—
Still giving their presences to the waiting area of the hospital, the husbands—Boris, Bobby, Shemar, and Idris—had been standing side by side, their pupils fixed upon a provided television. On the device, a game of college basketball appeared. They were playfully going at it, debating which team would take home victory.
Blair, who had finally exited the break-room and found his way back into the waiting area, moved his head in a motion that displayed obvious vexation. He could not believe Whitney had destroyed his precious clothing, which he had paid an arm and leg for.
"What the hell happened to you?" Shemar asked his friend, seeing the man enter the room. His eyes couldn't help but notice the apparent brown colored stains within Blair's clothing.
Turning their focus from the television and placing it onto the angered man, the other husbands released inevitable laughter. They thought he looked ridiculous, crazy even. Besides, with all that was occurring, they needed the humor.
"Yeah," Bobby added, pointing toward his friend. "What the hell you do? Take a shower?" Incessantly, he laughed alongside his peers.
Not wanting to be bothered, Blair waved the other men off. He then took a seat upon one of the surrounding chairs, placing his head within the palms of both his hands. He had been distraught that his clothing was destroyed. But, that was not all that his mind worried of. He couldn't help but to wonder if the doctors treating Mariah would uncover his ungodly acts toward her. Would they spot bruised marks upon her skin? Could it be that he had hit her so hard and was the reason she was unconscious? Oh, he was ashamed. Very ashamed.
Now, while he brooded in his shame, Janet was just beginning to feel hers. She stood by a nearing window, constantly thinking about the conversation she previously had with her husband.
When he asked her about the messages he had read upon her phone, she should've answered honestly. But instead, she flipped the script and turned it around on him. Not because she wanted to hurt him, but because she could not cause herself any exposure. How could she look him in his eyes and tell him that she had been in love with another person, who hadn't even been a man?
But, by refusing to clear things up, she had been hurting him. In fact, they were hurting each other. They needed some sort of resolution.
Turning from the window and placing her pupils onto her husband, Janet walked over to where he stood.
He faced her, curiously. "What's up?"
She released heavy breaths, then replied with, "can we talk?"
Moving his head in an up and down fashion, the man agreed to do so. He could tell that whatever she wanted to discuss clearly held some magnitude and suggested they had better go where no one could hear.
While they walked out of the area trying to decide where would be best to converse, Angela and Toni were seated next to each other having a conversation of their own.
"I just hope that whatever's going on, will soon come to light," Toni said, moving her head in a motion that showed she had been in disbelief. She still couldn't get it through her mind that they had found Mariah the way they did. "Nobody just goes unresponsive like that. Nobody. Something gotta be going on, Angie."
"I know, I know," the other friend said back, showing some sense of understanding. "This just goes to show that we need to be here for Mariah now more than ever. She needs us." She allowed an expression of seriousness to hold her face. "And, we really need to come together and pray. For all of us. Too much has been going on."
