CHAPTER 13
KENNEDI
I was two weeks past the four-month mark in my pregnancy and I was too excited for words. Usually, I would barely make it this far before the inevitable happened. Dominic was hesitant at first, but he seemed to be coming around lately. He was excited to see the small bump that was starting to form. I didn’t mind, but he couldn’t stop rubbing my stomach. He did it every night before I went to sleep and I loved it. I only had a few weeks to go before I found out what I was having. Dominic and I were torn with that one. I wanted a little diva to play dress up with, but he was dying for a son. Either way, he was just happy to be having a baby.
“I’m telling you Kennedi, something is up with him,” Tiffany said to me.
We were walking around in the mall looking for nothing in particular. She was pissed at Bryce for not spending time with her today. She was convinced that he was doing something wrong. Dominic was chilling at David’s house and there was no way in hell I was going over there so this was the perfect outing.
“Bryce is not cheating on you. You need to stop being so paranoid,” I replied.
“Things are changing with us, I can feel it. At first, we argued because Brooklyn was always there. She’s hasn’t slept there in over a month and we still can’t seem to get it right. Then I checked his phone and noticed that he’s been talking to Taylor a lot more than he used to,” she said going off.
“First off, you shouldn’t be checking the man’s phone at all and he has kids with Taylor so they have to talk.”
“No Kennedi, it’s like they talk all day, several times a day. I know he better not be trying to get back with that bitch,” Tiffany fumed.
“Girl, Bryce loves you. He’s not getting back with her. Don’t forget, he left her to be with you.”
“I know, but I don’t want him to regret it. I would give anything to be in your shoes right now. If Bryce and I have a baby, I know for a fact that he would act right,” Tiffany whined.
“So have a baby then,” I replied simply.
“Girl please, Bryce probably wears two condoms to make sure that doesn’t happen. And he makes sure I take my shot every three months because he comes to the doctor with me,” she said causing me to laugh.
“Girl, Bryce is not playing with your ass,” I laughed.
“Kennedi stop laughing, I’m serious,” she complained.
“I don’t know what to tell you honey. I have enough with trying to keep Dominic in line. The only problem I have is his brother, but that’s nothing I can’t handle,” I replied.
“You know Dominic is not going anywhere. You’re giving him the one thing he wants the most,” she said while rubbing my belly.
“Let’s get out of here, I’m tired of walking around,” I told her.
After getting a bite to eat, Tiffany and I returned to my house to relax for a while. We lounged around, watched TV and talked like we used to when we were younger. I didn’t have a very big family, so I enjoyed spending time with my cousin. She got on my nerves sometimes, but she always had my back.
“You’re going to the bathroom again?” Tiffany asked when I stood up from the sofa.
“Girl yes, this baby is pressing down on my bladder,” I said walking to the bathroom in the hall.
After handling my business, I stood up to flush the toilet. I almost died when I looked in the toilet bowl and saw faint traces of red in the water.
“Oh God, please don’t let this be happening to me again,” I said just above a whisper.
My heart was beating out of my chest as I pulled a wad a tissue from the roll. I wiped in between my legs and came up with dark red blood covering most of the tissue.
“Tiffany!” I yelled for my cousin as my hand shook uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong? Oh my God Kennedi! No,” she yelled when she entered the bathroom.
“Call Dominic,” I yelled in fear.
Tiffany ran out of the bathroom and came right back with her phone in hand. She dialed Dominic’s number and put him on the speakerphone.
“What’s up Tiff?” Dominic calmly asked.
“Dominic where are you?” Tiffany yelled into the phone.
“I’m at David’s house, what’s wrong?”
“Kennedi is bleeding, she needs to go to the hospital,” she said sounding panicked.
“Fuck!” He yelled on the other end. “I’m on my way Tiffany, just stay there with her.”
“Okay,” she said hanging up the phone. “He’s coming Kennedi. Do you need me to do anything?”
“Call my mama,” I said lowly as the tears cascaded down my face.
I heard Tiffany on the phone talking to my mother, but my mind was all over the place. I really didn’t want her there, but she would have a fit if I went to the hospital without letting her know what was going on. I started cleaning myself up and waiting for Dominic to get there.
“Ahh,” I yelled out as a sharp pain hit me at the bottom of my stomach.
“Oh my God Kennedi, you need to let me take you to the hospital,” Tiffany said eagerly.
“No, I can’t go without Dominic,” I cried.
“He’ll just have to meet us there,” Tiffany replied.
Thankfully, I heard the front door open so I knew that my man was home.
“Baby are you alright?” Dominic said rushing to my side. I wanted to die when I saw that David was standing there with him. I was in too much pain to argue, so I let it go.
“No, my stomach is starting to cramp,” I cried out in pain.
“You might have to carry her to the car,” David said.
That was about the smartest thing he’s ever said since I’ve known him. He grabbed some towels and ran outside as Dominic carried me to his truck. He sat me on top of the towels that his brother placed on the seat and rushed over to the driver’s side.
Tiffany and David hopped in the back seat and Dominic sped all the way to the West Jefferson Medical Center. As soon as we arrived Tiffany got out and ran to get me a wheelchair. Once the triage nurses found out why I was there, they rushed me up to the labor and delivery section so I could be properly checked out. Surprisingly, my mother along with Dominic’s mother, Liz, were already waiting.
“Kennedi, are you alright?” My mother asked while grabbing my hand.
I pulled my hand away from hers just as the doctor came out. He introduced himself as Dr. Vu and told us that he would be the one to see me. By the time I was taken to the back, the front of my legging was completely drenched in blood. The cramps were coming steadily and I already knew what the end result would be.
Dominic couldn’t come to the back with me even though I really needed him to.
“What’s going on with my baby?” I asked one of the nurses even though I really didn’t want to know.
Dr. Vu had stepped in before the nurse had a chance to tell me anything. The solemn look in his eyes let me know that everything was not going to be alright.
“You’ve already started passing some of the baby Kennedi, we’re going to give you something for you to pass the rest,” he said sadly. “We’ll try to make it as painless as possible.”
I turned my head and faced the wall while the nurse started and IV on me. Once that was done she started gradually adding medicine to it. It was crazy how I was so excited about my baby a few hours ago and now there was no baby to be excited about.
“How long will it be before I can see my family?” I asked her.
“I can get one person back here now since we have you all settled,” she replied.
“Okay, can you get my fiancé, please? His name is Dominic Roberts.”
“Okay, I’ll go get him for you. I’ll be right back,” she said before exiting the room.
A few minutes later I heard the door open and close. I expected to see Dominic walk in, but my mother walked in instead.
“What are you doing in here? I asked her to call Dominic,” I said nastily.
“I know, but I wanted to come and chec
k on you,” she said lowly.
“I don’t know why,” I snapped.
“Kennedi now is not the time for you to have an attitude. I’m just as hurt as you are,” she had the nerve to say.
“Are you fucking kidding me? It’s your fault that I can’t hold a baby to begin with,” I yelled.
“Calm down Kennedi. This is not the time or place for all of that.”
“So when is the right time to talk about it? Thanks to you and the three abortions you made me have, I’ll probably never be able to give my husband a fucking baby!”
“So what was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to let you become a mother at fifteen years old? Should I have let you ruin your life just because you thought you were in love? What would you look like walking around with an eight or nine-year-old child and you’re only twenty-four?”
“That’s the problem. You don’t give a damn about me. You’re too busy worrying about what other people think. I was a developing young lady having back to back abortions. My insides are probably all fucked up because of you.”
“I’ve heard enough!” My mother yelled silencing me. “You are such an ungrateful little bitch. I go out of my way to make sure you have everything you’ve ever wanted, but you still don’t appreciate it. I’m damn near emptying out my savings account to pay for your wedding. I pay you twice as much as all of my other employees just so you can shop. I lost count of the thousands of dollars I spent on all of the surgeries you begged for. You are not going to sit here and disrespect me and you should know better than to bite the hand that feeds you.”
I couldn’t believe she had the nerve to act like she was the victim here. Yeah, I’ll admit that she did a lot for me, but most of it was done out of guilt. The only reason she paid to get my stomach done was because of the gut I had after being pregnant three times in one year. That was more for her peace of mind than for me. She would never be able to face her friends if they knew that her fifteen-year-old daughter was pregnant. Even after my father begged her not to do it, she still dragged me down to the abortion clinic three times in one year. The doctors were even warning her about the internal damage that she was doing to my young body, but that never stopped her from doing exactly what she wanted to do. It didn’t help that the seventeen-year-old boy that kept getting me pregnant was her best friend’s son. Whenever he came to my house or we were at his, we would sneak off and kiss or fondle each other. It wasn’t until I was fifteen that we took it a step further. Our parents went to a party one night and left us to babysit his little brothers. As soon as they went to sleep, Calvin and I were all over each other. That was the same night he took my virginity and got me pregnant. I was only five weeks when my mother found out. There was no doubt in her mind what should be done. I had my first abortion two days later. The crazy thing was she still didn’t put me on birth control until after abortion number three. By then the damage was already done. Of course, she never told her friend about the pregnancies. That would have been too embarrassing for her perfect little family.
“Do you want me to get Dominic to come back here?” My mother asked shaking me from my thoughts.
“No, I don’t want to see anybody right now. As a matter of fact, tell him and everybody else to leave. I’m not in the mood for company,” I replied solemnly. Thanks to her, I didn’t want to see anyone.
“Well, I’m not going anywhere until you’re released from here, but you need to see your fiancé. I’ll go get him,” she said walking out of the room.
“No! I don’t want to see anybody. Do you hear me? Mama!” I was yelling to the top of my lungs, but she kept walking. Just like always, if Karen Henry wanted something she was going to get it.
CHAPTER 14
DOMINIC
“You alright boo?” I asked Brooklyn over the phone. When I got the call about Kennedi, we were at David’s house watching movies while Brooklyn hooked us up a meal. Since the food was still cooking she stayed at David’s house while we went to check on Kennedi. I knew right then that my brother really liked Brook because he would never leave anyone in his house when he wasn’t home.
“Yeah, I’m good. I’m just sorry about your baby. I feel so bad for you and Kennedi,” she replied.
Brooklyn could be so sweet at times. Sometimes I really wish I’d met her before I met Kennedi and Nadia. She was so laid back and she never seemed to be worried about anything. We spend a lot of time together, but sex was never involved. I was shocked and disappointed when I learned that she was a virgin. I thought for sure that she would have been with at least one person at eighteen years old. Hell, by the time I was her age I’d already had five sex partners and David probably had even more. I was already catching feelings for her and that made my feelings run a little bit deeper.
“I know you’re probably staying at the hospital tonight, but I need my clothes out of your truck. I can catch a cab home,” Brooklyn said. I picked her up from her cousins’ house, but she was going back to her parents’ house for a few days. She had a duffel bag in my truck with some clothes that she planned to bring home with her.
“Yeah, I’ll probably be here until tomorrow, but you don’t have to catch a cab. I’ll give David my truck to come pick you up.” Just then, I heard yelling coming from the room that Kennedi was in.
“Brook, let me see what’s going on. I’ll call you right back,” I said right before disconnecting our call.
“What’s going on?” I asked Ms. Karen when she came out of the room.
“She’s a little upset, but she wants to see you,” she said taking a seat.
I walked down the short hall to the only room that was back there. When I walked into the room Kennedi was laying down with an IV sticking out of her hand. She looked so sad and I knew exactly how she felt.
“How are you feeling baby?” I asked as I took a seat next to the bed.
“How do you think I feel?” She snapped taking me by surprise. I knew this had to be hard on her, so I didn’t take it personal.
“I’m so sorry about the baby Kennedi. I wish there was something that I could do to make you feel better,” I said grabbing her hand. She took me by surprise again when she snatched her hand back.
“The only thing that will make me feel better is if you and everybody else would just leave,” she said nastily.
“You know I’m not leaving you here to go through this by yourself. I’m not leaving until you leave.”
“I don’t need anybody to be here. As a matter of fact, where the hell is my nurse?” She yelled as she pressed the nurse’s call button. She looked like a mad woman and I didn’t know what was wrong.
“What the hell is your problem? I’m trying to be here for you despite the pain that I’m feeling. That was my damn baby too,” I whispered harshly.
“You don’t know how I feel so stop trying to act like it. I don’t need anybody to be here for me. I just want to be left alone,” she cried. When the nurse walked into the room, I couldn’t believe that Kennedi asked her to put me out. The nurse motioned with her eyes for me to step outside into the hall with her.
“She’ll be okay, just give her a little time. A lot of women go through an angry phase after having a miscarriage,” she said sweetly.
Instead of replying, I walked back out into the waiting area and rejoined my family. Everyone was still there except for Kennedi’s mom, who I was told went to get coffee.
“I’m leaving,” I announced as soon as I walked up.
“What, you’re fiancé just lost your baby, you can’t leave!” Tiffany yelled.
“Watch me,” I replied angrily.
“Dominic what’s going on?” My mama asked me.
“She said she don’t want me here. She even called the nurse and told her to put me out. I understand she’s hurting and everything, but so am I. I lost a baby too,” I replied angrily.
“I’m going to go make sure she’s alright,” Tiffany said walking to the back.
“She’ll come around eventually. Just ca
lm down and have a seat,” my mama said.
“Nah ma, I’m going home and you can leave too. She said she didn’t want anybody here.”
“You know she doesn’t mean that. She’s just hurt right now Dominic.”
“Well, I’m hurt too. Honestly, I’m sick of going through this shit. She needs to get some birth control or something after this. I can’t take it no more,” I said heated.
“Well, it’s nice to know how you really feel Dominic,” Karen said as she rounded the corner.
“Yeah, that’s exactly how I feel so go run and tell that,” I snapped.
“Dominic, you know better than that,” my mama chastised.
“But he’s right ma. He keeps getting his hopes up high for nothing,” David chimed in.
“You need to mind your business with your ghetto ass,” Karen spat at my brother. I don’t why she got him started, but she had made a huge mistake.
“You really got me all the way fucked up. My brother might have to respect you, but I don’t. You in the right place to get some help when I knock your old ass out,” David said going off.
“David, that’s enough! Y’all know better than that. You and Dominic go on home. I’ll stay here with Kennedi for a little while,” my mama said. She knew just like I did that she’d given birth to a nut case. I pushed David towards the elevators and pressed the button to go down.
“You just have to act a fool everywhere you go,” I told him while shaking my head.
“Man, fuck her old ancient ass. Bitch spent all that money getting surgery for her daughter when she should have saved some money for her own ugly ass,” he fumed.
“Dude you really say some stupid shit,” I laughed. One thing about it, he always kept me laughing whether I wanted to or not.
“Did my sister-in-law finish cooking yet?” He asked referring to Brooklyn.
“I don’t know, but I’m about to tell her that we’re on our way,” I replied.
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