My Woman His Wife Saga (39 page)

I swear she's just as messy now as she was back then.
I knew I saw Monica fly past my room earlier, but did I think that she would show up at my press conference? Hell no! Then she came in there asking questions, and stirring up shit for no reason.
Why is this woman constantly trying to wreck my flow?
If I would have known that a night of great sex with a sexy-ass woman would lead to all of this mess years later, I would have stayed faithful to my damn wife, or at least used a condom. Maybe we wouldn't have been in this shit now. As a matter of fact, I know we wouldn't. Hindsight is a bitch in a sexy dress and heels, and whatever lesson she intended to teach had been well learned. Trust me on that one. After all of these trials and tribulations I couldn't even be sure that I would even want to touch my wife.

I left the press conference feeling defeated, but I was glad that it was over. Now that the deed was done I could concentrate on my family. I was wheeled out of the room before things got too heated, and held my head down as various reporters from the news took pictures to no doubt post as headline news. When I got up to my floor, I removed myself from the wheelchair and began walking down the hall. I just needed to stand up because the wheelchair made me feel more helpless than I already was.

Halfway down the hall I looked up and made eye contact with my oldest daughter. It was like everything started moving in slow motion as tears made my vision cloudy and I started running toward her.

“Daddy!” my daughter screamed out as we collided in a tight embrace in the middle of the hall. Pretty soon, I could feel the arms of all of my children wrapped around me in a tearful embrace. I didn't think this day would ever come. Every time I asked about my kids I got the grizzly.

When I stood up, picking up my youngest daughter and Monica's son, my mother-in-law walked up to me with tears in her eyes. I knew she would be in my corner regardless of the mess that was going on now. When I reached her, I sat the kids down, and she gave me the tightest hug her small frame could manage, letting me know everything would be okay. Taking a seat in the waiting area, the kids continued to cling to me for dear life as we discussed the goings-on of my wife and son. This was a major stressor for all of us, and we were all waiting for one of them to wake up.

“So what did the doctor say about Jordan?” she asked just as Jazz's dad, brothers, and uncles walked up. Everyone stopped to give out quick hugs before I updated them on what I knew.

“I gave blood this morning because Jordan will need a transfusion,” I replied, not letting on that an error had occurred with the previous sample. I didn't want any cause for alarm to upset anyone.

“And what about Jasmine?” she asked as she blinked back tears.

“Jazz is the more stable of the two. They give her meds to keep her asleep until the swelling goes down. She whacked her forehead on the steering wheel pretty hard, and although it doesn't look like a lot is wrong, they just want to be sure,” I responded as Jaden cuddled up closer to me. We sat and conversed for a while, and just as Jazz's father offered to take the kids for something to eat in the cafeteria the doctor walked up and greeted us.

“It's nice to see everyone here.” He spoke with a gentle smile that one couldn't help but return. “Despite the circumstances, how is everyone holding up?”

“Pretty good so far, Doc,” I responded for everyone. “These are my children, and this is my mother-in-law.”

“Nice to meet everyone,” he responded. “James, I need you in your room so that I can check you out, and discuss some things.”

“No problem, the kids were just going to get something to eat.”

After they all left, Jazz's mom slipped me a piece of paper that I stuck in my pocket on the low. I knew she didn't want the others to see it by how she handed it to me in a hug, and winked her eye at me afterward. Following the doctor into the room, I took a seat on the side of the bed, preparing myself to be checked out so that I could sit next to my wife and son.

“So how are you feeling now that the press is done with you?” he asked as he checked my vitals.

“Pretty good, considering the circumstances.”

“That's good to hear,” he said as he scribbled something in my chart. “You will be free to check out today, but I need to talk to you about your blood test, and your son.”

“Ummm . . . okay? Is everything all right? Do I have a disease?” I asked, borderline panicking.

“No, you don't have a disease,” he responded with a kind smile as he pulled up a chair.
This shit must be about to get deep.

“Okay, so what is it? Just give it to me straight.”

“Well, after sending your blood up to be tested yesterday I thought it was weird that your paternity type didn't match your son. That was the reason why I had it redrawn this morning, but when I got the same results I knew then we had a major problem.”

“What are you saying, Doc?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“I'm saying that Jordan is not yours, and if we are going to do the blood transfusion using a family member's blood we have to act fast. I can take it from your wife, or the child's twin. I just need to know what you want to do.”

Boom!

The other shoe had fallen, and it's safe to say a bomb was just dropped on me. Did this man just tell me Jordan wasn't my son? I felt myself hyperventilating, and the last thing I heard before I blacked out was the doctor calling for a nurse. Why was this happening to me?

When I finally came to I was stretched out on the bed with my family surrounding me. This was all just a bad dream . . . it had to be. I knew it wasn't when the sad look on my mother-in-law's face came into view. So it was true. Jordan wasn't my son. And if Jordan wasn't my son, that meant that Janice wasn't my daughter. It didn't make any logical sense because they looked just like me, just like my other kids did. If I wasn't the father, then who was?

I was pissed, confused, hurt . . . hell, all of the above! Did Jazz really do this to me? To us? To our family? Yeah, I did my shit too, but nothing of the magnitude of this. Some would think that I was justifying my wrongdoings, but in
my
head our situations were
not
the same. She knew I was sleeping with Monica except for the times that I crept out, and when Monica turned up pregnant there was no way it belonged to anyone else but me. Jasmine, on the other hand, had sex with someone I didn't know about, passed the kids off as mine for years, and never admitted to it. That, in my opinion, was hardly the same thing. Call it biased, a double standard, an excuse . . . I don't care. I needed her to wake up
now!

“Mr. Cinque, I'm glad you're awake,” the doctor spoke from the door as the nurse took my vitals. It was kind of hard to do with my oldest daughter wrapped around me, but she managed. Hopefully they didn't tell the kids the God-awful news I just heard.

“Do you guys mind if I speak with him alone?” the doctor asked. Jaden protested at first in a tearful fit, but I promised her it wouldn't take long before she was right back in my arms again. She was comforted by Jalil, and it made me proud to see my son step up to the plate at such a difficult time. Once everyone was out, he took a seat on the side of my bed to talk to me. Tears flooded my eyes instantly.

“Mr. Cinque, I'm sorry I had to give you that type of news at a time like this, but we need to make a move if we are going to save your son. Do we take the blood from your wife or the twin? I know it's a lot to digest right now, but I need an answer or your son may die.”

I was still speechless. He just told me that Jordan wasn't mine, but he still referred to him as my son, and honestly I didn't know how to feel. Betrayed. Confused. Hurt. Uneasy . . . the list just went on and on. I had so many questions, but I knew I needed to sort my thoughts out, and now wasn't a good time.

“Whose blood would be better?” I asked as my thoughts swam around in my head, colliding into each other. Jordan wasn't mine . . . and the thought echoed in my head over and over again.

“The twin's blood would be an excellent choice since they share everything already, and we would only need three pints. The procedure for testing is the same to make sure they will be compatible, just as a precaution.”

“Will it hurt her?” I asked, concerned about my baby girl. I had the overwhelming urge to hold her in my arms and look at her face. The needle that was used to collect the blood was huge, and hurt me, so I could imagine the pain in the arm of a toddler.

“Since she's so young we will put her to sleep, because I doubt she will sit there for the procedure,” the doctor stated truthfully as he looked me in my face. I must have looked a mess.

“And what if you got it from Jasmine? Will it put her at risk?” I wondered. I was seeing her in a totally different light at this moment, and I needed answers from her.

“She's already out, so it's just a matter of obtaining permission from you and we can get the blood from her now.”

I thought about it for a second, and I knew I didn't want to put my daughter through that kind of mess. My daughter . . . or whoever she belonged to. This shit was crazy, and I found myself getting more pissed off by the second. How was I supposed to be acting now?

“Let's get it from Jasmine. I can't take my baby girl through that kind of pain if it's not necessary,” I responded, trying to sound sure. “When will the surgery take place?”

“I'm going to send someone in now to get the blood, and as soon as the blood is run for testing we will begin. Everything is being done stat so that we can move quickly.”

“Do what you have to do to save my son.”

The doctor nodded in understanding, and exited the room to start the process. In the meantime my head was spinning, and I was confused. Almost immediately after the doctor was gone, my children busted into the room and surrounded me. I grabbed Janice into my arms and stared into her face, trying to see something different. All I saw were my eyes looking back at me. Cuddling her to my chest, I placed my free arm around Jaden, and made room for Jalil and Junior to embrace me as well. I didn't know what Jasmine did, but this was my family, and I was not going to trip.

If nothing else, I knew I needed to have a talk with some twin trainers from Bally Total Fitness. Monica warned me of this in a letter years ago, and I didn't have cause to believe her until now. I guessed it was time for me to investigate the truth.

It felt like I'd been at the hospital forever waiting for the judge to wake up. This was some bullshit! I'd never had to sit in on a heart attack victim before, so I didn't know exactly what it was I was supposed to be doing at this moment. I found myself staring at him, and he looked a hundred years older than he did hours ago. I still hadn't found out the cause of the cardiac arrest, and the beeps from the monitor he was hooked to were driving me crazy.

The time on my watch read 4:00 p.m., and I was wondering if the Cinques were still gathered in the hall. I needed to get out of this room before they would have to check me into the psych ward. Deciding that maybe I could go out for a little while and come back, I gathered up my things and kissed the judge on the forehead, whispering in his ear that I would be back. I couldn't really go far since I didn't have a vehicle, so my first stop would be to hail a cab to the Enterprise center located on Market Street so that I could get some wheels. I had to be able to move around.

What I loved about University City was that at any given time of the day there was a Yellow Cab waiting to make money. Upon leaving the hospital, I was able to walk right out the door and into the back of the cab. To my surprise, it was the same cabby from the airport. Looking at my watch again, I knew I wouldn't have time today to let him hook me up, but maybe he would go for an IOU. He smiled immediately when I closed the door, asking me where I wanted to go.

“Where to, pretty lady?” he asked, minus the accent that I was sure he used with other customers. Surprisingly, he smelled like he might have actually showered today, and the Old Spice and bologna stench in the cab itself was faint.

“Enterprise,” I spoke with a smile on my face as well; afterward confirming my rental on my iPhone. I figured I'd hit the mall, find something good to eat, and check back to see what the judge was up to before deciding where I would lay my head for the evening. I'd be damned if I was staying in this hospital all night. Since his condition had changed, I wasn't 100 percent sure that staying at his place was the best thing to do. As far as I knew, his wife didn't know about that piece of property, but somehow she found out he was in the hospital, so who knew how much information she was able to gather up? I just wasn't in the mood to figure it out, and would rather just play it safe in the comfort of a hotel. I would just get the cash I spent for it from the judge at a later date.

He must have taken other patients there because he didn't even bother to ask which location as he drove a few blocks down and over. The meter didn't even reach twenty, but I held the bill in my hand to see what he would do. To my surprise he didn't take it.

“You still have my number, right?” he asked, looking at me through the rearview mirror.

“Yes, I do,” I replied.

“Good, this ride is on me. The next
ride
is on you.”

The cabby definitely had me intrigued, and once again I thought about giving him a chance to prove what he could do. If his head game was any indication of what else he had in store, it might just be worth a try. Shaking my head, I exited the car and made my way inside the building to pick up my reservation. The more I moved about the more I started thinking about moving back to Philly. It didn't take long for my car to be brought around, and once we did the visual inspection, I was behind the wheel and on my way to find something to get into.

Deciding to take a ride through the old neighborhood, I first went through my block to see if it still looked the same. What I thought would be happy memories were shut down as soon as I pulled up the front of the house.

I took a look at the place I once called home and was diss-apointed to see that the color of the house and the driveway had been changed. I guess I couldn't get too upset about changes done to a house that no longer belonged to me though.

Pulling off, I made my way to the Cinques' old house to see what was going on over there. Seemed to me Philly hadn't changed a bit. As I drove I noticed a black car following me, and at first I paid it no mind. No one knew I was in Philly, so I wasn't too concerned. However, I did become more concerned when every corner I turned the car turned. I even went around a block twice just to see if they would follow and they did. Whoever had a tail on me wasn't doing a good job being inconspicuous. I didn't panic though; I was too smooth for that. Instead, when I got to the Cinques' old house I pulled over into their garage like I lived there and shortly after I could see the car pass me by in my rearview. Whoever that was, they were on my ass, but I was ready. Philly didn't know what it was about to get itself into.
Monica's back, and holding no punches.