When You Were Mine [SEQUEL TO THE GIRL IS MINE]

The Birth of A Little Prince

TRIGGER WARNING!!! The following chapter includes very intense, depressing and emotional subject matters that may be triggering to some. Readers discretion advised.

820: INT. HOSPITAL ROOM DAY FADE IN: 

One week later. October 16th, 1996. 

MAYTE: (wakes up with a shooting pain in her stomach) AHHH! 

NURSE ANGELA: (comes rushing in) You're in labor, it's time! (pushes her to the delivery room) 

821: INT. DELIVERY ROOM DAY CUT TO: 

Mayte has gone into labor. 

MAYTE: (to herself) "My body roared into full-blown labor. They kept trying to drug it down as I lay in agony. My husband sat beside me, gripping my hand. The only relief was when he stroked my face and put me under." 

PRINCE: (lovingly strokes her face and whispers in her ear) We're going to get through this, and everything will be fine. I love you. I'm here for you. Nothing bad is going to happen. 

NURSE ANGELA: (gives him a pair of scrubs) Mr. Nelson, you need to put these on. You can change in the bathroom back there.

PRINCE: Ok. (takes them and turns back to Mayte) I'll be right back. (goes into the bathroom to change) 

MAYTE: (to herself) "Meanwhile, they shaved and prepped me." 

PRINCE: (comes out dressed in the scrubs) 

MAYTE: (starts laughing hysterically) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! (to herself) "I burst out laughing when I saw him in those scrubs with the booties and puffy hat." You look really cute!

PRINCE: I know. (turns to the nurse) Do all these lights need to be on? 

NURSE ANGELA: Unfortunately, yes. (turns to Mayte) Ok, you're going to hate me, but I need to hold you while we do the epidural. Tell me when it feels like a sore tooth. 

MAYTE: What do you mean-oh! Oh, God. Okay. Yeah.

NURSE ANGELA: Do you feel this? This? How about here? 

MAYTE: Yes. Yes. I feel everything. 

NURSE ANGELA: Okay, she's ready. 

MAYTE: I feel it! I feel everything! 

NURSE ANGELA: You will, you'll feel it, but it won't hurt.

MAYTE: (to herself) "My husband gripped my hand as they cut me open. He kept his face close to mine, speaking softly, comforting and encouraging me, clowning around like he couldn't breathe behind the mask until I begged," Oh, don't make me laugh! 

PRINCE: Ok, ok. 

MAYTE: (to herself) "It seemed to take a very long time. There was this weird tugging sensation. Like the unzipping of a dress that's too tight. There was soft music playing, spa-type music- but I heard a liquid sound. Suction. The clinking of instruments. I felt them pull the baby out of me." 

NURSE ANGELA: It's a boy!

MAYTE: (to herself) "I don't know how to describe the look on my husband's face. Pure joy. Pure love. Pure gratitude. I'd seen his face when he stood in front of a stadium filled with forty-eight thousand screaming fans. I'd seen his face as he scored platinum albums and received the highest awards in his industry. I'd seen him experience the ecstasy of creative genius. None of that compared to the look I saw on his face in this moment, when he became a father. And then they held the baby up in the glare of those harsh lights. For a suspended second, I saw nothing but my son's beautiful soul. I heard nothing but his perfect silence. He made no sound. My heart called his name. Amiir." 

PRINCE: He's not crying. Why is he not crying? 

MAYTE: (to herself) "The pure elation on my husband's face turned to pure terror. I couldn't understand what I was seeing. It was as if we were at the center of a whirlpool, and the room around us was turning in on itself, contorting, twisting, everything. There was only an instant fear. In the next instant, we became parents. Our love for him embraced everything he was. And then- chaos. The OR nurses swooped in and took him. Everyone.was talking at once. He wasn't breathing. They whisked him to a table and began frantically working on him. Everything inside me said, let him go." 

PRINCE: (puts his face close to hers) It's going to be okay. He'll be okay. 

MAYTE: Oh God...oh God... 

PRINCE: (hears Amiir cry) (sighs in relief) It's a boy. It's a boy. They got him breathing. 

MAYTE: Let him go... 

PRINCE: No. No, we're going to make it, okay? He'll be okay. 

NURSE ANGELA: Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, Amiir is breathing and you can see him soon, but I wanted to come in and tell you what we're dealing with. Your son is suffering from Pfeiffer syndrome type 2. It's a genetic disorder that causes skeletal and systemic abnormalities. Craniosynostosis is the premature fusing of the bones in the skull, sometimes resulting in "cloverleaf skull," in which the eyes are located outside of the sockets. Brachydactyly is the fusion of bones in the hands and feet, causing a webbed.or pawlike appearance. Anal atresia is the absence of an anus, indicating life-threatening abnormalities in the colon and bowels. We're prepping a room for surgery now, but you can see him before we take him. (gently picks up Amiir and brings him over to them) 

MAYTE: (takes him in her arms) (to herself) "He was curled up on his side, gasping shallow little goldfish gulps of air. Because there were no lids to blink, his eyes looked startled and dry. I caught hold of his tiny hand, saying over and over..." Mama loves you. Mama's here. I love you so much, Amiir. Mama loves you. 

DOCTOR: (comes in) It's time to take him for surgery. (carefully takes him away) 

PRINCE: I'm going with him. 

MAYTE: Yes. Yes. Go. 

NURSE ANGELA: Mayte, there's a chance you might need a blood transfusion. 

MAYTE: Please, unless I'm gonna die die, don't let them do it. I need to be with my son. Please, let me go to my son.

NURSE ANGELA: You'll see him soon. First, we need to get you stabilized. 

MAYTE: Is he alive?

NURSE ANGELA: Yes. Mayte, I'm going to give you something for the pain. You're going to get a little sleepy. (gives her the shot) 

MAYTE: (drifts off into a deep sleep)

I know this chapter was very intense and sad, I actually broke this chapter into 2 parts because I know that it's so emotional. The next two chapters are going to be very, very sad and intense, but before I continue, I just want to say that in absolutely no way am I trying to disrespect Prince, Mayte or Amiir in any way. If anything I am raising awareness for Pfeiffer syndrome. I would never intentionally disrespect Mayte or her baby in any way. If I didn't have respect for them I would not be reading her book and quoting HER words instead of putting my own spin on things and pretend like I know the pain they were going through. I would never do that to them. Once again, I am NOT trying to disrespect them, I am only raising awareness for Pfeiffer syndrome. All credit goes to the amazing Mayte Garcia from her book, "The Most Beautiful: My Life With Prince."

As always, thank you for reading. 💜