TWELVE DAYS OF REIGN

THE BEST I CAN ADD TO YOU

"As Joseph," a familiar voice called. "Jo, we're here."
Joseph groaned waking out of a deep sleep. He slowly pried his eyelids apart. His brow furrowed.
"Monica?"
The strong woman nodded, swiping her hand over his head.
"Yeah. It's me."
Debbie suddenly came into eye view, along with Benjamin. They all leaned over him like he was a specimen at the zoo.
"You're in the hospital," Benjamin announced.
"Why?"
"You were shot," Debbie answered as a tear evaded her eyes.
It was then that Joseph remembered. "Reign!" he shot up only to whelp in agony.
They all placed their hands on him shoving him back down to the bed.
"You just had surgery two days ago. You can't get out of bed yet," Debbie said. "The bullet missed your heart by less than an inch."
"Where's Reign? Is she alive?"
"She's fine. She's downstairs with Dad," Benjamin answered. "After he saw the news and heard what happened, he demanded to see her."
"She hadn't left your side in two days until Dad wanted to see her a while ago," Debbie said.
"News? What news?"
The three glanced at each other. Debbie turned the TV on and backed away. "It's been running all day."
"A video of a man, identified as Officer Reuben Abrams, went viral on social media outlets. The video shows him brutally beating and raping a woman in the street last week. One neighbor says the unidentified woman deliberately ran into the cars to start their alarms, screaming for help. Another neighbor came out thinking his car was being robbed but instead found the man beating and sexually assaulting the woman in the middle of the pavement. He even took video of the suspect. Viewer discretion advised."
Joseph's breath left his body as the TV clearly showed Reuben punching Reign. She flew backward on the ground. Her blue wig nearly came off. Reuben ran towards her.
"Next time you'll do as I say, won't you?"
He hit her again. This time she didn't move. She was out cold. Reuben threw her legs apart and began raping her right there in the street when a shotgun went off.
"Get off of her!" a shout came. Another shot went off.
Reuben jumped at the second shot. He scampered up and lifted Reign over his shoulder and ran away with her.
The news returned to the man they were interviewing.
"I shot off a couple of rounds in the air," he said shaking his head. "It would have scared off a dog, but this man was a monster."
The TV switched back to the news anchor.
"Two days ago, the police were called to his brother's residence where Officer Reuben allegedly raped this same woman and shot his own wife and brother. Officer Abrams' wife was pronounced dead at the scene and his brother remains in critical condition. Our prayers go out to this family."
Debbie turned the TV off. Joseph closed his eyes. Tears cascaded down his face.
"He killed Stacy?"
Monica sniffed, wiping a tear away. "Yeah."
"It's like we didn't even know him," Benjamin whispered.
"What about their kids? Are they alive?"
"They are alive. Reuben didn't harm them. They are with Stacy's sister and her husband. They plan on adopting them," Debbie informed.
Joseph heaved a sigh of relief, running a hand through his hair.
Stacy.​

______________

I didn't know what to expect when I went down to visit the preacher. I half didn't want to go in, certain he would loathe the very sight of me now that he knew all that happened between Reuben and I. Perhaps he thought I led him on, that I tempted him in some way to go as far as he did. But I quickly dismissed the idea knowing full well that was just my own insecurities talking.
The truth was I didn't know why Reuben was the way he was. He had been one of my Johns off and on for the past four years. He hadn't always been violent. It had only been in the past year that things began to escalate.
I leaned on the wall beside the preacher's hospital room door, giving myself a moment before I would have to face him. I needed that moment to prepare myself for whatever would come. I only hoped he would not die on me the moment he saw me. I could only pray he would at least hear me out before jumping to conclusions.
I smoothed out my shirt, squared my shoulders and went inside the room.
He had been already eyeing the door when I came in.
"Hi preacher." I conjured up a smile standing in the doorway.
He didn't say anything, nor did he smile back. He just stared at me like an owl. I twirled my thumbs together a moment shifting my eyes adjacent from his. My smile died away like a summer blossom fades in winter winds. I felt exposed like I had been stripped down by the police before visiting hours at a prison. Say something already!
"Preacher, I want to apologize for..."
"Come sit down over here, Reign."
A wave of cold washed over me, freezing me in place at his command. My mouth went dry and before I could make an excuse, he repeated his order.
"Come on over here," he said. "Sit down."
My knees creaked like rusty hinges in need of WD-40, heeding to his voice. I rigidly walked over and went around the edge of the bedside table and sat on the side of the bed. I folded my hands together and waited like a three-year-old that's been told to sit in the corner and face the wall.
"The Bible speaks about a woman who reminds me a lot of you, Reign. Her name was Rahab. She was a harlot, a prostitute as well. During the time when Israel was going to possess the land of Canaan, she hid two of the Israelite spies, kept them safe from her people, and then got them back to the safety of their camp by lowering them down the wall of Jericho. Because of what she did, her life and the lives of all her family, were saved and they continued to live in Canaan among the Israelites when it was seized."
The preacher sat up in his bed, reached over and took my hands in his.
"Reign, I often wondered what all did this woman, this harlot, have to endure to be brave enough, smart enough, strategic enough, to hide the Israelite spies from her own people. But, the Bible does not say. It only shows that when it was time to choose a side, she chose the winning side despite what it turned her into: a traitor. But when it was all over, she and all those of her family were alive and had property in the land of Canaan, and her memory was forever engrained in the Word of God for what she had done for Israel.
"Reign, you are such a woman."
I smirked as my eyes began to fill with tears.
"I'm not brave like this Rahab was, preacher. The only reason why I'm still alive is that the gun misfired and blew a hole in Reuben's hand."
The preacher tilted his head.
"Do you honestly think that was a coincidence, Reign?"
I tore my eyes away from him as the tears spilled down my face. Honestly, I didn't know what to think. To say the Lord caused the gun to misfire made no sense. It didn't misfire when he shot Joseph who was a long-time servant of the Lord. It didn't misfire when Reuben shot Stacy dead. She was trapped in the same bad situation as I was. But when the gun was pointed at me, the prostitute, it misfired. I had been saved for only eight weeks now. I had no spiritual weight to sway the Lord to spare my life and yet I was the only one who came out unharmed.
"I knew the day I met you, Reign, you were special. So when the Lord told me to ask you to be my wife, I didn't mind at all because I saw you were different. There is a calling on your life, Reign. A destiny that only the brave can obtain. And when destiny comes, you'll know that all that you've been through and endured was all a part of God's purpose and His plan."
I wiped the tears away and chuckled.
"That doesn't make sense to me, preacher."
"It will," he added. "Now about my son."
"I had to tell the police everything about Reuben. I couldn't lie, preacher."
"Not Reuben," he corrected. "I'm talking about Joseph."
"Joseph?" I lifted an eyebrow. "What about him?"
"He's a good man, Reign. Wouldn't you agree?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"You can feel safe with a man like him, couldn't you?"
I went silent searching his eyes. "I suppose."
"It's alright to love him, Reign."
"What?"
"I said, it's alright to love him. As your husband, it is important that I give you the best that I can add to you, Reign. Joseph is the best I could ever hope to add to you. I've been praying for it. Of course, I won't be around to see if my prayer will come to fruition. But, just know, it's okay to love him."
"Preacher, I'm not in love with him and he is definitely not in love with me. The only reason why he brought me here and let me stay with him in his house was because of you."
The preacher laughed, beaming that big smile of his that I adored.
"And here I thought you knew men."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He leaned back into his pillow. "It means what I already said. It's okay to love him."
I tore my eyes away from him as thoughtful silence fell between us. I did not know what to say. Joseph had been kind to me. He was the only one to defend my presence with honest intent against his siblings. He was the only one to ever take me off the street and into his home to keep me safe from a John. But, love was not the motivator behind his actions. It was all due to respect for his father...right?
The preacher yawned and drew the covers up to his neck.
"It feels cold in here all of a sudden," he commented.
"Feels warm in here to me," I countered, fluffing the neck of my shirt to get some air.
"Go check on the thermostat for me, will you?"
"Sure."
I got up and went to the thermostat. It read eighty degrees.
"The heat is up, preacher," I said. "I'll get you another blanket."
"Sounds good."
I left the room and came back with another blanket for him.
"This came out of the blanket warmer," I smiled and spread it across him, tucking it under his chin."
"How does that feel?"
"It feels... right on time."
He gave me a closed lip smile, and he sagged in the bed. I smiled continuing to spread the warm blanket over him, but when I sat back down on the side of the bed, I didn't hear him breathing. I brought my ear to his nose and listened. Nothing. Just then the beating of the heart monitor slowed down and the pulsing line went flat.
My lips fell apart, glancing wide-eyed between the monitor and the preacher. Fresh tears sprung to my eyes blinding me.
"O' Lord! Please! Not now!" I prayed. "Preacher!" I shook his shoulders. "Preacher!"
He didn't move. I ran out to the hallway.
"Help! Somebody help!"
Staff began rushing past me into the room. I rushed down the hallway to the elevator and went back downstairs to the third floor where Joseph and his family were. I ran into the room. They all turned to face me. It must have been written all over my tear-filled face because Monica instantly burst into tears.
"No!" Monica ran out of the room and down the hallway. Debbie and Benjamin followed behind her.
"Reign," Joseph called tugging on the wires and IV's, "Reign, help me get upstairs to him. I have to see him," he cried. "Please!"
I dropped the side rail and heeded his plea. He inched himself out of the bed, wrapped his arm around my neck and together we eased our way to the elevator and up to the preacher's hospital room.
We were met with sobs and wailings that pierced through the walls. Joseph burst into tears when he laid eyes on the preacher. He was just as I left him. Snug as a bug in the blankets and breathless.
"Daddy!" Joseph left me behind to get to his father's bedside. "Oh, Lord, not this too!"
My hand fell from my lips as I planted my back against the wall. Thin webbed fractures were creeping over the span of my heart. I shut my eyes feeling myself coming apart. A hand came out of nowhere startling me, pulling me forward, and then another and another until I was at the preacher's bedside. I looked around to find Debbie, Monica, Benjamin and Joseph surrounding me, then we all mourned him together.