by Traci Bee
“Wow.” She frowned. Her eyes darted from her father’s site to Mr. Johnson’s. “But he was picking weeds from this very site.”
● ● ●
Simone was sexy, yet angelic as she stood on the immaculately landscaped grounds of the resort, mesmerized by the emerald waters of the Rodney Bay.
“I can do this,” she said to herself, waiting for her cue as she prepared to walk down the aisle alone. “You ready, Daddy?” She sighed, wiping a lone tear as her emotions toyed with both joy and sadness.
The steel drum St. Lucia band began to play softly. Simone followed her cue and proceeded to the runner stretched out just for her. The handful of guests stood, directing their attention to the bride. Oohs and aahs rang out across the resort.
“My God,” Kevin whispered as his eyes fell upon his wife-to-be. Simone was more beautiful than anything he’d ever imagined.
A tropical breeze swayed the palm trees from side to side. Kevin inhaled the scent of the land and allowed it to relax him. As the winds began to settle, he found himself draped in a loving embrace.
Mesmerized by the perfect harmony, Kevin closed his eyes and inhaled the love floating through the air. He didn’t realize that someone or something was leading him down the aisle to his bride. Simone took two steps and stopped in her tracks to watch her groom come to escort her ever so gracefully. She loved Kevin and knew that he’d been heaven-sent. A special delivery in a tattered package. A package most would’ve merely pushed to the side. Yet, Simone blew the dust from the package and looked beyond the torn wrapping. And there, she found the man of her dreams. A man who knew how to love her mentally and physically. The loneliness that once haunted her had been filled beyond her imagination.
“You okay, baby?” he asked. He ran his long fingers down the smoothness of Simone’s face, stopping at her chin. Gently, he eased forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. They hadn’t been pronounced husband and wife, but as far as he was concerned, her lips belonged to him, and he didn’t need permission from anybody to salute her.
“Now I am,” she whispered.
“I love you so much, baby,” Kevin said as he took Simone’s hand into his own. “I’ve waited forever to do this. You ready to be my wife?”
“Of course, I am,” Simone said as they headed down the aisle, ready for the priest to officially declare them one before God’s tropical glory.
Halfway down the aisle, Kevin felt the loving warmth again. He glanced at his bride and noticed the puzzled expression on her face. Her eyes filled with tears as they darted from side to side as if she were looking for someone.
“It’s okay, baby,” Kevin whispered to her. “It’s your father.”
“Oh my God, Kevin. You feel him, too?” she whispered.
He smiled. “Yeah, so let’s hurry. We can’t hold him up. I’m sure God has other things for him to do.”
Epilogue
Beads of sweat formed along Simone’s forehead. Grasping for air, she fell back on the bed, thankful that the ordeal was over. Off to the side, Kevin stood in complete awe as the doctor wrapped a warm receiving blanket around their son.
“Who wants the little prince?”
Kevin chuckled nervously. “My wife can hold him first. I mean, she did all the work.”
“No, Kevin,” Simone responded, “you hold him first.”
Kevin stood there, lost and confused, his eyes darting between Simone and his son. He’d never held a newborn before.
“I don’t know how to hold a baby. Plus, he’s so tiny. I don’t….”
“Here, Mr. Kennard.” The doctor forced the cushioned glider from the corner with her foot. “Just sit here.”
Kevin lowered himself into the chair with uncertainty scribbled all over his face. Ignoring his uneasiness, the doctor placed the baby in his stiff arms.
“Now, just relax and cuddle him in your arms like a football. A football you cherish with all your heart. Let him feel your love and your strength. You’re his daddy.”
Squirming in Kevin’s arms, the baby’s eyes slowly blinked open.
“Ah,” the doctor said barely above a whisper. “Look at his little gray eyes.”
“Gray? Uh, oh,” Simone said through chattering teeth. “I meant to tell you about my fling with the cable guy.”
Kevin’s lips curled into a slight smile as he began to relax. Gently, he glided back and forth in the chair. “My eyes were gray when I was first born, too.”
“Mrs. Kennard, other than the apparent chills, how are you feeling?” the doctor asked. A faint cloud of powdery dust flew about the air as the doctor snatched off the latex gloves.
“I’m glad it’s over.” Simone shivered. “Now I just need something for these cramps and another blanket. Man, I’m freezing.”
“Not to worry,” she told her while patting Simone’s leg. “The chills are a common side effect. I’ll have one of the nurses bring you something for pain, and I’ll have them grab a nice warm blanket from the warmer,” she said as she headed to the door. “Other than that, you guys did great. Congratulations.”
Cradling the baby in his arms, Kevin eased from the rocking chair and planted himself along the edge of the bed, facing his wife.
“Thank you so much, baby.”
“Umm, Kevin, I think you helped a little.” Simone smiled.
“Hey, little man. Can you see your beautiful mommy?” Kevin cooed to his son. He held the baby up and pulled the receiving blanket back just a little. “Me and you are the two luckiest men in the world, do you know that?”
Simone shivered. “Man, I wish they’d hurry up. I’m freezing.”
“Baby, you want to hold him while I go check on the blanket? Or I can throw our coats over you.”
“Knock, knock,” a female’s voice interrupted as she strolled inside the room, pushing a bassinet across the floor. “Hi.” The nurse smiled. “I’m from the nursery. I’m here to take the baby.”
Confused, Kevin held the baby closer to his chest and looked down at Simone for confirmation.
“It’s okay, daddy,” Simone said through a yawn. “They have to clean him up, weigh him, count his toes, and all that other stuff.”
“But you didn’t get to look at him, hold him, or nothing.”
“We can go and get him once I’m in the room, right?” Simone asked, directing her question to the nurse.
“Oh, yeah,” the nurse replied as she reached for the baby, ignoring Kevin’s subtle resistance. “In a few hours, he’ll be all yours,” she said as she pried the baby from Kevin’s arms and laid him in the bassinet. “Can I see your bracelets, please? It’s for security purposes.” Kevin and Simone extended their arms. “Great,” she said, then snapped on the baby’s ankle bracelet. “Three Kennards. That’s what I need.”
“Can you do me a favor and see if someone’s bringing me something for these cramps? I feel like I’m still having contractions, and I’m freezing.”
Kevin frowned. “Is that really normal? You sure you okay?”
“Yeah, but I’ll be doing better when I’m completely outta labor.”
“I work in the nursery, but I’ll see what I can do. It’s been crazy busy today. Your son is the ninth baby born tonight.”
Kevin chuckled as he stood to reposition himself next to Simone. “I guess everybody was doing the booty nine months ago.”
The nurse chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Kevin’s lengthy body hung off the side of Simone’s bed as he snuggled up next to her, trying to keep her warm.
Glancing up at her husband, Simone asked, “So was your stomach in knots after watching all that?”
“Naw, not like I thought it would be. I was more amazed than anything. I mean, that was us, baby. We created a little life. Then, to watch him come into the world like that…Man, it was amazing.”
“You know you can go down and watch them examine him if you want.”
“I can?”
“Yeah. It might not be such a bad idea co
nsidering they’re so busy. We don’t wanna take a lil’ Korean baby home.”
“Yeah, but then who’s going to stay here with you? You still haven’t gotten your pain medicine and you’re shivering.”
“I’m a big girl, baby.”
“Not no more. You just lost ‘bout twelve pounds,” he joked as he peeled from the bed. “You sure you’re okay, though? I feel strange leaving you.”
The door crept open. Another nurse strolled inside the room toting two small Dixie cups in hand. “I guess you’ve been waiting for these.” She smiled. “I just got here, and one of the nurses asked me to bring these to you.”
“Thank the Lord. You got my drugs. Go ‘head, Kevin,” Simone said. “I’m really good now. I’ll probably be out cold by the time you get back. Plus, you need to call everybody.”
“Damn, baby. You right. Should I call them, though? It’s almost four in the morning.”
“Yeah, still call, but check on the baby first.”
“Yes, mommy, I will,” he said, heading toward the door. “Damn, where do I go?”
“You’re looking for the nursery?” the nurse asked.
“Yeah,” Kevin replied.
“Just go down the corridor and make a right. You can’t miss it,” she said as she set the two cups of pills on Simone’s bedside tray. “You’ll walk right into it.”
“Okay. That’s precious cargo right there. Take care of my queen.”
“Awww…” The nurse smiled as she poured Simone a cup of water from the pitcher on the tray. Resting the cup on the tray, she picked up the first cup of pills and said, “Here’s some codeine for the pain.” Picking up the next cup, she said, “And these two are for bleeding and gas.”
“Oh my gosh. My youngest daughter is twelve, but I remember the gas pains after having her like it was yesterday.”
“Your nurse was working on discharging a patient, so I’ll get you a warm blanket. Someone will be coming to take you to your room shortly. If your nurse doesn’t come back soon, then I’ll come back and check on you.”
“I didn’t know the hospital did discharges in the wee hours of the morning.”
“Not a lot, but it does happen.”
“Hmm,” Simone said with a simple nod.
“Can I get you anything else?”
“Uh, uh,” Simone mumbled as she swallowed the last pill. “Just the blanket and I’m good.”
“Okay. I’ll run and get that now.”
While the nurse ran off to grab the long-awaited blanket, Simone closed her eyes and eased further under the sheets.
“Excuse me?”
Simone’s eyes popped open. “Yes?” she replied, startled by the nurse’s presence.
“Are you Mrs. Kennard?” the nurse asked.
“Yes.”
When the nurse pulled a needle from the pocket of her lab jacket, Simone caught a glimpse of her plain clothes. All the other nurses wore scrubs.
“Who are you?”
She flashed the badge around her neck. “Oh, I’m a nurse. I’m getting ready to get off. I told them I would handle this before I left.”
“Well, I’m straight now, I guess. I just took some pain killers.”
“This is a little cocktail that’ll help fight off infections. It’ll help you relax, bitch.” She mumbled the insult under her breath as she poked the needle inside the intravenous tube, injecting the fluid.
“What did you call…”
● ● ●
Kevin followed the nurse’s instructions and headed towards the nursery. “Here it is.” He smiled and tapped lightly on the door glass.
“Hi, can I help you with something?” the elderly nurse asked.
“Yes, the nurse just brought my son down,” Kevin said as he tiptoed inside the room.
“Do you have a bracelet?”
Kevin extended his arm.
“Hmm…Kennard,” the nurse read more so to herself.
Kevin followed her eyes to the dry erase board on the wall and scrolled down the long list of names.
Jacobs, DeChavez, Ford, Lincoln, Hampton, Byrd, Brown…. Hmm, she probably hasn’t had a chance to write his name down, he thought to himself.
“Um…we don’t have a Kennard yet, sir.”
“They should be here by now. Maybe I’m in the wrong nursery.”
“Oh, your baby was premature?”
“Naw. Well, I mean, he wasn’t due for two more weeks, but…”
“No, so he was full-term. The other nursery is for our preemie babies.”
“Well, the nurse took him from us like fifteen minutes ago. He should be here by now,” Kevin said as he strolled through the rows of bassinets, scanning the name tags taped to each one.
“What’s the mother’s last name? Maybe he’s registered under her…”
“Miss,” Kevin sighed.
The nurse read Kevin’s uneasiness. “Sir, it’s possible that it’s under the mother’s name.”
“She’s my wife. Her last name is Kennard, too.”
“Well, who’s your doctor? I can page them to…”
“I don’t remember the doctor’s name. It’s whoever’s on call for Doctor Covington. And what do you need her for? The nurse came and got the baby.”
“Well, let me page the doctor anyway,” she said as she picked up the phone. “I’m sure everything’s okay. The nurse may have stopped for supplies or maybe she went back to your room. I’m sure they’ll be…”
“I’ll go check my room.”
Something wasn’t right. Why am I feeling like this? thought as he pushed through the nursery doors and headed back to Simone’s room. His walk turned anxious. Okay, calm down, Kevin. Calm down. You trippin’ for nothing.
Before he crossed the threshold of Simone’s room, Kevin said, “Hey, baby, did the nurse…” His eyes fell upon his wife, who was out cold with her head cocked to the side in a way he’d never seen. No, something wasn’t right. He hurried to her bedside and grabbed her cold, limp hand.
“What the fuck,” he mumbled. “SIMONE!”
He scooped her up in his arms and patted her face lightly with his hand, but she was unresponsive. “Oh my God, baby.” He checked her pulse only to find a faint throbbing.
Kevin laid Simone back in the bed and frantically pressed the call button over and over again. He ran to the door, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“Hey!” he yelled down the corridor. “I need a doctor in here! I need a doctor now!”
Hearing his frantic pleas, the nurse rushed from the patient’s room next door.
“What’s wrong?”
Kevin recognized her immediately. She’d given Simone the pain pills. Without a second thought, he snatched her from the rubbery soles of her feet and pressed her into the wall of Simone’s room.
“What the fuck did you give my wife?” he yelled as he wrapped his hands around her neck. “What did you give her?”
The nurse clawed at Kevin’s hands while gagging. “You’re choking me!”
“Bitch, I’ma do more than fuckin’ choke you,” Kevin threatened as he tightened his grip. “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU GIVE MY WIFE?”
“Pain killers,” she struggled. “Her nurse asked me to bring them to her.”
Kevin loosened his grip and allowed the nurse to fall to her knees as two nurses hurried into the room. Seeing the chaotic scene, one yelled into the hallway, “Call security,” before rushing to the aid of her co-worker.
“Oh my God!” the other cried as she stood at Simone’s bedside. “Code Blue! She’s going into cardiac arrest!”
Book Club Discussion Questions
Parent/child relationships are critical. Discuss the relationships the characters had with their parents and the impact, positive or negative, that they had on their life.
If you were Simone, could you forgive your mother?
Simone’s feelings for Kevin re-emerge during a point in his life when he has nothing to offer her other than his heart. Could you love someone who had n
othing but love to offer you?
Why is Two Tears in a Bucketa hip-hop novel? What makes it hip-hop: its themes or issues raised, characters, scenes, language?
Why are good girls attracted to bad boys? Why do men let good women slip through their fingers? Women, discuss a love or interest you may have had with a bad boy and the outcome. Men, discuss the wifey material you let slip through your fingers.
Do the characters seem real and believable? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?
About the Author
Traci Bee is an author and the CEO of King George Publishing, LLC, named in honor of her angel, her father George. A native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, Traci Bee enjoys creating soulful works of fiction, karaoke, and entertaining family and friends. She’s currently putting the finishing touches on two novels scheduled for release in 2011. To learn more about Traci, visit her at www.tracibee.com. If you enjoyed “Two Tears in a Bucket” please leave a review on Amazon.com.