Page 18 of Crash: Love in Scrubs
“You can’t tell me I can’t see my son, bruh. MiMi, talk to him.”
“I can. And I just did,” Malik replied. “You can walk out, or get carried out. Your call, bruh. And the lady said call herSametra. You lost the right to call her anything the day you chose to be a ghost instead of a man.”
Ashe looked between Samaj, who was staring down at his hands, and me. My whole body was tight. Heart racing. Jaw locked. But I didn’t recoil, and I didn’t say a word.
“This isn’t over,” Ashe muttered finally.
“It is. And trust me, you don’t want to find out what happens if it’s not,” he said, but stepped closer to Ashe. He leaned in and whispered something I could hear or make out, but it got Ashe’s feet moving.
The air shifted as soon as the door shut behind him. Like we could finally breathe again.
“My bad, Ma,” Samaj said quietly. “I didn’t think it’d mess with you like that. I just...life is short.”
I swallowed hard and crouched beside him, resting a hand on his knee. This wasn’t what I wanted for him. I didn’t want him to feel he was in the middle. I’d already decided after the accident that I wasn’t going to control whatever Samaj chose to do about his father. Some lessons he’d have to learn on his own. Today wasn’t that day.
“Samaj, whatever you decide about your dad, I’ll respect it. However, I won’t be left out. It’s still my job to protect you, and I take that seriously. If I see real change, I won’t stand in your way. But not today. Today, I just want to get you home. Eat. Rest. Then we can figure out the rest.”
The look he gave me said he understood, even if he didn’t love it.
I stood, turned toward the wheelchair behind him, needing a second to steady myself. Before I could move too far, Malik stepped in close and brushed his fingers against my arm.
“MiMi,” he said, voice low against my ear, “breathe. Right or wrong, selfish or not, you’re doing what you think is best. That either has to be enough... or you gotta let go.”
He let his hand fall away and stepped back.
“I’ll check on y’all later.”
And just like that, he walked off, cool and collected, like somebody’s knight in scrubs. I bit my bottom lip, watching him disappear around the corner.
Samaj stared after him, too, then glanced at me with raised brows.
“Yo...Dr. Holloway not one of them,” he said, letting out a laugh that turned into a wince. “Ashe was spooked.”
“Don’t hurt yourself,” I said, trying to sound serious, but my lips twitched. “You think it’s funny that he checked your father?”
He nodded, still chuckling. “I mean...yeah. I invited him, but I’m still mad. Just... conflicted.”
I nodded. “I get it.”
“Lowkey?” he said, leaning back into the chair with a slow grin. “That was kind of dope.”
I didn’t say anything, but the warmth creeping up my chest said I agreed.
The nurse came in to take over, and just as she started wheeling Samaj out, Halo bumped her hip into mine hard enough to almost knock me sideways.
“Bitch,” she whispered, grinning. “You’ve been holding out.”
Later that night
Me, Halo, and Winnie had all linked back up in my backyard. We sat on my back deck with neo-soul playing softly, wine flowing, and throw blankets over our legs as the evening air cooled down. Getting Samaj in the house had been easy withthe three of us working together, but I was emotionally drained from the whole Ashe situation, plus the wreck. Everything felt so unsettled.
I was just so happy to be back home and have my son with me. The thought of losing him had been weighing on me heavily for the past week, and being separated from him at the hospital had damn near killed me. Every night, I’d gone to bed wondering if he was okay, if he needed me, if something would happen and I wouldn’t be there.
My girls had helped me get him settled in his room we’d set everything up. His game system was plugged in, water pitcher filled, medication organized, and TV remote within reach. He’d been fairly quiet on the ride home, and I could tell he had a lot on his mind about his father showing up. I was giving him space to process, but I was also taking some much needed me time with my sisters.
“Okay,” Halo said, taking a sip of her Moscato and fixing me with that look she got when she was about to tell somebody business or stir the pot. “This bitch been holding out on us. Got secrets and shit. Acting all mysterious.”
“What secrets?” I tried to play innocent, but Winnie was already shaking her head and sitting up, ready to get her cup filled with tea.
