The car ride was silent considering who I was in the car with; I would not say it was a miracle, but an omen. I sighed. "Look, Charmaine. I went mad earlier, but you must understand my predicament. My husband is in danger. I couldn't lie in some hospital bed, not knowing where he was or if he still was. You have known me longer than both Nicolae and Leonard. This shouldn't come as a shock to you."
She sighed. "Gracie, I'm not shocked. I am worried. You are in no condition to be moving around, much less going into another wave of this. If you were at 100%, I would have no issues with this crazy decision you have made. I would be all aboard; I know you are worried about Leo. Nicolae is as well as me." She sighed. "I suppose. I wouldn't be so nice if I had to be in your shoes. I would probably be the same if it were Nicolae or Aria. But I will tell you this. I am worried about you both, your injuries, and Leonard's. Neither of you is physically able for this to happen again."
"Leonard? Injured?" I slammed on the brakes, looking at the young girl in the seat beside me.
"He looked that way, in the video. He seemed confused, not like the confident, well put together man that I have known him to be." She looked at me. "He seemed disoriented, though I couldn't say for sure whether it was from the quality of the camera or the weather. It is hard to make a diagnosis. But he didn't appear to be well. He appeared he has had his fair share of events, as he looked to be bloody, barely able to walk." She sighed, looking at the floor. "I have my theories about why he is with Natasha and Jarrod. But I would rather not share them until you have calmed down to hear them and form some plan of action. Rationally. Grace, I fear you are overdoing yourself with your injuries and will just kill over. I will not sugarcoat your injuries. Graceona, you are going to die pretty soon if you don't slow down with all this activity. What good? What good would you be to your family six feet underground? Tell me. Is that what you want? For your girls to grow up without a mom? Leaving Leonard in harm's way, possibly killed; all because you couldn't give in to your pride and get help when you had it?" the younger girl glared at me. Unshed tears forming in her blue eyes after every question asked. Tears that every one of us knew too well. I sighed, looking at her.
"Charmaine…" I found myself for the first time since knowing this woman. My words had failed me. With no way to soothe her pains. Or give her the reassurance that I was going to be well. When deep down. I wondered about the state my body was in and how much of that state was going to last. I sighed, leaning my head back against the headrest. Looking at the darkness outside the windshield. The sobs from the woman in the car with me were heartbreaking. I felt like my heart was going to explode. I felt the hot, salty liquid of a tear fall from my eyes, wiping it away with a sigh, looking down at my laptop that sat between the seats. I knew that Charmaine and Nicolae were only looking out for me. Once I thought about it, Leonard would probably want me safe. He would be furious at my choice of acting like this. "Fine, Charmaine. I will take it easy. I'll recover; just stop crying, please?"
I looked at the girl, who didn't glance my way. Tears fell from her eyes, silently landing on the handle of the gun that lay on her lap. "Charmaine, look at me." The girl said nothing but kept looking at the ground. "I'm serious. I will listen to you and Nicolae. I choose to get better. Then, if you two are still willing to help me find him, we will look for Leonard. Finish this once and for all; I can see that this is upsetting you, and you being this upset is upsetting me. Please, Charmaine. Please, quit crying." She finally looked at me, wiping her tears away.
"You promise, Gracie?"
I fought back my tears with a sigh. "Yes, I promise. We will turn back around and go back to the hospital. I will wait for another bed. Honestly, I feel like your concern is something that I should be worried about as well. Besides, who is going to beat Natasha to the ground for taking Leonard away from me? I love you and Nicolae, but that is my battle. Stomping a woman into the ground for stealing my husband is my fight. That position is mine and mine alone." I looked at her, trying to smile as she sighed.
"You aren't being funny, Gracie." Though she had said those words, I could tell she wanted to laugh. However, that motherly part of her would not allow her to cave in that easily. I smiled, chuckling a bit.
"Charmaine, child. When have you known me to make anyone laugh? I do that out of luck, and being blunt. I never intend to crack jokes."
She looked at me. "You're planning to pulverize Natasha into the ground? Aren't you?" her tears gone. She was becoming more like her upbeat, bubbly self.
"That's one promise I can make and will see it through. Anything other than that, I can't and won't make any promises."
The girl smiled. "We wouldn't expect anything less from you, Gracie."
"Now, about Leonard's injuries. Let us get our girl talk on, shall we?"
"The girl talk again? Grace, this is not a girl talk topic. This conversation is a talk to get another woman beat down sort of talk."
"She's going to get it handed to her, anyway. Does it matter?"
She sighed. "Gracie, first we are going to take you back to the hospital. Then, we will have the girl talk. Is that a good deal?"
"Alright, good deal. Let me get me a screwdriver; then we'll peacefully discuss this in a classy way, like the classy ladies we are."
"Classy, Grace? I don't mean to declassify a bar, but do you want to discuss this in a bar? You make me wonder about you sometimes. You know that, girl." She sighed.
"Alright, but you are hospital bond afterward. Am I being clear?"
"Yes, mother."
"I mean it."
"Charmaine, I agree with you. Calm down. Don't get your scrubs in a bunch. I know my fights, as I also know this is not the one, I will win. Chill out. I will not risk being too injured and not being of help to my husband. I'm not that reckless and stupid. Plus, I can imagine the lecture I am going to get from Leonard himself. When he finds out about all this. I am not digging a deeper hole for myself, not a chance. I love him with every fiber of my being. Why don't you try getting on his crazy side, then come and tell me I'm the crazy one?"
"As long as you have learned your lesson. Sounds like you're gonna need all your energy for Natasha, and an extra helping of energy once it comes to Leonard. Because girl you're gonna have your hands full. I've seen him crazy too many times. Good luck, and Godspeed with that chat." She smiled, sitting back in the seat. As we waited for Nicolae to catch up to us.