When Hell Freezes Over (33 page)

Concerned, Zenora asked, “You should've told him what, Meridan?”

“I can't have children. That's why Keaton and I could never get married. I know he wants children of his own and I could never give them to him.”

“I'm so sorry, Meridan. Is that why you asked if I wanted more grandchildren?”

“Yes,” she answered as she wiped her nose with a tissue.

Zenora sighed. “Meridan, children are truly a blessing. Just because you can't have your own doesn't mean you can't be a mother. As far as me wanting more grandchildren, that's not up to me. It's up to what God has planned in my children's lives.”

More tears fell from Meridan's eyes as she said, “Keaton wants his own children.”

“Honey, have you talked to him about this?”

“The other night on the yacht, I think Keaton was about to propose to me.
I panicked and did whatever I could to stop him. He could tell something was wrong so the next morning he questioned me about it. Zenora, I tried to tell him the truth but I started feeling scared and I couldn't do it. I love him so much, but I'm so afraid of losing him because of my lies!”

Zenora patted Meridan's hands and said, “Darling, it's okay. All you need to do is pray, then sit down and talk to Keaton about this. He deserves to know the truth and he needs to hear it from you. You need to know exactly how he feels about the situation and, if you ask me, I think you're worried for no reason.”

“I don't want to hurt Keaton, and I'm sorry for getting involved with him in the first place. No man wants a woman who can't give him a family.”

“Meridan, that's not always true.”

“I see how he is with MaLeah and Fredrick. He adores them and they adore him,” she whispered as she blew her nose.

Cupping her face, Zenora said, “They're his niece and nephew, Meridan. It's not the same. Honey, you are Keaton's match; no matter what you think. You two are good for each other. Don't you see it? Feel it?”

Shaking her head, she solemnly said, “I don't know anymore.”

“Ahh, Meridan.”

Meridan turned to her. “I need to get going and, Zenora, I would appreciate it if you would keep what I've told you between us right now.”

Patting her on the leg, she said, “I will, Meridan, and I'm here if you ever want to talk. Okay? Don't be so hard on yourself and give my son a little credit. He's a reasonable man, if you'd just explain everything to him.”

Opening her car door, she said, “I'll think about it, Zenora.”

“Okay, my dear. Now, let's get you to your plane. I pray that your friend will be okay.”

“So do I.”

They exited the car and walked into the airport together. After checking in, Zenora hugged and kissed Meridan and watched her walk down the tunnel to her plane.

Keaton couldn't concentrate. He was concerned that Meridan had to hurry back to Philadelphia without him by her side to protect her. It had also gotten to the point where he couldn't sleep peacefully without her. He knew sleep wouldn't come easy to him because holding her body against his as they slept felt right. The warmth of her body and the rhythm of her breathing were more soothing than he could've ever imagined and he was going to miss her. Her sensual body fit like the piece of a puzzle to his tall frame, a one-of-a-kind piece at that. As he shuffled the employee applications on his desk, he knew he had to clear the rest of his paperwork and join her in Philly as soon as possible.

 

M
eridan's taxi ride to the hospital wasn't fast enough for her. She had no idea what to expect when she saw Nikki. She prayed that everything would be okay. Her heart was beating wildly when the car pulled in front of the hospital. The taxi driver set her bags down and asked, “Will there be anything else, Ma'am?”

Still looking around, she removed her jacket, and said, “No thank you.”

Reaching inside her purse, she tipped him and walked into the hospital.

When he got on the floor of Nikki's room, she met Deacon in the hallway. He approached her with a worried look on his face.

“Deacon, what happened?”

He hugged her. “I'm still not sure. All I know is she was checking on your house and one of your neighbors called the police after hearing a gunshot. Nikki was found unconscious on your kitchen floor.”

Trembling, she asked, “How is she?”

Shaking his head, he said, “It's touch and go right now. The next twenty-four hours are crucial.”

She hugged his neck. “Was it Sam?”

“I'm pretty sure it was. I have some detectives working on the case.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“Meridan, you have to be careful. I'll be here as much as possible and, when I'm not here, I'll have an officer posted outside her room. Did Keaton come back with you?”

Wiping her eyes, she said, “He wanted to but I couldn't wait on him. He said he'd be here as soon as he could.”

“Good, because you can't be walking around here all alone.”

Meridan gnawed on her nail in despair. She knew in her gut that Sam was the one who shot Nikki.

“I'll be fine, Deacon,” she responded.

“This is nothing to play with, Meridan. You've already seen what Sam can do.” She nodded.

“Are you ready to go see Nikki?”

“Yes,” she reluctantly answered.

They walked into Nikki's room and Meridan's heart immediately broke. She looked so helpless. Turning to Deacon, she hugged him and sobbed loudly.

“It's okay, Meridan. She'll be fine,” he assured her. “She's just sleeping right now.”

“It's all my fault,” Meridan said.

He kissed her on the forehead. “No, it's not your fault.”

Releasing him, she said, “Excuse me for a second, Deacon. I need to go to the ladies room to get myself together.”

“Take your time. I know this is a shock, seeing her like this.”

“I'll be back in a second, Deacon.”

Meridan walked down the hallway to the bathroom. She took a breath and leaned over the sink. She felt nauseated, lightheaded, and weak. Turning on the faucet, she closed her eyes and sprinkled her face with cool water. A few seconds later, she felt the presence of someone else in the room. When she looked up into the mirror, she found Sam standing behind her.

Meridan gasped and before she could react, Sam had her pinned against the wall. A muscular hand covered her mouth, preventing her from screaming.

“Hey, baby. Long time, no see. Have you missed me?”

Meridan shook with fear. Sam's body gyrated into her sexually. Tears streamed down Meridan's face as a wicked grin appeared on Sam's face.

Seconds later, Sam stopped and said, “You still feel and smell just as sweet as you did back in college. I'm going to remove my hand and, if you scream, I'll kill you where you stand.”

Meridan nodded and Sam's hand lowered.

Meridan swallowed hard and asked, “Why are you doing this? Why did you have to hurt Nikki?”

Sam laughed. “I told you I was going to pay that bitch back. Enough about Nichole. Let's talk about us.”

Sam pulled Meridan over in front of the mirror and hugged her from behind. Meridan flinched in fear when she noticed the gun.

Sam tightened the grip and said, “We really do make the perfect couple, don't we?”

Angry, Meridan yelled, “How can we make a couple? We're both women for God's sake! For the last time, Samantha, I'm not gay, never have been gay, and will never be gay!”

Sam just looked in the mirror and smiled. She kissed Meridan on the back of the neck and said, “You know, from the time I was a little girl, the name Samantha never suited me. I'm so glad you guys started calling me Sam in college. It suits me much better, don't you think?”

Trying to get out of Sam's grip, Meridan said, “All I know is what you did to me was foul. You deserved everything you got and more.”

Sam turned Meridan around and put her finger in her face in anger.

“Let me tell you something. You're not going to stand there and act like you didn't like that loving I gave you. I love you, Meridan. Why can't you understand that?”

“You tried to kill me, Samantha,” Meridan whispered.

“I figured if I couldn't have you, no one would. That bitch, Nichole, ruined everything, and don't call me Samantha again.”

Pushing away, Meridan said, “It was Nikki who saved my life!”

“Well, she's paying for that now, isn't she? Who's going to save her?”

Silence surrounded them.

Meridan gritted her teeth. “If anything happens to Nikki, I will see to it that you don't see the light of another day.”

Sam grabbed Meridan by the throat and pushed her hard against the wall.

“You can't threaten me, sweetheart. Nichole put herself in this hospital and until I have my way with you, I will not stop at getting what I want…you.”

Meridan struggled to breathe as Samantha leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips. She released her grip and turned to walk away. She stopped halfway to the door. She was dressed in baggy jeans, a Chicago Bears throwback jersey, and a black scarf tied around her head. She was every bit of six-three,
very tall for a woman, and could easily be mistaken for a man by her muscular build.

She turned slowly and said, “By the way, whoever that tall dude is that I've seen you hanging around with…get rid of him before he has an accident worse than Nikki's. See you soon.”

Meridan's heart jumped up into her throat. She now realized that Sam had been stalking her. The last thing she wanted was for Keaton to get hurt. Before she could respond, Sam laughed and disappeared through the door.

Returning to Nikki's room in a daze, reality had set in. When she walked in, Deacon looked up and said, “Damn, Meridan, you look like you've seen a ghost.”

It was at that moment she started to have trouble breathing. Deacon ran over to her and caught her before she slid to the floor.

He yelled, “Nurse! I need some help in here!”

A nurse ran in and saw Meridan struggling to breathe.

Deacon was frantic trying to find out what was wrong with her. “Meridan, what's wrong? Talk to me! Nurse! Help her!”

The nurse attended to Meridan as quickly as she could. She tried to talk to Meridan in as calmly as possible.

Deacon looked at the nurse. “What's going on?”

“She's hyperventilating, Sir.”

The nurse called for assistance and after a few tense moments, Meridan's breathing was back to normal.

Deacon held her hand and tried to soothe her as best he could. Minutes later the nurse removed the items covering her mouth and nose and asked, “Are you feeling better?”

Meridan nodded and whispered, “Yes. Thank you.”

The nurse took her vital signs. “She'll be fine, Sir. Just give her a few more minutes. If anything changes, give me a call.”

“Thank you, Nurse.”

“You're welcome,” she said before leaving the room.

Meridan lay back in the chair and Deacon gave her a cup of water. She gulped the water down and looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

He softly asked, “What happened, Meridan? You scared the shit out of me.”

She swallowed hard. “It was Sam. Sam did this to Nikki.”

“How do you know?”

“She cornered me in the bathroom and made all kinds of threats.”

“This is getting out of hand, Meridan,” he said as he checked his .9mm. “When I see her, I might have to take justice into my own hands. I'll be right back.”

“I'm sure she's long gone by now,” she said with sadness as she looked over at Nichole.

Putting the gun back into his holster, he yelled, “I'm still going to look for the bitch!”

Touching his hand softly, Meridan said, “Deacon, please don't do anything to ruin your career. Samantha's luck will run out in due time. She needs to be stopped before she hurts anyone else. Now she's threatening to hurt Keaton if I don't stay away from him.”

“Don't worry. I'll make sure she's dealt with. Stay here with Nikki. I'm going out for a while. The policeman I ordered is on his way upstairs. I'm going out to find that heifer and bring her in.”

Meridan kissed him on the cheek. “Be careful and thanks, Deacon.”

“I will.”

 

H
ours later, Meridan realized she hadn't called Keaton to give him a report on Nikki. Looking at her watch, she noticed it was late, but she really needed to hear his voice. She nervously waited for him to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Keaton,” she answered softly.

“I've been calling you and all I got was your voicemail. What's up? What happened to Nikki?”