A Love Like This (Book 1) (63 page)

“Her name’s Jordan,” He says.
 
“Jordan Fields.
 
She’s been my housekeeper for about a year.
 
My mom probably called her to help out with the party.”

“You mean a woman you use to date cleans your house and you don’t find that odd?”
 

“She’s taken a few of my classes and we went out for coffee once.
 
We never really dated,” He says.
 
 
He looks at me confused for a minute before he makes the connection.
 
We both
 
turn to
 
look around the room but Jordan is nowhere to be found.
 
We separate
 
and make our way through the crowd.
 
I turn and nearly jump out of my skin when I hear a scream and a plate hit the ground.
 
I rush in the direction of the chaos.
 
I push my way to the middle
 
of the crowd that gathered and
 
there’s
 
Nickie
 
standing in a puddle of fluid.
 
“Her water broke,” Sarah whispers to me calmly.
 

“Her water broke,” I yell franticly.
 
Mike, Tucker and my dad rush over and help
 
Nickie
 
off the floor.
 
Keisha get’s her bag and we all weave through the sea of cars.
 
We pile in and set off for the hospital.

Chapter 34

The hospital is quite
 
a site.
 
 
There are about twenty people in the lobby all dressed in their Sunday best.
 
My mother and father got all of the insurance papers filled out.
 
Keisha went to get the kids settled at the hotel, Joan and Grandma Bes stayed behind to get the house cleaned up.
 
 
Nickie
 
started chanting the word epidural the minute the first contraction hit.
 
She threatened to find a needle and do it herself if they didn’t put a rush on
 
it.
 
The doctor gave her some sort of narcotic to take the edge off while she waited for her epidural.
 
 
Right now she’s pretty loopy.
 
She’s confessing everything as if she’s just been given her last rights.

“Damian called me,” She says swiping hair away from her forehead.

“Really,” I say lifting her head to give her a spoon full of ice chips.

“I knew he was gay.
 
He wore
 
concealer,” She says sleepily. “You know who’s not gay,” she says louder than necessary.
 
“Mike,” She says answering her own question.
 
“Yep
 
we have tons of sex which isn’t
 
easy with my giant belly,” She says laughing.
 
“I think he feels bad because that girl Samantha aborted his baby.
 
I really love him.
 
It’s too bad I have to leave him when I go to New York for school.”

“Nickie
 
what are you talking about.”

“Oh God this is happening,” She yells out in pain.
 
“I can’t do this the medicine isn’t working anymore.”
 
I push the button for the doctor.
 
She rushes over and checks
 
Nickie’s
 
cervix.
 

“You are fully dilated,” She says patting
 
Nickie’s
 
leg.
 
“There’s no time for the epidural.”

****

Nickie
 
is in active labor for less than an hour.
 
She names
 
the green eyed,
 
8 pound 2 ounce,
 
pink baby girl
 
Genesis
 
Reign Peterson.
 
I think she might have still been a little high when she came up with the name.
 
Everyone is taking turns going in to see the baby.
 
I’m sitting in the lobby trying to process everything
 
Nickie
 
told me.

“Leila,” Mike says.
 
“You alright, I called your name three times.”

“Nickie
 
told me about Samantha,” I blurt out without thinking.
 
“She was stoned from the medication
 
and she told me that Samantha was pregnant with your baby.”
 
He places a hand on top of his head.
 
“You have to tell Tucker,” I say.
 
“He’s your best friend.
 
He deserves to know.”
 
Mike stares at me
 
blankly and shakes his head.

“I’m sorry man,” He says to Tucker.
 
I spin around and Tucker is standing a few feet away from me.
 
The hurt in his eyes is more than I can take.
 
I start balling uncontrollably as if I just found out my best friend betrayed me.
 
Tucker wrapped his arms around me and kisses the top of my head.
 

“While I was holding the baby,
 
Nickie
 
asked if you could stay here with her tonight,” He says dryly.
 
“I’ll go home and pack a bag for you.”

“Tuck do you want to talk,” I ask.
 
The look in his eyes is breaking my heart. “Not right now baby.
 
Just give me a little time,” He says and kisses my head again before walking away.
 
I
 
dry my eyes and walk back into
 
Nickie’s
 
room.
 
Sarah is holding
 
Gen
 
when I step inside the room.

“She’s beautiful.
 
Isn’t she beautiful,” Sarah says swiping away tears.
 
The baby starts to fuss and Sarah hands her to me.
 
“I sent Riley a picture.
 
He didn’t respond.
 
He’s such an ass,” She says.

“We don’t need to worry
 
about
 
Riley,” I say in a sing song voice to comfort Gen.
 
“You have your auntie Leila.”

“And Auntie Sarah,” Sarah says kissing the tiny bundle on the head.
 
The baby continues to fuss and smack her lips.
 
She has such delicate features.
 
Most babies are kind of pinched looking when they’re born.
 
Baby Gen is the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.
 

“Where did
 
Nickie
 
go?” I ask Sarah.
 

“I don’t know
 
she left the room
 
right after your mom and dad.
 
I’ll go look for her,” Sarah says before leaving the room.
 
The nurse comes in and gives me a bottle for the baby.
 
She drinks a few ounces and I burp her before she falls asleep.
 
I
 
lay the baby in the basinet and look outside the room for
 
Nickie.
 
I return to the baby and scoop her up.
 
I’m not sure where everyone disappeared to Gen but Auntie’s here.
 
The door opens slowly and someone slides into the room.
 
I pull my eyes away from the baby and look up thinking
 
Nickie
 
finally returned.

My heart starts to race.
 
 
“What are you doing here Jordan?”
 
She pulls a gun out of her bag.

“I see Tucker told you my name,” She says pointing the gun back and forth from me to the baby.
 
I hold the baby
 
close.
 
Every part of me wants to hyperventilate but my niece
needs me so I will not allow myself to freak out. “Please don’t hurt the baby,” I say knowing someone will walk in at any moment.
 
Jordan is the woman I saw at my party, she’s the woman who stands near my town car at school with a scowl and after hearing her voice I can tell she’s the one who made the
 
threatening
 
calls.
 

“No I’m not going to hurt her,” She’s mine.
 
“Tucker and I will raise her together.
 
He’ll be so happy that I had such a pretty little girl.”

“Yeah you’re right,” I say trying to humor her
 
until someone comes back into the room.
 
“I’ll have to pack a bag for you.
 
She’s very small so she shouldn’t be around guns.
 
Tucker would be upset if something happened
 
to your new baby,” I say with a shaky voice.
 
I’m trying not to cry.

“Thank you,” She says.
 
“You’re not as terrible as I thought.
 
I’m not going to enjoy killing you.”
 
Her eyes are darting around the room wildly.
 
“I’ll just put her inside my jacket.
 
I saw Tucker leave for our house.
 
I need to catch up with him and show him our new baby.”

“Ok let me just get her blanket,” I say standing up and placing Gen back in her bed.
 
My hands are shaking as I
 
reach over and
 
press the button for the nurse.

“What did you do,” Jordan yells cocking the gun.
 
I pick up the baby when I hear a group of people coming down
 
the hall.
 

“Give me my baby,” Jordan shrieks with tears flowing down her face.
 
 
 
I huddle in a corner and shield baby Genesis.
 
 
She’s crying
 
because of
 
the
 
noise.
 
My daddy and a doctor
 
are the first to
 
walk into the room.
 
They leap on Jordan and wrestle the gun
away from her before she has a chance to shoot.
 
“Everything’s going to be okay my love,” I whisper to
 
Gen.
 
“Auntie’s here.”

*****

I’m sitting in an all white hospital room
 
surrounded by family and friends.
 
Shauna reaches down and touches little
 
Gen’s
 
head.
 
I guess I knew
 
Nickie
 
was going to leave I just didn’t think
 
she would
sneak away from the
 
hospital
 
before the baby was an hour old.
 
I don’t know how she got away but no one’s been able to get in touch with her or Mike since Gen was born.
 
I kiss the top of my precious little nieces head and hand her to Tucker.
 
“It’s a girl,” I say.
 
 
His face lights up
as he cradles the tiny
 
bundle
 
in his arms.