“Sweetie, wake up.”
Sitting up instantly, I looked around to gauge my surroundings taking in the white walls with pastel colored wallpaper, seafoam green cushioned chairs and a television in the corner currently showing the evening news. I was still in the hospital waiting room.
“Did something happen? Is El okay?” I asked while still looking around.
“He hasn’t come out of surgery yet. I woke you up because you looked like you were having a bad dream. You were crying,” Keeva explained.
I put my hand to my face and felt the moisture from the tears that had fallen while I was dreaming…more accurately having a horrible nightmare.
“I was having an awful dream. Thank you for waking me. I don’t even know how I was able to doze off.”
“Girl, sometimes your body will just shut down on you. You don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“Was I asleep long?”
“No, it was only a few minutes. Mommy and Daddy just parked the car. They are on the way up. Kenzie is in the studio, but I left her a message.”
Keeva was the first of my family to arrive at the hospital. My father called me right after he saw the news report to ask where I was. He and my mother were on their way to me. I told him that Laila was taking me to the hospital so he said they would meet me there.
Feeling an overwhelming amount of nervous energy, I stood and walked to the opposite side of the room choosing a seat next to Vivian and Torrey. I held Vivian’s hand while she quietly wiped tears away.
Xavier walked into the waiting room with his arm in a sling, followed by Countee and Ray.
“Xavier,” I stood to meet him, “How are you?”
He reached out to hug me with his free arm. I hugged him, careful not touch the sling resting on his back. I examined his white dress shirt that he’d obviously changed into because I could see dried blood on his gray suit pants but none was on his shirt.
Was that his blood or Samuel’s blood?
“I’m fine. The bullet went straight through my arm. Any word on El yet?”
I shook my head.
“We’d just come out of the courthouse, and a guy walked up from out of nowhere and opened fire. El jumped and pushed me down…” He roughly wiped his tears with his hand, “He saved me and sacrificed himself. I stayed with him until the paramedics came. I asked to ride in the ambulance with him, but they were so busy looking at my arm! I should have stayed with him to make sure they did what they were supposed to do!”
“Naw, bro,” Countee started, “You didn’t have a choice in the matter. You heard the doctor tell you that if they hadn’t stopped the bleeding on your wound, you wouldn’t be standing here right now.”
“I’m fine,” Xavier objected.
“No, he’s not. The doctors wanted him to stay overnight for observation, but he refused,” Countee explained.
“Xavier, you should listen to the doctor and stay overnight just to be safe,” Vivian cautioned.
“Momma V, I can’t. I honestly cannot sit in some hospital room nursing a superficial wound while my best friend is fighting for his life. I will take it easy, but I can’t stay here,” Xavier maintained.
“I will keep an eye on him. His aunt and uncle are on the way,” Countee said.
“Was Samuel awake when you left him, Xavier?” Vivian asked.
“We, uh…I talked and told him it was going to be okay. He was in and out of consciousness, but when the paramedics loaded him onto the gurney, he was awake,” he scrubbed his face with his hand, then looked around the room.
“Come and sit down, Xavier,” Torrey said while directing him to an empty seat.
I wished this was part of a dream. I wished I could wake up and be in El’s arms telling him about my day. Listening to his heartbeat while I laid on his chest and he rubbed my back.
Ray stood in the corner of the room looking down at his hands.
“Ray?” I asked as I approached him. He too had changed out of his shirt. He had on a hospital scrub top with his suit pants. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”