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"The baby seems to be doing fine, but he does seem to be measuring a little small for his due date. Are you sure you have my nurse the correct date of conception?" The older woman looks at Jazmine over her glasses as she reads over the forms we'd just filled out. Jazmine was prone on the table, belly still slick from the jelly the tech used to take pictures of the baby. See them on the screen made this seem even more real. I was more than ready to request an amniocentesis to determine paternity but see as the baby was already small for his developmental age I didn't want to risk it. As much as Jazmine made my skin crawl see the little life that she was growing made it a little easier to tolerate her.
"I'm sure. There had just been a lot of stress with the pregnancy. I haven't been really having an appetite and I've been losing weight." Taking her glasses off the doctor helps her sit up before checking her blood pressure and weight.
"You need to take better care of yourself. This baby is dependent on you and how well you care for the body yall share. I'm going to prescribe you something for the stress and urge you to get your diet together. If baby boy is still measuring small at the next visit we might have to make sure that you have your dates correct." Jazmine nods and I leave so she can get dressed. She scoffed as I get up.
"You act as if you haven't seen everything already."
"I have, that's how I know I'm not missing anything. I'll be in the waiting area when you're done." My phone dings with messages from the group chat and with a message from Yah.
My Moom🌙: I love you and I have something to tell you but I need you to be rational
I know something is up so I check the group chat and damn near crush my phone in the palm of my hands. The pictures of Saaliyah's face and throat make my own throat tighten at the pain she must be in. Ares and Amir are apologizing but I know that if they were there the nigga who did this would already be on his way to the morgue. It was my own fault for being foolish and falling for Yah's damn puppy dog eyes and letting her go to work without a security detail.
E🙄❤️: Who did fucked up your pretty face? I won't ask you twice Saaliyah.
Her texts bubbles disappear and reappear until she finally answers me.
My Moon🌙: Darrell. But baby please come home before you do something foolish. You need the whole story before you do anything
E🙄❤️: I'll be home soon but that nigga is getting dealt with. Today.
Turing my phone on DND I wait for Jazmine to come waddling out the doctor's office. At twenty two weeks her bump was a small hill under her right tshirt. She was just as beautiful as when I met her, the baby giving her more curves. I could appreciate a beautiful woman when I saw one but know that she'd basically trapped me was unforgivable. If this baby was in fact mine I don't know how I could coparent with her. Ideally I'd just take my son and raise him to believe that Yah was his mother. But no matter how much Jazmine had wronged me I couldn't imagine taking a child from their mother. Maybe becoming a mother would give her the wake-up call she needed. Because the moment she showed she was unfit I'd swoop in and she'd never see our son again. I join her at the receptionist desk and get a copy of sonogram pictures to take home. Leading her to the awaiting care I help her inside. She shivers at my touch and I pretend not to notice as I climb in behind her. The car starts moving and the road is rocking. One bump send her crashing into my side and she grabs her stomach protectively. Instinctually I place a hand in her belly and feel the kick for the first time. She's tense underneath my touch but she doesn't protest as I slowly caress her belly the rest of the ride home. I drop her off and make sure she's safe with the housekeeper and her guard Jerrid. I look at the sonogram pictures and can't help but feel like I was in way over my head. I was deeply in love with one woman while another woman I could barely stand was possibly carrying my son. And as the pregnancy progressed it was becoming more and more likely that she was telling the truth and that in a couple of short months I'd be a father. I'd be building a family outside of Yah and I know that would hurt her. But she would never expect me to turn my back on my child whether he came from her or not. But I think logically it made sense in her head but emotionally it would wreck her. All this on top of the bullshit with her father might just be too much to handle.
