I rushed toward the man in teal scrubs. He had a face mask pushed down to cover his chin, rectangular-framed glasses around his eyes.
“I’m here for Kandy Jennings,” I breathed. “I’m her fiancé, Quinton Cane. How is she doing?”
“She’s doing okay, but she specifically asked for you.”
I glanced back at Mama and Lora. He wasn’t speaking too confidently. Something must have been wrong. “Okay. Where is she?”
“Right this way,” he said, turning.
“Keep us updated!” Lora called after me.
I nodded, following the man down a few hallways. He reached a room at the end of one of the halls on the maternity wing and pushed it open. This room was spacious, full of machines and other devices. A hospital bed was in the middle of the room and lying on top of it was Kandy. When she saw me, she gave me a weak smile, and I rushed for her, hugging her, probably a little too tightly.
“Shit, baby, you can’t scare me like that!” I panted. “You okay? How’s the baby?”
“I’m okay, and the baby is fine,” she assured me, my face clasped in her hands.
“Jesus.” I closed my eyes, kissing the middle of her forehead. “What happened?”
“The bleeding wasn’t from the baby. They think there may have been a slight rupture so they’re doing a C-section to prevent anything worse from happening.” Her eyes glistened as she peered into my eyes. “We’re going to have a baby soon, Cane.”
“Seriously?” I looked back and the man was still there, but was talking to another nurse. “Like, now?”
“Yes,” she laughed. “Now.”
“You’re serious?” I cupped her face. “Holy shit, you’re serious!” I kissed her everywhere—her nose, her mouth, her cheeks, her forehead, anywhere my lips could find.
A throat lightly cleared behind me, and I let go, looking toward the person. Dr. Maxine was there, a relaxed smile on her lips. “Sorry I’m late, but I’m happy to see you both here!” she sang. “Now, who’s ready to have a baby?”
Chapter 17
KANDY
I never, in a million years, thought that by age twenty-three, I would become a mother, but it was happening, and this was the moment Cane and I had been waiting for. After months of fatigue, aches, long nights and early mornings, it was happening. After living with doubts and fears and worrying over every little thing, the time had come.
I was given an epidural before the procedure, and when it was time, Dr. Maxine was standing over me while I laid on the table. I really wasn’t happy that I had to have a C-section. I read the horror stories, but Dr. Maxine mentioned that a C-section was going to be the safest way to go since Kelly’s stabbing had ruptured the lining in the first place. She didn’t want any internal bleeding or hemorrhaging to happen, so it made sense.
I didn’t care as long as my baby came out healthy. Before the procedure, she’d informed me that my bleeding had stopped, which was good. It meant the baby was okay and that I would be too.
The procedure, to my surprise, was over much faster than I had anticipated. With the epidural in place, I didn’t feel a thing. One minute I was lying on the table, anxious while clutching Cane’s hand, a paper curtain stretched in front of me, and the next, Cane is gasping sharply, watching Dr. Maxine’s every move
“Oh! Here we go, here we go!” Dr. Maxine cheered. “There we go!”
And then I heard a sound—a beautiful sound that made my heart flutter.
The cries of a baby.
In that very moment, it was like my world had slowed down. Like the earth had stopped spinning on its axis, halting time, and dedicating this very second to me. Dr. Maxine had the baby in her hands, and the nurses were clearing his or her nose and mouth. I still couldn’t see what gender. Cane was right beside them, and as his eyes traveled down, focused on what was between the baby’s legs, he looked my way and rushed to my side, yelling, “It’s a boy!”
His voice sounded so distant—muted almost. He kissed me repeatedly, telling me I did so good, but I couldn’t look away from the baby.
My baby. My crying, beautiful, baby boy, with a head full of hair and a dimpled little butt.
Dr. Maxine came my way with him, a sweet smile on her lips, and as soon as she lowered him to my chest and his cheek pressed to mine, the earth spun again. His cries came into tune, and they surrounded me, and I loved it. My heart burst with joy and a love that I could not describe.
I cooed to him, hummed to him, letting him know that everything was going to be okay, because it was. Everything was okay, and he was here, and our war had been won. There wouldn’t be any more pain or sorrow or surprises. He was here, and he was so, so perfect.