22

Bethany

I drove up 21st street as tears crowded my vision, I didn't let them fall. Kendrick was in the passenger seat and had yet to be informed on what was going on.

My ears had heard everything. I heard the crash. I heard Nadia scream, and the line just went dead after that.

My eyesight found the colors of sirens playing on trees as I was about to pass up Wilson.

"Shit! She said Wilson." I put my car in reverse and took a turn on Wilson.

When I got to the scene, I parked my car and hopped out. There was a crowd and Kendrick and I fought our way through.

When we made it to the front I jumped the signs.

"Ma'am you can't be here!" A police officer yelled as he grabbed me.

"That's my daughter and my wife!" I yelled to him over the sounds of the wrecker truck and the fire truck.

The man let me and Kendrick through and my eyes set sight on the car. It was flipped over and one side of the car was smashed in more than the other.

"No. No. No. Momma, this isn't happening." He began crying.

I didn't answer Kendrick but instead looked for the ambulances or anybody who had my babies.

"Kendrick find them. Please. Find them. Where is the ambulance?" I was panicking really badly.

I couldn't believe them assholes had gone to this extent just to prove a message. They had just poked a bear.

It was gonna be handled, I had made some texts in the House and I knew they would handle it.

Kendrick pointed. "Mom!"

He took off running for the ambulance and I saw Janet laying on a stretcher. They pushed her in the ambulance before we reached her.

I grabbed the paramedic who had shut the door. "My daughter. Where's my daughter?"

"We rushed the little girl to the hospital ma'am. It didn't look good." The paramedic spoke. "And we have to get this lady there quickly as well. She's losing blood."

He broke out of my grip and ran to get in the ambulance.

I turned around. "Kendrick let's go. Now!"

We both took off running back towards my car. When we got in, I put my car in reverse and got back on 21st street.

"Momma. Are they gonna be okay?" Kendrick asked me as he sniffled.

"I don't know Kendrick." I was speeding. "Do you have your seatbelt on?"

He put in on quickly and I realized mines wasn't even on.

Kendrick let out a prayer. "God, let them be okay. I know I'm not perfect God, and only you are, so only you can fix this. Let them be okay. Please, Jesus, my heart can't take no more pain. I'm so tired of hurting, so please just let them be alright."

I sighed because he said everything I was feeling right now. As I caught up with the ambulance that I was sure had Janet in it.

I sped passed it and headed towards the hospital. I parked in a handicapped parking space and ran towards the emergency entrance.

I saw them getting Nadia out of the ambulance and ran to her. Her eyes weren't open and my baby looked lifeless.

"Nadi!" Kendrick screamed and the paramedics ignored him. They were used to this I guess. "Nadi wake up please!"

Nadia didn't move and inch and I looked at one of the paramedics. "I'm her mother. Please tell me she's going to be alright."

The paramedic sighed. "Ma'am your daughter—." He was cut off by the other two paramedics wheeling in Nadia on a stretcher. "She was hit head on. We think she went into shock. Maybe a few broken bones. Definitely bruised badly. That's all we could tell. The doctors should be able to tell you more."

He walked away before I could even respond. I sat down on the curb in defeat.

Kendrick sat next to me and began to cry into his knees. "I told her you were my favorite. That's the last thing I said to her momma and Nadi. I kept bothering her about a stupid boy!"

I wrapped my arms around him. "Ssh. Don't beat yourself up about this okay? They're going to be okay."

"You don't know that momma! What if they die? What are we gonna do then? What if they die?!"

My responses fell silent because I didn't know what I would do. I wouldn't ever get back to my self. Or at least a version of myself that I liked.

"Come on. We have to get inside to that waiting room." I spoke after a while of sitting there.

I was tired and I wanted to do nothing but give up at this point. I didn't feel like moving, but I knew I had to.

My feet found its way inside the hospital. Footsteps sounded after about 30 minutes of sitting in the waiting room.

I looked up to see Gil and he yelled in the empty waiting room. "What the hell happened, Bethany?!"

"Hey! Don't yell at her!" Kendrick went to my defense.

"It's fine Kendrick." I mumbled out.

Gil continued. "How the hell did you let this happen? I knew dating you would ruin her. I swear to God if she dies-."

"What?" I asked as I cut him off. "You want to crucify me? Go ahead. I'm tired anyways! If I would have known that this would happen I wouldn't have ever did it okay?!"

Gil argued me still. "It doesn't matter Bethany! She wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you!"

"Stop! Okay?" Kendrick got fed up. "You don't get to walk in here and blame her! She has been doing her best. She doesn't have to do half the shit she does for us but she makes it happen! So you don't get to come in here and blame her because if you really truly cared, your dumbass would have been at the wreck scene and not waltzing in this waiting room 20 minutes late. We all don't want her to die, so sit your ass down and shut up!"

I stared at Kendrick and his jaw was clenched. It wasn't the time to tell him to watch his language because I knew that anger was coming from a place of the unspeakable. He wasn't just angry with Gil. He was angry with himself.

Gil sat down in the chair and didn't say anything.

Finally I spoke. "Look I'm sorry. I get it okay, this is my fault. I shouldn't have gotten involved with her okay? I love that woman, and I would have rather that it had been me. I would switch places in a heartbeat. It should have been me."

"No it shouldn't have." Another voice voided my opinion and I looked up to see my mother.

"Momma." I warned her because I didn't want to discuss it.

"God does everything for a re—."

"Judy shut up!" I snapped. "I don't wanna hear about God! If God gave a damn about me, He wouldn't have us in this situation! My girlfriend and my daughter are fighting for their lives right now and you think I wanna hear about some fucking God? What has he ever done for me?!"

She was taken aback by me yelling and she slowly nodded. Instead of her yelling she whispered. "Come on." My mother opened her arms and I immediately walked into her embrace. "You're scared, and you have every right to be, but baby it's gonna be okay. Whatever happens, it's gonna be okay, but you gotta let it out."

When my mother said that, the tears began to fall and a sob slipped from my lips. I was scared shitless and I didn't know how to handle this.

My mom rubbed my back as I broke down. "Mom they can't die. I won't be able to go on Momma. They can't die."

"You might not want to, and I had a feeling you wouldn't. So I prayed Beth, and God told me it's gonna be okay." She mumbled in my ear.

I nodded slowly as I broke the embrace I was in with my mother.

Before I could respond a doctor walked up with a clipboard. "Uh family of Jackson and Taylor?"

We all stood. "That's us." Gil responded to the woman.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Bluintt. I'm here to give updates to immediate family."

"Ma'am, we are immediate family. Please tell us if they are okay." Kendrick rushed the woman.

"Well, Ms.Jackson is going to be fine. She had a broken arm but the surgery she went through should fix that and she's healing up just fine. Ms.Taylor, may have a bit of harder recovery. She experienced went into shock from the wreck and from the internal bleeding she had, and a fractured rib. Saying the wreck was that bad, she should have had a head injure but for some reason she didn't." The doctor looked down at the clip board. "Ms.Taylor is in recovery but Ms.Jackson is in room 305. Y'all can see her now."

When the lady said Janet had a broken arm, I knew exactly what she had done.

I finally let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in.

"Is there a way that their rooms can be close to each other?" My mother asked the woman.

"Actually, they will be right next door to each other." The woman nodded at us. "They are both very lucky."

"Not luck ma'am. Blessed. They are both very blessed." Kendrick told her.

The woman smiled at him. "Yeah, blessed it is. Let us know if y'all need anything or have any other questions."

When she walked away Gil spoke. "Go see her Beth. She needs to see you first. We'll be up in a few."

The way he spoke, guilt was fueling his tone. I knew he felt bad for what he said, but I knew it was truly how he felt.

I nodded. "Thanks guys."

My walk to the elevator was short and I quickly hit the number 3 to get on the 3rd floor. When the elevator opened I walked to room 306 quickly.

I opened the door and walked in and Janet laid there watching TV.

She looked at me when she heard me enter.

I spoke. "Janet—."

"You know, when they say life flashes before your eyes, I didn't think it actually did." She mumbled to me. "You're eyes are puffy, why have you been crying baby?"

I immediately apologized instead of answering her question. "I'm so sorry, Janet. I wish Nadia would have told me he was bothering her. I would have stopped this before it began."

"Nadia. Is Nadia okay? She wasn't moving Beth and I tried to get her out but it wouldn't budge, I'm sorry. I tried so hard." Janet had broken down and I rushed to her side.

"Baby, she's okay. She's going to be fine. A fractured rib, some internal bleeding and she just went into shock. Janet, did you shield Nadia from that hit?"

Janet nodded slowly. "Yeah. I did. That car hit us so quick and that man, he said..."

JJ trailed off and my curiosity bit through me. "What did he say?"

"It's not important."

"Yes it is Janet." I countered. "What did he tell you?"

"Please. I don't want to talk about it right now." Her volume dropped. "Come lay with me please."

She scooted over and I got in the bed, careful not to hurt her. She laid on my chest as she slowly got comfortable.

"I love you Janet. This isn't how I thought I would say it, but I need you to know that. The thought of you dying was killing me, and if something ever happens to me, I need you to know that I love you with every breath in my body." I vented out.

She looked up at me. "I love you too Bethany. So much, more than you'll ever know." Janet grabbed my hand and we enclosed ours together. "How's our boy?"

"Scared to death. He's been crying non stop. He was so happy to hear that you and Nadi were going to be okay. Even checked Gil for me."

"Gil? What happened?" Janet asked me.

I hadn't meant to say that so I backtracked. "Nothing major. You don't have to worry about it."

My girlfriend nodded. "Okay."

The doors to the hospital room opened and everyone walked in.

Kendrick ran to the side of the bed. "Momma, I'm so glad you are okay."

He's eyes were blood shot red from all the crying he was doing.

Janet frowned. "Babes how long have you been crying?"

They had a conversation but my phone buzzed. I reached in my jacket and pulled out my phone and read the message.

T.It's going to get handled. They just started a war ❗️

Apart of me knew I shouldn't have contacted him, but it was the only way I knew how to get this to stop.

They had started it, and I was about to finish it. They just didn't know what they had done and the hell I was about to unleash upon them.

They were about to find out why Tommy Renfro fell in love with Bethany Taylor.