33

Kyrin

"She's stuck for right now." Ember delivered the worse news of my week as I sat in my office chair with her on speaker phone. "Evidence is solid. I've called in a few favors, so she's got the best lawyer in Texas, but right now she's stuck."

My phone beeped signaling another call trying to come through. I looked and saw it was Tiffany. Deciding to call her back after this call, I declined it as I responded to my sister. "Well, we keep money on her books so she can eat good and let her know that she's gonna have to sit it out til court."

"Kyrin, seriously? That's all you have to say?" Ember asked in irritation. "You haven't cried or anything. Do you not care?"

I was about to snap on her until Tiff called again, and this time I had a gut feeling something was wrong. "Ember, I'll call you back in a few. Let me take this call." Not waiting for her response, I answered Tiff. "Tiffany, what's wrong?"

"Kyrin, where are you?" She asked me and I could hear panic in her voice.

"School. It's a student holiday so I still had to come in. Why? What's wrong?"

"I'm in an ambulance, on my way to the hospital with Eissa."

I stood up and began grabbed my wallet and keys as I placed the phone to my ear. "Tiffany, what's wrong with my son?"

"We've been calling Janet, but she isn't answering—."

"Tiffany!" I cut her off. "What is wrong with my son?"

"We were eating and then he just started holding his throat. He turned red and we thought he was choking but he wasn't. It might be an allergic reaction."

"What hospital?" I asked as I walked out of my office.

"Raegan." She answered and I heard another paramedic say something in the background. "No— no the Children's hospital. We're going to the Children's hospital."

"Alright. I'll be there. I'll get Janet." I hung up and quickly called my girlfriend. She didn't answer and I walked to the front desk where Joy was. "I'm away for today, my son is on the way to the hospital. So close my meetings and schedules. Tell Carmen if it gets to the point where somebody needs to represent the school. I gotta go. Thanks Joy!"

As I walked out I heard her yell back. "No problem!"

I rushed to my car and when I got in, I called Janet again. It rang and went to voicemail and I sighed. "This is not the time to not answer the phone Janet." I dialed Shawn's number and I was sent to voicemail by her this time.

Not budging, I dialed it again, and this time she answered. "Kyrin, we are in practice. Wassu—."

"Put my girlfriend on the phone." I cut her off in all seriousness as I got on the highway.

"She's practicing the routine—."

"Shawn I wouldn't give a fuck if she was jumping off the walls of that damn studio. Put my girlfriend on the phone. Now!" I raised my voice because she was irritating the shit outta me.

I heard shuffling and my girlfriends name being yelled before her voice rang through. "Hello?"

"Janet, Eissa's on his way to the hospital and you need to meet me there."

"The hospital? What? Why?!"

"J, they're on their way to The Children's hospital. Tiff said he might have had a really bad allergic reaction or something. She's not really sure, but he started holding his throat and turning red."

Janet's voice softened and I heard her take a deep breath. "I'm on my way. If you beat me there, make sure our sons okay. Please."

"Of course. I'm about to pull up in a few. I'll call whenever I learn something."

"Alright. I'm on my way." The line ended as I exited the highway. Once the Bluetooth disconnected, my satellite radio cut on and I quickly cut it off. I didn't want to hear any music right now. As I turned into the parking lot, I found the nearest spot and rushed inside the emergency room. I scanned it and didn't see them.

Going to the counter, I asked. "I'm looking for Eissa Al Mana."

The woman looked up and smiled. "Are you a Kyrin Broussard?"

I nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Ok, I'll just need to see a quick form of ID. We had orders to let you in, I just need to make sure it's you." I quickly gave the woman my drivers license and she handed it back. "Thank you. Room 17, Ms Broussard."

Walking through the doors of the hospital halls, I found 17 and walked inside. Phoebe and Tiffany sat there and when I walked in they looked back. Tiffany shook her head as she walked up to me. "Kyrin, I'm so sorry."

"No. It's okay. Don't be sorry." I texted Janet the room number before turning back to Phoebe and Tiff and asking. "What did he eat?"

"Pizza. He must be allergic to it." Phoebe replied.

"No. That doesn't make sense. We ate pizza with him last week. It would have had this type of reaction then. What was on the pizza?"

Tiffany answered. "Onions and bell peppers."

"It was probably one of those two. I believe he's eaten onions before, but Janet's on her way. She'll let us know for sure." I mumbled as I sat in the chair by Eissa. "Why isn't he waking up yet? He's always been a light sleeper."

"The doctor gave him medicine to stop the reaction and start bringing the swelling down. He's been out ever since." Phoebe replied.

"My poor baby just can't win." I commented as I kept my eyes on him. "He just can't catch a break."

The door opened and almost like I had spoke her up, Janet walked in with Shawn behind her. She rushed to the bed as I stood up so she could sit down whenever she wanted to. Her hand brushed across his cheek as tears rushed to the brims of her eyes. "Oh mommas baby."

"I'm sorry Janet. We didn't know he was allergic to it." Tiffany apologized.

"To what? What did he eat?" Janet questioned as the emotions in her voice dropped and I knew she was close to saying something she'd regret later.

I interrupted before P and Tiff could reply. "It was either onions or bell peppers. He ate pizza and that's what was on it."

"He eats onions. He loves onions. It had to have been the bell peppers." She mumbled, her eyes not leaving Eissa. She glanced at me before speaking louder. "Can you all give Kyrin and I the room?"

Everyone left and Janet's gaze went from Eissa to me. Before she could get a word out, I spoke. "I know. I know. This is bad."

My girlfriend shook her head as a tear dropped. "Look at him baby. He doesn't even look like my Eissa."

Walking over to where she was, I pulled her into my arms. "It's okay, it's going to be okay."

"I shouldn't have been leaving him with Tiffany. I should have stayed with him Kyrin. I fucked up. I fucked up."

"Baby, he's allergic to it, eventually it would have happened. Now we know and it's nobody's fault. Things happen and you just gotta learn things the hard way sometimes."

"This is not something I wanted to learn the hard way."

"I understand that baby, but we can't control things like this. It's inevitable to think that we could have prevented this one. Eissa would have eaten it eventually. If not today then tomorrow or the next. It's going to be okay."

There was a knock at the door and Shawn peeked her head inside. "Uh heads up, Wissam's outside."

Janet's head tilted as she broke from our embrace. "Excuse me?"

Shawn shrugged. "I don't know who called him but—."

Before I could fathom anything else, Wissam burst past Shawn and entered the room. He looked at Janet. "You and I. Conversation. Now."

My face furrowed as everyone else entered the room. Janet scoffed as she remarked. "Anything you have to say, you say it right here."

Wissam snapped. "Our son is in a hospital bed swollen up because of you! Your ignorance to properly raise our son has continually ruined him! How could you be so dumb as to—."

"Okay now, you are doing way too much." I stepped in.

He shot a look at me. "And who the hell are you?"

Chuckling, I replied. "I'm finna be your worse damn nightmare if you keep talking to her like she's your child. Respect her just like she respects you. You don't even know what the hell happened. Calm down."

"Who is she?" Wissam asked Janet.

Janet opened her mouth to respond but I beat her to it. "I can speak for myself. I'm Kyrin Broussard," I smiled at him. "Nice to meet you."

Tiffany and Shawn snickered to themselves in the corner as Janet shot me a warning look before speaking to her ex husband. "Look Wissam, he had an allergic reaction to some bell peppers. The swellings going down and he is going to be okay—."

"The courts gonna hear about this." Wissam told her lowly. "This is why I need custody so then—."

"So then what sir? Either way it goes, he would have gotten to some bell peppers eventually. You sound really stupid right now." I shot out.

"Kyrin. Hallway. Now." Janet's voice got stronger as she pointed outside. I mugged Wissam as I walked out and Phoebe came behind me.

My sister shook her head. "He's an asshole."

"Thank you! I don't know why she's even taking that from him right now." I exclaimed as I shook my head.

The door opened and everyone else filed outside except for Janet and Wissam. Shawn sighed once the door shut. "She said she wanted to talk to him alone."

"Don't know why, cause if he say or do something that hurt her again imma cut him. We already in the hospital so it's a 2 for 1 deal." I muttered harshly.

Tiffany put her head down. "This on me, I shouldn't have given him that damn pizza."

"This not your fault. It would have happened eventually. Nobody gets to blame themselves for this. It's literally a allergy. It's going to be okay, you caught it in time and he's going to be fine." I scolded before putting my ear to the door.

"Bitch, what you doing?" Phoebe asked as she started laughing.

"Ssh. I'm trying to hear." I replied. Shawn and Tiff came and put their ears to the door also as we struggled to hear for a second before their volumes rose.

Phoebe shook her head at us. "Y'all messy."

"Ssh!" We all hushed her as we listened.

"You choose now, out of all his damn years to finally wanna be daddy of the year? It doesn't work like that Wissam!" Janet yelled out.

Wissam came back quickly. "I am entitled to feel how I want! You cannot blame me for not spending time with him when you kept him from me for all these years!"

"Oh don't pull that bullshit with me right now Wissam." Janet's voice got dangerously rough. "You made your fucked up decisions and didn't think they'd have consequences. You lost your damn rights the moment you cheated on me with countless amounts of women!"

"Periodt!" Tiffany muttered lowly as her hand made a cut throat movement.

"Ssh!" Me and Shawn shushed her.

Wissam replied to my girlfriend. "You know what Janet, we will handle this in court."

"Well I guess we will then." Janet responded.

It got silent and we all jumped up from the door when we saw the door handle twist. We posed on the wall as if we weren't listening and Wissam walked out the room. Everyone glared him down as he walked past us.

I entered the room and Janet was typing on her phone before she put it in her pocket and looked at me. She shook her head slightly before sighing.

"You good baby?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." She mumbled as she ran her hand through Eissa's hair. "I'll be just fine. He's not going to make nor break me. I'm done arguing with that man. We aren't going to see a court though, I know that much."

What did she mean by that? I went to question it but a voice yelled, "That's energy sis!"

Of course it was Tiffany. We all looked back at her and chuckled as Phoebe shook her head and told her. "You are a damn clown. You know that?"

Tiffany threw her arm around my sisters shoulder. "I'm your damn clown though."

Everyone's face turned into one of disgust as we all made the same sound effect. "Ew."