by M.J. Kane
“Excuse me, are you Antonio?”
My eyes opened to a black man dressed in what appeared to be corporate work clothes. “Yeah.”
He extended his hand. “Hi, I’m a friend of Kaitlyn’s.” My expression must have changed dramatically because he chuckled. “My name is Zack…Yasmine is my wife.”
“Oh, hey.” I accepted the handshake.
“Do you mind if I sit?” He gestured to the empty seat beside me.
“It’s a free country.”
It didn’t surprise me one of her friends came to question me. Kaitlyn’s friends cared about her. Though I found her home alone, no one other than Tiffany knew me.
Besides, it wasn’t like we were involved in a relationship where Kaitlyn would tell her friends about me.
I glanced down the hall; the women stared in our direction. “So either you pulled the short straw or didn’t have a choice.” I nodded in their direction.
“What?” Zack followed my line of sight, then chuckled. “No choice.”
“It figures. Your wife stared me down. I can’t blame her though. Kaity told me how close they all are…like family.”
Zack nodded. “Those three have a bond tighter than sisters. I don’t come between them. Yasmine is a force all her own. Add Ebony and Kaitlyn…they’d probably tear your balls off.”
A chuckle escaped for the first time in what felt like forever. “Really? Is your wife really that demanding?”
Zack shook his head, his attention back on the gray-eyed woman. “No, Yasmine’s bark is worse than her bite, unless you end up on her bad side.”
One look at this Zack guy and it was obvious he loved his wife. He also wouldn’t be playing any games with me, especially since she was pregnant.
“I’ll take that under advisement. How far along is she?”
Zack’s gaze went down the hall again. “Six months. We’re having twins.” The happiness on his face was quickly replaced with fear.
“This can’t be easy on either of you right now.”
“No, it’s not. I worry about Yasmine every day. Don’t get me wrong, the twins are top priority, but my wife, I can’t do without. I’ve been there and it cost me. Now that we’re back together, I will do anything to keep from losing her again.” He peered off into the distance. “I’ve lost too many people I care about already.”
“I feel your pain, man.”
He looked down at his hands. “I lost my mother in this very hospital less than a year ago.”
Talk about having something in common. “So did I, fourteen years ago, when my sisters were born.”
“Sisters?”
“Twins.” I winced, massaged my brow. “Sorry, man. It’s a long story, but seeing how young and active your wife appears to be, she’s in a better position than my mother. She was over forty and had other health problems.” He settled, but I could tell he wasn’t completely convinced. Time to change the subject for both of us. “So, what do you want to know?”
Zack found his focus. “How do you know Kaitlyn?”
“We met a few months ago when she brought her car to my uncle’s shop for repairs. She also lives across the hall from my grandmother. I guess our paths have crossed a lot.”
Zachariah’s brow was knitted when I looked up. “What’s the name of the shop?”
“Alvarez and Sons.”
He snapped his fingers. “That’s why I recognize you. I took my car there a few months ago after she recommended the place.”
“Really? I’ll have to thank her when…” I ran a hand over my face, forced my thoughts to stay positive.
Zack surveyed me in my peripheral. “You really care about Kaitlyn, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Even though the baby she’s having isn’t yours?” He gave me a sidelong glance.
If I acted on my feelings for Kaitlyn at this very moment, my feelings about her child would be just as important. I looked Zack in the eye. “Yes.”
He studied me, man-to-man. I didn’t blink. After a few moments of silence, he nodded, then looked away.
“Do you know him? The father?”
Zack leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’m not sure how much I should or could tell you.”
I inclined my head. “I understand.”
“You guys haven’t talked about him?”
“Somewhat. I know the basics. She left him because he didn’t want the baby. It seems there’s something she’s not telling me, but I’m not going to push it. She’ll let me know when she’s ready.”
“You know about as much as I do. He seems decent enough, but you never know what switch will flip when responsibility comes knocking on the door. Some guys embrace it,” He peered at me out the side of his eye. “Others run.”
“Point taken. Does the idea of twins scare you?”
“Hell yes, I’m scared.” He laughed. “But it’s what I asked for. We want a family. Now I’m about to have a son and a daughter. But you have no ties to Kaitlyn or the baby with the exception of caring for her.” Zack angled his head as if reading my body language. “Once this is over, how long do you plan to hang around?”
Frank, honest, and to the point. I liked this guy.
“Until she tells me to go, and even then it’s going to be a fight.”
His eyebrows rose. “Oh, so you guys are in a relationship?”
“No, right now we’re just friends, but…if she’ll have me…”
“Oh man,” Zack sat back, chuckled. “You really do care for her. Wow.” He shook his head. “Let me give you a piece of advice then.”
I ignored the irritation caused by his comment and listened. Any advice he could share when it came to the woman I was falling for would be priceless.
“Kaitlyn has been through a lot, relationship-wise. This guy broke her heart when he forced her to walk away. Right now, she’s hell bent on taking care of herself and her child. How much the father is going to be in it, well, that remains to be seen. If you really want to be with her, just know, you’ll be taking on a lot more baggage than just the baby. Kaitlyn is a very emotional woman. Don’t promise anything you’re not willing to give.”
I was about to reply when a tap on my shoulder disrupted the conversation.
“Excuse me, sir?” It was Kaitlyn’s doctor. “Your wife is in recovery and the baby is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.”
I jumped up from my seat; Zack followed. Your wife. There was no need to correct her. The important part was Kaitlyn lived, and so did the baby.
“What happened?”
“Ms. Rodgers experienced near organ failure. We were able to get her into surgery, sedated, and the cesarean done in enough time to save them both. The baby had some issues breathing on its own and has been placed on a ventilator. ”
My hands shook. “When can I see her?”
“Your wife or your daughter?” she smiled.
I swayed and Zack caught me. Kaitlyn had a daughter, exactly what she wanted.
“Both,” I managed.
“Your wife will be out of it for a few more hours due to the heavy medication. Plus we need to keep an eye on her for the next few days and make sure her organs are functioning normally. She’ll be moved from Recovery to ICU in a few hours. A majority of the issues were due to the preeclampsia. Since she didn’t have a history of high blood pressure before the pregnancy, it’s safe to say the fastest and easiest cure was having the baby. Her pressure is slowly returning to normal, but she needs to rest. I’ll inform you when she’s moved so you can sit with her.
“Your daughter,” she grinned again, “is on oxygen, but should be off in a few hours. She came out a little blue because of the issues during the fetal distress, when oxygen stopped being pumped into the womb. She was also affected by the sedative and it took a little bit more to get her stimulated, but I have to say, she’s got a set of lungs on her. Doctor Santini did an amazing job with the deli
very. She’ll be under observation for a few days, but other than that, you can see her now.”
“Please, take me to her.”
Chapter 21
Attempts to open my eyes failed, so did moving my hand. I focused on wiggling my toes.
Nothing. Even worse, I could barely feel them, much less anything else below the waist.
My tongue felt thick, stuck to the roof of my mouth.
Where am I? What was wrong with me?
Faint voices mixed with the steady rhythm of a beep, beep, beep filled my ears. The whine of a machine and sudden squeeze of my bicep startled me. Blood pressure cuff.
The hospital…now I remembered
The majority of my day was spent lying in bed with a headache worse than anything ever experienced. Somehow, Antonio got into my apartment and brought me to the hospital. My doctor said my pressure was dangerously high. I was on bed rest until giving birth. Ebony, Yasmine, and Tiffany came and fussed over me.
Antonio…he was the last clear image in my mind. He talked to me, called my name because…
Fear came in full force. As hard as it was to move my IV riddled hand, I found my stomach. The baby bump had disappeared.
Where was my baby?
Unable to move parched lips, I moaned, forcing my eyes to open as much as possible. A bright light from overhead forced me to squint.
“Kaity, I’m here, it’s okay.” Antonio’s voice came from the right side of the bed. “Tiffany, she’s waking up!”
I turned my head in the direction of his voice. “My…baby...,” Tears leaked from my eyes.
Antonio dabbed my face with what felt like tissue. “It’s okay, I’ll tell you what’s going on, but first you need to calm down. You’ve been through enough already.” His attention went to the equipment beside my bed. “Your pressure is still high. The good news is it’s improved a lot since you gave birth.” He moved to the opposite side of the bed where he uncapped a bottle of water.
“Oh my God, Kaity, I thought we were goin’ to lose you!” Tiffany lay across my chest, trying her best to hug me.
Too parched to argue, I accepted Antonio’s assistance when he reached behind my head, guiding me to the cup he held to my mouth. Ice cold water flowed over my tongue and down my throat; I choked.
“Slow down,” Antonio removed the cup while Tiffany wiped water from my chin.
“Where …where is my baby?” My vision fuzzy, I tried my best to read the expression on their faces.
“She’s fine and in the NIC Ward,” Tiffany paused. “She’s gonna be okay. The pediatrician put her on oxygen because she had a hard time breathin’ on her own. The doctor said she would be fine in a day or two.”
I could feel my eyes go wide. “A girl?”
“Yes!” they said in unison.
Antonio smiled. “Kaity, she’s beautiful.” He set the cup of water down, then pulled his cell phone from his pocket. After pressing a few buttons, he held it up for me. “Four pounds, eight ounces.”
“My niece is perfect!” Tiffany beamed.
I blinked rapidly, forcing my faulty eyes to focus on the image. My daughter lay in a see-through incubator, naked except for a tiny diaper. Her fists were covered with miniature gloves, a series of tiny sensors were attached to her body. A thin plastic tube ran from her nose, obviously the oxygen feed. She faced the camera, eyes wide as if searching for me.
Tears filled my eyes. “I want my baby.”
My daughter was born while I was unconscious, unable to welcome her into the world. This was a bad sign. I would not be a good mother.
Antonio wiped my tears. “I know, but I promise, she’s okay. We’ve made sure of it. Neither of us has left your side since they brought you out of recovery except to take turns checking on her once an hour.”
“Once an hour? How long have I been asleep?”
Antonio and Tiffany glanced at one another.
“You were in recovery for a while before being moved to ICU. With your blood pressure still high, and organ failure, they’re keepin’ a close eye on you,” Tiffany said.
“You’ve been out of it for over twenty-four hours,” Antonio added.
“What?” It was a struggle to understand what they were telling me. While my health was important, it did not detract from my fear. My daughter needed me. Precious hours had passed since she entered the world and I already had lost time to make up for. “Antonio, please, I need to see her.”
His eyes softened as he ran a hand over my head. “I know. I’ll let the nurses know you’re awake. You need to be taken care of first. The doctor will probably run more tests to make sure you don’t have a relapse. Besides,” his smile was faint. “You don’t want your daughter’s first memory of you to be fly away hair and tear stained cheeks.” He knew he appealed to my vanity.
Beside him, Tiffany laughed.
“I’ll go check on the baby and tell them you’re ready to see her.” He headed for the door, paused. “By the way, I hope you’ve got a name picked out so everyone can stop saying ‘Baby Rodgers.’” He chuckled. “They finally figured out I wasn’t her father.”
She had a name, but it would not be uttered until her tiny ears were close enough to hear.
****
“What’s takin’ so long?”
After my doctor checked on me and said my vitals were improving, I’d been allowed a sponge bath and now wore pajamas brought from home instead of hospital scrubs. I would still be under strict observation for a few more days, but I didn’t care.
“They were about to give her a bath before the pediatrician came in to do her rounds. Doctor Santini is very thorough, I checked.”
I glared at Antonio who sat in a chair across the room, watching TV. He was acquainted with my daughter’s pediatrician. This would be remedied quickly. My well-meaning friends would not start taking over the care of─
“Where are Ebony and Yasmine?” I angled my head to Tiffany who brushed my hair. Between my need to see my daughter and Antonio and Tiffany’s attentiveness, I didn’t realize my best friends were not around.
“Home in bed. They stayed until you came out of recovery, and have called every couple of hours to check in. Yasmine’s husband had to force her to go home and get some rest. I called them while you were takin’ a bath and told them you were awake. Yasmine will be here as soon as visitin’ hours start. Ebony is callin’ in to work, then she’ll be in,” Tiffany informed me.
“What time is it?”
Antonio consulted his phone. “Four A.M.”
Four o’clock in the morning, and I had been unconscious for an entire day.
“When you’re up to it, I’ll call momma and daddy so they can hear your voice.” Tiffany said.
I looked over at my sister, surprise on my face.
“You didn’t think I wouldn’t call them did you? Especially after the scare you gave us? I waited until we knew you were alright first. Bailey and Justin sent their love and they all went in on the roses and balloons over there. It was a special delivery.”
For the first time, I noticed the table in the corner. Several dozens of flowers had collected while I’d been unconscious.
Tiffany stopped brushing my hair and walked over to the table. She held up the gift from my family.
“Momma…and Daddy?” It had been months since the last time I spoke to my mother over the phone, and my father…well, that was a completely different story.
“Yep. They were ready to jump in the car and drive over from Texas when I told them what happened. I made them stay home because I figured the shock of seein’ them both here might make matters worse. I promised we’d both call.” She cocked her head to the side. “I swear, Daddy really surprised me. He tried to hide how worried he was, but it was in his voice. I guess he cares about us more than we think.”
I fought back tears that threatened to spill and instead, cleared my throat.
“This basket full of goodies came
from Yasmine and Zack, Ebony and Brian, and me.” She picked up this humongous gift basket and brought it over for my inspection.
Inside of the cellophane was a collection of baby bottles, rattles, stuffed animals, pacifiers, and bibs….all in pink.
“Oh that is beautiful. I can’t believe you guys bought more stuff. The baby shower was enough. Thank you.” I wiped at an escaped tear.
“Hey, you can never have enough baby stuff!” Tiffany laughed.
Antonio walked over to my side of the bed. “I didn’t get you flowers because there wasn’t any more room left on the table. So, I got you this instead.” He handed me a card.
I pulled it out of the sleeve and found a beautiful picture of a newborn baby lying on its stomach, naked. A simple printed message said, ‘Congratulations.” Beneath it in Antonio’s writing it said:
Kaity,
You are the most beautiful woman I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. You have given me something to look forward to every time I see you. Now looking at your daughter, you’ve blessed me with even more beauty. Congratulations, and know I am here for both of you whenever you need me.
Antonio
My eyes were wide when I looked up at him. To my surprise, he seemed nervous. “Antonio, I don’t know what to say…”
“I meant every word of it.” His nervousness seemed to morph to confidence when our eyes met.
For a moment I could swear something between us had begun.
A knock on the door drew everyone’s attention.
“Okay, Momma, I’ve got someone who’s anxious to meet you.” The nurse who wheeled in the bassinet had a sweet voice full of enthusiasm. I smiled my thanks and trained my attention to the white blanketed bundle. Tears flooded my eyes.
“Alright,” she pulled a hand held scanner, then reached for my wrist. “I need to confirm your ID tag matches hers.” She scanned my arm band, checked the screen, then repeated the process with the band on my daughter’s leg. “Everything’s good.” She set the scanner down and lifted my daughter out of the bassinet.
My hands were in the air, fingertips wiggling in anticipation of feeling the weight of the life I’d carried within me. “Oh my God…” I cradled my newborn daughter in the crook of my arm and cried.