Streets and Sheets 5

Gift

Sloane

"I love you so much E." I said to her as she gave birth to our third little boy. She screamed as he came into the world.

"Would you like to cut the cord?" The nurse asked as E gave her last push. I hesitated as E still held both of my hands. His cries filled the room causing the biggest smile to settle in my face.

"Yes." I said looking at E hopping that she would let me go. The nurse gave me a little instruction before letting me at the cord. As I cut the cord I realize maybe we never had a girl because her daughter was supposed to come back in to her life.

"Is he ok?" She asked look if at me and then the nurse.

"Perfect. 10 fingers, ten toes, 7 pounds 9 ounces and 25 inch." She a nurse called from the other room as she carried the baby back to E.

"He is perfect." She said bursting in to tears.

"Thank you so much. I love you." I kissed her forehead over and over. I felt like I finally got to do this the right way for once. I watched her catch her breath as our son looked around the room.

"What's his name?" The nurse who helped out with Nasir's birth popped in.

"Amir." I looked up noticing that she had a gift bag in her hand.

"You didn't have to do that Nurse Zora." E said as she held the baby.

"It's from your father, he asked me to give this to you." She said stepping closer to me.

"My father?" I asked trying to see if she was serious.

"A tall guy, looks just like you honestly. I'm sorry if..." She said realizing she may have done something wrong.

"No no. You are fine, he is wrong." I smiled trying to cover up the fact that I wanted to punch a whole through a wall.

"He is here and asked me to ask if you wanted to see him." I didn't blame the nurse, she didn't know.

"Thank you. Where is he." I said taking the heavy bag from her as the rest of the staff prepped E for after birth.

"In the waiting area, to the left. I can tell him to leave if you would like." She said as I looked in side of the bag. I looked at the tissue paper, removing it to reveal would look like a handmade blanket. As I lifted the blanket from the bag I realized that the bag was too heavy for it just to be a blanket.

"Thank you north Zora. I'll handle it." The nurse returned to the nurses station.

"That really nice." E said before noticing my pause. I closed my eyes notice in the last stacks money at the bottom of the bag. I tilted the bag to E .

"Wow." She was caught off guard.

"You have to say something to him if he is here." She said as I stuffed the blanket back in to the bag.

"I got it." She grabbed me before I left the room.

"Please don't make a scene. You don't have to do this if you don't want to." She said looking down at the baby.

"How did he know that you were pregnant? How did he even know that you were having a baby here, today?" I asked her grow more and more angry. She let me go as I went and searched for my father. I spotted him at the end of the hallway and made my way to him.

"It's just a gift." He throw his hands up as I handed the bag back to him.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I asked him knowing that there was no way that this was going to end well.

"I'm just trying to be a father. I want to be in your life. You are my son." He said. His words went in one ear and out of the other.

"I don't want you around my kids. At all. I don't need your money." I told him.

"I didn't say you did. Can you give me a chance to be better?" He asked causing me to become frustrated.

"Give you a chance? Jase, you can't do shit like this? Who is telling you what's going on in my life anyway?" I started to think about the real questions that I had.

"That's not important. I'm here and and I am trying. I'm not taking this money back."

"It's not important?" I laughed and took a deep breath.

"This isn't the time to want to be father of the year." I calmed down.

"You don't get to just hop in my kids life because you are getting old. You were to farther to me Jase. I was a dollar sign to you and you can't admit it. I was selling dope before I was in middle school. Hell you were more of a friend than a fucking father." I thought back to all the times that he will give me money and take me places that a kid should have never been.

"I taught you everything you know. You have this life and these properties because I tough you how to be a man." He said.

"You thought me how to kill. You thought me what it meant to be heartless. I never thought up would have a relationship and I could never see myself being a father. So stop. Fucking stop." I cut him off to make my point.

"Can I at least formally meet your wife?" He asked trying to strike a deal.

"For what? Why are you obsessed with my and mine? I'm fine without you?" I stressed to him.

"Your mother and I..."

"Are you serious? Y'all are together? You are the reason she couldn't stay clean. You are the reason any of us had problems with substances man. I know I'm fucked up but you..." I though back to my first drink, blunt and first body.

"She is clean. We are doing well together now. She moved in and she is still teaching..." I let Kim continue his rant as everything clicked.

"She told you. She is the one who told you E was pregnant." I shook my head.

"Don't be up set with her." He tried to touch me.

"I'm upset with you. Get out of here and take your bag with you." I said ready to walk away.

"Are you going to make all the choices for her. What if she wants to meet me?" He yelled as I stepped away.

" One thing about her she doesn't listen to me so if she wanted to she would have called you." I walked back into his space.

"She hasn't."

"Because she doesn't care. She has me,she has her husband a d we have our family..." I stopped talking as I felt like I got a glimpse of a familiar face.

" Just like you made the choices for my mother I'm going to make a he choices for my wife. The only difference is the choices I am making at what's best for my family."

"Sloane. Just listen."

"I'm not doing this with you. Fuck you." My phone rang as I spoke.

"Hey Mr. Dryer." I said walking back towards E. I stopped to speak to him.

"You offer has been accepted. 2.5 million. 6 bedrooms and a masters 8 bathrooms. It has a finished basement and all the fixings." He said still giving a sales pitch.

"Tell me where to wire the money."