Everything Changes

Leon

Olivia let Amanda go without a second thought, especially when she mentioned the part about Bedelia getting scared into labor, although she sent Nick with her to drive; the last thing they needed was to get in a wreck right now.

"I'm so glad you two are here." Audrey said as she let Amanda and Nick into the apartment. "Bedelia is in her bedroom, and whatever she saw, it scared her so badly that she isn't even speaking English anymore."

"Pardon?" asked Nick.

"I think it's French, but it isn't a dialect that I recognize off the top of my head."

"My mom is from New Orleans, but from a place called Bayou Saint John, to be exact." Amanda said by means of explanation to her family. "The dialect is Cajun French because that's what she grew up speaking, as well as English, even after she moved to Loganville with her parents from their shack of a houseboat on the bayou when she was five. I can also speak the dialect, but that's the language that she reverts to when she's afraid."

That was all she said before heading down the hallway to Bedelia's room. The woman in question was in the middle of her bed, wearing a simple sundress, although nothing about her physical appearance was at all simple.

The poor thing was completely soaked from a mixture of sweat and her own tears, and because of that, her dress was already sticking to her body, and the hair that had escaped the confines of its ponytail was plastered to her face.

"Mama, come back to me." Amanda cooed, sitting with her and smoothing her hair out of her face. "I know you can."

Bedelia registered her firstborn's calming tone, and it relaxed her enough to speak English again. "AJ, you made it..."

"Audrey sent for me, and Olivia told Nick to come with me. Audrey also mentioned that something on your phone scared you into labor; where is it?"

"Over on the dresser. It was a text from your jackass father."

Amanda wisely bit back a chuckle at Bedelia's colorful phrasing; 'jackass' was how she'd thought of Odis Lee since she'd last seen him, when she was twelve. Hearing it from her mother was very amusing, and it also showed that both of them thought alike more than they would admit to each other.

"What does it say?"

Instead of answering, Bedelia let out a pained cry and held onto the nearest thing, Amanda's hand, and squeezed it tightly; she was having a very strong contraction. As a show of support, Amanda ignored her own pain and coached her mother through hers, wiping her face down when it was over.

"These contractions are almost right on top of each other." Bedelia gasped.

"Then talk to me while you can." Amanda encouraged as Bedelia let go of her hand. "What can Audrey, Nick and I do? Call 911?"

Bedelia shook her head. "Leon is coming very, very soon; my water just has to break. Ask for them to come here so one of them can to read the text; I want you all to hear it."

Amanda called for the Amaros, and Nick got to the phone first.

"It says, 'We'll see you for the boy in a month. We just have some things to take care of.' It's from Odis Lee, alright."

"He can't have Leon!" Bedelia insisted, shaking her head. "He can't, he can't, he can't!"

"He won't." Amanda promised. "How is Leon?"

Bedelia prodded her middle, her heart racing when she felt how rock-solid it was.

"He's in the birth canal, but he can't come out because it isn't time yet." she emitted a whimper as a ripple of pain shot through her body. "Leon is my fourth baby; you think I'd be used t...oh, God..."