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Reneé Trinity Jackson Chicago, Illinois
Reneéopened her eyes to see the two people she loved the most looking down at her worriedly. Her dad and Reese were on both sides of her bed just watching her sleep. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw how sick her dad looked, he looked like he was terrified.
"Oh my baby girl." Keith said as he gently pulled her into a hug, she couldn't move so he wrapped his arms around her awkwardly but it still made both of them happy.
"You had us worried, man." Reese spoke up, his eyes were red as he stared at his older sister. He had been crying his whole way here but he tried to hide it. His dad comforted him because Reneé was the only person beside his pops that he was really close to.
"I'm sorry yall. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time." She groaned as she tried to sit up straight slightly. Reneé knew that she couldn't tell them what had really happened.
"The doctor explained everything to us. You're gonna be here for a two weeks and then they're gonna discharge you." Keith explained as he pulled one of the chairs closer to her bed. He grabbed her hand and held her tightly, she was his only daughter.
"And when you get discharged, you're moving back to Jacksonville with me and Reese."
Her eyes widened in surprise, when did that happen?
"I'm sorry pops but when I get discharged I'm going back to my apartment. I need to get back to work." Reneé looked at him seriously. She knew he was worried but she was grown now, she could make her own decisions.
"Reneé, you've only been here for three months and you've already been shot. That ain't okay." Keith stared at her, his daughter wasn't involved in gangs and wouldn't ever do that so she was innocent. He worried that she wouldn't be so lucky next time.
"Respectfully, I am grown. If I choose to stay in Chicago, you'll just have to respect my decision. Even if I do die, I'll die knowing that I lived my life the way I wanted to." She pulled away and looked in a different direction. The conversation was over.
Reneé wasn't that little girl that only relied on her father anymore. She was a grown ass woman who paid her own bills and even paid other people. This move to Chicago would be useless if she just moved back now, the sacrifice would be pointless. Plus...what about Cameron? How could she begin to build a connection just to move away? Reneé was a lot of things but she wasn't a pussy. She wasn't running away, ever.
Keith sighed and looked up at his son before standing up and leaving the room. He understood exactly why Reneé wanted to stay here but he was so worried that she might die. He'd already lost his wife to gun violence, now he almost lost his daughter. When he got the call from the hospital, it felt as if he was reliving that moment when Alyssa died.
