Heir to the Khalil Throne✔️

21: Glory

"Darius, I think my water just broke." looking at the clock it is half past one. He stirs out of sleep

"What?"

"My water just broke."

"Okay," I hate him

"Get the car ready, I will call Ms Jasmine." he gets out of bed and I pull my phone from the charger. "Don't forget the birthing bag."

"Okay."

"Hello, Ms Jasmine."

"Hello, Ms Tladi."

"My water just broke."

"Oh, are you going to the hospital?"

"Yeah, Darius is getting the car ready. The contractions were about ten minutes apart yesterday."

"Okay, get to the hospital so we can check."

"Okay." Ms Jasmine is a midwife and birth doula, I wanted to have a midwife instead of an OBGYN for my comfort, Dr Stevens will be called if my life is in danger.

The contractions are now five minutes apart and I am pacing in my hospital room. Darius is holding my hand and my mom is watching us. My sister and friends are here as well but they went to get something to eat.

"Sit down for a bit and let me massage you." my mother says and we listen. She massages my lower back and it helps, more than walking.

We have been here for thirty minutes and Ms Jasmine asks to check how dilated I am.

"Nine centimetres, one more and we can start pushing."

"I fucking hate this." he holds me as I go through these pains, we may not be together but I am glad he is here.

"What do you think of Darian?"

"Who is that?"

"As a name."

"What does it mean?"

"Kingly."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, it sounds nice." he places a kiss on my forehead

Another hour goes by before she says I can start pushing. I asked my mom to place some lube on my vagina, I am on all fours and he has his arm around me, helping me stay up.
His parents, siblings and friends are outside and so are mine.

"Push, Bk." thinking of finally being through with the pregnancy, I push

"Ahhh!" it feels as though someone is hacking at my vagina with a chainsaw "Oh fuck!!"

"You can do it, BK." I can do this, I have to do this, I can do this "Push!" I can do this, I have to do this, I can do this, I will do this. A push "Good. Good, breathe!" I can do this, I have to do this, I will do this! I can do this!

"Bohlokoa?" he is looking at me "You good?"

"I can't do this, I can't do this," tears streaming down my face "Mama,"

"I'm here, baby, you can do this, you are strong, you are brave and you are courageous."

"What she said, we are here for you," he says before placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Push, Mama." with all my might, I push "Good! Now I need you to breathe and push again." he mimics how I should breathe and I do.

"Ma! I can't," tears streaming down my face and she holds my hand and places a kiss on it.

"You can, baby, now push." looking into her eyes, my mind goes to all the women who have been giving birth since the dawn of time and if they can do it, I can too. With everything in me, I push and drop into his arms.

"You did it!" everyone sounds fuzzy, the lights are blurry and I can not feel myself.

"Bohlokoa! Bohlokoa! Stay with me, Stay with me!" Darius? Everything goes dark, no sound and suddenly I am no longer in my mind. I can hear the wind, I can smell grass but it is dark and I can not tell where here is.

"Bohlokoa, ngwana wa Tlholo!" a loud voice calls me and a light appears along with a man

"Dumela." meek, barely a sound leaves

"Do not be afraid, I am your grandfather, I died before you were born."

"Hello."

"Hello, my child. Do you know why you are here?"

"What is here?" it looked like a cave but it also did not feel like a cave, everything is disorienting

"This is where I am laid to rest. Do you know why you are here?"

"Not really."

"When a child is born, more so when it is a son being born first everyone wants to fight over what they are named."

"His father named him, already."

"He did, a good name at that, but what were you going to call him?"

"I had not decided, yet, I was pulled between my father's name and my uncle's."

"Bereng."

"That is a surname." he laughs, it is hearty and chesty, the kind that makes you feel warm inside that you can illicit such a reaction from a person.

"But it can be a name."

"What does it mean?"

"Why, it is my name." he holds my hand "You have to go back but every time you call him Bereng, I will come and be with you."

"Every time?"

"Every time." he disappears into the scene and I am left in darkness again and this I recognise. The numbing place I run to when the world feels too much.

As I open my eyes, he is holding him, singing to him.

"You two look adorable." it barely comes out.

"Bohlokoa," he places him in the cot "I was worried about you," he says sitting next to me

"I'm fine. Where is my mom?"

"She went to eat, she will come back anytime now. Should I call a doctor?" a nod and he calls a doctor to come and look at me.

I passed out for three hours, the doctors say that it was exhaustion. Ms Jasmine pulled my placenta out which makes me feel better.

My mother came in after the doctor said that I am okay. I asked her about my grandfather's name and she said it was Bereng and that is when I knew I had to make it his name.

At four and a half kg and fifty-seven centimetres, on the twenty-third of April, a Sunday in twenty, twenty-three, Darian Bereng Khalil was born at twenty-three minutes past three am to Bohlokoa Durah Tlali and Darius Khalil.

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Total Chapter Word Count: 1044 words ❤️

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And the heir to the Khalil throne is born.