Chapter 38 Nisha
thirty-eight
nisha
The Clam Jam
Nisha Arora
[image of baby with a knitted pink bow beanie and a scrunched-up face]
Welcome Gia Estelle Pierce to the chat. Our tiny bundle joined the world today, weighing a whopping seven lbs, eleven ounces.
Bella Meyer
MY GOD! She is PERFECT, Nisha!
Kavi Case
Ahh, we have been waiting for you to send pictures. Look at those cheeks and that adorable nose! She’s gorgeous!
Mala Meyer
OMG, yes! I’m so jealous Sarina and Piper were able to hold her already. She is so beautiful, Momma! But then again, with your and Patton’s genes, that was a given.
Piper Menon
Not to rub it in, but I got two snuggles in, and I cried both times. And she spit up on her aunt Sarina, so clearly, she’s already picked a favorite!
Sarina Winters
Lies. She just felt really comfortable with me.
Rani Meyer
Oh my goodness! Look at the tiny perfection! I love her name, by the way. Gia Estelle totally sounds like the name of a future CEO, or a mafia don. Either way, she’s going to be running things.
Mala Meyer
Has the girl already perfected your death glare, Neesh? Look at her giving the camera all that sass!
Piper Menon
Oh, she definitely has! She gave us all that ‘I suggest you wash your hands before touching me or risk losing them’ look today. Clearly inherited her mom’s black-belt energy.
Kavi Case
She’s going to be breaking boards before she’s even potty-trained.
Nisha Arora
I wouldn’t expect anything less.
Bella Meyer
How are you feeling, Neesh? Heard you were taken in for an emergency C-section.
Nisha Arora
Like I was opened up like a damn pinata and shook until all the contents came out. I’m going to stay here for a couple of extra days, but we’re both good. Patton’s currently sitting in the hospital chair, staring at Gia like she invented the sky.
Sarina Winters
It’s pretty adorable. Daddy Patton is a whole new era.
Nisha Arora
And she knocks out cold the second he holds her. Same as me. The man could put an entire room to sleep whispering facts about George Washington or the Battle of Waterloo.
Mala Meyer
Are her eyes green, BTW??
Rani Meyer
Holy crap, they are! Don’t you and Patton have brown eyes? @Nisha Arora, do we need to book a paternity test and reveal it on the Maury show?
Nisha Arora
Relax. She’s most definitely Patton’s. The dramatic entrance alone screams she’s a Pierce.
Kavi Case
Then where do the green eyes come from? And speaking of dramatic entrances, I heard Patton almost didn’t make it to her birth.
Mala Meyer
Yeah. The guys were all talking about it this morning. What the hell was that about? Did he lose track of time fixing that gorgeous Hollywood hair?
Nisha Arora
So, plot twist: Patton’s long-lost mom sorta dropped in on his life hours before Gia’s birth. He’d forgotten his phone in his truck and never saw all the missed calls. Yeah, 10/10 on timing.
Rani Meyer
WHAT?! Seriously?
Nisha Arora
Couldn’t make it up if I tried.
Kavi Case
That’s . . . wow. A surprise baby and a surprise mom on the same day. Patton’s head must be spinning.
Sarina Winters
It’s why she forgave him. Can you imagine if he said he was running late because he was stopping for snacks or something?
Rani Meyer
Nisha would have thrown him out the maternity ward window. [GIF of person being hurled out a window]
Nisha Arora
I won’t deny it. I was thinking about all the ways I’d end him until he showed up.
Bella Meyer
And I assume his mom has green eyes?
Nisha Arora
Exactly the same shade as Gia’s.
Mala Meyer
So, what’s the deal now? Is his mom going to meet Gia? Is she sticking around this time?
Piper Menon
Neesh, tell them the rest.
Rani Meyer
There’s more??
Nisha Arora
Remember how I do hair at the homeless shelter?
Bella Meyer
Yeah. Which is so big-hearted of you, BTW. But also, not a surprise.
Sarina Arora
Under my sister’s tough exterior lies a big teddy bear.
Nisha Arora
So, I became friends with this reserved woman there, named Abby. Gave her haircuts, knitted together, all that. I could tell she’d been through a lot in life and was looking for something. Well, surprise, surprise! Abby is Patton’s mother.
Rani Meyer
SHUT UP!
Mala Meyer
No fucking way. That is too wild.
Piper Menon
Doesn’t it seem like something right out of a soap opera??
Kavi Case
Literally one of those “my evil twin got plastic surgery to look like our dad and murdered our mom” moments.
Rani Meyer
So, you were your baby daddy’s long-lost mom’s friend before she found him again?
Nisha Arora
I didn’t know about it!
Mala Meyer
This is some crazy-ass shit.
Bella Meyer
Wow, I have no idea what to say. How are you handling all this, Neesh? Has Abby met the baby yet?
Nisha Arora
A part of me thinks I’m having a bad reaction to all the drugs. But honestly, I’m really happy for Patton. It’ll take him time to digest this and forgive her, but he’s a big believer in second chances.
Sarina Winters
Especially since he got one himself with you!
Piper Menon
And you know he wouldn’t have brought her to the hospital if he had no intention of forgiving her. The man’s an Oscar-winning actor, but he isn’t fooling anyone.
Nisha Arora
We had all the grandparents come and meet Gia just a few hours ago. Abby literally sobbed.
Kavi Case
That is so sweet. But speaking of sobbing, when can we sob over our new baby niece in-person?
Nisha Arora
Give me a couple of weeks to get this breastfeeding thing down and get the hang of things. I’d love to be able to wash my hair at some point, too. Then we’ll have you all over.
Mala Meyer
Knowing you, you’ve already started a feeding and sleep chart.
Nisha Arora
Color-coded, too, obviously.
Piper Menon
You’d have laminated it if you weren’t instructed by your doc to rest.
Nisha Arora
Bold of you to assume I didn’t bring my travel laminator in my hospital bag.
Sarina Winters
The scary part is, there’s a 50/50 chance you actually DID bring one.
Nisha Arora
There is nothing wrong with being prepared for any emergency. Alright, Gia’s waking up again. Will send you details on get-together soon.
Mala Meyer
Sounds good. Dean’s ready to bring the “special gifts” he ordered.
Nisha Arora
Tell him that if this special gift makes noise, it’s punishable by me making him hold Gia after a diaper blowout.
Bella Meyer
Alright, we’ll let you get back to baby snuggles. When you’re ready, we’ll bring food and our husbands.
Piper Menon
And wine. Don’t forget the wine.
Mala Meyer
And dessert!
Kavi Case
Neesh, do you still hate pineapples? I could bring a pitcher of the pineapple margarita mocktails you loved in Mexico.
Nisha Arora
Ugh, TBD. My tastebuds are all over the place. If I can’t have pineapples again, we might have to hold a memorial service for my margarita era. But bring the pitcher anyway. Let’s test fate.
Kavi Case
You got it. Oh, and dibs on the first cuddle with baby Gia.
Rani Meyer
Don’t even think about it. I’ve been preparing for this moment since Nisha told us she was pregnant.
Mala Meyer
Yeah, get in line @Kavi Case.
[GIF of women catfighting]
Nisha Arora
Nice. I expect nothing less than a full-on death match in my living room.