The Devil Goes To Church Too, page 25
part #1 of Written Between the Pages Series
“About another hour or so. A nurse will come get you.”
I nodded my head, then walked to the sofa. I fell into it as my mama glared at me. I hoped she didn’t say anything to me. Today wasn’t the day. Collin had finally arrived, then came sat next to me, while Ryan watched us from the corner of his eye. I briefed him on what the doctor had told us. He cupped my face in his hands and said, “God’s got Noah. He will be fine. I know as his mother, this is killing you.”
“I can’t do anything to help him. Noah is everything to me. For a long time, I felt he was the only person that loved me unconditionally. He’s my world, Collin.”
“I know, my love. I know,” he said softly.
“Ms. Brooks?” a nurse called out.
I walked over to her as did my mother. I wanted to push her out the way. She’d been giving Noah so much grief about his career choice. She’d disrespected Sonya at their dinner a few months back and lashed out at Noah after she’d left them at the restaurant. He’d told me that whenever he bought them something or gave them money, she would say, the prosperity of the wicked is laid up for the just. Noah had such a good heart, that didn’t stop him from taking care of them. She hated that he’d become a rapper, instead of a lawyer. The nurse looked at the both of us and asked, “Which of you is Raquel?”
“I am.”
“Okay. Follow me,” she said as my mother stood there with her mouth partially open.
When I got to the back, she grabbed my hand, and said, “I need you to be prepared. He looks nothing like himself because of the swelling.”
I nodded my head as my body trembled. When we walked in the room, I walked to Noah’s bedside. My baby wasn’t recognizable. I cried audibly and said, “Noah… my God. God help me, please!”
Nothing she could have said would have prepared me for this moment. I sat in the chair next to his bed and laid my head on his hand. I gently kissed it over and over. He’d slipped into a coma, and the nurse had said it would be up to him to wake up. Looking at his body, I didn’t want him to wake up right now. He looked like he would be in so much pain if he did. I stayed with him for another hour, then went back out to the waiting room. I broke down in Collin’s arms and everyone else gathered around me and prayed again.
It was 5am, and Collin had left close to midnight. He had a business trip that had been scheduled for a couple of months. His flight was to leave out at 6 this morning. Everyone else was still here, hoping and praying that Noah would wake up. I had just come out of his room for visitation. Some of his swelling had gone down, so that was a good sign. I sang to him and prayed the whole time I was in there. I couldn’t lose him. It would kill me. Ryan had come in with me for a little while. He’d held my hand for the fifteen minutes he’d sat with me. We didn’t say a word to one another. He’d just sat quietly listening to me pray and sing. The other fifteen minutes, RJ had sat with me. My parents had spent thirty minutes with Noah as well. When they’d come out, they’d gone home to get some rest. I just couldn’t leave right now. I vowed to Noah that I wouldn’t leave until I saw more progress. Collin had made a trip to my house to pack me a small bag with a couple of changes of clothes, hygiene items, my phone charger, and my laptop. I got as comfortable as the recliner would allow, then covered myself with a blanket. Ryan sat in the recliner next to me and held my hand. I could hear Russell on his phone telling someone that nothing had changed. Once he was off the phone, he said, “That was Sonya. She’s been calling every three hours to check on Noah. She’s supposed to be here tomorrow evening.”
“Okay,” I said.
I’d have to look into the eyes of the woman that stole my son’s heart forever. I believed that no matter who Noah ended up forming a relationship with, he would always love her. I’d never forget the look on his face when he first saw her at his very first video shoot practically six years ago. The next visitation wasn’t until 10, so I planned to get a little sleeping in after I called Collin. I slid my hand out of Ryan’s, then made my call.
“Hello?”
“Hi Collin. Are you boarding yet?”
“Not yet my love. How’s Noah?”
“He’s about the same. Some of the swelling has gone down, but that’s the only noticeable change. He’s still in a coma.”
“I haven’t stopped praying. I know you haven’t either. My parents are supposed to come up there for a little while to be with you today and get whatever you and your family need.”
“Thank you, Collin.”
“I wish I didn’t have to leave. I’ll be back in four days, and I’m coming straight to where you are when my plane lands. We’re boarding, love.”
“Okay Collin. I love you.”
“I love you too. I’ll call when I land in LA.”
“Okay. Bye.”
The minute I put my phone down, Ryan grabbed my hand. We both were lying in the recliners, facing one another. The older Noah got, the more of Ryan I saw in him. He had Ryan’s heart and drive. He even had some of his mannerisms. Ryan always held his hands together like he was praying when he was worried. Noah did the same thing. At that moment, while I looked into Ryan’s eyes, my mind went back a little over twenty-eight years to the day I had Noah. How his heart was filled with love as he held Noah in his arms. I could tell that it bothered him not being able to spend as much time with Noah as he did with Ryan Jr. I noticed the gray hair that had settled in his beard as I stared at him. He was my first love, and the father of the most important person in my life. I smiled softly at him as I drifted off to sleep.
“Raquel?”
I slowly opened my eyes, to see Ryan staring at me. I stared at him, then noticed people walking towards the back. It was time for the next visitation. I stood to smooth out my clothes, then said, “Thank you for waking me up.”
He smiled at me, then kissed my hand and led me to Noah’s room. I was hoping to find him awake, but he wasn’t ready. Ryan and I sat there and talked to Noah like he was wide awake. Ryan talked about times at their house and Noah singing at church, and I talked about times we spent together when he was young and how we used to sing together. The last twenty minutes of our visit, I’d sang two songs and Ryan prayed. We were hopeful. More swelling had gone down, and I could make out the structure of his face. He was so swollen before, his face nearly looked flat. When we went back to the waiting area, I grabbed my hygiene items and went to the restroom to get cleaned up. I looked at the bags under my eyes as I rubbed the moisturizer in my face. I went back to the waiting area to find that my parents had made it back. They were talking to Ryan. I kissed my dad and was about to kiss my mother until I saw the expression on her face. After I’d sat in the recliner, she started, “When will the two of you see that God is trying to get your attention? God isn’t pleased with the lifestyles the two of you are leading, Raquel.”
“Sister Brooks, how about we concentrate our efforts on making sure Raquel has the things she needs? She hasn’t left the hospital since Noah’s been here. We don’t have time for negativity right now. Noah needs all of our positive energy and prayers, so he can pull out of this.”
The look she gave Ryan almost caused me to tremble. She looked like she wanted to kill him. However, he didn’t back down. He stared at her, firm in his standpoint. Finally, Daddy said, “You’re right. Hazel, why don’t you lead us in prayer.”
My eyebrows rose in surprise. I expected this to get a lot uglier. While my mother prayed, Ryan gently squeezed my hand. When I looked at him, he smiled, then winked at me. He had my back, and I was very appreciative. When she finished, she went sat on the other side of the waiting room. She was pissed. I chuckled, then looked at Ryan and said, “Thank you for having my back.”
“I’ll always look out for you, Baby Doll,” he said softly, while my eyes filled with emotion.
He’d said that to me the day we had sex for the first time. I closed my eyes for a moment and remembered how much I loved him. However, right now I loved him in a different way. I loved him like a friend, like someone who’d kept their word over the years. I respected Ryan for never falling short of taking care of his responsibilities. He broke my thoughts by asking, “Do you want something to eat?”
“Something light, like a salad or soup. Thank you, Ryan.”
He smiled softly, then made his way down to the cafeteria. My mama came sat next to me. I didn’t say anything and for a while, she didn’t either. Finally, she said, “I guess it’s good thing Noah doesn’t need blood. Your little secret would have to come out.”
“It seems it’s not just my little secret anymore. It seems it has become your little secret as well, Mama.”
She rolled her eyes at me, then walked back to her seat as my phone rang. It was Collin. “Hey Collin,” I answered.
“Hello my love. How are you?”
“I’m still here.”
“Any news on Noah?”
“More swelling has gone down, but that’s it.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t call as soon as I landed, but I wanted to give you time to rest.”
“It’s okay. Thanks Baby.”
“You sound like you’re still sleepy. Get some rest if you can. Call me later my love.”
“Okay. I love you, Collin.”
I knew the time would come where I would have to tell Collin who Noah’s father was. I had a feeling that with Noah being down, Ryan would be coming around much more. I couldn’t help but think about David. He’d been okay with it at first, but then it became a problem. I prayed that wouldn’t be the case with Collin. However, I knew I’d better tell him before he started asking questions.
Chapter 29
“Who called her to come here?” my mama said more than asked when she saw Sonya step off the elevator.
I slightly rolled my eyes, then watched Sonya look for them. She’d never seen me, so I was sure she was looking for Noah’s grandparents. When she saw them, she headed in our direction. I could see the emotion in her eyes when she got close. She seemed to approach with caution, then looked around and said, “Hello Mr. and Mrs. Brooks. How is he?”
“Hello Sonya,” my Daddy said, but Hazel didn’t even look Sonya in the face.
It irritated me, so I said, “Hello Sonya. I’m Raquel, Noah’s mother.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you,” she said softly, then extended her hand.
I shook her hand, then offered her a seat next to me. She sat for a moment, then said, “Please tell me he’s going to be okay.”
I watched the tears roll down her cheeks, then opened my mouth to talk to her. Before I could get the first word out, Hazel said, “He’s still in a comatose state. That’s all you need to know.”
Sonya looked at her, then stood and walked to the other side of the waiting area. She seemed like a nice young woman, but I didn’t know her. We had to be careful with whom we shared information with concerning Noah. The media had been wearing poor Russell out. At 6, I went in Noah’s room for visitation. I did my usual thirty minutes of talking, singing and praying, then allowed my parents to go in. When I went back out, I saw Sonya in a far corner of the waiting area with earbuds in her ears. So, I sat in my recliner and took a nap.
My nap turned into a five-hour sleep fest. I hadn’t been getting much sleep. I looked around and noticed my parents were still here and so was Sonya. I stood from my recliner, stretched, and smoothed out my clothes. I looked at my parents, then walked over to Sonya. I could hear my mother hissing at me, but I ignored her. When I got close, I asked, “Can I speak with you?”
“What?” she asked, pulling the phone away from her face.
“Can I speak with you?”
She nodded her head, then said into her phone, “Sorry Shawn. Noah’s mother is trying to talk to me. I’ll call you back.”
When she’d ended her call, I said, “I’m sorry for interrupting your call.”
“It’s okay.”
“When they leave, you can go back. They won’t be here for the 4am,” I said, then winked my eye.
“Thank you so much. I need to see him,” she said as the tear rolled down her cheek.
I could see why Noah was in love with her. She was so beautiful, even more beautiful in person without all the makeup. They’d been friends a long time, and for her to still be here waiting to see him, let me know how much she cared for him. I nodded my head at her, then went back to my seat. My mama glared at me then asked, “What did you tell her?”
“The same that you did. That he’s been in a coma since he got out of surgery and that he was unconscious when he arrived. Also, that we are hoping for the best,” I lied.
I watched my mama fold her arms, then she said, “Don’t let her see Noah. You hear me, Raquel?”
Now it was my turn to glare at her. Before I could respond to her, Daddy said, “Hazel are you ready? I’m really tired.”
She looked at him as he stood, then said, “I suppose so.” She grabbed her things, then looked at me and said, “I mean it, Raquel.”
“Whatever,” I said under my breath.
I really wanted to say more, but since she was leaving, there was no need in getting her cranked up again. As they walked away, I looked towards Sonya to see she was asleep. I got comfortable in my recliner and started a book. We had four hours to wait for visitation. Just as I was getting deep in my book, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID to see Ryan’s name. After he’d left early this morning, I was all in my feelings.
“Hello?”
“Hello Raquel.”
“Hi Ryan. How are you?”
“I’m okay. How’s our son?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, then said, “He’s about the same. Most of the swelling has gone down, but he’s still in a coma.”
“How are you, Baby Doll?”
“I’m okay.”
“Raquel,” he said knowingly.
“Ryan, I’m barely holding on. It’s been almost three days, and Noah hasn’t shown any signs of waking up. It’s like he’s given up,” I said, allowing the tears to fall.
“Oh, Baby Doll. I wish I could be there for you. I’ll be there tomorrow evening, I promise. They aren’t pressuring you to do anything, are they?”
“No. The doctor said earlier that Noah does have some brain activity. So, there’s still hope.”
“Good. I’m still praying. I love you and Noah.”
“We love you too,” I said before I could stop myself.
He was quiet for a moment. I didn’t mean that I was in love with him, but I did love him. Finally, he said, “Get some rest, and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I said, hearing my phone alerting me of another call.
When I’d ended the call, I answered the foreign number. “Hello?”
“Hey Quels. I saw the news.”
It was David. I hadn’t talked to him in over a year, since he’d popped up at my house. Before that, it had been even longer. “Hi David.”
“How is Noah?”
“He’s in a coma, David,” I said, not being able to control my emotions any longer.
“Oh Quels. I’m so sorry. I wish I could be there for you,” he said softly.
In that instant, I heard the voice of David, my best and only friend, not my ex-husband. These men in my life had me so emotional. I walked down the hallway for a moment, and said, “He still has brain activity, so we’re hopeful.”
“Well, that’s a good sign. Although, he doesn’t like me very much right now, I still look at him as my son. I still love y’all.”
“I know,” I said, looking at the clock.
It was already almost 3am. David broke me away from my thoughts and asked, “When’s the next visitation?”
“In an hour. Hopefully, I’ll see some improvement. I haven’t been home since he got here. I’m sure I stink.”
He chuckled, then said, “Don’t run people out of the waiting room, Quels.”
I chuckled, then said, “I wash up in the restroom. Thank you for calling me, David.”
“You don’t have to thank me for caring. Call me after your visit and update me.”
“I will.”
“Love you, Quels.”
“Love you too.”
I ended the call and went back to my seat. I wiped my face, then noticed Sonya was walking towards me. She sat next to me and said, “Thank you again for letting me see Noah.”
“I know the two of you are really close. You’re all he ever talks about,” I said, noticing a couple of men staring at her.
She blushed, then said, “Yes, we’re very close.”
I gave her a one-sided smile, then relaxed in my chair until the doors opened.
“Noah, I’m here Sweetheart,” Sonya said close to his ear.
I watched Noah’s body. In that instant, I saw a miracle happening before my eyes. He looked to have filled with life. His foot started twitching. I got Sonya’s attention and said, “Look.”
“Noah, you have to make it out of here. No one does Cookie Monster like you. Tristan needs you,” she said.
She grabbed his hand, and I could see him squeezing it. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. His love for this woman was sparking the fight in him. Sonya reiterated, “We love you.”
He was responding to her in ways I’d never seen a man respond to woman. She meant everything to him. I talked to him for a little while, then prayed for him. Before we could leave out of his room, Sonya whispered something in his ear. I watched his foot twitch again. She kissed his head, then pulled away from him with tears streaming down her face. We walked side by side back to the waiting room. We sat beside one another, both wiping away tears. I looked over at her and said, “I don’t know you. So, I was hesitant about letting you see Noah. When I saw that didn’t deter you, I knew you had his best interest at heart. It’s 5am and you’re still here. You’ve been here over twelve hours.”
“Noah is pretty much the only friend I have. We talk about everything. We’ve gotten into a couple of arguments recently, but we made up the other day. My son loves him to pieces.”
“Noah loves you.”
“I know. That’s why we’ve been arguing lately. I told him that there’s nothing I can do for him. I’m too old. I can’t have any more children. He’s in love with me, but I’m probably your age.”
