5. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Esmerelda – Seventeen Years Old
“Ess, seriously, you need to sit down before you wear the floor out,” Cody says with humor, and I glare at him from where he’s sat near the light-yellow wall, but he smiles not at all fazed by me as he crosses his arms over his chest and I try my hardest not to smile.
Damn man…
Ignoring him, I continue to walk back and forth in the waiting room, trying not to let the panic take over that’s building high.
My heart is in my throat, my palms are sweating, and my nerves are completely shot and I really don’t know how he expects me to just sit down right now.
Women give birth all the time, but sometimes, it can go wrong, and it just can’t, not with my mom. She’s a woman in her forties and at high risk and was diagnosed with preeclampsia. I can’t lose her, Dad can’t lose her and my little brother deserves to have the love I had from her growing up…
When she called me five months ago and explained she and daddy were having a miracle baby, I didn’t know what to say at first. I mean, I was in shock there is no doubt about that. I’d just completed eight hours of baking with Mr. Cleo, the top baker at Paris Culinary Work of Arts, to a shocked mom telling me she was four months pregnant and had no idea.
Mom always wanted more kids, but after having me, there were some complications, and the doctor said she couldn’t have any more children. Well, that doctor clearly didn’t know anything because my baby brother is making his way into the world two days before his due date no less, while I wait with Cody keeping me company.
“I hope Dad doesn’t pass out on her like he did when I was born,” I sigh, scratching my head.
Cody chuckles under his breath, and I hold my middle finger up, causing him to full-blow laugh. We were on a double date when my phone rang. He met some girl at the local diner I’ve never been to, which I think the MC owned when I was away. She asked him if we could all go for dinner tonight because she wanted to meet his girl best friend because, of course, the idiot told her I gave him my virginity, and when he called asking if I’d like to do a double date with Mark, the guy I’m currently seeing to help ease her mind, I agreed but mainly because I knew he wanted to meet the guy I met three months ago at college.
She was standoffish at first with me, and before I got the call, she started to come around with me until Cody stated he was coming to the hospital, which pissed her off because, well, he did pick her up.
I tried to decline him coming, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He loves my mom and wants to meet the baby when he arrives, so Mark said he’d take her home after pecking my lips which unfortunately I didn’t feel anything, just like I didn’t feel anything when I slept with him last week.
No tingles, no sparks, and I’m not one hundred percent sure he pushed inside me because I, uh, I couldn’t feel anything all while he was moaning and groaning.
It was the longest five minutes of my life.
“Seriously, Ess, she’ll be alright, they both will,” Cody reassures me. I look at him again and send him a small smile, which makes him smile back at me as my phone goes off.
Shaking my head, I pull it out but frown when I see it’s Mark calling and I walk over to Cody and take a seat.
“Mark?” Cody questions, and I hum in confirmation, and he mutters, “Took the fucker long enough,” making me snort.
We’ve been here for half an hour already, and I haven’t even received a text from him to see how everything is, which says a lot.
“Put him on speaker, I want a word,” Cody growls, and I sigh but do as he asks and press the green button then put it on speaker, but before I can say anything, I hear him groan as a voice I recognize, Wendy, Cody’s girlfriend gasps, “Oh yes I love your big cock….” and my mouth parts in shock as Cody looks at my phone so fast I’m surprised he hasn’t got whiplash.
“Fuck me, Esmerelda never lets me take her fucking ass… you're so tight….” He groans, and I narrow my eyes, my anger taking over because, hello, the guy is acting like we’ve slept together thousands of times when it was only once, and I didn’t even feel anything so her claiming he has a big cock is clearly to make him feel good about himself.
I snap, “That’s probably because we only slept together last week for the first time, and I couldn’t even feel you inside me because you’re that small jackass…”
“What the…” Wendy says with confusion before rustling can be heard, and she gasps, “Mark, you’ve accidentally called–”
I hang up and huff as I sit back in my seat, and my phone rings almost immediately, but I press the decline button and block the dick.
The ass is cheating on me, seriously? With my best friend’s girlfriend while my mother is in labor?
What a jackass!
“She never let me take her ass…” Cody mumbles from beside me, and I slowly look his way to see him glaring at the floor, pouting more about the ass thing than the fact his girlfriend has just cheated on him with the guy I’m dating. Men are so fricking weird.
Cody sighs and looks my way, and I raise a brow as we lock eyes and his widen realizing he didn’t just say that in his head and he quickly sits up and clears his throat then growls, “I mean, how dare she do this to me!”
I chew the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling as he tries to keep a stern face, but his face cracks within seconds. A smirk forms and my grin comes out, along with a little chuckle.
“I’m guessing you didn’t love her then, huh?” I confirm, and he snorts as he leans back and slouches.
He admits, “Nah. She was very pushy for me to buy her shit that I never did, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this isn’t the first time she’s done this.”
I snort then mutter, “Well if she’s after anything from Mark, she’s climbing up the wrong tree. The man made me pay every time we went out somewhere.”
Cody scowls, and I shrug and lean against him, putting my head on his shoulder before he puts his head on mine and honestly, I'm happy he’s here with me.
Despite the crap in high school, this man has become the best friend a girl can ask for.
“Maybe we should just date again,” he says a few minutes later, and I chuckle.
“You know now it would just be weird. We’re like family. Besides, there’s no romantic feelings between us, and you know it,” I remind him. He sighs but doesn’t reply, making me sit up and look at him with a furrowed brow. “Cody….” I try, but he cuts me off.
“I messed up,” he says, “Honestly, Ess, I fucking wish I hadn’t, and yeah, I get it there are no romantic feelings anymore, but I know there could be if we tried.”
I squeeze his arm and he looks in my direction, and I say, “I don’t want to lose my friend, you hurt me back then. You were my first boyfriend, and yes, I could have fallen in love with you, but honestly, I don’t think we were meant to be that way, and you know that is the truth,” I nudge him, “Family Cody, that is what we are.”
He half smiles, then sighs, “But who is going to suck my dick tonight now?”
I laugh and shove him, confirming, “Not me,” making him chuckle. I shake my head before I look at the clock. Sighing, I look towards the door and frown, asking, “Shouldn’t we have heard something by now?”
Cody looks towards the door and then back at me before grabbing my hand and squeezing it tightly. He reminds me, “She was only three centimeters dilated when she was brought in forty minutes ago. Try and stay positive until your dad comes in, okay?”
I swallow hard but nod and sit back before Cody’s phone rings. I smirk when he declines the call, presses a few buttons, and puts his phone away.
“Fucking bitch,” he mutters as he wraps his arm over my shoulders, making me chuckle, and I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes…
“Ess….” Cody whispers as he shakes me. I blink and try to get my bearings before I realize where I am and quickly sit up, looking around before my eyes go to the doorway. I notice a figure I know is my father, but it’s the bundle of joy in his arms that has me grinning wide – My baby brother.
“Aiden Jacobs,” I whisper and stand along with Cody before I lock eyes with my dad, taking mine off the bundle in his arms and everything in me freezes as my smile disappears, and I notice tears in his eyes, and dread fills me.
They’re not happy tears. Heartbreak and pain etch off him, he looks like a man who has just lost half of his soul.
No, no, no, no, no.
“No,” I choke, bringing my hand to my throat, clawing at him as breathing becomes difficult and pain fills me with realization and my dad’s tears fall. “No,” I repeat and take a step back bumping into Cody who wraps his arm around my waist tight as my legs give out, and I cry, “No…”
Screams build in my throat, the urge to break down hitting hard but I try to choke it all back as I breathe heavy, my body shaking of the horror that my mother is dead and my eyes move to the baby in my dad’s arms, my little brother.
Oh god, he’s never going to…
“Please, no,” I cry, gripping Cody’s arm as he keeps me up. “Daddy, please, please tell me she’s okay.” I beg, and he lets out a sob. Cody grips me tighter as my sobs take over my body, and I cry, “No, please, please….”
“She-she hemorrhaged,” my dad sobs, and I cry, watching him looking at his son with despair, not knowing what to do, and I grip Cody tighter as I feel his tears drop on my shoulder.
Not Mom, not my momma, please….
“She-she…” my dad gasps, his pain taking over as his body wobbles and I act out on instinct. Shaking, I quickly scramble out of Cody’s arms, and I rush over to my dad and as soon as I get near, he wraps an arm around me and cries, and I sob, holding him tight so he doesn’t fall before a baby’s little cry echoes, and I look down at my baby brother.
He's the spitting image of Mom. He has her nose and her cheekbones, and his dark eyes are open looking at me. I sob harder, seeing nothing but my mom…
This can’t be happening, please tell me I’m still asleep, please.
I feel Cody’s hand go to my back while Dad and I look at the little miracle, and pain hits me as I sob, “H-he won’t ever-ever know h-how amazing she is…”
My dad holds me tighter, and I cry my heart out as I grip my baby brother’s hand and the back of my dad’s shirt with my other, not knowing how we’re going to cope from here on out.
Life as I know it will never be the same again.