Memphis Streets 3: Revenge

Chapter 26- Le'Shelle

Despite drifting on a cocktail of drugs in the middle of the night, a bitch can't get any sleep in this hospital.

I'm grateful for the drugs because after a month of physical therapy, I constantly ache everywhere. Every hour on the hour, a nurse floats into my room to prick my hands and arms for more blood. I've gotten so used to it that I don't even flinch when the door swishes open.

"Le'Shelle." Confused, I battle to open my heavy eyelids.

I get about half an inch, but then have a hard time making out the fuzzy image in front of me. "Hey, bitch. Wake your ass up."

"Kookie?"

"The one and only." Kookie cocks a smile. "Your vacation is over. We're busting your ass out of here."

"Music to my ears." I roll my head around. "What about the guard?"

"You mean that muthafucka over there?" Kookie steps back so that I can see the tall cop slumped over on the floor with a huge hypodermic needle jammed into the side of his neck.

"Nigga never saw what hit him."

"Cop killer?"

"Nah. He's just knocked out," Kookie says.

"We got to hurry and get her out of here," a voice says.

Groggily, I roll my head to the other side to spot the silent nurse from earlier. "Maureen is going to be back soon."

Kookie rolls her eyes and dismisses the girl. "Girl, ain't nobody stuttin' your boss." She produces a key and unlocks the handcuffs.

"Where's Snake?" I ask. "I thought he was comin' to get me. A month ago"

"Don't worry. You'll see him in a few."

"What-so just you?" Kookie removes the bracelet from my wrist and then lowers the guardrail while the nurse rushes around the bed with a wheelchair.

"C'mon. C'mon. C'mon," the nurse chants.

She looks and sounds about as scared as a deer running in front of a den of lions. Kookie brushes my legs over the side of the bed and then leans over to help me sit up.

"Can you stand?" What kind of fuckin' question is that shit? I shove myself off the bed, but one second I'm up, and in the next, my ass drops like a stone.

"Whoa." Kookie and the nurse catch me before I eat linoleum.

"That first step is always a bitch." I try harder to shake off the drugs.

"Push yourself up," the nurse coaches.

"Yeah. There you go." Back on my feet, I sigh in relief. Kookie rolls a wheelchair up to the bed and together they help put my legs in the metal footrests. "All right. Let's get the fuck out of here."

"We out this bitch." Kookie grabs the handlebars and we take off.

The nurse pokes her head out of the door first and then waves for us to hurry and come on out. The intensive care unit looks like an abandoned graveyard. There's not a soul in sight.

"This shit don't look right," Kookie mumbles.

At least we agree on something. We take off like a bat out of hell toward the elevator bay. I have to admit that I'm still stunned at this low-key operation. After Snake's note, I'd envisioned him blazing through this muthafucka like the Terminator to rescue me. He did that much when he thought Mason's ass was walled up in the hospital. Kookie jabs the down button about a dozen times in quick succession.