Chapter 3
SIN
Commotion outside of Naomi’s door had me snatching it open with a scowl on my face.
“Er’body, chill the fuck out!” I hissed when I came out of Naomi’s room.
Not only was I frustrated as hell, but I was anxious as fuck. All I’d been doing the last two hours was fucking pacing. These doctors weren’t saying shit, and it had me ready to tear this hospital apart.
“My fault, bruh,” Brooklyn spoke up.
“Yeah, and I was tryna save him from killin’ a bitch,” Zoo added.
“What are they saying about my sister?” PJ asked. She and Bri looked equally broken. I hated I had no information for them.
“I don’t know shit yet,” I informed them. Their faces fell in sorrow. “She’s still out, so that’s making shit worse.”
PJ started crying, prompting Zoo to put his arm around her shoulders.
“Our presence is enough to make her ass wake up,” I gathered, mustering up hope I didn’t really feel. “We’re just waiting on results of whatever tests they’ve done. PJ, won’t you go in and let her know you’re here. Hearing ya voice will be what she needs.”
I’d been talking to Naomi since the doctors allowed me to see her.
My baby was hooked up to shit I couldn’t even pronounce.
I swear I’d aged a lifetime since witnessing Naomi hit the court.
My heart stopped, and my brain buzzed with fear as I tried to beat every nigga’s ass holding me back from getting to her.
Noticing the death grip PJ had on Zoo’s hand, I hoped my nigga didn’t reject her needing his support as she tugged him behind her into Naomi’s room.
“They haven’t said anything?” Bri questioned.
I shook my head. “I’m doin’ my best to remain calm, but they’re not makin’ shit better by takin’ so fuckin’ long to tell me something.
” At my wits end, I’d called my mother a little while ago to come up here and help a nigga relax.
A blunt would have did, but I didn’t want to leave Naomi’s side—not even for a second.
Minutes later, PJ emerged from the room, completely in tears now.
“I’m gon’ take her to the waiting room,” Zoo stated. “Their parents are on the way but decided to drive instead of flying.”
“I’m gonna go to the waiting room as well,” Bri said. She went to PJ’s other side and did her best to console her friend.
“As soon as they let me know something, I’ll come get y’all,” I assured them.
“I’ll make sure Dame is keeping everything else under control,” Brooklyn commented. Dame was in California on business with another one of his athletes. He’d messaged me several times for updates that I didn’t have. By now, Naomi’s name was making its way through the sports waves.
Sighing, I took a few deep breaths and walked back into Naomi’s room.
As with the last few hours, she laid quietly in bed, eyes closed, chest slowly rising.
I guess I should’ve been grateful. Her monitor showed that all her vital signs were normal.
That was cool, but I needed more than a machine telling me my woman was alive.
I wiped the moisture from my eyes, praying that this was all somehow just a big dream. Naomi’s parents were hours away. They were likely losing their minds.
Being in love was stressful as fuck. Back when I didn’t give a fuck about a woman crossed my mind.
I’d never want to go back to that nigga, but if anything happened to Naomi, no other woman would get what I was giving her.
To me, Naomi was my soulmate and her being in this hospital bed had me anxious, worried, and… stressed the fuck out.
Peeping at the monitor steadily beeping, it was the only thing giving me hope right now.
According to it, Naomi’s blood pressure was normal, and so was her pulse and oxygen.
Just as I felt relief, a wave of worry eclipsed it.
Naomi hadn’t once awakened since she’d collapsed, and the doctor was taking too fucking long to come back and tell me what the fuck was wrong.
Frustrated, I was heading out of the room to the nurse station to raise hell when I saw the doctor walking towards me.
I went back into the room with him on my heels.
“I’m still waiting for a few tests to come back,” he said without preamble. “What I do know so far is London’s blood count is significantly low, and she’s also pregnant.”
My mouth didn’t hit the floor, but my heart did soar. Naomi was having my fucking baby!
“Aight, cool,” I answered, fighting the urge to cry because a nigga was happy. “So, when she gon’ wake up? Isn’t this unusual?”
“Actually, it isn’t. She’s an athlete and most times, their bodies are put through rigorous training and conditioning. In a word, she’s tired.”
“Okay, but she hasn’t been sick. Aren’t pregnant women usually sick?”
The doctor chuckled. “All pregnancies are different. What one woman goes through, another may not. I’m going to have an ultrasound technician come in and do a thorough exam of the fetus to make sure everything looks okay.”
“Aight.” I sighed. Now, I had more worry heaped onto me. Hopefully, our baby was safe after this.
After the doctor left the room, I went back to Naomi’s side. The chair I’d vacated next to her bed became my seat once again. Sitting down, I took her hand into mine and stared at her beautiful face. She looked so peaceful.
“Hey, Baby.”
I was out of the chair and in my mama’s arms in an instant. Like a little boy, I clung to her as she rubbed my back. Twice her size, I still held on to her like she was twice my size.
“I left your dad in the waiting room with Zoo and Brooklyn, just in case,” she said.
Aside from how I felt, I grinned.
“Have you heard anything yet?” she questioned.
“She’s pregnant.”
If we weren’t in this hospital room, my mama would’ve screamed. Her face transformed into sheer excitement as she quietly clapped and jumped up and down.
Laughing, I said, “Don’t go tellin’ all my business either.”
She popped me on the arm and smacked her teeth.
“As happy as I wanna be right now, I’m scared as hell. I saw her hit that court and it took all the life outta me.”
My mama’s hands palmed my face. “Let’s go outside and talk. One thing I know is that, although sleeping, she can still hear your voice.”
Agreeing, I followed my mom out of the door, but left it cracked, so I could keep my eyes on Naomi.
“What else did the doctor say other than her being pregnant?” she asked.
Sighing, I ran my hand over my waves and said, “Her blood count is low. The doctor hasn’t said what he plans on doing about it until a few more tests are done.
And she has to have an ultrasound to make sure the baby.
..” Shit I couldn’t finish my statement.
My babies had to be okay. Swallowing a clog in my throat, I tried again. “They’ve gotta check the baby.”
Again, my mama’s hands cupped my face. “I know you’re worried, but we’re not gonna worry until they tell us to.”
I heard what my mama was saying, but until I got to see Naomi’s eyes, wasn’t anything going to settle my spirit.
NAOMI
“Relax, son,” Mrs. Renee tried her best to soothed Sin.
“I can’t, Ma. I’m scared as fuck,” Sin admitted. I didn’t understand the concern in his voice.
“There’s no reason for you to be scared, baby boy. She’s in the best place she can be in, and I believe she’s gonna be fine.”
“I’on like her being here in the first place, Ma.”
Mrs. Renee chuckled. “Aside from her being in the condition she’s in, you just got the best news of your adulthood. How do you feel?”
“I feel good, Ma. Naomi is my wife—I know it. There’s nothin’ in me that rejects the knowledge that one day she’s gon’ marry my ass. The fact that she’s havin’ my baby proves to me that she was meant for me.”
My eyes popped open in an instant.
“I’m happy for the two of you,” Mrs. Renee stated. “This is my first grandbaby, and I plan on spoiling him or her forever.”
“Mama,” Sin groaned. “Don’t be ‘round here tryna take our baby, and he or she is not even here yet.”
Chuckling, I groggily shook my head. Sin sounded crazy per usual. He was talking about pregnancies and babies and…
Heart pounding, I took inventory of my surroundings.
Slowly, my gaze fell to my left hand where an IV was neatly dressed.
The line led to a bag of something clear.
There were other bags hanging from the pole, too.
Steady beeping brought my gaze to the machine where colorful numbers blared on the screen.
According to the monitor, my heart rate was eighty-nine. I could believe that for how my heart started racing the minute I realized I was in a hospital. As my heart rate soared, the machine went off with a loud screech.
“Naomi!” Sin busted back into the room, worry lining his handsome face. Mrs. Renee was swiftly on his heels.
He was at my side in an instant. One hand went to my forehead, while the other went to my abdomen.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Before Sin could answer, a nurse breezed into the room, smiling.
“Finally, you’re awake, Mama!” She beamed. She went right to checking my vitals while I was stuck in confusion.
Sin’s lips touched my forehead, then my lips, bringing my attention to him.
“What am I doing here?”
He smoothed his fingers down my cheek and kissed me again but didn’t answer me.
“You fainted, Baby Doll,” the nurse’s cheery ass said.
“Fainted? I was dribbling up the court—” My eyes widened. “The game! PJ!”
Sin stayed me when I tried to sit up.
“Relax, Miss London,” the nurse urged. “Dr. Williams will be in any minute to talk with you.”
“No! Tell me what happened, now!” I demanded.
“Baby—”
Sin was cut off by the door opening. A dark-skinned man in a white coat walked in. He had the brightest white smile that contrasted against his dark skin.
“I’ll step out and get PJ,” Mrs. Renee said and exited the room.
“Good evening, Miss London,” who I assumed was the doctor, greeted. “I’m Dr. Williams. How are you feeling?” he asked while taking a seat in the empty chair next to the bed.