Until My Heart Stops Beating (28 page)

      He spread her legs apart. His attempt to enter her love tunnel was met with a little resistance. It had been a long time but he didn’t care. He exercised patience, slowly gyrating his hips as her body allowed him to enter a little deeper with each thrust. He remembered how good she felt, how wet she’d get, and how his hunger for more would intensify in the midst of being buried deep inside her. Her walls finally gave way, accepting all of him, fitting perfectly.

              He captured her dark erect nipple in his mouth sucking it as if a stream of sweet blackberry juice was flowing from it. He increased his speed as the feeling of euphoria overtook him. Whatever ride he was on he was sure to take her with him. Together they exploded causing them to hold on extra tight to one another as their bodies trembled uncontrollably like a 4.5 earthquake.

              “I love you,” he whispered hovering above her looking into her eyes.

              He kissed her gingerly on the lips then fell back on the bed totally spent from their recent encounter. He pulled her into his chest, securing her in a warm loving embrace.

              “I love you more,” she replied nestling her face in his chest.

              “That’s impossible.”

              Being in the comfort of his arms never felt so good. Emotions began to well up in her. They were so strong she couldn’t control them even if she wanted to. She needed a release. It was too much to hang on to all of what was taking place deep inside. Tears flowed from her eyes dripping on his bare chest. The feeling of warm liquid dripping onto his skin then rolling off his body allowed him to know that she was crying. He moved back just enough to bring her face into view. He kissed her tears away.

      “I’ve missed you so much Declan. I was so afraid you’d never remember me.”

      “I can’t imagine how stressful this has been on you. I’m so sorry it took me so long to get back to you.”

      “I would have waited forever.”

      “And I would have fought to get back to you for just as long.”

      “I-“

      “Shhh! We’ll talk about everything later. Right now I just want to lie here and hold you in my arms.”

      “I’d like that.”

      He pulled her into him once more, holding her tight as she lied upon his chest and closed her eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep, something she hadn’t had in months.

BREATHE AGAIN

              Declan woke up almost two hours later. He lay on his side raising himself up on his right elbow as he watched the love of his life sleep. He remembered how he used to do it all the time. She always appeared as if she had an angelic glow when she slept. Sometimes he would lightly place his ear to her chest and listen to the rhythmic beat of her heart. Every beat he presumed was for him and him only as his did for her. He would study the rise and fall of her chest and silently thank God for creating such a beautiful creature and allowing him the honor of being her husband.

              A while later he got up and walked over to the sliding doors staring out over the horizon. His mind drifted off to not long ago when he had no clue of who she was that day she came into his hospital room. All he could think about was how beautiful she was. He could feel the love emanating from her for him but for the life of him he couldn’t remember loving her. He noticed how much it pained her that he didn’t. He tried like hell to put the pieces together but he couldn’t. While in her presence he could feel a connection to her but he couldn’t put his finger on it. When he looked at his mom for answers, she offered none. Because she was so torn, he ordered the doctors to restrict her visits. He gave them a list of people that were allowed to visit and her name was not on it. The thought of that crushed him. He lowered his head in shame. He leaned his hand on the frame of the door while gripping his chest with the other. His heart hurt for all that she had to endure during that time.

              He smiled as he recalled the letters from her that Granny Whitaker, Sam and eventually Shyanne would read to him. At first, he grew angry because instead of memories in those letters
they were like made up fairytales to him. It was difficult for him to grasp all the things she spoke of and yet, he could not recall an incident, a date, or a time they were together. As time went on, little
fragments of his life with her would appear either through daydreaming or dreams while he slept. As a result, he requested the letters
and began reading them himself. According to the words written on those papers, they had a
love that only came around once in a lifetime. They read like chapters taken from a New York Times number one bestselling romance novel. Through her letters he felt the depth of love she had for him. That made him want to remember every detail of the life they shared. He was grateful that she hadn’t given up, that she loved him enough to wait as long as it took, even though he kept her at a distance. It was confirmation of how much she truly loved him. He considered himself a rich man, rich in all the things money couldn’t buy; love, happiness and joy. He could have remained in that state of forgetfulness forever but God saw fit to give him his memory back. He had a second chance and he vowed to never take it for granted.

~*~

              Makeba woke up to find Declan standing at the glass doors staring out the window. She got up, retrieved his shorts from the  floor and stepped into then. Quietly, she eased up behind
him, wrapping her arms around his waist while resting her head on his back. He smiled as he reached behind him, grabbed her arm and pulled her to the front of him. He cradled her in his arms as they both
looked through the glass admiring the beauty of nature. He nibbled on her earlobes causing a tingling sensation to shoot from her legs up her spine. He rocked her back and forth as he held both sides of her stomach.

      “I’ve missed you so much. I didn’t want to come to you until I was sure my memory had been fully restored. I
wanted to remember everything about you. The more I could recall, the more I was missing you, needing you and wanting you. I could barely breathe without you.”

      She turned to face him. “I couldn’t breathe. The more the days went by the more I found it a struggle to inhale and exhale. I literally felt like something was cutting off my air supply. I thought I had lost you forever. I felt like I wanted to
just lie down and die. If you ever leave I-“

      “We’re one Makeba. There will never be a me without you.”

      Rising up on her toes, she kissed him softly on the lips as the babies began kicking and kicking hard. Grabbing his
hands, she placed them on her stomach in the very spot where all the commotion was going on.

              “Oh wow,” he chuckled excitedly, “does it hurt?”

              She guffawed at his reaction. “No, not at all.”

              “So how much longer before I meet him or her?”

              She smirked. “Or them?”

              His raised his eyebrows. “Them?”

              “Yes.”

              He glanced at her inquisitively.

              “We’re having twins.”

              Declan laughed so hard his adam's apple quickly moved up and down. He hugged her tight and began kissing her all over her face in pure elation.

              “So how much longer do we have to wait?”

              “A little over a month daddy.”

              “Daddy, what a wonderful sound. I can’t wait. I hope they look just like you.”

              “Well, I was kind of hoping they’ll look like their handsome father.”

              “Whoever they favor, I’ll be happy nonetheless,” he said smiling as he kissed her once again.

      They both turned toward the door when they heard a knock.

              “I’ll get it,” said Makeba as she trotted across the room to open the door.

              “Keba, I cooked a nice dinner for you guys. I’m going to stay at a hotel to give y’all some privacy. You’re in good hands now,” said Rasheeda looking at her friend.

      “You don’t have to leave. There’s four bedrooms in this house.”

      “We really would like for you to stay,” Declan said suddenly appearing at the door.

      “I don’t want to feel like the third wheel. Besides, you two can use this time alone.”

      “Nonsense. Thanks for dinner. It smells great out there. I sure hope you set the table for three instead of two.”

      “Declan.”

              He put up his hand to stop her. “I don’t want to hear it Rasheeda. You’re staying here and that’s all there is to it.
We’ll be out as soon as we get cleaned up.”

              She eyed Makeba and hunched her shoulders. “Fine.” Turning on her heels, she walked away hearing the door slam
behind her.

~*~

              Three weeks later the lovers were back into their old grand scheme of things. It was almost as if the time they spent apart was nonexistent. Time apart seemed to have deepened their love for one another so much so that Declan’s
first day back to the office had them experiencing separation anxieties. It affected Makeba a lot more than it did him especially since Rasheeda was no longer around. She returned to Newark a few days prior because her vacation time had come to an end. Granny Whitaker was always an excellent stand in. They were spending more and more time together but Makeba was worried about her. Their conversations started to change. She wasn’t as jolly and sarcastic as she was known to be. Her smile dimmed and her zest didn’t have that usual spark. When asked if there was anything wrong she’d just smile
and say she was a little tired. Makeba didn’t buy it, none of it.

              She had to speak to Declan, make him aware of her concerns. Maybe it was nothing or maybe it was something that needed to be addressed right away. Whatever the case may be she’d rather be safe than sorry. Because of the attachment she felt to granny Whitaker, she declared her an honorary grandmother and had hoped she’d be around for a long time. Makeba exercised patience and waited for the right time to have the conversation about granny. At first, he didn’t seem too worried about what she was telling him, that is, until he noticed the deep concern and fear etched on her face. Only then did he promise to check on her. Relieved, she went into the bedroom to lay down. She was stressed, emotionally drained, and exhausted. The possibility of losing granny Whitaker held her thoughts hostage. What would she do? How would
it affect her? She loved this woman as if she was her blood family. Why those thoughts were so prevalent in her mind was unclear. It wasn’t like granny Whitaker was sick or anything or was she?

              Lying in bed, Makeba found it difficult to relax. Between worrying about granny Whitaker and her due date drawing near, she didn’t know which made her more anxious. Unable to close her eyes, she sat up with her back pressed against the headboard as her mind began to wonder. In two days she’ll be traveling
back to Newark to prepare for the delivery of the twins. It was important to her that she have the babies in her home town around
her family and friends. Shockingly, Declan agreed with her and decided to accompany her.

              Later that evening, Makeba and Declan decided to make it a movie night. Resting on the sofa and waiting patiently for his return with a bowl of extra butter microwave popcorn, she stood up the moment she felt warm liquid ooze down her legs. Entering the living room with a bowl in his hands and chewing on popcorn, Declan froze when he saw the look on her face.

      Slowly, she turned to face him. Before she could say a word a gush of liquid poured from between her legs.

      “I think my water just broke.”

       Dropping the bowl, he rushed to her side. “There’s still two more weeks to go.”

      “Not according to these babies. Help me to the bathroom and bring me some dry clothes. We need to get to the hospital.”

       He held her arm and escorted her to the bathroom. Once there, he ran to the bedroom searching every drawer in a panic, trying to figure out the best outfit for her under the circumstances. Makeba had washed, secured sanitary napkins between her legs and wrapped herself in a towel. She exited the bathroom wondering what was taking him so long to bring her some clothes. After standing in the door of the bedroom for a few moments watching him in hysteria, she entered.

      “Declan, calm down.”

      Never looking up at her he continued to rummage through the drawers.

      Makeba chuckled as she pushed him aside and grabbed a clean pair of underwear, blue leggings and a blue t-shirt and put them on. She moaned at the feel of her first contraction. Startled, Declan grabbed her up in his arms. She pushed him away as she went to sit on the bed.

              “Babe, get my bag and let’s go. Don’t forget to call my parents and Rasheeda to let them know I’m on my way to the hospital.”

              “I will.” He rushed to the closet to retrieve her bag. Grabbing his car keys off the dresser, he ran out the door leaving her behind. Realizing that she would need help he ran back inside. “I’m so sorry honey,” he said as he reached out his hand.

              Makeba was in too much pain to crack even a little smile but she would surely tease him about all of this when it was all over. She reached for his extended hand pulling herself up off the bed. “Aaaahh!”

             
Declan turned beet red at the sound of her screams. He didn’t know what to do. Her screams were happening more often as her face contorted into frowns with every one of them sending him into more of a panic. Slowly, he walked her to the car helping her inside. After securing her seatbelt he threw the bag in the trunk, jumped in the car and pulled off heading to the hospital. She was disappointed she didn’t make it back to Newark in time for the arrival of her twins. She wanted her mom to be there with her but that wouldn’t be the case. These babies were ready to be born and she was more than ready to meet their acquaintance.

              After another contraction had subsided she asked, “Did you call my parents?”

              “No, I’m sorry.”

              “Give me your phone.”

              With one hand on the steering wheel and the other rummaging through the arm rest, he retrieved the phone and handed it to her. Again, she moaned holding the door. Once the pain had gone, she dialed her mother’s phone explaining that she was in labor and on her way to the hospital. She could hear the excitement in her mom’s voice as she yelled in the background relaying the message to her father. They ended the call after Mrs. Jones informed her that she would be on the next flight out to Chicago. Afterwards, she managed to call granny.

      “Hello child.”

      “Hi granny. You sound so much better today.” She moaned.

      “Well, I feel so much better. How are you doing?”

      Inhaling deeply then exhaling she replied, “I’m on my way to the hospital. The babies are coming.” She grimaced as another contraction hit her. This one
much stronger than the last.

      “Oh that’s wonderful dear. I’ll get Sam to bring me.”

      “Are you sure you’re up to it.”

      “I most certainly am. I will not miss the arrival of my great grandchildren for anything.”

      Makeba closed her eyes as she let out a scream. The pain was becoming unbearable. Declan took the phone from her and told granny they would see her at
the hospital then ended the call.