Winter Toes III: Defending the Heart

WT3| "Pain"

c h a p t e r t h i r t y s i x
-
still I cry.

Taylor held the crying China and Rei, both laying on her empty belly as they all sat silent in her living on atop a palette they halfassed. She rubbed their backs, trying to maintain her composure for them. How she came to be this strong she would never know? Maybe it was losing her dad, mother, and majority of his sister within one year that made her a brick to this pain. However, she still felt it. Delivering the news to Torrei was one of the hardest things she'd ever have to do. How do you tell a mother her child had been shot? But you can't just not tell them.

Everyone was taking it pretty hard but Maison was taking it the hardest. No one had heard from him since then, not even his own family members and everyone was trying hard not to jump to conclusions but it was hard.

The pain was like electric shock to the chest. It was so bad, Taylor couldn't function right. She couldn't even give her speech on being strong because she wasn't strong enough to give it.

She looked down at her pregnant niece and frowned. She was the main one that needed even an ounce of strength.

Taylor sighed before rubbing their shoulders. "Girls..."

Catching their attention, they looked up in unison. Taylor hadn't had anything further than that but now was the best time if ever.

"We can't do this. We can't sit in this living room and cry." Taylor said with a frown. "Chase would kick our ass if she saw us like this ."

Reiya giggled as she sniffled, knowing it was true. "Telling us to calm down." She chimed in.

China sighed. "Never knew how she could be so calm these days." She whispered.

Taylor nodded.

"Because she was happy." Rei said, looking down at the floor.

Taylor frowned up even more, trying not to cry. She wiped her eyes and exhaled. "We gotta stay strong. China got a baby, she can't be stressed out. I just got out the hospital, I can't be-"

"Wait what? I thought you were in Jamaica?" Rei said, scrunching her face up.

As if on cue, Roman came downstairs.

"I thought you told my momma y'all were in Jamaica." China spat out, looking at him.

He made a sound that was sounded like "up" before turning and retreating back up the stairs. Everyone was confused now.

"Why were you in the hospital?" Reiya asked.

"I was shot-"

China looked down at her aunt's stomach. "So.. is it..."

The tears were getting harder to hold now as they touched on a still fresh topic. "I couldn't handle it... I.. it.. it's gone." She finally said, her voice cracking as tears dropped.

China held onto her own belly, feeling the pain of losing what could soon be.

"You gotta stop stressing or it's gonna be hard for you to handle too." Taylor told her. China nodded, frowning but understanding.

It was easier said than done.

Meanwhile, Mase was broken all up. He felt what Chase had told him she'd feel if the tables were turned. He sat on the bridge where they were the time she was killed and he watched the water so it's thing. He couldn't imagine going on without her. He really loved her, she really completed him.

In his mind, she was the only one that cared about him. No one else even came looking for him although he had been missing for a couple of days now.

So what's the point? He thought as he looked down at the bottle he was drowning himself with. He laughed to himself. This was what Wyn wanted so he was going to give it to him.

He drunk down the rest and threw the bottle in the water.

"Hey, sir. You can't do that!" A nearby officer yelled at him after seeing him throw it.

"My bad, I'll go get it then." Maison slurred before he got up on the banister and looked into the water. He stumbled a little.

"No, no! Get down! Sir!"

Everyone started to notice the scene and what Mase was trying to do. His vision was blurred, his eyesight going in and out. He leaned forward and let all the contents in his stomach go, throwing up into the water.

The officer pulled him back before he could fall in with the rest of him.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Maison shook his head. "No. I'm not okay." He said before breaking down, sobbing. "She's gone, man. She's gone."

***

Daye pulled the phone to his ear as he exhaled, waiting for the lady to tell him what number to press. He pressed the one then looked at the wall. He couldn't believe what he had done for this nigga.

"It's done?" Wyn asked as once the call was connected.

"It's done." Daye said, shaking his head.

"Good." Wyn replied. "I'll have your money to you, good looks."

Daye hung up the phone and sat back in the couch. He closed his eyes and sighed.

It's done.