Roommates

chapter 42

The screeching sound of my ringtone sliced through my light slumber. I snatched the phone from my nightstand and answered it without looking at the ID.

"Hello?" I yawned into the phone, leaning against Lee's headboard.

"Zola, Daya's in labor!"

I quickly woke Lee up and called Lennox as I dressed myself poorly, I managed to throw on one of my dad's old sweatshirts and a pair of black leggings.  We stopped at Lennox's apartment before getting to the hospital as fast as we could.

Once we arrived and reached the 7th floor, we found Elon, Vaughn, and Rhett in the waiting room.  Elon's sneakers gently stomped against the tile flooring as he paced back and forth.  Vaughn sat in a plum chair, nearest to the end of the hallway, with his leg anxiously bobbing.

"Hey, how is she?" Lennox and I approached Elon, I quickly adjusted the creme baby bag Daya and I made a while ago over my shoulder as I waited for him to give us the rundown.

"She's good, she said she wants you guys in there."

The elevator dinged and Bentley stepped out, displaying his brown, suede bedroom slippers with the fur inside.

"This baby is already fuckin' up schedules.  If it's past 2 AM, you can't come out, you gotta wait until the next day," Bentley yawned as he gave me and Lennox's side hugs, he then went on to dap Lee, Rhett, Vaughn, and Elon.

"Good luck," Lee nodded and sat next to Rhett with Bentley.

Lennox and I hurried down the bright, white hallway in search of the room number Vaughn told us.

"God, Zo, you know how much I hate hospitals."

"I know, but we're here for a good thing."

"What's so good about pushing a big ass head out and breakin' your coochie?" I laughed and playfully shoved Lennox's clothed shoulder.

I stopped in the middle of my step and turned to the right.

"Here it is," I knocked twice and Daya quickly groaned "come in."

I opened the door and Lennox stepped in after I did.

"Good God."

We entered to see Daya leaned against the side of the messy bed with her thin hospital gown flowing open in the back, revealing the fact that she's not wearing any underwear.

I quickly closed the door and Lennox jogged to Daya to adjust the faulty garment exposing her.

"This shit isn't helping, your mom said it would help," Daya whined as she shifted her weight back and forth between her feet.

In the absence of Daya's mother, all of our parents chimed in throughout the pregnancy with advice, coming from people who'd done it before, multiple times for a few of them.

Azalea, Bentley's mother, helped Daya understand how her body was changing from month to month.  Healani and my mother worked together to help Daya buy everything she'd need for the baby.  My dad and Bentley's dad helped Lee, Elon, and Bentley put some of the furniture together.

In the end Lennox's mom and Helani prepared Daya for all of the things she'd feel and experience during birth.

"This shit started in my fucking sleep, I'm not trying to feel anymore," Elon told us that Daya struggled with contractions for two hours before calling him.  She'd been having Braxton hicks all month, so she didn't think it was anything serious.

This time, it was.

"The ball," I grabbed the neon pink exercise ball Elon bought for Daya and brought it to the middle of the room.  Lennox and I held her hands as she slowly lowered herself on the center of the ball, once she got there, she let out a deep exhale.