Brit is going crazy and so am I. I pray this is just a rumor and people don’t know what they’re talking about. I need to get to the hospital. I can’t drive right now! I need to relax, then I’ll drive. Should I even go to the hospital?
“First you need to calm the fuck down, Brit.” Carmen gets up to lock the door. “You trying to get everybody caught up acting like that. Where did you hear this information?”
“Vanessa!”
Carmen looks confused. “Not since she left my apartment about thirty, forty-five minutes ago. When did she tell you all of this?” Carmen asks Britt.
“Just now when I was on my way here. She seemed… different. She pulled me to the side and told me he died. She said she heard it from another student, and that she just left from over here with you Melody. Did you give her that shot?” Brit eyes Carmen for reassurance.
“Yes, I gave it to her,” Carmen responds, still confused.
“Okay, so all of this is some crazy shit.” I say to the both. “Are you sure you gave her the right shot?” Carmen nods. “Okay… I need a second to think.” For a moment, I ponder a plan as Carmen and Brit stand staring at me. “How about I go to the hospital and Brit, you find Vanessa and bring her back here?”
“No, I will not let you go to the hospital alone, Melody. You look shaken up. I can drive you. First, try calling the hospital to see how much information they can give you over the phone. Brit, you go see if you can locate Vanessa like Melody recommended,” Carmen orders as Brit gets up and leaves the room immediately. I do as I’m asked and get the number to every hospital close by and start making calls. After calling three of the local immediate care hospitals, I finally get some information on Jarmaine.
“They would only give me so much information, but the nurse at the hospital down the street said that he was there briefly, but then had to get rushed downtown to Northwestern Hospital for immediate surgery. I will go in the bathroom and call his mother to see what she knows, and if I’m not out whenever Brit brings Vanessa, smack that bitch for me,” I say to Carmen with rage and frustration. I want to ask Carmen what she gave Vanessa, but I let it go, walk to the bathroom dialing Jarmaine’s mother, and close the door.
“Hi Mrs. Wheaton, I was calling to see if everything is okay with Jarmaine. We were in class today, and he suddenly passed out and the ambulance came and rushed him to the hospital. Do you have an update on him?”
“Thank you for calling. Jarmaine will be fine. God favors him, so you need not worry. You know those doctors only tell you what they want you to believe, when God has the final say so. If God were ready for him, He would have kept him dead when they had to resuscitate him. He didn’t bring him back for nothing, you know. There’s a lesson that’s being taught through this experience, whether it’s for him or the individuals that did this to him. I’m not worried and neither should you. Just keep the faith and believe in your heart that he’ll have a speedy and full recovery. I know you two are no longer dating, but your call shows how good a friend you truly are. Of all those little floozies he dates, none of them have attempted to call. They all have my number. I sure wish he’d done right by you, but you can’t tell a grown man anything, not even me as his mother. He must learn by and by. All I can do is continue to pray for him. Oh dear, I’m just going on and on. How are you doing? You know you can call me whenever, not just during an emergency,” she says when she realizes she’s talking my ear off.
“I’m doing fine, ma’am. Had a few trying times but nothing God won’t see me through. So, I can’t and won’t complain.” I tell her, hoping she’s ready to end the call.
“Well, that’s the right attitude to have, Dear. Just keep that mindset and you’ll continue to prosper. Hold on a minute, Dear, my husband is calling on the other line.” She immediately clicks over and leaves me no option but to hold.
As I hold, I hear Brit and Vanessa enter. I wonder if she’s hallucinating from that damn shot Carmen gave her. I must remember to never get on her unpleasant side. She’s liable to poke my ass with some shit.
“Are you there, darling? Hellooooo! You still there?” Mrs. Wheaton says on the other end.
“Yes, Ma’am, I’m still here.”
“Okay, that was Mr. Wheaton at the hospital with Jarmaine. He says he’s still in surgery, and the doctors told him he’s doing well and going to make it. They finally got the internal bleeding to stop. The boy didn’t know he has broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. He thought he could get one of his old crutches and everything would be okay. You see how good God is? That’s why you make sure you say your prayers and put God first. Nothing should ever come before Him. You always give thanks unto the Lord. Mel, when you pray for things all the time without giving thanks, God sees that. I pray for my son every day, and I also thank the Lord for guiding him and directing his path. Without him covered in the blood of Jesus, I’m not sure he would’ve made it. So I thank God right now for saving his life. I will have to pull him out of that school. He may not like it, but I think it’s best for him. Not sure what he’s done to deserve this, but I pray all is forgiven, and I forgive whoever hurt him. Melody, are you still there?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, okay, I won’t hold you much longer. You remember to say your prayers and give the Lord thanks for everything. I will get off here now and let you tend to your classes. Thank you so much for calling. As soon as Jarmaine gets better, I will let him know you called to check on him. They say he doesn’t have too much remembrance of anything, but I’m sure he remembers you. I just hope he forgets about all those other no-good heifers. I’ll call you next week sometime to give you an update on him.”
“Okay, Mrs. Wheaton. Thank you so much for the update and the encouraging words. It’s a pleasure speaking with you. I will send flowers to Jarmaine. Does he have a room number yet?” I ask.
“He’s in room 610. It’s a joy hearing your voice. You keep in touch now you hear?”
“I will, ma’am. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.” We end the call. Although Mrs. Wheaton is long-winded and known for talking my ear off, it was a well-needed conversation… at least some of it. This entire situation has me feeling awful. Like all of this is my fault. Do I whole-heartedly forgive Jarmaine for what he did to me? I need someone to talk to. Maybe I’ll call Detective Jackson for a conversation, since I promised him I’d call.
It’s only the first week of school and all this drama is giving me a headache. A nice get-away from campus would do me a lot of good. I’ll call my mom later to see how things are and ask if the downtown condo is available for the weekend. Walking into the room, I find everyone staring at me inquisitively, Skylar, Brit, Jay, Meek, and Carmen. Vanessa is knocked out cold, lying on Skylar’s bed.
“So, what up? What she say?” I assume Carmen filled everyone in since this is the first question Skylar asks.
“Everything is cool now. He had internal bleeding that the doctors could stop, a few broken ribs, and a collapsed lung.” I give the rest of the details about his condition and take a seat next to Carmen on my bed. An electric shock radiates through my body. “His mom is a prayer warrior, so he’ll be fine,” I continue.
“That’s what he gets if you ask me,” Skylar says, pushing Vanessa’s limp body over and lay on her back with her feet crossed and hands behind her head.
“I second that.” Meeka is sitting on the floor.
“Have a little sympathy for da clown, ya’ll. We fucked him up bad. I wasn’t tryna kill his ass though,” Brit includes.
“I agree that we could have some sympathy for him.” My eyes fixate on my twirling thumbs.
“Are you okay, Melody?” Carmen puts her hand on my shoulder. I jump at the electrical wave. She didn’t touch my button, but I get the same feeling every time she touches me as if she touched me down there.
“Yes, I’m fine, just feeling bad for him right now.” The lump in my throat pains me.
“You should be da one happy he fucked up! He should have neva put his hands on you! Not the way he did, any damn way!” Jay exclaims.
“I agree with that shit.” Skylar rolls her eyes.
“Look, I see how all this is my fault, but I must forgive him for what he did to me. I can’t allow that to dwell in me and cause me anger. He may have gotten what he deserved, but it still doesn’t make any of it right. I think you guys should forgive him too. I’m the one he hurt, and if I can forgive him, I’m sure you guys can. Let’s not be so juvenile about the situation. Do you realize the importance of forgiveness? Forgive him so that each of you can be free. Get over it. What’s done… is done and we can’t take it back, but we can move forward and continue to hope for his recovery. He’s still living, but what if he were to die? Then we all would not only be facing assault and battery charges, but murder charges. If you don’t want to forgive him, just know that he forgives us, and be grateful that he’s still alive; if not for the sake of him, do it for the sake of your own serenity. Good he remembers nothing. I mean absolutely nothing,” I conclude in hopes they all take heed.
“Man, here you go being all religious and shit.” Brit sounds agitated.
“No, I’m not being religious because I’m not a religious being. I’m a spiritual being. If you try letting it go, then maybe, just maybe, you’ll have better luck and won’t be so damn negative all the time, just sometimes,” I advise her with attitude.
“You’re right, Melody. We all played a major role in his condition, except you, you were being protected, that’s all,” Carmen speaks up in my defense.
“I’m over this. I forgive the dude for what he did to you, but only cause you do.” Skylar gets up to leave.
The rest of the girls all get up and follow suit, except for Carmen. “In case I need to give her another shot, I’ll stay until she awakes. I need to make sure she remembers nothing from the past twenty-four hours.”
“Oh! I sure would hate to get on your grim side.” I say to Carmen once we’re alone.
“You don’t have to worry; I would do nothing to hurt you. Ever. You’re too precious,” she assures me with a tone that warms my insides again, but also makes me nervous. An anxious nervous. The unthinkable happens when she sits next to me much closer than before and puts her hand on my leg. I flinch at the sensation that tickles my clit. I scoot away, not knowing what else to do. She scoots closer. I scoot again. She scoots again. What the hell!
“You have no reason to run. I won’t bite you. I’m an affectionate woman and I just want to hold you. No sex just hold you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I have felt an undeniable admiration for you. I think about you day and night and even find it hard to focus. That’s probably why I fucked up the concoction for Vanessa the first time, because my mind was on you. I know that you’re not into girls. So, I will never force you to do anything you don’t want. I just want you to know what you do to me. No one, I mean, no one has ever made me feel this way.” Her voice is low and soft.
I ignore her confession. I can feel the moisture between my legs, so I get up and go to the bathroom. As a straight woman who loves and prefer men, I don’t understand how she, another woman, is making me feel this way. Carmen knocks on the door some minutes later, but I ignore it. She knocks again and asks if I’m okay. I don’t answer. She knocks again and I swing the door open. Just as I do, she picks me up, sits me on the bathroom sink and kisses me passionately. So passionate I unconsciously return the kiss. I wrap my legs around her waist. When she pulls me closer, I become weak and everything goes black.