72

The next day: Sunday night...

Stephanie

"Mommy's almostttt done Fat Fat. I know you want me to hold you baby..." I said to Nasir over his loud cries as I finished up changing his dirty diaper.

Throwing it in the trash, I made my way back over to his bassinet and carefully picked him up.

Laying him on my chest, I paced around the cold hospital room bouncing him up and down trying my best to sooth him.

"Alright alrightttt, shhhhhh..." His cries began to get quieter and quieter as I rubbed his back in circular motions.

"Wanna lay down with Mama? Huh?" I said to him, slightly smiling. "Come on..."

I walked to my bed and pulled the heavy covers back. With him still in my arms I slowly climbed under them, careful not to hurt myself or him.

Once I finally got situated and comfortable, I switched him from my left arm to my right one.

"Heyyy Mama Fat Fat..." I smiled looking down into his dark brown, almond shaped eyes that were wide open.

He's such a good baby, and it's so crazy how he's the perfect mix of Jaceyon and I. It looks like he has more of his father than he has of me though, but that's okay.

He's prefect. Absolutely perfect.

Nasir is 3 days old, and all of this is still super surreal for me. Am I dreaming? I still cannot believe that I gave birth to this chunky baby.

I still have yet to get a call or anything from anyone in my family back home in Louisiana, but I decided not to dwell on it to much. I'm sick of being sad and crying about it.

I just want to enjoy these special moments with my son.

And speaking of family, I haven't seen Angel, Dave, Kendall, or Zoie since they left yesterday. They never did come back like they said they were going to. Jaceyon also left earlier this morning saying how he'd "Be right back", but that was earlier this morning and it's now 7:45 PM.

I'm not sure what everyone's doing, but it must be really important that they had to leave me in this room by myself with my newborn baby.

I'm not sure what to say or think about anyone at this point...

"Stephhhh, we're backkkkk!" My thoughts we cut off by the door swinging opening and Jayceon, Angel, and Dave busting through it.

I didn't even want to look at them, so I just chose to keep my eyes down on a wide awake Nasir.

"Where the fuck have y'all been?! I've been in here with Nasir all by mys-"

"HEYYYYYYY MOMO BABY!" I instantly shut my mouth, absolutely shook hearing the sweet voice of my Grandma Gail.

Looking up with my mouth wide open, that's when I saw all of my immediate family/ favorite relatives were standing right there in the middle of my hospital room smiling from ear to ear: Momo, Uncle Deon, my cousins Rudy, Marcus, and Kent.

"We hea Niecey!" Uncle D said to me excitedly. "Yeah Steph! We hea!" Rudy chimed in.

I didn't say anything back, but's not like I didn't want to...

I was to shocked to say anything, and once they realized that I wasn't replying to them, all of their big smiles faded.

"You ain't happy da see us, Niecey?" D asked in a concerning tone.

"We already know you prolly ain't happy bout nobody callin ya, but Jd wanted ta surprise you Stephanie. We wanted to too..." Marcus said frowning.

"Yea baebeh. Angel, Dave, and Jaceyon just picked us up from tha airport." Momo said.

Out of no where, I threw my head back on the bed and tears came pouring out of my eyes causing everyone to rush up to me.

"I thought you guys forgot about me..." I choked out between my loud cries with my eyes closed.

"Nooooo Steph! We'd neva forget about you!" They all said in unison.

I calmed down feeling Momo and Deon give me small pecks all over my cheeks and forehead. I lifted my hand up and touched the tears that were coming out of both of their eyes.

"We love ya Niecey." He said through his sniffles. "I love you guys too..." Momo wiped all of the tears that were on my face.

"Y'all wanna hold him?" I asked holding Nasir up in my arms a little bit. Before anyone could get a word out, Rudy and Kent jumped up and down.

"OOH, ME ME! I WANNA HOLD HIM FIRST!" We all chuckled watching them push and shove each other as they made their way to the right side of the bed.

"No the hell! This my first great grand-baby, and I'M holding him first." Momo Gail said smiling making Deon, Kent, Marcus, and Rudy roll their eyes to the back of their heads.

She walked over to them with her hand up like she was about to pop them.

"DO IT AGAIN I SAY! DO IT AGAIN!" She threatened making us all flinch.

If there's nothing I don't remember about my childhood, I remember the pops Momo used to give us. They used to sting like hell. She didn't even have to whoop us to make us get right, because that one hard pop did the trick.

"MOMOOOOOO, ALRIGGHT STOPPPP!" We whined, and she put her hand down.

"Alright ni, y'all betta get right." She said through pursed lips.

Carefully picking Nasir up out of my arms, she gasped looking down at him.

"Awwwwwww, my baaaaabbyyyyy! He sooooo chunkkkkyyy! Heyyyy Momo Chunky Wonky!" She cooed to him as she sat down on the small red couch that was next to the bed.

Everyone else we and crowded around her smiling at him.

"They told us you was fat man, but they didn't say you was this chonky! Heyyy!" D said to my baby.

"How didn't ya mama know that you was in dea?" Kent asked in a shy baby voice.

"Oh yeah, and Niecey..." Deon took his attention off of my son and gave it to me. "How come ya neva tol us them doctors said you couldn't have chiren?"

"DEON, DON'T START!" Momo sternly uttered.

"No Momo, we wanna know too." Marcus joined in.

"No Mo, it's okay! I umm, I didn't find out until I moved here. I just didn't want anyone to pity or worry about me..." I mumbled as I played with my hands.

Jaceyon and Angel came to me and pecked both sides of my forehead sweetly.

"Stephanie, you ain't stupid. You know why that is, don't you?" I looked at him and we made eye contact.

There was nothing but pure rage in them that no one probably saw but me. He was hiding it very well, and that's what scared me the most...

I slowly nodded my head yes. "Uh, y-yeah. Unfortunately, I do."

Grandma Gail laid the baby down carefully in Rudy's arms and stood up.

"Listen I want all of y'all to know that I'm upset just as much as y'all are, and when I first found out I blamed myself more than I blamed Antwon and Tina, because I let Stephanie suffer with them for all of those years. I know I ain't got control over y'all anymore because y'all all grown, but I don't want any of y'all doing anything that you'll end up regretting or that'll get you in trouble. I MEAN THAT. That goes for everyone in this room; y'all too." Her voice cracked as she pointed at Dave, Jd, and Angel.

"We get that Ma, but all I'm sayin is is that I'm not letting that shit go. I'm not letting it go Mama..." D sat down at the edge of my bed, shaking his head.

"Me neither..." Kent, Rudy, and Marcus said.

"Let's just enjoy this moment with Steph and her little miracle right now. Can we do that? Please?" She asked everyone in the room, desperately.

"Of course Momo." We all replied. Sighing, she laid down next to me.

"Now, you men go get us women some Chick Fil A or something." All of the boys sucked their teeth.

"But wait Momo, I can't have that..." I said to her. She drew her head back and bucked her eyes at me.

"And why not? Who said so?" Her voice became high. "The doctor... You know I have to eat the food hospital cooks for me."

"Well I'M MOMO, and I said that you can have Chick Fil A. Like I said y'all men, get y'all asses up and go get us some food."

Angel took Nasir away from Rudy and laid him down in his bassinet.

"Mannnnn..." They all got up and walked out the door groaning. Hearing it snap shut, Angel and I chuckled at her.

Holding her hand, I gripped it extremely tight.

"I'm so glad y'all are here Momo. I don't know what I would do if y'all couldn't be here. I really thought that you guys weren't coming..." She lifted my head up and looked into my eyes.

"You know we wouldn't miss anything this special. We love you baby, and don't worry

bout that shit with your parents right now. Enjoy these moments with Nasir. I damn shoal wish I could go back to the times where y'all were that small." We giggled at each other.

"I love you Momo." I stated to her.

Holding me tight, she kissed my cheek for the millionth time. "I love you more Baby."

Three knocks on the door made all of our heads shoot up. Dr. Kyle then walked in.

"Hey Steph-" He stopped everything that he was doing once he spotted my grandmother on the side of me. Momo sat up fully.

"Oop, oop, oop!" Me and Angel's messy ass said repeatedly, tapping each other on the arm.

"Who's this beautiful woman, Stephanie?" He walked over to her side and shook her hand.

I watched in excitement as they gazed at each other lovingly.

"Dr. Kyle, this is my grandmother Gail Latamore that I was telling you about." I smiled while introducing them.

"And Momo Gail, this is Dr. Tyler Kyle. He delivered Nasir!" Angel smirked.

"Hi Dr. Kyle..." Momo said shyly. "No, call me Tyler... Tyler."

Putting her hand up to her face, she hid her beautiful smile as she giggled. "Okay Tyler..."