Shadows in the Dark

*JAMIRA*

It had been about three weeks since I had been at Ayana’s house, and I had thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. However, I still occasionally missed my own home. It was simply a comforting thought, knowing that my belongings were there.

My wounds had healed, and even my back had finally scabbed up, allowing me to jump into the shower without any pain. I was so excited that I could go back to wearing short sleeves and strapless tops that I had almost forgotten that it wasn’t summer, and the weather was barely warm outside.

I had also helped Ayana with her mother, and they were both grateful for my assistance. As a result, I had even gotten closer to her mother. We had engaged in conversations about various topics, and we had even discovered a show that we both enjoyed watching together. It was a show about a lawyer who suffers from short-term memory loss but manages to continue working and often forgets the people in her personal life, yet she still manages to win her cases. It was quite amusing.

At this point, I had picked up a brush and started brushing her mother’s hair out of habit, when she began to question me.

“So, what’s your plan?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” I replied.

“What are you going to do about your personal life?” she pressed.

“I suppose I haven’t given it much thought,” I admitted.

“You know you must have a plan. Don’t be out here making poor decisions,” she advised.

At the time, her words seemed a bit cryptic, but I suppose they would eventually make more sense.

Just then, my phone rang. The caller ID displayed Saint Simon’s Regional Hospital. I jumped up and excused myself.

“Hello?” I asked nervously.

“Hi, this is Dr. Ruth from Saint Simon’s Hospital. I’m looking for Jamira Hines,” she said.

“I’m speaking,” I replied, trying to sound more composed.

“Ah, I’m calling to inform you that Chris Kenneth is here and has you listed as an emergency contact. We require your consent to perform surgery on him and sign some paperwork.”

“Um, okay, what happened?” I asked, feeling a sense of unease.

“I’ll explain everything to you in person,” she assured me.

“Okay, I’m on my way,” I said, feeling a sinking sensation in my stomach.

I quickly ran to get a jacket and some shoes and dashed for the door.

“Is everything alright?” Ayana’s mom asked, her face filled with concern.

“Yeah, I have to go to the hospital,” I replied.

I drove frantically to the hospital, scared to find out what was wrong, but also wondering why I was his emergency contact. His mom was alive and well, so why hadn’t she been called?

I parked crooked as hell, trying to save time. Every second was precious. I ran into the building and went straight to the front desk.

“Hey, I’m looking for Dr. Ruth,” I said.

“Yes, I’ll page her right now,” the receptionist replied.

She called for Dr. Ruth, and a few moments later, a tall, red-haired woman with freckles and glasses came in. Her expression was as if she was deep in thought about how to tell me what she needed to say.

“Jamira?” she asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Chris was just admitted to the hospital right before we called you. He has really bad bruising and severe, deep wounds. We managed to stop some of the bleeding, but we believe he has internal bleeding and damage, and we needed to let the next of kin know,” she explained.

My ears began to ring, and I stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, the doctor’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I remembered where I was.

“Yes, yes, whatever you need to do to save his life, please do it,” I said.

She put her hand on my shoulder and said, “Thank you. We’ll let you know when we’re finished and able to let you see him.”

I nodded and took a seat in the waiting room. So many thoughts went through my head. What had happened? Was he going to be okay? Who had hurt him? I had been there for about ten minutes before it struck me to call his mom.

“Hello?” She answered.

The voice on the phone sounded both tired and confused.

“Hey, Mrs. Kenneth. This is Jamira. Chris is down here at Saint Simons Hospital,” I said.

“Oh my God. I’m coming,” she said, her voice laced with panic.

I waited there for almost an hour before she came bursting through the door. She was a short mahogany woman with salt and pepper hair that stopped and her shoulders in waves. She had deep set crows feet around her eyes and smile lines in her face. Each one telling a story to those willing to listen.

She took my hands into hers when she spotted me and walked over. She was always so kind and gentle. I liked that most about her.

“Thank you for calling me. I know you and Chris aren’t on the best of terms right now, but it means a lot that you’re here.”

“Anytime.” I said flatly.

We both sat there in anticipation waiting for the moment the doors would fly open and someone would let us know what happened.

We both were too worried to speak so we just sat there with thick silence between us. Both hoping the worst would never come.

Eventually she got up to go get us some coffee and snacks. We sat there with overwhelming emotion of sadness and worry. Every conversation I’d had about Chris up until this point replayed in my mind.

Even what Ayana’s mom said about having a plan.

I was unraveling by the second.