Chapter 15: Broken Promises NewYork-Presbyterian, New York March 7th, 2:28 pm
I've been mistaken You're not the man I thought you were
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"I'm fine, I feel fine, I just...I didn't mean for this to happen." Maleah watched Stasia with a sympathetic look on her face. After 4 days, her best friend finally woke up from the coma she slipped into. The first thing they all had was questions, wanting to know how everything happened and what caused this. But more so wanting to know about this baby that none of them had a clue about.
"When was you gon say something baby?" Chris asked, his hand stroking Stasia's hair gently. Adjusting her large shirt, Maleah couldn't deny how uncomfortable she felt. All her guilt and shame eating her up, the same feeling of nausea she'd had for the past days never letting up. She couldn't eat because she threw up, couldn't sleep because she woke up throwing up in the middle of the night, and she couldn't even go to the salon because too much time on her feet caused her to feel dizzy.
Holding Kaiden's sleeping body closer to her, she avoided any and all eye contact she could have possibly made with the two other people in the room aside from her son. Hating the fact that Jazlyn knowingly left her there with both of them because she had to do some last minute things at the salon. Since Maleah obviously couldn't be there, the second person in charge was Jazlyn, if not Imani.
"Well, I wanted to surprise you- all of you. I only found out about 2 weeks ago, but I was going to reveal on my birthday. Which is also when I was going to have you, Chris, meet Maleah and our other friend Jazlyn. But obviously this situation came between that." She sighed, glancing between her boyfriend and best friend who barely acknowledged each other.
Clearing his throat, Chris moved his body to sit on the edge of his seat a little better. "Do you feel bad though? Cause if there's anything you need-."
"I feel worse about the fact that this was your baby who- who isn't here anymore. I know you wanted kids and...I just wanted to be the one to give that to you." She said the last part nearly inaudibly, her head lowering while tears filled her eyes.
It was like as the seconds passed, the guilt that ate away at Maleah only worsened more and more. She felt disgusted in herself over the fact she was dumb enough to even let something like this happen. The tension in the air was clear and thick, neither Chris nor Maleah knowing if Stasia felt it, but they for sure did.
"Shhh, don't cry, please don't cry." Chris mumbled, pressing his lips into her temple gently. Raising his head towards the ceiling, he blew out a harsh breath because he really didn't know how to comfort her nor did he know how to feel. "Everything happens for a reason alright? I'm not upset or nothing remotely close to that about this, don't beat yourself up because of me." He rubbed her arm in a soothing manner, not sure how much he was helping but he was trying at least.
