One // Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Chapter Twenty-Five

The other side of the bed lost its warmth. Groaning, Leigh slowly fluttered her eyes open. Andre was gone. She sat up and stretched. She felt rejuvenated after her nap. She picked up her phone off of the nightstand. The time read 9:14pm. She flopped back down on the pillows and stretched her arms out beside her. Her arm hit something so she looked to see what it was. A whiteboard and red marker lay next to her.

'I went downstairs to get dinner. -Andre'

She put it on the nightstand and took up her phone. She rolled around the bed until she found a comfortable spot. She curled up and hugged one of the two pillows on the bed and unlocked her phone.

She dare not go onto Twitter or Instagram after the incident. Instead she went onto Netflix and clicked on an episode of Friends.

After a couple episodes she heard the door opening. She turned around to see Andre walking in with a large tray of food. The tray consisted of two large burgers, a platter of fries and two bottles of coke.

Leigh's eyes widened in shock. She picked up the whiteboard and marker. She erased the previous message and wrote a new one.

'You know I can't eat junk food.'

She gave him the message along with puppy eyes and pouty lips.

"Think of this as your cheat day." He said pecking her lips. He placed the tray on the bed and Leigh grabbed a couple fries and carelessly shoved them in her mouth. She grinned and sat back.

He took out the packet with antibiotics, a bottled water and the inhaler. He handed the three items to her. She picked up a burger took a huge bite out of it. She winced as she swallowed. She carefully took two small, white pills from the packet and popped one. She uncapped the bottle and drank some water. She tilted her head back to help swallow. She grimaced as it slid down her throat. She did the same with the other.

She picked up the box containing the small device. She opened it and read the instructions. She shook the inhaler and exhaled. She put the device to her mouth and inhaled slowly. The first time she did it she started a coughing fit.  She took a deep breath and tried a second time. The same thing happened again. By the third try she got the hang of it. She took a deep breath and was able to breathe a tiny bit better.

The two finished eating and cleared the bed. They laid down cuddling. They laid in a comfortable silence,  Andre caressing her arm. She shifted closer to him; if that was even remotely possible.

Next morning, Leigh awoke to a loud, persistent knocking on the hotel door at an ungodly hour. She carefully slipped out of Andre's embrace and went to attend to the it. She peeked through the peephole and saw Jade standing there in her nightgown with a clearly upset infant in her arms.

Her maternal instincts immediately kicked in and she swiftly unlocked the door. She reached out for her wailing baby without a word and Jade passed the small child to her.

'What happened?' Leigh mouthed. She knew the girls won't come here with her unless something was really wrong.

"She won't stop crying and I didn't know what else to do. I think she just missed you."

Leigh looked down at her daughter and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Her cries soon became whimpers and she laid her head on her mother's chest. Leigh rubbed slow circles on her little back.

"How are you?" Jade asked leaning on the wall.

"The doctor gave me antibiotics and an inhaler. I could breathe a bit better now. Just have to rest my v-"

"That's not what I meant."

Leigh looked confused then it dawned on her. She shifted her weight to her other foot.