Lies and Alibis (8 page)

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17~

Dionne

“
Did my husband get here yet?”

The nurse, who is probably sick of me by now, shakes her head for the third time.  I broke down and called Rod as soon as I called the ambulance.  Sydney scared me; acted like I was about to give up the ghost, so I panicked and asked him to meet me at the hospital.

He should be here by now.

The nurse takes my blood pressure and my temperature again.  I had a one hundred four degree
temperature when the paramedics got to me, but it’s down to one hundred now.  My blood pressure is back down to normal too. 

“
Get some rest,” the nurse says.  “The doctor will be in here to talk to you in a little bit.”

“
Rest? I’m wide awake.  I just need to see my husband.  Do you think you can page the hospital for him?  What if he can’t find me?”

The nurse shakes her head. 
“No, ma’am, I cannot page him, but if he goes to any information desk, they can tell him that you are still in the emergency room.”

“
Well, what if you move me?  Are you moving me?”

Sydney tears into the small room with a crazy look on her face. 
“Dee!  Are you okay?”

“
No, Syd.  I’m not okay.  I’m lying in a hospital bed with tubes up my arms.”

Sydney crosses her arms across her body and frowns. 
“Okay, don’t get testy with me.  I didn’t put you here.  What did the doctor say?”

“
Nothing yet, he hasn’t been here, but I think I know what it is.”

“
What do you think it is?”

I take a deep breath and say,
“Probably the Follostim I’ve been taking.”

I knew that Sydney would trip when I told her this, but she’s standing here looking like I’ve been sipping my tea with a few cubes of arsenic.  I’m just trying to get pregnant.  It’s not that serious for her face to be all fallen like it is right now.

“Do you know the side effects of that drug?”

I nod once. 
“Yes.  The biggest one is pregnancy.”

“
You and Rod are the last people that need a baby.  Where is he anyway?  Does he know you’re here?”

“
Yes.  He said that he’d meet me here.  It’s a good thing I’m not dying.”

“
That you know of,” Sydney fusses as she reads my chart.  “Your blood pressure was at stroke level, Dionne.”

The doctor walks into the room before I get the opportunity to respond to Sydney’s rant. 

“I’m Doctor Hansen.  How are you feeling Mrs. Knight?” the doctor asks. 

“
Better than when I got here,” I say.  “I’d be much better if you can have this extra doctor escorted out by security.”

Sydney hands my chart to Dr. Hansen. 
“She knows I’m not going anywhere.”

“
I’m kidding,” I say.  “You can feel free to speak in front of her.”

“
Well, Mrs. Knight…”

Camille bursts into our little party looking more frantic than I’ve ever seen her look. 

“Oh my goodness, Dionne!  You called me sounding like you were on your death bed.”

I lift an eyebrow at her and give her attitude. 
“And it took you this long to get here?  I’m writing you out of my will.”

“
No you are not!  Doctor, what is wrong with my knucklehead sister?”

Doctor Hansen looks at me with a question on his face. 
“Do you want me to speak in front of her too?”

“
You might as well.  Sydney would tell her what you said thirty seconds after you say it anyway.”

“
Okay then.  I have good news and bad news, which do you want first?”

“
Um…the good news.”

“
The good news is you’re pregnant.”

If I wasn’t having severe abdominal pain, I would jump up and hug this man.  No one could’ve given me better news.  Wait a minute. 
“The bad news?” I ask.

“
The bad news is that the fertility drug you were taking caused you to release a high amount of estrogen and other hormones that are causing you to have the cramping and bleeding.”

“
But I had a period just a couple weeks ago.  How can I be pregnant?”

Dr. Hansen replies,
“That is not uncommon, especially in women with fertility problems.  You’re taking a fertility drug, so the bleeding is more than likely a side effect of that.”

I feel like someone who hit the lottery.  Since I’ve been on the drug, Rod and I have been together only two times.  I didn’t think I’d get pregnant this quickly, but the sooner that I can get rid of that disgusting Peach and her illegitimate spawn, the better.

My cell phone rings, and I feel anger rise in my stomach.  It’s Rod.  I raise one hand to the doctor.  “I have to take this.  It’s my husband.  Can you excuse me for a moment?”

Dr. Hansen steps out of the room, and Sydney loses all of her professional attitude.  She goes straight hood with the hands on the hips, neck rolling and head bobbing.

“He should be here,” Sydney hisses.  “Tell him to get his doggish behind down here.”

“
Yeah,” Camille cosigns.  “What could be more important than his wife being rushed to the hospital?”

“
Hello,” I say, as I motion to Sydney and Camille to be quiet.  “Where are you?”

“
I got tied up, Dionne.  How are you feeling?  What did the doctor say?”

My anger shifts to fury. 
“Tied up doing what?” 

Or tied up with whom, I should ask.  I can only guess what the answer would be.

I hear Rod sigh through the phone.  Why is he sighing?  He’s real confused right now.  I get to ask questions.  I got that right when he and I both said, ‘I do’.  He better recognize.  For real, for real.

“
I had to handle a situation with an artist that’s going to cost me millions if it’s not corrected.”

“Your artists are more important to you than me being in the hospital?  What part of the game is this?”

“
Dionne, I knew your sisters would come and when I talked to you, you didn’t sound like you were dying.  Now what did the doctor say?”

“
He said that I’m pregnant,” I say through clenched teeth.

“
You’re pregnant?”

“She’s pregnant?  I thought you said she couldn’t have babies!”  I hear this voice in the background and immediately know that it’s Peach.

Rod is with his mistress while I’m in a hospital bed?  I feel ready to commit all kinds of first degree felonies.  If only I could rise up out of this bed.

“Who in the hell is that, Rod?  Who you been telling our business to?”  Of course the questions are pointless because he won’t be able to do anything but lie.

Rod clears his throat. 
“Dionne, don’t act like you don’t know who it is.  It’s Peach.  I know that you know everything about us and about my daughter.  We need to talk.”

“
I totally agree, so when do you plan on getting here?”

“
I think we should probably have this conversation when you get home from the hospital.”

“
I am your wife, Rod, although you seem to have forgotten.  You’re going to lay up with your mistress while I’m in the hospital?”

“
Legally, yes you are my wife, but Peach has been holding it down for me for years.”

“
So what are you saying, Rod?  What’s going to happen when I get home?”

There is a long, pregnant pause. 
“We’re going to talk…about the terms of our divorce.”

I press ‘end’ on the call and drop the phone to the floor.

“What’s wrong?” Camille asks.  “What did he say?”

“
What is it, Dee?”

“
Rod is leaving me.  He’s leaving me for that tramp, Peach.”

“
Who is Peach?” Camille asks.  “Is it that girl from the blog?”

I nod. 
“Yeah.  The stripper.  She’s one of his artists and he has a baby with her.”

Camille sits in the chair next to my bed as if the information is too much for her to digest.  I felt the same way when I heard it. 

“So you’re getting a divorce?” Camille asks.

I shake my head.  That word sounds like profanity right about now.  And the thought of Peach in my home is enough to make me go into convulsions. 

“I don’t know yet.  Maybe not, but that’s what he’s talking about now.”

Sydney says,
“Why is there a question in your mind?  If he wants a divorce, then let him go.  You’ve got the baby, and doesn’t your prenuptial agreement have an infidelity clause?”

“
It does, but it’s not just about the money.  I am Rod Knight’s wife!  Do you know how powerful that is in Atlanta?  I don’t have to wait for tables at restaurants, appointments at hair salons, or anything.  I get free designer clothing brought to my door before it’s in stores.  As Rod’s wife, I am an A-list celebrity.”

Sydney shakes her head. 
“Who cares about that stupid celebrity lifestyle?  Plus, you’re about to be a mother.  You need to change your priorities anyway.”

“
It’s not fair!  I’ve worked too hard for this!  Rod didn’t get his status alone.”

Camille rolls her eyes. 
“You haven’t really worked that hard, Dionne.  Unless going to the plastic surgeon and getting your hair done counts as work.”

“
You’re just jealous of my life.  You always have been.  Why don’t you take yourself on up to the church to count someone else’s money?”

Sydney says,
“You two need to stop fighting and apologize.  Dionne, you clearly aren’t mad at Camille, and Cami I have no idea what your issue is.”

“
She’s right, I’m not mad at you, Dionne.  I’m just stressed,” Camille says.  “Bryan and I are having major issues.  I don’t think I like him anymore.”

“
What are you talking about?” Sydney asks.  “Are you mad because Bryan went ballistic over that Bingo money?  You should’ve known he’d be mad about that.”

Camille shakes her head. 
“No, well yes.  He’s trying to hold me back.”

“
What the heck does that mean?” Sydney asks with much attitude in her voice.

“
God has got plans to enlarge my territory and he keeps getting in the way.  I’m going into real estate investment.”

Sydney and I gaze at Camille with shocked expressions.
“What do you know about real estate?” I ask.

“
I don’t have to know anything.  My friend has the property listings, the lender and the appraiser.  All I have to do is fill out the loan application and sign on the dotted line.  I won enough in New Orleans for the down payments.”

Sydney’s mouth forms a little ‘o’ and she looks at me.  I give Sydney a shrug.  I’m in the hospital bed, with one foot in the grave and a husband that’s trying to
divorce me.  I’m not telling her that her new blessing sounds like a real estate scam.

“
Are you sure it’s not a house flipping scheme?” Sydney asks in a quiet voice.

Camille frowns. 
“I don’t know what you mean.”

“
Well, you said that your friend has an appraiser, lender and she’s the seller.  Those three entities usually work independently of one another, unless it’s an illegal house flipping scheme.  They’ll get a house, do some cosmetic repairs, get the house appraised for higher than it’s worth and sell it to an unsuspecting mark.  Probably you.  They make off with the difference and you’re stuck with a junk property,” Sydney explains.

“
My friend wouldn’t do that to me.”  Camille stands to her feet in a huff.  “And you two sound just like Bryan.  Y’all are enemies at the gate.”

I cover my mouth and shake my head.  I knew it was going to go down like this.  That’s why I said nothing. 

“We’re not your enemies, Cami,” Sydney says.  “We love you.  Just let me take a look at the deal before you sign on any dotted lines.”

“
Too late.  I am already the proud owner of three properties that we are about to resell.”

Sydney and I let out identical groans.  Camille is so desperate for a financial breakthrough that she’s willing to do anything.

“Well, Bryan said that he wanted to sit down and talk about borrowing some money from me.  That was a few weeks ago.  Do we still need to do that?” Sydney asks.

“
No.  I paid off all of my bills with my Bingo money, and I used the rest as down payments for my loans.  I’m good.”

“
But what about Bryan?” I ask, finally deciding to get in on the conversation.  “Is he okay with your new venture?”