Page 44 of A Player's Prayer
Looking at him as Skip chuckled behind us, I placed my hand on my hips and glared at him. “Adrian, what the hell is going on?”
“Ain’t shit, except a nigga needing his girl back, Kodi.”
Rolling my eyes, I pressed him. “No, Adrian… Who shot you? I need to know if you’re in danger—standard hospital procedure.”
“I shot my damn self!” he exclaimed, scooting to the end of the bed. My eyes stretched wide as he grabbed me at my hips and pulled me closer. “I just wanted to be near you, baby. I can’t do this shit no more, Kodi. I miss you, and I want to come home, baby.”
“So you really shot yourself?” I eyed him as if he were foolish. It was clear as day that he was. “You could have been hurt.”
“It’s better than the pain I’m going through without having you in my life.” He stood from the bed and wrapped me in his arms, not bothered by the pain in his shoulder. “Can we please just talk about this shit? I’m begging you, Kodi.”
As I stared into his eyes, I saw the sincerity in his words. He truly missed me. Standing on my tiptoes, I placed my hand behind his head and pulled his lips down to mine. Sliding my tongue into his mouth, I was the one who tried to swallow him whole.
“Y’all are two of the most dysfunctional muthafuckas I know.” Skip griped from the corner, causing me to break the kiss and giggle. “Give that nigga his meds and shit so we can go. Mi just texted that Gi won’t lie down until she knows her Uncle Wild is okay, and Mama is ready to beat your ass nigga, so be prepared for that.”
“Wait, it’s Sunday…” The realization hit me as I was leaving the room to get him a prescription for pain pills and antibiotics. “You did this at dinner?”
“I did.” He smiled as if the shit was right.
Turning to Skip, I frowned. “Y’all didn’t stop his dumbass?”
“The coin decided.” Skip shrugged, stepping into the doorway. “I’ll get the car.”
Eyeing Adrian, I rolled my eyes and left to find Dr. Morrison. He was sitting at his desk when I approached him. “Can you sign off on these prescriptions for antibiotics and pain killers? Patients’ wound was through and through. It’s cleaned, stapled, and bandaged. He’s waiting to be discharged.”
Glancing over his shoulder at me, he scoffed before turning back around, giving me his back. “I don’t feel comfortable doing that. I wasn’t allowed to see said patient. How do I know he won’t use the pills to sell on the streets?”
“Bitch-ass nigga… the only thing I’ll sell on the streets are your fuckin’ organs.” Adrian crept up behind us, causing us both to jump. “Lucky for you, I’m trying to end my night face deep in Kodi’s?—”
“Hush.” I clamped his lips shut immediately. “I’ll get another doctor to sign off on the prescription, baby. Your brother is waiting on you up front. Go on.”
“Nah, one of the nurses told me you get off in two hours…” He leaned down and kissed my lips with his eyes still on Dr. Morrison. “I’ll wait up front because I’m leaving with you.”
Staring at Dr. Morrison for a few seconds longer, I watched as Adrian swaggered his crazy ass to the main lobby. Not even wanting to be bothered with Dr. Morrison, I ignored his calling my name as I made my way back to the front. After assuring the girls that Adrian was okay, it was back to our regular ER routine.
The two hours seemed to drag, but as soon as I hit the front lobby, Adrian was on his feet, waiting for me to lead him to the employee parking lot. After getting another doctor to sign off on his meds, I got us some food and drove us to my house. I didn’t know which way this conversation would go, but I was ready to talk it out. I just prayed Adrian would understand my thought process on what had occurred. That was the only way I would be comfortable with trying the relationship again.
“You need to take your meds, Adrian.” I walked into my living room, tapping his leg to wake him. “I know you’re sore.”
“The only thing that’s gonna make me feel better is you.” He groaned as he sat up. “You should’ve been asking a nigga for a new couch for your birthday. This shit is uncomfortable as fuck.”
“I didn’t even ask you for that truck.” I giggled as he pulled me down onto his lap. “I thank you for it, though, by the way. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and found it in my driveway next to my Benz. I don’t know what I’m going to do with two cars, but whatever.” I shifted so that I could straddle him. His hands immediately went to my ass, palming each cheek as he slowly caressed them. “Take your meds, Adrian.”
Eyeing me and the two pills in my hand, he nodded to the antibiotic only. Sighing heavily, I chose to leave well enough alone, slipping the tiny pill into his open mouth before handing him a bottle of water. On the end table to the side of us sat his food that I warmed up for him. I decided to get us takeout because I had no plans to cook anything this late.
“You gone feed a nigga too?” He chuckled once I opened the plate of pasta and began to feed him. “A nigga might need to shoot himself more often.”
“I still think that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard someone do.” I shook my head at his foolishness. “Adrian, we need to talk. I haven’t necessarily agreed to get back with you.”
While it feels good to be here with him like this, he and I needed to have a conversation about what’s happened and how we were moving forward from it. I love him, but the entitlement these hoes had over him wasn’t something I was going to deal with for the duration of this relationship.
“The night Ava came to my house, I wasn’t anticipating her to come over,” he said, holding my gaze. “I only went home to get a bag so I could be here when you got off that night. It threw me off when she showed up, came in, and got naked. It all happened before I could blink, Kodi. I grabbed her to tell her to get out. That’s why it looked like I was holding her when you came in. Was my dick hard? Yes. But I’m a man, baby, and I haven’t always been a nigga that turned down pussy for sport. However, I was not about to fuck that girl. If anything, I’d taken the toweloff to remove her hands off me. And I know that shit don’t make much sense, but I told you… I’ll never cheat on you, and I meant that. I still mean it. I should have never allowed her in my space in the first place, though, and I promise you, I get it.”
“Were you still talking to her when she popped up at your house?” I continued to feed him, trying to ignore his dick stirring below us. All I had on was one of his shirts with nothing underneath. “Not just her, but the Dumb & Dumber that called themselves trying to jump me at the club. Have they been getting any of your time?”
When Amelia gave me a play-by-play of what had happened at the club, I wanted nothing more than for her to take me to the hood to find them bitches. Once I collected myself, I realized I had more to lose than them hood rats did. This was what concerned me the most about Adrian. I didn’t want to be out here in the streets, fighting.
“I blocked those girls from my phone the night I slid up inside of you. Listen…” He took the plate from my hands and held me. “Ava doesn’t mean shit to me. The only reason I never handled her like the rest of them hoes is because of her connection to Harley. If you say the word, I’ll make her suffer more than I already have. I don’t care about who she’s friends with or how they’ll feel. All that matters to me is you.”
