Page 7 of Royce (Atkins Family Saga #1)

I removed my hoop earrings and placed them in the cupholder.

I turned my phone off, tossed it in my purse, and climbed out the car.

The only thing I had in tow was my ID and keys.

The day had the nerve to take a turn from being sunny and beautiful to the skies filled with gray clouds.

Thankfully, my natural hair was out, and it was a light rain, so it didn’t bother me to get it wet.

They were kind enough to let us in and go through the process. I made it to the waiting room and for some reason, the CO’s kept eyeing each other and whispering as if they knew something I didn’t.

“What?” I asked with annoyance.

“Nothing. He’s ready. Go ahead in.”

I stood with an uneasy feeling coursing through my body.

As many visits as I’d attended, this was the first time they looked at me with confusion.

I shook it off, but it returned just as fast the second I stepped into the visiting room.

It seemed as if everyone in it had eyes on me.

That embarrassing feeling washed over me and I quickly realized why.

Everyone in this bitch knew what was going on except me.

“Are you fuckin’ serious? Who the fuck is this, Cojak?” I yelled. I never cared for making a scene, but all that classy shit went out the window the second I saw him smiling from ear to ear with the next bitch.

“Ah fuck,” he mumbled.

“Nah, who the fuck are you? CoCo, I know good and goddamn well this bitch ain’t pregnant too!” The girl was just as appalled as I was.

However, I couldn’t get over the fact that she said pregnant, too.

I looked down at her stomach and saw nothing but her protruding belly.

It looked as if she was just as far along as I was.

My heart shattered into pieces that very moment.

I dealt with the verbal disrespect since he’d been in here but damn.

To think he wouldn’t cheat on me was crazy work.

No woman ever came to me over the years we’d been together. I guess I was too blind to notice shit.

Tears streamed down my face from the instant pain I felt.

Not only was I struggling to make ends meet, but I had to endure heartache as well.

He just wouldn’t stop beating me while I was down.

One thing I did realize was how upkept she was.

He had a type that was for sure. She wasn’t as cute, but she was brownskin with long weave flowing down her back.

“Baby, it ain’t what it seems,” he said, but the funny thing was, he wasn’t speaking to me at all. He was looking directly at her… reassuring her, not me.

“Then tell me what the fuck it is then, CoCo.” He tried to spit more lies; I was sure of it. Only for her to throw her hand up in his face and look up at me. “How long you been dealing with my nigga? He paying yo’ bills and shit, too?”

Scoffing, my tongue swiped across my teeth to remain calm. Not only was he allowing me to struggle, but he was also making sure this bitch was straight. I had two of his kids and there was no telling how many she had. I was pissed and hurt at the same time.

My blood was boiling, and my fuse had finally blown as the seconds passed. Without thinking twice, I rocked off hitting Cojak dead in his shit. I was tired of being played with and disrespected. He didn’t give a fuck about me or my kids and today was the last time I allowed him to show it.

In that very moment, I didn’t give a fuck about shit except beating his ass.

There was no way in hell he thought just because I wasn’t confrontational, I was going to lay the fuck down and be his doormat.

The emotional ties I had for him were long gone.

I didn’t stop throwing bows until I was snatched up by the CO’s.

“You a bitch ass nigga and I hope yo’ ass don’t never get the fuck out of here. Get the fuck off me!” I shouted snatching my arms from their grip.

I looked around the room with more embarrassment filling me up by the second.

It didn’t dawn on me that I was making a fool of myself until I noticed him .

He couldn’t be missed. He was taller than everyone in here, but it was his presence that gave him up.

A sympathetic glare along with underlying anger pierced my eyes.

That was the last thing I needed. Another man feeling like he needed to save me.

Once again, Cojak put me in a position where more laughs would be thrown at me than shared. I was so tired of being a fool for him.

The guy looked as if he wanted to yolk me up and take me away from here, but he too was in the same boat as my kid's father. The restrictions wouldn’t allow it. I turned to walk away when I was stopped dead in my tracks by a sharp pain. I was bent over clutching my stomach within seconds.

“Ma’am, you have to leave. Now!” she shouted pointing to the door. “Ma’am!”

“Give me a minute. Damn!” I yelled returning the attitude. If I could move, I would. However, this pain wasn’t something to easily disregard.

“You have a child to think of. He’s not worth miscarrying over, trust me. Please, leave and take care of yourself and that baby.” One of the CO’s from earlier had a softer tone with me and was trying to give me some advice.

“I need to sit down for a minute,” I said still clutching my stomach.

She walked me out the visiting room and walked me to a seat in the waiting room.

She looked at me with so much sympathy. There was no telling how long Cojak had that girl coming up here to see him.

Here I was ready to share my good news, and he was entertaining someone else.

I was dumb to believe he was ever any good from the beginning. Seri warned me, and I didn’t listen.

“You are way too pretty to be dealing with his bullshit. Woman to woman, we see a lot of men in here playing their woman and we can’t say shit.

Losing a child over someone who constantly shows you disrespect is going to eat you alive.

Please, take care of yourself. You can sit here for another five minutes to get yourself together.

After that, you really have to leave the premises. ”

She walked back into the visiting room leaving me alone. Hurting and all, I wobbled my way out the prison. I was embarrassed enough. I didn’t need everyone in there to finish their visit and see me sitting here looking lost, heartbroken, and unloved.

By the time I made it back to the car, the pain had yet to subside. I cried silently as I drove ten minutes to the ER. When I arrived, they saw me in distress and immediately got me to a room. The nurse was nice enough to take my information down as she got me comfortable and hooked up to monitors.

“How long have you been experiencing this pain?” she asked after pulling up my file.

“For the past twenty minutes. I got into a physical altercation with my child’s father,” I explained.

“Is there any bleeding and if there’s tightness, where is it located?”

“No, and on my right side.”

“Alright. Let me get an ultrasound to see if there’s anything we need to be on the lookout for. Your blood pressure is a little high but it’s not troubling. The baby’s heart is still beating strong so let’s see what has you at a discomfort.”

Nodding, she slid the monitor over and grabbed the gel from the side. A small amount was poured onto my stomach then with the wand in tow, she placed it on the lubrication. She was quiet during the entire process. She pecked on the keyboard as she navigated around.

“Is everything alright?” I questioned since she’d suddenly gone mute.

“So far, all I’m seeing is the fetus sleeping.

The discomfort can very well be from you doing more than normal.

Straining yourself basically. Physical altercations will need to cease if you don’t want premature labor but other than that, everything looks good.

How is the pain since you’ve been here? Is it still sharp? ”

“Not sharp, but I am very uncomfortable.”

“We can keep you here for another hour or two for observation if you’d like. I’m sure this must be scary for you and if being here makes you feel safer, then do that,” she suggested.

“Yes please. A lot just happened, and I don’t want to chance it.”

“That’s completely understandable. Would you like anything to drink while you wait?”

“Just water and some ice chips.”

“Will do. I’ll be right back.” She left out and I grabbed my phone from my purse.

Turning it on, I immediately phoned my cousin. One, I needed her to watch after CJ, two, I needed her to hear the bullshit about Cojak. I already knew what she was going to say. I was prepared for it.

She answered with, “Hey cousin. I was literally in this darn baby store getting ready to call you. How you feeling?”

“I’m in the hospital. Girl, Cojak is…”

“Hospital? Oh shit. Are you in labor?” she asked in a high-pitched tone.

“No, but I had this sharp pain in my stomach after I beat that nigga down. Everything on me hurts right now. He really played the fuck out of me, Seri.” Serinity was the only person I could vent to and not be judged.

“Beat him? What the hell Klarity? What the fuck happened?”

“So, my day started out good. I went to my interview, landed the job, and just vibed afterward. I was on a little high or whatever. It comes time for me to go see Cojak and I’m still in a bomb ass mood.

So, boom. I get there and the CO’s looking at me sideways or whatnot.

I questioned that shit. They said it was nothing and I could go in.

I do so and bitch the entire fuckin’ room looks dead at me.

Tell me why the fuck Cojak got some other bitch sitting in his muthafuckin’ face. ”

“Bitch, what?”

“That ain’t even the fuckin’ kicker. The bitch is pregnant and sporting a big ass fuckin’ belly just like me.

Serinity, I showed my entire ass in that damn place.

You better believe I made him feel me today.

I am so tired of that nigga disrespecting me, bro’.

” I was still pissed about him toying with my emotions the way he did.

“You should’ve been done that. He been sliding for way too long. Shit, he better hope I don’t jump on him when he gets out. I can’t believe he did that shit to you.”

“The bitch asked me if he was paying my bills and shit, too. Seri, that right there made me flip that fuckin’ table because why the hell am I struggling but this bitch getting taken care of. Like, what the fuck did I do to that nigga for him to treat me like this?”

“Oh no. You are not about to question shit about you. You did everything you were supposed to. It’s him and his selfishness. Leave him the fuck alone, Klarity. I mean that shit.”

“Baby, I am done. That nigga won’t be able to—” My phone beeped with an incoming call. Looking at the screen, I laughed while shaking my head. “I know this nigga not calling me.”

“You better not answer that phone cousin. He literally just showed you what the fuck he been doing behind your back. Don’t give him no more of your time.”

“I said I was done and I am. I have to focus on my kids.” The door opened and in walked the nurse with two cups. “Cousin let me call you back. The nurse just walked back in.”

“Nah, keep me on the phone.”

I put the phone on speaker and placed it on my side. “Thank you so much,” I said taking one from her. It was the cup of ice chips, and I was glad of it.

“So, I did manage to get ahold of your doctor, and she wants me to officially put you on bedrest. Your mucus plug fell out a couple days ago, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, so you’re thirty-five weeks right now and that’s a sign of preterm labor. Take the bedrest and prepare yourself for it. The labor can start any day now that the plug is gone. Try not to overdo it when you leave here.”

“I just got a job at Pledis Bank. I’m supposed to start tomorrow. I can’t be on bedrest. I can’t.”

“Ms. Monroe, the less stress you cause the fetus the longer she’ll stay put. She needs to get as close to full term as she can. The bedrest wasn’t ordered for no reason. I’m sorry.”

She stepped out the room and left me feeling defeated once again. I couldn’t ever take a step forward without something or someone pushing me two steps back. Tears streamed once more as I lay there with my face to the ceiling. This shit was for the birds!

“Cousin, I’m not telling you what to do but you have to think about Essence. I’m going to pick up CJ and then I’ll be up there. Do you need anything in the meantime?”

“Nope.” I hit the red button on the phone and just laid there.

I was really trying for my kids, but the devil wasn’t letting up on me. How the fuck was I supposed to make any kind of money while I was on bedrest? My daughter could come any day now and my bills were still unpaid. I was sinking and no one seemed to notice that shit.

If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. I went from having my shit together to scrambling for dollars.

I’d been doing things on my own for a while but allowed a nigga to knock me up and off my square.

This hurt my pride, self-esteem, and mental.

My household wasn’t Serinity’s responsibility, and I wasn’t going to let her keep saving me.

This rough patch I was in really sucked but if I didn’t get myself out of it, it wouldn’t hit the same. I wouldn’t be able to tell myself or my kids that it was me that made sure we were straight, sheltered, and safe. I knew troubles didn’t last always but right now… it had me questioning my faith.