Demarcus Wayne, NJ📍

We've been sitting in the hospital for about 3 hours now. Ashanti had fallen asleep on Jay's shoulder. She wants revenge. But me and Jay not gon let that shit fly.

"Family of Jo'nae Mariè Andrews" said a doctor coming in. I turned to him and Jay woke up Ashanti. We all got up and walked towards him.

"How is she doing?" I asked him. He took a deep breathe.

"She's doing fine. She just came out of surgery. The three bullets didn't reach her spine. So she will be able to walk. The fabric that was used to apply pressure on her wound was very helpful. Without it she wouldn't have made it." I looked over at Ashanti you slightly smiled and hugged on to Jay.

I breathed heavy like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. "That's good." I said to the doctor.

"But there is one thing."

"What is it?" I asked.

"She's in a coma. It is a slight possibility that when she wakes up she might not remember the event or it may come back in small sections or moments." I looked down at the floor.

A coma?

"May we see her?" I asked. The doctor agreed and lead us to her room. She was laying there hooked up to all these monitors. It hurt to see her like this. I felt a sting in my eyes as hot tears ran down my face.

Jay and Ashanti came up to me and tried comforting me. It didn't work. I needed Jo'nae. We sat in her room for a while just talking to her while she laid there. I held her hand a couple times and played with her hair. It was my favorite thing about her. Her hair was so long and beautiful. So are all those lace fronts and weaves she would get. But her natural hair as gold.

After a while of us chillin in her room we had to leave. Visiting hours were over. We got back in the car and drove off. We had to go back to the mall to mine and Ashanti's car. Once we did Jay ran in the condo to get clothes for him and Ashanti. They come over to the house to keep me company while Jo'nae was in the hospital.

"You okay?" I asked Ashanti.

"Are you okay?" She asked me back.

We both shrugged. We were sitting in the living room.

"Come on ya she gon be aight." Jay told us sitting on the coffee table in front of us.

Ashanti and I jus looked at him.

"Why ain't you sad?" She asked him.

"Cause I know she's goin to be okay. Jo'nae and I have been through so much growing up. She's a fighter."

She nodded and looked back down at the floor. It was silent in the room. It wasn't an awkward silence though. It wasn't peaceful but it wasn't chaotic.

"It's my fault." Ashanti said breaking the silence. Jay and I looked at her.

"Don't say that Ashanti it's not your fault."

"Why you say dat bae?" Jay asked her.

"I should've never went to the mall. I had a bad feeling when we first went inside. I should've spoke up but I didn't. I just wanted her to enjoy time with me I ain't wanna be no party pooper."

"You can't blame yourself for this ma. It has nothing to do with your plans with Jo'nae. It just so happen to be the mall ya was at." Jay told her.

"I don't know something doesn't feel right."

"Why?" I asked. "What doesn't feel right? It was just an accident Ashanti. Ya was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

She sat there looking at the floor. She then looked up at us both.

"What if we weren't? What if we were at the right place at the right time."

Jay and I looked at each other then at her.

Ah shit.