by Lady Lissa
“You have a beautiful baby, honey. Congratulations!” he says to me and Onyx as he gives him a hug.
The rest of the men do the same, congratulate us and gives us hugs.
A couple of minutes later, the nurse brings me my beautiful baby boy. She hands him to me and tells me some skin to skin with my baby would help him to recognize my scent better. I am happy to oblige. I cuddle with my little miracle until they return to get him. They tell me they need to take him to the nursery for a couple of hours and they will bring him back soon.
I am elated that I had Onyx Junior on Valentine’s Day. Onyx and I had been praying this whole week that we would have him on V Day and it happened.
“How do you feel?” Onyx asks me.
“Exhausted. I feel like I just pushed out a watermelon,” I say.
“You did good baby.”
“Awww. My baby has a baby,” my mom says as she walks over to me.
“Umm, may I have all you guys attention please,” Onyx says, causing everyone to turn and look at him.
“I’m so glad y’all could all be here for the birth of our son. I just want y’all to know that we appreciate you guys so much,” he says through tears.
“You’re welcome,” my mom says.
“Where else would we be?” Miss Renee asks.
Everyone starts laughing and as I look around this room, I see nothing but love. This entire family has come together for me and Onyx and it feels so good.
Onyx turns to me, dries his tears and says, “Starr, you have given me the best Valentine’s Day gift ever. There is nothing that can ever top that.”
“So, does that mean I am not expected to give you anything for Valentine’s Day anymore?” I ask, trying to be funny. It works because everyone starts laughing.
“That is not what I’m saying,” Onyx says with a smile so big, “I’m just saying that your gift was the ultimate and I know I can’t top it, but I’m gonna try.” Next thing I know, he’s on one knee on the side of my hospital bed and there’s a beautiful ring in my face.
What the heck is going on? This is totally unexpected. Oh my God!
“Starr I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life. I wake up with your voice in my head and I fall asleep with your picture every night. You are the only woman who can make me nervous and excited at the same time. You make my heart beat to a musical tune every time I get around you. I don’t know what this hold is that you have on me, but I want it to last forever. Starr Landry, will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife,” he asks.
“You didn’t even have to ask. Of course I will marry you! You are everything I’ve ever wanted in a man and I love you so much!” I say as the room explodes in clapping and laughter.
He slips this beautiful one carat princess cut diamond ring on my finger. The diamond in the middle is beautiful but what really catches my eye, are the pear shaped blue diamonds on both sides of the center stone and the beautiful white accent diamonds around the ring. This ring is absolutely stunning and this caught me totally by surprise.
“Do you like it?” he asks.
“Are you kidding me? I love it!”
I turn my ring finger around for our family to see and everyone starts hugging and congratulating us for a different reason. I cannot tell y’all how happy I am. This is the most special moment of my entire life.
CHAPTER 23
Lucy
I open my eyes to find my mom sitting beside me. She’s asleep and I don’t want to disturb her, but I need to know why I’m in this hospital bed with all these tubes connected to me. I try to speak by there’s a tube lodged in my throat, so I mumble and make noises with the bed to get her attention. Her eyes pop open and she jumps out of her seat.
“Oh my God! You’re awake! Hold on, lemme get the doctor!” she says excitedly as she runs out the room screaming down the hallway.
She returns a short time later with a couple of doctors and a slew of nurses. The doctor takes out this little flashlight pen and flashes it before my eyes, probably making sure I’m really awake. My eyes follow the pen and then he checks my pulse by taking my wrist between his fingers.
“Hello Luciana, I’m Doctor Taylor, your attending physician. We’ve been waiting for you to open your eyes so we’re glad you could finally join us. I know that the tube is uncomfortable, but we’ll have that out for you in a few minutes. Just try to relax because we don’t want your blood pressure spiking up. Okay?” he asks and I nod my head as tears slide down my face.
What the hell happened to me and why am I here? The last thing I remember is arguing with Onyx at the school’s gymnasium. My mom is crying by my bedside as she is talking on the phone, probably to my dad.
“Okay, what I need you to do is take a deep breath,” Doctor Taylor says.
I inhale deeply and he pulls the tube from my mouth. The burning sensation brings tears to my eyes. My mom reaches for a cup with a straw and fills it with water. The doctor encourages me to take a sip. After I have sipped enough water, my mom puts the cup back on the tray.
“How do you feel?” the doctor asks.
“Like I’ve been hit by an eighteen wheeler,” I say.
“Well that’s to be expected. Do you remember what happened to you?” he asks.
“No,” I respond.
“You were in a very bad car accident.”
“When?” I ask.
“About two weeks ago. You’ve been in a coma since they brought you in,” the doctor says.
“I was in a coma?” I ask, confused as to how I don’t remember getting in a car accident.
“Yes. Your injuries you sustained from the car accident were very serious,” Doctor Taylor says.
All of a sudden, something clicks in my head. What happened to my baby? I pull the cover back and lift my gown, looking for my little baby bump I had before, only to find that it isn’t there. I look over at my mom who pulls my gown down and covers me with the blanket, all with tears streaming down her face.
“Mom, what happened to my baby? Doctor Taylor, where’s my baby?” I ask.
“I’m sorry, Luciana, but we were unable to save your baby,” he says.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! That was my baby! I want my baby!” I scream and cry as I touch my stomach. My mom sits on the bed next to me, takes me in her arms and rocks me back and forth.
“I’m sorry but your injuries were too severe. The impact from the crash was too much for your body,” Doctor Taylor continues.
“That was my baby! I want my baby back please! Mommy, I want my baby. I need my baby,” I cry in my mother’s arms.
“It’ll be okay, honey. It’ll be okay in time,” she tries to soothe me.
“NOOOOOOOOOOO! I want my baby back! Please give me my baby,” I continue to cry.
“Luciana, I’m going to prescribe a mild sedative to you. You need to rest and this excitement is causing your blood pressure to elevate. We don’t want that to happen because it can be very dangerous for your recovery,” the doctor says.
“I don’t care. All I WANT IS MY BABY!” I scream.
Doctor Taylor turns to the nurse with a sympathetic look on his face and says, “I need you to administer two CC’s of phenobarbital in her IV please.”
“Yes doctor,” the nurse responds as she scurries out of the room.
She returns a short time later with a needle filled with clear liquid and puts it in my IV. Within ten minutes, I’m drifting off to sleep.
EPILOGUE
One year later…
Onyx
This past year has been the best year of my life. Since our engagement and the birth of our son, so much has happened. Just last week, I signed a twelve million dollar contract with the Atlanta Hawks as a forward on the team. I received two million dollars just for signing as a bonus. This is amazing.
I’ve always dreamed of playing pro ball and now, I am getting the opportunity to play. There were several teams that wanted to draft me, but I chose the Hawks because
I didn’t want to move from ATL. Since the birth of Onyx Jr., the family has gotten extremely close, so I didn’t want to move my family away.
Starr and I have been living in an off campus apartment since she and Onyx Jr. joined me at the school, but now that I’ve been signed to the Hawks, I’m moving us out. I just purchased a huge house for Starr and I, but she doesn’t know it yet. The house has four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a kitchen fit for a master chef with top of the line appliances, and a huge backyard with our very own pool.
I know that Starr is going to love this house, but not as much as she’s going to love the pearly white Range Rover I got her. I love this woman and I just want to shower her with as many gifts as possible. She and Onyx Jr. are my everything and I just want them to know that. I couldn’t have done any of this without Starr. She’s my rock. I will love her forever and next month, that is what I will vow to do in front of all our friends and family as we say ‘I do’.
I cannot wait to make her my wife. If someone had told me when my dad moved us to Atlanta that the little girl with the pigtails that was being aggressive with me, would one day be my wife, I would have laughed. But, as I watch her plan our wedding with Maggie, our mothers and the wedding planner she hired, I couldn’t be more excited about our future. Dreams really do come true.
Starr
I’m not going to lie and say that everything has been peaches and cream since the birth of our son, but it has been a wonderful ride. I didn’t know how hard it would be to take care of a baby while still in school. My mom tried to warn me but I thought she was just throwing shade on my relationship with Onyx, but she really knew what she was talking about. I did manage to graduate with a 3.85 grade point average. I don’t know how I did it, but I did.
Once I graduated, Onyx and I rented an apartment off campus and we both started classes the following fall. Starting college while taking care of a little baby has been a little hard, but we’ve been managing. Onyx continued to work for the football coach in the fall, until basketball season began. I made sure that Onyx Jr. and I were at every home game and when I noticed recruiters watching my man, I knew he was going to do big things.
When he was contacted by the Atlanta Hawks owner, he was elated. I was so excited for him because I know how hard he worked for this. He signed a 14 million dollar contract, receiving two million just for his signature on the dotted line. I couldn’t believe it.
As I stand in the mirror at Kleinfeld’s in New York City, I cannot believe I am here for my final fitting of my wedding gown. Onyx and I are getting married outside at Park Tavern. I can’t believe how beautiful it is there and can’t wait to look my man in the eyes and say, ‘I do’.
Onyx and Onyx Jr. mean everything to me and I love them with all my heart. If someone had told me that I would have met my Prince Charming when I was eight years old, I would have laughed at them. But, as I look at myself in the mirror, I realize that Onyx is my best friend and the love of my life. He’s my soul mate and I can’t imagine my life without him. Dreams really do come true if you have faith and prayers. Thank you Jesus.
Mandy
So much has happened this past year. Even though I know that Lucy was pregnant for Onyx, I never revealed what I knew to anybody. I didn’t even tell her that I knew. I see that she has found a way to live with what has happened to her, so I don’t plan on dredging up anything that could change that. She and I have gotten as close as we used to be. Almost losing her, made me realize just how much I love her.
As for my feelings involving Onyx, I’ve finally moved on with my life. I realized because I couldn’t let Onyx go in my heart, I couldn’t really move on. The only way I could do that was to confront him and apologize. I owed this man an apology, as well as Starr, so regardless of what would happen with the protective order, I had to apologize.
When I approached them, they were coming out of church with their son. I chose church because surely they wouldn’t call the police on me in front of God’s house, right? When I walked up to them, they didn’t look very happy to see me and I can’t say that I blame them. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that precious little baby. He is really gorgeous and the three of them look so happy. How could I not have seen this before?
“I know you guys probably don’t want to speak to me or hear anything I have to say,” I began.
“What do you want Mandy?” Onyx asked.
“I just wanted to apologize to both of you for my past behavior. I realize how selfish I was behaving and you didn’t deserve any of the treatment I gave you. I’m so sorry and you have a beautiful baby boy. I heard that y’all are getting married,” I said.
Starr flashed her beautiful ring in my face, but not in a bragging way, which is how I would have taken it before. It was more of a, “yes you’re right” kind of thing.
“Your ring is beautiful. I hope that the two of you are very happy. I really mean that,” I said.
“Thanks Mandy. We wish the same for you,” Starr said with a smile.
“I’ll be waiting for my invitation in the mail,” I said, which gave us something to laugh about.
I was just kidding about the wedding invitation, but at least it showed them that I’ve moved past all the bullshit. When I left church, I went back to school to see what my man is doing. Of course, I found him in the gym, shooting hoops. When he saw me, he immediately came over, bent his head and kissed me.
That was six months ago and the two of us are still going strong. Yesterday, I checked my mailbox and there was an invitation to Onyx and Starr’s wedding. I’m glad that they invited me and Josh and I will be attending. I’m happy for them and I’m happy for me too. My mom said God would send me a good man and he did.
Josh knows all about my past with Onyx and Starr. He also knows that I’m on probation for another two years and he still loves me. Life is full of surprises. I’m glad that I finally decided to take my mom’s advice.
Lucy
Getting into that car accident a year ago has left me with scars that will last a lifetime. It took me four months to regain the strength in my body to walk again. During those four months, I had a lot of time to reflect on my life and repair my relationship with Mandy. I don’t know what caused us to fall off the way we did, but almost losing my life has brought the two of us closer than ever before.
I appreciate her so much for being here for me because recovering from these injuries has not been easy. I had to undergo four months of physical therapy, which was very strenuous. Also while I recovered from my injuries, I realized that I was wrong for what I did to Onyx. He didn’t deserve that. That isn’t even how I was raised. I don’t know what got into me for me to do something like that.
My selfishness caused me to lose sight of who I am. Losing my baby was some strong karma that came back to bite me in the ass. I know that getting pregnant in that manner was the wrong thing to do and my baby paid the ultimate price. I never revealed to anyone that Onyx was the father of my baby because then I’d have to admit how I got pregnant. I had to admit to myself that I raped Onyx. Knowing that I did that to him makes me sick to my stomach.
I needed to apologize to him in order for me to get on with my life. I heard he signed with the Atlanta Hawks. That is wonderful and I’m happy for him. I’m jealous of Starr though, but not enough to go back to where I used to be. I didn’t even recognize the person that I was. Once I was released from the hospital, I started seeing Gaby again. Thank God for her because I don’t know how I would have resolved all my issues if I didn’t have her to talk to. She encouraged me to talk to Onyx and apologize.
I decide there’s no time like the present. I am taking a chance that he’s in the gym shooting hoops, but I just have to check. I am surprised to see him there, even though I had a feeling he’d be here. When he sees me, he grabs the ball and walks towards me.
“Hey,” I say.
“Wassup,” he answers.
“I just wanted to apologize for what I did to you. I
had no right,” I begin.
“You’re right. You didn’t have any right.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking when I did that, but I thank you for not calling the police on me. I was in a really messed up place. I’m so sorry,” I say with tears in my eyes.
“Aight. I hope you’re getting the help you need and I’m sorry about your car accident,” he says.
“Thanks and I am. I heard about your wedding. Congratulations,” I say.
“Thanks. Well, take care.”
“You too,” I say as he walks out the door.
I feel good that I apologized. It’s the only way I can heal and I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Onyx is really an amazing guy and Starr is lucky to have him. Thank you God for giving me another chance at life. I took it for granted before, but I’ll never do that again. I am going to live my life to the fullest and make better choices and decisions from now on.
If this experience has taught me anything, it has taught me a lot about strength. I am a strong black woman and I don’t need a man to validate me. I am going to pour my energies into my studies and excel in school. Thank God for second chances.
THE END!!!
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In part 3 of That Unbreakable Love, the kids are back and better than ever. Witnessing the up and down between their parents didn’t stop Ray’Shun, Shaniyah and Destiny from wanting to share the same type of Unbreakable Love as Ronny and Shan.
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