Me: Yo. Shit went left at the spot. Ya'Mya got hit. I got her at the hospital. She good but Rah left her.
I stared at the screen, waiting for his response, then shoved my phone back in my pocket and sat down in one of the waiting room chairs.
* * *
It was damn near two in the morning when they finally discharged her. The bullet had just grazed her arm, she got lucky as fuck. They cleaned it, stitched it up, gave her some pain meds and a prescription, and told her to follow up in a week.
I'd been sitting in that waiting room for hours, ignoring calls from Sosa, BooMan, and Sleeze. I'd text them back later. Right now, my focus was on her.
When the nurse wheeled Ya'Mya out, she looked tired as hell. her eyes heavy from whatever they gave her for the pain. She had on a hospital gown and her jeans, they must’ve cut her shirt from off of her. The bandage was thick and white, wrapped around her upper arm.
"You stayed and waited on me." she said quietly.
"Man, where the fuck else I'm gon' be?" I stood up and walked over to her. The nurse handed me some paperwork and discharge instructions.
"She needs to rest and keep the wound clean. No heavy lifting for at least a week. If there's any signs of infection, redness, swelling, fever, bring her back immediately."
"Yeah, aight, I got it," I said, taking the papers.
I helped her stand up from the wheelchair, and she leaned on me a little as we walked out to my car. She didn't say much, just kept her head down. I could tell she was in her feelings about everything, the shooting, Rah leaving her, all of it.
I opened the passenger door and helped her get in, making sure she was comfortable before I closed the door and got in the driver's seat.
"Where you stay at?" I asked, even though I already knew. She told me the address anyway.
"My brother might be there."
"Yatta?"
"Yeah."
I nodded and pulled out the hospital parking lot. The streets was quiet this time of night. It was just a few cars here and there on the streets.
We rode in silence for a few minutes, the low hum of the engine and some Sade playing softly from my speakers. I kept glancing over at her. She was staring out the window, her good hand resting on her lap, the other one cradled against her body.
"You heard from that nigga?" I finally asked.
She didn't even have to ask who I was talking about. "No."
"Man, that's wild as hell. His bitch ass still aint called."
"It really aint that wild, His ass been showing me who he is. I just been ignoring it."
I shook my head. "Nah, see, that's different though. Running out on you during a fucking shooting, That's some straight pussy shit, on bro."
She didn't respond, just kept staring out the window.
"You deserve better than that goofy ass nigga," I said, my voice lower now.
She turned to look at me, and even in the dim light I could see her eyes was glossy. "Why you care so much?"
"'Cause I do, shit." I looked at her dead in her eyes for a second before turning back to the road.
She was quiet again, but I could feel the shift in the air between us. That same energy from the club bathroom, from all those lingering looks tonight, it was there, and it was heavy and undeniable.
When I pulled up to her crib, I noticed Yatta's whip wasn't in the driveway.
"He ain't home," she said, noticing the same thing.