OUTTA COMPTON

N O S T A L G I C

CHAPTER FOUR :
TIFFANY'S POINT OF VIEW

My name echoes in my brain "Tiffany? Tiffany? Tiffany?"

My eyes open suddenly and standing in front of me is the nurse that had directed me to jahseh's room before.

"Sorry to wake you but I just have a few questions and paperwork for you to fill out. It will be nice and quick I promise".

Jahseh's arms are still around me but he's fast asleep. I slowly break out of his hold and walk over to the counter area where the nurse has everything set up. To get comfortable with her I look at her name tag which reads "Carla"

She hands me a pen "thanks Carla" I say as I'm starting to fill out the paperwork. "All you have to do is fill out as much questions as you know on the first page. The other pages is for his parents to sign."

I read the first question.
Relationship to patient Circle answer
:Spouse :Parent :Sibling :Family :Other
I quickly circle other. I skim through the page and see that there are 17 questions to fill out. "Alright onto the the second question".

Has this patient attended our hospital facility previously? I breeze through all 17 questions answering the best answer I can. Thinking deeply about what jahseh would've chose.

The names of both biological parents.

And many other questions. Carla looks over my shoulder as I finish the last question and sign at the bottom of the page. She then hands me a survey "I will be right back to collect the survey let me just give this to the doctor."

She exits the room and I continue to answer the survey questions. Just as I'm finishing writing down the last question I see jahseh sitting up in the bed staring at me. "Tiffany why'd you leave me?"

"I had to answer a couple of questions jah but I'm done now".

just as I'm about to lie back in the bed he speaks out softly "why'd you lie to me?" My face scrunches up "what are you talking about?"

"When I asked you what happened with Isiah you said you took a shower and waited for him to go to sleep but I knew you were lying when I saw those bruises on your neck".

"He hurt you didn't he". Just as open my mouth to speak the nurse busts through the doors and collects the survey. She then comes over with a clipboard in hand and starts asking jahseh a bunch of questions. His face seems overwhelmed. I just sit back in the chair and take out my phone reviewing my messages and calls.

I have 9 missed calls from Isiah 2 from my mom and one from my friend stokeley.

I ignore Isiah's calls and my moms and call stokeley first. He doesn't answer and I feel like it's only because it's late. I didn't even realize the time until after ending the call. The time reads 3:47 am.

After answering a few text messages and listening to a couple voicemails, Carla finally leaves and me and jahseh are alone again. But this time an awkward silence lingers in the room.

I sit on the bed beside him "I lied because your probably stressed about a lot of things and I don't want you to go out of your way to protect me. Isiah's not worth it I just didn't want you to start getting mad at him for what he's done to me and then you two have beef and all I want things to be peaceful for a while."

"But I can't just sit around and let him hurt you. Why don't you just stay with me for a while, he can't hurt you if your with me".

I dart my eyes around the room and my mind flashes back to where he slapped me and then when he stared choking me. How my heart of pumping, the shock I felt. The tears and the blood rushing down my face.

"I can protect myself jah. He tried to choke me for money earlier when I was on my way to your house. I was in the car ready to leave and you know what I did. I closed his dumb ass hands in the window."

He makes a disgusted face "well damn that must've hurt. But good for you. I'm telling you tiff the next time he lays his hands on you just know that imma beat his ass".

I lay down again next to him eager to feel his arms around me again.

I think about telling him my dream but I feel that it's best that only me myself and I should know about that. It would be kind of weird to tell him that I had a dream about him.

So I just listen to him "look Tiffany I've been waiting-"

The door Bursts open to reveal his mother Cleo with a worried look on her face.

I sit up shocked to see her after 2 years of her being too caught up in work and all. "JAHSEH MY BABY ARE YOU OKAY?" She runs over to him and takes his face in her hands. "The doctors called and told me about everything I had to get down here and see if you were okay.

I get up off the bed and take my sweatshirt off, resting it on the chair that I had been sitting in previously. "I'm gonna leave you guys to catch up I'm gonna go and get some food down at the food court".

Jahseh nods and turns his attention back to his mother.

As I'm walking down the hallway to the food court I notice two people outside of one of the rooms converting. They both look familiar.

I focus my eyes harder and notice who they are Instantly "Rakim? Lucas?"