Page 45 of Ghetto Heartstrings
C2 pinched the brim of his nose and then let it go before speaking, “Don’t nobody want to lose a parent, but honestly, I lost my mama long ago, and Rasta?
Let’s just say I’ll love him for all the good times, but the time was coming, Rasta is a snake…
it was either gonna be him or us anyway cause that’s what it was coming down to. ”
Kema nod her head and grabbed his hand again, “Walk with me to the cafeteria.”
He agreed and headed downstairs with her; as they were prepared to go down, there were some detectives getting out of the elevator coming up. C2 had a feeling they were headed to Brook’Lynn’s room and one thing he didn’t fuck with was no police so this little time with Kema was well appreciated.
Brook’Lynn spent damn near two weeks in the hospital and that was one of the hardest two weeks of her life, she was overwhelmed with visitors and co-workers on down to detective after detective and Perfect never left her side the entire time.
Mentally, she didn’t feel like herself and she knew it would be a long road to recovery before she ever got completely right again.
The doctor at the hospital suggested that she go and speak to a psychiatrist if she needed because it would help with her.
Brook’Lynn didn’t want to but instead of giving it a fast no, she decided to think about it first. She hadn’t seen Brody and she really didn’t want to, she actually had him blocked on the visiting list and the three times he tried to come, she declined every time and blocked his number from calling, as far as she was concerned, she didn’t have a father, everyone she needed was right in the room with her waiting for her to be discharged.
She sat up in her bed no longer attached to all the monitors and IV bag.
Most of her bandages were gone but her bruises were still visible and all the color that was drained from her body was finally coming back.
She knew it wouldn’t be an easy road to complete recovery, but she was prepared to take it on, however, it was coming.
With her arm now in a sling, she smiled at her crew. “I really do love ya’ll.”
“Girl, you know we love you.” Yaya sat in the chair picking at a salad using the fork to move all of the unwanted shit out of the way.
“You already know.” Marley smiled.
Kema leaned up against the wall, “We go back like four flats, you know what it is.” She smiled.
Yaya finally got tired of the salad and stood up to throw it away, “We been through so much.” She shook her head. “I’m convinced I don’t know no other chicks as solid as the ones I got, even you Marley.”
Marley winked her eye, “I’m not that lame.”
“You not.” Brook’Lynn agreed as the guys walked in holding bags from McDonald’s.
“Yo, I’m so glad we about to leave this bitch, I don’t wanna see another muthafuckin’ burger for the rest of this year.” Perfect frowned causing everyone to laugh.
“Bae, you want these cookies?” Wise asked Marley, holding them up.
She shook her head, “No I’ll eat them later you can just put them in my purse.”
Wise went to her purse to stick the bag of cookies in there was shocked to be greeted with a 9mm, “The fuck you doing with this?” He held it up. Never in a million years would he have expected to see his little nerd with a gun, “You even know how to use this shit?” He asked her.
Marley laughed at her boo, “I’m not as green as you think I am, of course I know how to use it.” She told him grabbing it out of his hand. She discharged the one in the head and emptied the clip just to load it all over again and place one back in the head as she cocked it. “See.” She shrugged.
All the girls looked away smirking, “The fuck ya’ll know that I don’t?” Wise laughed.
“Aye, just know you got you a real one on ya side.” Yaya shrugged.
“Man, keep that crazy shit ya’ll be on away from my girl Yaya, foreal.” He chuckled.
Everyone noticed how C2 and Kema had been back in each other’s presence as they both sat there with C2 letting Kema dig out of his box of fries. “I asked yo greedy ass if you wanted some.” C2 shook his head.
“Nigga, who greedy? You already knew I wanted some, so you should’ve just got them anyway.”
“Sick of yo big head ass.” He mumbled joking.
Brook’Lynn didn’t even have to ask questions because it was none of her business, but she had a feeling what it was cause what was real was gon’ always stay put.
Boom and Yaya were acting weird as shit around each other trying their hardest to ignore one another but everybody saw right through the act, they needed to get it together.
The nurse walked in with a wheelchair and some discharge papers full of instructions that Brook’Lynn gladly accepted and allowed Perfect to wheel her out of there.
Everyone had to go off and do their own thing, but she was happy to just be out of there and going home.
It felt good to get a good breeze and feel a little sun, the only thing that had her fear was the nightmares that came every time she closed her eyes, she couldn’t get the visual of everything that happened to her out of her head, especially from her abuser.
Brook’Lynn lay on the couch with a comfortable fleece suit on, a pair of cozy socks covered her feet, and a throw blanket kept her warm.
Perfect made sure the house was clean, and he also made sure she had everything she needed on down to her medications.
She tried to keep an unbothered look on her face because she didn’t want to worry Perfect, but it was getting very hard to keep snapping herself out of a daze.
She didn’t know if she was slipping into a depression state or what, but she was determined to try and fight it, she kept having thoughts of her baby girl and the fucked up feeling of having to bury her.
Perfect made his way back out into the livin room, “Brook, you, okay?” He asked, snapping her from her thoughts.
“Huh…” She blinked, “What did you say?”
He placed his body on the other side of hers not wanting to hurt her injured shoulder, he still couldn’t believe all that shit happened to her; he would’ve gladly traded places with her any day so she wouldn’t have had to endure that pain.
“I asked if you was okay baby. I ain’t gon’ lie, I’m worried about you.
Like, I can tell it’s somethin’ goin’ on in your head, if you need to talk about it let’s talk, or I can get you some help but either way I don’t want you to hold that shit in. ”
She nodded her head and leaned her head on his shoulder, “I know baby, but I’ll get through this, I know I will.
I just gotta be strong, I can’t let the devil trick me out of life.
As a matter of fact, I don’t want to continue to dwell on what happened either.
I won’t let it control my life like that. ”
“I’m scared to even leave you alone. No lie, I’m terrified like a muthafucka.
The last time I left you alone, you almost got taken away from me for good.
I can’t even explain what I was going through.
” His heart was full of emotion, and he actually got a taste of how it would be if he didn’t have her around foreal and it drove him crazy cause mentally and emotionally that wasn’t some shit he was prepared for.
There was a knock on the door in the middle of the conversation in which they both were able to see who it was once they switched the screen to the security monitors.
Perfect wasn’t taking anymore chances, while Brook’Lynn was in the hospital he had top of the line security alarms and cameras put inside and outside of the house.
He got up and opened it up for Aunt Ruth since she insisted on coming over to help make sure Brook’Lynn had hot meals and to give him a break to go handle his business. She stood at the door holding her famous carrot cake and her favorite dish, a pan of lasagna. “Hey shuga.” She greeted him.
He hugged her and stepped to the side so she could walk in, “let me get this stuff from you.” He grabbed everything from her hand.
“You leaving out now?” she asked.
“Nah, I actually decided to chill today, I’m still pretty fucked up.”
“Watch your mouth.” She scolded him, “But I understand.”
Perfect chuckled, my bad Aunt Ruth, you know I didn’t mean no disrespect.”
She sighed, “I know, you kids done been through so much. How you holdin’ up son?”
“Solid.” He replied.
“Keep your head up.” She said before walking in looking for her young niece so she could shower her with some love.
She hated that it had come to this, but she knew long ago it could be a disaster, she just didn’t expect it to be as big as of disaster that it was.
She found Brook’Lynn lying on the couch and felt sorry for her.
When Brook’Lynn looked up and saw her, she cut her phone convo with Yaya.
“Ya…be careful out there and please make sure you come and see me soon.” She told her as Yaya prepared to hop on her flight back to Dallas.
Before she could even acknowledge Aunt Ruth, her phone was ringing again but this time it was Boom. “Hey, you and Yaya always have the same timing with these phone calls.”
“What you mean? How you feelin’ lil sis?” He asked.
“I’ll be okay…” she responded. “But what I meant was as soon as she hangs up, you call or vice versa.”
“What she got goin’ on?” He asked.
“Nothing much she just called me before she hops on her plane.”
Boom briefly paused, “She goin’ back to Texas?”
“Yep.” She told him.
“Let me ask you somethin’…who is this Snake nigga? You know anything about him?”
“That’s girl code Boom; I can’t talk about that.”
“Come on Brook, it’s only one nigga I know of with that name in Dallas and if this is the same nigga, that nigga ain’t nothin’ but trouble. That ain’t a good man Brook.”
She thought about what he was saying and it kind of messed her up cause if that were true, then she was obligated to tell him the truth or either let Yaya do it. “I think you should just call and talk to her, she doesn’t mind talking to you, she’s just under the impression that you hate her.”
“I don’t hate that fuckin’ girl man, that’s crazy.”
“Well, that’s how she feels, call he and ask her what’s up, she’ll tell you.”
“Aiight, well rest up and I’ll check on you later.” He told her.
She hung up and looked up to see Aunt Ruth was now in the kitchen fixing plates, she then quickly scanned the room and got paranoid all of a sudden. She had to take a deep breath, close her eyes, and talk to herself. ‘You can get through this Brook’Lynn, you can beat this shit’.