reached inside of his jacket pocket and pulled out the box that held the ring inside. He opened it and stared at the flawless cut of the diamond. It’s all or nothing, he thought as he snapped the box closed and exited the vehicle. He went to the front door, walking slowly as he thought back on his life as a single man. He had always been with Six, but he had enjoyed many chicks on the side over the years.
Damn, it’s time to give all that up. It’s time to fly straight, he thought to himself. Free reached inside his jean pockets in search of his house keys. “Damn, where those mu’fuckas at?” he muttered in frustration as he patted his pockets. He went back to his car to see if he had left the keys inside. He looked everywhere, but his hunt was fruitless.
He jogged back up to the house and rang the doorbell. He could hear the sound of R. Kelly’s “12 Play” crooning throughout the house. The music was drowning out the sound of the doorbell as he continued to ring, waiting for Six to answer.
He grew impatient and made his way around the back of the house. He lifted his hand and banged on the back door, knocking hard so Six could hear him. To his surprise, the door cracked slightly. The smell of incense greeted him as soon as he stepped inside the door. All of the curtains were pulled closed, and the only light came from candles that had been strategically placed throughout the house.
“Six!” he yelled as he made his way through the house. He gripped the ring tightly as he rushed to find her. “Baby girl, where you at?” Free received no answer as he walked through the living room. The room was so dark that he lost his balance as he tripped over something that lay in the middle of the floor.
“Damn,” he muttered as he reached to the wall and flicked the light switch. His eyes immediately focused on the odd pair of Tims that sat in the middle of his floor. Fuck, this bitch done had a nigga in my house.
Free’s thoughts went from loving Six to being enraged with her in less than three seconds. He darted up the steps that led to his bedroom and heard moans coming from inside his room. He was squeezing the ring box so tightly that his knuckles hurt from the pressure. He walked to the bedroom door, and his suspicions were confirmed by the sight that he saw. His heart caught in his throat as he watched the love of his life blatantly betraying him. Her moans drowned his eardrums as another man grinded in and out of her, while her eyes rolled in the back of her head.
Free didn’t know what happened next. He couldn’t control his emotions. All rational thought went out of the window. Red and black filled his vision.
“Bitch, you fucking this nigga? You love this mu’fucka?”
Free was so hurt that darkness clouded his vision.
“You fucking this nigga?” he asked in utter distress as he pulled his pistol from his waistline.
Pow, pow, pow!
“Bitch, you fucking this nigga?”
Nothing but darkness and the sounds of the bullets entering flesh could be heard.
Pow, pow, pow!
So much red…blood flowed freely from the bodies of both victims. Blood on Free’s hands…blood on his shirt, his shoes, blood in his eyes. The sound of his heart breaking fell on deaf ears. No one was alive to hear him.
Pow!
One final bullet….
Pow!
Three Weeks Later
A pulsating pain shot through Six’s body as she slowly opened her eyes. The room was dark, and she was unaware of her surroundings. Beep, beep, beep, beep. The steady tone of the machines around her was all that could be heard. The small sound seemed so loud inside her head. Each beep made a sharp explosion go off inside her brain, causing her great pain. Her eyes darted wildly around the room as she searched for something familiar. Where am I? What happened? she thought frantically as she tried to move her body. Her lungs felt deprived of air as she struggled to breathe deeply. She wanted to sit up, she wanted to scream for help, but her body would not cooperate. No matter how hard she tried, she was unable to move. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and her heart rate increased dramatically as fear gripped her body. Beep, beep, beep, beep. The sound of the machines intensified, and she heard the sound of people rushing into her room.
“Is she all right? What’s happening to her?” Six heard Big Lou’s voice, and her eyes scanned the many faces that were surrounding her bed as she tried to locate him.
“I’m sorry, sir, you have to wait outside. You can see her once we’ve stabilized her.”
“Is she okay? Just tell me what’s happening!” she heard Big Lou demand, his voice frantic with worry.
“Free!” she cried out. His voice was the only voice that she didn’t hear. He was the one that she needed right now. Where is he?
“I need her calm. Her body is in shock,” one of the doctors instructed. Six watched as a young nurse filled a syringe with fluid and injected it into her arm.
“No! Free—I want to see Free!” Six cried in a raspy tone. Her voice was almost inaudible. Her body was weak, but she still fought against the hospital staff as she begged to see her man.
“Look at my hand and count down with me,” a doctor stated.
“Five, four, three, two…” Before he even got to one Six felt her eyelids close involuntarily, taking her to a temporary sanctuary of peace.
Six opened her eyes and immediately sensed the figure who was sitting in the chair beside her bed. She couldn’t move her head to see who it was, but she could feel him watching her.
“Free,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“Free’s not here, Six. It’s me, Big Lou,” he whispered as he stood up so that she could see him. “You had me worried for a minute, sis.”
“Where is Free? What happened to me? I feel like I can’t breathe. Why isn’t he here?” she asked.
“You don’t remember anything? You don’t remember what happened?” Big Lou asked her in bewilderment.
“No, where is he, Lou?”
Before Big Lou could respond, a middle-aged black man entered the room. He was wearing a long lab coat with blue scrubs underneath. Big Lou was grateful for the interruption. He didn’t know how to tell Six that Free was dead.
“Six Jones,” the doctor stated as he walked up to her bed. He took off his stethoscope and placed the cold metal to her chest. “You are a very lucky young woman.”
“What happened to me?” she asked the doctor. The doctor’s face immediately expressed confusion as he looked toward Big Lou.
“She doesn’t remember,” Big Lou answered the doctor’s question before he could even ask it.
“Well, Ms. Jones…” the doctor started. He was hesitant to inform her of her condition. “You were shot in the head. You are extremely lucky to be alive. That’s why you are having such a hard time moving and breathing. During the shooting, a part of your brain called the cerebellum was injured. A part of the brain stem that controls your breathing was also injured. The massive head trauma that you have sustained has caused you to become immobile.”
“I’m paralyzed?” Six whispered with tears in her eyes. She stared up toward the ceiling as she tried to process what the doctor was telling her.
“Not exactly. The damage is not permanent. But your body has to learn how to function again. That’s why you are hooked up to the breathing machine. Your brain is not sending the correct signals to the rest of your body. You can’t breathe or move on your own yet.”
“Where is Free? I need him,” she said as her tears began to flow. She gasped for air, struggling to breathe.
“She doesn’t know?” the doctor asked as he looked toward Big Lou again.
“I can’t