Chess woke near 3am with a phone call, roused from sleep by the cell ringing. At first he ignored it, but when it didn't stop ringing he answered. A doctor. Half asleep he'd been given news he hadn't expected. Her condition was grave and they wanted him to make a decision. He'd just returned from Pennsylvania, just laid his head down, just knocked out. He'd had all of 3 hours sleep before the call only to drive right back. How on earth had she gone from healthy to gravely ill in the span of 12 hours? He had a sinking feeling he knew the answer to that question as he dragged his sore body from her bed into his clothes.
"Keep her alive, of course."
"Sir, there appears to be no brain activity."
"I'll need to see her first." Chess answered. "We'll go from there."
Chess looked at his companion in her bed.
"Where you going, Morgan?" She asked in her husky voice. She lay nude on her side, breasts bouncing as she moved to face him.
"Home, Cook." He answered. "I may have a case for you, if you wanna send some docs up there."
"Ooh, they called you in again? Another incident?" She asked, picking her cell up off the headboard. She hadn't been called, but the excitement was starting to kick up inside her.
"Severe abdominal pain, vomiting blood, temp 104, unconscious. They say brain dead."
"Oh, that poor bastard doesn't have long." Cook said, climbing out of bed. She gathered her clothes from the floor.
"I said docs, not you, not the cavalry." He corrected her. "Blood and tissue samples. Nothing more than that."
"Medical records." She added.
Chess pulled his boots on and laced them up.
"You ok?"
"I'm tired, Cookie." He sighed.
"Nah, it's more than that, Morgan." She observed.
Chess walked into the next room and called Jay. "What's going on, Jayson?" He asked calmly. The sound of Jay's voice was not reassuring. Jay rattled off details that the doc had given him.
"The basement is a bloodbath." He said, his voice shaking and scared. He was covered in blood, her blood, infected blood.
"Jay, listen to me. Get as much of that blood off you as you can. Have your brother find you some scrubs and bag up your clothes in a bio bag. Keep away from the public as much as possible."
Jay was a rambling mess.
"Put your brother on the phone, Jayson." Chess said calmly. When was he allowed to breakdown? He wondered.
He could hear him handing the phone to Tavin. "Yeah." He said as calm as Chess. Chess repeated himself. He hated repeating himself. Scrubs...bag the clothes...scrub the blood off... "I'll take care of it." He replied.
"Keep everyone out of your basement. I'll take care of the basement."
"Yo, they say she's gone, Chess. You ok?" Tavin's voice didn't sound reassuring. "You alright, Chess?"
"I need to see for myself." He said. "I'll see you soon. Take care of Jayson."
Cookie insisted on driving as he made his phone calls. The docs were on their way. Chess had given them her information and when they debriefed him months previous, he'd informed them of her history. They were more than interested in her case. As Chess had thought, they were more than interested in her blood and tissue samples. The docs were interested in a cure. Maverick General was about to be visited by the military. Low key, of course. Cookie was already spinning this story in her head, for when the time came, if things went south. It was her job after all.
Somehow, she and Chess had arrived prior to the docs and he went in and saw her. Ghostly pale despite the multiple transfusions she'd received. Her elevated temperature, her lab work, her vitals signs all indicated sepsis. The doc reassured him they were still in the process of working her up and looking for the origin. Chess dismissed him, taking a seat next to the bed. Impossible to donate any organ from her, not in her infectious state. When the medical professionals left, he removed the mask. the shields, the gloves, the gown and tossed them in the red bin.
He touched her hand, cold, clammy. She literally felt dead.
"You still inside there, Julia?" He asked, because he honestly couldn't tell. He held onto her hand and waited as his eyes scanned the room. He looked for a weapon. Something sharp, something he could use to put her down. All he saw were blunt objects. Chess wanted sharp. He wanted fast. He didn't want to cave in her head necessarily, only poke a hole in it.
Cookie led the docs back to the ICU room and allowed them inside, pulling the curtain back and then closing it as they entered the room. Chess watched Cookie as she rounded the bed, put a hand on his shoulder. If Julia had been anywhere near conscious...Chess thought as Cookie stood at his side...she would have throttled him for bringing Blondie anywhere near her hospital bed. They listened as the docs paged through the flimsy paper chart and as they read through the hospital records dating back to...a miscarriage.
"That has nothing to do with this current condition." Chess stated. Her miscarriage predated all the infection.
A suicide attempt...20-30 1mg lorazepam...Major depression...Bipolar disorder...signs of post traumatic stress disorder with recommendations for psychological counseling and rape counseling...drug and alcohol dependency...
"Recovering." Chess stated.
Medications...the doc rattled off a lengthy list of benzo's and antidepressants.
"She smokes weed. She's not on medication anymore." Chess stated.
Chest is clear...Pregnancy test is positive...
"What?"
"She's pregnant, Chess." Cookie repeated, her voice professional.
"She's got an IUD."
"X-rays and internal studies do not indicate that one is present." Dr McGill stated.
"Where the hell did it go?" He asked confused. "Not important currently, continue." He stated.
The docs poured over her medical history and her current status. Dr McGill removed 10 vials of blood from her already depleted blood count. They gathered samples from her body, culture swabs, scraped beneath finger nails, then deposited the samples in biohazard bags. Dr McGill lifted her sheet and Chess caught his gloved hand.
"What? Why?" He asked.
"Would you like to step out, son?" Dr McGill asked, looking at Chess's hand on his wrist.
"No, Sir." He replied, releasing his grip as the other doc, his doc in training separated Julia's legs and completed the exam. They put her legs back and covered her again, then took urine both from her drainage bag and directly from the catheter that was in her bladder.
"Mr. Morgan, may we have her if she passes?" Dr McGill asked.
"Yes. Yes, Sir. For how long?" he asked.
"An autopsy. Internal samples." Dr McGill answered, placing all his samples in a Styrofoam insulated cooler with ice packs already inside. "Should she survive, we'd also like to follow her."
"You'd have to ask her. I will discuss this with her should she survive." He said, looking at her grimly. "We may have her back post-autopsy."
"Yes, of course." Dr McGill answered.
"I want clearance for my cousin and I want a firearm."
Dr McGill was silent.
"I just gave you a gift. I didn't have to call you at all."
"The firearm."
"I'll put her down."
Chess reached behind Cook and drew her weapon. "It can go from work to hostage situation real quick. Make a decision." Chess demanded, holding the gun at his side, aiming at the floor. The doctors took their box from the bedside table. "Thanks, Morgan." Dr McGill called as he and his doc in training departed, pulling the curtain closed behind him. As physicians they didn't wish to involve themselves in the politics of this case.
"Can you get my cousin and bring him in here, Jayson Keller. He's in scrubs in the waiting room."
"My weapon, Morgan. You took my weapon."
"I didn't have to break your arm to do it either. My cousin. Go and spin your story." He said, placing the weapon on the bed. He waited for Jay.
"Jayson Keller." The blond called from the entrance into ICU.
He stood up and recognized Blondie immediately.
"Please follow me. Morgan requests your presence."
Jay looked at Tavin nervously, then head back to the ICU. He passed several sick bays and arrived to the back corner where the curtain was pulled. Blue plaid pattern. Blondie held the curtain aside and ushered him inside, then the curtain dropped back. He saw Chess sitting in the chair. A gun on the bed.
"Is she-?" He asked Chess. He couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
"Not yet." Chess replied.
They both looked at the gun on the sheet. He waited for Jay to say it. He didn't.
"I'll do it, Jayson." He said, picking it up and tucking in in his waist band.
"I- I can't shoot her...not again...not after..."
"I said I will take care of it." He repeated. "Her." He corrected himself. "Sit down and wait."
Jay rounded the bed and sat next to Chess. He leaned forward and laid his head on his folded arms. He was crying.
"She's not dead yet, Jay. Could you stop?" he asked, uncomfortable with Jay's overt emotion.
"No." He protested.
"Ok, you go ahead, then. You just let it out." He said, patting his back.
They sat beside each other a long time without saying anything. Doctors and nurses passed through, adjusting IV's and hanging more blood and taking more blood. She hung in there, heart rate in the 50's and her blood pressure low. She lay completely unresponsive and the doc had a frank talk about her code level. Halting life saving measures. Halting the IV's and the medications.
Chess latched onto her arm.
-Are you fucking in there or not?
-Chess...
"Full measures. Keep her alive." Chess answered. Her response and her connection were as weak as he'd ever heard it or sensed it, but she was there. Somewhere in the abyss.
"Mr. Morgan-"
"I have been informed. I will let you know when it's over. Thank you." He stated, still gripping Julia's arm.
"She's in there." Chess said, leaving her go and leaning back in the seat. He looked to his left at a red eyed Jayson who drummed his fingers on the arms of his chair and his leg bounced nervously. "Did you know she's pregnant?"
"No." He answered.
"Did she?"
"No." He answered, feeling very certain she would have told him that. "She didn't. Well, maybe."
Chess asked Jay to repeat the details of his day from when they jumped back to when he found her sick. They'd slipped back inside Chess's head, then what? Home, awake, they'd been up all night. Julia got the children ready for school, had Tavin take Tatia to school. She laid down and fell asleep, she stayed asleep. He couldn't wake her, rather keep her awake when it was time to pick up Tatia. He couldn't rouse her and keep her awake for supper. She didn't have a fever till he wanted her up to make dinner. He figured she was exhausted from being in Mount Oliver, awake all of 24 hours. Tired, having spent so much energy keeping the two of them in their bubble all night. When he woke her to make dinner, she was on fire. She was red and he took her temp. She was alert and she spoke to him and requested Tylenol. She said her body felt horrible, like her bones were shattering. Hot and cold at the same time, chills. The Tylenol didn't touch the fever, it actually went up. She was in and out of consciousness at that point. He went for Tavin and that's when things went downhill. Jay picked her up to carry her upstairs rather than having medics in the basement. When he lifted her off the bed, she was rambling about a baby, someone named Freeman. Morgan Freeman.
"She's Morgan." Chess informed him.
"Kept saying get out of her head, get away from here. Stay dead. Don't take the baby from me. Wanted some dude named Antonio."
"Who the fuck is Antonio?"
"No idea." Jay replied.
"Is that this kid's dad?"
"It's not like that. I swear to God. She's different this time, Chess. She is never alone. Even if I am not there."
He latched onto her arm again.
-fucking slut. who is Antonio?
He was pissed. Pissed he had been caught off guard by this pregnancy and pissed that his cousin had fallen hard again for the girl and got played.
-answer me, slut.
Julia lay in bed, feeding Antonia her last feeding of the night.
-answer me, slut
-what?
-who is Antonio?
-Antonia's father. what the hell is wrong with you?
-where are you, Julia?
-in my fucking room, you know where I am.
-show me connect me
Julia closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing on Chess's anger. She couldn't fathom what she'd done and why was he calling her a slut? She opened her eyes and looked down at Antonia as she fed her. He latched onto Jay's arm, "I got her." He said with ample relief in his voice.
-is that a baby?
-Antonia, yes. Babe are you high?
- I would love a joint right now.
-me too. we still going to the fuck room later? Tatia is still watching this baby and I want that cock in just about every hole I got.
-hey, now... Chess grinned...-I love when you talk dirty to me...look around the room. get up
-i'm feeding the girl. i'm not ready. you got my drinks, my King?
"She just call you her king?" Jay asked.
-what are you gonna do for your king, baby?
"How old is the baby?" Jay asked.
-how old is the baby?
-like 2 1/2 months.
-where are you?
-the fortress.
"What's her name?"
-the baby, what's her name?
-Antonia Morgan Freeman
-Morgan Freeman
Julia was interrupted and looked to the doorway.
-hey now
"Oh, she fine." Jay grinned. "Wow."
-oh, Julia are we fucking her?
"Legs for days. Look at that rack."
-Umm, no. What the fuck is wrong with you?
-she's hot, babe. damn
-I know. Antonio calls her fire chica.
"He's right whoever this Antonio is."
-bring her in the room.
-I know times have changed, my king, but I will not fuck with Tatia.
"Shit, that's Tatia Rose?"
They watched as fire chica took the baby from Julia's chest and placed her on her shoulder. "Can Jody come in?" They heard Tatia say. "Chess won't know. We'll be quiet. I swear."
"You weren't exactly quiet earlier."
"We're gonna talk, Julia."
"Supposed to talk before you fuck." She said, watching Tatia sit in her chair across from her.
"She's fucking somebody?" Jay asked. "How old is she?"
-how old is Tatia? Who's she fucking?
-16...Jody. Junior infantry.
"You covered for us earlier. Please."
"Chess said you may have a boyfriend."
"Oh, he did? You told Uncle Chess about us?"
"Yeah, I tell him everything."
"I wanna lay with him again. He's wonderful." She smiled, blushing. "He put his mouth between my legs. I thought I was gonna die."
-Chess will you put your mouth between my legs and make me think I'm gonna die?
-uh, yeah I could. She's there. Get up and show me the fortress.
"So he may come inside?"
"Yes. He may. You wake my daughter and Chess and I will take him off your inexperienced little hands."
-walk around.
-shall we head up, my king.
-up?
-Chess, you're pissing me off. Babe, my pussy is wet and I haven't been properly fucked by you since the baby was born. I'm healed and I wanna fuck.
"Where am I?" Jay asked annoyed by all of this.
-where's jay?
-chess.
"Chess," She peeked into the master suite and spied him holding Kyra.
"Another baby?" Jay asked.
-who's that?
"Chess, my love."
-Kyra. Get outta my head and speak.
Chess glanced up at her. "Shh, she just went to sleep." He whispered. "Come in."
"Oh, I am not allowed in the master suite. You have forbidden it, my Lord."
"You go where I tell you."
Jay laughed. "You go where I tell you..."
"Remove your clothes and lay down. I am lifting the restrictions."
"I don't want them lifted. She can kiss my ass." Julia told him.
"She will. And all your other parts. Your ring is on the dresser. Remove your clothes and lay in my bed."
"Wow, you just push her around like that?" Jay asked.
"Seems so. I can't believe she's listening. She obedient in the future, Jay."
They watched as Julia's clothes came off, over her head. Her hand, her ring as she picked it up from the top of the dresser. She slid the ring over her finger and she held her hand out so she could look at the ring. She loved her ring, they could feel that through time in the hospital ICU bay.
-how old are you?
-28
-stand in a mirror
Julia followed orders and stood in front of the mirror that angled in front of the bed.
"Not much has changed." Jay said.
"She's flabby around the midsection. From the kid I would guess."
"She's still beautiful to me." Jay said quietly. "She's still alive." Jay smiled.
-where is jayson?
Julia nearly spoke.
-Chess...chess, put the baby down
Chess stayed holding Kyra.
-i'm not there, Julia. I'm home and I am sitting beside jayson.
-I see. so everything I have said is to you not him.
-pretty much.
-I see...are you connected to jay?
-yes
-babe it's a different time and place. understand me?
-he does
-do I have a story for you two...
-Kyra...she mine?
-and Macy's, yes. are you two hanging around long?
-maybe. he wants to know where he is.
-he died. thus the baby...thus the lover...thus the husband...
-how
-I can fix this
-he says you look happy
-I am, time goes by. life goes on...I can only mourn so long...I have my daughter...Antonia...you saw her...
She climbed into bed at Chess's direction and lay down.
-i'm infected...
-yes...you're alive...
-there are days...before my daughter...I wished I was dead, jay...we've done good things...this world is ok...we're safe and we're happy
-good, Julia.
-you gonna watch me fuck my husband?
-I wanna see Mace
-you sure? Mace got fat. you love that fat bitch tho. guess I gotta love her too
-why? leave
-it's not that simple, chess. i'd rather just lay with you, but...
-say that then
-you don't interfere with this. it's not your place.
-disconnect me then.
-I can't, you're stronger than I am right now. you brought me to you. I didn't bring you to me.
"Let go of her." Jayson said, letting Chess's arm go. "Chess, let her go."
-jay let go?
-yeah, babe. I love you.
-I love you too. you got no idea. you always take care of your queen, my king.
Chess left go of her arm.
"What the hell kind of shit you got going on there at the fortress, Chess?" Jayson asked.
"Beats me. At least I won't need the gun." He said, a huge weight lifted off him. "I didn't wanna have to put her down."
"But you would have."
"Absolutely. Yes. Without hesitation. We talked about this. She would do the same for me." He looked at Jayson. "There's living, breathing proof of what's coming, Jayson. You heard back from that school yet?"
"She's in charge of that."
"I'd bet money the fortress is that school. We're going in the right direction, Jay."
"Is that how you wanna live, treating the girls like that?"
"You know you what you can do with your morals? I'd bet you money, my salary, she came up with all that."
"How you figure?"
"You tell me how I get her to call me a king, Jay? Please, how did I convince her to call me a king? Jay, if I could pull that shit off, I'd have done it already. You woulda done it by now."
"Is that how you treat the girls now?"
"No. I bet money that's all some twisted sex shit we came up with. We were probably high."
"I know one thing. When I get home I am having a talk with Tatia."
"She's 6."
"From the looks of it, I need to start now. Never too young."
"Fire chica." Chess laughed. "Hot like fire."
"Wow, though. My little sister."
"Jody, junior infantry. He is a very lucky kid."
"I know she's my sister, but damn..."Jay couldn't shake the sight of the girl she grew into. "You know, she looks just like mommy."
"Actually, yeah. I think so."
Chess and Jay both kicked off their shoes and propped their feet up on her bed. Chess had long nodded off, but Jay stayed awake with his nervous energy.
"Are you fellas alright in here? Need anything?" Blondie asked, poking her head past the curtain.
"No thank you." Jayson replied, sitting awake in the dimly lit room.
"Jayson, say the word. I am at your disposal."
"You are?" He asked.
"Yes, of course."
"Who are you?"
"Cookie Fields, Public Relations liaison."
"Liaison to what?"
"The United States Marine Corp." She replied. "Congratulations. You are now part of the conspiracy."
"Thanks. Where's the pants suit, Cookie? You look kinda unprofessional compared to yesterday morning." He asked, looking at Julia laying peacefully. Her color was returning. "Sir, this incident has taken on a life of its own. You burned a church to the ground." Jayson droned. "Ring a bell, Cookie?" She glanced at Chess. "Brownsville Road. Mount Oliver. Navy blue pants suit and heels." She glanced back to Jayson. "Congratulations, you are now part of our conspiracy." He said.
Cookie stepped into the ICU bay. "He informed you of-"
"He informed me of nothing. I was there before your heels hit the ground. The nest was in that church that the escaped prisoners burned to the ground."
"Oh, really."
"Where do you think she got infected?"
"Oh, really."
"We are here, there, everywhere and no where at the same time." Jay told her, his gaze focused on Julia's breathing.
"What are you saying, Jayson?"
"I'm saying you better not be here when she wakes up."
"You're sure she's waking up."
"I am." He said confidently. "There's no story to spin here. Take your weapon and head out, Blondie."
Jay sat up and tossed the gun from his waistband on the bed beside Julia. "Better hurry. She's unconscious and she'll still take your weapon from you."
Blondie stepped to the bed, picked up her weapon and tucked it in her holster. "I am not the enemy, Jayson. I assure you of that."
"She doesn't trust you. I don't trust you. And even though he dicked you down, he doesn't trust you."
"One day, you will."
Jayson had no more words for her. He had questions, but Julia would deal with her when she recovered. Chess woke first. He went looking for a bathroom and found Tavin still in the waiting room. He stretched out across the seats and was sound asleep. He woke him and went outside with him, intending on sending him home. He gave him a full report on Julia and the fortress. "Oh, am I alive?" He was curious.
"You can ask her yourself. She'll recover." Chess said. "Got your smokes on you?"
"Yeah, here." He said, pulling the pack from his pocket.
Chess normally didn't smoke, but he needed something, anything to level him out a little.
"You alright?" Tavin asked.
"I am. I'm fucking tired of this shit." Chess instructed him to go home. He would have Blondie get a team over to the house.
"Do not burn my fucking house down." Tavin said. "I know how this works."
Chess assured him the house would not burn to the ground as there were no bodies inside of it. The basement would be completely disinfected and Julia would get a new carpet out of the ordeal.
"What I want you to do is get in that basement and get our plans out, the pictures, the photocopies of the drawings, anything pertaining to the plan out of that fucking house. Notebooks, journals, everything. If it's contaminated, bag it and get it out. No one can be home for this either. Clear out of there."
"Ok."
"You need to be in full isolation gear. You don't have a suit, so double gown. I want you covered head to toe. Kelly, monitor her. Three weeks, temps, the whole nine yards. Google the hospital and public protocols for the Ebola virus. That's what we follow in regards to this infection. You know what to do. Monitor Kelly everybody in that house like they potentially have Ebola. Any signs or symptoms, even the slightest inclination of infection or illness, you call me. I'll keep my phone on. Any questions you have, you call me. Understand?"
"Yeah."
"Keep this shit on the low. I don't know what you'll do with Aunt Karen, but get her on board. Tell her it's possibly meningitis or some shit like TB. Come up with a story."
"Ok. anything else, Boss?"
"Yeah, take it seriously."
"I am, Chess."
"While she's out of commission, I am in charge. I do this for a living. This is my shit, not yours. Understand me?"
"Yeah, Chess. I got it. Bossy little fucker. God damn Napoleon complex going on."
"Come on. I'll get you the isolation shit and you go home and make it happen."
"What about Jayson?"
"He's not leaving her. This is the best place for him. He was covered in her blood. He's isolated with her. When he comes home, same protocols." He paused. "Karen's gonna have to step up and be a mom to her kids for now."
Chess sent Tavin on his way with the isolation gear from the ICU room, found a bathroom, found some coffee, made small talk with some cute night shift nurses. The uniform had its advantages. He found women were drawn to it like flies on shit. He got numbers though. The one female he actually wanted, he couldn't find.
Back in the room with Jayson and Julia, he handed him his coffee.
"Where's that blond bitch at?" Chess grumbled.
"I sent her away."
"Away? Where?"
"Wherever, away from here."
"Fuck, Jay. I had plans for her. Jay, you cock blocked me."
Jayson rolled his eyes. "Not on purpose." He said, sipping his coffee.
"There's a bathroom stall with that little cunt's name written all over it."
"You could have mentioned that."
"You were supposed to give her the gun back."
"I am sorry, Chess. I wasn't aware that during my time of crisis I was still on active wingman status."
He pointed at Julia. "She would not have sent the pussy away."
Jay laughed at him. "I can look around for some. Make a call for you or something. Are you that fucking horny? I think that king shit went to your head."
"Like rap god himself spit, 'be a king, think not. why be a king when you can be a god'?"
"Eminem? Really?" He shook his head.
"There is no other that compares to the white boy from Detroit?"
"I can appreciate that, but I'm not white, Chess." He held up his arms. "Last I checked."
"He don't have a dad and his mom's mean and on drugs. He has no luck with the women. Kim." He said, pointing at Julia.
"She ain't a heroin addict. She's not a Kim."
"She's a drug addict. She just keeps on walking on your heart, leaves you with the kids. I really thought you'd relate." He argued. "I can relate for you."
"Why are you even sitting here if that's how you feel, man?"
"Someone had to take her out if things went bad." Chess answered. "We're family, Jay. One big fucked up, happy family."
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