The sun blazed brightly through the hospital room blinds. Tiny specks of dust shimmered in the light of the sun rays. The room was quiet except for the soft whimper of the monitor’s attached to Qu. Orderly’s pushing carts and voices over the intercom were vaguely heard inside the glass room. But everyone in the room was still, motionless.
Everyone… except for Qu, that is. Slowly his body became aware of its surroundings. His ears perked at the beeping of his heart. His skin itched at the laughable softness of the hospital blanket. His nose twitched, at the many scents. His body felt heavy, as he forced his eyes open. The doctors gave him until morning. They put a time stamp on his final breath. They assured his family it was time to prepare for goodbyes. He would be gone by mornings light.
That… was five days ago. Everyday Dr. Medcafe would wander in the room expecting to find Qu deceased and his family in mourning. Instead he was surprised to find a steadily improving patient. Qu was now the wonder-boy on the floor. All the nurses were buzzing as to whether or not it was the prayers and vigilance of the feisty one, as they adorningly referred to Tierra that kept him hanging on.
Today was yet another morning, and this time Aquarian beat everyone awake. Though his eyes were barely adjusted to the light, he scanned his immediate vicinity. To his surprise he was in a hospital bed, and was obviously pretty banged up, yet was in little to no pain. But for some reason he was unable to move his hands. Terrified at what he was about to behold, he looked down at his hands. He breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered it was his mother that was keeping him from moving his hand. He saw his father curled up in a chair behind his mother. Shireece and Sean sat in an oversized, pull-out-type hospital chair next to his father. The moment he saw both Tierra’s mother and Abuela, he realized he must have been in pretty bad shape.
When his eyes fully adjusted to the dimly lit room, he looked over to the other side of the room and noticed several pots of flowers sitting on a small table against the wall. Three balloon bouquets hovered barely in the corner behind the table. Realizing he had only figured out the issues with raising one of his hands, he snapped his head to his left side and noticed a head of brown curls resting a top of his hand…Tierra. He smiled inside and slowly slid his hand from under her. He pushed a strand of curls out of her face as he looked at her. Her hair was such a pretty, mangled mess of curls, he thought.
“Hey, chicken head,” he whispered in a low, scratchy voice.
No response.
He rubbed the back of his hand across her cheek, and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Hey, chicken head.” he repeated. “Who you calling a butter ball?” he added, confirming he heard some of the things she spoke to him while unconscious.
Tierra placed her hands on his face to make sure she was really seeing what she thought she was seeing. She rose to her feet slightly, leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear, “I thought I told you 18 years ago to never scare me like that again?”
Qu put his hand in a fist and made a circle motion over his chest.
“You’re sorry? You wait till you are better!” she teased him, laughing slightly. “You’re really going to be sorry.”
Mrs. Skeene opened her eyes. The sound of Tierra’s voice laughing confused her and she feared the worse had finally happened and Tierra was losing it. She was half right. Something did happen.
“Shhhh, he’s just waking up,” Tierra instructed her finger to her lips.
Mrs. Skeene looked down at her son and began to scream before punching her husband in the arm to wake him up. She leaned over and hugged her son intensely. The commotion awakened everyone in the room, and a sense of excitement came over the group.
“Doctor Medcafe to room 512 STAT! Doctor Medcafe to room 512 STAT!” a nurse called over the intercom after hearing the screams coming from the room, believing that the end had finally come for Wonder-Boy.
When Doctor Carmine Medcafe and his team rushed into room 51, everyone inside instantly became quiet and still. They all stood around Qu’s bed blocking the doctor’s view. Shireece smiled and moved to the side to allow the doctor a closer view of his patient. When he walked to the bed, Dr. Medcafe’s face went blank. He looked around at everyone and stepped back.
Regaining his composure he approached the head of the bed, leaned in and listened to Qu’s heart and breathing.
“Seems you like to make a grand entrance, Mr. Skeene.”
Qu just smiled.
“I hope you know, you have friends with friends in high places,” he said, looking up at Tierra, who was focused on Qu.
Qu nodded in agreement, looking around at his family and friends in the room.
“Well, we’ll have to run some tests before I can say for sure you’re out of the woods, Ok? But for sure it’s a good thing that you are awake. So I’m going to go and set those up, and I’ll send the nurse in to get some blood samples so we can see where your levels are and give you something to drink. I’m sure your throat is quite dry,” Doctor Medcafe explained and shook Qu’s hand. “Before knowing your physical status, let me just say congratulations. You have some people here who really care about you and one, who wouldn’t give up on you, even when all the evidence said it was too late,” he walked out the room, smiling towards Tierra.
Qu squeezed Tierra’s hand, knowing without he meant her.
She took a deep breath, released and smiled back at Qu tossing him a playful wink.
After years of avoiding God, and blaming him for her hurts, she was surprised and pleased that she was able to find peace and remain faithful through this desperate situation. She never relinquished hope, even in the face of despair. She was positive Qu’s end was not at hand.
There he was, her best friend, alive, awake, and sitting up… okay. So much had changed for her over the past weeks he had been asleep. But he was back now. She could finally ask him what he meant that night in her bedroom, about not letting her go. She couldn’t figure out why she felt so funny being in his arms as they danced at JC’s. She dared not tell him about what happened in her bedroom with Malcolm. Though she knew he didn’t necessarily do anything wrong, she knew without a doubt Qu would be pissed off, just at the fact that Malcolm upset her. Right now though, she really just wanted to lay in the arms of the only man left alive that she completely trusted with her heart. She wanted to listen to his heartbeat and write a song to its rhythm. She yearned to watch his eyes open and close like the wings on a butterfly, and know it wasn’t a dream. Qu was going to be ok, and she’d have forever now to spend with her best friend.
“Qu?”
He turned his head toward her.
“Thanks for coming back,” she whispered softly and kissed him on the cheek.
He nodded and winked.
“Thank you,” he whispered, then drifted back to sleep.
“Tierra,” Mrs. Skeene softly said and nodded her head towards the door.
Tierra slid her hand out of Qu’s and she and Mrs. Skeene walked to the other end of the room.
“Thank you so much. Qu fought, and he never quit trying to come back to us. No matter what the doctors said, you never gave up hope that he was coming back. I just wish I had the same…” she began and trailed off.
Tierra wrapped her arms around Mrs. Skeene. “It’s ok. I am new to this whole faith thing. Believe me, it surprised me. But you know what? I think I just refused to let him go. He’s all I have, the only man I completely trusted after daddy died. I’m not ready to let that go,” she smiled.
“I thought you had a man in your life right now?”
Tierra was surprised for a moment by Mrs. Skeene’s question, but then caught a glimpse of her mother squirming in her chair. She smiled at her mother and then turned her attention back to Qu’s mother.
“You know, I guess I do, except I don’t feel for him like, I thought I would. I mean, when I think of love, I think of you two, my mother and my father, even Shireece and Sean. The love I see in your eyes, I just don’t feel that way,” she admit
ted. In fact the only man, I can honestly say I love is Qu. Not in a husbandly kinda way, I guess, but I can tell that man anything, and he listens. He gets me, ya know? I don’t feel like I have to perform around him. I can just be Tierra, the ‘Beautiful Mess’, as he calls me,” she laughed.”
“It’s nice to hear you laugh Tierra.”
“Yeah, it’s nice to laugh.”
“Do you not feel that way with this Malcolm character?”
“No.”
“Well Tierra, I am glad my son is such an important part of your life. Trust me when I say he feels the same away about you. As for this other man, the only advice I can give you Sweetheart, is to pray. Pray that God’s will is revealed to you, and please take it slow,” she spoke softly and took Tierra’s hand in hers. “I’ve seen too many young women give away parts of them, for fear of losing a man. Don’t allow this man to influence you to do something you’re not ready for. You can’t take all decisions back. Trust your instincts. They won’t let you down.”
They embraced for several minutes, allowing tears to rain from them and wash away the preceding months anguish.
“What? He’s awake? Why didn’t you call me?” a shocked Chamani questioned.
“Sorry Chamani, it just happened. He woke us up just a while ago.”
“But, no one called me, that’s not right!”
“It wasn’t intentional, I swear. I knew you’d be right back. He wasn’t going anywhere.”
“Hey, no arguing over there,” Qu spoke. “Someone take a picture please, look at my three favorite ladies in the whole world.”
“Oh really?” Chamani asked, walking over to her brother.
“Word.”
“Word Qu… really? Dang your old!”
Everyone laughed.
“I’m glad your back big brother. I’d of been mad at you if you left me to deal with mom and dad all alone.”
“Naw, don’t worry I wouldn’t do that to you. You still have graduation and college.”
“Oh man, see, you only been awake what…”
“Thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes. Thanks Tierra.”
“No problem.”
“And, you’re already going on about college?”
“Where is the reset button on this machine? I think you need another nap.”
“Oh you got jokes,” Qu said reaching over pulling his sister to him, tickling her relentlessly.
“Stop, Stop! MOM!!!” she screamed through giggles.
“Arghhhh!” Qu screamed out suddenly.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Chamani apologized.
“You want me to get the doctor?” his father asked.
“Naw, its ok dad. I’m good,” he replied sliding his hand into his fathers as they embraced.
“I’m sorry daddy, I didn’t mean…”
“Shhh, girl you ain’t did nothing. That would be your rock head brother.”
“We’re glad you’re back with us son. Now how about you put that stubbornness to the side and leave the wrestling alone until you get an OK from the doc, huh?”
He reached up and took hold of one of his sister’s hands and looked at her. “You’re lucky, daddy’s here!” he teased her, and stuck his tongue out at her.
She smiled.
With Qu awake and seemingly ok, Nicole, Tierra’s Abuela and Shireece exited the room and retreated back to the condo. Shireece went home to shower change clothes and inform her husband of the great news. Mother and daughter in-law, unable to convince Tierra to accompany them, took Chamani back to Tierra’s condo for some breakfast and a shower as well. Mr. and Mrs. Skeene went to the cafeteria to retrieve a cup of New England’s Best coffee and give their son a few moments with Tierra.
With everyone was gone, the duo seemed more like a couple on a blind date, than two friends who used to spend every waking moment in each other’s presence. There was so much Qu wanted to say, to confess to Tierra, but was now the time? He had spent his whole life in the presence of this wonderful woman that he referred to as his best friend, his lil sis, one of the guys. The past year that he was in California, he missed her tremendously. When he came back to town, and showed up at her door, he knew what his feelings were the moment she listened to his fears, his pain and helped him through it. He saw her through new eyes. Then the evening in her condo when he helped pick out that black dress for her… when she emerged from the bathroom, it was official. His heart was hooked he was a man in love. But, he had no idea how to reveal to the woman he loved, that he loved her without tearing apart their friendship.
Now add to that, the fact that she remained by his bedside and was his biggest supporter through this ordeal, praying day and night for his recovery. He knew she cared for him, and he had no doubt he’d do the same if it were her lying in a hospital bed somewhere. But, he wondered, did she share any of the same feelings for him that he had for her.
When his parents returned, the duo were talking and laughing. His mother watched as her son gazed at Tierra. She knew those eyes. They were the same ones her husband used to look at her before when he first confessed his love. She saw what appeared to be a look of love returned in Tierra gaze. But, she wondered, ‘if Tierra was in love with Aquarian, why did she accept the engagement ring from Malcolm, and where was it?’
Tierra’s heart was pounding very hard as Qu held onto her hand and gazed into her eyes. Being caught in his gaze made her feel uneasy. All she could do was smile. She was stumbling over her words. How was it that this man could so easily turn her into a pile of goo? She felt like a little child confused about the big world around her. She was twenty-eight, but in his presence she felt like a new woman. So much was in her life right now was new and she had no idea what she was going to do.
She had a new position at work, a proposal to consider, and too many emotions to figure out. She couldn’t wait till her next therapy session. She had a million questions, and this time she was going to demand some answers.
Some Things Never Change.