Page 90 of Body Language
Day five, I finally left.
Not because I wanted to, but because I needed to. Because being a bad bitch also meant being responsible. The same way I can pour champagne into a Baccarat glass and sip on a yacht in silence, I can also get back on a flight and be in mom-mode before the wheels hit the damn tarmac.
Hux and Zejah had a doctor appointments.
The first prenatal for her with a new doctor and some counseling resources I’d lined up for him. I told them I’d be there, and I don’t miss when it matters.
Ty held the club down long enough. So yeah, I packed up my lil’ designer duffel. Kissed the view goodbye. Gave Sincere a wink and a thank-you smirk… and got the hell on.
Zejah was sitting on the exam table, legs swinging nervously like a child waiting on a shot, and Hux was damn near chewing a hole through his bottom lip. His knee kept bouncing, and he kept checking the clock like it was gonna speed up time.
I sat in the corner chair with my arms crossed, pretending like I was calm and collected. Like it wasn’t also my first time in that kind of appointment. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, either. I’ve been to checkups for myself. Annuals. Pap smears. A lil’ look under the hood to make sure Ms. Kitty was still purring and premium grade.
But their appointment was about life. About watching two teens who were just learning how to drive now get handed the keys to parenthood. And somehow, I was in the passenger seat of it all.
The nurse came in and smiled at Zejah, asking her a million questions that made her voice tremble when she answered. I could see her hand inching toward Hux’s under the thin paper sheet, and he laced their fingers without blinking.
“First pregnancy?” the nurse asked, typing something into the chart.
I wanted to yell, “Hell yeah, and it better be the last!” but I kept it cute.
“Yes, ma’am,” Zejah said, barely above a whisper.
The nurse looked at me next.
“Are you mom?”
“No,” I said. “I’m the sister-slash-guardian-slash holding this whole damn house down.”
The nurse laughed politely. Zejah looked over at me with those big eyes and exhaled like she was finally safe. Like she believed I knew exactly what I was doing. Joke was on her. We were all about to learn together.
A woman stepped in wearing a maternity scrub top stretched over a perfect, round belly. She had the kind of glow people swore pregnancy gave you, even though I knew damn well sometimes it was just highlighter and good moisturizer.
“Hey, y’all,” she said with a smile. “I’m Talynn Baldwin, your nurse practitioner.” She rested a hand on her stomach. “And this little one in here is Rylan”
Zejah’s shoulders loosened just a little.
Talynn walked closer to Zejah. “If it makes you feel any better, this is my first time doing this too. I’ve assisted plenty of births back when I was an RN. I went back to school to be your provider. My husband’s even an ER MD, so technically, I’m surrounded by all the medical advice in the world” She laughed. “But, I still get nervous. Because I’ve never done this before either.”
Something about that honesty cracked Zejah open in a way my pep talks never could. She gave a little half-smile, like maybe she wasn’t so alone in it after all.
Talynn kept talking, keeping it light and steady. Asking her about school. About how she was feeling. Then she shifted her attention to Hux, who was still glued to Zejah’s side.
“And you,” she said, grinning at him. “First time for you too, huh?”
He nodded, awkward, like he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to saythank youorhelp.
“Let me tell you now, prepare for anything. My husband, Reggie, has more cravings than I do.” She laughed. “Last week, he wanted a burger at two in the morning, and he’s not even the one carrying the baby.”
Even I cracked a smile at that, though I was still side-eyeing my brother like he better soak up every word this woman was saying.
While she kept them talking, her hands worked. She snapped on gloves, squirting gel bottles to the side, and pulled the ultrasound machine closer.
“So,” Talynn said looking at Zejah. “You’ve had one of these before?”
Zejah nodded. “Yeah, but… it just looked like a glob. The doctor said it was really early.”
“Well,” Talynn said, her tone lifting. “Let’s take another look and see what we’ve got this time.”
