“Oh stop being a pussy and drive us to the hospital,” she snapped.
“Will you two shut up!” I bellowed. “Aahhh! This sucks.” I grabbed my belly and felt it tighten up, and I knew that this was it. I was going to have my boy today. Tayla walked me outside to wait for Aaron and the car. She handed him my bag to put in the trunk, and he threw it in and ran to the driver’s side, slamming the door and pulling out of the driveway with a screech.
“Aaron!” Tayla called after the car. “This fool has lost his mind. Hold on Lan.” She grabbed her phone and I heard her scream, “Did you forget someone?” We watched as the car reversed up the driveway to where we were standing. He got out to open the back door for us.
“Sorry,” he said with his head down.
We arrived at the hospital in one piece, and I was so happy to be out of the car. Aaron and Tayla had bickered the whole way there. You would think they were going to have the baby. We were greeted at the labor and delivery entrance with a wheelchair and taken up to the maternity ward.
“Miss Steele?” a nurse greeted me at the reception desk. “Dr. Johnson told us you were on your way. We have a private room for you, and we’ll get the paperwork needed to get you registered in case you’re really in labor. Guessing by the way your husband is acting you just might be.”
Tayla stepped up to the desk. “That fool is not her husband. He is the brother of the soon-to-be husband, who’s out of town but is on his way back, hopefully in time.” The nurses were laughing at Aaron, who now by this time was bouncing his knee up and down so much it was shaking the water machine next to him.
“Well, then, hopefully he’s not the one who will be next to you while you’re waiting for your husband,” the nurse said, giggling and shaking her head.
I got changed into an ugly print hospital gown and settled in my room. Tayla and Aaron came in and sat in the chairs next to me while the nurses hooked me up to the machines to monitor the baby.
“How long do you think it will take Zaine to get here, Aaron?”
He looked like he didn’t want to answer my question. “It takes about eight hours to get here, Lan”
“Oh my God, he’s going to miss this. He is going to miss me having the baby!” As the realization sunk in, I felt a sort of desperation.
“Landrey, calm down, it could take hours--even days--to have a baby,” Tayla said. She was trying to make me feel better, but that didn’t help.
“Days? I don’t want to feel like this for days. Ahhhh! This really hurts! I need drugs. Someone get me some drugs,” I yelled. The doctor walked in during my rant and kind of calmed the situation a bit.
“Landrey, I trust you are in some pain? Let’s see what’s going on and whether you’re progressing,” he said. “I can see that the contractions are steady and it looks like we’re going to have a baby today.” The doctor started to go to the end of the bed so he could check and see how far I was dilated.
“I am out,” Aaron said, and walked into the hallway.
“Okay now, Landrey, you’re going to feel a little pressure.” Doctor Johnson started checking my cervix. “You’re about four to five centimeters dilated and 90 percent effaced. Looks like we’ll see this big boy soon.”
Tayla stepped forward, “How soon, doc? We have a daddy on his way back from London who needs to be here.”
“I can’t control how long labor lasts, my dear. All I can do is make sure Landrey and the baby are doing well.” Doctor Johnson walked over to me and squeezed my hand. “Is there anything I can get you, Landrey?”
I grabbed him by the lapels of his lab coat. “The pain. Take it away, please,” I said, talking through another contraction.
“Okay, I’ll have the anesthesiologist put in an epidural, but I would like to break your water before then. I’ll be back in a moment.” Doctor Johnson walked into the hallway and talked to the nurse on duty.
“See, he’s going to get you some pain meds,” Tayla said, rubbing my back.
“Any word on Zaine?” I asked. “Is he almost here? I need him.” I was ready to break. I just wanted him to be here for the birth of our son.
“I’ll go see if Aaron can get a hold of him. Is there anyone else you want me to call?”
“My mom and Shay.” Tayla left me alone in the room. I laid back on the bed and tried to relax before the doctor came back in to break my water. I just needed to breathe and stay positive.
The doctor broke my water, which made labor more intense, but I received my epidural and I was so relieved. I just wanted to fall asleep until Zaine arrived. Before I drifted off Aaron spoke with Max, and they were only about two hours away. It hadn’t seemed like I was at the hospital that long, but I couldn’t wait to get this over with. I drifted off into a comfortable sleep with Tayla at my side.
I woke up to a loud beeping from the monitor next to the bed, and a team of nurses ran into the room.
“What’s going on?” I heard Tayla yelling.
“Landrey, the baby is in distress. The heart rate is dropping. I want you to try and stay calm and do as I tell you,” a nurse told me. I was scared and trying not to cry as I waited for instructions. She told me to roll onto my hands and knees to see if the change of position helped, but the heart rate was dropping slowly and not getting better.
“What’s going on? Somebody please tell me what is happening,” I cried. I got no response. Dr. Johnson came running into the room.
“Landrey, we’re going to have to do a C-section. The baby’s heart rate is still dropping and we need to get him out as soon as possible. We’re going to get you prepped for surgery.” I screamed for Tayla and I couldn’t stop crying. The nurses assured me that everything was going to be okay, but I didn’t believe them.
“Zaine,” I gasped. “Is he close? I need him. Please get him here.” Tayla embraced me and rubbed my hair back from my face.
“I’m here for you until he gets here. Aaron’s gotten in touch with everyone. I’ll be right here, Lan. I promise. I know I’m not Zaine, but I think you love me a little right?” she asked, trying to calm me. Tayla always knew how to make me feel a little better.
“Yes, I love you, but I wish he was here with me.”
“I know. I know you do. He’s trying his best, I promise. Okay?”
They wheeled a gurney into the room and moved me onto the table to be taken to the operating room. They gave Tayla some scrubs to put over her clothes and wheeled me into the operating room, instructing her to stay outside while they got everything ready. I was cold and my teeth were chattering, either because of the temperature or because I was nervous. Everyone was taking their place to help the doctor, but I was still alone. “Excuse me,” I said to one of the nurses. “Where is my friend? She’s supposed to be in here with me.”
“They’ll be in soon, don’t you worry. Just stay calm.”
Moments later I felt a hand touch my shoulder and send a charge through me. I knew that touch, the warmth of that hand. “You waited for me,” he said, and looking up, there was my reason for breathing, my everything.
“Zaine?”
“Yeah, babe. It’s me. I’m here.” Leaning down he gave me a tender kiss.
“There’s something wrong with the baby, Zaine.”
He placed his finger against my lips and gave me a stern look. “He’s going to be okay, Lan. I will make sure. You just relax.” He grabbed my hand and sat on a little chair next to my head.
“Okay, Landrey, you’re going to feel some pressure,” The doctor said as he proceeded with the Cesarean. I could feel Zaine rubbing his thumb against my cheek and heard the sounds of the monitors. Then I heard the sweetest sound I ever could hear: The sound of my son, our son crying. He sounded healthy but not very happy.
“You hear that, babe? He’s all right,” Zaine said, wiping a tear from my face and kissing me on the lips. I saw tears fall from his eyes too, and he sat back down in the chair behind me and laid his head on mine, letting out a gentle sob. “God I love you.
I don’t think you’ll ever realize how much. There are no words for such a large amount of love, Landrey.”
“Wow, you guys have one big boy,” I heard the nurse say. Our not so little man weighed in at 11 pounds, five ounces.
“You have any names yet?” another nurse asked. We smiled at each other. We had kept the baby’s name a secret because we wanted it to be special for our parents.
“We do,” I said. “His name is Finn Jamison Brooks.” Finn was Zaine’s grandfather and Jamison was mine. They had both passed when we were little but were very important to our families growing up. We wanted to honor them and there was no better way than this.
The nurses brought the baby over to Zaine while Dr. Johnson stitched me back up. Zaine held our baby so I could see him, and I giggled at the size of my boy. He looked just like his daddy and had a head full of wavy, dark hair and beautiful blue eyes.
Dr. Johnson looked the baby over in Zaine’s arms. “The cord was wrapped around the little guy’s neck, but he’s just fine now. I see no reason to keep him in the ICU, but we’re going to take a closer look at him just to be safe. The nurse will bring him to you soon as you’re settled back in your room.” Zaine lowered the baby so I could kiss his head and the nurse took him to get examined.
“Well daddy, I think there are two nervous individuals waiting to know what’s going on. You wanna go tell them the news?” I said, wiping the tears from my face.
“Actually there are more than two people waiting to hear what’s going on,” Zaine said mysteriously.
“What do you mean?” I looked at Zaine in wonderment.
“Ryan came with me, and your mother is here along with Shay. My mother is on her way,” he informed me. I was so happy that our family and friends were here to meet the newest member of our crazy clan.
“How did everyone get here so fast?”
“Aaron called your mom and Shay, and they grabbed the first flight they could find. My mother took their private plane. I got here while Tayla was changing into her scrubs and she told me what was going on.” He paused for a while, and looked down at me gently. “I don’t think you realize the support system we have, babe. We are so lucky to have all of them in our lives, even though I was told to never again leave Aaron in charge if we ever have another baby.”
“Yeah, you’d better not go anywhere if this happens again, Mr. Brooks.” He leaned down to kiss me.
“If? Lan, this will be happening again. I promise you that--maybe sooner than you think. We’ll be back in production very soon,” he said, lifting his eyebrows up and down.
“Can we get married first, please?” I asked. Zaine chuckled and walked with me while the nurse wheeled me to my room. On the way our entourage met us in the hallway and we were bombarded with questions about the baby. The nurse asked them to give us a minute while they got me comfortable and assured them all that they could come into my room. After I was settled everyone rushed in while Zaine walked to the nursery to get little Finn.
“Landrey, dear, I am so proud of you. I see you managed to take care of Aaron too, while you were in labor,” Diane said, looking at Aaron.
“Actually, Diane, Aaron did very well. I’m glad he was with me.” I winked at him and he smiled back at me.
“When are we going to see the monster? I wanna hold him,” Shay said.
“Excuse me! I get to hold him first. I was the one who held Lan’s hand while she was screaming in pain,” Tayla said, crossing her arms.
“Not before I do,” my mother rebutted.
Zaine came in with the nurse following with a bassinet as this exchange was going on. The nurse spoke up. “I think the person who deserves to hold this little man is his mother. She hasn’t had the chance yet.” She handed me my boy and I could not do anything but look at him. He was what I had always wanted, and I had him with the one person that I loved from the moment we met. He was a part of both of us and I had never felt more complete.
###
Everyone decided to go and get something to eat. I was so tired I just wanted to sleep. My legs were still numb from the epidural but it was starting to wear off, and I was feeling a little pain from the surgery. I was stuck in the bed unless someone helped me. The nurse put the call button next to my hand and told me to ring if I needed anything. Zaine went back to the house to get changed, but assured me that he would be back shortly. The baby was in the nursery still going through some of the tests he needed before they discharged us, so I had a chance to rest.
I felt unsettled in my sleep. There was an uneasy feeling I could not shake. I suddenly opened my eyes and standing next to my bed was Stacy.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. She said nothing, just stared. It was odd enough that she was here, but odder still that she wouldn’t speak. It was creepy. I snapped my fingers in front of her face.
“Hello …. Stacy, are you going to answer me? What are you doing here?” She stepped closer to the bed and I could see a look of determination mixed with anguish in her eyes.
“You know, you whore, it should be me lying in this bed. That baby they have in the nursery should be mine. He looks just like his father.” Clearly Stacy was here to prove a point to me. What it was I didn’t know.
“Stacy, look. I’m sorry that things didn’t work out between you and Zaine, but what are you talking about? That baby is my baby and I am not a whore. Who do you think you are ?” If I could have gotten up I would be on top of her beating her head into the ground for talking to me like she was. But I had to be careful. She was acting strange and I didn’t trust her.
“Everything was fine until you showed up, Landrey. He was mine, we were happy. You just couldn’t stay away could you? He would have been with me.” She looked like a deranged sociopath. The closer she got to the bed the farther I wanted to be from her, but I couldn’t move.
She leaned over me and whispered in my ear. “Did you like the strawberries, Landrey? You stupid whore.”
“You were the one who left the strawberries? You were the one who was messing with me this whole time? It wasn’t Ryland?” I was shocked. How could she have gotten away with it?
She started to laugh. “I still had the keys and knew the code to get in. I had you guys fooled huh? That sorry excuse for a man just happened to show up at the right time to take the fall. I’ll have to go visit him in prison to thank him.”
“What is wrong with you?” I asked, more alarmed than ever. “Zaine doesn’t want to be with you, you crazy bitch. He’s with me now and we have a family. You had your chance, Stacy. Get over it.” I started pressing the call button frantically, hoping someone would come in. Nothing happened.
Her voice grew louder and louder the more she talked to me. “I really don’t care about you! You’re nothing but a whore. You took him away from me and I’m here to get him back. But I’ll tell you what I’m most interested in. I’m interested in how happy I’m going to be with your family when you’re gone. And you know the best thing, Landrey?, That little boy is so young, he won’t realize I’m not his real mother. Zaine will need my help. Being a single dad is tough.”
I really wanted to hurt this bitch, but I had to think. I had to keep her talking while I devised a plan. “How do you think that’s going to happen, Stacy? What are you going to do to me?” Stacy reached in her pocket and pulled out a syringe.
“Remember that text I sent you? I didn’t give you the right amount in those strawberries.” This woman had lost her mind and I was her target at the moment. She wanted to kill me. She shouted in my face. “Do you remember?”
I appeased her. “Yes, I remember you sick fuck.”
“Good, because I have the right amount now and all I have to do is put it into this part of your I.V. Poof! No more home-wrecking Landrey.”
“Why wouldn’t you do it while I was sleeping? You think you’re going to get away with it while I’m awake?”
“I have my ways of doing things. This time I wanted you to know who was hurting you, and
what better time to do it when no one is here to save you?”
“Try me, you bitch!” I said with anger.
Stacy lunged at me and I hit the call button again, harder this time. “Don’t try and use the call button, honey. I cut the cord,” she sneered. She was gripping the hand that has the I.V in it, trying to make me stop struggling. The only thing I could do was to pull it out of my arm. I knew it would hurt but I had to fight. I yanked on the tube and screamed when I ripped it out of my arm.
“You stupid bitch! You got blood all over me’” she screamed, then looked around and regrouped. “I don’t have to do it that way. All I have to do is stab you with it,” Stacy said, as if it were a normal routine for her to be injecting people.
“You keep on saying that, but yet you never do it. What’s the matter? You afraid you’re going to get caught?” I was in so much pain but my adrenalin was kicking in. I pushed Stacy backwards and she grabbed on to me to steady herself. We both fell off the bed on to the floor.
I was on my back and she was trying to stab the syringe in any part of me she could reach, but I had a grip on her wrists and was trying to knock the needle out of her hand. I could finally feel my legs almost fully, so I managed to push her on to her back. I slammed her hand against the floor and she lost grip of the needle. I scrambled to get it, reached and came up short. I was so close! I crawled toward it but she got to me first, turned me over and slammed me on my back. The she leaned forward and grabbed the syringe off the floor.
“I’ve got you now bitch. I know you can’t move your legs.”
I bared my teeth and said, “Maybe I can’t move my legs that well, but I can move my hands.” Stacy looked confused, as if she was trying to figure out what I meant. I took advantage of the distraction and punched her in the face as hard as I could, and sent her reeling backwards. The syringe flew through the air and landed on the other side of the room.
Just then the door opened and a nurse walked in “Oh my goodness! What is going on here?” she yelled. Stacy started to get up but the nurse grabbed her. “Call security!” she screamed. Stacy pushed her back and started running for the door just as Zaine walked in. He stopped her in her tracks.
Forever Waiting Page 17