B.R.O.N.X. (Justin Bieber Fanfiction)

Epilogue

Justin

"Okay, guys. That's a wrap! You can go change," I shouted over the sound of basketballs bouncing on the ground. The kids cleaned the gear up and trotted away to the locker rooms. I picked up a stray ball and shot at the basket. I made a few shots, but soon I was having a hard time squinting against the blinding August sunlight.

The school I was working at was in Lower Manhattan. It wasn't as fancy as Brooklyn's, but still better than the one I had attended back when I was a teen. I was coaching a team of twelve-year-olds every afternoon from Monday to Friday and the paycheck wasn't half bad. They even let me use the office next to the locker room to keep my stuff. The wifi was off for the summer, which sucked, but at least I could take a shower every day after practice. I started being grateful for that after the first time I experienced what it was like to run around for two hours, yelling orders at kids with the stamina of an Olympic runner at 90 degrees in the courtyard of a school in the middle of New York City because the indoors gym was closed for works.

I showered after all the kids had left and got dressed, shaking my head to get the water out of my hair. Outside in the parking lot was my new truck, waiting for me. You couldn't exactly call it knew since it was probably older than me, but I had bought it with my first salary and that kind of made me proud. I'd been meaning to paint it ever since I got it, but it was still a faded blue, horrible color with an old-fashioned brown stripe on the side. It had nothing on my old orange and black Mustang, but it had come from clean money; money that I had earned myself.

I hopped in and started the long drive to Jacobi Medical Center in Bronx. I had an appointment with Dr. Holloway for a regular check up on how I was healing. Considering it had been three months with no problems and I'd been taking my medication, I supposed this would be the last time I saw him. I had grown strangely fond of the doctor, as emotionless and usually mean as he was.

The smoking part had been the hardest to drop, but after some weeks, the cravings got easier to handle and now I barely noticed any withdrawal symptoms. Unless someone was smoking right in my face, which if they knew what was good for them, they tried to avoid. In lieu of the nicotine I had taken to eating ungodly amounts of candy: Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, Jelly Beans, Skittles, M&M's... basically anything high on sugar. I tried to make up for it by running every morning.

Coincidentally, Sameera had just given birth to her baby the day before so I would be killing two birds with one stone by going to the hospital. I turned on the crappy radio in the car—which would need replacing—and rolled my window down since I had no air con and I was suffocating in the cab. I doubted it would help much considering the heat outside, though.

My phone beeped with a text when I was stopped at a red light so I quickly sneaked a look.

Already here. The baby is the cutest. Wait till you hear what they called him. xx

A goofy grin immediately spread itself on my face. I hadn't seen Brooklyn in three weeks because her family had driven up to the Hamptons for a holiday. I had wanted to visit her there but I wasn't sure her dad would have been too happy about that. Besides, I couldn't even afford the gas and I had just bought the truck. I couldn't wait to see Brooklyn's face when she saw it. Beyond all that, I knew we both needed some family time. I wasn't the only one that was saying good-bye to her after the summer, and I knew her mom was especially affected by the fact that Brooke was moving down to California by herself.

I, on the other hand, had been in New York the whole time. Except for a long weekend Mom, Jazmyn, Jaxon and I had travelled up to Stratford to see my grandparents. I wish I could say I hadn't missed the place.

After the longest half an hour of my life, I put my truck in park and jogged to the entrance of the hospital. The lady at the front desk boredly gave me directions to the maternity floor between popping her pink gum. It didn't seem too sanitary for a hospital.