Cheater

Cupids got a gun

Bernadine was already too exhausted to pull away from the cold grasp Michael had around her wrist, and so she chose to lean as far back as possible.

"What happened? Mia, did you see what happened to your mother?" Michael rushed his daughter as she stared terrified into Michael's eyes.

He sighed, and looked down at the blood he was avoiding, "Is this yours?" He whispered fearfully, as he could hear a party of worried voices approaching from behind.

"Hell fucking no!" Evelyn screeched from across the lawn as Michael turned to see her marching angrily at the front of the crowd of family, who'd come to see what was wrong.

At first, they looked like an angry mob, but it was only Jill and Evelyn who looked unimpressed.

Michael rubbed Bernadine's knuckles with his thumb, and sighed as he watched her chest rise and fall.

As long as he could see she was breathing, he wouldn't freak out.

He would not freak out.

"Move! Get the fuck away from my sister!"
"--Jill! Enough!" Dina shouted after Jill who was power walking over to Michael.

"Jill!" Came the chorus from Daniel and Jermaine, who were terrified for Michael's safety.

"Get away from her!" Evelyn spat, beginning to jog as Michael watched Bernadine's chest.

He could hear them.
The family he once claimed as his own now hated him.

He only had himself to blame for that.

"She don't wanna see you! Get off my sister!" Evelyn screamed out, using all the power in her thick legs to power walk again, beside Jill.

He would not turn and face them.
If he did, he knew tears very well may come to his eyes.

Michael didn't like feeling ganged up on, or hated.

Lori began to cry due to the shouting and confusion, which led Mia to instinctively hold her sister close.

Michael couldn't feel the emotion of his daughters.

He was watching her breathing pattern.
Sometimes she'd take deep gasps, or little pants.

As Long as it kept rising and falling, as long as she kept breathing.

"Are you deaf dumb, nigga?!" Evelyn screamed, as Rebbie quickly ran and tugged at Jill's wrist.

"Jill, please, the kids are there.." Jill ignored Rebbie, tearing her wrist away.

"Girls, stop! Stop!" Jeanie shouted at her flame daughters, but they were immersed in the fun, and adrenaline of anger and performance.

Evelyn reached Michael before Jill.
"Get away from my sister, nigga! You ain't welcome, she don't want you, move the fuck ALONG!" Evelyn screamed, as Michael stood to face his opponent wearily.

"Evelyn, please. I don't want any trouble. She's hurt-"
"She probably wouldn't even be this way," Jill reached the car, and bent over, her hands on her knees, she took a deep breath, "If you didn't fuck her over!"

"Jill, the kids. My kids are right here, please don't do this. Don't cause any more damage to what's already been.." He whispered sorrowfully, but the two were not content.

"Michael, the night Bernie kicked you out, I spent five hours talking her out of drowning herself in the tub. Five.." Evelyn splayed five fingers in Michael's face as his heart double flipped into his pelvis.

"And-and-and, I spent hours trying to convince her to shower, and eat. She was thinner than the switch your daddy beat your ass with.." Jill jeered spitefully as Michael stumbled backward, as if taking a physical blow.

"Please, look, I came over because-"
"You came over to try and pretend that you're a good man. You're no good for my sister!"

"Jill, I know why you feel that way, but me and Bernie are in love and we're gonna work on it. She said that ages ago!" Michael was trying to reassure himself rather than the two angry women before him.

"She don't wanna work on it!"
"Don't speak for her, Evelyn!" Michael feel his anger coming; and the will to fight for this woman burned in him--

Bernadine coughed hard, and gripped her chest, as the crowd reached the car.

She couldn't keep her eyes open.

They were closing against her will.

***
When Bernadine woke up, she was looking up at a white, sterile ceiling, which had one beam of a bulb.

She stared at the bright light, frowning, ready to open her mouth and speak-but, her mouth was full.

A tube? Her tongue woke up too, hitting at the foreign object in her mouth, as she frowned.
That's when the nurses came in.

"She's awake! Remove the tubes immediately from her airwaves, and can we get a drip? Dilated?" A doctor spoke quickly, and with great calm, although Bernadine could hear the chaos of nurses around her.

"She's awake?"
"Can I go in, and see her, she's my daughter!"
"Mommy!"
"She's awake, look can't we just go in?"

The bubble of the few voices was silenced by the doctor.
"Three at a time. She's going to be exhausted, please, we can refer her to a luxury suite later, but not right now.." The doctor sighed, as Bernadine struggled to sit up.

Two women leaned over her, one young and blond, and the other, in her late forties, with mousy hair, and a big frame.

The smiled warmly, removing tubes, and inserting needles, and finally, pulling the tube from Bernadine's throat, as she almost gagged.

"Why am I here?" Bernadine whispered, as the nurses shared glances and sighed.

"Mrs Jackson," The older one started as Bernadine winced at the name, "Bernadine, you collapsed outside in your car. You were brought here with breathing problems.."

"Oh. I remember.. Why do I have to have this?" Bernadine rubbed the new needle in her arm as she sat up, feeling her stomach twist against her.

"There isn't much oxygen in your blood at the moment. Your main arteries got a little slow with the blood flow," The blond one jigged, clearing her throat when Bernadine remained awe struck by the needle, "So, the doctor is seeing if you have pleurisy.."

"Pleurisy?" Bernadine choked.
"Yeah, it's common with people who cough up blood clots. It's a sign of pleurisy or typhoid.."

"When.. When will I know? Is it.. Is it fatal?"
"Not usually," The older one shook her head, giving Bernadine a warm smile, as she fluffed her pillows, "It can be treated early.."

"With what?"
"Antibiotics, usually.. Or if it's from a virus, the doctor will most likely drain the fluid causing pain in your lungs. Nothing to worry about, hun.."

"I've got no pain now, I feel fine.." Bernadine frowned.
"Yeah, we gave you the antibiotics. This is a good sign. The doctor will probably just run some tests, and discharge you tomorrow.."

"Oh, ok.." Bernadine allowed the two women to faff at her bedsheets, and arrange her fruit, as she wandered where the voices she'd heard had gone to.

"You know, Mrs Jackson," the blond one giggled, "There's an army of fans outside already. You'd think you got struck with cancer or something!" She sighed in a real southern accent.

The other nurse glared at the obviously new nurse, as Bernadine smiled into her hand shyly, "Oh, yes. They're quite loyal.." She giggled.

"I think your children and mother is here. Your sisters too.." The blond one piped up as Bernadine nodded.

Was Michael here? Wasn't he with her by the car? Maybe he didn't want to upset her.

Maybe, he didn't care..

Bernadine shook herself quickly before the nurses could see, and sighed.
She would not think about him.

***