“I don't know. We gotta get her to the doctor.”
Lo and Devyn carried her while Meco went over to Luco and shot three more bullets into his face. The only thing on the agenda was saving Ada. Anything else was irrelevant.
Hours later…
The silence was uncomfortable for Lo as he sat in the chair. It had been a long night of sitting in worry. The kind that came equipped with an accelerated heart rate and stomach pangs. The private hospital wasn’t big, but it had everything it needed. Ada had suffered multiple injuries, including two broken ribs and cuts that required sutures. She’d been tortured to the point she lost consciousness. It was only by the grace of God that she was still alive, holding on to her life.
Devyn was propped against the wall while Meco sat next to Lo. Dax was positioned at the foot of the bed, waiting for Ada to wake up. Lo was in pretty bad shape after the beating, but he pushed through, ignoring his own discomfort to ensure that Ada would be okay.
The sudden coughing shifted everyone’s attention. Ada’s chest rose and fell while she hacked uncontrollably.
“Ma.” Devyn rushed to her side. “It’s okay. You good.”
Ada continued coughing as Devyn reached for the cup on the nightstand. She took a few sips and began panting.
“It’s okay, sweetheart, you're okay,” Dax assured.
Lo took note of how sweet his father still spoke to his mother. After all these years, their love hadn’t wavered. It was inspiring to him.
“Oh, I thought I was dead,” Ada cried. “I told him to kill me.”
“Why would you tell them that?” Devyn questioned.
“Because.” She looked up at the ceiling, releasing all the anxiety from her body through deep sighs. “I knew Lo wouldn’t come for me, so I told them to kill me.”
“Sweetheart, Lo came for you. He’s right here,” Dax informed her.
Ada looked to her right, locking eye contact with Lo in complete disbelief. Her slightly swollen lips parted while she gawked at him. Lo stared at her, wondering what went through her mind. He wasn’t stunned that she thought he wouldn’t save her, Lo couldn’t blame Ada when he had been giving her his back for the last twenty years.
“Oh, my God.” She bawled, covering her mouth with her hand.
Lo didn’t know he possessed any empathy until now. He hadn’t gotten a first-hand view of how wounded Ada truly had been. He heard about it but never saw how agonizing his absence had torn her apart. Even when she confronted Maddy at her house, he saw rage not pain.
“I didn’t think you would come,” she wept. “I just knew I would be left there to die but you came. I can’t believe it.”
Devyn consoled her as she continued sobbing. Lo had to turn away because her pain had affected him. Guilt seized him, making his eyes mist but he blinked away the access water, hoping her sobs wouldn’t continue to penetrate him.
Meco leaned over toward Lo and whispered, “Bro, it’s time for y’all to talk.”
He looked at Meco who gave him a reassuring nod. They made it sound like it was easy, but Lo knew better. This talk could’ve potentially broken him, crushed him into tiny pieces that would’ve made it impossible for him to be put back together.
“Aye, Dev, let me holla at you in the hallway.”
Devyn rubbed Ada’s arm and followed Meco to the hallway. When the door closed, silence engulfed the room. Lo’s anxiety had kicked up a notch, causing his thoughts to race. How would he start the conversation off? What would be the first word? He didn’t know how to take the first step toward healing. Lo had been avoiding that road for years.
“Kylo?”
The tone of Dax’s voice always commanded everyone’s attention. Lo looked at his father, relieved that he had broken the ice.
“There’s so much that needs to be said. So much hurt and pain that we’ve all been living with. I think it’s time to put it on the table.”
Ada sniffled and extended her hand toward Lo. Reluctantly, he slid his palm into hers. The feeling was so foreign that he wanted to pull back. However, he ignored it, allowing her to squeeze his hand.
“I know we let you down, Lo. I’ve had to sit with that for years, knowing I wasn’t there to protect you. We did everything in our power to always protect yo—”
“Bullshit!” Lo snapped, snatching his hand from Ada’s “Y’all ain't do shit to protect me. Just sent me to that fucking camp to be molested.”
“Lo, that’s not true,” Ada stated weakly.
