Author's Note:
Shit is about to get real!
Please review and respond.
XOXO
Chapter 27
Tuesday, August 26th, 1997 2:21pm
"What a fucking dick."
Tara sighed. "Matthew."
Matt flopped next to her and lay down.
"So what are you going to do now?"
Tara looked at the plastic stars that hung from the ceiling. She mentioned once to Luis Mario that her mother had put some in her bedroom in Charming and he took it upon himself to hang some in her new bedroom.
"I don't know," she whispered. "I don't know how to move past all of this."
"Well," Matt shifted so he could lie on his side. "How about we focus on munchkins' health. And we go from there."
"How about Jax? And Katie? And the baby?"
Tara felt her lips tremble.
"Now, now… You getting super emotional is not going to help my little munchkin. We just take it one day at a time. Ok?"
Tara nodded and also shifted so to face Matt. "What if my baby dies, Mattie?"
Matt shook his head. "That's not going to happen, Mopey. You know how I know? Cause that baby has you as his or her Momma. You are strong, baby girl. You have guts and you will persevere, no matter what cards life deals you."
"I am so scared, Mattie. So scared," she sobbed.
Matt kissed her forehead. "I know, love. You are scared and overwhelmed. I would be too." He paused. "You know what would make me feel better, if I were you?"
"Ice cream and Bette Midler?"
Matt chuckled. "Nah, banging a hot Latino," teased Matt.
Tara groaned. "I was hoping you would never ask about that."
"Well, I am asking." Matt smiled. "So how big is our Latino Thunder God?"
"I wouldn't know."
"Don't lie to me!" whined Matt.
"I am not lying. We just kissed and cuddle."
Matt sighed. "If I were you, I would had jumped on that pogo stick a long time ago."
"Yea, while I am pregnant with another man's baby; how fucking classy."
"And? Some guys really dig fat pregnant chicks, you know."
Tara hit him in his shoulder. "Now come on."
"Now come on what? What are you waiting for? Luis Mario is obviously in love with you."
"He barely knows me."
Matt propped himself on his elbow. "And you barely know me yet we share a connection deeper than most people do. We, all fucking live together, Tara. And in these short months, we have become each others' family and backbone. Now, I know you are heartbroken with the events that transpired in Charming. But, honestly, that is the biggest sign the fucking universe could have given you. That sign was written in fucking neon letters, Tara. Get over the biker and move on. I know you love him and its first love bullshit, but he obviously didn't waste anytime getting his dick wet so soon after you left. And here you are being loyal as fuck while pregnant with his kid. Fuck him and fuck Charming. If I were you, I would not return to that shithole. Fuck, become a doctor or something and kick everyone's expectation out of this fucking orbit. Show all of them, who is Tara Grace Knowles."
Her baby kicked and she placed her hand on her stomach. Matt smiled and also placed his hand on her belly. He shifted so to place his head by her stomach.
"Hey munchkin. I can't wait to meet you, my little Angel."
The baby moved around and Matt's smile grew broader.
"You are kicking Mommy's ass in there aren't you? Guess what, my little Angel? You get that from her. Cause Mommy will kick some ass pretty soon. So when you are born, you two are going to be two kickass people. And together, you two will conquer the world together. But in order to do that, you have to keep strong, my little Angel; be very strong. We are going to have a little bumpy road but guess what? As long as we stay together, we could conquer it all."
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Monday, September 8th, 1997 11:08am
"I swear, if I have to hear one more bitch whine about how tough NYU is, I am going to cut her," whispered Matt as Tara placed a tray on top of the counter.
"Tell me about it," Tara walked around the counter and groaned as she felt pressure on her lower back.
"At what time does your class start?" asked Carrie, one of Tara's co-workers, as she ran up another latte order.
"I should be leaving soon. I have to catch the subway down to Tribeca," answer Tara as she took a muffin from the display and started eating it without a second thought.
"You should be eating fruits, not carbs." Matt snatched the muffin and took a bite.
"Excuse me!" called out a blonde from one of the tables.
Matt rolled his eyes and walked over to the table with a bunch of blondes with overly tanned skin.
"I am going to get going, Carrie. You guys going to be ok?"
"We got no other choice, Mopey."
Tara groan. "Going to fucking kill Matt."
Carrie laughed. "It's cute. Suits you, Momma. Now get out of here and get A's for us!"
Tara grabbed her purse and blew kisses to both Matt and Carrie as she made her way out of the café.
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Monday, September 8th, 1997 6:30pm
"Matt, come on. I don't have time to paint my nails or yours." Tara scribbled down the solution to one of the math problems in front of her. "I have a ton of homework to complete plus I have to start studying for a test I have on Friday."
"I thought you already had college credits?" Matt sat in front of her with his glass of wine.
"I do, but I want to get into one of the best pre-med programs in the country. That means having as many credits as possible. Plus, I need to be ahead of the game. I am starting later than most college students. I am going to be a single mom, in a very prestigious pre-med program."
Matt took a sip of his wine. "Well, first you have to get into said program, don't you think."
Tara looked up. "I will get in."
"There is that determination I was talking about.' Matt took another sip and tips his glass towards her, "when you becoming this top-notch doc, you are so going to be my Sugar Mama."
Tara smiled and continued punching in numbers. "When will dinner be ready?"
"In a few. I swear, you eat more than me and Luis Mario put together," teased Matt.
Tara scoffed. "At least my belly has a little human inside it. You have pure love handles."
"But my food is so darn good."
Matt stood and walked over to the kitchen. "Plus, I like it that you have an appetite. My munchkin needs as much nutrients as possible. Plus, Italian food always makes things better…At least that's what my grandma use to say. At what time is your appointment tomorrow with Dr. Yang and Dr. Coco?"
"Early enough to know that I should go to bed early tonight."
Both Matt and she remained silent for a bit. Tara continued with her math homework and Matt stirred whatever he was cooking.
So engrossed they were at what they were doing, that when the phone rang, Tara actually jumped.
Tara saw Matt walking over to the phone that hung from the wall.
"Hello."
Tara turned back to her homework without paying mind to what Matt was saying.
After a few minutes, she heard Matt sigh and looked up to see him turn away from her. He started whispering furiously into the handset and his body became more rigid the longer the conversation went.
"Matt?"
He turned his face and held one of his index fingers up before turning away from her and carrying on with his conversation.
Tara had enough sense to close her books and stood to walk over to the kitchen. She took a piece of carrot that Matt was chopping up for the salad and popped it into her mouth.
Matt hung up the phone and walked over to the kitchen.
"Dinner is almost ready. Go sit and I will serve you."
"What was that all about?"
"Let's have dinner, Tara."
"How about Luis Mario?"
"That was him on the phone. He will be held up for the remainder of the night."
Tara cocked her head to the side. "That's unusual."
Matt remained silent as he continued chopping up vegetables.
Tara walked over to the cabinets and took out to plates and placed them near the stove.
She slowly walked back to their small eating nook and waited for Matt to finish up dinner. She noted the frown lines on his face but knew better than push for any answers.
Within minutes, Tara had a large plate of steaming pasta in front of her with salad on the side. Matt, who knew Tara's cravings, also placed a big cup of apple juice in front of her.
They ate in silence, Matt only offering one-word answers to Tara's questions.
"Ok, what the fuck is wrong?"
Tara placed her fork besides her plate.
"Just eat, Tara."
Matt played around with the food on his plate, pushing it to the side.
"Not until you tell me what's wrong."
Matt paused and then he took put down his fork.
"That was Luis Mario on the phone."
"Yea, you said that already."
"Don't freak out," started off Matt.
"If you are going to tell someone something bad, don't start with don't freak out."
Matt paused. "Ummm…"
Tara felt the knocks in her stomach. "Just spit it out."
"Once we are finished here, we should cab to New York Presbyterian."
"Why?" whispered Tara dreading the answer.
"Katie."
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Monday, September 8th, 1997, 11:38pm
"How bad is it?"
"Let's have a seat, please." The young doctor looked at Tara's stomach. "It's best if you have a seat, Tara, especially in your conditions."
Luis Mario placed one of his hands in her lower back and led her to the waiting room area, which was deserted. Matt aided Mr. Diaz to the nearest seat as well.
Tara sat and wiped the tears from her face. Luis Mario grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it as the young doctor sat across from them.
"Tara, I am going to start off by saying that your cousin is very lucky to still be alive. When the paramedics brought her in, she had already been revived once. We had to intubate her in the trauma room of the Emergency Room to make sure her organs receive enough oxygen."
"Dr. Clarke, please continue," whispered Tara.
"In a few minutes, I will let you see her, however, I have to warn you. Katie has suffered tremendous trauma. She was beaten, perhaps with an object, but my suspicions is that a pair of fists did most, if not, all of the damage. Perhaps, she even got kicked a couple of times. In results to that, she has elevated intracranial pressure, has lost her spleen and one of her kidneys unfortunately ruptured. Two of Katie's ribs were broken with one of them puncturing one of her lungs. Now, usually, these things are critical and could be treated accordingly, however, Katie's intravenous drug use as weaken her body tremendously."
"Jesus," muttered Matt.
"Given her constant use of what we suspect is heroin and cocaine, her body will have a much harder time fighting off infections and will take twice as long to heal from her injuries. There is also the fact that Katie has extensive trauma in her vagina and anal area."
"Oh my God," Tara's hands flew to her mouth.
Dr. Clarke paused. "Should I continue?"
Tara nodded as her eyes started watering tremendously.
"Katie has laceration's in her upper vagina; lacerations that are quite severe. I am guessing she was sexually assaulted thru long periods of time, hours even days. We have sent her blood down to the lab for STDs check-ups but the reality is that for the next couple of months, we have to monitor her to see if she comes up HIV positive. There is a possibility that she might already be infected with the virus, given her intravenous use of heroin." Dr. Clarke leaned forward. "I know this is a lot to take in, but please know that she is in the best possible hands. Our doctors and nurses are monitoring her frequently and these next couple of days are crucial."
"Will she die?" asked Mr. Diaz, who was white as a sheet.
"Like I said, these couple of days are crucial; she has swelling in her brain that our neurologists are monitoring. If she comes out of the woods with this one, then we could have a more optimistic view on the end game."
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Tuesday, September 9th, 1997, 6:24am
Tara awoke with a start.
Apparently someone had covered her with a blanket when she fell asleep in the chair next to Katie's bed.
She blinked a couple of times to get adjusted to the harsh hospital lights. When her vision focused, she sat up a bit and noted a bald man with a medical chart making notations.
"Good morning, doll." He said kindly, giving Tara a glance before going back to his work.
"Good morning," she responded.
"I'm Belize, Miss Katie's nurse," he smiled.
Tara tried to smile but suspected that a grimace came out instead.
"How is she doing?" she asked leaning over a bit to grab her cousin's hand. Tara looked at Katie's purpling face and swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.
"Just about the same from last night, Miss…"
"Tara," she responded looking into the nurse's eyes.
She studied him with interest. He was very flamboyant, more so than Matt. He had tight white scrubs and puffs of his chest hair were coming out the V-cut of his scrub top. Over the scrubs, he had one a fuchsia cardigan and a teal scarf.
"Do you know how long she is going to be like this?"
Belize closes the chart and walks over an unoccupied chair and pulls it closer to Tara. He sits down next to her and crosses his legs.
"Miss Tara, I know the docs explained to you what is going on with Katie and all that mumble jumble doctor talk. Between you and I, doctors are really great at that. Talking about stats and chances and what not. Sometimes, they forget the human aspect of it all. The patient and family component of it all." He gave her a sad smile.
"Katie is very deep in the woods and she has a long road to recovery. The biggest concern is the swelling of the brain. The respirator she is hooked on should help with the swelling and so are the IV fluids we are giving her. If the swelling doesn't go down in a few days, the doctors will have to go in and try to relief some of the pressure."
"Surgery, you mean?"
"Yes, Miss Tara, surgery. Now, please, if you want me to continue, you got to keep those waterworks under control. You are pregnant; think of the bun that you are toasting in there."
Tara nodded and swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She touched her stomach and felt the baby move a bit.
"Have you eaten anything, Miss Tara?"
Tara shook her head and Belize stood.
"No wait," she went to stand up but Belize stopped her.
"Just sit here for a bit, doll. I am going to get you a food tray and some water. It's important you have something in your system and that you stay hydrated."
Belize gave her a kind smile and walked out of the room with the chart.
Tara glanced at Katie and grabbed her hand.
Katie's face was turning purple and black in most areas. Her eyes looked like they would be swollen shut for a while and her red hair couldn't hide the dried blood on her head. Her chest rose and fell due to the vent machine that was helping her breathe.
Belize came in with a food tray.
"Now, hospital food tends to be on the bland side. Got to make sure our cardio patient's don't kick the bucket due to high sodium."
Belize handed Tara the tray, which contained a plain egg omelet, toast, a fruit salad and some hot water with a bag of tea. She placed it on the night table next to Katie's bed.
"Start eating, Miss Tara and I will continue." Belize crossed his legs and folded his hand on his knee.
Tara took the toast and started buttering it. She took a bite and her baby moved in appreciation.
"So, like I was saying, if the swelling does not go down, the neurosurgeon gods will do their job. But God willing, that won't happen. Her other injuries, like the kidney rupture are manageable. For instance, now that one of her kidneys rupture, she falls under the umbrella of AKI, or what doctors call Acute Kidney Injury. Will the kidney heel? Only time could tell, but luckily she has another one what will remove the toxins from her body. Katie, no longer has a spleen, which is serious. People don't consider the spleen to be as important as the heart, liver or even kidneys but its function cannot be ignored. The spleen helps the body fight infections and right now Miss Katie is autoimmune compromised due to the extensiveness of her injuries. Continue eating Miss Tara or I will stop."
Tara cut a piece of the omelet and popped it into her mouth.
"Is she going to make it?" Tara said after she swallowed.
"Now, doll, you know better than to ask that. I could throw in some stats, just like the docs do, but in reality, it's up to the higher powers if whether Miss Katie will make it or not. I am a lady of science, love, but I have seen some fucked up scenarios and some Goddamn miracles, working as a nurse. We never know which way the scales are going to tip."
"But Katie's case is bad."
"I have seen worse, to be honest. Drink some tea. It helps with the nerves." Belize paused and gave her an encouraging nod. "Now, those are the immediate concerns that the docs are trying to work on but honestly, love, there are others that might be threatening in the long run."
"You are talking about the rape and drug use?"
"Yes, Miss Tara. The long terms effect of rape alone is huge. Massive. The emotional and psychological effects of rape takes a toll on a soul."
Tara sighed. "How about the drugs?"
Belize also took a deep sigh. "Honestly, love, if it weren't for the drugs, the situation would look better. Do you know how long she has been using?"
"For a few months. She was clean when I moved here."
"That's good I guess. She isn't a long-term user, which means her body hasn't suffered the long-term effects of heroin use. That includes a very weak immune system and change in the chemical balance of the brain. On the other hand, heroin is one hell of a drug. Addiction to heroin is not something that is easy to recover from. Luckily for Katie, she is heavy sedated so she won't feel the symptoms of immediate withdrawal. I know the neurologists are a bit worried about the chemical balance of the brain due to heroin use and the swelling. But they are monitoring it."
Tara put the fork on the tray.
"Thank you, Belize. Thank you for being so forthcoming. And for not beating around the bush."
Belize uncrosses his legs and stood. He smoothens out the front of his scrubs. "I don't believe in bullshitting around. Life is too short. I have too much eating, too much sleeping, too much traveling and too much fucking to go beating around the fucking bush." Belize winked at Tara before exiting out of the room.
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Tuesday, September 9th, 1997, 10:23am
"Well you look like crap."
Dr. Coco shook her head as she sat across Tara.
"Tara, please excuse Dr. Yang. She isn't as refined as me," said Dr. Coco in an amused voice. "You do look a bit tired."
"Had a long night," responded Tara. "How did the test results come back?"
Dr. Yang sat next to Tara.
"The heart rate is still low. I have studied the case and even took the liberty of contacting your baby's father's brother cardiologist to get Thomas Teller's medical history."
Tara paled. "You didn't tell him or her what it was for? Dr. Yang, the Teller family cannot know where I am."
"Don't panic Tara. Dr. Yang told them it was for research purposes." Dr. Coco gave Tara a curious glance.
"Right," Dr. Yang cocked her head to the side. "The Teller family wasn't in any way or form informed about my request. I wouldn't disclose patient information anyways, if that's a main concern, Tara." She straightens out and continued, "Now, if my hypothesis are correct, baby Knowles will be born with a heart disorder. Now, we don't want to create any sort additional stress for the baby, so Dr. Coco and I have decided that a Caesarean Section would be best method of birth for this baby. We get to control the situation in a C-Section. With a vaginal birth, heart rates in generally go up and down and that's exactly what I want to avoid. We don't want to distress the baby in anyway during delivery."
"Ok," said Tara. "I give consent."
"Good," said Dr. Coco. "But it's not over yet."
"Depending on how the baby looks upon birth, I want to go in right away. Fix his or her heart to make sure nothing grave develops, as the baby grows older. My plan of attack is to get ahead of the problem before it becomes a problem, if you get my drift. What killed Thomas was lack of knowledge in the field and treatments not being developed enough at the time. I am confidant that if everything does as planned, your baby will survive and perhaps have a semi-healthy life," concluded Dr. Yang.
"Semi-healthy?" asked Tara.
"Well, he or she will always have a heart condition. But close monitoring and medications should prolong the life of your child for many, many decades."
A sob escaped Tara's mouth.
"What did I say?" Dr. Yang asked Dr. Coco.
"My baby is going to live?" asked Tara.
Dr. Coco smiled. "It looks like it Tara. It sure looks like it."
Tara started laughing and stood. She hugged Dr. Yang tightly, to which Dr. Coco's smile grew broader.
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Tuesday, September 9th, 1997 3:27pm
Luis Mario hugged her.
"That's great news, Tara."
Tara pulled away. "Yea, it is but now this thing with Katie." She looked down at the floor.
"As soon as she wakes up and gets better, we are going to ship her to the best rehab in the state or even country. Then we go from there."
"If she is makes it."
"She will make it. She is your family, you know. And there isn't a stronger woman I know than you."
Tara mumbles a thanks and walks closer the window partition were she looked at Katie and Mr. Diaz, who was reading out loud from the King James Bible, as Belize checked her vitals.
"What have the cops said? About her attackers?"
Luis Mario stood next to her and crossed his arms. "Katie lives in an area were murder rates and domestic violence are incredibly highly, Tara. The way the cops are handling it as if it's another day in the neighborhood. Doesn't help that Katie is a…"
"A junkie," Tara finished off.
"I was going to say a drug addict, but yea, a junkie."
"Did you mention, Joey?"
"Of course I did. They'll say they will look into it."
Tara nodded and crossed her arms in front of her. "Sure, they will," she muttered as her cousin's machines continued to beep.
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Tuesday, September 16th, 1997 11:07am
"So what does that mean?" asked Tara.
"With the swelling completely down, I am expecting Katie to wake up sooner rather than later. Tara, this is extraordinary news."
"And when she wakes up?"
Dr. Clarke crossed leaned forward. "I am not going to negate the gravity of your cousin's conditions but this is the first step towards the right direction. Traumatic Brain Injuries aren't something to scoff at and it will take time for her to fully heal. Once she wakes up, we will conduct a full assessment of where she stands, so to speak."
"About her other injuries? Her kidneys? The lung?"
"She is making enough urine that the nephrology team isn't too concern at the moment about the kidneys. The lung will require intensive respiratory therapy. As soon as she has enough strength to speak, our staff therapist will see to it that she has enough counseling to aid her in any emotional and psychological effects of the sexual assault. As you know the initial STD screening came back clean."
"Thank you, Dr. Clarke."
He patted her knee. "It's no problem, Tara. I must say you have taken this well considering the cards you have been dealt with."
"I have no other choice, Dr. Clarke. I am pretty much the only family Katie has left. Her mother isn't exactly involved, plus I don't want to have that conversation with my aunt."
Dr. Clarke gave her a sad smile. "The your daughter got rape and badly beaten, conversation? Not to mention the drug abuse."
"Exactly." Tara looked down at her hands.
"Everything will be ok, Tara." Dr. Clarke grabbed one of her hands. "Everything will be ok."
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Tuesday, September 16th, 1997, 3:55pm
"What do you think of this color palette?"
"When exactly are you getting married?" Tara took another bite from the sandwich Belize had brought her.
"Well, Miss Tara, I am going to go down to South Carolina. And I am going to wear this glorious white gown with gold trimming. And I am going to have a union ceremony with my love, Bill. And I will have white doves release after we kiss. I have it all mapped out beautifully in my head. I just need to decide on a color palette."
"And Bill doesn't have any say," teased Tara as she took a chip from the bag Belize had in one of his hands.
"Bill is a broker in Wall Street, who goes to Jets, Knicks, and Yankees games."
Tara laughed. "When is this union?"
"Sometime next summer."
"Why not have it here in New York?" Tara popped a chip into her mouth.
"Cause why not? I love ruffling some Southern homophobic feathers."
Tara chuckled and finished off her meal as Belize flipped thru the wedding magazine while sharing his chips. Once in a while, Tara would make a suggestion but her focus was on her meal and cousin. Katie's bruises were slowly fading but still looked bad enough that it would take several weeks for them to fully fade. The tube that was down her throat was removed and Katie only had a breathing mask.
"So, how is the bun?"
"Doing pretty good. Cooking." Tara smiled as she finished of her sandwich.
"That's good. Sugar. That's very good."
Belize and Tara chatted for a bit until they were both interrupted by a loud knocking on the partition.
Luis Mario motioned for Tara to step out of the room.
"Give me a minute." Tara stood and walked over to where Luis Mario stood on the other side of the glass.
"Hey, what's up?"
Luis Mario looked upset.
"Did something happen to Mr. Diaz?" Tara started to worry.
"No, no." Luis Mario sighed. "My little sister, Jimena, got into an accident. I have to go down to Miami. Eduarda is demanding that I go down. According to her, we have a long over due family conversation to have."
"Was it serious, the accident?" Tara asked stepping closer to Luis Mario so their voices wouldn't carry over the unit.
"Drunk driving, apparently. My former nanny, Amada, just broke the news to me, that my little sister has a bit of a drinking problem."
"Jesus," whispered Tara. "How long will you be gone?"
Luis Mario shook his head and looked briefly at Katie before turning his head back to Tara. "Dunno. A couple of weeks, I guess. I have to see how bad Jimena is although Amada told me it was not as bad as Eduarda is making it seem."
Tara looked down. "I'm sorry, Luis Mario. Anything you need, just call me, ok?"
"You just worry about what's in front of you, Tara. That's the baby and Katie. I'll handle Miami.'
Tara nodded and Luis Mario gave her a brief kiss on the cheek and walked briskly away from her to the elevators.
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Friday, September 26th, 1997 11:38am
"Jesus, you just get bigger and bigger."
Tara took a bite of her burger and flipped Matt off as she chewed.
Matt flopped next to her and Tara happily took some French fries from the greasy bag.
"How is she doing?"
Tara swallowed.
"Better. Swelling in the brain has going down significantly. According to Dr. Clarke, she should wake up any day now."
"And her bruises are fading."
Tara nodded as she took another bite from her cheeseburger. "I spoke with the nephrologist and her other kidney is functioning fine. So they aren't concern about her needing dialysis."
"And her lung?" Matt took a couple of fries.
"The doctors are saying that outpatient therapy once she is out of here will help get her lung back to where it was before."'
"Good. But the main focus should be her sobriety."
"Agreed."
Tara finished her meal in relative peace with Matt stealing a few fries along the way.
"I spoke to Luis Mario, earlier today."
"What did he say?"
"His sister, Jimena, is practically a drunk. Luis Mario wants to put her in a rehab but the other sister is against it. Something about it tainting their name in Miami or some crap like that. He is thinking about moving her over here."
Tara looked over to Matt and paled a bit.
"How are we going to live in the loft?"
"I asked him that and he said we will all discuss it once he arrives. He hinted on getting a bigger place."
"But that's not fair to him. He loves his loft."
"That he does but I highly doubt he wants to leave us out in the cold. Luis Mario is a stand up type of guy."
"Maybe…"
"Yea, I was thinking the same thing. You and I could just move out and get a place together. We won't have the same level of comfort though. Plus, you are having a baby. That's a very big expense in itself."
Tara sighed. "And then there is Katie." Tara looked over to her cousin who looked like she was in a deep slumber.
"Well, I thought we agreed that she is being shipped off to rehab."
"We can't take her freewill, Matt. What if she wakes up and doesn't want to go."
Matt glared at Tara.
"Well, if she does make that choice, I don't want her anywhere near me or anywhere near where I live."
Tara frowned. "Matt, she has a disease and she has been thru a massive trauma."
"I know that but maybe if she would have stayed away from that..."
"You aren't about to suggest that the assault and rape was her fault."
"I'm sorry, Tara, but it kind of is! She knew what she was getting into when she shoved that needle in her arm. There are certain risks when it comes with drug abuse. And she chose to remain with that jerk that beat her and probably pimped her out. So what's going to happen once she regains consciousness? We are going to pretend nothing happen? Not force her to get the help she desperately needs?"
"She has to want help, Matthew. You cannot force someone to do something they do not want to."
Matt rolled his eyes. "I get what you are saying but you have to put your foot down on this one. She has verbally abused you, abandoned you in your time of need, even stolen from Luis Mario. What's going to happen is that things are going to snowball into something bigger than what already is. You think Joey is going to sit around and let his meal ticket escape from his fingers? Hell no, he isn't. When he gets a whiff that Katie is alive and will get better, he will come back. And he is going to take her and do much worse things. The only way to stop him is to make sure she is strong enough to stand up to him. So what if she might hate you at first for it. She will get over it and eventually thank you for saving her life."
Tara sighed and leaned over to put her head on Matt's shoulder.
"When did things get so complicated, Mattie?"
Matt put his arm around her and pulled her as close as he could.
"Life is always complicated, Mopey. But you know what they say…when life gives you lemons make some sweetass lemonade."
Tara giggled a bit.
"Have I mentioned that you are absolutely huge?"
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Friday, September 26th, 1997 6:54 pm
"Hello?"
"I'm surprised you picked up."
Tara smiled. "Belize kicked me out. Told me I was due to sleep in an actual bed."
"Ah, the gay goddess is very wise indeed," teased Luis Mario.
"How are things in Miami?"
"I'm guessing Matt told you I might bring little sister up to New York."
Tara walked over to the couch and sat down. "Yes, he mentioned it. How is she?"
Luis Mario took a big breath on the other line. "She is going thru alcohol withdrawal right now and it's so sad to see. She is always crying and holed up in her room. I'm trying to get her to go to a rehab but she is refusing to go. Doesn't help that Eduarda is her legal guardian and is against the whole rehab thing."
"Why don't you fight her? The courts would definitely agree with the betterment of Jimena."
"It's not as simple as it sounds, Tara. Eduarda is quite vicious when she wants to be. I don't want to expose Jimena to any of that. The only viable compromise I could come up with is to bring Jimena to New York with me."
Tara remained silent for a bit.
"Of course, if that's the best option, you have to bring her up here. I could relinquish the bedroom and sleep on the couch until the baby is born. Then I could find somewhere to move both of us. Maybe Matt will come too."
Luis Mario scoffed. "I wouldn't let you leave just because Jimena might move in with us. I am actually ahead of you on that one."
"What do you mean?"
"You know the Coopers?"
"What about them?"
"Last December, they were trying to sell their loft so they could move to Ohio."
"Ok," said Tara
"Well, I reached out to them asking if they are willing to sell…"
"Luis Mario…" Tara sat up a bit. "I cannot let you spend all that money just to accommodate me and Matt."
"Tara, shut up and let me finish," he sassed back. "Like I was saying, last winter, they were selling and I was interest in buying. The reason why I didn't purchase the loft was because I didn't have anyone to share it with. I was rather lonely although I have tried to get my grandfather to move in with me."
"He will never leave Spanish Harlem or his bodega."
Luis Mario sighed. "Unfortunately, that's very true. So when he refused to move in with me, I didn't purchase the Cooper's place. Now, with everything going on, it will be the perfect time to buy it."
"If they are still sending…" stated Tara.
"They are. I called them this morning."
"Luis Mario..."
"It's a great investment. We would all have more space, extra rooms. You could even have the equivalent of the master bedroom so you and the baby could live comfortably."
Tara closed her eyes. "It's a lot of money."
"Not as much as you think," he responded. "Plus, when my parents died they left me quite an inherence that was collecting interest throughout most of my life."
"Really? I thought your parents died in debt."
"My father's family was rich. He had bad luck in his endeavors but prior to that, he was smart enough to have trust funds of all of us. Plus both of my parents had life insurance. My portion of the life insurance was put in another trust fund by my grandparents."
"That doesn't mean you should spend it something as trivial as another loft, when you have one that serves you perfectly fine."
"I could spend my money on what I want. I never spent a dime. My grandfather made sure to use his money when I was a kid. When I was old enough, I was working in the bodega or doing odd jobs here or there so I used that as spending money. Tara, you and
Matt do not have to worry about this. I will be using mostly interest money of the two trust funds."
"Seems like you already made up your mind."
"I did," Tara could imagine him smiling. "In ten or fifteen years, the property is going to worth double of what I am paying for it now. It would be great to sell it then."
"And where are you going to go, ten to fifteen years?"
"Hopefully, a house with a beautiful family," Luis Mario answered honestly.
"Yea, hopefully," whispered Tara.
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Saturday, September 27th, 1997 9:53am
When Tara got off the elevator, Belize was leaning against the nurses' station, a massive smile on his face.
Tara wobbled towards him. "Morning," she said.
Belize leaned in and briefly kissed her. "Morning, Miss Tara." Belize smiled broadly.
"You are sure are in a good mood."
"Well, I have good news."
Tara's heart started pounding. "Is she?"
Belize nodded his head. "Come and say hi to Miss Katie."
Tara felt the tears streaming down her face even before she entered her cousin's room.
Katie's eyes were closed when she and Belize entered the room.
Belize cleared his throat and Katie slowly turned her eye to look at the door.
Immediately, Katie burst into tears and Tara rushed to her side. With much struggle, Katie tried to straighten up as much as possible.
Tara's heart clenched when Katie put her arms around her.
"I am so sorry," Tara silently cried as Katie just held onto her sobbing into her shoulder.
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Wednesday, October 1st, 1997 4:37pm
"You need to go home," whispered Katie. "You have been here for four days already. You didn't even go to class."
"I can't leave you alone, Katie. You just woke up after being in a coma for nearly a month."
"Tara, I am in out of the ICU and your nurse friend keeps checking up on me."
"Plus, I volunteer to stay with her."
Tara looked to the door and saw Matt leaning against the doorframe.
"What are you doing here?" asked Tara.
"I came to drag your ass out of here." Matt strolled into the room. "Number one, you shouldn't be sleeping in a fucking chair. You are pregnant. Number two, you need some decent food and not this bland ass hospital food. My munchkin needs proper nutrients. Number three, I am tired of bringing you fresh fucking panties everyday. The underwear you are wearing should be burnt to the ground and banned from being sold by the wayy."
Tara flipped him.
"Mr. Diaz is waiting for you at the bodega. So, fuck off and get out of here."
"But…" Tara started.
"You heard him… get the fuck out of here," said Katie with a hint of a smile.
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Wednesday, October 1st, 1997 6:03pm
Tara finished climbing the last steps.
"Gosh, I can't wait until you come out, my love." She patted her belly and started looking through her purse for Katie's keys.
The door to Tara's left opened up. "Who are you?"
Tara turned and looked at a woman who was about forty. Her hair looked dirty and there were dark circles under her eyes.
"None, of your business."
"You are la peli rojos, cousin?" the lady took a drag of her cigarette.
"Who is asking?" Tara crossed her arms in front of her.
"No one pendeja. No one." The lady slammed the door.
Tara stared at the closed door for a moment and fished for Katie's apartment keys.
As soon as she found them, she opened the door and quickly entered the apartment.
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Wednesday, October 1st, 1997 7:01pm
"How did it go?" Mr. Diaz moved so Tara could enter.
"I got some of Katie's PJs. The apartment is a fucking mess. There were needles everywhere and dried blood in the carpet. Her sheets were filthy, Mr. Diaz. Absolutely filthy."
Mr. Diaz sighed. "Dinner is almost ready, my love. Why don't you settle down in Luis Mario's room and I will call you over as soon as everything is ready? We could discuss what to do with Katie over a nice meal."
Tara smiled. "Between, you, Luis Mario, and Matt always cooking for me, I am so spoiled."
Mr. Diaz returned her smile. "You deserve to be spoiled and much more, mi Tara. Now go settle down for a few minutes. I'll call you over."
Spanish music started blasting from the neighbor above making Tara frown and Mr. Diaz shrugged his shoulders. "That's Spanish Harlem for you. Now go."
Tara quickly smiled and walked to Luis Mario's former room. She put down the small duffle bag in the bed and kicked off her sneakers.
The loud salsa playing upstairs made it difficult for Tara to even think. She sat on the bed and rubbed her belly.
So many things have occurred in the few past weeks but for the first time in a long time, Tara felt like things were falling into place.
Katie would get better. It would be a long road but Katie would get better.
Luis Mario would come back, probably with Jimena and they would extend the loft to create more room for the ever-expanding new family.
Matt would be Matt and just be there for them with his cockiness and sass.
Mr. Diaz would always be Dad that all of them needed.
And she will continue to go to school and plan for her baby.
Tara rubbed her belly and decided to change into some sweats for the night.
She heard the loud knock as she shimmied out of her maternity jeans. She heard Mr. Diaz's "ya voy," as she picked up an old pair of sweats from one of Luis Mario's drawers.
It was when she placed them over her hips that she heard a loud thump.
"Mr. Diaz?" she called out and pulled the strings of the sweats and opened the door.
"Mr. Diaz?" she noted how the music seemed to get louder upstairs and she walked quickly to the kitchen and living room area.
The front door was shut closed and Tara quickly turned to see Mr. Diaz lying on the ground, groaning.
"Mr. Diaz?" Tara rushed to his side and tried to bend as quickly as possible next to him. "Oh my God."
She was so concern for his well being, that she failed to notice the man behind her until she felt her hair being pulled.
Tara yelped and fell on her back.
"You think you could come back here without her."
Joey's raged made Tara scramble away from him but he was too quick for her pregnant body. He pulled her by the hair and until she was on her knees.
"You fucking goody two shoes, bitch." He slapped her so hard that Tara cried out and start screaming.
"Shut up!" Joey's face was red with rage and Tara noted a second body moving and leaning above Mr. Diaz.
"Shut up or he dies," said Hector, Joey's cousin.
Tara shut her mouth as she whimpered.
"I know she is in New York Presbyterian. I know where she is. And when she comes out, I am going to find her and I am going to make her pay."
"You are a piece of shit," said Tara tears streaming down her face. "You aren't a man. I man wouldn't beat a woman half to death, attack an old man and beat a pregnant woman."
"Oh Tara," Joey stroked her cheek while his other hand held onto her hair. "I'll show you how much of a fucking man I am." He licked her swollen cheek before throwing her in the ground again.
Tara started screaming again when she felt his foot connect with her stomach. Her mouth was quickly covered by Hector's hand.
The last thing Tara saw before blacking out was Joey's smell satisfying grin when his fist landed on her face.
