Page 37 of Fervor

“Naw, she didn’t. Just that things weren’t working out between the two of you.”

“Things were perfect until that. She disclosed her trauma to me, and when she said his name, I knew I had to tell her. Had I not, things would have been much worse later.”

“You’re right. I think she’s going through this, though, because she’s at war within herself. The trauma of it all butfeeling like she lost out. Even if she doesn’t see you, I need you to go check on her.”

“Okay. I’ll head up there.”

I ended the call without waiting to see if he would say anything else. Prying myself from the bed, I quickly took a shower and threw on a T-shirt and some jeans, then headed to the ER. As I drove, flashes of her smile played through my head like a movie. The way she playfully ran from me on the beach, her sex faces whenever I made love to her, her smile when I bought her something… all that shit was on repeat in my head for the past few days.

I did my best to block out the images of her crying, screaming, and breaking down. That shit hurt. She had deep trauma from that shit, and I didn’t realize how deep it was until I witnessed her pulling her own hair. My heart was struggling, trying to bear what my reality did to her. Knowing she’d passed out at work… She must have just let the anxiety consume her. I hoped my note on her flower delivery didn’t push her in that direction.

I just wanted to express how much I needed and missed her. It took being away from her to realize I already loved her. I’d never been in love before or even felt this strongly for another woman. That shit had me straight simping on her ass.

My phone rang as I drove. I didn’t recognize the number, so I answered. “Hello?”

“Harlem?”

“Yes.”

“Hi. It’s Giselle. I got your number from Yunique’s phone. I had to call the ambulance for her. We’re at?—”

“I’m already on my way. Vegas called me. Is she conscious?”

“Yes, but I haven’t seen her. The doctor came out and told me that much.”

“Are you still in ER?”

“Yes. They are going to put her in the ICU. She didn’t just pass out. She wasn’t breathing.” She sniffed and released a small cry. “I’m sorry.”

The tear fell from my eye, and I wiped it with my shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll be there in about five minutes.”

I ended the call and frowned, doing my best to subdue my emotions. Yunique was dying. My heart was in my shoes. The minute I got to the hospital and found somewhere to park, I released a cry that I didn’t even recognize. I couldn’t let her check out on me. If she did, she was gonna have to take me with her. I was barely hanging on, knowing she was across town, and I didn’t have access to her.

When we landed at the airport, she literally got her own Uber. We hadn’t said more than a few words to each other since. It was like she was trying to purge herself of her feelings for me. After wiping my face and doing my best to compose myself, I looked in the mirror to see how red and puffy my eyes were. I released a sigh and got out of the vehicle.

I practically ran to the entrance and found Giselle in the waiting area, pacing. When she saw me, she stopped and stared at me for a moment. She walked closer, and when she looked into my eyes, she wrapped her arms around me. I supposed she could see the turmoil I was in from not having Yunique. Once she released me, she brought me to the desk to let them know that I was Yunique’s husband. After notating everything, they said they would let us know when we could see her.

Going back to the waiting area, I sat and bounced my leg nervously. Giselle grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. I could tell she was scared. She’d probably seen the entire thing and knew just how severe it was. I almost didn’t want to know, but I knew I needed to know what I was facing. “What happened?” I asked.

Giselle glanced at me and said, “She’d been struggling all morning. After the flowers arrived, she was emotional. She told me you were perfect but connected to her childhood trauma. She didn’t say how though. She said she was okay, so I left her office. When I heard her screaming, I ran back to her to see she was pouring with sweat and struggling to breathe. When I went to her to help her, she hopped up from her seat, pacing back and forth with her arms crossed over the top of her head.”

Giselle sobbed for a moment, and that caused a couple of tears to leave me, too, as I held her in my arms. “When she slowed down and was just standing there, I knew she was losing the battle. She turned to me and grabbed my hand, then dropped to the floor. I was so scared. My friend was leaving me right before my eyes. Oh my God!”

I hugged and rocked Giselle as my tears fell uncontrollably, just like hers were.God, please intervene. Yunique needs You… We do too.I didn’t know what else to do. Prayer shouldn’t have been my last resort, but God had a way of making you come to Him. There was nothing more I could do. My hands were tied. Yunique had to have a desire to live. Surely, she didn’t want to die. She had way too much to live for.

When I released Giselle, a man and a woman were making strides toward us. “Oh my God, baby girl. How’s Yunique doing?”

“I don’t know, Mama. I don’t know!”

Her mother hugged her tightly, and the man sat across from them and nodded at me. I recognized him from the wedding.

“Mama, this is Harlem, Yunique’s husband.”

“Hi, Harlem. I’m Solé King, Yunique’s psychiatrist, and Giselle and Vegas’s mother.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said to her. “They’ll probably allow you to go back there, since you’re her doctor.”

“Yeah. We need to know what’s going on. I’ll be right back.”