Book 3 [ The Untitled Series ]

Chapter Eighteen

Ashley

Friday morning I woke up just as my mother was getting ready to take a bubbling Raegan to school.

" bye, Rae." I yawned, stepping down off of the last step.

" bye!" She screamed, waving happily standing at the door next to my mother.

" what are you so happy about?" I asked.

" nana said that after school we can-"

" get ice cream." My mother cut in. " we're getting ice cream after school. Right, Raegan?"

Raegan looked up at my mother questioning before looking to me. Clearly my mother was trying to rope her into a lie that she didn't want any parts of.

" mama..." I said expectantly.

" hmm?" She asked, staring me directly in my face like she had nothing to hide.

" you been caught so just tell me what it is?"

" caught? I don't know what you mean."

I shook my head. " fine, don't tell me. But don't get fucked up behind doing something with my child that I wouldn't approve of." I didn't find any pride in cursing at my mother but sometimes she forgot who was the mother of who. Yeah she was my mother but I was Raegan's. Raegan was my child, but because she was with her so frequently she felt like she could do whatever she wanted which was not the case at all.

I found myself continuously telling her that I had the final say so.

" oh girl-" She waved me off. " we're leaving."

I kissed Raegan's forehead and gave my mother a pointed look before they left.

That situation would keep me on edge all day.

I got cleaned up and put on some old clothes that I had at my mothers house before heading home with the intention to change and then go and see if my hair dresser could fit me in. It had been a couple of weeks since I'd gotten my hair done and although it wasn't looking crazy, I planned on getting it some extra attention.

That was my plan, anyway.

But it was like Leon could sense that I was in my car because as soon as I started it up and pulled out onto the street, he called.

" hello?"

" they releasing me in like an hour. I just have to fill out some paper work real quick. You still taking me home with you?"

" wait, what paper work?" I asked.

" uh..." He paused, about to lie but I could tell he thought better of it. " you know, just some shit saying that I'm leaving against the doctor's wishes. Liability shit. Nothing important."

" the kind of papers that say that if you drop dead after you leave the hospital they're not responsible because they told your ass not to leave?" I snapped. " those kind papers?"

He laughed. " forget all that. You coming to get me or no?"

" nigga-"

He cut me off. " I know what you bout to say, Ashley, but I'm not staying in this hospital another night. They tryna kill a nigga or something."

" you sound paranoid." I mumbled.

" that's because I am paranoid. I got shot yesterday morning, right after I dropped Raegan at school. That means- you know what, it doesn't matter what it means. Just get me outta here. Can't help nobody laid up in the hospital."

I wanted to tell him no. The last thing I wanted was for him to leave the hospital before he was completely healed and end up in an even worse position than before. But it didn't matter what I wanted, obviously. He was leaving the hospital and I could either be there to take care of him or not.