Chapter 3
It's been a few days since I last saw Taza but we have spoken every day and I've caught myself smiling more. The bell over the door rings and I look up to see Mrs Cordova. "Good morning Mrs Cordeova." I say politely. "Good morning Elena. How are you my dear?" she asks. "I'm good. How are you?" I ask. "Good mija. Look at you. You're glowing." she tells me and I blush. "Oh sweetheart. Did you meet someone?" she asks. "I did. A nice man." I tell her. "Well, good." she says. "What can I get for you?" I ask. "My daughter just had a baby and I wanted something to take to the hospital." she tells me. "Oh Congratulations. Let me see what I can get together." I tell her and move to get an arrangement together.
After making the arrangement that she loves, she paid and was heading to the hospital. I am cleaning up and replacing the arrangements in the windows when the door dings again. I look up and see Taza walk in. I walk over and he hugs me. "Hey sweetheart. How's your day going?" he asks. "Pretty good. How's yours?" I ask. "Better now." He tells he as he pulls me closer and just holds me. I look up at him and ask "Are you okay?" He kisses my forehead and says "Yeah. Just have to leave for a couple of days. Have to head to the Indian Hotel for a meeting with a couple of other crews and not really looking forward to it." he tells me and I pull away more. He sighs and says "One of the crews we're meeting is a crew I used to run with when I was younger. Didn't exactly fit my idea of where I wanted to be at the time." he tells me and I nod. "When do you leave?" I ask. "In an hour." he tells me. "Want to get something to eat?" I ask and he nods before we lock up and head to the diner a few doors down.
Walking inside, we take a booth and he sits across from me. "Are you sure you're okay?" I ask. "Si mi amor. Just have a bad feeling about how things are going to go." he tells me. "Please check in with me so that I know you're okay." I tell him. "I will." he assures me. "So, what are you going to do while I'm gone?" he asks, smirking. "Work and wait on this sweet man to call me." I say and he reaches across and takes my hand. "I really like you Elena." he tells me. "I like you to Che. More than I should at this point." I tell him and he smiles. After we eat, he walks me back to the shop and pulls me into a hug. I look up at him and as he looks at me, I can see it in his eyes. "Kiss me already." I whisper and he smirks. Leaning down, he does just that. He kisses me softly and deepens the kiss just a little. When we separate, he puts his forehead to mine and I whisper, "Please be safe." He nods and says "I will mi amor."
That night, I am sitting on the couch and I have this bad feeling deep in my chest and I don't know why. Sitting on the couch, my phone rings and I see it's Taza. "Hola Che." I say softly. "Mi amor." he says and I stiffen. "Che, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" I ask worried. "No mi amor. I'm fine." he tells me. "What is it?" I ask. "One of my brothers. He took two to the chest protecting me." he tells me. "Oh God. Is he?" I ask. "On a vent. Shit Bebita." he starts. "Baby, where are you? I want to come to you." I tell him. "St Luke's." he tells me. "I'll be there within the hour." I tell him. "Be careful." he tells me and I end the call. Packing an overnight bag, I toss it in the trunk and head to the hospital.
An hour later, I walk into the waiting room and see Taza standing there. He sees me and immediately walks over and pulls me into a hug. "Mi amor." he says. "I'm here baby. What do you need?" I ask. "This." he tells me. I hear someone clear their throat and see a man standing there with a President's patch. I stand tall and hear Taza say "Hey Prez." He looks at me and asks "Who's this pretty lady?" I hold out my hand and say "Elena. Taza's girlfriend." Bishop looks at Taza and I feel him pull me closer and kiss the top of my head. Bishop holds his hand out and says "Nice to meet you sweetheart. Thank you for coming." he says. "Anything you guys need." I say and he smiles softly and walks away, giving my and Taza a minute alone.
Taza looks down at me and kisses me softly. "Thank you." he says. I look at him and he says "For being here." he tells me. "Che, you're mine baby. There's nowhere else I would be. You and your brothers need anything…" I start and he cuts me off with a kiss again and puts his forehead to mine. "You're mine too baby." he says and pulls me closer and just holds me. After a couple of minutes, we walk over and he starts introducing me to the rest of his brothers, never letting me go. A little later, we are sitting around and one of the guys walks up, Creeper, and says "We have Templo. Hospital Chapel." he says. Taza nods and I say "I'll stay with your brother so he's not alone." I tell them and Taza kisses me softly and says "I'll be back soon." he tells me. I nod and he leads me in to sit with his brother while the guys are in Templo.