Page 16

Capri

Mina or Gams wasn’t having it when they heard what happened to Quameer and Quasim.

Papa didn’t want to worry them, so he tried to keep it quiet.

As much as Gams was removed from the hood and streets, information always found its way to her.

It was much safer for them to be out the country; however, nothing was going to keep both Mina and Gams away from their boys.

I sat on my bike in the distance as I watched the jet land, then circled back around.

Border control rode to the jet to get their paperwork.

I watched as Gams held Elijah’s hand, and they got into the car. Augusta Mae was helped down the steps by one of the flight attendants. Mina and my mother jogged down the steps dressed in all black and got in the black SUV.

I waited as border control got them processed, then the SUV pulled away from the jet towards us. I looked behind me, and Goon looked at me. “Let’s get ‘em to the Sim and Meer.”

I nodded my head, already knowing the plans. The original plan was to take them to the compound, but both Mina and Gams refused. I couldn’t blame them because had it been my child, I would have needed to see them, too.

Before the SUV could make it to the gate, I pulled around so I would be in front, while Kiki and Marley fell in behind me. Yasin and Goon both covered the back as we locked down the truck.

“Hey, Auntie!” I heard Elijah yell out the window.

I blew a kiss at him, and he saluted me, and I returned the gesture.

It felt funny leading the space that was reserved for Sim.

I had ridden behind him plenty of times, and this was his spot.

Because of how much respect I had for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, I would ride in this spot, and make sure that I played my part.

Havoc was the one that would lead if something would happen to Sim or Meer, but even he felt like the spot was reserved for me because of how hard I went for my family.

As we got onto the highway to head to the hospital, I saw my father and brothers riding to the left of me.

They came across lanes and fell in behind me, while Papa Inferno came onto the side of me.

He nodded his head, and we continued to push up the highway. The main priority was to keep our family safe, and the minute we finished at the hospital, the compound was the place that was the safest for them. Nobody got through those gates unless we wanted them to.

Other than a few things that Meer’s picky ass couldn’t let go, our house on the compound was completed. We could move in, but he was into fixing small shit like doorknobs, or the wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom.

I allowed my husband to lead because he was a good fucking leader.

The man knew how to lead our family and made sure that our family wasn’t only taken care of emotionally, but financially too.

He was always working toward securing more money for our family and made me feel comfortable to leave everything in his hands.

Do you know how comfortable and safe a man had to make you feel for you to completely let go?

I couldn’t tell you what something cost, or what gas my car or bikes took because Meer handled it all.

I never saw the hospital bill after having Rayce, because it was handled.

Everything in my life was handled because that man put me in this place I had never been before.

Fuck soft girl era.

He put me in my secure girl era. A place where I felt safe, seen, and secured. Although I had been married in the past, it was a place that I had never visited.

My brothers hadn’t put money into the account they opened for me since I married Meer.

As much as I knew that they wanted to continue to place money in my account, there was respect there.

They respected that Meer didn’t want them taking care of me anymore, and they stopped.

I never had to go into my pocket for anything.

Quameer Inferno was meant to be a husband and a father.

He made sure we were taken care of and loved… and I loved that for me.

As much as I enjoyed having him lead our family, it was my turn to step up and make decisions for us. One of them was moving into our new home so he could recover. He refused to move from the private hospital until his brother was awake, and I respected that.

The minute that he opened his eyes, he would be moved to our home in the compound, and I wasn’t hearing any of his complaints either.

Recommendation: Listen to No More Drama by Mary J Blige

We pulled into the gates of the hospital and watched to make sure they closed behind us. I climbed off my bike, and the door opened. Elijah ran right to me and hugged me tightly.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at him. “Eli, I have to talk to you about something?”

He looked confused. “Okay, Auntie.”

“Elijah!” I heard Blair, and she came out the garage door.

“Ma!” He abandoned our conversation, and ran right to Blair, who hugged him tightly.

I stood there and watched them and watched as Blair held him and closed her eyes. She was always meant to be a mother. Her nurturing spirit had always been so refreshing and comforting, even in college.

If you were sick in college, Blair was the one who went to the cafeteria and tried to put together a meal for you to feel better.

She always put in the effort to let the people she loved know that they were loved.

It was hard finding friends who treated you that way.

When I listened to Jeffie tell me how her best friend disregarded her miscarriage, and never reached back out to her, I cherished Blair ten times more.

The mental and physical pain that a miscarriage caused wasn’t something small.

You sat there and blamed yourself, went over all that you did that was possibly wrong and questioned why God chose you to lose a child.

To go through something like that and not have your best friend, your person, reach out and check on your mental health was very telling of the person they were.

Blair could call and tell me she lost her goldfish, and I was right there for her.

“Suga pie, come here,” I heard Gams and turned around.

She had her arms extended and I walked over and fell into them, all my emotions stirring up. Feeling that ache in the middle of my chest, the lump in my throat, and the burning sensation from the tears that fell from my eyes.

“Gams, he could have been gone… taken away from us,” I was leaned over, sobbing into her shoulder as she rubbed my back.

Kissing the side of my face. “He’s not though, Suga pie… he lived another day to call you Suga… Dumplin wouldn’t leave any of us, and the same with Moochie.”

She squeezed me and kissed my face. “It’s hard to believe that in this moment, Gams.”

“I know, Suga pie… God told me that it’s not his time yet and I’m choosing to believe him. Moochie will be awake, and I know it.”

I hugged my mother, and she squeezed me. “My strong princess. I know it’s hard right now, but I am so proud of you, Princess… the power that you hold, and the way you stand for us…my God.”

“Thank you, Mommy.” I continued to hold onto her, and she never let me go.

“Dead?” Elijah’s voice wailed, and we all turned to look at him trying to run inside, and Blair was holding him back with tears coming down her face.

“No, not dead… he’s not dead, baby,” she pleaded with him, but Elijah already had something else in his head.

“He told me he would never leave me! He wouldn’t go away from me!” He hollered, as he continued to pull away from Blair, who nearly tripped trying to hold onto him.

Capone was the closest and quickly stepped in so she wouldn’t fall.

He grabbed Elijah’s arm, pulling him back, and picked him up while he kicked and screamed.

“Dad wouldn’t leave me… he… he’s my dad.

He promised, he doesn’t break promises… never!

” Elijah was screaming so loud and hard that his voice went in and out mid scream.

As if he was his own son, he held Elijah, even while kicking and screaming.

Squeezing and kissing his head to calm him down, Capone walked with him in his arms, talking in his ears.

I could tell when he first started speaking that Elijah wasn’t trying to hear anything.

The more he walked away, giving them space, he started to calm down and roped his arms around Capone’s neck and rested his head while crying.

“You’re a kid, Eli… you don’t need to be strong. Nobody is expecting you to be strong.” He spoke to him as he held him and paced the small area from the side yard to the garage.

We stood by and allowed Capone to calm him down. Sim meant the world to Elijah, so hearing that he wasn’t awake and had been hurt was a lot for him. It was a lot for me, and I was a full adult.

Once he calmed down enough, we headed inside. The first place I went to was to my husband’s room, and when I realized it was empty, I started to panic. “Hey, he’s moved down the hall.” One of the nurses said as she passed by.

I rushed down the hall until I bypassed Sim’s room, then back peddled, when I saw Meer’s bed was beside his brother’s bed. “Quameer, what are you doing?”

He smirked. “Only way to wake his ass up is to annoy the fuck out of him… your little boyfriend on the news,” He nodded at the sports channel, and Mason was on the news talking about a new deal he signed with a different football team.

“They been talking about Jaiden and that Antwan nigga all morning and then switched to this cornball,” he tossed popcorn into his mouth, and then tossed some over toward Sim’s bed.

His chest was full of popcorn. “Meer.”

He tapped the bed, and I kicked my shoes off and climbed into the bed with him. Wrapping his arms around me, he kissed my head and put a piece of popcorn into my mouth. “You don’t need to try and be strong for everybody, Suga. I don’t want that for you… I know how you take everyone else’s shit on.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Good, because I’m the only one talking. I don’t want you out there without me, baby.”

Looking up at him. “What do you expect me to do? Sit back, and pretend like nothing happened to you or Sim?”

“You’re my wife and that’s exactly what I expect you to do.”

“Not why you fell in love with me.”

He removed my hair from my face and kissed my nose. “I fell in love with you because of the woman you are, the heart that you have. All the shooting and hanging out windows was a bonus. I respect you, Sug. If you tell me this is what you want to do, then I have to respect it, not like it.”

“This is what I want to do… Meer, they tried to kill you. This is less about me, and more about getting it back in blood for our daughters.”

“And son?”

I popped my head up and stared at him like he was crazy. “I hear you in the morning, Sug… shit, last night you tried to casually walk to the bathroom, and I heard you over the running water.”

“All of this has my nerves bad. I feel it in my body… I know my body.”

“I know your body, too. Answer me this… you can brush your teeth without wanting to vomit?”

I couldn’t answer the question because it took me twenty minutes to brush my teeth from all the breaks I took. “Yes.”

“Liar.”

“Less about me, and more about why you’re lying to Ryder. When she comes back from the west coast, she’s going to want to see you.”

“Not necessary. I sent Brandi some more money to keep her out there and she not complaining… her little boyfriend out there so she’s happy to keep Ryder.”

I could hear Gams in the hallway, and Meer leaned up. His grandmother was his entire world, so I knew if anything could cheer him up, it would be her.

“Dumplin, why do you have popcorn on Moochie’s chest,” she said the minute she stepped into the room.

Rushing over to him, she kissed his face and hugged him as tightly as she could, then went over to do the same with Sim, while removing the popcorn from him.

I knew removing Gams from this hospital would be like trying to get dalmatian fur off black leggings – nearly impossible.