Always Unique by Nikki Turner Page B

harm that had been inflicted on her brought tears to Tyeedah’s eyes.
    Kennard got the words out. “I don’t know what happened. She was attacked, brutally beaten and left for dead. I came back to the room to try to get a little time with her before y’all showed up and found her lying on the bathroom floor with no pulse or anything.”
    Tyeedah believed him. Fire, hurt, pain, and anger were written all over his face.
    The elevator seemed to fly down to the lobby, as if it could also sense the urgency. As soon as the door popped opened, the wheels of the gurney were gliding across the marble floor of the lobby of the Tabby Hotel, then out the door to the waiting ambulance.
    With Kennard on one side and Tyeedah on the other, they were there every step of the way until Unique was put into the back of the ambulance and Kennard got in with her. When the doors were about to shut, Tyeedah asked, “What hospital y’all taking her to?”
    “Mount Sinai.”
    The trained driver of the emergency vehicle was no slouch. He pulled that ambulance into New York City traffic and peeled out like he was a NASCAR driver.

 
    KEYLESS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
    In the coffee shop across the street from the hotel, Fat Tee sat nervously sipping on an espresso, looking out the window at the front entrance of the Tabby Hotel. He couldn’t stop replaying how he had finagled his way into the hotel’s Presidential Suite less than an hour ago when he posed as Kennard.
    He had to admit he was a genius and deserved a pat on his back to be able to pull that stunt off. It went to show that any hotel can be broken into. His momma always told him, if he believed, he would achieve.
    By luck Fat Tee saw that a room service attendant had left the service elevator unattended and while no one was looking, he hopped on and took it straight to the penthouse floor.
    “Excuse me, miss,” he said to the housekeeper who was vacuuming with her headphones on.
    The housekeeper never looked up from her work. Her mind seemed to be a thousand miles away, oblivious to her surroundings.
    Fat Tee spoke up and said again, “Excuse me, miss!” He waved his hand in her line of vision. Her hand snapped up and her eyes showed embarrassment and guilt that she was not being attentive to one of her valued guests. She quickly cut off the vacuum cleaner and said, “Pardon me. Me no see you here, sir.” Fat Tee could see the nervousness in her eyes. He could tell that she thought she may be in trouble, and he used that weakness against her.
    “Not a problem at all,” said Fat Tee, in an attempt to ease her mind and relax her more. “You don’t know how glad I am that you’re here.” As he spoke, he looted his pockets, in search of a key that was never there in the first place.
    Lola, the housekeeper, gave him a slight smile and asked, “How may I help you?” The interruption was delaying her from finishing her work but she was glad that he was a nice man and that she wasn’t in any trouble.
    Fat Tee said, “I’m trying to get into my room. But I must have left my keycard inside.”
    Lola seemed to ponder his request and she knew it was against the rules for housekeepers to use their master keys to let guests into rooms. After a brief pause, she dropped her head, wishing she could help. “Me so sorry, sir.” Not the answer Fat Tee was hoping for. “No allowed to do this.”
    Fat Tee told her that he understood. “However,” he said, not willing to give up that easily, “I really have to use the bathroom.” He made faces as if the insides of his stomach were at war. “Very bad.”
    Lola looked around, unsure of what she should do, hoping someone else would show up to help her decision.
    Taking advantage of her indecisiveness, Fat Tee said, “There’s no way I can make it to the desk for a replacement key without overloading my drawers.” He squeezed his legs as if he was really trying to hold his bowels. Then he lowered his tone as if the two of them