The Devil Is a Lie (17 page)

T
odd couldn’t believe his eyes. If not for the somber occasion, he would’ve broken out in a huge grin.

“Nina, what are you doing here?” he asked as Nina walked down the hall of the hospital.

She looked nervous as she fiddled with her purse strap. “I hope it’s okay. Shari told me about Grams and I…I just couldn’t sit at home. I wanted to be here.”

“I’m glad you came,” he said.

“I…I saw your mom on the way in. She told me Pam wasn’t here and it would be okay for me to come on back. I hope that’s okay. I mean, I don’t want to cause any problems. I was just worried about Grams.”

“Pam’s not going to be here,” he said with an air of finality. “It’s over for real between us.”

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. For some reason Nina had wanted him to confirm that again. “Well, is it okay if I hang around? You know, just to make sure everything turns out okay.”

“I think Grams would like that,” he replied.
I know I would
, he wanted to add.

She glanced around the hospital hallway, looking lost. “Well, I’ll just wait in the lobby.” She pointed toward the waiting area.

“Ummm, I think Grams would probably like to see you before she goes into surgery.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?”

“Positive.” He pointed toward his grandmother’s hospital room. “Come on.” Nina followed him to the door. “Hey, Grams,” he said, sticking his head inside. She looked so frail in the hospital bed. The covers were pulled up to her lap and the paisley hospital gown hung on her frail body. Her cheeks, which were usually flushed, were pale and hollow, her eyes weary.

“Todd?” she said, squinting at him. He smiled warmly, grateful that her memory seemed to be intact.

He eased into the room. “I have a surprise for you.”

“I hope it ain’t another one of those Bible CD thingamajigs,” she said weakly. “I told you—”

He laughed. “No, Grams.” He motioned for Nina to come in.

“Hi, Grams,” Nina said meekly as she eased in the door.

Hattie squinted even harder. “Is that…?”

“Yes, Grams. It’s Nina.” Todd was smiling widely.

His grandmother matched his grin. “Well, I’ll be. I knew you’d come. Did you bring me some more pecans? ’Cause
last time you were here, Mr. Morrison down the hall ate them all up.”

Todd looked at Nina quizzically. Was his grandmother getting confused again?

“No pecans this time, Grams. I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you in awhile.” Nina walked over and gently kissed her on the forehead. “But you were right. I had to be here today.”

“It’s probably best you hadn’t visited lately.” She sighed wearily. “’Cause half the time I don’t know if I’m coming or going. But I feel in my right mind today. A little tired. They’ve been giving me that crack all day.”

Both Nina and Todd giggled. “Grams, I’m sure it’s not crack,” Nina said.

Todd loved seeing Nina with his grandmother. She was attentive and affectionate, just as she’d always been. He was elated to see that she wasn’t turning her anger with him on his grandmother.

Hattie reached up and squeezed Nina’s hand. “I’m scared, baby. They gon’ take my heart.”

Todd swallowed hard. This was the first time he’d ever heard his grandmother admit that. “But they’re going to give you a new and better heart,” he said, fighting back the lump in his throat as he took his grandmother’s other hand.

“Well, just in case I don’t make it, I—”

“Grams, no!” Todd said. “Stop talking like that.”

“Hush, boy,” his grandmother chastised. “I need to say this before your mother gets back in here. That chile worries the panda piss outta me, and I can’t take much more of her crying
and fussing over me. So I want to pretend I’m ’sleep when she gets back.”

Todd and Nina couldn’t help smiling.

“I’ve lived a good life,” his grandmother continued. “I’m kind of tired anyway. And I really don’t have any reason to hang on. Unless you tell me you and Nina are getting back together and giving me some great-grandbabies.”

Nina’s eyes grew wide in shock. Todd looked stunned, too. He definitely didn’t want Nina to think that he’d been there filling his grandmother’s head with ideas of them getting back together.

“Oh, y’all can act all surprised if you want. You both tryin’ to act like you don’t feel it, but if ever there was a couple that was still in love with each other, it’s you two. Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles could see it. But more important, God can see it.”

Todd shifted uncomfortably.

“Now, I don’t know what went on with that floozy-tail girl, but God’s gonna find a way to get you two back together. Even if I’m not here to see it.”

“Grams, I told you—” Todd abruptly stopped talking as the door opened. His grandmother fell back on the pillow and closed her eyes. A light snore escaped her lips.

“Mama’s still asleep?” Gloria asked. Todd and Nina exchanged glances, but neither responded. “She’s been ’sleep all morning,” Gloria said as she walked over and gently shook her mother. “Mama, wake up. They’re about to prep you for surgery.”

Hattie’s eyes fluttered open. “Huh?”

“Wake up, Mama,” Gloria repeated.

“I’m…so…tired, she said, her head falling down as she closed her eyes again.

Gloria stood over her mother, shaking her head. “They must have really given her a strong dose for her to be so out of it.”

Nina tightened her lips as she fought back a laugh. Todd was grateful when the nurse stepped into the room. It kept him from having to answer his mother.

“Hello, everyone,” the nurse, a pretty brown West Indies woman, said. “I’m sorry, but we have to take Mrs. Sturgis to surgery. After the surgery, she’ll be transferred to the intensive care unit. We’ll keep her there until she’s transferred to the permanent-care facility.”

The nurse checked Hattie’s vitals. “I hope I’m not out of line saying this, but you all sure are blessed. I’ve been doing this a long time, and most people can’t afford these private donors, let alone this treatment facility. It’s top-of-the-line, and your grandmother, she’s going to be in good hands.” She smiled warmly as she wheeled Hattie out of the room, mumbling, “Yes, sir, God sure is good.”

Gloria looked over at her son and Nina, who had instinctively moved close to each other. “He sure is,” she said, before following her mother out of the room.

T
odd had endured the longest seven hours of his life. But when Dr. Phelps walked in, his brow dripping with sweat and a look of relief across his face, Todd couldn’t help smiling.

“Well,” he began, removing his mask and wiping his face. Todd, Nina, and Gloria sat with bated breath. “She pulled through.”

“Thank you, Jesus,” Gloria said, burying her face in her hands.

Todd slumped against the sofa. “Thank you, God,” he whispered.

“She is in intensive care, but she’s stable. So far her body is not rejecting the heart, and it appears everything is going fine. Of course, we’ll closely monitor her for the next forty-eight hours.”

“Thank you so much, Dr. Phelps,” Gloria said. “I know my mother can be difficult at times.”

“I’m just grateful that I was able to help. Mrs. Lawson, she’s out of it, and although they don’t normally allow people in intensive care, I think it would help if you stepped in briefly and whispered some encouraging words.”

“Of course,” Gloria said, hurrying out of the waiting room with Dr. Phelps right behind her.

Nina eased down next to Todd on the sofa. “I’m so happy to hear that Grams is going to be okay.”

Todd wasn’t thinking as he threw his arms around Nina and hugged her tightly. “Thank you so much for being here.”

Nina didn’t reply but immediately pulled away from him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cross the line,” he said apologetically.

Nina knew how relieved he was. “No explanation is necessary.” They really hadn’t talked during the wait. Both of them were too worried to be up for conversation. “Todd, the nurse said something about this surgery and treatment facility being really expensive. Is that why you went after the money?”

Todd slowly nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Because I was scared you’d say no.”

She frowned at him. “For Grams? Are you for real?” Yes, things were bad between them, but did he really believe she wouldn’t do everything she could for Grams?

“I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking. I just knew I’d hurt you so bad. Plus, I thought maybe your fiancé wouldn’t let you.”

“Rick would’ve understood,” she said, although Todd could tell she wasn’t exactly sure about that.

“I was just too scared to take that chance. I’m sorry. I just thought…you know, that you hated me so much, you’d never go for it.”

She turned pensive. “I don’t hate you, Todd.”

“Well,
I
hate me for what I did to you. I was dumb, and hurting you was the worst mistake of my life. I wish there was some way I could get you to forgive me.”

Nina wanted to respond, but she kept quiet. There was that word again: forgiveness. Could she ever truly forgive Todd? And if so, what did that really mean? Pastor Ellis had said she needed to forgive Todd for no other reason than that it was the right thing to do. He’d told her there was no place for hate in her heart. Looking at Todd right now, she knew Pastor Ellis was right. She’d wasted too much time and energy hating Todd.

“I might not be able to forget what you did,” she said, squeezing his arm. “But I want you to know, I do forgive you.”

Todd’s eyes filled with tears as he pulled Nina into an embrace again. This time she didn’t pull away.

T
he feelings swirling through her heart were unexplainable. Nina had spent all night replaying her conversation with Todd. Forgiving him felt good. Having him cloud her thoughts was another thing entirely. She had to stick to forgiving him.

Nina shook off thoughts of Todd as she spotted Rick standing in the living room. He still hadn’t offered an apology for not being there for her after Roscoe’s attack or even asking what happened. But it didn’t matter. Nina had been consumed with Grams and her operation. Plus, the guilt over her conflicting feelings for Todd was eating at her. She decided to be the bigger woman and take the first step.

“Hey, baby,” Nina said as she walked into the living room and wrapped her arms around Rick’s waist. He was standing at
the entertainment system, tinkering with his stereo. She tried to nuzzle up against his back, hoping he would let whatever had been bothering him go. Their both being at home was a rare occurrence that she wanted to take advantage of. Plus, she wanted to do anything to get Todd off her mind.

“What are you doing?” she asked after Rick didn’t respond to her display of affection.

“What does it look like?” he asked, easing out of her grasp.

Nina placed her hands on her hips. “Are you still mad? Seriously, how long are you going to stay mad?”

“I’m not mad,” he replied, although his tone indicated otherwise. “My stupid CD player isn’t working, and I can’t afford to buy another one.”

Nina couldn’t believe he was being such a baby. “Don’t be dramatic, Rick. We can afford to buy another CD player. Even if we hadn’t won the lottery, we could afford a CD player.”

“Oh, we won the lottery?” he asked sarcastically. “Because I sure can’t tell.”

Nina took a step back. “Rick, we agreed that we wouldn’t spend any money until after we worked out our financial plan with the advisor. We meet with him tomorrow.”

“
You
agreed to that. Besides, you didn’t wait to give money to your family.”

“Oh, good grief. We’re still on that? I mean, I need a new car, but I want us to plan before we go out and buy one.”

Nina couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. Other than the money for the gym, he’d never told her anything that he wanted to go out and buy. “I think you’re being very childish, Rick.”

He licked his lips as he chuckled to himself. “My bad. I’m a little testy because I have to watch my dreams go up in smoke.”

“So you talked to Mr. Mathis,” Nina said, finally figuring out what had him in a funk. Rick was going to try to talk Mr. Mathis down on the price of the property he was trying to buy.

“Yeah, I talked to him. After he cursed me out and called me what I’m sure was a derogatory name in a foreign language, he told me I probably was trying to, and I quote, ‘play’ him. He then informed me that he had another buyer who
really
had the money, so I could just forget I even knew him. So there will be no gym.”

“Rick, it’s not like you can’t get something.”

Nina had to breathe in to keep from going off, because he was acting like a spoiled brat. However, she knew how hard he had worked for his gym and how disappointed he must be.

“Fine, you’re right,” he replied. “I wouldn’t want to act like a child. Because I’m all man. A man who can’t freakin’ provide for his girl.”

Nina had had enough of the pity party. The last three weeks had been awful, and she was ready to start enjoying life. “Are we still going out to dinner?” she finally asked.

“Nope, not hungry,” he replied sourly. “Besides, it’s like you said, we need to use our money sparingly. We don’t need to go out to eat, to the movies, shopping, anything.”

She glared at him. “Now you’re being ridiculous.”

He spun around to face her. “Nina, it’s just been one nightmare after another for me, okay? First, I find out my fiancée is still married to someone else. Then I get excited that my dream is finally about to become a reality, only to have to watch it go
up in smoke because my girl’s husband and his mistress want half our money.”

Our
money? That term sure was coming with ease now. Nina quickly shook off that thought. She’d been the one telling him from the beginning that this win was both of theirs.

“You don’t get it,” Rick continued. “I’ve been hustling all my life. Trying my best. Trying to make up for one stupid mistake I made ten years ago. My friends are constantly harassing me to get a real job. What people don’t understand is that it’s not that easy for a felon to get a job.”

Nina was quiet as he continued his rant.

“And don’t hand me that bull about me not really being a felon. Tell that to all the people who won’t give me a job. Tell that to Uncle Sam, who won’t let me vote.”

“You were convicted of intoxication manslaughter. You didn’t mean to kill that little girl. You were just drunk.” When they first met, Rick shared his story with her. He’d been in college, driving home from a party, drunk, when he hit a woman and her little girl in a small Volvo. The mother was critically injured, the seven-year-old killed. Rick was sentenced to six years in prison. At first Nina was apprehensive after he shared his story, but he was so genuine and open that she couldn’t help giving him a chance.

Rick began pacing the room. “I bust my ass trying to make things right and I can never do it. When I take two steps up, somebody is there to knock me three steps back.”

She tried to hug him. “Baby—”

“Don’t do that,” he said, pushing her away. “I’m tired. I can’t
take this anymore. I’m trying to save up money to get married, trying to build up this gym so we can have a foundation, and I can give you this whole dream life you wanted.”

“But, Rick, we still have lots of money. Just under four million dollars. We can live off that for the rest of our lives.”

“It’s not that simple!” he snapped. He was so stressed out, he seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Nina wondered if something else was bothering him. Finally, Rick made a visible effort to calm down. “I just got a bunch of stuff going on, that’s all. You wouldn’t understand.”

“How could I understand if you won’t even talk to me?” she said gently.

“Just forget it. I can’t be who you want me to be and I’m tired of trying.”

Nina felt her heart racing. “So what are you saying?”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” She couldn’t believe he would do that. Not only because he loved her but because he wouldn’t really walk away from the money, would he?

“No, I’m not breaking up with you,” he said, much to her relief. “I’m just frustrated right now. Just give me some time, please.”

He stormed out of the living room, and the sick feeling in Nina’s stomach intensified. Winning the lottery had exposed a whole other side of Rick. He was acting ugly. Her thoughts flashed to Todd, and how sincere he’d been about asking her to forgive him. One ship seemed to be sailing out of the harbor, but was she looking for another one to come in?