Make It Shine

Chapter 6

"Some of the choices we make only have long term effects" – Desh

White Walls...White sheets...Blue gown...Where was she? Andrea looked up, then down, then around. She felt a prickle on her head ad when she looked it was a syringe. Now she knew where she was. She was in the hospital but why? She raced her memory and tried to retrace the last few days or rather the last one day that's if she'd been asleep only a day. Last morning she could remember she had woken up at 6, got ready and left for school. At school she had been drowsy for majority of the day which she blamed on a late Monday night. Then last hour she had been in geography class when...her memory stopped. This was Weird. She tried to lift her hands but she was too weak. For a few minutes all she could do was examine her surroundings and listen to the drip drop flow on medicine into r veins. The room door opened and in came her mom.

"Oh God Andrea you're awake" Her mom said seeing her

"Marcus, Doctor, She's awake" Pauline Phillips said turning back

"Hi, I'm Doctor Reyes" Said a young woman in a white gown rushing in behind Marcus Phillips

Doctor Reyes performed a few checks and in an exciting tone said "She's back for life"

"What happened to me?" Andrea asked

"Well, apparently you were pregnant and attempted abortion. What you didn't know is the 'doctor' you went to was fired because of crude practices. As expected, he tried a crude method on you and as result you lost so much blood that you passed out. You've been asleep 1 week in and out of transfusion".

Oh God she had almost lost her life. Lucas had been a quack Doctor.

"Sadly, we were able to recover you not your womb"

What! Her womb! How could she lose her womb? Faster than she knew I tears...tears of regret started falling

"Hey sweetie, no don't cry" her mom said

"It's my entire fault" replied Andrea

"No...No if it's anybody's fault; it's ours" Marcus Philips said hugging his crying wife

"When do I get out of here?" Andrea asked

"If you recover at the rate I expect, in three days' time" Dr Reyes said

"Where's Lucas?" Andrea asked

"We already put him behind bars. Court is awaiting you for trial"

Yes Lucas would get what he deserved. For her parents, they dare not think this was a reunion.

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Samantha set the black book down at last. For the past 24 hours since Gerard gave her a bible her eyes had been stuck in the book. She hadn't been reading from the beginning, she had been reading randomly but almost everything made 'partial' sense. She still didn't quite grasp the concept of God. Why would an almighty being who did nothing wrong love someone like her a 'sinner' by all standards. She had read the story of the prodigal son; definitely her mom would welcome her but Jesus, why should he? Desperate for a change of topic, she decided to listen to a song she got from Caroline's cell

Running, running till the fear is gone

Don't know where I'm going don't know if I'll make it home

Tell mama I'm sorry I know I've made mistakes

Tell her it ain't easy I'll see her on judgement day

I lost my way ... I used to be a hip hop hero now I'm just a victim of my ego... 

Wow! Did this person know her? Why was this song so personal? Yes she had lost her way but as she listened she slowly understand there was redemption. She could be saved. She had been scared of what her friends would say if she got changed. How would they feel? Their star, hero, 'model', legend; now a God person! But the lyrics "I used to be a hip hop hero now I'm just a victim of my ego" changed her thinking. Her ego was holding her back.

She would talk to Caroline...She needed to understand better. She was having mood swings at times she wanted to turn and at times she wasn't satisfied with the 'God' theory. Caroline would help her. Whenever she spoke with Caroline she wondered why Dave would leave someone so kind, tender, and virtuous for her. Forget the issue of faith she was so precious. One other crucial question was what would Dave think? After all the reputation they had built she couldn't be the one to tarnish it. Dave was her boyfriends but she was still afraid of him. He could get angry and assault her, beat her, something. She needed help desperately.

After Caroline she would talk to her mom. Now that she had read the bible she understood her mom. Her mom was imitating that unexplainable love of Christ. Whatever choice she made her mom would understand. In the months since the accident, there was an undeniable bond between herself and her mom. Those hours of prayer seemed to bring them together and before she knew it she'd be shopping or sharing a meal or cooking. Even her domestic skills had improved. She now suspected there was some truth in the bible when it said something about all working for the good of those who believe.

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Bill Corbs stared at the ECG machine in Dave's room aimlessly. In the months since the accident, this was at least the 100th time he was staring at the mechanism. Over and over again the same beeping sound kept coming. Life had suddenly assumed a pattern. Wake up, stay home, take over the Dave watch, watch the nurse report the same thing and sleep on the couch nothing spectacular. Bill couldn't recall the last time he had a drink or even a joint. Drinking and smoking were things he couldn't resist even after days of planning but it was as if Dave's condition charmed him no more appeal.

He reminisced before the accident. At that time, he would never have agreed that he loved Dave or cared about his existence; he would have said the boy was only a tool in terrorizing Linda but he now knew he had only been lying to himself. He loved the boy. Sitting by this hospital bed had made him see a lot. Listen to uncountable prayer sessions, cry his heart out, it had humbled him. His conscience which he had believed was 'dead' was suddenly always pricking him reminding him the boy was on drugs he bought driving a car he bought and surviving and money he sent. How could he be so sensitive?

Bills mind suddenly shifted to his account. Inn all the last 4 months he had been home in the 'Dave watch' he had lost at least $120,000 and gained none. He was losing money. His plans to start a gang in NY weren't dead. In fact he had that money is a separate account but he feared he might soon touch it. He needed to act fast and make some money but making a gang didn't yield immediate profit; it took time which he didn't have. He hadn't heard from Santiago since he left L.A and he guessed that was a good thing.

Linda. He had been thinking about Linda a lot lately. After a week in the apartment, Linda called a home, he had bought a house in a sub-urban area for her. She had been reluctant at first but she now understood. He at times found himself taking tea with Linda who won't hear of his shadow some months ago. Linda was efficient and virtuous as a woman could get. He purposed never to interfere with her life again. She was too good to be seeing him. Just then his phone rang:

"Bill Corbs here"

"Billy" a voice answered. He knew this voice. It was Santiago

"Billy I have your wife in a hidden dungeon I won't tell you where. I'mma give you 24 hours to send all my money down or see her dead got it"

Before Bill could answer his phone fell from his hands to the ground. Santiago had Linda. What would he do?