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A Perfect Disaster; Gabriel's Story (Epub)
SYNOPSIS:
Gabriel Di’Maggio never expected so much to change in his life after the shootout. He didn’t know that he would become a different person. When he awakened from his coma, life had taken a turn and served him a hard ball. That hard ball came in the form of a beautiful, curvy, dark skinned woman named Kema Ryuuji. She gave him a gift by the name of Rosie who would forever change his life. As he grew to love his daughter Rosie, he began to open his heart to her mother, Kema. He swore to himself that he wouldn’t take a chance on love after Victoria left him while he fought for his life in a cold hospital room. Even though he was determined to guard his heart, why did he feel himself longing for Kema’s touch?
Kema Ryuuji had finally met the father of her daughter after seven long years. She didn’t intend on getting anywhere with him, yet fate had other plans. When she met Gabriel, she was stunned by the 6’2, rugged, tattooed, epitome of lust all put together to create the man before her. Everything kept pushing them together until she couldn’t deny it anymore. There’s only two problems: Her family that kicked her out comes back into play, and the thorn in her side, Scott Broderick. Will her family stop her from her happiness? Or will her stalker and abusive ex-boyfriend that is lurking in the shadows be the catalyst that destroys their last chance at happiness? Will Gabriel and Kema make it through this PERFECT DISASTER?
TAKE A PEEK INSIDE!
Prologue
Nicolette looked over at her best friend, Gabriel, who was still in the hospital bed, not waking up from the scenario. It felt like the shooting of the restaurant just happened yesterday.
*Six Months Ago*
“Gabriel? Could you please stop playing with her and talk to me?” Nicolette said to him. She was fine with him being the doting uncle that he was, but right now, she needed to talk to her best friend.
Gabriel reluctantly stopped making baby Gabriella smile and looked up at Nicolette.
“Okay, so...I am going to propose to Vicky,” he proudly stated.
Nicolette didn’t mean to squeal loudly, yet she couldn’t help it as she did, drawing the attention of other people in the restaurant.
“Say what!” she loudly exclaimed.
She stared at her best friend, dumbfounded. She was in mid-pause with a drink in her hand. She was both surprised and happy that her best friend wanted to get married. After his ex-girlfriend cheating on him and getting pregnant by his friend, she thought that Gabriel would’ve given up on being serious with anyone. Now she was happy because her best friend had shown her that he knew what he deserved. She couldn’t wipe away the huge smile that was plastered on her face.
Gabriel looked at Nicolette smiling at her big old smile. He shook his head knowing that she was always one for the dramatics. He did, however, appreciate her because they both knew how much what happened with his ex had affected him; it took him awhile to open up and be with someone. He wanted Nicolette to know that loving Victoria was the best thing he had done.
“Don't look at me like that, I'm serious. You know after college and the name we don't
speak of, I want to be with Victoria once and for all. Make her happy.”
“You do make her happy, though and I'm sure she will accept. Aww, my best friend is
going to get married.”
“Ugh, I know, it's so weird, right? Plus, I know you wish we would've gotten married, but
you played hard to get too much.”
Nicolette burst out laughing. She knew that she was loudly laughing in the restaurant, yet she couldn’t stop. She hadn’t expected him to say that to her.
“You need to stop, Gabriel. No one was looking at you like that. Eww!” she said, still smiling brightly at him.
Gabriel smiled back; he loved to see her smile. After a moment, he looked at her. He knew that she didn’t call him out for anything and that she was also worried. She sounded like she needed to talk to him urgently about a matter.
"Love you, too. Now, I know you brought me here for another reason, what is it?” he asked her.
She looked at him with a serious expression on her face. “Well, Matty is trying to act like he isn't bothered, but he is. He’s gotten some phone calls from Italy lately, you know, from that side of the family."
"The Moretti side?” Gabriel asked.
“Yes. I don't know, I can't put my finger on it, but ever since they've called, Matty has
been acting really weird; like he's been snappy like the old Matty,” she continued on.
As Gabriel was about to say something to her, shots went off in the background. Gabriel was the first one to respond quickly by shielding his niece and Nicolette. He grabbed Gabriella as he pulled Nicolette to the floor with him, hoping that nothing had touched them. All he knew was that he had to protect them. However, what he didn’t know was that the moment it started raining bullets, they were all aimed at Nicolette. She was shot a couple times in the back and he hadn’t realized it.
Gabriel looked down at her, wondering if she was okay.
“Nicky? Are you okay?” he asked.
The only response he received from her was the coughing up of blood.
****
Gabriel hadn’t shut his eyes throughout the whole ride to the hospital. He had refused to let go of his niece and of Nicolette. The paramedics had pried her out of his hands as they reassured him that he could go in the ambulance with her. When they were in the ambulance, he watched them closely. He wanted a reason to lash out at someone. He looked down at his niece who, despite her bloody clothes, was not hurt in the drive-by. One of the paramedics looked over at him, “Sir? Sir? Are you alright?” he asked.
Gabriel looked at the guy that questioned him. His vision had started to blur as his body started to ache. He knew he was in pain, yet he had refused to be looked at first or separated from Nicolette and the baby. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision.
The paramedic looked at him closely now, noticing that something wasn’t right with him. He looked at the sluggish movements of the man whom he assumed was the husband of the woman. He turned to his partner telling him that this man was not okay. He reached out to check Gabriel for any gunshot wounds.
“Is she okay?” Gabriel asked.
“Try not to talk, sir,” the paramedic told Gabriel.
“Is she alive? Tell me right now!” Gabriel yelled.
“We’ve stabilized her, sir. Don’t worry, sir, your wife will be okay,” the paramedic tried to reassure him.
“Good,” Gabriel said, not even trying to correct the man. He was too tired to do anything. He felt his eyes getting heavier. He looked down at Gabriella, who was completely quiet with a pacifier in her mouth. He brought her up to him, ignoring the excruciating pain that he was in from that slight movement. He smiled at her, kissing her forehead.
“I love you, Gabriella,” he said before handing her over to the paramedic in front of him. As the paramedic handed her to his partner, Gabriel’s vision became so blurry that he blacked out. The paramedic turned back around as soon as he heard a big thud on the ambulance floor.
“Sir? Sir? Oh, hell! Give me the first aid kit!” was the last thing Gabriel heard as the paramedic yelled at his partner.
*Four Months Ago*
Kema sat down on the hospital couch. She had no idea what to do anymore. Her baby girl was not getting better. This had to be the hardest decision of her life. She was too selfish to let her go and she didn’t want to let her go. What was she to do when Rosie passed away? Was she going to just sit there and take that kind of ending for her one and only daughter? She couldn’t bear losing the one piece of her life that made sense. Nothing else could be done for a child that had aplastic anemia. A tear escaped from her eye, which she furiously wiped. This wasn’t the place to cry nor was it even the area that Rosie was in. She had found herself wandering around this big hospital, seeing families smiling with their loved ones while she was feeling the exact opposite. She wanted to get as far away as she could from Rosie so that she couldn't see as she teared up about her daughter’s misfortune.
Kema chuckled, wondering what she had done in her past life that she deserved this. What had little Rosie done to the world to deserve all of this? She knew the answer to that and her daughter had done nothing at all. If smiling, calling her ‘mommy’, and making her the happiest person on earth was a crime, then yes, she understood. All she knew was that her daughter was her world and if she went away, Kema was ready to lose herself, too. Someone pulled her out of her wallowing and she looked over to her left. There sat a woman who looked like she got the wind kicked out of her from just walking. Kema silently chuckled. Being in the hospital made her more open to talking to everyone around her. She got used to talking to people as her daughter had her checkups and daily medications.
She looked at the woman, Nicolette, whom at the time, she didn’t know her name. She looked at how beautiful she was; her curls tumbled down around her face all the way down past her shoulders. She didn’t seem to realize that Kema was sitting there as she flopped on the couch. She decided that it was best to speak to her instead of both of them just sitting there.
“It stinks in here, right? Smells like a hospital?” she asked. Nicolette jumped.
She felt like her soul left her body and returned. She turned to see who was speaking to her. She had no idea that anyone was sitting beside her. She looked at the woman; she was a gorgeous dark-skinned woman with long hair. Nicolette couldn’t tell how long it was, but from the ponytail she had, it was straight and a little past her shoulders. She had gray eyes that contrasted with her dark chocolate skin, but it made her even more beautiful, a tiny nose, and perfect heart-shaped lips. Nicolette shook her head at how beautiful Kema was and she looked really young, maybe twenty years of age. Then she snapped Nicolette out of her staring by waving her hand in Nicolette’s face.
“Are you okay?” Kema asked.
Nicolette blinked rapidly, nodding, “Yes, yes I’m okay. Are you?” Nicolette asked as she finally noticed that the female looked tired.
She had bags under her eyes; she looked like she hadn’t slept in a while.
The female smiled at Nicolette and answered, “I think so, I don’t know. Oh, I’m Kema by the way. What’s your name?”
Nicolette smiled; she liked Kema’s name. “I’m Nicolette, but you can call me Nico.”
“Nice to meet you, Nico. So, why are you in here?” Kema asked curiously.
“Ohh, just woke up from some eight-week long coma. What about you?” Nicolette said, trying to shake off the dreadful feeling.
Kema shook her head up and down, acknowledging that she understood.
“I’m not a patient here, my daughter is. Aplastic anemia,” Kema replied.
“What is that?” Nicolette asked.
“Aplastic anemia is when your bone marrow fails to produce more blood cells. So, what happened with little Rosie is that where she went to school, the pesticide they used got her sick and now here we are. It started simply with her getting a cold, being tired, and you know, she bruised too easily. I brought her to the hospital, they ran some tests, and now here we are. My little Rosie is getting worse and there seems to be nothing I can do to help her,” Kema said.
She stared at her feet and could not bring herself to look up to see the sadness in Nicolette’s eyes.
Nicolette looked at Kema with such sadness; she didn’t mean to, but what else could she even say?
“I’m so, so, sorry, Kema. I really am,” Nicolette said.
Kema shook her head; she didn’t know what to say to that. Her daughter was seven and had been healthy until two years ago. After what seemed like an eternity in silence, Kema continued.
“No donors, we’re on a waiting list; you know how that list goes. It’s crazy. I’m not a match, so we can’t even do the bone marrow transplant,” Kema said with tears threatening to spill over. She thought of her little girl’s beautiful face. Her daughter was her savior when she had no one else. Her little Rosie brought joy to her life that she never received from anyone else; the love that her daughter had for her was more than enough. No one looked at her as though she was perfect but Rosie. Rosie saw no fault in her mother, not even when she was being punished. This little girl was her angel and now she was being ripped out of her arms. She couldn’t help it as tears ran down her face. Nicolette looked at Kema as tears ran down her face; Nicolette’s heart broke into pieces. She couldn’t imagine being in her predicament; this was too much for someone—anyone to take.
“I’m so sorry,” Nicolette said with sadness in her voice.
Kema couldn’t stop crying. The moment Nicolette said she was sorry, she couldn’t hold back; more tears came. She tried to speak through her tears.
“I… I, oh God, what am I going to do? My baby, my baby is going to die. I wish I could switch places with her. I would do anything for her. Anything! She’s everything to me, the reason that I can still hold on to my dear life. She’s going to be gone soon. I can’t bear to live without my heart. What am I going to do? Oh, dear God. I can’t watch my baby girl die. I just can’t.”
Kema couldn’t talk anymore as her sobbing became louder. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She laid her head on her knees; she didn’t understand the unfairness of this cruel world.
****
In the weeks since, Kema and Nicolette had become close. She felt like she had made a genuine friend. She knew that soon Nicolette would have to go back home since she was temporarily in the hospital. She just hoped that they would remain as close as they became. They had talked about everything from how she ended up there to her best friend, who was still in a coma. She felt bad for Nicolette with everything that went on with her. She thought about the busy two weeks that she had not been able to see Nicolette. She took this opportunity to spend time with her daughter, Rosie, who had started to feel better for the time being. Kema knew that it wasn’t permanent because this was how it was with Rosie. She would get better for a moment, then it would be back to worse. There was no in between. She decided that this time she would let Nicolette meet her precious daughter before she left.
She thought about the conversation they recently had about Rosie’s dad.
“Kema, I’m sorry if this comes off as rude, but are you okay? Like really okay?” Nicolette asked.
Kema looked at Nicolette.
“No, I’m not. I’m managing, but I’m not. Still no news, but the meds they gave Rosie are helping her a bit. I just wish I could do something about it. Is it so wrong to want your baby to stay alive?” Kema asked.
Nicolette shook her head, “No, that’s not wrong at all. If anything happened to my kids, I would want to take their place in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t even think twice about it. What about Rosie’s dad?” Nicolette carefully asked.
Kema sighed, “He’s not in her life and I have no idea where he is.”
“What happened?” Nicolette asked.
“Well, we met sometime in college at a party. To be quite honest, we didn’t know each other. We were both having a bad night, more of, he looked like he was having a horrible night. My cousin left me at the party where I didn’t know anyone; I was visiting and she left with Gabriel’s friend. He was left there to take care of me. I was having a good time until some idiot tried to force me into getting with him. You know, for a moment, I actually thought it would happen, but it didn’t. He came and got me out of there; he was my hero that night. It’s funny, I left that letterman jacket at my parents’ house and haven’t thought about it until now. So, yeah, he took me back to the hotel he was staying in, then one thing led to another. The next day, he gave me his number and I lost it, of course,” Kema chuckled softly.
“And then what? You never saw him again?” Nicolette asked.
“No, I didn’t. I was visiting my cousin, Sasha; I lived in L.A., so when I went back, four months after, I found out I was pregnant. I know, how could I not know? But I got my period and everything. There were no symptoms at all and when I told my parents, they flat out kicked me out. My cousin convinced me to move out here with her and her husband after I struggled for a while. I didn’t even search for him when I came back; I didn’t know where to even begin… Four months and two weeks later, I had my little Rosie; she was the most beautiful baby I’d ever laid my eyes on. From her beautiful, big gray eyes to her full, black curly hair; I swear she takes after him more than me, which I don’t hate. I love her no matter what. How can I bear to even lose her?” Kema finished saying.
Nicolette just looked at Kema. She understood where she was coming from. Being hurt about something even if it happened a long time ago doesn’t mean it’ll stop hurting. She looked over at Kema, who was experiencing her heart breaking and Nicolette didn’t know what to say to make her feel better, so she just hugged her. Kema didn’t move at first, but when Nicolette went to retreat, Kema hugged her back, pulling her closer.
“Listen, Kema,” Nicolette said. “It’s okay to not be okay. Don’t feel like you should do what everyone else wants. Take it from me, if you feel like Rosie will be okay, then she will. Nobody in this world is perfect. We all have flaws, but what we choose to do with ourselves and how we deal with our situations is what determines the kind of person we want to be. Not for your parents, not for your friends or anyone but for yourself. I’ll tell you this, you’ll be okay, you might not be okay right now, but that’s why you take it one day at a time. When you wake up tomorrow and then another day passes and a day after that, you’ll realize how much easier life will become. Life is full of ups and downs, full of disasters, full of funny people that don’t think twice about hurting you, but at the end of it all, you will see that life is worth living, so live it.”
After Nicolette said that, Kema couldn’t help but cry. She felt like someone understood what she was going through. Someone was just there to let her know that she could do this and that she was strong enough to handle whatever was thrown at her.
“One day at a time,” Kema said back to Nicolette.
****
Kema looked at Rosie as she sat up in her hospital bed, watching cartoons.
“Baby?”
“Yes, mama?”
“Do you want to go for a ride and meet Mommy’s new friend, Nicolette? The one I’ve been telling you about?”
Rosie looked away from the cartoon she was watching and looked at her mom to see if she was serious. She didn’t care if they were going to the vending machine, she just wanted to leave the room.
When they got outside of Nicolette’s room, Kema told Rosie to hold on so she could see if Nicolette was inside.
"Nicolette? Nicolette? You here?" Kema asked as she entered the room, looking around. She then saw that Gabriel wasn't in his bed anymore. "Hey, what happened to Gabriel?" Kema asked.
As soon as Gabriel heard his name, he walked out past Nicolette to see who was asking about him. Gabriel stared at this beautiful woman; she had her hair up in a bun with little hairs that escaped near her ears. She was beautiful and he caught himself staring at her. He was caught off guard when she smiled; she was truly stunning.
"Do I know you?" Gabriel asked her.
To Gabriel, she looked vaguely familiar and there was a familiarity about her that he couldn’t shake off. He smiled back at her because her smile was so welcoming.
Kema’s smile dropped. She felt like heaving; her insides were in knots. Oh God, Kema thought. She just stared at Gabriel; he looked the same. He was much more handsome now, his muscles were more defined, and he had more tattoos. He looked amazing with his black hair all out like that, framing his perfect face. She knew that face, that was the face that haunted her in her dreams, but she couldn’t say a word.
Nicolette walked past Gabriel and said, "Guys, stop flirting."
Gabriel looked at Nicolette and back at Kema.
"How are we flirting?” he asked, confused as to what Nicolette was implying.
Nicolette smiled and said, "Kema, meet Gabriel; Gabriel, meet Kema.”
Nicolette looked at Kema, who was frozen on the spot. She didn’t say a word, she didn’t smile; it was as though she saw a ghost. She watched as Kema’s face had all sorts of emotions and she started to back up out of the room.
Too much was happening for Kema. She couldn’t believe that this was happening at this moment. She couldn’t believe that this Gabriel was the same one that she met when she was younger. This was the same man she had been with the night of the party and he was the father of her sickly little girl. She couldn’t do this right now, not now, it was too soon. Kema rushed out of the room.
Nicolette was confused and followed Kema shutting the door behind her. She saw Kema kneeling down and smiling up at a little girl sitting in a wheelchair.
“Is this Rosie? She’s feeling better?” Nicolette asked brightening up a bit.
Kema turned around and smiled nodding indicating that it was Rosie. Kema stood up and told Nicolette that she needed to talk to her.
Nicolette saw that her eyes kept moving back to the hospital door.
“Okay one sec, we’ll just leave Rosie with Gabriel, she’s in good hands.” Nicolette said.
Before Kema could even react Nicolette opened the hospital door and pushed Rosie inside.
“Hey Gabriel? Can you watch her for a bit? This is Rosie, Rosie meet Gabriel.” Nico said.
Kema stood back stunned, she didn’t know what to say or do. She looked at Gabriel’s face as he turned around and looked at Rosie.
Gabriel froze not knowing what to do. He saw his reflection in this little girl who looked like an angel. She had black curly hair that was in a ponytail, big gray eyes that complimented her hazelnut skin color. Gabriel stared at her; all he saw was a reflection of himself.
“Nico?” Gabriel called to Nicolette who was about to leave.
Nicolette looked at Gabriel and didn’t understand why he had that look on his face. She didn’t understand why his hands were trembling or why he looked like someone knocked the air out of him. She walked over to where he was sitting and looked at what he was looking at.
Nicolette looked at Rosie as Rosie looked back at her. She had her mother’s gray eyes but everything else was Gabriel. She didn’t understand it; Gabriel and Kema didn’t know each other so how could Kema’s daughter look like her best friend? Nicolette looked at Kema who was advancing forward to take Rosie out of the room.
“Kema? Kema? Why does Rosie look like him? You guys know each other?” Nicolette asked with concern and curiosity in her voice.
Kema shook her head as she started to tear up, this day wasn’t happening to her. Her baby girl couldn’t go through this right now. She needed to get her back to her room.
“I can’t do this right now Nico. I can’t. I’m going to take Rosie back to her room.” Kema said.
As she was pushing Rosie out of the room, Rosie decided to ask her mom.
“Why does he look like me mommy? Is he my daddy?” Rosie asked in such a small voice, Kema, Gabriel, and Nicolette weren’t sure if she even spoke.
Kema stopped the wheelchair and walked over to face Rosie. She looked at her baby girl who was looking weaker each and everyday, she hugged her being very careful that she didn’t get bruised. Kema opened her eyes to look at a stunned Gabriel and Nicolette.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Gabriel didn’t know how to hold back his anger towards what had just transpired. He wanted to throw something, but he knew he just had surgery on his shoulder and that wouldn’t work well for him. He wanted to scream his head off, yet he thought about where he was. He needed a second. He paced back and forth, running his hand through his hair. Nicolette looked at him; she knew how he behaved when he was frustrated, upset, and didn’t understand what was going on. He was trying not to flip out. She knew that for sure by how many times he ran his hand through his hair. She followed right behind him as he paced back and forth. He stopped abruptly, causing her to crash into his back.
“What was that? Nico, please tell me you know what that was? Nico?” he asked her.
Nicolette shook her head, “Gabriel, I didn’t know. I swear if I did, I would’ve convinced her to see you,” Nicolette said.
“To see me? To see me! Nicolette! I just found out I could possibly be a father! A father! What? Oh, my! No, I demand an explanation. What’s her room number? I’m going there now!” Gabriel said, full of rage. He didn’t know what made him angrier, the fact that he had a child or the fact that he had no idea he had a child. Before Gabriel left the room, Nicolette said something that Gabriel didn’t hear, so he turned around to look at her, prompting her to repeat it.
“She’s dying, Gabriel. Rosie is dying,” Nicolette said as sorrow washed over her. She wanted to cry for that little angel who was dying soon and for her best friend who would probably never get to see his baby girl grow up.
Gabriel felt like someone threw a bucket of icy cold water on him. He looked at Nicolette.
“What?” Gabriel’s voice croaked. He didn’t know how to get everything out.
Nicolette understood and decided to tell him.
“She’s diagnosed with aplastic anemia. She got it two years ago, and her mother isn’t a match for the bone marrow transplant, so she isn’t getting any better. The medicine gives her some time, but she’s had good days and bad. This one was her good day. I think that’s why Kema brought her so I can meet her. Oh, my God, poor Kema. She had no idea you were in here; it must’ve been a shock for her.”
Nicolette sat down on the bed. She didn’t know how to shake off the sorrow; what was Kema going to do if Rosie died? Who would she have left? Gabriel took a seat right next to Nicolette. He didn’t know what he was going to do.
****
Gabriel Di’Maggio never expected so much to change in his life after the shootout. He didn’t know that he would become a different person. When he awakened from his coma, life had taken a turn and served him a hard ball. That hard ball came in the form of a beautiful, curvy, dark skinned woman named Kema Ryuuji. She gave him a gift by the name of Rosie who would forever change his life. As he grew to love his daughter Rosie, he began to open his heart to her mother, Kema. He swore to himself that he wouldn’t take a chance on love after Victoria left him while he fought for his life in a cold hospital room. Even though he was determined to guard his heart, why did he feel himself longing for Kema’s touch?
Kema Ryuuji had finally met the father of her daughter after seven long years. She didn’t intend on getting anywhere with him, yet fate had other plans. When she met Gabriel, she was stunned by the 6’2, rugged, tattooed, epitome of lust all put together to create the man before her. Everything kept pushing them together until she couldn’t deny it anymore. There’s only two problems: Her family that kicked her out comes back into play, and the thorn in her side, Scott Broderick. Will her family stop her from her happiness? Or will her stalker and abusive ex-boyfriend that is lurking in the shadows be the catalyst that destroys their last chance at happiness? Will Gabriel and Kema make it through this PERFECT DISASTER?
TAKE A PEEK INSIDE!
Prologue
Nicolette looked over at her best friend, Gabriel, who was still in the hospital bed, not waking up from the scenario. It felt like the shooting of the restaurant just happened yesterday.
*Six Months Ago*
“Gabriel? Could you please stop playing with her and talk to me?” Nicolette said to him. She was fine with him being the doting uncle that he was, but right now, she needed to talk to her best friend.
Gabriel reluctantly stopped making baby Gabriella smile and looked up at Nicolette.
“Okay, so...I am going to propose to Vicky,” he proudly stated.
Nicolette didn’t mean to squeal loudly, yet she couldn’t help it as she did, drawing the attention of other people in the restaurant.
“Say what!” she loudly exclaimed.
She stared at her best friend, dumbfounded. She was in mid-pause with a drink in her hand. She was both surprised and happy that her best friend wanted to get married. After his ex-girlfriend cheating on him and getting pregnant by his friend, she thought that Gabriel would’ve given up on being serious with anyone. Now she was happy because her best friend had shown her that he knew what he deserved. She couldn’t wipe away the huge smile that was plastered on her face.
Gabriel looked at Nicolette smiling at her big old smile. He shook his head knowing that she was always one for the dramatics. He did, however, appreciate her because they both knew how much what happened with his ex had affected him; it took him awhile to open up and be with someone. He wanted Nicolette to know that loving Victoria was the best thing he had done.
“Don't look at me like that, I'm serious. You know after college and the name we don't
speak of, I want to be with Victoria once and for all. Make her happy.”
“You do make her happy, though and I'm sure she will accept. Aww, my best friend is
going to get married.”
“Ugh, I know, it's so weird, right? Plus, I know you wish we would've gotten married, but
you played hard to get too much.”
Nicolette burst out laughing. She knew that she was loudly laughing in the restaurant, yet she couldn’t stop. She hadn’t expected him to say that to her.
“You need to stop, Gabriel. No one was looking at you like that. Eww!” she said, still smiling brightly at him.
Gabriel smiled back; he loved to see her smile. After a moment, he looked at her. He knew that she didn’t call him out for anything and that she was also worried. She sounded like she needed to talk to him urgently about a matter.
"Love you, too. Now, I know you brought me here for another reason, what is it?” he asked her.
She looked at him with a serious expression on her face. “Well, Matty is trying to act like he isn't bothered, but he is. He’s gotten some phone calls from Italy lately, you know, from that side of the family."
"The Moretti side?” Gabriel asked.
“Yes. I don't know, I can't put my finger on it, but ever since they've called, Matty has
been acting really weird; like he's been snappy like the old Matty,” she continued on.
As Gabriel was about to say something to her, shots went off in the background. Gabriel was the first one to respond quickly by shielding his niece and Nicolette. He grabbed Gabriella as he pulled Nicolette to the floor with him, hoping that nothing had touched them. All he knew was that he had to protect them. However, what he didn’t know was that the moment it started raining bullets, they were all aimed at Nicolette. She was shot a couple times in the back and he hadn’t realized it.
Gabriel looked down at her, wondering if she was okay.
“Nicky? Are you okay?” he asked.
The only response he received from her was the coughing up of blood.
****
Gabriel hadn’t shut his eyes throughout the whole ride to the hospital. He had refused to let go of his niece and of Nicolette. The paramedics had pried her out of his hands as they reassured him that he could go in the ambulance with her. When they were in the ambulance, he watched them closely. He wanted a reason to lash out at someone. He looked down at his niece who, despite her bloody clothes, was not hurt in the drive-by. One of the paramedics looked over at him, “Sir? Sir? Are you alright?” he asked.
Gabriel looked at the guy that questioned him. His vision had started to blur as his body started to ache. He knew he was in pain, yet he had refused to be looked at first or separated from Nicolette and the baby. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision.
The paramedic looked at him closely now, noticing that something wasn’t right with him. He looked at the sluggish movements of the man whom he assumed was the husband of the woman. He turned to his partner telling him that this man was not okay. He reached out to check Gabriel for any gunshot wounds.
“Is she okay?” Gabriel asked.
“Try not to talk, sir,” the paramedic told Gabriel.
“Is she alive? Tell me right now!” Gabriel yelled.
“We’ve stabilized her, sir. Don’t worry, sir, your wife will be okay,” the paramedic tried to reassure him.
“Good,” Gabriel said, not even trying to correct the man. He was too tired to do anything. He felt his eyes getting heavier. He looked down at Gabriella, who was completely quiet with a pacifier in her mouth. He brought her up to him, ignoring the excruciating pain that he was in from that slight movement. He smiled at her, kissing her forehead.
“I love you, Gabriella,” he said before handing her over to the paramedic in front of him. As the paramedic handed her to his partner, Gabriel’s vision became so blurry that he blacked out. The paramedic turned back around as soon as he heard a big thud on the ambulance floor.
“Sir? Sir? Oh, hell! Give me the first aid kit!” was the last thing Gabriel heard as the paramedic yelled at his partner.
*Four Months Ago*
Kema sat down on the hospital couch. She had no idea what to do anymore. Her baby girl was not getting better. This had to be the hardest decision of her life. She was too selfish to let her go and she didn’t want to let her go. What was she to do when Rosie passed away? Was she going to just sit there and take that kind of ending for her one and only daughter? She couldn’t bear losing the one piece of her life that made sense. Nothing else could be done for a child that had aplastic anemia. A tear escaped from her eye, which she furiously wiped. This wasn’t the place to cry nor was it even the area that Rosie was in. She had found herself wandering around this big hospital, seeing families smiling with their loved ones while she was feeling the exact opposite. She wanted to get as far away as she could from Rosie so that she couldn't see as she teared up about her daughter’s misfortune.
Kema chuckled, wondering what she had done in her past life that she deserved this. What had little Rosie done to the world to deserve all of this? She knew the answer to that and her daughter had done nothing at all. If smiling, calling her ‘mommy’, and making her the happiest person on earth was a crime, then yes, she understood. All she knew was that her daughter was her world and if she went away, Kema was ready to lose herself, too. Someone pulled her out of her wallowing and she looked over to her left. There sat a woman who looked like she got the wind kicked out of her from just walking. Kema silently chuckled. Being in the hospital made her more open to talking to everyone around her. She got used to talking to people as her daughter had her checkups and daily medications.
She looked at the woman, Nicolette, whom at the time, she didn’t know her name. She looked at how beautiful she was; her curls tumbled down around her face all the way down past her shoulders. She didn’t seem to realize that Kema was sitting there as she flopped on the couch. She decided that it was best to speak to her instead of both of them just sitting there.
“It stinks in here, right? Smells like a hospital?” she asked. Nicolette jumped.
She felt like her soul left her body and returned. She turned to see who was speaking to her. She had no idea that anyone was sitting beside her. She looked at the woman; she was a gorgeous dark-skinned woman with long hair. Nicolette couldn’t tell how long it was, but from the ponytail she had, it was straight and a little past her shoulders. She had gray eyes that contrasted with her dark chocolate skin, but it made her even more beautiful, a tiny nose, and perfect heart-shaped lips. Nicolette shook her head at how beautiful Kema was and she looked really young, maybe twenty years of age. Then she snapped Nicolette out of her staring by waving her hand in Nicolette’s face.
“Are you okay?” Kema asked.
Nicolette blinked rapidly, nodding, “Yes, yes I’m okay. Are you?” Nicolette asked as she finally noticed that the female looked tired.
She had bags under her eyes; she looked like she hadn’t slept in a while.
The female smiled at Nicolette and answered, “I think so, I don’t know. Oh, I’m Kema by the way. What’s your name?”
Nicolette smiled; she liked Kema’s name. “I’m Nicolette, but you can call me Nico.”
“Nice to meet you, Nico. So, why are you in here?” Kema asked curiously.
“Ohh, just woke up from some eight-week long coma. What about you?” Nicolette said, trying to shake off the dreadful feeling.
Kema shook her head up and down, acknowledging that she understood.
“I’m not a patient here, my daughter is. Aplastic anemia,” Kema replied.
“What is that?” Nicolette asked.
“Aplastic anemia is when your bone marrow fails to produce more blood cells. So, what happened with little Rosie is that where she went to school, the pesticide they used got her sick and now here we are. It started simply with her getting a cold, being tired, and you know, she bruised too easily. I brought her to the hospital, they ran some tests, and now here we are. My little Rosie is getting worse and there seems to be nothing I can do to help her,” Kema said.
She stared at her feet and could not bring herself to look up to see the sadness in Nicolette’s eyes.
Nicolette looked at Kema with such sadness; she didn’t mean to, but what else could she even say?
“I’m so, so, sorry, Kema. I really am,” Nicolette said.
Kema shook her head; she didn’t know what to say to that. Her daughter was seven and had been healthy until two years ago. After what seemed like an eternity in silence, Kema continued.
“No donors, we’re on a waiting list; you know how that list goes. It’s crazy. I’m not a match, so we can’t even do the bone marrow transplant,” Kema said with tears threatening to spill over. She thought of her little girl’s beautiful face. Her daughter was her savior when she had no one else. Her little Rosie brought joy to her life that she never received from anyone else; the love that her daughter had for her was more than enough. No one looked at her as though she was perfect but Rosie. Rosie saw no fault in her mother, not even when she was being punished. This little girl was her angel and now she was being ripped out of her arms. She couldn’t help it as tears ran down her face. Nicolette looked at Kema as tears ran down her face; Nicolette’s heart broke into pieces. She couldn’t imagine being in her predicament; this was too much for someone—anyone to take.
“I’m so sorry,” Nicolette said with sadness in her voice.
Kema couldn’t stop crying. The moment Nicolette said she was sorry, she couldn’t hold back; more tears came. She tried to speak through her tears.
“I… I, oh God, what am I going to do? My baby, my baby is going to die. I wish I could switch places with her. I would do anything for her. Anything! She’s everything to me, the reason that I can still hold on to my dear life. She’s going to be gone soon. I can’t bear to live without my heart. What am I going to do? Oh, dear God. I can’t watch my baby girl die. I just can’t.”
Kema couldn’t talk anymore as her sobbing became louder. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She laid her head on her knees; she didn’t understand the unfairness of this cruel world.
****
In the weeks since, Kema and Nicolette had become close. She felt like she had made a genuine friend. She knew that soon Nicolette would have to go back home since she was temporarily in the hospital. She just hoped that they would remain as close as they became. They had talked about everything from how she ended up there to her best friend, who was still in a coma. She felt bad for Nicolette with everything that went on with her. She thought about the busy two weeks that she had not been able to see Nicolette. She took this opportunity to spend time with her daughter, Rosie, who had started to feel better for the time being. Kema knew that it wasn’t permanent because this was how it was with Rosie. She would get better for a moment, then it would be back to worse. There was no in between. She decided that this time she would let Nicolette meet her precious daughter before she left.
She thought about the conversation they recently had about Rosie’s dad.
“Kema, I’m sorry if this comes off as rude, but are you okay? Like really okay?” Nicolette asked.
Kema looked at Nicolette.
“No, I’m not. I’m managing, but I’m not. Still no news, but the meds they gave Rosie are helping her a bit. I just wish I could do something about it. Is it so wrong to want your baby to stay alive?” Kema asked.
Nicolette shook her head, “No, that’s not wrong at all. If anything happened to my kids, I would want to take their place in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t even think twice about it. What about Rosie’s dad?” Nicolette carefully asked.
Kema sighed, “He’s not in her life and I have no idea where he is.”
“What happened?” Nicolette asked.
“Well, we met sometime in college at a party. To be quite honest, we didn’t know each other. We were both having a bad night, more of, he looked like he was having a horrible night. My cousin left me at the party where I didn’t know anyone; I was visiting and she left with Gabriel’s friend. He was left there to take care of me. I was having a good time until some idiot tried to force me into getting with him. You know, for a moment, I actually thought it would happen, but it didn’t. He came and got me out of there; he was my hero that night. It’s funny, I left that letterman jacket at my parents’ house and haven’t thought about it until now. So, yeah, he took me back to the hotel he was staying in, then one thing led to another. The next day, he gave me his number and I lost it, of course,” Kema chuckled softly.
“And then what? You never saw him again?” Nicolette asked.
“No, I didn’t. I was visiting my cousin, Sasha; I lived in L.A., so when I went back, four months after, I found out I was pregnant. I know, how could I not know? But I got my period and everything. There were no symptoms at all and when I told my parents, they flat out kicked me out. My cousin convinced me to move out here with her and her husband after I struggled for a while. I didn’t even search for him when I came back; I didn’t know where to even begin… Four months and two weeks later, I had my little Rosie; she was the most beautiful baby I’d ever laid my eyes on. From her beautiful, big gray eyes to her full, black curly hair; I swear she takes after him more than me, which I don’t hate. I love her no matter what. How can I bear to even lose her?” Kema finished saying.
Nicolette just looked at Kema. She understood where she was coming from. Being hurt about something even if it happened a long time ago doesn’t mean it’ll stop hurting. She looked over at Kema, who was experiencing her heart breaking and Nicolette didn’t know what to say to make her feel better, so she just hugged her. Kema didn’t move at first, but when Nicolette went to retreat, Kema hugged her back, pulling her closer.
“Listen, Kema,” Nicolette said. “It’s okay to not be okay. Don’t feel like you should do what everyone else wants. Take it from me, if you feel like Rosie will be okay, then she will. Nobody in this world is perfect. We all have flaws, but what we choose to do with ourselves and how we deal with our situations is what determines the kind of person we want to be. Not for your parents, not for your friends or anyone but for yourself. I’ll tell you this, you’ll be okay, you might not be okay right now, but that’s why you take it one day at a time. When you wake up tomorrow and then another day passes and a day after that, you’ll realize how much easier life will become. Life is full of ups and downs, full of disasters, full of funny people that don’t think twice about hurting you, but at the end of it all, you will see that life is worth living, so live it.”
After Nicolette said that, Kema couldn’t help but cry. She felt like someone understood what she was going through. Someone was just there to let her know that she could do this and that she was strong enough to handle whatever was thrown at her.
“One day at a time,” Kema said back to Nicolette.
****
Kema looked at Rosie as she sat up in her hospital bed, watching cartoons.
“Baby?”
“Yes, mama?”
“Do you want to go for a ride and meet Mommy’s new friend, Nicolette? The one I’ve been telling you about?”
Rosie looked away from the cartoon she was watching and looked at her mom to see if she was serious. She didn’t care if they were going to the vending machine, she just wanted to leave the room.
When they got outside of Nicolette’s room, Kema told Rosie to hold on so she could see if Nicolette was inside.
"Nicolette? Nicolette? You here?" Kema asked as she entered the room, looking around. She then saw that Gabriel wasn't in his bed anymore. "Hey, what happened to Gabriel?" Kema asked.
As soon as Gabriel heard his name, he walked out past Nicolette to see who was asking about him. Gabriel stared at this beautiful woman; she had her hair up in a bun with little hairs that escaped near her ears. She was beautiful and he caught himself staring at her. He was caught off guard when she smiled; she was truly stunning.
"Do I know you?" Gabriel asked her.
To Gabriel, she looked vaguely familiar and there was a familiarity about her that he couldn’t shake off. He smiled back at her because her smile was so welcoming.
Kema’s smile dropped. She felt like heaving; her insides were in knots. Oh God, Kema thought. She just stared at Gabriel; he looked the same. He was much more handsome now, his muscles were more defined, and he had more tattoos. He looked amazing with his black hair all out like that, framing his perfect face. She knew that face, that was the face that haunted her in her dreams, but she couldn’t say a word.
Nicolette walked past Gabriel and said, "Guys, stop flirting."
Gabriel looked at Nicolette and back at Kema.
"How are we flirting?” he asked, confused as to what Nicolette was implying.
Nicolette smiled and said, "Kema, meet Gabriel; Gabriel, meet Kema.”
Nicolette looked at Kema, who was frozen on the spot. She didn’t say a word, she didn’t smile; it was as though she saw a ghost. She watched as Kema’s face had all sorts of emotions and she started to back up out of the room.
Too much was happening for Kema. She couldn’t believe that this was happening at this moment. She couldn’t believe that this Gabriel was the same one that she met when she was younger. This was the same man she had been with the night of the party and he was the father of her sickly little girl. She couldn’t do this right now, not now, it was too soon. Kema rushed out of the room.
Nicolette was confused and followed Kema shutting the door behind her. She saw Kema kneeling down and smiling up at a little girl sitting in a wheelchair.
“Is this Rosie? She’s feeling better?” Nicolette asked brightening up a bit.
Kema turned around and smiled nodding indicating that it was Rosie. Kema stood up and told Nicolette that she needed to talk to her.
Nicolette saw that her eyes kept moving back to the hospital door.
“Okay one sec, we’ll just leave Rosie with Gabriel, she’s in good hands.” Nicolette said.
Before Kema could even react Nicolette opened the hospital door and pushed Rosie inside.
“Hey Gabriel? Can you watch her for a bit? This is Rosie, Rosie meet Gabriel.” Nico said.
Kema stood back stunned, she didn’t know what to say or do. She looked at Gabriel’s face as he turned around and looked at Rosie.
Gabriel froze not knowing what to do. He saw his reflection in this little girl who looked like an angel. She had black curly hair that was in a ponytail, big gray eyes that complimented her hazelnut skin color. Gabriel stared at her; all he saw was a reflection of himself.
“Nico?” Gabriel called to Nicolette who was about to leave.
Nicolette looked at Gabriel and didn’t understand why he had that look on his face. She didn’t understand why his hands were trembling or why he looked like someone knocked the air out of him. She walked over to where he was sitting and looked at what he was looking at.
Nicolette looked at Rosie as Rosie looked back at her. She had her mother’s gray eyes but everything else was Gabriel. She didn’t understand it; Gabriel and Kema didn’t know each other so how could Kema’s daughter look like her best friend? Nicolette looked at Kema who was advancing forward to take Rosie out of the room.
“Kema? Kema? Why does Rosie look like him? You guys know each other?” Nicolette asked with concern and curiosity in her voice.
Kema shook her head as she started to tear up, this day wasn’t happening to her. Her baby girl couldn’t go through this right now. She needed to get her back to her room.
“I can’t do this right now Nico. I can’t. I’m going to take Rosie back to her room.” Kema said.
As she was pushing Rosie out of the room, Rosie decided to ask her mom.
“Why does he look like me mommy? Is he my daddy?” Rosie asked in such a small voice, Kema, Gabriel, and Nicolette weren’t sure if she even spoke.
Kema stopped the wheelchair and walked over to face Rosie. She looked at her baby girl who was looking weaker each and everyday, she hugged her being very careful that she didn’t get bruised. Kema opened her eyes to look at a stunned Gabriel and Nicolette.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Gabriel didn’t know how to hold back his anger towards what had just transpired. He wanted to throw something, but he knew he just had surgery on his shoulder and that wouldn’t work well for him. He wanted to scream his head off, yet he thought about where he was. He needed a second. He paced back and forth, running his hand through his hair. Nicolette looked at him; she knew how he behaved when he was frustrated, upset, and didn’t understand what was going on. He was trying not to flip out. She knew that for sure by how many times he ran his hand through his hair. She followed right behind him as he paced back and forth. He stopped abruptly, causing her to crash into his back.
“What was that? Nico, please tell me you know what that was? Nico?” he asked her.
Nicolette shook her head, “Gabriel, I didn’t know. I swear if I did, I would’ve convinced her to see you,” Nicolette said.
“To see me? To see me! Nicolette! I just found out I could possibly be a father! A father! What? Oh, my! No, I demand an explanation. What’s her room number? I’m going there now!” Gabriel said, full of rage. He didn’t know what made him angrier, the fact that he had a child or the fact that he had no idea he had a child. Before Gabriel left the room, Nicolette said something that Gabriel didn’t hear, so he turned around to look at her, prompting her to repeat it.
“She’s dying, Gabriel. Rosie is dying,” Nicolette said as sorrow washed over her. She wanted to cry for that little angel who was dying soon and for her best friend who would probably never get to see his baby girl grow up.
Gabriel felt like someone threw a bucket of icy cold water on him. He looked at Nicolette.
“What?” Gabriel’s voice croaked. He didn’t know how to get everything out.
Nicolette understood and decided to tell him.
“She’s diagnosed with aplastic anemia. She got it two years ago, and her mother isn’t a match for the bone marrow transplant, so she isn’t getting any better. The medicine gives her some time, but she’s had good days and bad. This one was her good day. I think that’s why Kema brought her so I can meet her. Oh, my God, poor Kema. She had no idea you were in here; it must’ve been a shock for her.”
Nicolette sat down on the bed. She didn’t know how to shake off the sorrow; what was Kema going to do if Rosie died? Who would she have left? Gabriel took a seat right next to Nicolette. He didn’t know what he was going to do.
****
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