Before anyone can say anything else, his phone dings. A second later, he has it out of his pocket and it staring at the screen. In a flash he is by my side with his head bent to my ear. “Say your goodbyes, baby.”
“What?” I croak out, fear clogging my voice. There is only one reason Bowie would be making me leave so soon: Marcus.
He shakes his head, letting me know that he isn’t going to explain. I feel the tears prick my eyes as I look back to my mom. I know this is it; this is the last time I will ever see her. I bend my head to hers and place a kiss on her cheek. I let my lips linger as I inhale her scent for the last time. Even though she is surrounded by the nose stinging antiseptic of the hospital, I can still smell the fresh scent of flowers that always cling to her. It’s comforting but also heartbreaking.
Slowly, I climb from the bed and say. “We have to go, Mom.”
Her eyes are fuzzy as she looks up at me. She doesn’t complain, doesn’t beg me to say. Instead, she smiles. “I love you so much, baby girl.”
“I love you, too.” I reply in a voice filled with anguish.
Not able to look at her a moment longer without letting the tears fall from my eyes, I turn away and see Dad and Bowie in a huddle. A second later, Dad is walking towards me. As soon as he gets to my side, he wraps his arms firmly around my body. “Take care, girl. Don’t forget that your Daddy loves you.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
He bends down to place a kiss on my forehead then pulls away, allowing Bowie grab my arm. “We gotta go right now, Shay.”
Without waiting for a response, he starts to lead me to the door. I look back to Mom and see her eyes are closed. She looks peaceful, all the earlier pain is gone. Choking back my tears, I whisper. “Bye, Mom.”
Thank you, Brother
Bowie
When we reach the lobby, I see Tin-Man through the glass doors. He’s straddling his bike, with his hand on his hip. My step does not falter as I lead Shay outside. “You’re gonna ride with Tin.”
“What’s going on?” She asks, the first words she has spoken since we left her mother’s room.
I don’t want to tell her. Fuck, if I could I wouldn’t tell her shit but she needs to know. “That fucker is heading to the hospital. Lock wants you out of here right now.”
“What? How?” She mumbles out, her voice small and full of fear.
“I don’t know, baby, but we gotta get you on the road.”
I look down at her as we approach Tin-Man’s bike. She is shaking like a leaf, barely keeping herself together. I know she’s afraid, but there isn’t a damn thing I can do to fix that right now. “Just ride with Tin until I can get my bike and catch up with you.”
“I wanna stay with you.”
I know she’s hurting, know she’s scared, but I got to get her ass on the bike and out of here before that bastard gets here. “Get on the fuckin’ bike right now.”
She doesn’t respond, just takes my brother’s outstretched hand and climbs on. Her movements are jerky, as if she is forcing herself to do as I say. I take a step forward and place my hand on her chin, forcing her to look up at me.
“You’re safe. Tin won’t let anything happen to you.”
She nods then pulls her chin from my grip. She turns her head away and I see her hand go to her face. I know she is wiping away the tears she has been hiding since we walked out of her Mom’s room. I finally move my eyes from her and look to my brother. “Keep her safe.”
He lifts a fist to his heart. “With my life.”
No other words are spoken before his engine roars to life and they ride away. I stand for a minute, watching the headlights of his bike fade into the night, before running across the parking lot. I pull out a smoke and put it to my lips, before stepping up to my bike. I light it and take a quick drag, before grabbing my cutt off the handles and sliding it over my shoulders. Just as I lift my leg to climb on, my phone rings. I swing my leg over as I pull it from my pocket and see Lock’s name flash across the screen.
Instead of saying hello, I give him an update. “She’s with Tin-Man. They’re heading toward Shooter now.”
Lock’s voice is filled with pain, when he responds. “Mom’s gone. Dad said it happened the minute Laura walked out of the room. She was just hanging on to see her girl one more time.”
Fuck.. fuck..fuck! “I’m so sorry, man.”
He’s quiet for a long moment before saying, “Thank you, brother. Thank you for giving my mom that. Thank you for letting her see Laura before she died.”
I can hear the tears in his voice and they cut me to the core. “Anything for you, Lock. You know that.”