Page 38

COCO

My nerves were a wreck while sitting beside Quilo on signing day.

This was one of two big moments to happen.

The next would be his graduation in May.

Like a proud father/brother-in-law, Adir sat on the other side of Quilo.

Our lives had been on go since the shooting.

Quilo had several interviews and even some documentaries talking about his life.

Surprisingly, he’d handled himself well.

Questions about our mother didn’t trigger him, and questions about our dad were non-existent.

Dothan was hired to be Quilo’s manager while he was in college.

If he decided to go pro, we had an agent lined up for him.

Four hats sat on the table.

They were the four schools he was most excited about attending and playing for.

Each team scout had sold their teams the best they could.

We’d visited all four campuses, and either choice would’ve been exceptional.

However, it only came down to one school.

With his brothers, family, Jabari and Haven, his best friend, and the sports world watching, Quilo picked up the hat bearing a dolphin.

The crowd shouted, and Adir and I clapped for our kid.

I was most happy that he was staying close to home.

Destin was only a one-hour drive from us.

Quilo had officially committed to the University of Destin.

We took tons of pictures and watched him give his pre-signing interview.

Quilo was such a man now, that I started tearing up.

I wasn’t the only one a little emotional.

Saar stood next to me, pretending like he really needed those damn shades he had on.

Saar would be attending the same school, but his focus would be on his music and not football.

His decision not to play college football stunned the sports world.

However, Saar was confident enough in himself that walking away from football wasn’t hard for him.

He wanted to pursue what was in his heart.

All smiles, Haven embraced me.

“Look at what a lil’ ol’ move did for you and Quilo.”

Those tears that I tried holding back came swiftly.

She wiped them. Jabari and Haven’s house was still in the building process.

I didn’t mind. Having them in my backyard was still top three of the things I loved in life right now.

“You did your big one with that advice,” I said to her.

She beamed with pride.

Her shoulder had fully healed since being shot.

That was easily one of the scariest days of either of our lives.

Russ had pulled through, but not without residual side effects.

Due to his injuries, he was still in extensive recovery.

I prayed that one day he’d make a full recovery.

He was no longer my bodyguard and instead worked for Adir at the clinic doing paperwork.

My baby stayed loyal to Russ no matter what.

With the men we had, our memories weren’t filled with trauma.

They were filled with love.

Everyone who thought to bring harm to me and the people I loved paid for it in the best way, and I didn’t feel a single shred of empathy for them.

They wanted my life.

My husband took their lives instead.

That was quite poetic.

Gensen was the only one who walked away unscathed.

Her family ended up relocating out of the area.

As for Baby Boy Bell; Genesis Bell was being raised by Auntie Maddie.

She was still living in the house she’d shared with her husband.

Although she was raising his and his mistress’s baby, she loved every bit of it and was living her best life.

She, Heir, and Toast loved Genesis as if he wasn’t conceived out of all of their pain.

I loved that for them.

Three months later, the entire Bell family along with our friends sat in the stands of the civic center to watch Quilo and Saar walk across the stage to accept their diplomas.

“You better not drop my baby,” I warned Adrian playfully.

He looked offended.

“I thought you trusted me.”

“I do. He’s just so damn tiny in your arms.”

“He’s safe, though,” he replied.

All this waiting for the baby to arrive to learn the sex, and I got a beautiful, healthy boy.

Adir Bell, Jr. weighed nine pounds, three ounces, and stretched twenty-two inches long.

The last trimester of my pregnancy went smoothly, and so did my delivery.

At the last minute, I decided that I wanted Adir to deliver our baby.

He was all for it. AJ was born at Dr. Bell & Associates, the very place where everything started for me and Adir.

He was ready to start on baby number two.

I wasn’t even going to deny him.

Many names came before Quilo’s.

Despite being warned not to yell when our graduates name was called, we shouted.

And we shouted loudly.

Shit. We worked hard to get here.

No one was going to deny us the celebration Quilo deserved.

After the ceremony, we gathered outside to wait for the boys.

They appeared amongst the crowd of people and came straight to us.

I embraced Quilo and held on for just a minute longer than necessary.

I held on to him for me and for our mother.

Stepping aside, I let everyone else congratulate him.

Adir took Quilo into his arms, hugged him as a father should, and kissed his cheek.

“I’m proud of you, baby,” he stated.

“I love you.” I thought I held Quilo for a long time, but Adir beat me.

Quilo clung to him, though.

Choked up, Quilo replied, “I love you, too, bruh. Thank you.”

Seeing Quilo’s tears caused my own.

My cheeks were wet as hell, ruining my makeup.

However, this moment sealed it for me.

I would never deny Adir any part of me.

I loved this man more than life.

ADIR

MRS: I’m not going to bed alone.

I need you next to me.

Smirking at the text from my beautiful wife, I quickly replied back.

ME: Never, my baby. I’m leaving now.

“You’re working mighty late today.” Bianca came into my office just as I placed my phone down and started cleaning up my desk.

I chuckled. “Pretty’s gon’ kick my ass.”

Bianca shook her head in amusement.

“Marriage looks so good on you, bro. Has been since she walked through this door.”

“Mm, hm. I’m waiting on you to get it together.”

She smacked her teeth.

“If you plan on me marrying that crazy ass man you call friend , think twice.”

I laughed at that.

“And you think he’s gon’ let you waltz down the aisle to another muhfucka?”

Bianca’s face took on a serious expression.

“Exactly,” I mumbled as the alarm to the back entrance sounded.

A quick glance at the monitor revealed an ambulance pulling in.

A call hadn’t come through, so I stood and strapped myself just in case.

I’d just told Pretty I was on my way home, and I meant that shit.

Exiting my office with Bianca in tow, I went to the hall to see what the hell was going on.

Zel and Stacy opened the back door and ushered inside two EMTs hurriedly rolling a gurney with them.

On the bed laid a young girl.

“I’ll get the room ready,” Bianca stated as she rushed off.

Turning on my heels, I was met by Antonias and Micah who both had their heat ready.

“Lock us down,” I ordered while going to the sink to scrub.

One of the EMTs came up beside me as the other followed Antonias to the operating room.

“What you got for me?” I asked him.

As calm as I was, seeing a kid lying on that table nearly caused my hands to shake.

“Sixteen-year-old female. GSW right shoulder.”

“Why is she here?” I questioned as I scrubbed my hands.

“Detective Gunner said to bring her here.”

That was odd.

“Gang related?” I asked.

The EMT shook his head.

“This is domestic. Her father is Detective Richard Storm. That ring a bell to you?”

For a second, I paused gathering the swift anger that shot through me.

“Where is Storm?”

“He’s on his way to Baptist General. He suffered a self-inflicted GSW.”

Bile rose up in my stomach.

“Nina?”

Solemnly, he sighed.

“She suffered. It wasn’t quick.”

Grinding my back teeth, I suited up while angry at Detective Storm and Nina.

Most of all, I was angry at myself.

I could’ve prevented this shit!

Like every time I entered the operating room, this time was no different.

Everyone moved with one accord.

This is different . My mind screamed.

She was just a kid.

Her frail body was covered in blood as her wide eyes followed my every move.

The gun tucked in the front of my waistband caused those same eyes to widen.

“You’re okay,” I assured her as I neared the gurney.

Bianca worked quickly to place the young girl’s IV.

She winced at the pain and whimpered.

“Easy, sweetheart. What’s ya name?”

“Maja,” she tearfully stated.

“Maja… Is it okay if I call you May?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“May, you trust me?”

Tears streamed down her temples, but she replied, “Yes.”

“You gon’ be just fine, aight?”

She gulped and managed to nod.

Placing the mask over her face, I let the medication take her under.

THE END.