“Why aren’t you with her, Jacob?” Montie asked. It sounded like he was up moving around, probably getting dressed.
“I don’t have time to waste answering your questions. What is Ms. Clara’s number?” I asked referring to Destiny’s mother.
“Why don’t you have her number, Mr. Big Shot?” Montie asked sarcastically.
“I just don’t! I wouldn’t have called you if I had it,” I told him as I remembered why I hadn’t met Ms. Clara.
Destiny insisted that we keep our families out of our relationships, until the time was right. I actually didn’t care one way or another about her meeting my parents. She was going to be my wife, not theirs. I knew Mom was going to object.
Mom was outspoken against interracial couples, wholeheartedly believing people should “stick to their own kind.” I was ready for whatever Mom had to throw my way, but Destiny was nervous. She felt Mom’s opinion would somehow affect our relationship.
My father was more open minded. His compassion for people of all walks of life showed in everything he did. He cared more about the will and tenacity of a person than their skin color. Like my father, Destiny felt her mother would accept me with open arms. I wondered if that would be true after tonight.
I proposed before we had the opportunity to properly bring our families into our blissful fold. With Justine’s attack clouding the air like an ominous mist, I was sure the introductions would be nothing short of disastrous.
“I said, are you with her now?” Montie asked loudly, bringing me back to the conversation.
“No, I was on a flight to Miami when I got the call. I’m headed back now.”
“Some man you are. You can’t even protect your woman. I don’t know why she thought she could depend on you to be there for her and our kids,” Montie said.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen!” I said, slamming my fist down on the chair.
“Fuck you!” Montie said.
“Fuck me? Fuck you, Montie!” I said before realizing that he’d already hung up. I sighed.
The fact that Montie was still in love with Destiny should’ve been the least of my worries, but the nagging confession he’d just made pissed me off. From that day forward, I was going to have to protect Destiny, or hire an army that could. My next call was to my assistant.
“Hey Wanda.”
“Hey boss. It’s kind of early for a Saturday morning call from you,” she said sounding perky as usual.
“First time for everything,” I told her. “Listen, I need you to call the hospitals in Atlanta and find out which one Destiny Baker is being taken to.”
“Your girlfriend, Destiny?” she asked, unable to control her suspicion.
“Yes.”
“Right away, boss. Is everything okay?”
“Just find out what hospit
al she’s at and text me the information,” I said, hanging up the phone.
Destiny’s shrilling scream replayed in my mind as I heard the pilot announce, “Please buckle up, boss. We’re about to land.” I thought about Justine as I fastened my seatbelt. I could feel a gush of bile rising to my throat.
An hour later, I walked through the halls of Grady Memorial’s emergency room. The beeping sounds of life preserving machines tugged at my heart. I knew the same type of machines were probably hooked to Destiny. I couldn’t wait to see with my own eyes that she was alright.
“Do you have Destiny Baker in here?” I asked the nursing assistant sitting at the front desk of the ER. Her name tag read Lexi.
“Let me see,” Lexi said before turning to her computer and tapping her chubby fingers across the keys. “Oh… You’ll have to talk to the doctor before you can go back to see her. Are you a friend?” she asked as she stood from her chair.
“I’m her fiancé.”
“I’ll be back in just a second,” Lexi said. She walked away with a slump in her shoulders. Within a minute, she was back with a tall, graying black man wearing a lab coat. The man’s badge read Dr. Searcy. He had a mixture of fatigue and concern etched on his face.
“I’m Dr. Searcy, and you are?” he asked extending his hand for a shake.