Forever Ain't Enough Page 5

  “It’s going to be okay,” his mother said as Bethany pushed the CALL button for the nurse to come in and check on him.

  Less than two minutes after pushing the call button, a nurse arrived and smiled when she walked over to Dray’s bedside. “You’re awake. Just take it easy,” she told him. “I imagine you want to know where you are, huh?”

  Dray followed her with his eyes and managed to grunt. “You’re in the hospital. You were involved in a pretty bad accident. You fractured quite a few bones, but rest assured, we’re taking good care of you. You have a breathing tube and chest tube, so you can’t talk right now.” Her voice was calming and she expressed empathy toward him.

  He looked at Bethany and then his sister and mother.

  “Sweetheart, you’re going to be fine,” Bethany cried, squeezing her fiancé’s hand tenderly. She still had a hard time accepting what had happened. Though she didn’t have proof, after listening to Dray’s sisters, she had begun to believe that it had to have been Chynna who plowed down her fiancé. If it was Chynna who did it, the woman had to be mentally deranged— for real. She thought the shenanigans Chynna pulled at the bakery were beyond believable, but if she had actually tried to commit murder…. God, please let the police find out who did this, and if it was Chynna, please let them get her off the streets before she succeeds in totally destroying our lives.

  Dray looked at Bethany and studied her face before shifting his eyes to his mother. He was trying hard to understand exactly what happened. His body was in pain, he felt woozy, and out of sorts. All he heard the nurse say was that he was in the hospital with some broken bones because he had an accident. Was it a car accident? Is that what she meant by accident? He felt so uncomfortable with the tube in his nose and it felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest. He wanted to ask if Chynna had been to the hospital to see him but words refused to come out.

  “Are you in pain?” the nurse asked.

  Dray slowly and ever so slightly nodded and batted his eyes.

  The nurse obliged by administering a shot that rendered Dray unconscious in minutes.

  Dray remained hospitalized for several weeks. God prevailed and by the time he was discharged, he had been taken off the ventilator, had the chest tube removed, and his broken bones were slowly healing. He was sent to the rehab facility adjacent to the hospital where he would undergo extensive physical and occupational therapy.

  Bethany had the last of the furniture and other items placed inside the two-bedroom mid-town bungalow she had found and rented while Dray was still in rehab. The wedding was supposed to be in less than two months, but the way things were going, it was unlikely that it would go off as planned. Yet, Dray told her not to postpone it.

  Beth was left to handle the move-in without her fiancé. Her sister and best friend promised to come by after they got off work to help her organize things like dishes, toiletries, place pictures throughout the quaint space and make it look welcoming, like a home.

  The more she worked around the empty house thinking about how she and Dray were supposed to start their lives together as one, the sadder and more depressed she became. She cried often. Although she was thankful God had saved Dray’s life, she was uncertain about what the future held. She loved Dray but she wasn’t anticipating taking care of another human being for the rest of her life. She understood if they got married as planned they would make vows to remain by each other’s sides for richer or poorer, better or worse, sickness and health, til death do them part, but this was so sudden and she felt like a curve ball had been thrown her way.

  Dray wanted her to concentrate on staying at home and being a homemaker and stay-at-home mom, which was something else Bethany didn’t quite agree with. She had her own businesses, was a successful entrepreneur, was young and eager to operate more businesses, and that’s the way she envisioned her life. Children would have to come much later, if they came at all. She was not the kind of woman who could be a stay-at-home mom while the man brought home the ‘bacon’ but she hadn’t exactly explained that to Dray.

  Dray’s plans were for them to start a family as soon as they became Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, but that had been snuffed out when they were run down and left to die in the middle of the street.

  Bethany thanked God her recovery had been quick but she still displayed a slight limp from the leg fracture she sustained. Her orthopedic doctor told her the limp would more than likely leave in time, and told her not to spend needless time worrying about it but instead be thankful she was in the land of the living.

  “Hi, this is Bethany Thompson. I’m returning a phone call I received earlier today from a Miss Lisa Webb about some temp positions we talked about earlier this week,” Bethany explained to the person on the other end. “Is she available?”

  “Hold, please,” the pleasant sounding gentleman told her. After a few minutes of listening to music playing in her ears, the woman returned to the phone. “I’m sorry, Miss Thompson, but Ms. Webb is in a meeting right now. Would you like her voicemail?”

  “Yes, please, thank you.”

  Bethany left the woman a message, hoping and praying she would return her call with good news about the bid Bethany had placed for her company to become the exclusive temp agency for a large, new, black-owned distribution company that had opened recently in the city. Lord knows she was glad to be back to work and doing what she loved.

  Dray was still receiving a salary from his job but soon it would be decreased to 60% of his salary because he would go from being on short-term disability to long-term disability in another few weeks. After that, if he didn’t return to work within six months, his position would no longer be held and he could possibly be terminated. Money was not a main issue for them because of Bethany’s success, but the responsibility of caring for Dray and being the head of the household was not on her ‘to do’ list.

  All the uncertainty Bethany faced caused undue stress and strain. What a way to start life as a newlywed. Is this really what she wanted? Did she really want to become Mrs. Dray Hawkins after everything that had transpired? Bethany had many questions racing through her cluttered mind. Was God trying to tell her something?

  11

  “Eagles don't catch flies.” Desiderius Erasmus

  There was a time, before the accident, Dray lived and breathed running and jogging. When he was a kid he loved running. That love had carried throughout his life as he became part of a community track team for boys ages seven to nine. From there he went on to participate on several teams throughout grade school, middle school, and high school. One of the three scholarships he received was an athletic scholarship to run track at University of Memphis but he had opted out and chosen to attend a university out of state. He ran track throughout college and after graduating he began to actively participate in marathons. His dream was to run the Boston Marathon but as he lay in the bed at the rehab, he wondered if those dreams had been dashed.

  He tried over and over without success to remember what happened. Bethany told him about the hit and run but his memory about it was shot. When he first saw Bethany after waking from the coma, he had to be reminded about their engagement and upcoming wedding. It upset Dray every time the thought of what happened to him and Bethany played in his mind and the fact his memory was shoddy.

  “Dang,” he said, pounding his hand against the bedrail as forcefully as he could. “Why can’t I remember? God, restore my memory. Please, God.” He was almost in tears when the door to his room opened and distracted him from his thoughts.

  “Hi, sweetheart,” Chynna said as she entered his room.

  “Chynna? What are you doing here?” This worried him even more because why did he remember Chynna, remember their relationship, remember how tumultuous it had been between them, yet he could barely remember Bethany?

  “I’m here to check on you. How are you feeling, Dray?”

  Chynna was on her best behavior. She had no plans to stay long but she wanted to see his reaction, had to know h
ow much he remembered, if anything, about her dastardly deed. Plus, she loved Dray and though she was good at putting on a strong front around others, she felt terrible about allowing her need to get revenge overrule her mind and cause her to do what she’d done.

  The longer she stood at his bedside, the more she understood Dray didn’t recall anything. “So you’re telling me you have no idea who could have done this?” Chynna prodded.

  “No, I…why would anyone intentionally run down me and Beth? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Well, it may not make sense but according to the news, that’s exactly what’s being reported. The two of you were walking across the street when you were run down by only God knows who,” Chynna explained, while taking hold of his hand in hers.

  “But who? Who would do something like this, Chynna?”

  “I can’t believe you don’t know more. Haven’t the detectives or anyone from the police department come to question you?”

  “Yes, but I can’t remember a thing.” Dray appeared more confused and uncertain, hearing what Chynna said.

  “You don’t remember anything, Dray?”

  “Nope, but I do remember me and you.”

  “Ohhhh, goody. I knew you couldn’t forget us. Not ever.” Chynna smiled, leaned down, and kissed Dray on the lips.

  He frowned slightly. “I remember I told you to get the hell outta my life, so what are you doing here?”

  Chynna feigned crying. She wiped her eyes, batted her lashes and said, “How can you be so cruel? I know we’ve had our share of ups and downs, but I thought you would always at least care about me a little like I care about you. Hearing that you could have died tore me to pieces. I mean, hearing on the news that you’d been run down like that, it made me sick to my stomach. But I stayed away, Dray. I prayed every single day. I wanted to be by your side so badly but I knew that it was over between us. Today I’m here only to see for myself how you’re doing.” She wiped more tears and spoke soft and sweet. “I know I shouldn’t be here, but I hoped you would find it in your heart to move past the hurt and at least we could be cordial. I’ll always love you, but I’ve accepted the fact it’s over between us. I…I wish you and Barbara the best.”

  “Bethany,” Dray said, feeling bad that he’d been so mean to Chynna.

  “Excuse me?” Chynna said.

  “Her name is Bethany,” Dray told her. “And you’re right. I’m sorry, Chynna. Thank you for thinking about me, for coming to see me.”

  “I love you, Dray. I’ll always love you, and no matter what you say or even if you marry her, you can never convince me that you don’t feel the same about me. I’ll let you get your rest. Please get well soon.” She leaned in and kissed him on the lips again, then turned and sashayed out of the room leaving Dray speechless.

  “It’s about that time—your last therapy session for the day,” the physical therapist said as he entered Dray’s private room. “You ready to do this?”

  “I…I don’t feel up to it.”

  “I can’t let you give up like that, man. If you want to get out of here and get on with your life, you have to work hard. You have to push yourself.”

  Dray grew irritated. He didn’t need anyone telling him what he needed to do, not at this point. He knew the hard work it would take to get him out of this god-awful place. He wanted out of rehab. He wanted to be normal again, run again, live his life again. He wanted his memory back.

  “Look, I hear you but I can’t do it. I’m hurting. We’ll do it tomorrow.” Dray pushed the Call button as the PT stood looking at him like he’d heard this same kind of excuse a million times before. But he didn’t push Dray.

  “Okay, I’ll let you pass this evening, but we’re working extra hard tomorrow. If you want out of here by this weekend, you’re going to have to push yourself like never before. ”

  “Yeah, sure thing.”

  “How can I help you?” the nurse asked as the PT threw up his hand, nodded at Dray, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  “I need something for pain,” Dray said.

  “Someone will be in there shortly. We’re getting afternoon meds ready now.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Dray turned his head toward the window and stared aimlessly at the dark clouds forming outside. It was only a little after 4:30 p.m., but the clouds were ominous, scary dark, almost black. He heard a boom of thunder that seemed to make the building shake. A long, thick stream of lightning danced across the sky. It was the perfect display for how he felt.

  12

  “Play the hand you're dealt.” Jawahareal Nehru

  “There was no footage of the hit and run on Hawkins and his fiancé. Cameras weren’t stationed in that area, and the calls that have come in have led to nothing,” he explained, for God knows how many times, to Dray Hawkins’ family.

  Detective Dan was no closer to finding the culprit of the hit and run than when it first happened, and the case was considered cold. Unless someone had a change of heart and called to tell what they’d seen or confessed to the crime, then it looked like this case would join the thousands of other cold cases stored in the Cold Case files at the Memphis Police Department.

  He decided to question Bethany Thompson one more time. Maybe, just maybe there was something she’d missed. And now that Hawkins was able to talk, Detective Dan and his partner planned to have a talk with him a second time, too. They didn’t want to come off like they were harassing either of the victims, but either this was an accident committed by a coward or it was intentional. If it was intentional, they were looking at someone who might return to finish the job.

  “I’m telling you, I don’t know anything. I just remember seeing a car seconds before. I can’t tell if it was speeding up or trying to deflect from hitting us. It was just too much too fast,” Bethany explained to the detectives again.

  “We understand, but we hope you understand, the both of you, how important any fine detail no matter how insignificant you think it is, might help to solve this case.”

  Both Dray and Bethany huddled together. He was on his last day of rehab and she was there to sit with him when the detectives knocked and walked into Dray’s room.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t have much else to say that I haven’t said already. Like Bethany, it all happened so fast. She and I were engaged in conversation from what I can remember. I don’t know if we were talking about our upcoming wedding, stuff at work, I don’t know. All I can say is I woke up and a nurse told me I was in the hospital.”

  The detectives eyed one another, looking hapless and a little perturbed that the couple still didn’t have any valuable information that could lead to the arrest of whoever committed this crime.

  “You don’t have any enemies?”

  “Uh, enemies? I don’t think so,” Dray said. “At least none that I know of.”

  “What about this Chynna Moreno person?”

  Dray and Bethany peered at each other.

  “You were charged with assaulting her a few months ago. Is that right?” asked Detective Dan.

  “Uh, the case was dismissed,” Bethany said, deflecting her eyes from the detective’s stare.

  “You were involved with her long term before Ms. Thompson? Isn’t that right?” the other detective questioned Dray.

  “Yes, but what does Chynna have to do with any of this?”

  “You said you didn’t have any enemies, but this woman could very well be out for blood. Especially if she’s a woman scorned. And we do have a long list of domestic calls sent to your residence. Looks like wherever you laid your head to rest, there were calls made to your place, and it involved you and Miss Moreno.”

  “That’s true, and I guess you can say Chynna has a bit of a temper, but she wouldn’t do anything like this.”

  Detective Dan looked at Bethany. “And you? Do you feel the same way?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know Ms. Moreno that well. I do know that accusing me of assaulting her was absurd. I never laid a
finger on that woman. She didn’t show up in court and before my court appearance she withdrew her complaint against me because obviously she knew what she accused me of wouldn’t hold up in a court of law.”

  “So in light of that, you still don’t believe she could have been the one to run you down?”

  Bethany looked uncomfortable. She thought a time or two about Chynna but she just didn’t want to believe Chynna could be that evil. “I can’t be sure. I don’t know what she would do. But I do know I haven’t seen or heard from her since that happened. So if it turns out that she did do this, I want her punished to the fullest extent of the law. We could both be dead if it wasn’t for the grace of God.” Bethany began getting upset.

  Dray reached over and held her hand. “It’s okay. They’re going to find out who did this, sweetheart. Whoever it is won’t get away with it for much longer.”

  “Well, let us know if you remember anything,” the detectives said before turning and leaving.

  Detective Dan contacted Chynna and asked her to come to the police station for questioning. Chynna wasn’t the least bit bothered about the request. Dray nor Bethany remembered anything about that day and Chynna was sticking to her alibi. She begged KeeKee to swear up and down she was with her the day and time of the accident.

  KeeKee promised her bestie she would uphold her in the lie. She hoped and prayed that she would be able to stay true to her word.

  Chynna hummed one of her favorite tunes by her girl, Beyoncé, while she left work and headed to the police station. She thought back to the day of the hit and run. After composing herself, she took the car through a drive through car wash, went home, cleaned it up real good before taking it to get the front grill repaired at a body shop she knew about located in the hood. There she could be assured no questions would be asked. All they wanted was to be paid. Less than a week after dropping off the car, she picked it up and it was like new with no sign of it being involved in any type of accident. She traded the car in for a black Avalon.