Sam's POV

Dre and I visited the Old Man today.

At first, they wasn't gonna let us in because we wasn't family, but I raised a lil bit of a ruckus.
He wound up in the doorway of his room, almost directly in front of the nurses station.
He told them, with a huge beaming smile, that if it weren't for me and my brother, he would be standing in front of them dead right now! That if they didn't allow us entrance, he would be very unhappy and they would get no more jokes or anecdotes from him!
He said this in the way only the elderly can and get away with it.
So we went and sat down with him for a taste, as to not tire him out.
He thanked us again for saving him, which we both waved off.
I said I was there to check on him
and that I was concerned because he'd very nearly lost his life.
He nodded sagely, and responded, "Yes, I've been in contact with my daughter Nieve, and I'm thinking of hanging up my landlord hat. I need someone to take over the rents because I just don't have it in me anymore!"

Dre perked up.
Hmm, interesting.

I know he needs a legit job, and he has it at End of the Road.
My boah was good at fixing cars, like most of us at Road, but I knew he could also refurbish homes masterfully.
I'd seen pictures of the house he'd flipped for his brother before he was killed.
He'd taken a dilapidated shack and turned it to a thing of beauty.

I spoke up, asking The Old Man if he would be willing to sell the properties to me, and become a silent partner with Dre and I.
His eyes lit up.
I know without him having to say it, that without this, he'd be reduced to living off a fixed and meager income.
Factoring in the fact that this man was self made, and has grown used to having disposable income, and the lifestyle he's accustomed to, the fact he wanted to leave it all behind spoke volumes.
I named a price that was higher than what he would get if he went and put it on the market.
I further sweetened the pot by making him a partner, asking for Dre to take over the rents for the time being.
If he sold them elsewhere, he wouldn't get anywhere close this, and he knew it.

His eyes widened, he reached out and we shook on it, sealing our deal.
I'd get Posner to do a contract and everything should be cleared by the end of a months time.

Speaking of time, it was time to go collect my girl and get outta this place, so we said our goodbyes for now, and made it back to her room.

She was sitting on the bed, listening to some last minute care instructions from that weird ass male nurse Parker.
He looked at Dre, and I saw something akin to desire flash within their depths.
This dude was all the way past strange!
Dre just looked at him, and I saw him grimace and a flash of anger in his eyes.
Parker better watch his step or he would find himself of the wrong side of Dre's hot temper.
I stifled a grin, and gave Parker a look of my own, and that man left the room so fast he practically ran from it.

I shook my head, gave my girl a kiss and asked was she ready to head home.
She smiled so wide I'm sure I could count all thirty two teeth if I was of a mind to.
She got up, sat in the wheelchair she'd need till we got off hospital grounds.
She said, still smiling her infectious grin,"Let's go baby, I'm past ready."
I smirked sinfully back at her, my intent clearly visible, well if ya knew me like she do!
After all this time being away from each other, our crib was off limits for everyone but us.
I had plans for my lil bitch!

We had made arrangements for Dre to permanently stay at the Old Man's apartment, to watch over him when he came he from the hospital, until he could go with his daughter, in case the shooter ever returned.
I know if it was me, I woulda made damn sure my mark was dead.
But he hadn't, and that gave me pause.
I would need to be in an out of there, on an almost daily basis, finish packing Nik out, and I still ain't want her nowhere near the place.

Now wasn't the time for such heavy thoughts, I got Nik settled in the car, placed her belongings bag in the trunk, dapped Dre out, and left to go make up for lost time.
If y'all don't hear from us, trust me, we good!

Dre's POV

That weirdo nurse, Parker, was looking at me like he was interested in a date or something, and I'm not with that shit at all.
I gave him a look of scorn, and he looked so disappointed it was all I could do to keep from laughing in his face.
Where I come from that shit don't fly at all.
After he left, and we got Nik discharged I was kinda at loose ends, so I called my bitch Tiff and said I was about to come scoop her.
I got in my ride and made my way to the Mayfair area of the city, where she resided.
As I drove I let my thoughts wander.
I had refurbished this heap of junk that was at the garage when everything was quiet and business was done for the day.
Idle hands and all that.
It kept my mind from thinking about things my heart ain't over, prolly won't never be.
Inside two weeks I had the engine rebuilt and a new windshield, new doors, rebuilt the frame, I even played with the hydraulics and exhaust systems.

When Smythe saw what I had done with it, he just gave me the title!
Said it had been sitting there for months, getting rusty and had too many issues for him to fix.
Telling.
He's a cool cat, don't get me wrong, and I like him, but he's a numbers man.
In his own way he is the business, being that he owns it, along with Sam but without his mechanics, and his brother, the place wouldn't ever see a profit.
He said he was originally gonna let Sam have a go at it the car, but Sam's been preoccupied, and who could fault him?
I'd wring someones neck for touching my Tiff.
Before her I wasn't who I am now.
I pull up on her block and wait for her to come out.
I don't wait long, she must've been at the window waiting for me to pull up or something.
She's maybe 5'5, a pretty bitch, slender, with long dark hair and warm brown eyes.
I met her when I was bidding, had seen a picture of her in a group shot that my old cellie Orlando had of his girl, although the other girls in the pic were fine, it was Tiff who had caught my eye
I asked about her situation, found out she was single and asked for an introduction.
Turns out, she was his cousin, and he was gonna move in with her people when he got out.
She came to visit me, wrote me, held me down the rest of my time .
She's how come I stayed in Philly now
Well no, after I got time served and went back to Long Beach, I couldn't stand to live there no more, so I reached out to Sam, and here I am, tryna turn over a new leaf.
She got on the car, gave me some love and we went to the Old Man's crib, well mines now.
I was about to tear my bitch out the frame, ya heard?

Parker/Nina

Ooh my myyyyy, now that's a fine specimen of man!
The little bitch was getting discharged, and now I wouldn't be tempted to kill her every time I came within feet of her.
It wasn't that I was jealous of her exactly, it's just that Tris was obsessed with her, and I can't compete with his memories.
I love Tris.
Even though, I know it's her he still loves, and even after everything she did to him, he still wants her.
So maybe I should just move on.
The other day at our visit, I was about to cut things off when outta the blue he apologized for his previous weeks actions and being so nasty to me.
Then took me to O Zone, and proved it to me.
Said I was his bitch now, and I needed to act like it and don't worry about who was in his past that it was all about me.
Alright.
I didn't believe it.
Really, it's only because he's had his meds adjusted and he was feeling less angry than he has for awhile.
I still love his mean ass, but that man I saw earlier, whoo wheeee...he was sexy as sin and radiated danger.
He was just about my height, all tatted , low cut, looked Spanish or Dominican, muscular in a way that was obvious, and well, I was very interested.
So interested that if take him on as my dude ...Tris couldn't compare to this man here!
I showed him with my eyes and expression I wasnt adverse to some illicit action but he looked disgusted almost looked like he wanted to hurt me.
I left the room, feeling dejected and rejected and went into the ladies room to gather my compunction.
Several ladies screeched for me to leave, and that's when I remembered, oh that's right, I'm in my Pedro Parker disguise.
Stupid, silly bitch!
I make it to the men's room, which is empty thank God, because I feel myself about to lose it.
I look at myself in the mirror, and I can't help it I feel a wave of anger I haven't allowed myself to feel in such a long time.
Maybe since I had my first mental breakdown when I was training to be a nurse.
I don't let myself remember too much about that time in my life, when I was a productive member of society.
All I know is some stupid bitch in the phlebotomy class I was taking outsmarted me and then gave me a know it all smirk and stank eye.
I wound up on top of her beating her head into the floor.
A psychotic break they said.
Too much pressure they said.
My family back in Puerto Rico was depending on my making bank to bring them over here, and out of abject poverty.
I failed them all.
Instead of being at the top of my class and having the admiration of my family and peers, I became a patient in the very psych ward I was doing rounds in.
That was... disappointing.
They say I'm Bipolar with psychotic ideation.
There went my dreams, I'd never be a nurse, renowned or famous.
I'd be nothing but a mental case.
If only I'd held myself together, well, nevermind that now, stupid bitch got what she deserved.
If I wasn't going to be a nurse, she wasn't either.
When I beat that whores head into the ground, I damaged her brain to the point of mentally incapacitating her.
She's literally retarded now.
Drooling in a jello cup and with a four year olds IQ.
I giggle, that was fun though.
Oh well, she shoulda kept her smirks and know it all attitude to herself.

I punch myself in the side of the head for my stupidity then, and for now, and the pain felt so so good, so I smack myself in the face and marvel at the raised welt that immediately appears on my peanut butter complexion.
I do it again, and again unil I feel better.
I punch the side of my head repeatedly till I feel my blood run down my face.
Blood, oooh yay!
That gives me an idea.
I compose myself, go into the hallway, unlock a medical cart and remove a 10 blade.
Cuffing it surreptitiously into my sleeve, I go back into the men's room, take a stall, sit on the commode.
I pull down my pants and slice into my leg, one sharp sweet slash.
The pain that follows calms me, and so does the sight of my blood.
I dab at the cut with some toilet tissue I made wait for it to clot and them fix my clothes.
It's cutting time now!
Oh silly me, I mean quitting time.
I get home, have a few drinks, my meds and more then a few lines.
I get out of my Parker persona get up, fantasize about that man from earlier.
I'm using my imagination, my fingers and a toy and I get myself off, shower and fall into the bed, mentally exhausted.