Page 12 of Awakening
“Thank you,” I rasped.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, “Just doing my job.”
“No,” I said softly, “you did more than that.”
I saw it again, the flicker, as if every word I spoke was lighting a fire within him, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know if he should.
Perhaps he was just kind and an amazing nurse, or maybe it was something more, and because I didn’t have the energy to unpack it yet, I remained quiet.
But as he stepped back, checking monitors and scribbling notes on my chart, I couldn’t help but wonder: Why do I feel like I’ve known you forever?
And for the first time since my world cracked open that morning, I didn’t feel entirely alone.
Nurse Carter left the room, and moments later, I heard his voice and another very familiar voice, Dro.
The curtain shifted, and there he was, the man who had never treated me like a burden but instead reminded me that I saved his life. Dro was heavy in the streets before I was born, and once he was forced to become a single teen dad, he started making better decisions that wouldn’t land him in jail or us in a grave. He was still in the streetsbecause it was in his blood, but he moved smarter and left drug dealing alone, opting to clean his dirty money by opening profitable businesses. By the time I could talk, Dro had opened multiple companies, including several barbershops, car washes, washeterias, and gas stations. His latest venture was a full-scale grocery store that specialized in carrying fresh meat, produce, and products from local Black farmers and business owners. Dro cared enough to change his life to be in mine, while Kimberly cared so little that she ran. All six-foot-something of my dad was standing there dressed in a Ralph Lauren suit with a cashmere Burberry trench coat, jaw clenched, eyes scanning me like he could fix this with just a look. My heart broke a little. I wasn’t a kid anymore, but something in me still needed him like I was.
“Damn, babygirl,” his voice cracked, “You scared the hell outta me.”
I gave a weak smile. “Scared myself too.”
He sat in the chair beside the bed and took my hand, calloused and warm. “What happened?”
I hesitated, chewing the inside of my cheek. The words felt heavy. Sticky. But they had to come out.
“She called me,” I whispered.
Dro tensed instantly, “Kim?”
I nodded.
His jaw locked and face turned to stone as if Medusa was looking through his soul. “What did she want?”
I looked away, hesitant to answer. “To connect,” I said bitterly, “But mostly to see if I was a match for her daughter, who needs a bone marrow donor. The one she kept.”
He let out a slow, low breath and sat back, rubbing hisface, “That bitch has more nerve than the law should allow,” anger seeping from his pores, “She left out the hospital like a thief in the night, we were both kids but I was prepared to do whatever was necessary to provide a home filled with love and comfort for the three of us.”
“That’s not the kicker, though, Dro.” his eyes shot over to me, brow raised. “She hasn’t told her husband about me, or the kids. I’m her dirty little secret. A plan to save one daughter while not caring that she continues to ruin and hurt the other one.”
Dro was quiet. I think he was trying not to explode, but I’d been joined to his hip my whole life, so I knew nothing was scarier than when Dro got silent.
“Babygirl, I know you’re in pain, and I can only imagine how much, but that bitch can’t ruin what God has made so beautifully perfect. You are a light that shines so warm and brightly that I’m grateful to have raised you, fuck her,” he said, kissing my forehead.
“I told her I’d get tested,” I added, “But not for her, for my sister. Like I really have a brother and sister I can’t wait to meet, and that part confuses me the most,” I finished, my brow furrowed.
He nodded slowly, “That’s who you are, babygirl. You’ve always had more heart than she’ll ever deserve to witness, but whatever decisions you make regarding her, I’m behind you.”
I swallowed hard. “Why wasn’t I enough, Dro?”
The question came out so small, I almost didn’t recognize my own voice.
He looked at me then, eyes wet. “You were more than enough. You were everything. She just wasn’t built to be your mother.”
I closed my eyes, fighting off the tears threatening to spill. “She moved on like I never existed. Built this perfect little life while I was just… this closed chapter she hoped no one would read again.”
He reached out and gently touched my cheek. “Let me tell you something, Ja. Anybody can give birth. Not everybody can be a mother. I raised you. I held you down. I saw you through every scraped knee, every heartbreak, every goddamn milestone. She missed out. Not you.”
I blinked fast, but the tears came anyway. I hated crying, but I couldn’t stop.
