Murderville 2: The Epidemic (28 page)

Rocko shook his head and spoke up. “I got this. I’ll clean this mess up, fam.”

Po placed a hand on Rocko’s shoulder, then escorted Dahlia to her room, consoling her as he went.

*    *    *

Liberty paced her room for hours waiting for Po to emerge from Dahlia’s bedroom. She was livid and her mind was racing. Liberty saw a thousand holes in Dahlia’s flimsy story, and it was at that point that she began to look at Dahlia through a suspicious lens.
I know Trixie. There is no way she came here to rob that safe.
Finally, Po came into the room.

“She’s resting now,” Po said. “She was traumatized.”

“She’s lying, Po,” Liberty blurted out. “Why would Trixie come here to rob you? She could have easily just waited until the next job to flee with your diamonds. You’ve sent her across country, and she came back with your money on point every time! Think about it, Po!”

“I’m done talking about it, Liberty. Just stay in your place, ma. Don’t worry about my business. I hate that you had to see that. Just let me handle it,” Po replied.

“Po!”

“Liberty! I said drop it! A murder just happened where I rest my head. Let me think,” Po shouted.

Liberty stormed out of the room. She saw Dahlia heading toward her. Liberty had a gut feeling that there was so much more to the story than Dahlia was exposing. The two women faced off silently as Dahlia walked past her. They locked eyes, and Liberty noticed a slight smile of arrogance cross Dahlia’s face.

There is something very wrong about this. I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her. She’s lying about something, and I’m going to find out.

TWENTY-FOUR

LIBERTY SAT AT HER VANITY, LEANING OVER
with her elbows resting on the glass top as she inhaled to stop herself from throwing up. Po knocked and entered to see her. Despite the fact that she felt horrible, she was the vision of beauty. The peach one-shoulder, Grecian-style sundress she wore complemented her skin tone well. Her small baby bump was barely visible as she stood up.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“Beautiful, ma,” Po replied.

“I don’t know if I can make it through this. I can barely keep anything down,” Liberty said. “I might throw up on my guests.”

They shared a laugh, and the unlikely couple stared at each other, foreheads pressed together in joy. This child would be the glue that held them together.

“Come down when you’re ready. Take your time,” Po said. “I know that what we have isn’t perfect, ma, but it’s ours, and I love you.”

Liberty smiled and replied, “I love you too.”

Liberty took her time and waited until all of her guests had arrived before she made her appearance. Dahlia stood beside Po with a glass of champagne in her hand. “She looks beautiful,” Dahlia complimented honestly. Even she was taken aback by the brightness of Liberty’s glow. She cut her eyes as she took her seat, while Liberty worked the room.

Rocko approached Liberty and hugged her gently. “Congratulations, sis,” he said.

“Thank you, Rocko,” she replied, overjoyed at all the love people were showering her with. She didn’t know many of the guests. Most of them were there on behalf of Po, but they were more than generous.

Liberty’s baby shower was a success, and expensive presents overflowed on the gift table. Dahlia sat back as Po’s workers and their girlfriends and wives approached Liberty. She rolled her eyes in disgust. Liberty was so overwhelmed that she didn’t even wear her crown right.
Bitch don’t even know what to do with her position,
Dahlia thought. She didn’t even bother to speak to Liberty. Tension had been thick since Trixie’s death. Only a few weeks had passed, and Liberty made it clear that she didn’t believe Dahlia’s story. The line had been drawn in the sand. Liberty was on one side and Dahlia was on the other. Po labeled Dahlia loyal and respected her even more since Trixie’s shooting. In his eyes, she had proved her worth and would forever have a friend in him, but Liberty was beginning to see through her cousin and made no attempt to hide her contempt.

Liberty spotted Dahlia across the room and immediately felt torn between family and common sense. Dahlia was her last living blood relative.
Why don’t I trust her?
She asked herself. Po came to her side, interrupting her thoughts.

“Let me introduce you to my people,” Po said. He held her hand lovingly, and they took a step forward.

It was important for her to know the names and faces of his crew. That way, she would be able to decipher friend from foe. Anyone who had the privilege of being in Po’s home was trusted, but for added assurance, he had security tucked discreetly throughout the party. Even Liberty had no idea that the armed men were there for her protection. Before Liberty could even get across the room, a sharp pain erupted in her lower abdomen. She stopped abruptly, and her hand tightened around Po’s bicep.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

Liberty felt another sharp pain shoot through her, and this time it caused her to double over slightly.

“Something’s not right,” she whispered. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Liberty’s eyes watered as Po carefully rushed her through the crowd and into the half bath.

“What’s happening? Talk to me, Liberty,” Po said.

Her heart raced as she sat down on the toilet. She pulled down her panties and gasped in horror at the blood that filled her underwear.

“No! No! No!” she screamed as Po’s heart went numb. He sprang into action and picked her up as he carried her out of the house.

“Yo, Rocko! Get the car!” he yelled, his voice alarming the guests and causing everyone to look their way.

Rocko sprang to action, and Dahlia hopped from her seat as they followed Liberty and Po out of the house with a worried crowd behind them.

“What’s happening?” Dahlia screamed in fake concern, but she already knew that her master plan was in full swing. She had been waiting for the Plan-B pills to take their toll on Liberty’s pregnancy, and she had a feeling that it had finally happened.

“She’s bleeding!” Po shouted urgently.

“I’ll handle everything here! Don’t worry, Liberty. Everything will be okay,” Dahlia said as she turned to usher everyone back inside.

Po got in the backseat with Liberty as Rocko burnt rubber out of the driveway.

Liberty’s insides felt as if they were being wrung out with an iron grip. She cringed as cramps hit her lower abdomen like a prized boxer. The intense pain ripped through her body as she felt blood leaking between her legs. She tried to clench her thighs tightly, locking them in place as if it could keep her baby trapped inside. “Hurry!” she cried out. Her intuition was telling her that something was seriously wrong. This wasn’t normal, and she feared the worst.

Liberty was doubled over, clenching her stomach as the car swerved in and out of traffic. Every bump they hit seemed to rattle her insides. Rocko raced into the hospital parking lot and illegally whipped right to the front door, pulling onto the sidewalk, barely missing bystanders that
stood outside. Commotion erupted as Po carried Liberty out.

“I’ma park and meet you inside!” Rocko shouted. Liberty clung to Po, grimacing over his shoulder as he rushed her through the double doors.

A woman dressed in nurse’s scrubs rushed to meet the distressed couple.

“Help us. She’s pregnant, and she’s bleeding,” Po said. The woman sprang into action, retrieving a wheelchair for Liberty to sit in and whisked her off, leaving Po standing in the lobby watching in frustration.

*    *    *

Liberty stared at the hospital ceiling as the sterile smell of the room made her stomach turn. She cried because before the doctor even told her the diagnosis, she knew what had occurred. She had seen it too many times before during her days of working the ho stroll not to remember. Po held onto her hand the entire time trying to appear strong. He knew that he couldn’t break. She needed him right now, and although his stomach was hollow from grief, he maintained his composure for Liberty’s sake. They had been at the hospital for hours, and it felt as though a million nurses had conducted a million tests. As they waited for answers they didn’t speak. Neither of them knew exactly what to say. No words could express what they were feeling. Suffering in silent agony they retreated inside of themselves, both pondering the “what-nows” and “what-ifs.” A slim, tall woman entered the room carrying Liberty’s chart in her hands.

“My name is Dr. Miscka, and after reviewing all of your tests’ results, I’m sorry to say that you have suffered a miscarriage.”

The doctor’s voice was so technical, as if her words hadn’t just destroyed Liberty.

“We’ll keep you overnight and release you in the morning. I can prescribe something for the pain. You’ll have menstrual-like cramps for the next few days, but you should be fine,” Dr. Miscka informed them.

“What caused this?” Po asked, his voice steady and even, as if he had taken all of the emotion out simply so that it wouldn’t crack.

“Miscarriages are very common. It’s an unfortunate event, but most women go on to have successful pregnancies in the future. Sometimes things in the body just don’t support a healthy pregnancy and miscarriages occur. It’s no one’s fault. These things just happen,” the doctor replied. She gave Po a sympathetic pat on the back and said, “Please page the nurses if you need anything.”

She left the room, and as soon as Liberty heard the door click closed her hard front caved. She cried long and hard as Po stood nearby, gripping her hand. There wasn’t much he could do to ease her pain. He was going through his own, and all they could do was lean on each other in hope that they made it through. Liberty held his hand tightly and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure that she had a future with Po without a baby bonding them, and she feared what was to come now that their love was being put to the test.

*    *    *

Two months had passed, and Liberty withdrew inside of herself as she processed her loss in silence. No one, not even Po, could understand how it felt to have life inside of her one moment and leaking out of her the next. She was angry, bitter, and confused. Wondering why her life had been filled with such bad events she grew resentful at God for dealing her a shitty hand. Liberty grew cold, and although her body had healed in no time, her spirit felt permanently injured. She barely spoke to Po, and when he tried to initiate a conversation with her she showed no interest. Liberty was dry with him, and it was almost as if she took her anger out on him, despite Po being the only other person in the world that mourned with her.

Po understood, even if she didn’t think he did. To love a woman like Liberty was difficult. She didn’t come with an instruction manual. Her soul was like an onion, and there were so many layers to peel back to see the true Liberty. Her past had done a number on her, and the one time she had gotten her hopes up for the future, she had been let down.

I don’t deserve this,
she thought.
Why do I lose everything that I love?
she wondered. A piece of her didn’t want to care for Po because she was positive that he would be next to exit her life. He made her too happy, and the blueprint of her life was one of sadness. He just didn’t fit. She had no idea that she was pushing him away.

The silence in his home had become maddening. Po couldn’t think clearly because he was distracted by the
conflict that was brewing between him and Liberty. He entered the bedroom that Liberty had confined herself to and stormed over to the picturesque window and suddenly pulled open the drapes, allowing the bright sun to spill into the depressing room.

“Po, close the curtains,” Liberty moaned. He looked back at her. Her hair was all over her head; her eyes were swollen and red. She looked like shit.

He took a deep breath and walked over to her bedside, taking a seat on the edge as he grabbed her hand.

“We’re going to be okay, ma. I love you, and I’m sorry about the baby. I wanted that baby too, more than you know. You have to get up, Liberty. What you’re doing ain’t healthy, ma. You can’t just shut down because one bad thing happened,” Po reasoned.

“
One
bad thing?” she replied sarcastically, feeling sorry for herself. She sat up and snatched her hand away from him. “Try a lifetime of bad things, Po! I lose everything and everyone I love. The baby, A’shai!”

Po’s jaws clenched in anger. “Don’t mention his name in the same sentence as my baby! You still on that nigga?” he shouted in frustration. No matter how much they grew together, there was always a ghost keeping them apart. “I’m real tired of hearing the nigga’s name, Liberty. I was understanding at first because I can respect what you shared with him, but now I’m questioning if you’re my bitch or his.” He stood up.

“You don’t understand,” she replied with tears in her eyes.

“I don’t? I lost somebody before you too, Liberty! In fact, you just might have her heart in your chest! But you don’t ever hear me throw her name in your face!” Po answered.

Liberty shook her head and got out of bed. Standing directly in his face she said, “You don’t have to say her name, Po! I see the way you drift off into the past when you look at me. You don’t even see me. You see her! Let’s stop pretending like this is about us. This is about them. The baby just gave us an excuse to stay together.” She stormed past him, headed to the master bathroom, and waited until she heard him slam the door before she burst into tears. She knew that she didn’t mean what she said. Of course she missed A’shai, but Po had found a place in her heart as well. There was room for him, and she wanted him, but the toll that life had taken on her was causing her to push him away. She didn’t know that her distance only made him grow closer to someone else.

Po stormed out of the room before he said something that he couldn’t take back. “I’ve got to get the fuck out of here,” he whispered as he grabbed the keys to his Porsche Cayenne and exited the house. Dahlia pulled up just as he locked the door and greeted him with a smile. Her pleasant face was a welcome relief from the stressful argument he had just had.