Nookie (Nookie Series) (10 page)

“How did I get here?”

“You were brought here by ambulance yesterday. You’re at Chestnut Hill Hospital. Do you remember what happened?”

“Kind of,” she said, not wanting to disclose too much.

“Well, do you have someone to pick you up?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll check on you before you have your test.”

“Thank you,” Joy managed to say, her throat still dry.

The nurse came in with more water and Joy guzzled it down. “Would you like me to call someone for you?” the nurse asked. “The phone in your room isn’t turned on.”

“Yes … ummm … actually, no; but thank you,” she said, changing her mind.

“Oh, Ms. Williams, I meant to give you this card,” said the doctor, returning to the room. “There were some officers here to talk to you, but you were in and out, so they left it with me.”

“The cops?” Joy wondered aloud.

“Yes. I thought you said you remember.”

“Yeah, I do before I hit my head; but why are the cops involved?” she asked, still confused.

“I’m not sure exactly.”

Joy laid back and closed her eyes as the medication took effect. She woke up when the nurse came in to take her to have her test. After that was finished, she was taken back to her room, where Dr. Greenspan checked her and let her know that it was okay for her to leave, after handing her prescriptions and the list of her check-up appointments.

She got dressed and tried to decide whether to call Kevin and let him know what had happened so he could come get her, or take a cab home. She decided on the cab.

The nurse wheeled her out of the hospital and into a waiting cab. She gave him Kevin’s address and sat back. She was glad she had some money in the jeans she had on that day and extra glad that none of the nurses had taken it. One of the nurses had supplied her with a t-shirt from the gift shop, as the one she had been wearing the day before was all bloodied.

When she arrived at Kevin’s, she paid the driver and got out of the car. She cracked the door to the shop. Kevin glanced up and away but looked up again.

“Oh shit, what happened to you?” he shouted, coming from around the counter.

It was a good thing there weren’t any customers, because before she could get a word out, he started screaming and cursing.

“I’ma fuck up whoever did this to you. Who was it? I’ve been calling you for like two days,” he said, real hype.

“Well … ” she began, but the door opened and some people came in.

Kevin told her to go upstairs while he dealt with the customers.

By the time he came upstairs, Joy was knocked out on the bed. He sat down next to her and shook her slightly. He hated to wake her but he wanted to know what had happened to her. Joy opened her eyes and looked up into Kevin’s concerned face. She tilted up and leaned against the headboard. She told him how her father had been flipping out because he caught her mother and uncle together.

“I don’t know what really happened, because I was standing there when my father was choking my mom. My uncle was trying to get him off her and she got pushed into me. The next thing I know, I’m in the hospital.”

“Damn, that’s some crazy shit. Have you talked to anybody from your family?”

“No. I don’t even know how I got to the hospital. I’m supposed to call the cop on this card I got from the doctor.”

“When are you going to call him?”

“Don’t know.”

“Well, try to get some rest. I’ll make you something to eat.”

Joy laid back down and closed her eyes. Talking about what had happened made her want to know what the cops had to say. Josh popped in her mind briefly but she dismissed it. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the card and rolled over to the side of the bed where the phone rested. She dialed and waited.

“Hi. Can I speak with Detective Reynolds?” she asked, reading the name off the card.

When he answered the phone she listened without saying a word. She reluctantly gave him Kevin’s address, because he said he wanted to talk to her in person but wouldn’t tell her what it was about. Kevin walked back in the room just as she hung up. When he opened the door, she smelled something good. Her stomach growled. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate.

“You okay?” he asked.

“No. I just got off the phone with the detective and he’s on his way here.” Noticing the look on his face, she added, “Before you get mad, he said it was about my parents,” even though she wasn’t sure yet.

“No, it’s cool, really. I’m making fried chicken, rice and broccoli, if you feel up to eating,” he said, kissing her cheek and leaving the room.

Joy got up, went to his dresser and took out some sweatpants, a wife beater and a pair of his boxers. She then went to the bathroom, took a quick shower and got dressed. By the time she was done, Kevin had finished the meal and they sat at the table to eat. They had just finished eating, when the bell rang. Kevin answered the door and led the detectives in. He went into the bedroom, to give them some privacy.

Detective Reynolds introduced himself and his partner, who just nodded at Joy and let Detective Reynolds do all the talking.

“Do you remember what happened that night?” he began.

“Up until the part when I hit my head.”

“I’m sorry I have to tell you this, but both of your parents are dead.”

“What? What happened?”

“I know it’s a tough time for you just finding out, but you don’t really need the details right now.”

“Tell me,” she insisted. “I want to know.”

“Okay. Your uncle, Curtis Williams, called 911 and an ambulance. When the police responded, you were found unconscious. You were rushed to the hospital. Your mother was on the floor; she wasn’t breathing. The EMTs tried to resuscitate her but I’m sorry to say it was unsuccessful; she was pronounced dead on the scene. She was stabbed eight times with a butcher’s knife. Are you okay?” he asked when she gave no response.

“What about my father?” she asked, still not showing any emotion.

“Your father was shot and killed by the police when he resisted arrest and wouldn’t drop the knife he was holding.”

“They’re both dead?” she said vacantly, her mind spinning. “I can’t believe it.”

“Your uncle got away with only a few superficial cuts to the arm and chest from trying to stop your father. He was treated at the scene,” Detective Reynolds concluded, closing the notebook he was reading from. He took Joy’s calmness as her being in shock, and tried to comfort her. He gave her the name and number of a support group for children who lose their parents to violence. He then asked her to go over what she remembered. She told him about her father walking in on her mother fucking her uncle.

Kevin came out of the bedroom when he heard them leave. The last thing Joy was feeling was sadness. She felt like her prayers had been answered. She was finally rid of them, and hopefully they had life insurance, she thought as Kevin held her and stroked her back.

Her head began to hurt, so she took a pain pill. Before she knew it her eyes were closing and she was asleep in Kevin’s arm. He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her on the bed and then getting in beside her.

Chapter Eighteen

The smoke alarm was going off, but the noise seemed so far away to Joy as she floated in her drug-induced sleep. She heard her name being called over and over but she couldn’t respond. Kevin continued trying to wake her up. He gave up and went to the kitchen to try and get the alarm to stop. He burnt most of the bacon but took what wasn’t burnt out of the pan. He repeatedly fanned the alarm but wound up having to take the battery out.

He then went back to again try and wake Joy, a little worried about the medicine being too strong. She was still breathing, at least, so he continued to shake her. She had slept twelve straight hours. He bent down and kissed her. She began to stir and then opened her eyes. He laughed out loud.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, still groggy.

“I’ve been trying to get you up for like an hour. I almost burnt down the kitchen trying to get you to wake up, and all it took was for me to kiss you.”

“Damn. It’s almost one.”

“Breakfast is almost ready. Well, lunch.”

“Okay, but I’m not really hungry.”

“Aight, that’s cool,” he said and left the room.

Joy sat up and for the first time wondered about her uncle. She needed to go home and get her stuff. When Kevin came back into the room, she asked him to take her. So they hopped in the car and were there in less than 15 minutes. Yellow tape surrounded the house, and Joy’s uncle was sitting on the steps. He stood up to hug Joy but she backed away from his grasp and walked around him and into the house.

Once inside, she went up to her room, glancing at the bloody spot where she had hit her head. She saw the bag she had been packing yesterday where she dropped it. She picked it up and then went to search for her cell phone, finding it in her book bag. She had twenty missed calls. She sat down on the bed to listen to the messages.

“Joy, it’s Tanya. I just heard ’bout Josh. That’s crazy, right? I was just calling to see how you were handling it and if you needed anything. Hit me back when you get this. One.”

“Hey, it’s me. I was calling to see what’s up wit’ you. Call my cell because I have a wedding to do later.”

“Joy, I just got back and I still haven’t heard from you. Call me when you get this.”

“Joy, I’ve been calling you all yesterday and all today. Let me know what’s up wit’ you. You know, if you’re okay.”

Joy didn’t listen to the rest of the messages, thinking they were probably all from Kevin. His messages sounded urgent, and that made her feel good. It made her smile. Somebody cared about her.

She picked her book bag back up and dumped the books out of it, replacing them with some more stuff of hers. She would leave the rest until later. She hoped Kevin wouldn’t mind her staying at his place. He knew she was coming to get her stuff, so maybe he didn’t care. After placing her things at the top of the stairs, she went into her parents’ room.

The mattress was hanging off the box spring onto the floor. Blankets were strewn everywhere. She shook her head at her mother’s stupidity. She went to her father’s closet to look for his mini filing cabinet she knew he kept all his important papers in. She opened the first drawer, which contained only insurance stuff, medical bills, etc. In the second one she found her birth certificate, social security card and … DNA test results.

“What?” she said out loud, then read the paper closely.

Michael David Williams is 99.9% not the father of three year old Joy Williams.
Tears began to fall from her eyes. Was this why he didn’t love her? She continued searching until she found the contact information for her dad’s lawyer. She read the name out loud: “Louis Greco”, then grabbed all the papers and left the room, slamming the door behind her. She bumped into Kevin in the hallway.

“I was just coming to check on you,” he said.

“Oh, um, I had to get some papers,” she said, still wiping her eyes.

“I know it’s probably hard for you to be here,” he said, rubbing her back.

Joy didn’t say anything; she just lifted her hand and showed him the paper. He read the words and then looked up at her, not knowing what to say. He just grabbed her hand and told her it didn’t matter. But that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. The only thing that was running through her mind was that she now knew why the man she thought had been her father never loved her.