Unaccustomed: Urban

Awake

My phone rang, waking me up. I blew out a breath of annoyance as I grabbed it. I put it to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Is this Ms. Kaia Heath?" A voice asked on the other side.

"Yes. This is she." I answered, sitting up. She sounded urgent.

"This is Glen at the hospital and I am calling to inform you that our patient, Kaden Dixon, is awake and asking for you."

I stood up.

"I am on the way." I hung up. I pulled on some sweat pants over my shorts and a hoodie over my tank top. I slid on my Nike slides and grabbed my keys and my phone, hurrying out of the house.
---

I walked into his room and Lace was laying there just breathing. He looked at me. Tears fell from his eyes. I grabbed his hand. He just starred up at me for a while. Neither one of us knew what to say.

"How long have I been in here?" He asked me.

"About a month." I told him. I wiped his eyes. I couldn't stand there and watch him cry. He continued to stare at me.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"No-"

"Please, Princess, just listen. I'm sorry for everything I've done. I had some time to think, with a clear mind and I know it was all wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. I just know I can't loose you. You keep me sane Kaia. No other girl can do that."

"Obviously Len can." I shrugged. For a second he was confused, but then it clicked.

Damn suh wasn't memorable?

"I know what she probably told you. I fed her ego a lot. I got into her head to get what I wanted." He told me.

"Why did you need her when you had me?" I asked.

"You flinch every time I touch you Kai. I feel the stiffness when I'm just trying to hold you." He said.

"Well, you did-"

"I know, and I'm sorry for that too. I'm sorry for every time. I just wanted to feel that feeling I felt on our first time." He said.

I sighed, "Scoot over." He did. I climbed into the bed with him.

"I didn't mean-"

I laughed, cutting him off, "Chill nigga. I'm not tryna fuck. Did you not get shot in the face?" I asked.

"Actually when the gun kicked back, it caused the bullet to fire lower. I got hit closer yo my collar bone." He explained.

"Then why was your dramatic ass in a month long coma?" I asked.

He shrugged, "A body can only take so many bullets."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"When I met you, I had just got out of jail. It was for possession of an illegal firearm because one night I was just chilling in the club with my niggas and some nigga that ain't like the fact that I was getting money decide to unload on us." He explained.

"What does that have to do with you being arrested?" I asked.

"I was getting there. Be patient," He told me, and I nodded. "He shot my ass 6 times before I grabbed his gun and shot him. He died with one bullet. The police came in and saw I had the gun. They charged me." Lace explained.

"Damn. Why the fuck you ain't dead?" I mumbled. He just laughed.

"You know you would cry your little eyes out if I was really dead." He mumbled.

"And Len, and your child too." He looked at me confused again."

"You're pregnant?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Len is."

He laughed, "Baby if you even believe that a little bit you need a psych evaluation." He told me.

"You had sex with her." I told him.

"Yeah. Before I went to jail. Unless she got a two year old baby in her stomach, y'all both trippin." He said. I laughed.

"The hoe trying to pin a baby on you because she thinks your dead."

I shook my head.

"I know my baby showed her what's up right?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I'm not the same Kaia I was back then. When you went to jail, I got soft. You wouldn't believe it if I told you." I said.

"I'm here. You can tell me everything."

I did. I told him everything that happened from the day he got locked up to the day he got out.

"I was soft after you left me." I concluded.

"Thai really? The nigga name is Ty spelled like it say thigh; he a dumbass solely because of that." Lace said.

I laughed, "You know they say the past likes to repeat itself. I had no control over that." I shook my head.

"What do you think should be done to Thai?" He asked. I shook my head.

"He's not worth it. He's cheating with some other girl now. At the end of the day: they're the dumb ones." I smiled.

"Look at you growing. I'm trying to grow like that too." He said.

"Maybe I can be of some assistance." I smiled and so did he. He kissed my forehead and I laid my head on his chest, smiling.

This felt like the Kaden I knew: the Kaden I loved.

---

"Where have you been?" Josiah asked as soon as I walked through the door to Siriya's house.

"Where's Karly?" I asked. He glared at me.

"I'm so tired of arguing with you." He mumbled.

I shrugged, "Well stop."

"It's whatever. Fuck you." He shrugged too.

I nodded, "Fuck me."