Page 81 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings 2: The Finale
“Shit! Tavi!” she screamed, rushing inside.
The horse was gone, but Tavi was on the ground beside the saddle with a backpack filled with food from the party and bottles of water, along with her cell phone and a change of clothes. Face down in a pile of hay, I couldn’t tell if she was breathing, but there as a trickle of blood on her forehead as Cambrie knelt beside her.
“No, no, no! Come on, baby girl. Wake up for me!” Cambrie brought two fingers against her wrist to check for a pulse. “Oh, thank God. She’s breathing. Six, call 911, we need an ambulance right now!”
“Okay.” Fishing my cell from my pocket, I called for the ambulance and then immediately hit Brick next and put him on speaker.
Cambrie knelt near Tavi’s ear, weeping and stroking her hair.
“It’s OK. You’re going to be OK,” she assured her over and over again.
“What’s up, mama?” Brick picked up.
“We found her,” I articulated. “I had to call an ambulance first.”
“Where is she?”
“Down at the stables. One of the horses is gone. I think she might have tried to saddle it. But she’s just laying here. Cambrie said she’s breathing, but I don’t think we should move her.”
“We’re on the way.” Brick rushed off the phone, and I slid mine back into my pocket.
“What did you do?” Cambrie whispered, never taking her eyes off Tavi as she continued to caress her hair and back in comfort.
I heard those golf carts pulling up nearby and then several footsteps rushing our way. Staten darted past me into the stall where Cambrie sat with Tavi, and it was the first time I’d seen that kind of emotion from him. It was the kind that only a child could evoke, I assumed. Sheer panic flitted through his eyes. He reached out like he wanted to touch her but wasn’t sure he should.
“We can’t move her,” Cambrie voiced. “She’s got a bump on her head, so she probably fell, and I don’t know if she was on the horse or not. She could have a concussion or spinal damage. We have to wait for the paramedics, but she’s breathing.”
“Stay with me, baby girl.” Staten placed a hand on her back and knelt to kiss the top of her head. “Daddy’s here, and I love you, Tavi. Don’t you dare leave me.” He grit his teeth, and Cambrie sniffled back tears.
Although Tavi had been giving her hell, it was obvious that it didn’t matter to Cam. She loved this little girl despite all the attitude. The way her and Staten looked at each other, it was obvious another soul didn’t stir either of them the way that they did. If I could see it, there was no doubt that Tavi could. It was no secret to anyone that she wanted her parents back together, and ever since her mother left, she’d been giving Cam the cold shoulder.
Nadia had stopped reaching out as much, acting like a scorned and bitter baby daddy. If Staten didn’t want to be withher, then she was going to ignore the kids and do her. She didn’t even ask for them for summer vacation except for the last two weeks since she had plans to go on a cruise and some more shit. Just like that, she had switched up on her children on some selfish, bitter shit. It was crazy. Yet Tavi still wanted to blame Cambrie for it all.The ambulance came, and Tavi was placed on a gurney. Both Staten and Cam got in the back to ride along with her. She hadn’t regained consciousness, and it was obvious Staten was on the verge of losing it. “Come on. Let’s go meet them there.” Brick draped an arm over my shoulders and pulled me along toward the house.
The whole ride to Oak Bluffs hospital, my thoughts were on Tavi. One of the best nights of my life in turn became one of the worst for what had become my new family. The last month had been rough enough, and I just prayed that God had a little mercy on us all.
Staten
“Where you taking her?” I demanded as soon as the medics wheeled Tavi off that ambulance and through the entrance doors to the ER at Oak Bluffs Hospital.
My mind was reeling, and the whole way I held my baby girl’s hand as the medics worked on stabilizing her.
“We need to get her a CT scan as well as an MRI. Follow me so we can get her admitted,” one of the nurses instructed.
Cambrie was right behind me, just as concerned and praying over my daughter like she was her own. She had to be OK. We rushed behind the gurney as they moved through the halls into the trauma unit. The doctor on duty, Dr. York, looked over her chart and immediately agreed with the nurse on getting Tavi’s internal system checked. She hadn’t woken up the entire ride, and that had a nigga’s heart clenched in his chest.
“What’s her name?” Dr. York checked with me as they hooked Tavi into IVs and started running fluids.
“Tavi. Octavia Marek,” I responded.
“How old is she?”
“Eleven and a half,” I answered.
“Okay, do you know what happened?”
“No.” I shook my head and fought the urge to let the tears slip.
Instead, I inhaled and sucked them up before looking the older woman in the eye.
