Page 42 of Just Listen
“I’m already knowing.” I tittered.
“So. You think that Zae is gonna break up with you behind this?”
I gulped. “I honestly don’t know. Maybe.”
“Well, I personally feel like you underestimate the power you have, for whatever reason. Zae aint going nowhere. Whether you’re pregnant or not.”
“You think so?” I quizzed, just before my other line beeped. Glancing at the phone, I realized that it was my big cousin Keyasia calling. “Jhyrah, this is Key’s ass calling.”
“Okay, merge her ass in, then,” Jhyrah bossily urged, as she always did.
“Kay,” I agreed, before tapping my screen, and merging the calls together. “What’s up, Key?”
“Jaylah,” Key uttered frantically. “Wale just called me,” she mentioned her husband’s name. “He said that…Zae and Claro…Zae and Claro just got shot.”
Hearing that, I dropped my phone, and released the loudest wail. This couldn’t fucking be.
***
Traveling through the hospital felt like an alternate reality. I couldn’t believe that my dream had quickly come to fruition. I’d barely gotten any information from Zae’s family, as they were all inconsolable. Thankfully, a cousin took out the time to text me the details about the hospital. And now, I was ambling across the ICU visitor’s waiting area to approach his sister, who was standing up, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
“Zaria,” I called out to her, causing her to turn to face me.
Immediately, I noticed the tearstains on her cheeks. “Ooh, Jaylahhh,” she broke down into heavy sobs.
Instinctively, I took her into my arms. “I know.” I rubbed her back.
“It’s bad,” she whispered. “Claro was DOA.”
“What?” I gasped, as my heart dropped down to my stomach.
“Yes.” She nodded and sniffed.
My shoulders trembled, as I wasn’t expecting to hear that. “OMG,” I cried. “Is…is Zae okay?”
She sniveled. “He was shot three times, but I think that he’ll live. I’ma call my mama, and get her to trade places with you, so that you can see him. They’re only letting one of us back at a time.”
“Okay,” I sniveled, before releasing her.
Stepping aside, I watched her call Ms. Sherry, she and Zae’s mama. Then a few minutes later, Ms. Sherry stepped out into the lobby. Once she laid eyes on me, she immediately hurried over to pull me into her arms. Regardless of any friction between me and her son, me and Ms. Sherry were always good. She was my girl, and loved me for her son.
Holding each other tightly, we cried together, never uttering a word. Then I eventually got it together, approached the receptionist desk, signed in, got a temporary badge, before heading back to the ICU rooms. Once I approached Zae’s room, I took a deep breath, before stepping inside.
As I was ambling over to the hospital bed, Zae turned to look at me. The look of defeat was etched in his expression, while his eyes were crimson red.
“Hey, baby,” my voice cracked.
“’Sup?” He struggled to get out.
Now standing next to the bed, I leaned down to lightly hug him, careful not to apply much pressure, since I wasn’t exactly sure where he’d been shot. Then I kissed his cheek before standing upright. That’s when I realized that he was clutching my forearm, forcing us to lock eyes.
“I…I…I should’ve listened to you.”
Seeing the tears slip from his eyes did something to me.
“It’s okay,” I sniffed. “You didn’t know.”
“Yeah, and now…Claro is gone,” he broke down. “My nigga is gooone,” he quietly sobbed.
