The Love That Grew

Ch. 28 Space

One Week later ....

"Ms. Hill," the nurse called from the front desk. It took Jashae a few extra minutes to get up from the chair, her heavily pregnant belly making even the most basic movements a bit more difficult. She let out a deep breath as she finally reached the examination room, grateful to sit back down.

"Good afternoon, Jashae. How are you feeling today?" Dr. Carlisle greeted her, wearing her usual warm smile that always made Jashae feel at ease.

"I'm fine just a little tired the baby's been really active lately" she expressed going into detail about her current mood swings, cravings, and the baby's constant moving.  Dr. Carlisle listened attentively, taking a few notes and reassuring her that everything she was experiencing was perfectly normal.

One of the things Jashae appreciated most about Dr. Carlisle was her patience. The doctor never seemed flustered or annoyed, no matter how simple or repetitive Jashae's questions were. She always took the time to explain things clearly and kept her phone on standby for emergencies, which gave Jashae a sense of security.

"I'm going to have you lay back for me. Will Dad be joining us today?" Dr. Carlisle asked, prepping the equipment for an ultrasound. The question caused Jashae's eyes to fill with tears, but she quickly blinked them away.

"N-no, a work emergency came up," she lied, her voice shaking slightly.

The truth was that she hadn't heard from Xavier in a week. No one had. Peezy had filled the girls in on what had happened at the wedding rehearsal, and they had managed to pull up a few screen-recorded videos online. The hurt on Xavier's face was unmistakable. Peezy had told her, "Just give him some time," but Jashae wasn't sure what that meant for her or the baby. This was the first appointment Xavier had missed during her pregnancy, and it hurt more than she wanted to admit.

A light knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, causing both Jashae and Dr. Carlisle to raise their eyebrows. Dr. Carlisle got up to check, concerned it might be an emergency. "It seems we have a special guest," she said with a smile, stepping aside to reveal who it was.

Jashae sat up on her elbows, her heart pounding with a mix of hope and anxiety, only to see Peezy swagger into the room with a goofy grin on his face. She eyed him suspiciously, but couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips.

"You know Uncle P couldn't let you sit here alone. I got you," he said, pulling her into a warm hug. The gesture caused her to shed a few stubborn tears. Outside of her grandfather, no other man had consistently shown up for her like this, and it meant a lot to know that even in Xavier's absence, she hadn't been forgotten.

"Did we want to find out the sex today?" Dr. Carlisle asked, returning to the ultrasound machine.

"You can tell me. The parents would like it to be a surprise, right Shay?" Peezy chimed in, grinning as he saw Jashae roll her eyes.

"Yes," she answered with a small sigh. As her due date approached, the curiosity about the baby's gender was becoming almost unbearable. Half of her family and friends were convinced she was carrying a boy, while the other half were praying for a girl.  She'd just be happy when the baby was here so she could eat a seafood boil and stop crying evey few minutes.

After the appointment Dr. C handed Peezy over a small envelope he made sure to tuck it in in his sunvisor where Jashae couldn't sneak and grab it. She pouted in the front seat arms across her belly staring outside the passenger window "I don't give no fucks about ya lil attitude. Now, what you trynna eat?"

"Hmmm I wa-

Peezy cut her off with an obnoxiously loud laugh causing a frown to form "I wasn't asking you I was asking my niece" he said rubbing her belly with his right hand while his left hand stayed on the steering wheel.