Page 8 of Certified Pressure 4
Her words hung in the room. I knew exactly what she meant. Once she found out who pulled that trigger, it was over.
I tried to change the subject. “Where Pluto at?”
“I made the doctor give her something to help her relax and stay off her feet. She’s resting, like you need to do,” My mama said.
I nodded slow, still starin’ at my baby. His little chest was movin’ up and down like nothin’ in the world was wrong. I reached my hand out, even though my arms was covered in tape and IV lines. I needed to touch him. I brushed my thumb across his blanket and whispered, “Daddy’s here.”
My mama got quiet. She walked over, lifted Prestyn out his crib, and held him against her chest. He made this soft sound like he knew he was safe. She smiled down at him, kissin’ his forehead.
“Get some rest, son,” she said softly, lookin’ back at me. “I’ll take him with me for a little while. I’ll bring him back after you’ve slept.”
I ain’t even argue. I just nodded, watchin’ her hold my son.
Before she left, Pops stopped by the door. His voice was low but sharp. “We need to find out who did this, son. Don’t make us guess.”
Then they walked out…
The room got quiet again. All I could hear was the beeps and my own thoughts beatin’ inside my head.
I laid there starin’ up at the ceilin’, my chest heavin’ slow. I knew my mama. She wasn’t gon’ rest until she got the truth, and once she had it, Kash was as good as gone. There wasn’t gon’ be no talkin’, no mercy, no forgiveness. My mama moved with power, and she moved quick too.
To be honest, I ain’t even know how I felt about this shit. Kash broke my heart and my body at the same time, but I couldn’t hate her. I mean… not fully.
I thought I was doin’ the right thing, by standin’ at that altar. I thought maybe if I loved her hard enough, I could force somethin’ real outta what was already broken. But Pluto was the piece I could never put down, no matter how far I ran. She was the peace that always called me back. Even when I had Kash in front of me, it was Pluto who stayed on my mind.
Now I’m laid up, half alive, lookin’ at the mess I made of all of this shit. Kash got her revenge in the worst way, and I couldn’t even act surprised. I played both sides, tryna keep a love that wasn’t mine while losin’ the one that was.
Even with all that happened, I just ain’t think Kash’s crazy ass would take it this far.
But she did…
I thought about the shit every second. I couldn’t stop thinkin’ about the way the world went black. But somewhere in that darkness, I seen Kamir, and that’s why I’m still here.
I was meant to hold Prestyn, and be here for him and Pluto.
I looked at the spot where my son had been a few minutes ago, wishin’ I could still feel his weight on my chest. I sighed, lettin’ the pain roll through my body.
I shifted a lil’, feelin’ the stitches pull, and the heat build in my chest. I closed my eyes and took a breath.
I wasn’t dyin’ for nobody.
But I knew one fuckin’ thing—my mama wasn’t gon’ let this shit slide. Once she found out the truth, there wasn’t gon’ be no stoppin’ her.
Kashmere started some shit she wasn’t gon’ be able to finish.
Trill-Land, Royal Care Hospital
Isat beside my son, feeling a sense of relief that settled deep in my spirit. It was the kind of unsettling that comes after days of sleepless nights and prayers whispered into empty rooms. I refused to leave this place until I knew every heartbeat inside my son was steady again. Pressure had been awake for a full day now, speaking softly to his child, holding that tiny boy with his bandaged arms like nothing in this world could come between them. Watching him fight his way back made me proud, because even at his weakest, my son was still stronger than most men alive.
Kojo stood by the window, quiet as ever with one hand tucked behind his back and the other holding his phone that he hadn’t looked at in almost an hour. I could tell by the way hisjaw moved that he was fighting to keep his temper down. We had raised a warrior, but nothing could prepare a parent for seeing their own child laid up in a hospital bed.
The room smelled faintly of antiseptic and flowers. Nurses came and went, trying not to look too long at me or the security posted outside the door. They knew who we were, and they knew better than to speak unless spoken to. Every nurse that touched my son had already been screened and cleared by my people. I would allow no mistakes, no gaps in care or no chance for anyone to come near him with bad intentions. My family’s safety was sacred. I had worked too hard, built too much, and held too many secrets to ever let poison touch what I loved.
I looked down at Pressure’s chest, then at his arms wrapped in gauze. The bandages were thick, but beneath them, his life pulsed strong. He wasn’t just alive; he was surviving, and fighting his way back from the edge. His voice was low when he spoke. “Ma, I’m leavin’ this place soon. I’m not stayin’ here another night.”
I rested my hand over his, keeping my tone calm. “You have doctors who trained their entire lives to keep you alive, Pressure. Let them do their job.”
He shook his head. “They did their job. I’m good. I’m goin’ home with Pluto and my son.”
