“You and the boys are mine; I’m not playing with you anymore.” He continued to move her body to the smooth sound of the music.
“Dru…” She attempted to protest, but he interrupted. Leaning down, he placed his face in the crook of her neck as he spoke the song lyrics Mario was singing. Dru sprinkled kisses along her neck, and Marli melted in his hands. Every word he repeated about choosing her was speaking to her heart. Maybe she did love Dru. She joined him in singing the words of the song. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“While we are on this island, it’s me and you. When we leave this island, it’s me and you. You understand?”
Marli nodded her head in response. She didn’t have any more fight left in her when it came to this thing brewing with Dru.
“Good, now let’s—” His words were interrupted as Loretta barged in between them, causing them to let go of one another. Confusion settled on both of their faces as they stared at her.
“Marli, baby…” Her mother panted. Marli had never seen her mother look so disturbed. At that moment, Marli knew something was wrong.
“It’s Tres, baby. He shot himself! My baby shot himself! They just rushed him to the hospital!” Loretta cried. Marli could feel the air being sucked out of her body. Her knees buckled, and her legs gave out.
“I got you.” Dru engulfed her, catching her before she could hit the floor. He was the only thing stopping her from completely crumbling.
“He… what?” She could barely form the words. Loretta moved to her, taking her daughter’s hand into hers.
“He shot himself! He… He… Ms. Woodard just called me. They’re on the way to the hospital.” Loretta could barely speak as the tears cascaded from her eyes. Marli was in shock. How did a four-year-old shoot themselves? Her brain couldn’t wrap itself around what she was being told. The more she thought about it, the more she lost it. Uncontrollable sobs spewed out her mouth.
“My baby! Oh my God! Oh my God!”
Dru pulled her in closer. He was talking, but her ears had completely shut off. Everything was moving in slow motion around her. She could see Kay and Blue approaching her, along with Nesha, Erica, and Ms. Natalie.
“What’s going on?” Blue questioned. Marli responded with a scream.
“Tres was shot! Tres was shot!” Loretta screamed. Blue’s head dropped, and Kay’s eyes immediately filled with tears as her husband embraced her. Everyone was now staring at them. The music had stopped, and the room was now filled with chatter.
“I’m having a car brought around. I’ll call the pilot and get the plane prepared,” Dru informed everyone.
“Aight. We coming too,” Blue replied.
Dru shook his head.
“It’s y’all day, bro. I got her.” He started to move Marli toward the exit.
“Naw, that’s Tres. That’s my nephew. We can’t stay here, not knowing if he’s okay.” Kay wiped the tears from her eyes.
“We can wrap everything up here and be on the first plane back in the morning,” Erica added. Nesha nodded in agreement.
“Yes, mijo. You all go. I’ll watch the kids,” Ms. Natalie volunteered. Dru didn’t say anything further. He nodded as he took out his phone to get everything moving. His arms were still holding up Marli. She could hear everyone talking and moving around her, but she was frozen, a thousand worst-case scenarios playing in her head. What if she didn’t make it to him in time? She couldn’t even begin to fathom what she’d do.
“God, I pray you guide the doctors’ hands and minds that are caring for Tres. Help them to heal him. I pray you bring comfort to his loved ones and allow us to make it safely by his side.” Dru prayed as he picked Marli up bridal style and walked to the exit. His words penetrated Marli’s ears and went straight to her heart.
“Jesus, we are all anxious right now. But we trust you, Lord God. We trust. In Jesus’ name, amen.” Dru finished his prayer just as the car pulled up in front of the resort.
“Amen,” Marli replied. It was the first thing she’d spoken in the last five minutes. Dru’s prayer was just the thing she needed to settle herself. Her baby needed her to be strong. Dru placed her in the car first. Then her sister and mother slid next to her. Dru and Blue sat in the seats in front of them.
“Call the hospital and let them know you’re on your way. Give them your number so they have your direct line,” Dru informed Marli. She nodded as she took her phone out of her breasts. She’d had it on airplane mode during the ceremony and reception. As soon as she turned it on, she noticed the alerts coming in, all from Ms. Woodard. Her baby had been shot. This was really happening. Marli’s tears increased, and she buried herself in her sister’s chest.
“Everything will be okay because it has to be!” Kay cried. Marli responded by allowing the tears to flow all the way to the airport.
Lord, let my baby be okay.
Ten
Dru
Marli cried the entire three-hour and forty-five-minute flight from Turks and Caicos to Saint Louis. He didn’t blame her. Not knowing what was going on with her son had to be a lot to deal with. The last thing they’d heard was Tres was in critical condition and undergoing surgery, but no one had been updated on the severity of his gunshot wound. Dru opened the door of the black SUV. Before he could grab her hand, Marli took off running to the hospital entrance. Her mother and sister were all sprinting behind her. Luckily, the women had changed into a pair of leggings, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes that Kay kept on the plane. Marli was so distraught that Dru had to help change her clothes. As the women ran through the hospital en route to Tres’s room, Dru and Blue fell in step behind them, not running but walking briskly to keep up. He didn’t want Marli to face any of this without him by her side. He wouldn’t allow it. She needed a safe place to land while her world was falling apart, and he would be that for her.
As they approached the elevator, Dru glanced around at the people who had their cameras out snapping pictures. This was going to be on the blogs for sure. Dru pulled his phone out. He needed to text Janel so she could get ahead of the press. As he punched in her name, he quickly remembered she’d quit. Damn, he thought. He wasn’t sure if she’d already made her exit because he hadn’t heard from her. His pride wouldn’t let him contact her, though, especially not about Marli. He knew Janel didn’t care for her. Exiting her contact, he texted the public relations manager directly, informing her of the situation. Marli wasn’t a member of his record label, but he’d meant what he said about her sons and her. They were his, and he wouldn’t spare any expense to make sure they were safe. Besides, he knew Max wouldn’t hold off the media circus. He would welcome it. Dru wouldn’t be surprised if the cameras were already up there.
“Oh good, Marli! You made it. This the doctor right now,” an older dark-skinned woman shouted at them as they exited the elevator and stepped into the waiting room. He assumed her to be Max’s mom because of the facial similarities. Marli rushed over to the crowd of people who were all standing in a circle around the doctor. Everyone followed behind her. Deuce ran over, wrapping his arms around his mom’s legs.
“Oh, baby!” Marli kissed his forehead, bringing him into her chest before letting him back down and facing the doctor. Dru didn’t waste any time grabbing her hand. Whatever the doctor was about to say, he wanted her to know she didn’t have to face it alone. He was there. Dru glanced around the room, observing the people around him. He didn’t recognize anybody but Max. His clothes were covered in blood stains, most likely from transporting Tres to the hospital. Max’s eyes bounced from the doctor to Marli and then to Dru. A snarl appeared on his face before returning his attention to the doctor.
“Like I was saying, Tres suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen that caused some peritonitis and abdominal bleeding. He had a through-and-through gunshot wound to his small bowel as well as a partial injury to his large bowel. It took us a few hours to control the bleeding, but we were able to repair those two injuries and stop the abdominal bleeding before too much blood was lost.”
“He’s okay?” Marli gasped. Her voice sounded more like a question as she squeezed Dru’s hand tighter.
“Yes, he is okay. Due to his size, we are going to keep him in the ICU for twenty-four hours, to monitor his progress. If all is well, he can be moved to a regular floor to continue his recovery and go home in a few days.”
Dru released the breath he had been holding since Ms. Loretta barged in between their dance. Hearing Tres was going to be okay was the best news he’d ever gotten. Marli turned to him, falling into his arms. Her body instantly relaxed.
“He’s okay. My baby is okay!” she shouted into his chest. Dru wrapped his arms tightly around her. He allowed her to get all she needed from the hug. This all could have turned out so much worse, and he was glad it hadn’t.
“Where is he? Where’s my baby?” Marli turned back to the physician.
“He’s in recovery. Tres is young, and his abdomen is so small. We want to be extremely cautious with this, so we’re keeping a close eye on him. You will be able to see him soon. The nurse will inform you when he is ready,” the doctor explained. Marli nodded.
