A Stripper's Daughter

Chapter 23

Considering The Fact That I Still Didn't Know The Status Of Jalen Pissed Me Off. I Asked The Nurse Like Every 30 Minutes, And That Bitch Kept Telling Me To Wait On The Doctor. I Sat In The Waiting Room Quietly; Eating Some Chips And Reading These Ripped Ass Magazines.

"Hi." I Heard Someone Say. I Looked Up And Saw That Old Lady. I Rolled My Eyes And Looked Down At My Book.

"I Understand If I Freaked You Out Earlier, But I Got You Something." She Said. She Handed Me A Pregnancy Test And Slowly Walked Off.

"Wait." I Said. She Stopped And Turned Around.

"Yes?" She Said.

"I'm Sorry About Earlier. I Didn't Mean To Be So Rude." I Said.

"It's Alright. I'm Use To Rudeness." She Said.

"Well I Don't Like Coming Off Rude. I'm Normally A Sweet Person." I Said.

"I Can Tell. The Stress Is Killing You." She Said.

"You Have No Idea." I Said. She Smiled Warmly At Me And Sat Down.

"Take The Test." She Said.

"I'm Scared." I Admitted.

"It's Alright To Be Scared. I Was Scared When I Found Out I Was Pregnant Too." She Said.

"How Man Kids Do You Have?" I Asked.
"I Have Two. I Have A Daughter Who Doesn't Speak To Me; Let Alone Claim Me. And My Son....He's Dead." She Said.

"Oh...I'm Sorry." I Said.

"It's Alright. He Died At 3 Days Old. My Baby Is With The Angels." She Said.

"I Had A Miscarriage Not Too Long Ago. So Our Babies Are Angels Together." I Said. She Looked Away As If She Wanted To Cry. I Definitely Had To Shift The Conversation. I HATE Seeing People Cry.

"Will You Wait Right Here While I Go Take This Test?" I Asked. She Nodded. I Got Up And Headed To The Bathroom. This Was So Awkward That I'm Befriending A Complete Stranger, But She Made Me Feel Oddly Comfortable. I Sat On The Toilet And Peed On The Stick. I Sat It Down While I Fixed My Clothes And Washed My Hands. I Then Shoved The Test In My Pocket And Walked Back Into The Waiting Room.

"Family Of Jalen Smith!" I Heard The Doctor Call Out. I Rushed Over To Him.

"How Is He?" I Asked.

"His Surgery Went Well. He's In The Recovery Room, And He's Doing Great." He Said.

"Thank God! Can I Go See Him?" I Asked. He Nodded And Led The Way.

"Oh Wait!" I Said. I Turned To Let The Elderly Lady Know I Was Leaving, But She Wasn't There. I Just Shrugged And Followed The Doctor To Jalen's Room. I Walked In And Saw Jalen Asleep In His Bed. I Pulled Up A Chair Next To His Bed And Grabbed His Hand.

"My Strong Man." I Said. He Moved A Little And His Eyes Opened. He Looked At Me And Smiled.

"Heavens Angels Are So Beautiful." He Said.

"Oh Really?" I Said.

"Yeah. They Looked Just Like You." He Said. I Giggled And Kissed His Hand.

"How Are You Feeling?" I Asked.

"Sore, But I'll Live. You Know I'm Made Of Steel!" He Said.

"Yes You Are." I Said.

"How Long You Been Here?" He Asked.
"I've Been In The Waiting Room For Damn Near 4 Hours, But I Just Got In Here With You. Funny Thing....I Met A Psychic While I Was In The Waiting Room." I Said.

"A Psychic? She Was Probably A Crazy Ass Person." He Said.

"I Thought So At First Too, But She Is Actually Legit. She Knew My Name, She Knew My Mom, And She Knew About My Past." I Said.

"Aw Word? Did She Know I Was Gon Make It?" He Asked.

"I Don't Think So, But She Did Know...." I Trailed Off.

"She Knew What?" He Asked. I Dug In My Pocket And Pulled Out The Pregnancy Test. The Words PREGNANT Were Clear Across The Stick.

"Layla?" Jalen Said. I Looked At Him.

"She Knew We Were Gonna Be Parents." I Said.

"Parents? You Pregnant?" He Asked. I Nodded As I Showed Him The Test.

"Wow. We Finna Have A Baby." He Said, Clearly In Shock.

"We're Supposedly Having Twins." I Said.

"Twins?" He Said. I Nodded. He Sat There For A Minute And Then Motioned Me To Sit By Him. I Did What I Was Told And He Kissed Me.

"Whatever We Have....Just Know Ima Be There. I Love You Layla And I'm Glad You Having My Baby. Well...Babies." He Said. I Laughed And Kissed Him.

"It Hasn't Been Confirmed, But I'll Make The Appointment As Soon As You Get Out Of Here." I Said.

"Aye That Needa Be Soon. I Hate Hospitals!" He Said.

"Well Get Use To It Because We'll Be Right Back In Here When I Give Birth." I Said.

"Shit...We Might Have To Have A Home Birth. Aye Give Birth In The Pool." He Said. I Laughed As I Laid Next To Him.

"No Thank You. I Rather Be Drugged Up Then Feel The Pain Of Two Babies Coming Out Of Me." I Said.

"I Feel Ya." He Said. We Laid There And Talked Until The Doctor Came In And Gave Him His Pain Medication. I Slept Next To Him That Night And Thanked God That He Spared My Man's Life.