𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐔 ৎ୭

XVII

Dequavince Demaro Harris
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The Next Day

I wake up in a room with all these cords and shit around me. My stomach hurts making me hold it in pain.

"Fuck." I mumble.

"You good? I could call a nurse in here-"

I look to my left and see Mercedes looking up from her phone in the seat next to me.

"Nah, I'm good." I shrug.

"How long you been here?" I ask her.

"Overnight, since they called me. You been sleep most of the day." She gets up and stretches.

"Ion even know why you here." I look away.

"See I been through enough last night. I'm gonna go sit outside." She shakes her head, standing up.

She clicks a button next to my bed before heading out.

"I gotta tell them you awake." She sighs.

The same one who wishing death on me here when I almost did... that's wild.

The nurse comes in and changed my bandages and whatnot. She tells me the surgery was successful and they managed to remove both bullets. I'm going to have to stay here for a few days.

"Should I tell your girlfriend to come back in?" She asks.

"Yea." I nod.

She leaves out and Mercedes comes back in.

"I called everybody and let em know you up, yo friends on they way. I'm finna head out." She says finna walk back out.

"Nah, stay."

"I gotta change and shower and get ready. I'll be back inna hour. I just wanted to be here when you woke up." She grabs my hoodie off the chair and puts it back on.

"Let's talk first." I pat my bed for her to sit.

"Mmm okay." She sits on the side of my bed.

"I- wait, lemme go first." She cuts me off.

"I am so sorry for telling you to die. That was too fucking far and I really didn't mean it." Her eyes water.

"I know you ain't mean that." I shrug.

"But it should've neva left my mouth no matter how angry I am, I really care about you and I do not wish that on you, at all. It was scary as hell getting that call" She sniffles.

"It's okay lil mama." I rub her back.

"And I apologize fa saying what I said. I meant sum of it but it shouldn't ah came out like that. We both got things to work on and I didn't mean to point out all of yo flaws rather than mine." I explain.

"Okay." She nods.

"Imma be back later." She rushes out, about to cry again.

"What I done did na?" I sigh.

Mercedes April Porter
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

I rush out of the hospital, to my car. I start up my car but can't bring myself to leave yet. He really meant sum of what said and that shit hurt my feeling ngl.

Tears clog my visions so I quickly fan my eyes. Once I can see again, I drive to my house.

I play Insomniac by X to cheer me up.

Okay
I'm way too good at this shit
I don't even really gotta try no more
Oh my God, Ronny
Bitch I am up, bitch I am up
Bitch I am up, bitch I am up
Bitch I am up, bitch I am up
Bitch I am up, bitch I am up
Bitch I am up, bitch I am up
Bitch I am up, bitch I am up
Bitch I am up, bitch I am up
Bitch I am up, bitch I am up
Okay, xans for her dinner, uh
Bag from Margiela, uh
Bad little bitch, she Spanish, speak no English
Got no manners
Just like a gnome, I'm at your home
Right on your yard, shoes are Goyard
Dick in your broad
Her pussy stinky, messy like Binky
Bon appetite, okay
Bitch, I don't see nobody better than me, mm
All these pussy niggas is jealous of me, mm
Got a pussy wetter than Swiffer you see, mm
Steal a nigga flow, and murder his beat, uh
Stole a nigga bitch, she murder my meat, uh
Had a nigga numb from the feet to the knee up
When she suck my dick, it's making her hiccup
When I'm in that pussy, I just might do sit-ups

...

"All these niggas, fucking hoes! Ten toes, never fold!"

"Pussy nigga, snatch your soul! Out your shirt! Acting buff!"

"Acting up! acting tough! Just might get you fist fucked!" I scream, parking in a space.

I head to my apartment and find sumn comfortable to wear once I get out of the shower. After hygiene I throw my lil outfit on with no accessories except earrings since I'm not going nowhere.

My purse carries sum snacks and drinks for us. I take a lil blanket too since it's so cold there.

I run by Panda and pick him up a hot meal before I go back to the hospital.

In the parking lot, his family members' cars are parked making me sigh.

Should I wait until they leave? I ask myself.

Ugh... Ion wanna be around them.

I take my mini backpack and the food inside and go to his room.

"Hey Mercedes." Carter nods at me as I come in the room.

I nod back as a dozen heads shoot my way, acknowledging me. I hope they'd be done visiting by the time I came back. I intentionally called them before I left so I would miss them, dammit. This is mad stressful.

"Well, we gone see you later. Hang in der cuz." Carter pats D's shoulder.

"Oh wow you're glowing." I smile at Jabriah's belly.

"Thank you sis." She side hugs me.

"See you tomorrow baby." Demenah walks to the door.

"Bye mama." D says.

"Bye sweetie." She rests her hand on my shoulder.

"Bye Menah." I wave her goodbye.

She still being nice to me which is good.

"I'll see you later bro." Angelo daps up D.

He gives me a lil half hug before walking out.

"Bye big bro." Dereyna lets go of D's hand.

"Bye y'all." He says.

After the rest of his friends and family leave except for Carter and his girlfriend, I hand him his food.

"Hey." He says.

"Here's sum food, I know you sick of this hospital shit." I laugh.

"We finna head out." Carter lies.

"Mhm, Briah, how far along are you?" I ask sitting next to her.

"I'm almost 7 months." She rubs her belly.

"Oh, we gotta do that paternity shoot ASAP no Rihanna because you bout ready tuh pop." I enunciate.

"I knowww. Gimme your new phone number so I can book you."

"It's the same one." I say and she nods.

"How much?" She asks.

"You're family, y'all free." I shake my head.

I'm stable enough to not have to charge if ion want to.

"Guhl... What do you charge an hour?" She waves me off.

"Nun. Don't worry about it." I pat her arm.

We look back at Carter and D, conversating about everything under the sun.

"They be gossiping like hoes." She whispers.

"On ma momma." I whisper back.

"So tell me why that nigga got killed the same day?" D side eyes him.

"Ain't no way. How you so bold on the Gram but caught slipping like that?" Carter shakes his head.

"Aye, you heard Big P got a opp bitch pregnant?" Carter says before I zone them back out.

"They ain't gone be finished no time soon, ion wantchu to starve. You want Wendy's?" I ask, getting up.

"Yes, get me a fo fo fo." She tries to hand me a 5 which I pretend not to see.