Page 93 of Imperfection is Beauty

I knew the man had done that as I walked to the waiting room when I heard him say, “Well, fuck me.”

Making it to the waiting room, I ignored the cops that were making their way to me and pulled out my phone, I called Van first, “Yo! Bro you should have seen the shit I got into last night. You wou…”

Not caring about whatever he was about to say I whispered, “I need you.”

His tone changed like lightning, “Where are you?”

“Saint Charlotte. Emergency room.”

I heard him moving, “On my way.”

I knew some people recognized me, they were whispering, pulling out their phones, and taking pictures.

So, what if I was on the cover of sports magazines and had the paparazzi following my every move on any given day?

Didn’t they know?

I’d walk away from all of it if the woman lying on the operating table asked it of me.

Knowing I was going to fall over at any second, I ignored the cops who were talking to me. Once my ass finally fell into a chair, I had to take care of something more important than them.

I made a phone call that I dreaded.

He answered on the fourth ring, “Yeah?”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I said, “Grenade? It’s Marcus.”

He chuckled, “Know that boy, been waiting on this call. Figured you’d ask me for her hand in person. But I know how…”

I didn’t let him finish. “Grenade. Something happened. Be best you and the boys get on up here.”

He was on alert immediately, “What?”

“My bitch of an ex-wife pulled a gun on me, and your stubborn fucking daughter took the bullet that was meant for me. She’s on the operating table now.”

I heard him moving, “Leaving now.”

Then I hung up and called Daemon, he said he would get his mother to watch the kids and then he and Aliyah would be on their way.

Seeing the time, I sighed, my mother and father were supposed to meet Scarlett that day. We were going to their house for a barbeque.

Therefore, I called my mom, and she answered on the second ring, “Hey sweetheart. If y’all want to pick some extra bottles of wine, I won’t complain.”

I stared at the wall, unseeing anything, “Mom, we’re not gonna make it. Tonya pulled a gun on us, my woman… she took the bullet that was meant for me.”

My mother whimpered, “Me and your father are on the way.”

As soon as I hung up the phone, that was when apparently the cops got fed up with me ignoring their asses, and one of them got in front of me and said, “Sir, we need you to come with us.”

I snarled at him, “Why?”

The white cop narrowed his eyes at me, “Sir, please. Let’s not escalate things.”

“I want to know why I have to go anywhere. I’ll answer any fucking questions you have, but my ass isn’t leaving this hospital until I know my woman is okay and breathing on her own after surgery.”

Some motherfucker placed his hand on his gun and then got in front of me, “Sir, if you don’t calm down and go with us, things are not going to go well for you.”

Taking that as a threat, I stood up and braced my legs, crossed my arms over my chest and I snarled, “There’s not enough people on this fucking planet that could tear me away from her. You want to try it? Bring everything you fucking got.”

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