accept this child as my own, regardless of who the father is.”
“You did?”
“Yes. You’re my wife. You didn’t cheat on me, you got cheated.”
“Oh my God! I’ve been so worried that you wouldn’t love me anymore if you found out that I wasn’t carrying your child.” I had to pull over to the side of the road again because the tears from my eyes blinded me.
“Sweetheart, hush. It’s all a moot point.”
“Wait, baby, you have to hear this. Gavin showed up at the doctor’s office. I don’t know how he knew that I was pregnant, but he asked if it was his. I think he has been following me.
Merlin didn’t answer right away, and I could tell he was battling with his own emotions when he finally spoke. “I’ll deal with Gavin. Go home and get some rest.” His words had a bite to them that I was unfamiliar with.
I could tell he was mad. “Are you okay, baby?”
“Yeah, just go home. If he comes to the house, call me back.”

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