Page 87 of Crash: Love in Scrubs
“I can’t stop crying. It has to be. What did y’all bring me to eat?”
“Ma…Uhm, Maj said you like the breakfast sandwich from Ambrosia Cafe & Deli, so we grabbed some sandwiches, coffee, and donuts. How you feeling, pooh?”
“Maj huh?” I joked with a raised eyebrow as they shrugged before nudging each other. “I feel how I look. A hot damn, missing my man ass mess.”
“Oh, so a category 5?” Winnie mumbled, setting the bags down, and immediately pulling me into a hug. “Okay, first things first, congratulations, mama. Second, sit your pregnant ass down and start from the beginning. Between you blubbering, crying, and threatening to push Ashe off a cliff, we barely made out half of what you said.”
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “Y’all got time? Because it’s a lot.”
“We got all day,” Halo said, unpacking the food and setting it on my dining table. “Winnie cleared her whole schedule, and I called in a personal day because them fuckers pissed me off yesterday. We’re not leaving until you’re good.”
I settled into my chair and unwrapped one of the breakfast sandwiches, my stomach growling despite the nausea. “Okay, so yesterday was literally a fucking blur and a mess, but also maybe the most important.”
“Start with the pregnancy,” Winnie demanded, sliding into the chair across from me. “When did you find out? How far along are you? And why didn’t you call us immediately?”
“I found out yesterday. During a fight. On speakerphone.” I took a bite of my sandwich, grateful that it was staying down. “The doctor’s office called to remind me about prenatal vitamins, and that’s how I learned I was pregnant. Ok, well that’s not completely true. I believe I was told at my doctor’s appointment, but I was distracted and not listening.”
“On speakerphone?” Halo’s eyes went wide. “In front of Malik?”
“In front of Malik and Samaj. During our first and biggest damn fight. Which is why I was distracted.” I shook my head, still not believing how everything had unfolded. “It was like a damn soap opera. Messy.”
“What were y’all fighting about?” Winnie asked, her detective instincts kicking in.
I took a deep breath and told them everything. The blackmail, the photos, the suspension, the secrets, the way I felt betrayed by both Malik and my own son. By the time I finished, both of them were staring at me with their mouths open.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Halo held up her hand. “So, Ashe was stalking y’all? Taking pictures? And Malik knew about it?”
“For weeks, apparently. And instead of telling me, he decided to ‘handle it’ himself. What the hell does that even mean?”
“That trifling-ass baby daddy of yours,” Winnie muttered, shaking her head. “A roach you can’t kill. I always knew something was off about him showing up out of nowhere.”
“But I’m also mad at Malik,” I continued. “He should have told me. We’re supposed to be partners, and partners don’t keep secrets like that.”
Halo leaned back in her chair, processing everything. “Okay, I can see both sides. Malik was trying to protect you, but…”
“But nothing,” I interrupted. “I’m a grown woman. I’ve been handling my own problems for seventeen years. I didn’t need him to coddle me.”
“You’re right,” Winnie agreed. “He should have told you. But girl, that man loves you. He was willing to risk his whole career to keep you from being stressed and worried about Ashe.”
“That’s what makes it so frustrating,” I admitted, tears starting up again. “I know he loves me. I know he was trying to do the right thing. But it felt like he didn’t trust me, and I don’t appreciate him and Samaj teaming up either.”
Halo cleared her throat, and I knew that tone. She was about to call me a dumb ass without saying it.
“I was going to be quiet, I was going to be team Sametra, because I’m a girl’s girl. And you, my girl, but if he had told you, you would have done what? Been ready to burn this city down? Pay Ashe? Call the police? Stress eat? Why would the man who loves you and has made that clear from day one want you on that type of time? That’s the energy you need and the energy you wanted. Don’t get scared now because his scrubs and degrees fooled you into thinking he was soft. That’s a man who learned how to protect by taking care of his mother years ago. Don’t lose out on something real because you’re confused about what a man is supposed to do.”
I stared at her, my mouth hanging open. “Halo…”
“Nah, let me finish.” She leaned forward, her voice getting more intense. “You had a man who ran when things got hard. Now you’ve got one who’s willing to fight for you, and you’re mad because he fought too hard? Make it make sense. Ashe is a parasite and should be dealt with accordingly Flush em’.”
Winnie nodded slowly. “She’s got a point, MiMi. I’m not saying he was right to keep secrets, but his heart was in the right place.”
“So, I’m supposed to just forgive him? Just like that?” I felt my defenses rising.
“No,” Halo said firmly. “You’re supposed to have the conversation. Tell him how it made you feel, set yourboundaries, and figure out how to move forward together. Use some of that schooling, baby.”
Winnie added with a grin, “You’re carrying his baby. That man is not going anywhere. He’s probably sitting at home right now figuring out how to show you more than he can tell you.”
Despite everything, I laughed. “He did send me the sweetest text last night.”
