Raya – Two Days Later
I blink a few times, the sun shining through the blinds, and I look around the room, Cale’s room, where I haven’t left since waking up two days ago.
The doctor, or Doc as the brothers call him, came to see me yesterday, explained my injuries, that I didn’t contract any disease fromhim, but I will need repeated tests in a week. I know the girls have tried to see me since I woke up, but Cale has kindly kept them away.
I’m not ready to see them, to see Ivy or my mama and Gregory.
I broke my promise to them, and it’s a hard pill to swallow, especially when I thought I was going to be dead and not have to face them.
Cowardly? Yes, it is, but that was the route I chose, and now I need to face the music, just not quite yet, though.
I sigh and slowly turn on my back, wincing at the aches and pains as I look at the ceiling.
Cale hasn’t left my side, not once.
If a brother needs to speak to him, he’d call them or tell them to come to his house. When they had church yesterday, he called in and was a part of it that way, just so he didn’t leave me and it hurts my heart because as much as he’s showing me he’s there, that I’m his, I can’t show it back because I am fucking broken, used and abused.
I blink a few more times, trying to stop the tears that want to fall, not feeling like I achieved anything by killing my father’s killers because he isn’t here, he didn’t come back.
Killing them didn’t bring him back.
I thought I’d feel lighter, like I could breathe easier, but it isn’t lighter, and I still can’t breathe knowing I’ll never get to see my father again.
A few tears fall as I grip the chain that Cale picked up from Ivy’s old room. The chain my dad bought me for my fifteenth birthday, while the bracelet Cale bought me for my twenty-fifth still sits on my wrist, which thankfullyhedidn’t try to remove.
Perhaps I need to go back to work, maybe that is what my problem is.
It’s winter break at school, and Cale messaged Tom on my phone after I was taken, requesting a few weeks off to recuperate, so he doesn’t worry. But maybe returning to work is what I need to get back into the swing of things, to get rid of this feeling that is consuming like I failed because my dad didn’t come back.
Nodding to myself, I sit up and grab my phone, adamant about calling Tom, but I freeze when I hear the front door slam, crap, that has to be Ivy, making my eyes widen.
“Crap, she’s come to murder me,” I whisper, but frown when I hear panicked whispers of male voices, and I quickly get out of Cale’s bed, but flinch at the shooting pains in my back and side, my legs nearly giving out.
Shit, I forgot about them.
Limping over to Cale’s drawers, I grab my jeans that Ivy must have brought over, sitting on top, and put them on. Then, I put on my sneakers, which again, Ivy must have brought me, because I’m pretty sure I left them near my front door and I grab my phone.
I go to move, but I pause, seeing Cale’s gun, shocked that he left it out in the open on his dresser.
I don’t know why, but I grab it and put it in my jeans underneath his shirt that I refuse to take off before rushing over to the door. Limping would be a better description as I grunt in pain the whole way there.
I open the door just as I hear travel from downstairs, “How in the fuck did she even grab him?!”
It sounded like Glock…
“Cherri,” is all Blade replies, and I quietly tiptoe down the hallway, then the stairs, stopping halfway to see all the officer brothers in Cale’s light gray living area, Psycho pacing with his fingers linked behind his head.
“I’ll find him, brother,” Cale promises as he types away on his laptop, and Psycho snaps, “Today or in four days like Raya?!”
What the...?
I flinch at his harsh words, a little bit of anger filling me because he’s blaming Cale for what happened to me, and every brother looks his way harshly while Cale slowly looks up at Psycho, who winces, realizing what he just said.
“I get my sister is upset that it took me four fucking agonizing days to find my woman beaten, bloody and bruised, and I know she’s been in your head because I won’t allow her to see her friend just yet, her friend who is still recovering but brother, don’t fucking go there. With how I’m feeling lately and the no communication with Raya, her staring at the fucking walls every day, I will shoot you,” Cale says lowly and I whisper, “No you won’t I have your gun.”
“Fuck Cale, I didn’t mean it, you’re right, I had your sister in my head –” Cale cuts Psycho off and snaps, “No shit!” before looking back down at his screen, his fingers moving quickly and I swallow hard at the look Psycho gives his friend, regretting his panicked words.
“Cale, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I know you’ll try your hardest to find my son, to find your nephew,” Psycho whispers, but Cale doesn’t answer him, instead he continues to type away quickly while I take in a breath.
