Page 31 of Somebody Else Will

“Oh my God! Is Jamia gonna be okay? Where did she cut her?”

She swallowed hard, but the tears escaped anyway. “I don’t know. She cut her in the stomach and sliced her face. I called nine-one-one and yelled, letting the perpetrator know that the police were on their way. That was when she stopped and ran. I wish I would have had my gun on me. Fuck!”

“I’m gonna go put on something more presentable. What hospital did they take her to?”

“Saint Elizabeth.”

“Okay. Go meet her, Jerzey. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Denishia, I’m scared. There was so much blood. I’m used to seeing blood. I work with that shit every day, but to see it all over her like that…”

She broke down in tears. I went to her and pulled her in my arms. After she calmed a little, I said, “Stay here, and we’ll go together. Okay?”

“Okay.”

She was trembling in fear. I felt like she was afraid of being attacked her damn self. I would be. Who would want to hurt Jamia? She got along with everyone. Maybe they were after me. Could Will be behind this? My mind was racing, thinking of the possible reasons something like this would happen. My shop was definitely targeted. We weren’t located in a crime-infested area. Secondly, she had to know Jamia and Jerzey were there. If she just wanted to vandalize the place, she would have left after she broke the window.

This just didn’t make sense, and I wouldn’t rest until I got to the bottom of it. As I was about to exit my bedroom, Ezekiel appeared in the doorway. “Sorry. I had to use the bathroom, so I went to the one in the hallway. Let me hurry.”

I nodded but then said, “You know you don’t have to go with us. You can stay here and relax if you want.”

He frowned immediately. “Why would I not want to go? I obviously don’t know Jamia as well as you do, but Idoknow her.Plus, I feel like you need me. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for you.”

I nodded as I watched him come out of his shorts and put drawers and a pair of jeans on. My heart felt heavy. Jamia was my best friend. She wasn’t just an employee. She impacted every life she touched, so I knew Ezekiel had been blessed to soak up her aura. They’d had a couple of conversations.

“Come on, baby,” he said, grabbing my hand.

Apparently, I’d zoned out.I can’t lose Jamia.

When we arrivedat the hospital, Denishia and Jerzey were escorted to the back. I assured her I would be okay in the waiting area, since only two people could go back at once. However, before I could sit down, a nurse approached me and said, “Follow me, Mister Wheeler.”

She’d recognized me. Times like these were when I thanked God for the celebrity status. It seemed people were willing to do more to accommodate you if you were famous. I hated that they were wired that way. No one person was worth more than another when it came to stuff like this. Everything boiled down to money and image.

It would look bad for them to have a somewhat famous actor waiting in the waiting area instead of being back there with his ‘loved one.’ I noticed a woman taking a picture of me, so word would have definitely gotten out that I was here. When we got tothe room Denishia and Jerzey were seated in, Nishia stood from her seat with a slight frown.

“I thought they said only two could come back at a time.”

“You saying you don’t want me back here, gorgeous?”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I didn’t mean it?—”

“I know, baby. I’m picking with you. One of the nurses recognized me and escorted me back here.”

She nodded, and we sat. “So, is she in surgery?”

“Yes. The doctor said they had to sew up her face… her beautiful face. He said she should make a full recovery physically. Mentally would be a different story. With support, she should be okay mentally too though. The stab wound in her side wasn’t deep enough to cause any damage. Thank God. I wouldn’t have been able to handle losing her, especially so close to losing my mama.”

“I understand, baby.” Peeking around her, I asked, “Jerzey, you good?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Jerzey? What are you doing here?”

I looked toward the doorway to see a shapely woman, who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties.

“Hey, Mekayla. Jamia got attacked at work.”

“At the floral shop?” she asked with a frown.

---