The Day the Streets Stood Still (15 page)

 

Locked in the bathroom, Sunny sat on the toilet seat with her legs nervously shaking as she gnawed on her bottom lip. She looked over at the little white stick again, but the results still hadn't showed up.

“C'mon . . . mmm . . . c'mon,” Sunny groaned, lowering her head into her hands. She looked at her watch. It had been two minutes. Sunny held her breath and picked up the pregnancy test. She squinted down at it. Then she dug the box out of the garbage and held the test against the back of the box.

“Two lines pregnant . . . one line not pregnant,” she whispered. Sunny jumped up from the toilet seat and covered her mouth with her hand.

“Oh my God,” she gasped, her heart speeding up in her chest. Sunny started pacing around the bathroom, biting her bottom lip.

“What if he gets mad? What if he's not happy about this? What if he acts stupid? Where will I go?” Sunny asked herself a million questions.

A loud knock on the door made her almost jump out of her shoes.

“Sunny? You a'ight?” Sean called from the other side of the door. Sunny rushed over to the garbage can and stuffed a bunch of tissues on top of the pregnancy test box.

“Um . . . yeah . . . um . . . I'm . . . I'm coming,” Sunny stuttered.

“Yo, whatchu doin' in there?” Sean asked. Sunny could hear the concern in his voice. He was always worried about her relapsing so if she was behind a closed door too long he immediately came knocking.

“I'm using the bathroom, Sean. I'm coming,” she said a little annoyed that he was always jumping to conclusions. Sunny knew she had to tell him what was going on . . . but how?

She slowly opened the door, a look of panic and worry creasing her face. Sean hadn't moved either. “What's up?” he asked her as she breezed passed him.

Sunny flopped down on their brand new leather sectional and lowered her head. Sean's heart immediately started thumping. He was hoping Sunny didn't tell him she'd gotten high.

“I might as well just come right out and tell you the truth,” Sunny said, avoiding eye contact with him.

Sean swiped his hands over his face and started shaking his head. He was expecting the worst. He squared his jaw and lowered his eyes at her.

“Matter of fact . . . you can just see for yourself,” Sunny said, standing up and walking over to him slowly. Sean was squinting at her evilly, waiting for her to show him her arms with the track marks.

“Here,” Sunny said, extending her arm forward. Sean was scowling until he looked down and saw the little white stick in her hand. His eyebrows went into arches on his face and he tilted his head to the side.

“What? What is . . . I mean . . . you?” Sean stumbled over his words.

“I know you might not be ready. I know it's fast and everything, but I swear to you that I didn't mean for it to happen. I will do whatever you want me to do about it . . .” Sunny started rambling nervously, rubbing her hands over her arms.

“What the fuck is you talkin' about, Sunny? You having my seed? You carrying my baby!” Sean said excitedly, grabbing her into his arms. “Yo! You just made me the happiest m'fucker living! My seed?” Sean shouted like he'd just hit the lottery. Sunny was relieved and her heart rate finally started to slow down.

“You . . . you a'ight? You feeling sick? I mean . . . you need something. We need to go shopping for all healthy foods. No more eating bullshit from this day forward. You got a doctor in mind? I mean you have to make sure you a'ight right?” Sean started rambling himself. Sunny laughed at him.

“Um . . . it's real early so just calm down,” Sunny told him.

“Nah! I can't calm down. I'ma be a father!” Sean said, grabbing Sunny's face and kissing her deeply. “That's the greatest fuckin' gift I have ever received in my life, Sunny. Word up. I'll do anything for you, ma. Anything.” Sean proclaimed. He didn't know then how prophetic his words would turn out to be.

 

 

“I heard BG is the one who convinced him to get a new connect out in Miami named Fat Reemo,” Ty said, sitting across from God. God nodded at Ty as he took in the information. Although it had been almost two years since Sean had betrayed him, God wasn't over it. It had taken awhile, but God was finally able to send one of his beauties into Sean's camp to infiltrate and turn one of Sean's closest soldiers against him. Ty had fallen for the beautiful woman and God's irresistible proposition hook, line and sinker.

“I'm trying to make a way for myself . . . feel me? Even though niggas is saying Fat Reemo got that good shit, I heard you was the man to see up here in the mountains for better prices.” Ty got right to the point.

“I want to speak more about Sean. Or excuse me . . .
King
Sean,” God interjected. Ty let out a long sigh. He wasn't really comfortable being the snitch, but he was also tired of watching Sean rise higher and higher while the rest of the crew had to put in much more work to make money.

“A'ight . . . we can speak about him real quick, but then we need to get back to the point of all this,” Ty said. “Me making my own come up out there.”

“I want to know all about where Sean lives, where he distributes, where he parties . . . everything,” God demanded. “No detail is too small. If Sean takes a shit I want to know about it.”

“And what's in it for me?” Ty asked, growing annoyed with the old man sitting across from him.

“I let you live another day,” God said calmly as he blew a ring of cigar smoke in the direction of Ty's face. Just then one of God's deadly beauties stepped closer to Ty and rested her gun on his shoulder.

 

 

Sunny was four months pregnant and she was finally able to see a small pouch growing under her belly button. She loved the glow that had settled on her cheeks and couldn't wait to get a little bigger so even strangers would notice that she was going to be a mother. Sunny had never been so excited about anything in her entire life and it showed. Sean had been waiting on her hand and foot and not letting her do anything for herself, sometimes to the point of annoyance. Sunny couldn't cook, wash clothes, or even take a shower without Sean right there making sure she was all right. She could tell he was also over the moon excited about their expected bundle of joy. With all of the tragedy that they'd both suffered, the baby was going to be a welcome miracle and blessing for them both.

“Let me help you.” Sean rushed over to help Sunny climb up into his brand new, gleaming silver Range Rover.

“Would you stop. I'm barely showing.” Sunny waved him off with a fake attitude. “I am pregnant, not handicapped.” He laughed at her.

“You don't have to be showing for me to know my seed is growing in there. I'm going to bug the shit out of you until the end,” Sean said, bending his head down and kissing her belly through her flowing sundress.

“I have to stop by the office and pick something up from BG and then I promise we will go get whatever you want to eat, plus I think it's time for some hot new maternity clothes for my hot woman,” Sean told her. Sunny rolled her eyes. “Ugh, BG?” Sunny mumbled. She didn't like BG and Sunny knew BG didn't care for her either.

“Can't you stop later? You know my mood swings . . . I don't know if I want to see that chick,” Sunny griped.

“Just for a minute. A quick business decision and then I'm all yours. I swear . . . ten minutes flat,” he replied, leaning over and kissing her on the nose. Sunny smiled and then pouted like a baby. They both laughed.

 

 

Sean pulled up to the boxing gym where his office was located and left the car running.

“You wanna go inside with me or wait here real quick?” he asked Sunny. “It's up to you.” Sunny thought about it for a few seconds. She really hated the way BG always glared at her like she knew something about Sunny that she was keeping a secret.

“I can do without seeing your crispy face girlfriend, so I'll wait here,” Sunny said, twisting her lips.

“Yo, be nice, grumpy,” Sean joked. Sunny watched him go inside, but she had no desire to see BG. Sunny had tried several times to convince Sean to find a new business partner. There was just something about BG that didn't rub Sunny the right way. Sunny wasn't sure if it was the fact that BG was gorgeous and didn't have a past drug problem, in which case, she had one up on Sunny, or if it was the fact that Sunny could sense that there was some sexual tension between BG and Sean. Whatever the reason, Sunny had already made up her mind that she was never going to like BG.

After a few minutes of waiting, Sunny looked at her watch and sighed.

“Mmmm, hmmm, I know his few minutes,” she mumbled, reaching down to turn up the music. Sunny turned the music up so loud, she didn't hear the sound of the motorcycle approaching. Sunny had her eyes closed singing along with the music when suddenly . . . Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of rapid fire gunshots rang out and the Range Rover shook like a earthquake had hit.

“Ahhh!” Sunny screamed, instinctively throwing herself down in the seat as bullets slammed into the metal doors of the car. Glass from the windshield rained down on Sunny's head as she squeezed herself between the dashboard and the seat.

More shots rang out as Sean and his crew raced outside and returned fire with the masked gunman on the motorcycle. It was too late; the motorcycle disappeared down the street.

“Sunny!” Sean screamed, yanking the car door open. “Sunny!”

Sunny was shaking fiercely and the tops of her hands were bleeding from the window glass that had shattered on her a few minutes earlier.

“Sunny? Baby? You all right?” Sean huffed, helping her unfold her body up off the floor. Sunny was shaking her head no. She was sobbing uncontrollably because she had felt the blow she'd taken to the abdomen as she'd thrown herself down to prevent herself from getting shot.

“No!” Sunny cried over and over again. Then she lowered her head and looked down because she had already felt the warm blood leaking down her legs.

“C'mon! We have to get her to the hospital!” Sean barked at Beans. Beans rushed down the block and got his Benz. He reversed back to Sean's Range Rover like a madman.

Sunny just kept shaking her head and saying no. Sean eased her into the back seat of Beans's car, but there was so much blood, they all knew what had happened.

 

 

It was two hours before the doctors came back to the waiting room to get Sean. The black female obstetrician walked over to Sean with a glum look on her face.

“Hi, I'm Dr. Whitaker,” she spoke softly. “Are you the father?”

Sean stood up and nodded. His stomach churned and he swallowed hard waiting for her to make it official.

“It was way too early to save the fetus. Your wife took a very hard blow to the abdomen and caused a placental abruption. A fetus can't survive once that happens, even if the baby was fully developed without the placenta it would've suffocated in utero anyway,” the doctor lamented. “I'm really sorry for your loss. You can go see your wife now and please let us know if we can help you in any way.”

Sean bit down into his jaw to fight back the tears that were filling up behind his eyes. He felt sharp pains stabbing him in the heart.

“I'ma let you have a moment alone,” Beans told Sean, giving him a brotherly hug and pound. “I'm real fuckin' sorry, bruh.”

Sean walked slowly down the hospital hallway as if he were being led to the gas chamber. He actually felt like something inside of him had died that day. He swiped his hands over his face before he entered Sunny's hospital room. Once he felt strong enough, he walked in.

Sunny was sitting up in the bed, holding the small, wrapped bundle with only a tiny face exposed. She was rocking back and forth, sobbing. Sean walked over slowly and sat next to her on the bed. She looked at Sean pitifully through swollen and red-rimmed eyes.

“This is your son. I named him King . . . his middle name is Sean,” Sunny said through tears. “King Sean,” Sunny broke down. Sean looked down into the tiny face of his dead baby son. Although the baby wasn't fully developed, Sean could tell the baby was going to look like a good mixture of him and Sunny.

“Why? Why did they take my son away from me!” Sunny cried out. “Everything I love is gone. Why does God keep punishing me?!” she asked choking on her words. Sunny wasn't speaking about Sean's connect God, but she had no idea how on point her words were when she said them. God, Sean's scorned connect, was hell bent on punishing her to get back at Sean.

Sunny was released from the hospital after the miscarriage and given a prescription for pain medication. Sean was in too much of a grief-filled haze with everything that had happened to make sure that the doctors didn't give Sunny any pain meds that contained opiates. Sean knew full well that if Sunny had gotten one taste of anything with opiates in it, her yearning for heroin would be awoken again like a hibernating beast. The death of his son had caused Sean to drop the ball this time.

Once Sunny was settled in at home she wanted to be left alone for the most part. She didn't speak much and she cried more than anything during the weeks that followed the loss of her baby.

Sean assigned one of his young dope boys Freddie to sit security at his house while Sean worked to find out who had put the hit out on his life, but had gotten his unborn son instead.

Sunny began taking the pain meds two at a time in an attempt to try and wash away the physical and emotional pain she felt. Sean didn't even notice that Sunny had stopped eating, barely went out and had completely stopped caring for her hair, nails, and skin. Sunny was slipping and no one noticed.

Within a month after the miscarriage, Sunny was fully addicted to the pills and yearning for something stronger. The urges had become so strong, Sunny contemplated leaving to go find drugs, but she knew that would just cause Sean's little goon to call him and send a search party out looking for her. Sunny couldn't chance it. She had to be smart about things this time.

One afternoon, Sunny was home alone with Freddie sitting guard in her living room. She reached over onto her nightstand and picked up the little tan bottle that held her pain meds.

“Shit! Fuck!” she cursed as she turned over the empty medicine bottle and nothing came out into her hand. Sunny was out of pain pills and feeling terrible. Sunny need something for the pain and she needed it right away. There was no way she could just leave to go out on the street to find pills or better yet drugs for herself. Aside from Sean going crazy looking for her, Sunny didn't even know where to look in the new, posh neighborhood Sean had her living in anyway.

“Shit!” she huffed, thinking and pacing. She could feel the pain and sickness already starting to creep up on her. Sunny knew how bad sickness could get from any opiate addiction and she wasn't trying to deal with that pain, on top of the heartbreak pain.

As usual Sean wasn't home when Sunny needed him. In Sunny's assessment, since the miscarriage, Sean had become obsessed with the street life and he didn't give a damn about her and her feelings anymore. Sunny had started to convince herself that Sean probably blamed her for what had happened to their baby and that he was purposely punishing her by staying out. Sunny never took into account that Sean might've been working hard to stash for their future or that he might've been trying to find out who had shot at her. Sunny was making Sean out to be her enemy in her twisted mind. It was her usual; whenever she started using, Sunny became extremely paranoid, and this time was no different.

Sunny closed her eyes and started thinking like the old, dopefiend Sunny would think.
How can I get something? Who can I game? Even if I have to go back to my old ways behind his back
. . . Sunny's mind raced with all sorts of sinister thoughts. Nothing was coming to mind right away and she was feeling trapped in the house.

“Swoosh on that ass, nigga! Y'all can't fuck with LeBron!” Freddie yelled out at the basketball video game he was playing in the other room. It was like a sign from heaven. Sunny stopped pacing and turned toward the door, a flash of excitement filling her chest. It quickly dawned on her that Freddie was in her living room doing what he did best: playing video games. Like a light bulb had gone off in her head, suddenly Sunny's eyebrows went up and her bottom lip folded in. She had been struck with an idea . . . a way to satisfy her thirst to get high.

“This little nigga won't be no match for me,” Sunny mumbled under her breath as she straightened out her hair and went about making herself as sexy as she could, given the fact that she felt sick. Sunny was going to have to work her magic on Freddie, that was the only way she would be able to get what she needed. Sunny was confident that the young boy would have no wins once she started throwing down her manipulation game. Sunny checked herself one last time in the mirror. She wasn't 100 percent, but she thought she looked good enough to accomplish what she needed, especially from a young, horny boy. She had seen how all of Sean's crew members looked at her whenever she was around them. Sunny knew they all lusted after her.

“What's up, Freddie?” Sunny said sexily as she sauntered into the living room in just a wife beater and a pair of thin lace panties. “You good?” she asked, licking her lips seductively at the young boy.

Sunny's erect nipples were clearly visible through the thin material of the shirt and more of her ample ass was exposed than covered by her sexy panties. Freddie jumped up from the couch and looked at her with wide eyes. He thought he must've been seeing things wrong because there could be no way his boss's lady was standing in front of him, practically naked, smiling and licking her lips at him invitingly. Freddie bit his bottom lip just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He had always had a major crush on Sunny.

“Oh . . . um . . . Ms. Sunny, you need something?” Freddie stammered, his heart going crazy in his chest and his cheeks turning beet red. He gripped the game controller so tight the buttons made an imprint in the center of his hand, but he could not stop staring at her.

“Relax.” Sunny smiled at him. “You seem nervous. All I came to ask you for is one huge favor . . . between me and you,” Sunny said, batting her long lashes at him. If it was one thing Sunny knew how to do, it was get what she wanted from a man. She had learned that very early in life.

“Sure,” Freddie blurted out. “You need me to go to the store or something? Or I can call King and tell him you need something.”

“Naw, none of that. Let me tell you in your ear what I need,” Sunny said in a deep throaty sex kitten voice. When Freddie moved closer to her, Sunny breathed into his ear and grabbed a handful of his crotch. Freddie jumped and tried to push her hand away. He was holding his breath, but he couldn't stop his nature from rising as Sunny whispered her request into his ear.

“Don't be scared. I don't bite unless you want me to,” Sunny cooed in a deep throaty voice that was driving the young boy wild.

“Um . . . nah. I . . . I . . . shouldn't. If King Sean finds out I did something like that he would kill me,” Freddie said right away, his voice quivering just thinking about his boss. Sunny whispered something else in his ear, but this time she fell to her knees in front of the bulge in his pants and began taking his zipper down.

“You still want to tell me no?” she said, looking up into the young boy's eager face. Freddie's legs were shaking and he didn't want her to stop. He would've done anything for her at that point.

“O . . . okay, I can do what you asked. And . . . and . . . I won't tell King Sean if you don't,” Freddie gasped and as Sunny closed her mouth down around his flesh, sweat danced down the sides of his face and total ecstasy engulfed his body.

 

 

When Sunny was sure she had him under her control, she let him go. Within minutes Freddie was gone and back with what Sunny had asked him for. She grabbed the small bundle of heroin from his hand and raced into the bathroom without saying a word to him. Once she was alone, Sunny unwrapped the bundle and her mouth began to water. Her hands and legs shook with anticipation of what was to come. She stared at the little ball of drugs for at least ten minutes. All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind, but not once did she contemplate throwing the drugs into the toilet and flushing them.

Sunny wanted so badly to shoot the drugs directly into her veins, but she figured she'd have to snort it, because Sean might notice if track marks showed up on her arms. Sunny crushed the drugs to prepare it for snorting, but it was taking long and her conscience was starting to toy with her.

Think about Sean. Think about how upset he will be if he finds out what you're doing. Think, Sunny. Think. He's the only person that loves you. You can't betray him.
Her mind was going crazy.
Fuck that! You're a grown woman.
Her thoughts suddenly turned on her.

Sunny leaned down to sniff the first line and immediately felt another horrible flash of guilt fill her mind. This time she did think of Sean and how good he'd been to her since she had been clean. Sunny could see his smiling face all of the mornings they had awoken in bed together. She could hear his laughter now, since they had been the happiest they'd been in years together. Sunny thought of how good her life was right now and how devastated Sean would be if he found out she was doing this. Sunny stood up abruptly and looked at herself in the mirror that hung over the his-and-hers marble-top sink. Her heart was telling her to flush the heroin down the toilet, but her mind and body was telling her she needed the drugs.

“Nobody loves you. You don't even love yourself. You ain't even worthy of being loved so if somebody says they love you they don't mean it,” Sunny said out loud, repeating words her mother had said to her over and over as a child. Sunny believed that she was unlovable and although she wanted to believe that Sean loved her, she felt like she didn't deserve to be loved.

With those self-defeating thoughts trampling through her brain, Sunny hurriedly leaned back down and snorted the first and second lines of heroin. The drugs stung the inside of her nostrils and her head jerked back involuntarily. As the heroin took hold, Sunny collapsed onto the floor, pulling her entire vanity tray down with a loud crash.

“Ms. Sunny! Ms. Sunny, you a'ight?” Freddie called from the other side of the door in a panic, jiggling the doorknob to try and get in. When he finally forcefully busted into the bathroom, he found Sunny lying on the floor with her head moving slowly from side to side. Her eyes were glazed over and she wore a lazy grin on her lips.

“Thank you,” Sunny slurred, reaching out for his hand. Freddie gave her his hand, not fully understanding what he'd done.

Sunny was humming and mumbling. She felt like she was flying over the entire world like an eagle. Sunny had finally recaptured that first-high feeling that she had experienced the very first time she did heroin with Faheem. Sunny didn't realize she would spend the rest of her life chasing that same elusive high and never get it back again. She also didn't realize how much damage the chase would cause.

 

 

That night when Sean came home, he was exhausted; so when he found Sunny knocked out in their bed, he didn't bother to wake her. Sean slid close to her in the bed and hugged her from behind. Sunny opened her eyes and stared into the darkness as she listened to him fall off to sleep. Tears drained from the sides of Sunny's eyes and wet her pillow. She had betrayed Sean's trust in the worst way, but the addict inside of her wouldn't let her stop and she knew it. The old Sunny was back and probably worse than she ever was before.

 

 

Two weeks later, BG paced up and down as she waited for Sean to arrive at their new shipment spot. The information BG had for Sean was burning a hole in her brain. She couldn't keep her nerves at bay because she knew how sensitive Sean could be when it came to Sunny.

The shipment of premium heroin worth millions in street value that was laid out in front of BG didn't mean anything compared to what she needed to tell Sean about his woman.

“What up, BG? Sorry I'm late. I been pounding that pavement trying to get some info on that hit,” Sean huffed as he rushed into the warehouse with Beans, Ak and Ty flanking him. BG turned to face him and her heart immediately dropped when she saw his gorgeous face. Sean always looked so good to her and the full beard he was rocking these days was sexy as hell.

“It's all good,” BG said softly, cracking a weak smile. “Everything is here just like I promised,” she said softly. Her heart was already galloping in her chest because what she had to do wasn't going to be easy.

“Damn, that nigga Reemo comes through every time,” Sean said looking at the largest heroin shipment they had ever received. Sean and BG had had a good run in the streets with Reemo's product. They both had made a boatload of money and their names were at the top of the list out in the streets. Sean was starting to contemplate having his hands in two more big shipments, taking his stash, taking his woman and getting out of the game. He remembered Fox telling him that you always needed an end game when it came to the streets; Sean was seriously thinking about his end game. Sean wanted to surprise Sunny by moving her far away from all of the pain and suffering that their city held for her.

“You don't look all that excited,” Sean said to BG, noticing the pained look on her face. She lowered her head and shook it from side to side.

“What's up with you?” he asked her, his face crumpled in confusion.

“King . . . I gotta tell you something and it ain't the easiest shit to say,” BG replied, looking at him square in the eyes. She let out a long breath, willing herself to go forward with the information she was holding.

“A'ight . . . I'm a man. I can take it. What is it?” Sean came back.

“Maybe we should speak about this in private,” BG said, nodding toward the rest of Sean's crew.

“Nah, whatever you can say to me you can say in front of them,” Sean told her with annoyance in his voice. BG let out a long exasperated sigh.

“Yo, you ain't never been at a loss for words before, BG, don't start now,” Sean said sternly. He was growing wary of the guessing game she was playing. “Is it about Reemo? The shipments? What?” Sean probed, his eyes trained on BG's face so hard she could feel heat from his gaze.