Brooklyn Bombshells: Part 2

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey, baby. How are you?”

“Better now that you’re here,” he replied warmly.

She smiled.

“I love you,” he said with unwavering certainty.

“I love you too, Mateo.”

Mateo sat up with ease. His legs were wobbly and his coordination was still off, but his upper body strength had returned.

“Don’t you look gorgeous?” He kissed Chanel’s hand and patted his bed for her to sit down beside him. She did.

“Me?” she replied, “I’m starting to think I’m competing with you lately. And don’t think I don’t know about you and Nurse Beth.”

His smile was wide. “She gives the best sponge baths.”

“What!”

“She likes to pay extra attention all around here.” Mateo’s left hand circled his groin area. They both chuckled, but Chanel thought there was some truth to that.

Chanel saw a game sitting on the chair.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a game Pyro bought for me. It’s called Mahjong. You wanna play?”

She perked up and shook her head. “Pyro? When was this?”

“He came by last night cryin’ on my shoulders ’bout that baby mama drama. Ain’t you glad I saved myself for you?”

“And I saved my . . .” her voice trailed off.

“You know that your values still stand, Chanel. Don’t ever think differently. You’re still the woman who saved herself for me—who is still saving herself for us, for our love. If it’s taken, then it doesn’t count. Remember that—it doesn’t count.”

Chanel nodded.

Nurse Beth came in to check Mateo’s vitals just in time to break the somber turn the conversation had taken.

“Hello, handsome,” she sang as she pulled out her stethoscope. Chanel peeped how she took the extra step to warm the chestpiece before placing it on Mateo’s heart. To Chanel, Beth was ancient. She was at least thirty-five years old, with brown skin and natural hair. Her apple bottom was her best asset, and by the looks of how tight her scrubs were hugging her hips, Beth knew it too.

Next, she grabbed Mateo’s wrist to check his heart rate. While Beth was counting, Chanel asked, “How’s he doing?”

Nurse Beth’s index finger quickly shot up to silence her. A couple of awkward moments of silence and finally she said to Mateo, “You have a resting heart rate of sixty, which is very good. You’ll be out of here soon.” She smiled again at him. “I’ll be sad to see you go.”

She was off to the next patient, and Chanel realized she never spoke directly to her. This contributed t

o her already funky mood.

“There goes your cougar.” Chanel was being snarky.

“You mean panther.”

Chanel rolled her eyes. “She’s at least forty.”

“Nah, she just a little older than me,” he replied, scooting over so Chanel could lie next to him and snuggle.