Chapter 6
MYA
When I woke up, I was so confused. It seemed like I’d been asleep for a long time. It was barely daylight outside. I looked over at the recliner to see Christian was gone. I frowned slightly and picked up my phone to see it was six thirty in the morning. What the hell? It was barely three in the afternoon, the last I remembered being awake. I was wanting to go to the bathroom but was lightheaded. Christian had insisted I waited for the nurse.
Picking up my phone from the tray, I opened my text messages to see I had a few new ones. A couple were from my dad, one was from Jasmine, and the last two were from Christian. Since he was a country boy, I knew he probably got up with the chickens, so I chose to read his first.
Just checking on you, baby girl. Did they figure out why you had a fever?
Umm… it’s eleven o’clock, and I’m about to go to bed. I’m a little nervous that I haven’t heard from you. I’ll try again in the morning.
I didn’t remember having a fever. That pain shot must have really put me on my ass. But for nearly an entire day? Something wasn’t right. I responded to Christian’s text messages.
Good morning. I barely remember much from yesterday, but I do remember you coming to see me. Thank you for checking on me. I just woke up, and the last thing I remember was trying to go to the bathroom and you telling me to wait because I was lightheaded. So I’m confused as to how I slept for so long. I hope you have a great day, and I hope to hear from you later.
I hit the send button then checked the messages from my dad and my girl. They were both just checking on me, but my dad was more concerned. That man didn’t play about me. I responded to him, letting him know I was out of it and would call him later. No sooner than I sent the message, there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” I said weakly.
The person opened the door, and when my dad appeared, I smiled. “Girl! I was so damn worried about you. Why haven’t you been answering your text messages?”
“I just woke up from yesterday. I don’t know what they gave me, but I don’t remember much of anything past two or three yesterday afternoon. I just texted you.”
He slid his hand down his face, clearly upset. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“Baby, you don’t owe me an apology. I owe you one. I shouldn’t have left you up here by yourself.”
He set a bag on the couch and came to my bedside to kiss my forehead. He rested his forehead against mine for a moment, and that was when I realized just how nervous he was. “Daddy, you don’t owe me an apology. I’ve been fine. I told you to leave and to go relax at my place.”
“I shouldn’t have listened to your stubborn ass though.”
He sat on the couch and pulled out snacks he’d brought for me. When I saw the Wheat Thins, I nearly had a fit. I loved the hell out of those crackers. I could literally eat an entire box in one sitting. Between them and Doritos, I was a lost cause. I wouldn’t even eat food if I stayed stocked up on those. It was safe to say I loved them, real bad.
There was a knock on the door, distracting me from my snacks, and then they entered. I was pretty sure it was the doctor or a nurse. When they came around the wall, I saw it was the doctor. “Good morning, Miss Ceasar. I’m Doctor Patel. How are you feeling this morning?”
“Okay. Just a little confused.”
“I can understand. So yesterday… you had a sudden fever. We originally thought there was an infection of some kind, but your bloodwork and urine showed nothing of the sort. I truly believe that your stress levels may have caused this. It’s called a psychogenic fever because psychological issues have caused it. Have you been under stress frequently… before the loss of the baby?”
“Yes. I was stressed the moment the baby was conceived because of the way it happened. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. So probably for the past two months or so.”
“What about before that? Everything pretty normal?”
I glanced at my daddy, and the doctor apologized. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t ask if it was okay to speak in front of your guest.”
“It’s okay. That’s my daddy. I just don’t want him to be worried about me. He tends to do that anyway, but I don’t want him to go overboard trying to help me with something he can’t help me with.”
I cleared my throat as my dad stood from his seat and approached my bed. He grabbed my hand. “Mya, it’s my job to worry and be concerned about you. I love you, and you’re all I have left.”
I closed my eyes briefly. “Honestly, ever since my mom died over ten years ago… it’s like I’ve been searching for something or someone to replace her… replace her love. I miss the hell out of her. The couple of failed relationships didn’t help. Then on top of all that, I work for myself, and I probably put a lot of pressure on myself to write the next book, topping the last one in performance.”
“Yes. That’s a lot. I would really like to refer you to a psychiatrist that could possibly help you through your thoughts. Did you go to grief counseling after she passed?”
“Yes. For like a year or so.”
“Okay. Well, other than that, you are doing great. You may have had a slight reaction to the Dilaudid as well. Well… not a reaction, but it made you sleep a lot more than the normal reactions to people who take the medication. Have you been sleeping well?”
I shook my head. “Well, it probably helped you to crash then. That’s probably why you slept so long. The nurse charted that you woke up to eat a little of your dinner, but when she came back to check on you, you were asleep with the fork still in your hand.”
I smiled slightly, and my dad seemed relieved that I was physically okay. “Okay, Miss Ceasar. We are going to be discharging you today. The nurse is drawing up the discharge papers as we speak. I saw that you lived in Houston. Did you want me to refer you to a psychiatrist there?”
“No, sir. I can have my PCP do that.”
“Okay. Please be sure to do so. I truly believe talking to someone can help you navigate through what you’re feeling.”
“Yes, sir.”
He shook my hand then my dad’s and left my room. However, my nerves heightened when I saw Christian standing there. My dad frowned as he stared at him. Christian nodded and extended his hand to my dad for a handshake. “Christian Henderson, sir.”
My dad shook his hand and nodded. “Andre Ceasar, Mya’s father.”
Christian nodded and turned his attention to me. “Hey. You good?”
I nodded and smiled. “I’m going home today.”
Suddenly, memories of kissing his soft lips flooded my memory. My face heated up, and apparently, I’d turned red, because my dad said, “Mya, you okay?”
“Yes, sir. Just embarrassment flooding my mind as some things come to memory.”
My dad frowned then looked up at Christian. Christian gave nothing away by his facial expression, but I could tell by the way he stared at me that he knew exactly what I was talking about.
“Wait! You aren’t the guy that?—”
“No, Daddy, he’s not. I met him here. He was here for the birth of his nephew, and I was walking.”
“Barely walking,” Christian interjected.
I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes. “He helped me back to my room and has been checking on me ever since.”
My dad nodded. “Okay. You’re here kind of early though.”
“I’m an early riser mostly. When she responded to my text messages from yesterday, I knew she was awake. They gave her that pain shot, and she was out of there in minutes.”
“Yeah, Daddy. He’s a country boy. He probably had to get up and feed the chickens.”
He frowned, then a smirk appeared on his lips. “First of all, lil author, we have workers that do that shit. Excuse my language, Mister Ceasar.”
My dad lifted his hands. “She deserved it.”
My eyes widened as I turned to my dad. “You’ve only been around him two minutes and you’re already taking his side?”
“He’s here to see about my baby at seven in the morning. He’s all right in my book.”
I rolled my eyes as Christian flashed the most gorgeous smile I had ever seen. Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When he noticed how stuck I was, he bit his bottom lip and winked. My eyes fluttered, and I averted my gaze on who was entering the room. The lady walked around the wall with my breakfast tray, so Christian moved to the side.
“Good morning! You have guests early. I wanted to get you your tray first since I heard you were being discharged,” she said then winked.
“Good morning. Thank you so much. My dad and my friend. They both seem to be overprotective.”
“That’s a good thing. Good luck to you.”
“Thank you.”
She left the room, and I pushed the tray away from me. I didn’t want that shit. I tried to eat breakfast yesterday, and it made me feel worse. My dad lifted the lid, and just the sight of the grits had me gagging. They were way too runny.
Christian chuckled. When I turned to him, he said, “My mother owns a diner in Nome. If you feel up to it, y’all can stop through on your way to Houston.”
I frowned slightly, and he noticed. “My bad. You probably don’t have anything presentable to wear. Y’all can still stop, and I’ll get y’all food to go.”
“For real? That’s sweet, Christian.”
He waved his hand. “It ain’t nothing. I ain’t got shit to do today.”
“Baby girl, how are we gonna get your car home?” my dad asked.
He wasn’t slick. He was trying to get Christian to Houston after his last statement. “We can come back and get it when I’m feeling good enough to drive.”
Christian’s lips twisted to the side. “Mya, I can use the business’s flat bed and haul your car to Houston. I just need to go get it. Let me go get it, so by the time you get discharged, I’ll be back.”
Before I could respond, he kissed my forehead and turned to leave. “I’ll text you when I get back. If you don’t mind, Mister Ceasar, I’ll need your help.”
“No, problem. Thank you.”
When Christian left, my dad said, “That’s a real man right there.”
I rolled my eyes, but I knew he was right. The way his lips felt on mine and the way his tongue invaded my space told me that much. There was so much passion inside of him, and he was allowing me to see it for whatever reason. Despite the hurt he’d gone through, he was still receptive to having a relationship again. I could only hope that I could eventually do the same.