Rouge

12. Mahogany

Eight months later

Don

We have made it to the big eight! We are on our way to the doctor to find out what we are having, and to be honest; I'm hella nervous. Regardless we want a healthy baby, but it's nerve-wracking to go to these appointments because these doctors and nurses can say anything. So much has happened within the last five months, and it has been insane. Jonah moved to Ireland, Eric is in a real relationship, and I'm still working on getting my fiancée to trust me again. I decided to take her out to eat after the appointment. There's a food truck expo thing happening, and she's been asking about going, so we're going to pop by there and grub. "Okay, you guys ready to see baby Rodriquez?" Dr. Lynn says, walking into the room. "Super ready!" I say, smiling. "What are we hoping for today?" She asks, looking at Mel and me. "Honestly, we don't care as long as our little ninja is healthy," Mel says. "Little ninja? That's cute. Most people go with peanut or something, but I like that you guys are creative." She laughs.

Mel and Dr. Lynn start prepping for the ultrasound, and once the gel is applied and the camera comes on, I start to get butterflies. We've seen our baby before, of course, but it felt so different this time for some reason. Maybe because we waited until the last minute to find out everything? Dr. Lynn takes measurements of the baby and says, "Alright, you guys, here we go. Dad, do you want to do the honors?" I nod, and she tells me where to look on the screen. I start to cry, and I look at Mel. "We have a boy, babe." She starts to cry as I hug her. We cry happily and call her dad. He answers on the first ring. "What's wrong, baby girl? Is the baby okay?!" He asks frantically. "Yes, dad, he's fine. Everything is fine." She says, wiping her eyes. "He? It's-IT'S A BOY?!" He exclaims.
We all laugh at his excitement as we finish the appointment, the call, and get the ultrasound pictures. Damn, I have a son. "Ayden Dominik Rodriquez. How does that sound, babe?" Mel asks, getting dressed. I look up at her from my seat, grab her hand and pull her close to me. I stand up and look her in her eyes. She smiles and hugs me, and I break down again. "I promise that no matter what, I will be here for you and Ayden. I swear nothing will come between us again. I'm so sorry that it ever did, to begin with." I say between sobs. She grabs my face and looks me in the eyes, and says, "Donovan, if it bothered me, I would've left your ass, and you know that. These bitches don't hold a lantern, flashlight, or candle to me, and the same for these bums that call themselves men for you. I love you, and I forgive you, and now we have to focus on making sure that our baby boy is loved and cherished just as much or even more. Can you work with me on that, daddy?" I smirk and pull her into a loving embrace once more. "Yeah, I can do that, mommy," I say, pecking her cheek and grabbing her bag so we can leave the office. We get in the car and head to the food truck festival. As we're pulling up, Mel's face lights up with joy, and she starts doing her happy dance. I laugh, park, and get out of the car, helping my pregnant love out so we can explore what this festival has to offer. "Ooo baby, look! They have meatballs!"
Mel exclaims. Meatballs? Who has meatballs on a food truck? We walk up to the truck to look at the menu. "Vinny's Meats? It looks like a mobile heart attack." I say, scanning the menu. Mel hits me in the side as we laugh. We ordered a small container of the Famous Homestyle Meatballs with sweet heat honey and two passion fruit smoothies. We walked around the festival grounds sampling all foods available, drinking water and smoothies, and dancing to the music playing. We were there until about 8 p.m. having fun and letting loose. On the drive home, my phone rang. "Yeeeeerrrr!" I answer, and shortly after, E responds. "Waddup doe!?" I prop my phone up in the holder on the dash and talk to Eric through the car.

"Where are you guys?" He asks, moving stuff around. "We went to the food truck festival thing after the appointment," I say, showing the ultrasound pictures. "So, what's the verdict? Godson or Goddaughter?" He asks, looking intently at the phone screen. I pull into the driveway and open the garage. I park the car, and then Mel and I walk inside. I lay out the gender reveal ultrasound pictures and flip my camera so he can see. "Whoa! Look at the little peanut! OH SHIT! IT'S A BOY!!!!" He exclaims, running around his house, jumping on the couch with excitement.

Mel and I laugh as he comes back into the camera, kissing the phone and showering us with thank yous. "The official gender reveal party will be next week, so everyone else knows, so you have to be there," I say, putting his name on the list. "How are you and the lady friend?" Mel asks, grabbing my phone and sitting on the couch. "It's been eight months of hell on earth, but I love it." He says, laughing as his girlfriend, Angie walks into the frame and lightly hits him on the shoulder. "Hey momma Mel! How are you feeling?" She asks. "Big." Mel laughs. We talked about our crazy happenings and what to do for the party and ended the call. Mel and I watch Mrs. Doubtfire and she falls asleep on the couch. I love these moments with her so much, and it's crazy because I never wanted kids before. It's different with her though. I love my life so much.

Mel

I wake up and see Don snuggled up on my belly, and I smile. "Baby? Don?" I whisper, shaking him a little to wake up. "Yeah! What happened?" He asks, looking around. "I have to pee." I laugh at him as he mindlessly searches himself for God knows what. "Come to bed, babe," I say, grabbing his hand. We walk upstairs to our room, and he lies in bed. I do my biz and wash up and then change into some PJs. I soon hear clothes dropping to the floor and then the blankets rustling. I walk over and snuggle up to him, leaving kisses on his back. "Do you think I'll be a good mother?" I ask. Don slowly turns to face me, eyes still closed, and says, "You will be the most amazing mother in the universe, babe." I kiss his nose, and he nuzzles into my neck. "Do you think I'll be a good father?" I give him a passionate kiss and look into his now open eyes. "The best papa in the galaxy," I say, kissing him again. We soon fall asleep peacefully, and I dream of our little boy.

Ayden, baby stop running!
Ayden, I said stop!
AYDEN! NO!
Skkkkrrrttt!!

(Gasp)

I jump out of my sleep, gasping for all the air in the room and holding my stomach. Don walks out of the bathroom and rushes to me. "You good, baby? What's wrong? What's going on?" He asks as I'm catching my breath and crying my eyes out. "Baby, you have to calm down so I can help you." He says, rubbing my back, but I can't. I'm in so much pain. "The baby. Don the baby! WE NEED TO GO NOW, DONOVAN! NOW!" I say, frantically moving about my room, not even paying attention. I take notice after Don starts yelling about calling an ambulance.
My sheets were soaked, and there was blood running down my legs. I didn't know what to do so I started screaming and crying. My contractions had me tripled over in pain, and I couldn't go anywhere. Donovan called Eric, my dad, and my cousin to help with EMTs. He set the bathtub up with a liner and filled it with warm water and my basket of things for my home birth. It wasn't my first option, but it's what has to be done. Eric and my dad pulled up simultaneously, followed by my brother and cousin and then EMTs and my doula. My doula prepared everything, and when I was in the water, we all prayed and chanted for safe delivery. My doctor showed up after a while to make sure everything went smoothly. For the first hour, it did go smoothly. Then I started cramping, and the pain was so bad it numbed my body. I couldn't move any part of me, so Don had to get in and help me out. He sang to me and rubbed my stomach to calm the baby down, but it never worked for long. When it came time to push, it looked like a murder scene. "Alright, beautiful, you got this, okay? We're all here for you! For both of you! Give me a strong push, baby." Don says as he prepares to grab our son. I push and scream as my inside pour out into the tub of water. "I see his head, mami! C'mon baby! You got this!" I breathe and push and squeeze my cousin's hand. I feel something is off. "I CAN'T KEEP GOING! Something is wrong! SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY BABY!!!" I yell, gasping for air. "Baby, calm down, okay? Ayden is fine, baby. One last push, alright?" Don says. I push, he pulls our son out of the water, then I blackout. I remember bits and pieces, but I can't comprehend what happened.