Lonely Heart (13 page)

“Good grief, Yaz,” Ebony said as she walked around the bed. “He got her here, that makes him okay in my book.” She extended a hand to me. “Thank you for looking out for our girl.”

“Not a problem.” I accepted the handshake and ignored the gray glare.

A groan from the bed drew everyone’s attention. Kaitlyn appeared increasingly uncomfortable.

“Can you guys give me and Antonio a few minutes alone?”

The trio complied, but not before giving her a kiss on the cheek, rearranging pillows yet again, and of course, giving me a once over on the way out…everyone but Tiffany who winked instead.

“Sorry, they can be overprotective, especially Yasmine.” She shifted in bed, a flash of pain across her face. “We are all the same age… been best friends since college. They still treat me as if I’m the baby.”

“It’s good to have friends who care about you, especially when you’re estranged from your family.”

She nodded, then grimaced again.

“Are you okay?”

Kaitlyn didn’t respond, only shifted in bed in another attempt to sit up.

After a moment her eyes met mine, her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something.

I stepped closer to the bed and on instinct, reached out to touch her forehead. Her skin was clammy. “Kaity, talk to me.”

“Antonio…” Her eyes grew wider, pupils dilating. The machines monitoring her vital signs and the baby’s went off simultaneously. Her mouth went slack, eyes rolled back in her head as she went limp.

“Kaity!” Getting no response, I tore out of the room, threw open the door, and yelled for help.

“What’s wrong?”

“What happened?”

“Oh my God!”

Tiffany and Kaitlyn’s friends jumped up from where they sat and rushed towards me. I ignored them and focused on the nurses coming from the opposite direction.

“What’s going on?” the lead nurse asked, as she got near.

“I don’t know! One minute we were talking, the next she got agitated. Her eyes went wide and the machines went off. What’s happening?”

I tried to walk in behind the nurses, but got stopped right along with everyone else.

“I need everyone to stay here. We’ll take care of her, let us do our jobs.” The nurse looked from me to the women behind me. The door shut in all of our faces.

I turned to see the women hugging each other, tears streaming from sorrow filled eyes.

“What happened, she was fine when we left!” Tiffany cried.

I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. “I don’t know, she just…” Unable to finish, I choked.

This was Déjá vu…

As if on cue, the door to Kaitlyn’s room flew open and her bed was whisked out of the room.

“Ms. Rodgers is being taken to the operating room for an emergency cesarean. She’s lost consciousness and her vitals have dropped, so have the baby’s.” Gasps came from everyone behind me. “I need you guys to wait here. I’ll let you know the minute anything changes.” She disappeared behind a door marked “staff only”, the same direction Kaitlyn had been taken.

In total shock, I barely registered Tiffany’s arms as they came around my waist.

“I have to call Zack.”

“I have to call Brian.”

“I have to call our family,” Tiffany said, her voice low. “What do I tell them?”

Coming to my senses, I pulled Tiffany close and let her cry on my shoulder. “Nothing. Right now, we wait until there’s something to tell.”

How long did an emergency C-section take?

Was Kaitlyn okay?

What about the baby?

I crushed the empty soda can with one hand and ran the other through my hair.

A quick glance down the hall revealed Tiffany sitting with Kaitlyn’s friends, huddled together as we all waited on the news. Unable to bear faint sobs and mumbled ‘what if’ scenarios, I’d walked down the hall, using the time to clear my head.

At least they had each other. Besides knowing Tiffany, I felt like an outsider.

I leaned back in the chair beside the vending machine, closed my eyes, and prayed.

I prayed for the wellbeing of the woman I cared for.

I prayed for the safe delivery of her child.

I prayed that for once, death would not find its way into my life, again robbing me of the ones I loved.

My mother. My uncle.

Kaitlyn.

Love.

Admitting love was new for me. Caring was an emotion I knew well. Most of my relationships had been caring ones, including my relationship with Gina.

But my emotions when it came to Kaitlyn were stronger than anything I experienced before.

If something happened…

“Excuse me, are you Antonio?”

My eyes opened to a black man dressed in what appeared to be corporate work clothes. “Yeah.”

He extended his hand. “Hi, I’m a friend of Kaitlyn’s.” My expression must have changed dramatically because he chuckled. “My name is Zack…Yasmine is my wife.”

“Oh, hey.” I accepted the handshake.

“Do you mind if I sit?” He gestured to the empty seat beside me.

“It’s a free country.”

It didn’t surprise me one of her friends came to question me. Kaitlyn’s friends cared about her. Though I found her home alone, no one other than Tiffany knew me.

Besides, it wasn’t like we were involved in a relationship where Kaitlyn would tell her friends about me.

I glanced down the hall; the women stared in our direction. “So either you pulled the short straw or didn’t have a choice.” I nodded in their direction.

“What?” Zack followed my line of sight, then chuckled. “No choice.”

“It figures. Your wife stared me down. I can’t blame her though. Kaity told me how close they all are…like family.”

Zack nodded. “Those three have a bond tighter than sisters. I don’t come between them. Yasmine is a force all her own. Add Ebony and Kaitlyn…they’d probably tear your balls off.”

A chuckle escaped for the first time in what felt like forever. “Really? Is your wife really that demanding?”

Zack shook his head, his attention back on the gray-eyed woman. “No, Yasmine’s bark is worse than her bite, unless you end up on her bad side.”

One look at this Zack guy and it was obvious he loved his wife. He also wouldn’t be playing any games with me, especially since she was pregnant.

“I’ll take that under advisement. How far along is she?”

Zack’s gaze went down the hall again. “Six months. We’re having twins.” The happiness on his face was quickly replaced with fear.

“This can’t be easy on either of you right now.”

“No, it’s not. I worry about Yasmine every day. Don’t get me wrong, the twins are top priority, but my wife, I can’t do without. I’ve been there and it cost me. Now that we’re back together, I will do anything to keep from losing her again.” He peered off into the distance. “I’ve lost too many people I care about already.”

“I feel your pain, man.”

He looked down at his hands. “I lost my mother in this very hospital less than a year ago.”

Talk about having something in common. “So did I, fourteen years ago, when my sisters were born.”

“Sisters?”

“Twins.” I winced, massaged my brow. “Sorry, man. It’s a long story, but seeing how young and active your wife appears to be, she’s in a better position than my mother. She was over forty and had other health problems.” He settled, but I could tell he wasn’t completely convinced.
Time to change the subject for both of us.
“So, what do you want to know?”

Zack found his focus. “How do you know Kaitlyn?”

“We met a few months ago when she brought her car to my uncle’s shop for repairs. She also lives across the hall from my grandmother. I guess our paths have crossed a lot.”

Zachariah’s brow was knitted when I looked up. “What’s the name of the shop?”

“Alvarez and Sons.”

He snapped his fingers. “That’s why I recognize you. I took my car there a few months ago after she recommended the place.”

“Really? I’ll have to thank her when…” I ran a hand over my face, forced my thoughts to stay positive.

Zack surveyed me in my peripheral. “You really care about Kaitlyn, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Even though the baby she’s having isn’t yours?” He gave me a sidelong glance.

If I acted on my feelings for Kaitlyn at this very moment, my feelings about her child would be just as important. I looked Zack in the eye. “Yes.”

He studied me, man-to-man. I didn’t blink. After a few moments of silence, he nodded, then looked away.

“Do you know him? The father?”

Zack leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’m not sure how much I should or could tell you.”

I inclined my head. “I understand.”

“You guys haven’t talked about him?”

“Somewhat. I know the basics. She left him because he didn’t want the baby. It seems there’s something she’s not telling me, but I’m not going to push it. She’ll let me know when she’s ready.”

“You know about as much as I do. He seems decent enough, but you never know what switch will flip when responsibility comes knocking on the door. Some guys embrace it,” He peered at me out the side of his eye. “Others run.”

“Point taken. Does the idea of twins scare you?”

“Hell yes, I’m scared.” He laughed. “But it’s what I asked for. We want a family. Now I’m about to have a son and a daughter. But you have no ties to Kaitlyn or the baby with the exception of caring for her.” Zack angled his head as if reading my body language. “Once this is over, how long do you plan to hang around?”

Frank, honest, and to the point. I liked this guy.

“Until she tells me to go, and even then it’s going to be a fight.”

His eyebrows rose. “Oh, so you guys are in a relationship?”

“No, right now we’re just friends, but…if she’ll have me…”

“Oh man,” Zack sat back, chuckled. “You really do care for her. Wow.” He shook his head. “Let me give you a piece of advice then.”

I ignored the irritation caused by his comment and listened. Any advice he could share when it came to the woman I was falling for would be priceless.

“Kaitlyn has been through a lot, relationship-wise. This guy broke her heart when he forced her to walk away. Right now, she’s hell bent on taking care of herself and her child. How much the father is going to be in it, well, that remains to be seen. If you really want to be with her, just know, you’ll be taking on a lot more baggage than just the baby. Kaitlyn is a very emotional woman. Don’t promise anything you’re not willing to give.”

I was about to reply when a tap on my shoulder disrupted the conversation.

“Excuse me, sir?” It was Kaitlyn’s doctor. “Your wife is in recovery and the baby is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.”

I jumped up from my seat; Zack followed.
Your wife
. There was no need to correct her. The important part was Kaitlyn lived, and so did the baby.

“What happened?”

“Ms. Rodgers experienced near organ failure. We were able to get her into surgery, sedated, and the cesarean done in enough time to save them both. The baby had some issues breathing on its own and has been placed on a ventilator. ”

My hands shook. “When can I see her?”

“Your wife or your daughter?” she smiled.

I swayed and Zack caught me. Kaitlyn had a daughter, exactly what she wanted.

“Both,” I managed.

“Your wife will be out of it for a few more hours due to the heavy medication. Plus we need to keep an eye on her for the next few days and make sure her organs are functioning normally. She’ll be moved from Recovery to ICU in a few hours. A majority of the issues were due to the preeclampsia. Since she didn’t have a history of high blood pressure before the pregnancy, it’s safe to say the fastest and easiest cure was having the baby. Her pressure is slowly returning to normal, but she needs to rest. I’ll inform you when she’s moved so you can sit with her.

“Your daughter,” she grinned again, “is on oxygen, but should be off in a few hours. She came out a little blue because of the issues during the fetal distress, when oxygen stopped being pumped into the womb. She was also affected by the sedative and it took a little bit more to get her stimulated, but I have to say, she’s got a set of lungs on her. Doctor Santini did an amazing job with the delivery. She’ll be under observation for a few days, but other than that, you can see her now.”

“Please, take me to her.”

Attempts to open my eyes failed, so did moving my hand. I focused on wiggling my toes.

Nothing. Even worse, I could barely feel them, much less anything else below the waist.

My tongue felt thick, stuck to the roof of my mouth.

Where am I? What was wrong with me?

Faint voices mixed with the steady rhythm of a beep, beep, beep filled my ears. The whine of a machine and sudden squeeze of my bicep startled me.
Blood pressure cuff.

The hospital…now I remembered

The majority of my day was spent lying in bed with a headache worse than anything ever experienced. Somehow, Antonio got into my apartment and brought me to the hospital. My doctor said my pressure was dangerously high. I was on bed rest until giving birth. Ebony, Yasmine, and Tiffany came and fussed over me.

Antonio…he was the last clear image in my mind. He talked to me, called my name because…

Fear came in full force. As hard as it was to move my IV riddled hand, I found my stomach. The baby bump had disappeared.

Where was my baby?

Unable to move parched lips, I moaned, forcing my eyes to open as much as possible. A bright light from overhead forced me to squint.

“Kaity, I’m here, it’s okay.” Antonio’s voice came from the right side of the bed. “Tiffany, she’s waking up!”

I turned my head in the direction of his voice. “My…baby...,” Tears leaked from my eyes.

Antonio dabbed my face with what felt like tissue. “It’s okay, I’ll tell you what’s going on, but first you need to calm down. You’ve been through enough already.” His attention went to the equipment beside my bed. “Your pressure is still high. The good news is it’s improved a lot since you gave birth.” He moved to the opposite side of the bed where he uncapped a bottle of water.