RULES AND ROSES

VIII

"How does Friday at 3 work" the nurse at the front desk asks. I nodded my head and said, "sounds great". She starts typing then smiles up at me and says, "you're all set".

I walk back to my car and sit there trying to collect my thoughts. It was a lot going on. I hear my phone buzz. Don texted and asked if I'd meet him somewhere. I agreed and pulled off to go to the location.

I pull up to this restaurant we always went to. I smiled a little thinking back to our good times. My smile quickly faded when I seen him hop out his Range Rover and walk towards the door. I take a deep breath and get out the car. I walk inside and scan the room looking for Don.

I spot him in the corner and walk over. He spots me and stands up to pull my chair out. "You look beautiful today" he says. I nod and sit down. He gets back in his seat and we look at the menus. "So how have you been" he asks. He looks nervous for whatever reason. "I've been cool" I say plainly. I look over the menu not really paying attention to him.

"I'm sorry Nicki" he blurts out. I cut my eyes at him and then look back down at the menu. "What did you want to talk about Don" I ask. "I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry and that... I love you Nicole" he says. My eyes shoot up and stare at him. "You love me" I scoffed. "You got a real funny ass way of showing it" I say. "Ma, she meant nothing. I take full responsibility for doing you wrong. Please let me make it right" he begs. I start getting my things together and standing up.

"Wait please.. stay" he says grabbing my arm. I sit back down. "I mean it Nicki. I love you and I don't want to lose you. Whatever it is you need me to do, I'll do it" he says. "I can't trust you anymore. You fucked my best friend and embarrassed me in front of the world" I say raising my voice. "I hate that I broke your trust. Just give me a chance to make it right" he begs. "I don't think I can do that" I said. He looks down and wipes his eye.

I know this nigga ain't crying, I thought. "Don..are you okay" I ask trying to make eye contact with him. Suddenly I hear a loud commotion towards the front of the restaurant. We look over and it's 2 dudes walking in wearing all black. I hear one of them yell, "ay, ain't that him" while pointing towards us.

I see Don's eyes get wide and before he could say anything BANG BANG BANG. Don's body falls to the ground and blood splatters all over me. I let out a scream and sit there trying to comprehend what just happened. I snap out of it and look over at Don laying on the ground gasping for air.

"DON.. STAY WITH ME" I yell while getting on the floor next to him. I press my hands on his wounds trying to stop the bleeding. I hear someone yell for someone to call the police. From what I could see Don had 2 to the chest and 1 to the arm. His eyes were getting low and his breathing was slowing down.

A few minutes later I feel someone pull me off of him and they race to perform CPR on him. I sat back sobbing my eyes out. "Are you his girlfriend...ma'am are you his girlfriend" one of them says. I nod my head and they rush me to the back of the ambulance truck along with Don on the stretcher.

I reach up and grab his hand. He wasn't responsive and the EMT's seemed frantic. We rushed to the hospital and they wheeled him into the ER with me along side him. "WAIT HERE MA'AM" the nurse says pushing me back. I try to go around her but she wouldn't let me. "Please wait in the waiting room" she says and leads me there.

I sat and waited for what seemed like hours and hours. I paced the room back and forth with tears in my eyes. I was still in my bloody clothes. Out the corner of my eye, I see a doctor coming towards me.
"Are you here for Donald Brewster" he says. I nod. "Donald is one lucky man. He suffered a lot of blood loss but we managed to get all of the bullets. He will need extensive recovery but we are confident he will be just fine" he says. I let out a huge sigh of relief and he leads me to his room.