lips, sunken eyes, and unruly hair he had never seen a woman as exquisite as she. She was the perfect example of the female specimen. She was his lady, his everything… she was the better part of him. The world was too corrupt for an angel like Liberty. The world didn’t deserve to feel Liberty’s footsteps upon it. She was too pure, too good, too beautiful to be a part of such an ugly place. That is what A’shai told himself when he thought of her condition. That’s the logic he used to justify her situation. GOD had better things intended for Liberty. HE could show her a greater love than A’shai… at least that’s what he convinced himself of to stop his heart from breaking. He had seen many tragedies and survived much devastation, but no loss had ever felt as great as the one he was facing. Just thinking about it put a damper on his spirit. Liberty was one of the very few people who could ever make him feel. He prided himself on being as sturdy as a brick wall. He was unbreakable, like the Great Wall of China. He was impenetrable, like the mighty gates of Rome. Untouchable, like the infamous Nicky Barnes. Despite all of these things, Liberty had broken through his cold facade. She penetrated his guarded heart and touched him in a way that was so intimate only the two of them understood. Now she was sick… dying the doctors said, and there was nothing that he could do but sit back and watch as destiny slowly took over.
The dark hospital room was illuminated as the door opened and the light from the hallway spilled inside. A’shai sat upright as Dr. Simmons, a man that he had come to know well, entered the room.
“Hello A’shai,” Dr. Simmons greeted.
“Dr. Simmons,” A’shai replied in acknowledgment. “Did you get the test results back yet?”
Dr. Simmons nodded and held up the large white folder. “I did. I’d like to discuss them with the both of you,” the doctor replied. The doctor’s pessimistic tone gave away the dismal results, but A’shai remained hopeful. He looked at Liberty. She was sleeping too peacefully to awaken and he didn’t want her to hear the news first. He wanted to be her filter… to receive any bad news to come and give it to her in his own way.
“Can we talk privately doctor? I would like to tell her the results myself… good or bad,” A’shai stated.
Dr. Simmons nodded and led A’shai to the hallway. A’shai stared at Liberty through the room’s window.
“Liberty has a heart condition called cardiomyopathy. The swelling in her abdomen, ankles, and feet are all signs of impending heart failure,” Dr. Simmons stated.
A’shai’s throat went desert dry and his stomach turned sour as he lowered his head and leaned against the windowsill outside of Liberty’s room. “Don’t say that to me, Doc. Tell me what I can do to make her better.”
“I’m sorry, but there isn’t much that you can do,” Dr. Simmons replied. “She needs a new heart.”
“Then let’s get her a new heart. Money isn’t an object. Whose palms gotta get greased to make this happen?” A’shai asked as he looked up, pinching the bridge of his nose to stop the tears from forming in his eyes.
“This isn’t a problem that money can fix,” Dr. Simmons said.
“Money can fix everything,” A’shai replied assertively.
“Unfortunately it cannot fix this. These things are conducted under a specific set of guidelines, A’shai. There is a list that all heart patients are placed on. Liberty is next on the list for her blood type, but there isn’t a heart available right now,” Dr. Simmons explained.
A’shai’s mind instantly went to the gutter as he thought of what he would have to do to give Liberty a new heart. He would kill the next man to save this one woman. He was desperate for a resolution, but he knew that in reality there was none. He didn’t want to taint Liberty by committing murder on her behalf. She didn’t believe in it, and he knew that she would never accept a heart obtained in such a way.
“So we’ll wait for a heart,” A’shai whispered.
“I’m afraid that Liberty doesn’t have enough time to wait. She needs a heart now. Unless her organ notification pager goes off soon, you have no choice but to prepare for the inevitable,” the doctor said sadly. He had lost many patients and although death was around him daily, Liberty was a special case. He was truly broken up about seeing her life come to an end.
“How long do we have?” A’shai asked.
“She doesn’t have long to live. A few days, a week, a month at the most. Liberty is dying,” Dr. Simmons said sadly.
“No, no, no,” A’shai whispered as his fists hit the wall in frustration. He couldn’t stop his emotions from spilling down his face. He couldn’t breathe and he saw red as he looked through the hospital window. He saw Liberty stirring from her sleep and he put his head down so that she couldn’t see his distress.
“Can I take her home?” A’shai asked. “I don’t want her to die here. I want her to be home with me… in her own bed.”
He wiped his face and pulled himself together as best he could.
“I think that’s best,” the doctor replied. “Make her happy. Think of the good times. You don’t have much time to spend with her. Make it count. You will know when her final moments are nearing. The pain will start to fade.”
A’shai nodded and then looked up to see Liberty watching him through the window. She smiled and a warm feeling instantly spread through him. Everything inside of him loved her. He could feel her spirit pulsing through him. Just the mere sight of her made the little good he possessed shine through. He smiled back and then turned to the doctor.
“Thanks, Doc, for all of your help,” he said as he extended his hand. The men shook hands and then A’shai re-entered the room. He tried to mask his turmoil, but Liberty knew him too well. No one else would have picked up on the sadness within him, but Liberty could see it in his eyes. It was in the way he blinked: slowly, methodically, to stop the tears from falling.
“You look like he just told you your dog died,” she joked, trying to make light of the situation.
He smirked and replied, “Very funny.”
Liberty grew serious and reached out her hand. “How long?” she asked. She already knew that her life was on a countdown. She could feel in her bones that her time was coming to an end on this Earth. She was so weak and sometimes she had a hard time remembering things. All she could see was the shining light in front of her… she could no longer recall the darkness of her past. She was actually looking forward to death. The only thing about life that she would miss was the love of a man… her man… A’shai. In her eyes, he was the only positive. Life hadn’t been all that good to her so she didn’t fear death. Instead she embraced it, thinking unconventionally as she wondered what her afterlife entailed.
“Not long at all, but I’mma be with you every second, ma. I’m in this with you forever… believe that,” he said.
He reached down and kissed her lips gently as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He scooped her up into his arms as she rested her head on his chest.
“I’m taking you home,” he whispered.
A’shai carried Liberty into their luxury home. He had hustled hard for everything they had. The travertine stone floors, the Brazilian hardwood cabinets, the imported Parisian furnishing… it was all sheer opulence-the epitome of the American dream-but as he carried a dying Liberty in his arms he realized how foolish it all seemed. What was it all for? He had spent countless hours in the street, grinding, hustling night after night to give her material things. Wanting to provide for her and give her the world, he had saved every dollar, never spending anything without first sharing it with her. He had wasted time hustling and as he thought of what he could have done with all those hours, he was filled with regret. Time was something that he thought he would always have. Never had he ever thought it would slip away from them so quickly.
“Stop, Shai,” Liberty whispered as she stared up at him. Their connection was so tangible that she knew what he was thinking. “Don’t babe.”
A lone tear betrayed him, rolling down his cheek as he nuzzled his face against hers. “I love you, Libby.”
“I know you do,” she replied. “Now I believe you owe me a warm bubble bath.”
Through it all she was able to muster a smile, reminding A’shai why she was the most beautiful person he had ever known.
“I can do that,” he said. He placed her down on the couch and propped a pillow beneath her head before going to draw her a bath. He would cater to her, he would love her, and he would do whatever she needed him to in order to make her transition easier.
As he placed her body into the steaming water she sighed in relief as it soothed her ailing bones. Everything seemed to hurt. Her entire body was weak and the water was like a vacation from her everyday torture. Candles filled the air with a French vanilla scent, and she inhaled deeply as she sat back and watched A’shai remove his clothes. His body was marred with wounds… some had been attained in war, some in the streets, some she had
