S.E.A.L IV: All I Need

Chapter 10

~Nia~

We watched as they put the casket in the ground. I just kept thinking to myself how are these kids going to survive without their grandmother? I couldn't imagine going to bed one day and everything is fine, only to wake up the next and now you're an orphan and you don't know where you're going to stay, how you're going eat. It'd be way too much for me to handle much less them. I didn't want the kids to see this so I asked Ace if they could stay at her house for a few days while we dealt with this situation. Of course, she said yes, but she knew that Charli can't handle situations like this so her and Li came to the funeral while Ti and Ro watched the remainder of their kids.

I am sorry I said touching Terrance's back. I can't believe she's actually gone. She won't be able to see the kids grow up or... I know Terrance but think about it this way she won't be in any more pain. You know how much pain she was in and you had to watch her fight through it. I know but I just... I just didn't think she'd ever leave. I thought she'd get better. She'd always tell me she didn't want the kids to see her to far gone. When she was really sick, I'd have to tell them she went out of town or something just so they wouldn't know she was in the hospital. You carry a lot on you, a lot of stuff you shouldn't have to carry for a person your age. If I didn't do it, Nia no one was going to do it. Mom is...well you see where she is now. Her brother died years ago and her other sister well once she got a little money she left and forgot about all of her family. You have you an aunt? Yeah, my aunt Michelle last time I heard anything about her was about 4 years ago she all of the sudden started sending my grandmother money for stuff. Never came around but was sending $200 a month.

You think your grandmother asked her too? I don't know, she only told me certain things one of which was that I had to make sure if anything ever happened, I had to take care of my brother and sisters. And the other? She always said I was the only one of her kids that was actually going to do right. Go to college make something of myself. Even though I was a handful she was always so proud of me. She thought of you as one of her own kids. Yeah, she raised me he said looking his siblings. Now I gotta raise them. You have support don't worry Charli and I are here for you I said rubbing his back. Thanks, he said sniffling.

Something caught my eye in the distance coming towards us. It was two federal police wagons. Terrance Charli said. Yeah what's up C. Look he said motioning for him to look at the police wagons. Oh my god, tell me they didn't let her out for this funeral? Yo T if they did you gotta be calm don't let her get you out of your character. Yeah, he said walking away from the grave site.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I quickly grabbed the phone because now that I am a head nurse, I am pretty much on call all the time, but its okay because it's only 4 clients as oppose to it being a whole floor of people. The number wasn't familiar to me at first, but I answered it regardless.

Hello! Is this Nia? Um yes, it is, and this is? Hi Nia, it's me Mrs. Martin. Oh Javon's mom, is he okay? I am not sure, he refuses to eat can you come by? Um can you give me like an hour, so I can wrap up something. Sure, she said. Thank you! No problem I said before hanging up.

~Terrance~

I stepped away from the gravesite to get my self together before addressing my "mother". As I told Nia, my grandma raise me most of my life, because my mom couldn't get her shit together. If she wasn't high or drunk, she was selling her body to the highest bidder to get money to cop more drugs and alcohol. She'd always been that way even when I was baby, it's was like she never gave a fuck about me and then she kept having more kids and it obvious she didn't care about them either. My dad was a handful too but at least he tried to do something right by us, we weren't all his kids, but he would come and bring all of toys and food when he could. He just couldn't stay out of trouble, not even for us.