Page 96 of The Prodigy

Prez, the deacon, looked around. “Can we pray for you first?”

“Yeah, man. Go ahead.”

Prez grabbed the hands next to him, then everyone did it until they formed a circle around me.

“Bow your heads,” he said.

Everybody did it. Everybody except me. While they were praying for my speedy recovery and covering me with prayers for my continued safety, I was studying all their faces. Looking for a crack in the armor. Seeing if anybody’s mask would slip.

I hated having to live like this.

Fuck.

After the amens had been said, one by one, they left the room. All except my mother. Her face fell when I glared at her.

“Me, too?” she said softly, and I could hear the pain in her voice.

“It ain’t personal, Mama. I just need a few minutes, then you can come back in.”

Knuckles rapped on the door. “Mr. Windermere?”

“It’s okay, Mama.” I looked over at the doctor. “Yeah, come in, man.”

Mama left without another word, and the doctor took her place at my bedside. He was a black dude, which I liked to see. Small and nerdy, he peered at me from behind his thick glasses.

“Mr. Windermere—”

“Call me Jakari.”

“Of course. I’m Dr. Shields.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I’m glad to see you’re awake. How’s your pain? Scale of one to ten.”

“About a five.”

“Okay, I’ll get the nurse in here to manage that for you.”

“Okay, but first, I need to know what happened.”

“Certainly. You presented with a gunshot wound to your left shoulder. Luckily, the bullet missed your subclavian artery and your bones. The way it passed through your tissue was almost like a graze. Truly a case of good fortune.”

“Did I have surgery?”

“Yes. We successfully removed the bullet fragments and stitched the wound. As you see, I propped your arm. We do that to keep it elevated above the heart. That helps.”

I nodded. “What about recovery?”

“I’m going to tentatively say you should start feeling better in a few weeks.”

“Alright. ‘Preciate it. How long do I need to be here?”

“If all your bloodwork checks out, you can go home tomorrow.”

“Perfect. Also, I’ma probably have a couple of guys posted up outside my room tonight. Security.”

The doctor swallowed. “Security for what?”

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