Losing Hope by Leslie J. Sherrod Page A

two in the morning was really hers—and now she knew I had a son? Was I in the twilight zone?
    â€œI heard the Monroes say so. They saw you at church last night. What’s his name? Can I meet him?”
    I was speechless. I’d spent nearly the whole day with them, and not once had the Monroes mentioned that they’d seen me at their church.
    â€œOkay, little miss lady.” The nurse handed Dayonna a hospital gown. “You’ll have to wear this until someone brings you some clothes that match our unit rules. No buttons, zippers, or belts.” The nurse’s attention turned toward me. “Thanks for your help,” she said and smiled.
    Dayonna slipped the thin gown over her head and began following the nurse toward a door that led to another hallway.
    â€œDayonna, do you play with dolls?” I had to ask, figuring this was the safest place to broach the topic.
    The young teen suddenly stood still, like her feet had become roots lodged into the linoleum floor. Her head turned ever so slowly to meet mine. Her eyes had taken on that familiar wild look. “I will tell you, just like I told them,” she said in a gruff whisper. “Hope is not a doll baby. Hope is my sister. They killed her and they know it and I will be dead next.” A low moan—almost a growl—began rising from somewhere deep in her chest.
    â€œI’m sorry. You’re going to have to go now.” The nurse spoke quickly to me in a calm but firm voice as she reached to press a button on the wall.
    As I headed back down the corridor to the facility’s main entrance, I could hear the nurse’s page over the hospital intercom system.
    â€œAll available hands. Room two.”
    Within seconds the empty hallway burst with activity as doors were flung open and workers in a rainbow assortment of scrubs flurried toward the room I’d just left. When I reached the revolving doors that would take me to the visitor parking lot, I took one last look at the chaos I had created behind me. It was during the last few steps I took in the circular doors that a lone figure caught my eye.
    While everyone was running the opposite way, Mr. Monroe stood still, facing in my direction, staring at me.
    A sneer filled his face.

Chapter 16
    Should I even try to make sense of it, the Monroes and Dayonna? Of course I could not. I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to, nor did I have the time. After leaving the hospital, I squeezed in two quick visits with a couple of my other clients. I was supposed to see each of them only twice a month. Though I’d technically met my quota for Dayonna for the month, it was pretty clear that I’d be seeing her at least on a weekly basis, at least until she was stable.
    I was almost back at the office to finish my paperwork when my cell phone started ringing.
    Of all people, of all days, my sister. I loved my baby sis dearly, but she was one of those people who carried drama with her like a pocketbook—if it was not on her shoulder, it was nearby.
    I answered the phone, anyway.
    â€œHey, Yvette. What’s going on, girl?” I put my headset on so I could drive and talk at the same time.
    â€œI know you better come get your son!”
    Yvette was not one to waste words. No ‘Hello. How are you?’ Just the usual immediate demand.
    Except she had just said something about my son.
    â€œWhat are you talking about? Roman came to your house after school?” Had I missed a call or a text from him? I did not recall Roman asking permission to go anywhere other than home, especially since I had not yet debriefed him about his afternoon with Skee-Gee, Yvette’s eldest, yesterday.
    â€œ After school?” Yvette was just getting started. “Apparently, he did not even go to school today. And now he got my son bleeding.”
    â€œYvette, what are you talking about? Roman went to school today!”
    â€œHumph. I hate to break the news to you, sister,