CARRYING HIS BABY

10

They followed her up the stairs slowly and she led them into the big room. Their father lay on the bed with shut eyes, he looked...lifeless.

"Is he..?" Zoey started to ask "sleeping... He's sleeping" her mother said quickly and Zoey nodded.

They walked to the bed, Zuleika the first to sit on the white couch that sat a few feet from the bed and Zoey immediately joined her.

Their mother sat beside their father on the bed and Zyaire and Zayne were the only ones standing. "What's wrong with dad?" Zayne asked, just noticing the drip that was passing through the needle that had been inserted in their father's left hand.

"There's something we have been keeping from you all" their mother started and Zuleika rolled her eyes.

"Shocker" she said sarcastically earning a glance from their mother who just continued and said nothing to what Zuleika said.

"Your father is really ill. He...he has a heart problem" she said with obvious difficulty

"What?" Was the simultaneous reply that came

"When? How?"

"Since about 2 years ago.."

"For two years, you guys hid this?" Zyaire asked in annoyance

"Yes but he's receiving treatment and he'll be okay...soon" she said as a sort of reassurance to her children. Mostly for herself.

"What? How can you keep this from us for so long? Why isn't he in the hospital at the moment? He'll be taken better care of" Zyaire asked, all in one breath

"Because...I...I would rather be home" they heard and watched their father's eyes flutter open.

"Dad..." Zyaire, Zoey and Zayne said simultaneously and Zuleika  just spared him a glance.

"How...how are you all?" He asked

"We should be asking you that" Zoey said and he managed a small smile.

"Well, I'm fine" he said "Lies, how can you say you are fine in this state? I thought you were dead when we first came in" Zoey chirped in and earned a glare from her mother

"Just saying" she said raising her hand in mock surrender

"I'm a man of 62 years, its okay for me to die now" he said and is met by a glare from his wife.

"Don't even think about it" she warned and he smiled weakly at her

"Anyways I called you... you all here for something important" he said and they seemed to pay more attention to him. They were all curious as to this family meeting.

"We're listening" Zayne says

"Zuleika, you've been married for 7 years now and have had no child" their mother said and Zuleika didn't even blink. She was used to the criticism, she didn't care anymore.

"Zyaire you should get married to Marrina soon..."

"I want a grand child" he interrupts her and they all raise a brow

"A what?" Zyaire asks with a small frown.

"A grand child, Zyaire. I want one too" his mother said, holding her husband's hand "We are not getting any younger"

"As...you can see, I am...not going to be well anytime soon. I don't know when I'm going to die..."

"Stop it!" Zaalia exclaimed. Recently her husband had been talking about dying, she hated it. "You're not dying okay?" She said and he let out a small, almost choked out laugh

"Sorry" he says softly and she let's her fingers rub his palm.

Zaalia and Zachary had met when she was 23 and he was 25. It had been at a Christmas party and a mutual friend of theirs had introduced them to each other.

He had just gotten recently divorced from his two year old marriage and she had just broken up her five year old relationship with the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with.

It was like a connection. They were both heart broken and instantly, they hit it off , talking about how their relationship was with their respective partner.

They became friends and after two years, on her 25th birthday, he'd asked her out and she said yes. They dated for a little over a year before they got married.

After 2 years of marriage, they had no child and Zaalia was worried. She thought a year after her marriage, she would have a child but that wasn't the case.

They went for multiple tests in their family hospital, the best one in the country but they were told nothing was wrong with either of them.

She started taking fertility boosting pills and when she turned 30, she became pregnant with their first child, Zuleika. The year of Zuleika's birth was a great year for her and she absolutely loved and adored her daughter.

Three years after Zuleika's birth, Zyaire was given birth to and it was great for the family. Zyaire charmed everyone with his cuteness and the little actions he carried out. He was the family's pet and they all adored him.

Two years after, Zaalia became pregnant again and she gave birth to twins, Zoey and Zayne. After that, she had started using the family plan, not wanting to have another child. She was satisfied with having four children.

They were a happy family. Time went by and Zyaire started working in the family company after finishing business school, Zuleika got married to the son of Zachary's business partner. It was an arranged marriage that was going to do good for the family business and like a puppet, Zuleika had agreed to the marriage.

The twins just always traveled about, rarely home. They were mostly together, sometimes traveling separately.

"Anyways...I want to see my grand children before my time is up. Even if ...if its not now, we never know when it will happen" Zachary continued

"Seeing that Zuleika has decided not to have any children with her inability to take any actions, its up to you Zyaire"

"Mum..." Zyaire said. Not because she said it was up to him but because of what she said to Zuleika.

"What a family" Zuleika said with a scornful laugh as she stood up. "I hope you get better dad" she said and without another word to anyone she walked out the door and out the house.

She got in her car and the chauffeur drove off. She leaned her head against the car chair and a single tear trailed down her closed eyes.

She cleaned it off and that was it. She had no tears left to cry.

"You were too harsh, mum" Zoey said and their mother rolled her eyes

"Well that's the way the truth always is" she said "Anyways, Zyaire its up to you."

"Exactly, cause I'm not getting married anytime soon" Zoey and Zayne said simultaneously

Zyaire looked at his father and back at his mother with a sigh. What was happening to his family??

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Ahhhh
Took so long to write. Mannn
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