Page 54 of June: When Gangstas Collide

By the time I got to the hospital, they had taken Keith to the back, leaving me by myself. I was so pissed because I warned the nigga not to fuck with Dionysus.

“I told his ass!”

I gritted.

I paced the floor, thinking about what led up to this. When one of his friends called me and told me, something in me said the shit wasn’t good. I knew that his liking Samara was only a small piece of the reason Keith wouldn’t let up, but the bigger reason was the same reason Chevy and I couldn’t get along. It was our pride. I knew that if we didn’t figure this shit out, the cycle would continue with Keith and Dionysus.

I noticed that everything had become a repeating cycle, and no one was willing to find a way to break it. From the Averys and the Merciers, to Angela and Grace, to me and Chevy. A generational problem that had yet to cease. If I couldn’t do it for myself, I had to do it for Keith. I had to set the example to show him how he truly needed to move. Had I failed as a father? So many thoughts invaded my mind.

The sound of Bleek and Pierre entering the waiting room made me stop pacing. Bleek ran his hand through his locs, “Is he good?”

I could hear Bleek, but I couldn’t respond. I saw Pierre wave his hand in my face before he clapped. “Bop!”

“Yeah, what?”

Pierre touched my shoulder.

“Is Keith alright?”

“I-I don’t know.”

Bleek slammed his fist into his palm. “Fuck!”

It wasn’t long before Kareem slowly strolled into the room. I couldn’t tell if he was sad or mad. He sucked his teeth as he came closer to me.

“Where is my brother?”

“He’s beyond those walls.”

“Who did it?”

I didn’t need Kareem going back to jail. Hell, I needed Keith to live. My fucking head was spinning. I needed to fix this shit and fast. I stepped up to Kareem to tell him what was up. I had never been a lying nigga, but I just hoped it was a way to tell him the truth without him spazing the fuck out. As soon as I had gone to say something, I saw Dionysus running inside without a shirt on.

“We need help! She had babies in the car,”

he shouted at the front desk lady.

She called someone, and they went running outside. Moments later, they were rolling Chevy’s shorty in while she held two babies in her arms, and Chevy came in behind them. They wheeled his shorty to the back, but he stopped when he saw me.

“Is Keith straight?”

I glanced at him, then Dio, as I nodded.

“Is Dionysus good?”

Chevy turned to look at him.

“He is straight. Keep me updated, I’m sorry for real.”

For a second, I thought Dionysus was looking at me, but he wasn’t. I glanced back over my shoulder to see him and Kareem eyeing each other. The bad energy was strong. I knew what type of time they were. Suddenly, a group of niggas, one after the next, came into the hospital. They were his crew. The nigga had a solid team behind him, and that spoke volumes.

“Bishop Prince and June Calloway,”

A nurse called out.

He and I both turned to look at her. A part of me didn’t want to leave Kareem out here with Dionysus. I backpedaled over to Pierre and Bleek.

“Keep an eye on Kareem. Don’t let the nigga shake shit up.”

They both nodded, and I followed behind the nurse. All I could do was pray that this little nigga was going to make it, or the war that I was choosing to end would continue.