When a Man Loves a Woman (Indigo) (5 page)

* * *

Later in the afternoon, around two, Vic knocked on Baptiste’s bedroom door and entered, along with his best friend, Kevin Martin Bullock, who everyone referred to as K-Mart.

“K-Mart, don’t let Baptiste get out of this bed while I’m gone,” she said, walking over to hand Baptiste a bottle of Perrier. She leaned down and softly whispered next to his ear. “I’ma run a few errands, then pick up the girls. I won’t be gone long.”

A.J. smiled. “You promise to come back to me.”

She smiled back. “I promise. Remember what I said, Baptiste.”

K-Mart drew a glass of iced tea to his mouth. “Don’t worry, Vic. Even if I have to sit on his big behind the entire time, I won’t let him out this bed.”

A.J. and K-Mart watched Vic walk out the room.

“Doc,” K-Mart said with a chuckle, turning back around to face his best friend, “I told you years ago you needed to give up your Hell’s Angel’s ways.” He set his glass on the table next to his chair and peeled out of his suit coat. “Damn near took you out of here this time, huh?”

“Shut up, K-Mart,” A.J. replied, his voice full of humor. “Good to see you. I wasn’t at fault this go-round. Whoever hit me came out of nowhere. I didn’t even see them coming.”

A.J. knew K-Mart would rib him for the passion he’d developed for motorcycle riding, which began when they were roommates back in medical school at Howard University. Slowly, he pulled to an upright position in the middle of the bed while K-Mart adjusted the pillows at his back. “All right, who called you?”

“Everyone,” K-Mart answered matter-of-factly, loosening his tie. “Of course, you know Moni got to me first. After that, the rest of your clan started blowing my phone up every thirty minutes. Even talked to Cates the night you were admitted.”

A.J. chuckled. “I’ll say. He told me when I checked out that you called every hour for an update.”

“Absolutely. Listen, doc, we go back a long way. I needed to know what was going on with you.”

A.J. was thrilled K-Mart had finally accepted the top spot as the health officer for the Alameda County Department of Public Health and would be relocating to Oakland from Atlanta. Suddenly, he frowned, and a puzzled look fanned over his features. “Wait a minute. Your flight to Oakland was for next—”

“I know, I know. When I talked with Marcel, he offered to send the corporate jet down to fly me out, so here I am.”

A.J. nodded. He knew Russ Jenkins, the pilot for BF Automotive’s corporate jet, had no doubt flown out immediately. “
Merci, mon frère.
”

Stretching his legs in front of him, K-Mart smiled. “Listen, doc, you didn’t do justice with your description of Vic. You are one lucky dog. Man, she’s gorgeous.”

A.J. beamed proudly. “I told you.”

K-Mart shook his head in amazement. “How in the world did you luck up and find a woman who loves your girls as much as you do, is a public health nurse, has a master’s in public health on top of that, and heads up a clinic?” He lifted his brow. “Think she’d come work for me?”

A.J. didn’t hear most of K-Mart’s accolades because he was too busy trying to figure out which one of his five gossiping siblings had provided K-Mart with Vic’s life story.

“Moni told you all of this, right?” Before he got a response, he added, “You would think since Little Zach has been born she wouldn’t have so much time to spend running her mouth.”

K-Mart shook his head and chuckled. “Wasn’t Moni this time, doc. Zach spilled the beans on this one.”

“When?” A.J. asked, stunned.

“When he picked me up from the airport.”

“What?” A.J. exclaimed. “You mean Marcel forgot his manners and didn’t send a limo over for you?”

K-Mart snorted. “A limo? For what? Listen, we’re family, right?” He tossed A.J. a sly wink. “Besides, I got the latest update on the entire clan from Zach. That’s better than a limo ride any day of the week.”

A.J. laughed out loud. “Zach’s been living with Moni too long.”

K-Mart chuckled. “Listen, Zach also said your woman can burn.”

A.J. patted his stomach and released a sigh of contentment. “Yes, she can.”

“Hey, doc, thanks for downloading the last set of pictures you took of the girls and e-mailing them. I tell everyone my goddaughters are cuties. But I’m just a tad bit biased, you know.”

“I know, and so am I.”

K-Mart took another sip of tea and slowly shook his head. “You know, it’s just like you to do the daddy thing without benefit of a wife.”

“What’s wrong with that?” A.J. asked, giving his friend a nonchalant shrug.

“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. It’s just in line with all of your other unconventional ways, that’s all.”

“So,” A.J. drawled slowly, “I do things a little differently, unlike you. There’s more excitement in my way. Your behind is as straight-laced as they come. You’re always playing strictly by the rules.”

“That’s all right. At least I didn’t have three quarters of the medical faculty happy to see me graduate.”

“Stop lying, K-Mart,” A.J. said, chuckling.

“Doc, I’m not lying. You were one scary,
brilliant
medical student and put all of us to shame. But trust me, darn near all of the professors lit candles when you strolled across the stage at graduation.”

“K-Mart, man, you should stop lying,” A.J. repeated, laughing so hard he had to brace his hand against his left side to ease the throbbing.

“You know I’m telling the truth,” K-Mart said, snickering just as much. “You caused Dr. Wilson to turn in his resignation the same day.”

A.J. snorted. “Come on, K-Mart. He was past seventy. He needed to retire anyway.”

“Never ran across anyone who could miss three quarters of a class lecture and still ace the course.”

“It was only a couple of times, and you know it. Besides, why sleep in a chair in a classroom at eight in the morning when I could be snoozing in bed?”

“I’m feeling you, but come on, doc, admit it. You can come up with some strange stuff. Who else would show up wearing shorts, no shirt, and sandals at graduation?”

“K-Mart,” A.J. mildly protested, “we lived in D.C., and graduated in the middle of August, with a heat index close to a hundred that day. There was no way I was going to wear a suit and tie under a thick, black robe.”

K-Mart nodded in agreement. “I almost roasted my damn self. So, when’s the wedding?”

A.J. explained Vic’s reluctance to marry him, leaving out the reason why and how his plan to quarantine her had been interrupted by the car accident.

“What?” K-Mart shouted and was on his feet in an instant, remembering the repercussions from the dean for his role in the quarantine prank he and A.J. concocted in medical school. “Doc, I want to look at your CT scan, personally. I think you sustained permanent brain damage
before
the concussion.”

“Sit down, K-Mart. You’ve been in public health so long you wouldn’t know what an X ray looked like if it slapped you.” After sharing a long laugh, A.J. probed, taunting his friend. “What about you? Who’s the lucky woman in your life?”

With his focus on his glass, K-Mart’s face grew somber. “What are you talking about?”

“What am I talking about? You know exactly what I’m talking about, Doctor Workaholic. If a woman isn’t sitting on top of your desk, you’ll never see her.”

K-Mart shrugged. “Look, I just haven’t found her yet. But trust me, a man knows what he knows when he knows. You understand what I’m saying?”

A.J. nodded. He truly understood what his friend meant about finding the right woman because he’d found Vic. Despite the accident, which had interfered with his plans to win her love, he took it all in stride. The recent turn of events was much better than anything that he could have come up with.

With a confident smile, he settled back deeper onto the pillows. His only goal from here on out was to use the circumstances to his advantage.

And the results would be well worth the effort.

Chapter 5

“Yes, lawd.” Zach closed his eyes and inhaled the tantalizing aroma of barbecue ribs, baked beans, and peach cobbler as soon as he walked inside A.J.’s house Friday afternoon to check on his brother-in-law’s recovery.

A.J. chuckled and stepped aside to let Zach enter.

“Oh yeah, Baby Girl got it smelling real right up in here.” He tapped his watch. “Know it’s almost lunchtime, don’t ya, brother-in-law?” He glanced around. “Where’s Baby Girl at?”

“She had to run a few errands.” A.J. headed toward the kitchen while Zach followed. He pointed to the overhead cabinets. “Grab a plate and help yourself.” Suddenly, he frowned. “Has Moni stopped feeding you?”

Zach threw back his head and roared with laughter while washing his hands at the sink. “Come on now, brother-in-law. Everybody knows I love my baby, but cooking ain’t exactly one of her strong points.”

Zach fixed a plate for A.J. as well. Afterward, they headed back toward the dining room.

Once they had settled at a huge polished table, A.J. glanced over at Zach. “Any leads on the accident yet?”

Zach leaned back in a rattan chair with a frown etched on his face. “Not a one. This is one of those cases where things went down without any witnesses. The only person who could even remotely help us crack the case is Baby Girl. The problem is, she can’t recall anything more than what she’s already told us.”

A.J.’s eyes narrowed and his fork clattered against his plate. “Wait. Back up here. What do you mean, Honey can’t recall anything?”

Zach shook his head. “Uh…nothing. Better finish eating before ya food gets cold.”

“Zach,” A.J. uttered somewhat impatiently.

“Brother-in-law, I’m sorry. I-I thought she’d told ya by now.”

“Told me what?”

“It was Baby Girl’s car that hit ya.”

A.J. stared at Zach, stunned. “It was?”

Zach pushed his plate away and put his hand up in defense. “Listen, now, don’t be mad at her. She couldn’t help it. Another car rear-ended her and caused her to hit ya.”

A.J. was silent for a moment. Then a wide grin stretched across his face.

Zach lifted his brow. “So that means you ain’t mad at her, right?”

“Elated is more like it.”

Zach’s mouth dropped open. “Whatcha mean, elated? Man, ya got tossed around last Saturday like a rag doll, and ya sitting here telling me ya happy about it?”

A.J. shifted in his chair to take some of the pressure off his side. He didn’t need Zach to tell him what he already knew, because the dull ache was reminder enough. “Zach, you know when it comes to Honey, I’m an opportunist. Now you wouldn’t want me to miss out on the chance to have her here with me for a while.” He smiled and waggled his brow. “Would you?”

Relaxing in his chair, Zach chuckled. “So, ya gonna take full advantage of the situation?”

A.J. shook his head. “No. I’m going to use the situation to my advantage and convince Honey to see things my way. There’s a big difference between the two.”

“Whatcha got up ya sleeve here, brother-in-law?”

A.J. grinned. “Nothing.”

“Yeah, right,” Zach drawled with reservation.

A.J.’s carefree demeanor quickly shifted to concern. “Listen, back to the accident. If you don’t have any witnesses, what happens now?”

Zach sighed, releasing his pent-up frustration. “Got the boys from the lab analyzing the paint chips left on the cars, but it’s a long shot at best.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and reached over to pick up a glass of iced tea. “Ya know, I’ve been a cop for over fifteen years, and a hit-and-run ranks right up there with child molestation. Both burn the crap out of me. I want to nab the bastard who did this.
Bad.
”

A.J. was puzzled by the fierceness of Zach’s last word. “Why?”

“Remember the car I told ya that hit Baby Girl?”

A.J. nodded.

“Well, we believe it might have also hit another car driven by a young family. Nice, hardworking couple, too. Their daughter, Nicole Broussard, got the worst of it. When I got off duty, I stopped by the hospital to check on her and see if the parents could provide any information.” Zach hung his head sadly. “Brother-in-law, that baby’s hanging on by a thread.”

“Oh, man,” A.J. uttered sadly.

Neither A.J. nor Zach spoke for a long time. It was as if their professions had trained them to the harsh reality of death, each of them understanding the difficult fate from two different perspectives. A.J. had witnessed it time and again trying to save young patients’ lives. Zach, on the other hand, had become acquainted with it after he shot and killed an armed suspect in an effort to save his own life.

Zach sighed wearily. “It’s a shame innocent folks gotta have their lives turned upside down like this.”

A.J. shook his head, confused. “I’m not following you.”

“From what I’ve been able to gather, the parents were headed to the emergency room anyway because Nicole was having bad headaches and they wanted to get things checked out. On top of all of that, they’re like half the working folks in America—no health insurance.”

A.J. released a long sigh of regret and his thoughts drifted to Taylor and Tyler. As a parent, he knew the agony Nicole’s mother and father were going through. Just the thought of having to experience something even remotely similar with his own girls made his stomach plummet as if he’d taken a fifty-foot dive off a cliff.

Zach shook his head before running his hand down the front of his face. “The good guys got a raw deal, know what I’m saying? Ya got a young girl probably no mo’ than a year or two older than T-One and T-Two, and her life might be cut short because some bastard was driving through the streets like a bat out of hell. Y’all had some angels watching over ya the other night.”

A.J. made the sign of the cross. “Tell me something I don’t already know.” He lifted a bottle of Perrier to his lips. After a few moments, he glanced over at his brother-in-law. “Do you think offering a reward would help identify the person responsible?”

Zach shrugged. “Certainly won’t hurt. Somebody out there knows something, and money always seems to bring ’em out the woodwork and cause diarrhea of the mouth.” His eyes narrowed. “Why?”

For A.J., the answer to Zach’s question was simple. Someone hurt his woman and didn’t bother to stop and help her. That reason alone was enough, as far as he was concerned, to bring whoever was responsible to justice. Besides, from what Zach just told him about Nicole’s injuries, her life could very well end before it even began. “Put the word out that there’s a $250,000 reward for anyone with information that will help identify whoever is responsible.”

Zach nodded. Closing his eyes, he slid down in his chair and slipped his suspenders off his shoulders with one hand atop a full stomach. “Ya gonna tell Baby Girl about the reward?”

“Eventually.”

Zach opened one eye. “Brother-in-law, best not keep her in the dark too long.”

“I won’t.”

Zach closed the eye and chuckled. “Ray and Marcel told me about ya plan to quarantine Baby Girl.”

A.J. sighed softly. He’d learned years ago nothing was sacred with his family. If one of them, especially Moni, knew something, everyone would get wind of it before sundown. “You didn’t tell that wife of yours, did you?”

“Heck, naw,” Zach drawled as his eyes flew open. “You know once Moni gets information, it’s like giving it to the AP wire.”

“God, that’s the truth.”

Zach put up his hand. “Listen, don’t tell me nothin’ else. Don’t wanna accidentally up and say something that’ll get ya into trouble.”

A.J. chuckled. “You mean you talk in your sleep?”

Zach shook his head. “Listen, when a brother’s in a uh…compromising position, he’s likely to say anything.”

A.J. smiled; he knew exactly what Zach meant. He sighed with satisfaction because soon he planned to be in the same situation with Vic. He touched the tenderness in his left side. If he could just get his ribs to cooperate with him, he was good to go. He settled his gaze on the huge African painting on the wall in front of him and lifted the bottle of Perrier to his lips again.

“Brother-in-law, ya know Baby Girl told Caitlyn she’s relocating the first of August, right?”

“Don’t worry, Zach. The only relocating Honey will be doing is to this house.”

* * *

Vic pulled Baptiste’s BMW X5 into the garage at his home with Taylor and Tyler in tow after picking them up from school. Once she parked, she spotted a brand—new black BMW X5 off to the side. Why would he purchase another car? She had to put her query on hold because there were two demanding four-year-olds in the backseat asking her about dinner every two seconds.

* * *

Vic suspected Baptiste wasn’t being totally honest when he told her he was tired and needed a quick respite before his dinner. His usual humor had disappeared, and she couldn’t help noticing his sullenness. Once she got the girls settled down for the night, she figured if she brought his meal to him in bed, he’d feel better.

“Dinner,” she cheerfully announced, pushing the bedroom door forward with her hip as she maneuvered the dinner tray in front of her. Suddenly, she stopped. His expression was totally unreadable. “Baptiste, what’s wrong?”

A.J. adjusted two pillows at his back. “I talked with Zach this afternoon.”

“Is everything all right?”

“We discussed the night of the accident.”

Vic swallowed hard. “You did?”

“Umm-hmm.”

“Uh…what did Zach tell you?”

“Would you like to take a guess?”

The moment of truth caused her hands to shake and the dishes rattled on the tray. “Uh…take a guess at what?”

“Don’t play with me, woman.”

Vic sighed softly and opened her mouth to respond, but his next question silenced her.

“Exactly when were you planning to tell me that it was
your
car that hit me, Honey?”

“I-I was going to tell you, Baptiste, honest to God I was. I-I was just trying to let you get a little stronger, that’s all.”

A.J. patted the copper-colored silk comforter. “Come on over here. We’ve needed to talk since last Saturday anyway.”

Vic set the tray on the dresser. With the back of her hand, she swiped away the tears running down her cheeks. “No, we’ll talk later,” she said with her back to him. “You need to—”

“Eating can wait. Come on, Honey.”

With her hands hanging limply at her sides, she glanced over her shoulder.

He held open his arms. “Come,
mon amour
.”

“Baptiste, I’m so sorry,” she uttered faintly, her words catching on a soft sob the moment she placed her hand in his.

When she approached, he pulled her against his right side, the sheet dropping to his waist, exposing the wide expanse of his chest. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about,” he whispered softly, breathing the intoxicating scent of her fragrance and kissing her forehead. “It was an accident, and you don’t need to apologize.”

“It’s my fault,” Vic cried out. “If I hadn’t told you about Ron that night, you wouldn’t have gotten on your motorcycle—”

A.J. covered her mouth with a tender kiss, silencing her explanation, which as far as he was concerned wasn’t needed. Afterward, he lifted his head and stared into her eyes, which were shimmering with tears. “Finally.”

“What?”

“I’ve found a way to keep that mouth of yours closed for a minute,” he teased.

With her head resting on his right shoulder, she brushed the wetness from her face. “Why were you driving your motorcycle the night of the accident?”

“Whenever I’m upset about something, I usually hop on my bike to help clear my head. Besides, I could get to you faster on it than in my car.”

Vic sniffed. “Did Zach tell you a young girl was critically injured, too?”

“Yes,” he answered softly, “he did.”

“I’m going to try and stop by soon and check on her.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“Baptiste, you’re not mad at me for hitting you, are you?”

He hugged her tighter. “No, I’m not mad.” He chuckled. “Now, other things you do, that’s an entirely different story.”

“And you forgive me?” she asked a long time later, her fingers splayed against the triangle of hair at the center of his chest.

“Absolutely.”

She lifted her head and gazed at him. “Baptiste, I swear to you, if I could take back that night, I would. I-I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know you didn’t. I’m glad it happened the way it did.”

“You like being all banged up?”

He chuckled. “No, woman, I don’t like being banged up and living on morphine.” With the pad of his thumb, he wiped away a tear running along the side of her nose. “But if that’s what it took for you to open up to me, I’ll take it, pain and all.” He brushed away another tear. “Did you notice the car in the driveway?”

She nodded. “Whose is it?”

“Yours.”

As soon as Zach left, A.J. had phoned his brother Marcel, who was the CEO of the family’s twelve automotive dealerships, and instructed him to have a new X5 delivered before the end of the day.

“Thank you,” she managed to say through a weak smile.

She was amazed at his generosity. He wasn’t angry and didn’t fault her for the accident. He simply offered what she had struggled with her entire life—forgiveness. She lightly traced her finger over the heart-shaped tattoo on his right arm with the letters
AT&T
on the inside, which she’d noticed the day she had given him his bath.

“When did you get this?”

He glanced at his arm and smiled. “About two and a half years ago.”

“What do the letters stand for?”

He patted the mattress. “Scoot over here, and I’ll tell you.” With her snuggled next to him, he wrapped an arm around her. “It stands for Alcee, Taylor, and Tyler.”

She smiled. “That’s kinda cute.”

He leaned back and his eyes locked with hers. “Thank you, Honey, for trusting me with the pain you’ve carried inside for so long.”

“Baptiste, please don’t tell—”

“I’m only going to say this once more, okay?”

She nodded and closed her eyes.

“I will never
ever
abuse or misuse anything you share with me in private. I love you too much to do that. Understand?”