Always Unique by Nikki Turner Page A

Tyeedah almost bit the officer’s head off, then she said with some pitch in her voice, “This is my sister’s room. I need to get in there.”
    “I’m sorry, miss.” And although the man was only doing his job, Tyeedah immediately disliked him for what he was about to say. “But you’re going to have to wait out here until we get the situation under control.”
    “Situation? What’s going on?” She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t going to give her any more information.
    Tyeedah was pretty sure that she could take him. She turned to calmly walk away and just when the officer thought she had let it go, without any notice, she tried to push past him. Not a good idea. He was only a few inches taller than her, but outweighed Tyeedah by about a hundred pounds, mostly around the middle. He easily held her off.
    “That was a good attempt, but I can’t let you go in there.”
    “But you can,” Tyeedah insisted. “You just won’t.”
    “Look, miss, I can’t let you go in there,” he said firmly. “I understand you are concerned for your loved one, but it will help if you wait out here. I cannot let you go in there.”
    She could tell by the look in his eyes that he meant business, but there were always two ways to skin a cat so she started to scream at the top of her lungs, “Unique! Unique! Kennard! Kennard!” hoping that they were all right and that one if not both of them would hear her making such a ruckus and would tell the officers it was okay to let her in.
    She only wanted to know if Unique and Kennard were fine. Maybe it was a break-in, she tried to convince herself. But deep down in her gut, her street smarts knew that the police wouldn’t have come out in this type of numbers for a B&E. And there would be no need for paramedics. “Unique … Kennard!” she kept calling out, hoping and praying for a response from one of them.
    “Miss,” said the overweight officer, who was not only holding her back but blocking her view as well, “you’re gonna hafta keep it down.”
    Tyeedah didn’t care about him. He wasn’t on her side, and she had no use for him. “Fuck you!” She was tired of this fool telling her what she couldn’t do. “My sister and brother-in-law may be in there and you’re playing these games with me.”
    Just then her tantrum was interrupted by a loud, clear, firm voice, saying, “We need to clear a path so that we can get out of here. People, we must clear the way. We have to get to the hospital.” The voice had come from inside the suite. The officers in the hall went into action and began clearing a path so that they could get the stretcher out and to the elevators.
    Tyeedah’s heart almost fell into her pumps when she saw the gurney being pushed by the EMT guys with Unique lying on top. “Oh my God,” she said out loud.
    Kennard was right alongside the gurney. His clothes were discolored from what appeared to be Unique’s blood, but he kept stride with the fast-moving gurney as he held her hand. Tyeedah peered into Unique’s eyes. They looked empty. “Kennard,” she blurted out as he and the two emergency technicians rolled past her. “What happened to her?”
    Kennard didn’t answer. He seemed to have a one-track mind. He walked right past as if he didn’t even see her.
    “Kennard, tell me what happened to my sister.” When he still didn’t answer, Tyeedah thought that Kennard might be in shock and so tongue-tied that he couldn’t even answer.
    The sea of onlookers that filled the hall parted as the gurney made its way to the elevator.
    “Kennard, that’s my sister! What happened to her?” she asked with eyes and a tone that demanded an answer.
    An officer tried to stop Tyeedah from getting on. Kennard looked at him and said, “Let her on.” Tyeedah slid her body through the elevator doors just as they were closing.
    It hurt her to see her friend like that. Unique had been so full of life, and seeing her almost lifeless body and the