AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ChapterThirteen
Joseph
It feels so good to finally be home. It seems like it’s been years instead of a couple of months since I was last in my room. My bed was taken apart and placed in storage to make room for the hospital bed and medical equipment. True and Savvy are like two mother hens cleaning and fussing around me. If it wasn’t so overbearing, it would be cute.
“Cut it out! Both of y’all are driving me crazy!”
“We’re just trying to help your ungrateful ass out!” Savvy snaps at me. And when I look at her, she has tears in her eyes and so does True. I have to blink again because neither of these women cry in front of just anyone, and it makes me realize how scared they were for me, and also how much they love me.
“You scared the hell out of us, Seph. Let us do this for you.”
“I’m sorry, Savvy. I’ll hush; do whatever you want to do,” I tell her quietly. After a few minutes, I think to ask her something that has been on my mind.
“Savvy, I need to ask you something?” I say quietly.
“What is it, Seph?” she asks instantly on alert.
“Can you call someone for me?”
“Joyce?”
“Yes!” I say surprised. “How do you know about her? I mean I know that little menace threw me under the bus, but you didn’t know her name. So how?”
“Apparently, she was here to meet with Peter and when he called to reschedule, she came to the hospital to see about you. She was there the whole time up until you were taken. Even then she moved her office here and said she was not leaving until you were found. Peter told her you had been taken to the hospital, but I guess now that you are back, she is unsure of how you’ll be with her and that is why she hasn’t shown back up. Do you want me to call Peter and tell him to tell her you want to see her?”
“Um, let me think on it and I’ll let you know.”
“Oh, and for the record, I cussed her ass out,” True says.
“What? Why?” I ask incredulously.
“Because I didn’t like the way she was being unreasonable with you, and then she had the audacity to ask you to be her secret fuck buddy! I wasn’t having that; she was not about to treat my brother like that. Don’t look at me that way! Savvy would’ve cussed her out too, I just got to her first. I just wanted to let you know.”
I can’t say anything. Once again, I am struck with how much both these women love me. I know how Savvy feels. We have been close since that day she came to the office to sign her house contracts, but True doesn’t show her feelings as openly as Savvy does. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt she loves Atlas and will kill anything in her path for him, but for me? Yeah, it means a lot.
“Well, if I decide to call her, I’ll keep that in mind. But True, I love you too,” I tell her. The next thing I know, a really pretty young woman walks into my room.
“Ms. Savvy, I got lost trying to find this room. Is this my patient? Hi, I’m Brooklyn but most people call me Brook or Lyn, it’s up to you. I will be your nurse. Outside of your regular care, if you need anything and I am not nearby, all you have to do is call me and I will come right away.”
“Brook, we are going to set up a room for you next door for when you are working with him during the day, and once he is asleep for the night you’re free to either sleep in there or go back to the house. We left a few things in there we thought you’d like and need so why don’t you go check it out and get that room set up? We have Seph under control.”
“Ok, thank you guys so much, and Mr. Joseph, I will be back soon but if you need me before that just holler and I’ll be right there, ok?”
“Yes ma’am,” I tell her, and she heads back out to see whatever it is that Savvy bought for her. Savvy will not buy a thing for herself but will buy a store out if she’s buying for someone else.
“She’s the one Lennox brought from Alabama to take care of me? She’s a cute little girl.”
“Little girl? That is a young woman, Joseph,” True says.
“She looks young enough to be my daughter so she’s a little girl,” I say. “Did you guys find my phone?”
“You know the saying, that black don’t crack? She’s older than you think. And no, Jabari got you another one and mirrored it to your old phone,” she says as she digs in her purse to hand me the phone.
I find Joyce’s number in my phone, but I cannot bring myself to call or text her. I lay there flipping the phone over until True grabs it, finds her number, and calls.
“Joseph!” she answers.
“No this is True; I’m calling to let you know Joseph is at home if you want to stop by to see him. I will text you the address,” she says and hangs up without giving Joyce a chance to reply.
