Janet.
After several days in the hospital, they finally released me on bed rest. I am not to do excessive walking, lift anything, bend, or anything else that involves using my back.
Shawn has been a rock, although she's been acting weird. I don't know what's up with her and she won't answer any questions.
I was laying in the bed when Shawn walked in on the phone. "Well then call it quits for him, Joey! Do whatever needs to be done." She shouted.
She must've thought I was sleeping because she'd usually try to be quiet around me since I left the hospital.
"Listen, if I have to take matters into my own hands, I fucking will! Stop testing my gangsta, nigga!"
She sighed and listened to the line before responding, "Okay, thank you. That's all I'm asking for. Bye." She said.
She tossed her phone on the bed before plopping on the bed. "Long day, princess?" I asked her, scaring her.
She held her chest as she looked at me. "What are doing awake? You were just sleeping." She said.
"I woke up a long time ago. Why are you yelling at Joey?" I asked suspiciously.
"No reason, we were talking about this whole situation."
"I thought Joey caught the guys already?"
"Nope." She sighed.
I patted the spot next me and she smiled before she came up and laid beside me, placing a kiss on my lips.
"How's my son?" I asked.
Her eyes left mine and she turned onto her back to look at the ceiling. "He is fine." She said. That's been her response constantly for days.
"When do I get to have him back? I'm sure my mother is sick of him." I joked.
"No, babe. He will stay there. I don't want him to see you like this or get too hyper and accidentally hurt you. It's only a few weeks. He'll be fine."
I knew something was off with her but I couldn't put my finger on it for the life of me. Whatever she was hiding, she was hiding it good.
As I went to speak, her phone rung again. I looked down and saw Joey was calling her. We made eye contact before she tried to jump and get it but I stretched my leg and covered it within the blanket.
"What's up, Shawn? Why are you talking to him so much? Why are you being so secretive?" I asked.
"Baby, I don—" She paused seeing that I was actually getting pissed. "Janet, I don't want you worrying about this. I have everything under control, Joey and I. You worry about that back."
I felt my eyes watering, "W-Why are you lying to me?" I asked.
She came back to me and I could tell she felt like an ass. I wasn't intentionally crying to make her feel bad, it's just after everything that happened, my emotions have been on 100.
"No, no, no. Baby, don't cry." She said wrapping her arms around me lightly. "Look at me, please."
I looked in her eyes. "I'm handling something. I'm not telling because it'll break your heart. It's not me, I'm fine. I'm not doing anything bad, I promise. This is hard for me too, but it'll get better. Okay?"
She wiped my face and kissed my forehead. "Trust me, okay? I'll tell you when it's fixed." She said.
"Okay." I sniffled.
Her phone rang again drawing our attention again. I released her phone and let her answer it.
Shawn.
"We found Joesph. He was in South Carolina. I had some guys over there pick him up, but Shai isn't there. They searched the whole building, no sight of him. Shawn, I'm at my wit's end."
"Your wit's end? You said you'd find him!" I yelled.
"Shawn, I can't!" He yelled back. "Joe could've sent that boy into sex trafficking, drug cartels, foreigners on the dark net. I can't look that far, I'm not skilled enough." He said getting lower at the end showing his surrender.
"Joey, please." My voice cracked.
"I'm sorry." He said. "You have to tell her."
I turned around and peeked through the door crack seeing Janet reading a magazine. "It'll crush her. I told her I'd fix it. I need my son to be here." I said trying to preserve my tears.
"It's not gonna happen, Shawn. At least not today."
I closed my phone, ending the call. I didn't know what to say. Which words to use, or which tone.
Man up, Shawn. You got this.
Forcing myself into the room, Janet looked up at me with a toothless smile. "Is everything okay?" She said putting the magazine down.
I kneeled beside her on the floor and caressed her cheek with my thumb. "I need you to be calm for me okay?" I asked before.
"Why? What's wrong?"
She was getting frantic already. "Breathe, baby. I really don't want you hurting that back."
She eased her body and woosah'd.
"The shooting was initiated by your father for revenge on you for having Shai and dating me. He wanted to fulfill his threat he made to you when you were pregnant with Shai. I assume because you didn't abort Shai, he was going to make you pay for it. Joesph had snipers shoot into the restaurant and he aimed for Shai specifically but missed so he kidnapped him and ran off to South Carolina. Joey had teams of people on it and they found Joseph... but not Shai. Joey doesn't think he is dead but he isn't sure either. He could be in sex trafficking or have been sold on the dark net and will probably be used as a bargaining unit to get money out of you or they'll kill him to torture you. We... We don't know."
I looked at her and I saw her eyes lose the life it held. "He took my son?" She asked with no emotion. I nodded. "And sold him?"
I shrugged. "We don't know."
"Shawn."
"Yes baby?"
"Call the doctor and tell him that there has to be an alternative for bed rest. That is non-optional. I want to be able to move so I can find my son."
I didn't want to challenge her, so.. "Okay, I'll do that right now."
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