Chapter 27 PLUTO MENSAH
Tril-Land, Jungle Estate
It was late in the afternoon and I was laying in bed with Kaylon feeling like my whole body was off.
My head had been hurting for hours, like something was sitting behind my eyes and wouldn’t move.
Every time I tried to sit up, a wave of nausea rolled through me, and it kept building without ever giving me the relief of actually throwing up.
It just sat there, making everything feel worse.
Kaylon was pressed against me, his little body warm while he moved around, and I tried my best to keep up with him even though I felt like I needed to just lay still and not move at all.
My hand rested on his back while he played with the edge of the blanket, and I closed my eyes for a second, hoping that maybe if I just stayed still long enough, the feeling would pass. But it didn’t.
Pressure was at the restaurant. I had already texted him, and I knew the second I sent that he wasn’t about to just respond back with a message. He didn’t move like that when it came to me, and sure enough, not long after, I heard his footsteps coming toward the room.
The door opened, and I turned my head just enough to see him walk in. He set his duffel bag down by the door without even looking at it again, and his attention went straight to us.
Kaylon lit up the second he saw him and reached his arms out, making those little sounds he always made when he wanted to be picked up. Pressure walked over without hesitation and scooped him up, kissing all over his cheeks while Kaylon laughed and grabbed at his face like he always did.
“Aye, my boy,” he murmured, his voice softer than it usually was, and then he leaned down and kissed me on the lips, his hand coming up to rest against the side of my face.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked.
“I just don’t feel good,” I told him, my voice lower than I meant for it to be. “My head hurt, and I feel lightheaded… and nauseous.”
He looked at me for a second, and I knew he was already trying to figure it out before I even said anything else.
“You start your period?” he asked.
“Not yet,” I said, then added, “but you know it been irregular since I had the boys.”
He nodded a little, but his eyes stayed on me, and there was something in the way he was looking that made my stomach twist even more.
“You need to take a pregnancy test,” he said.
I barely had time to process that before he kept going.
“I’m ’bout to call it in. I’mma have somebody go grab it.”
I frowned a little and shifted in the bed, suddenly not wanting to deal with that at all.
“Can I just take one later?” I asked. “I don’t feel like dealing with that right now.”
He looked at me like he didn’t understand what I meant.
“Why you wanna wait, baby?” he asked. “If you ain’t pregnant, then we can rule it out and figure out what’s goin’ on with you.”
I knew what he was saying, but I also knew him, and I knew that wasn’t the only thing on his mind. He wanted another baby, and that wasn’t something he tried to hide.
The thought of having three kids this close together made my chest feel tight, and I swallowed hard while I tried not to let that show too much on my face.
“I just…” I trailed off, then shook my head a little. “I don’t feel like dealing with it right now.”
He shifted Kaylon on his hip and looked at me again, and I could tell he wasn’t about to let it go.
“Nah,” he said. “We not gon’ play around with that. I’mma get the test.”
I didn’t argue again, even though I wanted to, and just nodded while I looked away from him.
“Okay, Pressure.”
He studied me for another second, then kissed the top of my head.
“I’mma have the nanny come get him so you can rest baby,” he said, glancing down at Kaylon. “Then I’mma come back up.”
I nodded again, not trusting myself to say anything else, and he walked out with Kaylon still in his arms.
The room felt too quiet after that, and I turned over onto my side, staring at nothing while my thoughts started running in circles. I didn’t want to think about another baby right now, and I definitely didn’t want to deal with the pressure that came with it.
By the time Pressure came back, about thirty minutes had passed, and I had barely moved from where I was.
I pushed myself up slowly when I saw him come in with the test in his hand, and my stomach twisted again.
“I’m about to go take it,” I said, already getting out the bed.
As I walked past him, he reached for me, his hand sliding around my waist and pulling me back just enough for him to lean down and kiss me. It wasn’t rushed or careless, and even without him saying anything, I could feel what he was hoping for.
I didn’t say anything either, and after a second, I pulled away and went into the bathroom.
I closed the door behind me and sat down, holding the test in my hand while I tried to steady myself. My head still hurt, and my stomach still felt off, and now my heart was beating faster than it should have been.
I went ahead and did what I needed to do, then set the test down on the counter and sat there, staring at it while I waited.
Those few minutes felt longer than they should have, and I found myself gripping the edge of the counter while I tried not to overthink it.
When I finally looked down again, the result was there.
It was…Positive.
My lips parted a little, and I felt my chest tighten while my heart started racing.
I just sat there for a second, trying to process it, and then I reached for the test and stood up.
When I walked back into the room, Pressure was sitting on the edge of the bed, and the second he saw me, he stood up and took the test from my hand.
He looked down at it, and I watched his face while he read it.
I could see it in his expression before he even said anything. He was happy.
He didn’t say it out loud, but I could see it.
He looked at me and reached for my hand, but I pulled it back before he could grab it and pushed my hair behind my ear instead, trying to keep myself together.
I could feel my eyes starting to burn, and I blinked a few times, not wanting him to see it.
“What’s the problem, baby?” he asked, his voice changing just a little.
I swallowed and shook my head. “I don’t know about this.”
His brows pulled together.
“What you mean?” he asked.
“I don’t know if I wanna have another baby right now,” I replied, finally looking at him.
His expression changed immediately. “That ain’t even an option, baby.”
I let out a slow breath and looked away from him for a second.
“I hope you wasn’t thinkin’ ’bout no abortion,” he added.
I didn’t answer him, and that silence said enough.
He ran his hand down his face, his frustration clear now. “I don’t understand what the issue is.”
I looked back at him. “Pressure, Prestyn not even three yet. Kaylon barely one. I don’t wanna keep getting pregnant back-to-back like this.”
He shook his head. “You knew what you signed up for when you became my wife though, Pluto.”
That hit me wrong, and I felt it immediately.
“So that’s why you married me?” I asked. “So you can just keep knocking me up?”
He sighed, clearly irritated. “I married you ’cause I love you.”
“If you loved me, you would respect what I’m saying,” I replied.
He shook his head again. “You always do this, Pluto. Every time this shit come up, you turn it around on me like I’m wrong for wantin’ a family with my wife.”
I stared at him for a second, then looked away, feeling myself shut down.
I didn’t have the energy to keep going back and forth, and I didn’t feel like he was hearing me anyway.
I walked back over to the bed and got in, turning on my side and pulling the blanket up.
The room went quiet again, but it didn’t feel the same as before.
After a moment, I heard Pressure move, and then the door opened and closed.
He left…
I stayed where I was, staring at nothing while everything settled in at once. I loved my husband so much it hurt, and I loved our family, but this… this felt like too much right now, and I didn’t know how to make him understand that without it turning into something else every time.
My hand rested against my stomach without me even thinking about it, and I closed my eyes, feeling everything hit me all over again.