Novels by Sweetrose

Envelope 24th was shaking in two hands at the same time.Past Jasmine, 22 weeks and 4 days, water broken, cerclage holding, blood pressure 74/42 now because palm oil was working, on Bed 7 outside OR 3 at 7:50 PM Lenox Hill private wing, holding envelope 24th that Future Jasmine gave her at 11:26 PM on rooftop May 25, 2027, to close the loop after six babies.Future Jasmine, 40 weeks on paper, but delivering tonight at 22 weeks present time, one year early, on a stretcher two feet away from Past Jasmine, sweating, Ankara under hospital gown, gele small under cap, $5 plastic ring from Queens on finger that Damian bought as joke and she never took off, holding same envelope 24th at same time, at 11:26 PM rooftop time and 7:50 PM Lenox Hill time, holding six babies crying inside OR 3 at 140, 142, 138, 141, 139, 129 beats per minute.Lila age three on Damian's left hip, holding four pancake pieces, counting, "Five plus one accidental = six pancakes. Free rent forever for fourteen now? Plus

Sixteen heartbeats flatlined at 7:48 PM in Lenox Hill private wing because a 20-year-old Pancake from May 25, 2047, was talking from inside her 60-year-old grandma on a rooftop.Beeeeeeeeeep.Dr. Patel had given up on the crash cart. She was sitting on the floor of OR 3, holding five future babies who were born one year early at 40 weeks — five healthy, crying, 140-142 bpm — plus she was holding the photo from 2047 with ten children and a shadow at 11:26 PM, plus she was holding Lila age four's unicorn backpack that had two future pancake pieces.Past Jasmine, 22 weeks and 4 days, water broken, cerclage holding, five plus five angels inside, was on Bed 7 outside OR 3, BP 72/44, holding envelope 22nd that future Jasmine gave her at 11:24 PM after delivering five healthy. Plastic $5 Queens ring on her finger.Future Jasmine, 40 weeks, May 25, 2027, but delivered tonight at 7:35 PM one year early, five healthy crying inside OR 3, was on stretcher outside OR 3 too, holding envelope 22nd s

Sixteen heartbeats flatlined at 7:41 PM in Lenox Hill private wing because a 60-year-old woman from May 25, 2047, slammed the rooftop door shut.Beeeeeeeeeep.Dr. Patel didn't even look at the monitor anymore. She was holding five future babies who had just been delivered one year early — five healthy, 40 weeks, crying at 140, 142, 138, 141, 139 bpm, but now flatlined on the monitor because the monitor was confused about time — and she was holding a pancake piece that Lila age three had given her."Sixteen flatlines, fifteen deliveries, two Jasmines, two Lilas, two Pancakes, five angels, one cat in three places, one plastic ring in two places, one framed $5400 notice that says FREE RENT FOREVER. I am too old for this family," she whispered, but she was smiling, because Act 2 falling for nanny was supposed to be funny and emotional, and this was both.Past Jasmine, 22 weeks and 4 days, water broken, cerclage holding, five plus five angels inside — five real at 133, 135, 131, 134, 132 b

Fifteen heartbeats flatlined at 7:25 PM in Lenox Hill private wing because two waters broke on the same night one year apart.Past Jasmine: 22 weeks and 4 days, water broken since Chapter 24, cerclage holding, BP 68/38, five plus five angels inside — five real at 133, 135, 131, 134, 132 bpm, five angels at 120, 118, 119, 117, 116 bpm, plus faint 115 bpm 1890 first Yaba woman — ten plus? Fifteen flatlines beeeeeeeeeep.Future Jasmine: 40 weeks, May 25, 2027, water broke at 7:23 PM tonight in present, five healthy at 40 weeks ready to deliver, same $5 NYU hoodie but stretched, same plastic $5 Queens ring but on same finger, same face one year older, standing next to past Jasmine on Bed 7.Two Jasmines, one bed, one rooftop door open with cold Park Avenue air and helicopter light still bright like daytime from Chapter 24, Genevieve's white pantsuit blanket still handcuffed to rooftop railing, FBI Art Crimes still looking for Mr. Whiskers who was now in three places — Flatbush fridge, Len

Nine heartbeats flatlined at 7:15 PM in Lenox Hill private wing because a rooftop that hasn't happened yet — May 25, 2027, 40 weeks, one year from now — decided to happen tonight at 22 weeks and 4 days.Beeeeeeeeeep.Dr. Patel had stopped shouting. She was sitting on the floor next to the crash cart, holding the portable monitor that showed nine flatlines — five babies loud, four angels soft: 1950 Yaba great-great-great-grandma at 117 bpm, 1975 Yaba grandma at 118 bpm, 2019 Vanessa's angel at 119 bpm, February 2026 Jasmine's angel at 120 bpm, plus five quintuplets at 133, 135, 131, 134, 132 bpm — and she was eating one of Lila's pancake pieces that had survived Tribeca, Lenox Hill, Tokyo, JFK, Flatbush, van, Lenox Hill again."At this point, flatline is just our family ringtone," she muttered.Jasmine was on Bed 7, $5 NYU hoodie, plastic $5 Queens ring on her own finger because she put it on herself in Flatbush Apt 3B free rent forever, BP 72/44 dropping again. Lila age three was on h

Seven heartbeats flatlined in Flatbush at 6:27 PM because even a $12,000 portable monitor that had survived Lenox Hill private wing at $282,000 a night, a Tokyo boardroom on the 60th floor, a private jet over the Pacific, and 100 aunties on Lagos Zoom at 1 AM shouting about bride price cannot handle seven heartbeats when it was built for one.Beeeeeeeeeep.Dr. Patel on Zoom from Lenox Hill, who had been on Zoom since Chapter 24 and had not slept since, shouted, "Seven flatline! Jasmine BP 70/40! Five plus two angels! Need to get to Lenox Hill now! No more Yaba market envelopes!"Mr. G, landlord, who had framed his torn $5400 eviction notice that now said FREE RENT FOREVER - APT 1B, 3B, 4B COMBINED + ROOF, grabbed the keys to his van that still smelled like jollof and shea butter and Ghana-Must-Go bags."Flatbush to Lenox Hill, 25 minutes, FDR traffic, I know shortcut!"Jasmine was on the floor of Apt 3B, $5 NYU hoodie riding up over bump with five plus two angels inside, plastic $5 Qu

10 years laterCalifornia.Small house but same yellow kitchen, we painted it same yellow on first daySofia is 14 now and tall. She had same eyes as Sal but my mouthShe still collects rocksShe has boyfriend now, Jake, who is scared of Sal which is funny because Sal is soft now, he wears glasses and makes coffee and runs Maya Romano Gallery by beach, not guns.Leo is old now, 12, white face, sleeps all day in sun.Sal is 43, hair with little grey, still carries me when I’m brave, still sings to Sofia but now Sofia says "Papa stop you’re embarrassing" but she smiles.Ana still works with usHer mother lives with us in small house behind gallery, makes tamales every SundayAna never put note in pocket again, she puts love notes now, in Sofia’s lunch box.Marco is Don now in New York, he visits every summer with his wife and 2 kidsHe says business is clean now, no bullets, just buildingsElena —Elena moved to Italy.She married nice man who owns a bookstore, she sends Sofia birthday

Sal flipped every soup bowl until we got to Elena’s bowl and under it there was a small folded paper and it said Hi Maya. It’s me. The one who loves Sal more than you ever could. And I’ve been in this house longer than you.Everyone looked at Elena.Elena stood up shaking."It’s not me. I swear it’s not me. I didn’t write that. Why would I put note under my own bowl, that’s stupid, I would put it under someone else’s bowl"But Sal’s eyes were already on her and his eyes were not husband eyes, they were Don eyes."Elena, you were in this house since you were 14. You had dinner here every Sunday with my father. You know blind spots. You know lake house. You were at docks tied up but you weren’t tied tight, Marco said rope was loose."Elena cried "Because Daniel is 19 and doesn’t know how to tie rope, not because I — "Marco interrupted."Boss, I checked cameras from tonight. Elena’s car. She arrived at house 2 hours before you. She said she was kidnapped for 2 days but her car has fresh

I stood upstairs with the photo in my hand shaking so hard I couldn’t breathe and downstairs someone laughed again, a woman’s laugh, and I heard Sal say "Mama more bread" and Elena say "This soup is good" and Ana say "Thank you" and I knew whoever took that photo at the docks was downstairs right now eating soup with my daughter asleep in my arms.I walked downstairs slowly with sofia in my armsPhoto hidden in my pajama pocketEveryone looked upSal smiled tiredHis mom stood up "Maya you should eat."I looked at each face.Ana - crying still, holding her mother’s hand tight.Ana’s mother - old, praying till, hands shakingElena - hair messy, lipstick gone, eating soup like she hadn’t eaten in 2 daysMarco - standing by door, not eating, guarding.Sal’s mom - servingWhoWho took photo of me hugging Daniel at the docks tonight.Only people there were us and police.Unless someone at docks was hidden watching.Unless someone told Daniel where to hide Elena’s photo on his wallUnless s

Midnight.The docks smelled like fish and diesel and cold water and Sal held my hand so tight I lost feeling and Marco was behind us with 3 men hidden in the shadows and Ana was in the car with Sofia and Sofia’s grandma and Leo because Sal said "No child sees this, no matter what" and I agreed because I didn’t want Sofia to see the place where Victor died come back through his son.Daniel was waiting in the old fish factory with one light bulb swinging and Elena tied to a chair in the middle and her mouth taped and her eyes red and swollen from crying all day and next to her was Ana’s mother, tiny old woman tied too but not taped, just crying quietly praying in Spanish.And in the middle was Daniel.Same nose as Victor. Same jacket. Black leather with red stitch. But younger. Skinnier. Trying to be hard but his hands shaking holding a gun that was too big for him."You came," he said and smiled but it wasn’t smile, it was Victor’s smile copy pasted. "I thought you wouldn’t come, Maya.

Sal drove so fast on the lake road that the trees blurred and the fog ate the headlights and Sofia kept saying "Papa fast, Papa fast" like it was a game but it wasn’t a game because the black SUV with no plates behind us stayed exactly three car lengths behind no matter how fast Sal went and when he sped up it sped up and when he slowed it slowed and I knew that game, I knew that game from 5 years ago when Victor used to follow me before he tried to take me.My phone buzzed and it was the same unknown number and it was a photo of our car from behind taken right now by the car following us and the text said Stop running Maya you know you want to see me and I showed it to Sal and his jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth.He called Marco on loudspeaker and said "Lake road north black SUV no plates following for 10 minutes" and Marco said "I’m 20 minutes away don’t stop keep driving to main road I’ll cut him off" but 20 minutes was too long, 20 minutes on this road at 4am with Sofia in

I called Sal and he came running and he read the note that someone had put in Sofia’s pocket and he went white like all the blood left his face and then we heard Leo barking like crazy in the glass garden again and Marco was already running there with his gun and his mom grabbed Sofia from me and said "Inside, panic room, now" but I couldn’t move because my hands were shaking holding that little piece of paper that had been inside my daughter’s clothes, inside her pocket, where her little hand goes when she collects rocks.Someone touched my daughter.Someone touched my daughter and put a note in her pocket and wrote Chapter 25 will break her.Me.Her.It meant me. It was going to break me.Sal ran to the garden.I ran after him even though his mom yelled "Maya no" because I’m her mother and if someone touched her I need to see where.In the glass garden there was nothing at first.Just Leo barking at the bench.Then Marco lifted the bench again and under it there was a second box.No