Allusions to lemony situations
Chapter 9
Sheeba
I woke up the next morning sinfully relaxed. My body refused to move at first, snuggled up completely naked against my boyfriend. I must have dozed, because the next thing I heard was my alarm going off as my man hit the shower. Oh right. The guys are leaving today. I threw on my night clothes and opened up my door.
"Time to get up, guys! The airport awaits." The accompanying groans told me they were up and moving at least. Satisfied with that, I hopped in the shower with Steele. We finished cleaning up and got dressed, at which point I headed for the kitchen to cook breakfast for my guests. It was so nice to have people in my house! Okay, so the situation was a little weird, but I still enjoyed having people to talk to and share my thoughts with.
"I'm going to miss them when this is done," I muttered to myself as I fiddled with my breakfast sandwich maker while it warmed up.
"What did you say?" my boyfriend asked me. I focused on adding the ingredients to the hot machine so I wouldn't have to answer. He came up behind me and wrapped me in his arms.
"We're going to miss you too, Babygirl. You should think about moving around my way." I looked up at him like he was crazy.
"I'm settled here. I've got everything to make me a success here. How would I even go about moving? I've got a house and a car now."
"Sell them," he shrugged like it was no big deal. "Or I can sell my house and move up here. I'll just-"
"No!" I shouted without thinking. "You can't leave your cousins like that! Y'all are tight. I would never mess that up." I was suddenly uncomfortable with the way he was looking at me. "What?" He kissed me so deeply I forgot where I was.
"Yo, y'all need to stop doing that shit while cooking! Y'all gonna burn the food." Travis pulled the machine towards him with my pot holders and finished the sandwiches for me. I giggled and gently pushed Steele away from my lips.
"Sorry, Travis," I said to the prettiest Mason cousin. Strangely, his attractiveness didn't stir my hormones like Steele's did. After I gave him his breakfast, I started working on food for the other guys. Tee and Anthony were sitting at the table by the time I was done making everything for my guests and myself.
"So who's coming next?" I asked as we put the bags together. The plan was for me to turn on the car and scrape the ice off the windows. Then the guys would hand me their bags and I would pack them in my trunk. That way they could just come out and get in the car. Weaklings. But then I thought about how I'd likely be in the middle of an East Coast summer after a decade of soft summers in Western Canada. 'Hot' for me was eighty degrees Fahrenheit now. I'd be melting at 100, and they regularly reached that temperature over there. I'd be the weak one in that instance. But on the other hand, I couldn't ask Steele to give up his family. I could barely comprehend how HIS Uncle Leo managed in Las Vegas with the triplets all those years! And even he was back in Connecticut now. Dragging Steele into the cold, unforgiving North would be the worst kind of selfishness. But how exactly was I going to relocate myself to New Haven? I was settled pretty firmly in Calgary after all these years.
"How you getting all introspective in the middle of this cold ass morning?" Steele asked, buried in his coat. I gave him a teary smile at his thoughtfulness. He was really trying to adjust himself to the cold for me. I popped the trunk and sniffled.
"You are so considerate, baby," I mentioned as I passed him to grab more of their luggage. He stopped me in the middle of the walkway, his glove-covered hands wiping at my tears.
"Look at you, crying just from giving me a compliment," he whispered against my lips mock-angrily. He swiped my tears away, straightening my coat. "Was it really that painful?" I snorted my laughter. "Come on now. That water gonna freeze on your face. Then your face really will freeze like that!" I giggled, more tears spilling down my cheeks.
"Girl, give me that suitcase," Tee said in mock-annoyance, passing me a paper towel. "You could have just said you didn't want to pack the car." The other cousins were suddenly packing up the trunk for me. I pressed the paper towel to my cheeks, determined to stop crying like a fool in the middle of my walkway. He wasn't even gone yet! How could I miss someone who wasn't even gone yet? My alarm went off, and I climbed in the car, blowing my nose on the paper towel.
"Don't waste it, shorti! I ain't bring but one. Though, I guess I should have brought the roll for your sappy ass," Tee chuckled. I sniffled and opened my glove compartment to reveal a stack of napkins.
"I use them every time my friends up here try to get me to watch a romantic comedy," I giggled, pulling myself together. The guys laughed with me, making light of my breakdown. I was so grateful I could have cried, but I was determined to be strong for my new friends. I got them to the airport without further incident, hugging each of them once we were there.
"Don't worry, shorti. It'll work itself out," Tony whispered to me during his hug.
"Thank you," I said meaningfully. "Oh, and by the way, I'm not short." The tall men all looked at me doubtfully. "I am an elite member of the Untall," I announced proudly. They all fell out laughing. "What?"
"Steele, take your girl out of here, cuz. She obviously needs more sleep or something! Elite member of the Untall…" Travis muttered, still laughing as he headed into the terminal with the others.
"You wanna go to visit Simeon, or do you want to go to Denny's first and get something for him?" I asked once the guys were gone.
"You are such a considerate little thing," Steele said, slinging an arm around my shoulders as he led me to the car's driver's side. He opened the door and helped me in before heading to his side with a shiver at the cold. "Denny's sounds good. Lead on, my love!" I couldn't help my blush as I pulled back into the flow of traffic.
We ended up getting three to-go meals and heading to the hospital.
"I thought I told y'all to spend some quality time together?" Old Man Sim fussed even as he poured Ketchup on his diced potatoes.
"We did, Simeon," I said. "We went to the movies, hung out with each other last night, dropped off the guys at the airport, and now we're here with you." She ate a bit of her eggs Benedict and smiled innocently at him. OS grumbled as he cut into his steak.
I'll have to remember this trick if I have a daughter," he groused. "Y'all know y'all ain't gonna get much quality time once Grandma shows up, right?" I choked on my breakfast, jumping out of my seat.
"Grandma is coming?" I managed to get out as a shiver of real fear ran down my spine. What if she didn't like me? What if she demanded her grandbaby never see me again? What if-
"Relax," Steele said, caressing my cheek. For once, the gesture was of no comfort to me.
"I can't. There's too much to do! The whole house needs a deep clean. I haven't vacuumed the floors since-"
"Yesterday. The guys vacuumed the whole house last night after they got in. You're not the only one who gets nervous about Grandma showing up unexpectedly. You and I organized the kitchen, did the dishes, and cleaned up the bathrooms already in preparation for the next group. The laundry's getting ready in the machines as we speak. Relax."
"But what if she expects doilies or tea cozies or something? I don't feel prepared for this." The guys laughed uproariously but I wasn't so easily appeased, huffing angrily and pouting when Steele tried to make it better.
"Sheeba! Do you honestly think that Renee Vern Mason had time for doilies while helping to raise thirty bad-ass kids? 29 of them being boys?" I calmed down a little at that. "Relax, boo. She gonna love you just like I do. You're a good, Christian woman and she's gonna love you. I promise." My panicked thoughts slowed as he kissed me slowly and sensually.
"See, this is what I'm talking about," Simeon said. "Grandma ain't going to tolerate too much PDA during her trip and y'all got 'sugar shock' written all over y'all."
"Man, shut the fuck up," he said angrily. "You know Grandma's gonna be so happy that I'm dating she won't care what I do. I could fly us down to Vegas and marry her and Renee Vern Mason would be there trying to catch the bouquet." The two broke into raucous laughter, but I was too freaked out to join in the fun.
"Hefsiba! Relax! Grandma Vern is going to love you. Have I ever lied to you?" He waited for me to shake my head to continue. "Then trust me, Sweetness. Everything's going to be alright. Finish your breakfast. We'll do our workout for the day, then give the house a once over, okay?" I nodded happily, feeling more confident in the situation. We spent that rest of the day just like my baby suggested. After hanging with Simeon all morning, we went home and worked out in the basement.
I was following Desmond's workout closely, along with the diet he suggested, because you couldn't out-exercise your fork. It has been working out well so far. I'd already noticed that my endurance was better lately. I could make it up a flight of stairs without having a coronary. I either woke up an hour early to work out on my day shifts or did it first thing after waking on evening shifts. I did it as soon as I woke up on my days off. I found out that I functioned better when I got it out of the way. That way I wasn't fretting all day. I'd stayed away from the scale on purpose because I didn't want to rely on it as the measure of my progress. Des texted me daily for updates and to give suggestions. All in all, I was happy with the way things were going.
After showering the sweat off my body, I put on my cleaning outfit and got to work. Steele and I went over the house with a fine-toothed comb. The place was sparkling with cleanliness by the time night fell. He made me Shrimp Alfredo and then took completely unfair advantage of my food haze, spreading me out on the island in the middle of the kitchen and devouring my dripping pussy for hours.
"In case I don't get a chance to do this during her visit," he whispered to my nub as I recovered. He kissed it tenderly, then started licking me again as I gibbered and shook for him. Much later that night, we showered together and climbed into bed.
Steele
I might have been more nervous than Sheeba about Grandma's visit. What was she doing, coming all the way up here? Renee Vern didn't travel! But I refused to freak out my boo more than she already was. I'd never introduced Grandma to a girl before. Not even Gloria; and I was convinced that we were destined for each other. Thank Christ I was wrong.
We were standing in our usual spot outside the door for international arrivals at the airport. We'd been here for half an hour at Sheeba's insistence. She didn't like making my family wait. Did Grandma even have a passport?
"There they are," she smiled at me. Following her line of sight, I saw Taylor high-stepping with a cart full of their bags. Lee was right behind her, pushing a wheelchair with Grandma Vern in it. Sheeba waved them over, seeming completely at ease as Taylor bent down to hug her warmly.
"Thanks for looking out for my cousins," Taylor grinned.
"It's been my pleasure," with a wide, happy grin. You must be Ms. Vern and… either Lee or One, 'cause you surely aren't Mirror even though you look just like him," she said with a nod at my Grandmother and cousin. "My name is Hefsiba, but I go by Sheeba. How was the flight?"
"We did okay 'cause we were in first class," Taylor answered. "I don't know how those people in Economy make it."
"Word," Lee agreed. "Have planes gotten smaller since we were kids? I'm Lee, by the way." He held out a hand to her after settling Grandma so she wasn't on the ramp leading out of the International Arrivals area. Sheeba put on the brakes before shaking his hand, smiling when he brought her in for a hug. I hugged Taylor with a quick 'How you doin, girl' before facing Grandma.
"Couldn't wait to meet my boo?" I asked as I hugged her when she stood up.
"Who knew if you were ever coming back to Connecticut, baby boy? This was supposed to be a week's vacation for my oldest and youngest grandbabies. Y'all been up in Canada for the better part of a month. No calls, no updates from either of you. I got sick of hearing half-reports from the cousins who came up."
"Sorry, Grandma," I said, hanging my head in shame. She smiled at me, lifting my head.
"You're both forgiven, you know that. Just don't let it happen again," she said, patting my cheek. Finally, she turned to face my girlfriend. "You're such a tiny thing, Sheeba."
"Yes, ma'am," she nodded. "Tiny but mighty is what we call it in my family." The two stared at each other, then burst out laughing. "I'm under the impression that I won't be able to hold an umbrella for any of you, but you'll find that I am quite a force of nature, just like my Mama intended."
"That you are," Grandma said, still chuckling. "Renee Vern Mason. Come give me a hug, chile." Sheeba didn't hesitate, leaning up for a hug. "I heard that my grandson picked up a girlfriend in Canada, but you don't quite sound like a Canadian."
"I'm originally from Philadelphia, ma'am."
"That explains it. Shall we go?" I cut up with my cousins until we got to the car, loading up quickly. Grandma sat in the front seat, and eagerly began the interrogation of my girl as she pulled out of the parking lot.
"If you're from Philly, what are you doing in Western Canada?"
"I felt led to be here a decade ago when I moved up here for college. My friends are here and it feels like home, so here I am." First round to Sheeba. I squeezed her shoulder since I was right behind her.
"And that's all well and good, sweetie. But what are you going to do now that you have my grandbaby?"
"As weird as it sounds, I've been putting a lot of thought into that very question. I'm going to have to arrange to move back to the East Coast. I love your grandson and even though it's only been a few short weeks, I know it's real. I would never take him away from his family, and my profession is relatively easy to relocate. Thanks to the internet, I won't lose my friends up here. I was checking the hospital job postings in New Haven a few days ago and there were some promising leads." I nodded, remembering our talk the other day.
"Hold up. What happened to 'it feels like home' sh-stuff?" Lee broke into the conversation.
"Calgary does feel like home. It's been the place for me to be since I was 18 years old. But lately I've been feeling restless. I achieved everything I was looking to achieve in this city, but it feels like there has to be more, you know? Your family has breathed life into my home - it's been lonely by myself. Frankly, I feel a little bit selfish admitting it, but I like your family's vibe and I don't want to lose it."
"When you say you've achieved everything…"
"I own a house, lease a car, I am successful at my profession, financially stable… These are the goals that I was taught were what mattered in my life, Taylor. But for the last two or three years… I don't know… It hasn't felt like enough. Like hollow victories. I want more, but I didn't know what that 'more' looked like until now. It usually takes me a long time to adjust my mindset for things, but I'm completely fine with where my mind is leading me."
"Is it your mind that's leading right now?" Grandma Vern asked slyly.
"I believe so, ma'am," she said hesitantly. "My hormones have always taken a back seat to cold, hard logic and my faith. But my emotions have been such a mess since I met your grandson that I'm not 100% sure who's driving at this point. All I know is that this feels like the right thing to do. Of course, my family is convinced that I've lost my mind. But they thought that when I first moved out here and it all worked out. I'm protected by the blood."
"Are you a Christian, Sheeba?" Grandma Vern asked with tears in her eyes.
"Nothing but the blood," she said with a smile. "I grew up in the faith, but I made it personal when I was 18. It's hard to spread the Word up here - the feeling up here is very different from in the States, but I'm trying. Anyway… Would you like to see where you'll be staying, or would you like to see your grandson?"
"Let's see my other grandbaby," Grandma said, laying a hand on her shoulder as she drove down Stoney Trail. The conversation turned to lighter subjects, but my mind was reeling. Was she seriously considering moving back to the East Coast as I'd suggested? She was such an obedient little thing. But something about that didn't sit quite right with me. Sheeba was very settled in this country. And I owned my own business. I could afford to branch out to the West Coast or close up shop and start over in Calgary. Yet, I didn't want to be away from my people. I resolved to talk to her about this as she pulled into the hospital parking lot. Had the whole hour gotten away from me while I was lunching?
"An hour already?" I asked as we piled out of the car.
"Forty-five minutes. Traffic was good," my baby shrugged before turning to Grandma. "Would you like me to find a wheelchair for you, ma'am?"
"I would appreciate that, baby." The girl took off on her mission. As soon as the elevator door closed, Grandma turned to me. "What are you doing with that Oreo, Steele?" We all stared at Renee Vern in blatant shock. My blood was boiling, but I had to think this through. Grandma was one for shock value, but she was smart. If I didn't play this right, she would never accept my girlfriend.
"Sheeba isn't an Oreo. She's not trying to be anything but herself. I love that she's real and she loves my family like I do. As for why I'm with her, I love her. I won't give her up for anyone, not even you, Grandma." She stared at me for a long time, then nodded with a small smile.
"You remind me of your grandfather back when we first met. He was so determined to have me as his wife. Didn't care what anyone said, didn't care what his family threatened him with. He had to have me. His determination was his best quality back then. It was terribly flattering and romantic." She sighed dreamily. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. You know how my story ended."
"No, I don't know how your story ends; you're not dead. Are you that determined not to give my girl a chance?"
"People like her, their values are different than ours. We stick together. Your girl abandoned her family as soon as she was able. Now she coming home, but not really. You are a successful, black businessman. A woman like her will selfishly use you to-"
"So, that's a 'no'? You're not willing to give her a chance?" I interrupted her furiously. Taylor and Lee were staring back and forth between the two of us like they were watching a complicated tennis match. No one talked back to Grandma Vern. But I refused to give my girlfriend up based on a part of her personality. "Hefsiba is a warm, loving woman. She took our family in because she was worried about us. She spends all of her time balancing between her full-time job and hanging around me and my people. She doesn't do it to use me. She does it because she likes us. I can't believe you're so hung up on her proper speech you can't see that! She's already rich. She doesn't need my money. And if she truly was an Oreo, wouldn't she be searching for a white man?"
"You're blinded by lust," she sniffed. "That girl has ulterior motives. No one is that pure. The whole 'Christian' thing was a nice touch, but I won't allow her to deceive you or any more members of our family." The door of the elevator opened just then, revealing my girl with the wheelchair. "Why, thank you, baby," Renee Vern said sweetly, sitting herself in the seat. I couldn't even look at my grandmother. I was so angry at her for judging a book by its cover.
"Sorry, I left something in the car. Why don't y'all head on up and I'll catch up with you."
"That sounds-"
"I'll stick with you," I said over my grandmother, who glared at me. "Come on, Sheeba."
"Just take the elevator to the main level. Head left to the Inpatient Elevators. Take them to the seventh floor. Simeon is on unit 78 in room 10. I'll just grab what I left behind and we'll be right there." Taylor called the elevator as we walked back to the car.
"What did you forget, Babygirl?" I finally asked.
"These," she grinned, pulling out the three quiches she'd made early this morning that I'd forgotten about. "Plus, you looked so livid when I came back, I figured you could use a little break. What are they saying about me?" Again touched by her sensitivity and thoughtfulness, I hugged her close and breathed in her floral scent.
"Grandma's convinced that you're faking your love for me and that you're-"
"I told you she wouldn't like me," Sheeba sighed. "I suppose that an Oreo can't be sincere, right?" I blinked, wondering if the girl was psychic.
"How did you-"
"That's the excuse that black people tend to fall back on when they meet me. I can't be for real. I'm too busy trying to be white." I hugged her close to me.
"I see you, Babygirl. I see you."
"Thank you, baby. No one seems to understand. Black isn't something I'm trying to be, black is what I am. I've been this way all my life. I don't fit in with my own family, why in the world would I fit in with yours?" Her eyes glistened with tears, but she dashed her hand across her face and squared her shoulders. "Shall we go?" I stared at her and she smiled sadly.
"I learned a long time ago: people don't have to like me. They didn't like Jesus. As long as I like me, I'm gonna be alright. Let's catch up with your family." Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.
"Taylor," I called out as I noticed my cousin trying to sneak over to the elevators. Sheeba locked onto her as well. The girl looked guilty, but stopped crouching.
"Sorry. I just needed to see you two together for myself," she admitted guiltily.
"And your conclusion?" Sheeba asked. Taylor looked taken aback by her directness. But she answered just the same.
"What I've seen is promising, but I don't know you like that yet. We just met."
"Well, you've got eight days to come to a conclusion."
"Sixteen days," she corrected. At Sheeba's shocked look, she smiled. "Grandma insisted that the two of us specifically stay here to figure out your angle. Lee'll be going home in eight days and Walter is coming up after him."
"That's the other sci-fi nut in your family, right?"
"Uh… yeah. How did you know that?"
"I pay attention. And it's even easier 'cause 'Walter' is the name of my ex." Taylor laughed at that.
"Wow, girl. You got your work cut out for you!"
"Don't I know it," my girl quipped, calling the elevator. We made it up to Simeon's room and were surprised that Lee and Renee weren't there yet.
"You didn't… I… I have an idea where they might be. Hold on." She left with the quiche bags still in hand.
"What was in the bags, cuz?"
"The three quiches she made this morning for us," I told them, still feeling belligerent toward my grandmother.
"Hold up. Shorti made quiche for us? That's dope! What kind?"
"The kind you eat," I quipped, wondering where my girl was and if I should have gone with her.
"Don't mind him, OS. He's just sore that Grandma doesn't approve of his lady."
"Wait. Grandma doesn't like her? Grandma likes everyone!"
"Shorti's the exception. Grandma doesn't trust Oreos." Simeon just shook his head in disbelief.
"There has to be a way to convince her of the truth. Steele and I have known her the longest. We know that she's good peoples."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, OS. Your Grandmother and Lee got turned around and went up the Outpatient Elevators by mistake. I'll get some plates and cutlery for breakfast." Sheeba stepped out of the room and Grandma immediately went on the attack.
"Grandma, Sheeba's not-"
"Don't you be fooled," Renee snapped. "That Oreo is up to something. She wants something from Steele, probably his money or the title to his company."
"Sheeba isn't like that," I tried again. "If all she wanted was my money, why has she been paying for everything since we got up here?"
"Oreos don't make sense all the time. She probably thought that if she deferred money now, she could get more later. Don't be fooled. I don't trust that Oreo as far as-"
"Excuse me, Ma'am," Ellen butted into the conversation, hair extensions swaying in her indignance. "We don't tolerate racial slurs in this hospital. Use that word again and you will be escorted from the premises. This is a zero-tolerance facility." That brought my grandmother up short. I watched her face mottle in fury before she could get it together.
"Thanks, Ellen," Simeon said. "This is my grandmother. We'll make sure she doesn't forget herself again." He stared at the older woman until she looked away. Just then, Sheeba returned to the room with plastic forks, knives, and spoons, wielding the bags that smelled amazing.
"I found a recipe for ham and cheese quiche the other day and wanted to try it out," she explained calmly. "These are reheated in the microwave, but they should still be decent. Please enjoy." With that, she passed out the dishes to everyone, serving herself last. Everyone dug in and the quiche was just as delicious as the last time she made them.
"You found a recipe online for this?" Renee Vern asked, tryna look unimpressed.
"Yes. My parents are really good at making food from memory. Me, I need a template to follow. I'm more results-oriented and don't like experimenting. How is it?"
"I'm sure that with a little more pepper or some kind of vegetable, it would be perfect," she said smugly.
"That's fair," my woman said with a nod as she finished her helping.
"I loved it as is," Old Man Sim jumped in. "Thanks for the breakfast. The one in the hospital was… The one in the hospital. This hit the spot." Lee, Taylor, and I agreed. Grandma looked furious, but I didn't care. I put an arm around my baby and rubbed the back of her neck. She hummed and leaned into my tender touch. A knock on the door interrupted the relaxed moment.
"Good morning, Simeon. May I come in and talk to you and your family about your case?" Doctor Windsor asked.
"Surely. Come on in, Doc. We were just finishing up a homemade breakfast from Sheeba."
"Ah, good morning, Sheeba. If you need to go-"
"I'm not on duty today. I can stay as long as Simeon's okay with it."
"I am," OS nodded. The doctor looked a little confused, but seemed to let it slide.
"We've been monitoring your progress since your admission. The external fixator is doing its job well, allowing the femur to heal. Your blood work has been great. There's no sign of infection at this time. We went this route to preserve the bone and build up its integrity. We'll be removing the fixator in a few more weeks to check our work. At that point, we will decide if another one is needed or if you're good to go. You are a young, healthy male with no underlying comorbidities. I don't anticipate any complications in your case. I'd like to examine you if that's alright."
"Sure thing, Doc." The doctor looked him over like he did every day.
"Do you have any questions, Simeon?"
"Uh… No."
"Perfect. I'll be going then. If you have any questions, have your nurse page me, okay?" Simeon nodded. "Have a great day then." He left to talk to the team.
"Well, that's great news. Congratulations!" Sheeba grinned.
"Why doctors gotta speak in tongues all the time?" Simeon asked in frustration.
"What are you talking about? He asked you if you had any questions."
"I've asked in the past, but he only made me more confused," Simeon explained guiltily.
"Oh. Well, what part don't you get? Maybe I can help."
"Are you sure you want to, dear? You probably have other things to attend to," Renee put in, using a syrupy tone that didn't fit the Grandma I knew.
"Nonsense. Like I told the doctor, I'm not on duty today and I don't want you to be confused about your care." Old Man Sim seemed to hesitate for a minute, then started asking questions.
"The doctor's always talking about my comorbidities. What's that?"
"Comorbidities are other diseases that exist in your body at the same time as your current problem. Think of it this way. You don't have diabetes, or MS, or high blood pressure, or Lupus, or anything else that might take away from your leg healing. The body is an extraordinary machine, but its resources are limited and everything going on in your body is connected. If you had something else going on - like an infection - the body would have to devote time and resources to that too."
"But the doctor said that he had comorbidities," Taylor said.
"No, the doctor said that he didn't have any comorbidities. He's young and healthy, so all of his resources are going to fixing the femur - the thigh bone. It's one of the thickest, heaviest bones to fix. That's why the external fixator is so important. Everything has to line up with the bone, or you'll end up with a limp or worse. But every time you would move if it were internally fixed, the body would have to readjust itself to make sure everything is still in place before getting back to work. Usually, that's fine, but the bone was completely snapped when we found you. The fixator is literally holding the two halves of the bone in place so that the body can get on with mending the bone."
"In a few weeks - however long that'll be," she continued, "the doctor said he will remove the fixator to see if a new one is needed. Remember, the last thing you need is a misaligned bone. You gotta walk on that leg when this is all over and you don't want a limp. Once the leg is set enough to let it heal the rest of the way, they'll put in some hardware that you'll keep the rest of your life. At that point, you'll likely go home. Travel insurance can only cover your expenses for so long. But it's important to keep that external fixator on for as long as needed. The bone will take months to heal fully, but you'll be able to function with assistive devices, like crutches." Everyone looked impressed with her, even Grandma Vern.
"You got all of that from the doctor's little spiel," Lee asked doubtfully.
"Well, that and the fact that I'm a nurse on this unit and do this all the time. Teaching is a big part of nursing. And I want my patients to understand what's going on with them, not just take it on blind faith that everything's fine."
"Thanks for the info, Sheeba," Simeon smiled at her. "The breakdown really helped."
"I'm glad," she smiled sweetly. Grandma was quick to change the subject from my girl's competence. The rest of the afternoon passed slowly, Grandma cutting my woman off whenever her natural generosity or compassion began to show. Everyone was sick of it by the time Simeon kicked us out for the night.
"Grandma! Will you give it a rest? Please?" Taylor asked desperately once we were home and everything was in the house. "Sheeba is not the monster you think she is!" Grandma went to slap her granddaughter, but Sheeba intercepted her hand. For the first time since they'd met, Sheeba looked angry.
"This is my house. My house, my rules. And I say there will not be any slapping around of my guests."
"Oh, so you'll tolerate disrespect under your roof?" Renee snapped. "Typical double-standard-"
"No, I won't tolerate blatant disrespect in my house. But neither will I condone violence. You are both adults. Use your words." The two stared at each other until Grandma looked away. "I know it's been a long day for all of you, but it doesn't need to end on such a sour note."
"I didn't mean any disrespect, Grandma. But you've been riding Sheeba all day and there's no reason for it. She's been nothing but respectful and tolerant-"
"Y'all all are gonna regret this when she shows her true colors!"
"These are my true colors, Ms. Vern," Sheeba said forcefully, shutting down Grandma's bullshit with her tone. "I don't know how to be anyone but myself. It sounds exhausting to even try. And there's no reason to try. I've already been more than adequately compensated for hosting your family. If I were a different type of person, I could take the money and run; we don't have an actual contract or anything. But I'm not that kind of girl. I prefer to be Christlike to conniving. I will set up your bed, then I think I'll turn in for the night. I'll see you all tomorrow." She did what she said she was gonna do before heading to the master bedroom. I went to follow her and Grandma Vern stopped me with a hand on my arm.
"It'll be better for you to leave that Oreo alone," she said angrily. "Once she's pregnant with your child, there'll be no escaping her."
"We're not sleeping together," I told her simply, peeling her hand off me to continue up the stairs. Renee Vern Mason stared after me in slack-jawed wonder. Loving Sheeba was easy, the way it was supposed to be. I would not allow her to be shamed by my vindictive family member.
