Page 104 of Jaeda
I hung up the phone and took a deep breath.
“Calm down, love,” Quaid said, chuckling while pulling a shirt over his head. “I’ll get you there in one piece.”
“I just don’t wanna miss this.”
“You won’t. You won’t be any good in the delivery room if you’re nursing a sprained ankle.”
I slowed down enough to get dressed, but I was giddy with excitement the whole drive to the hospital. I loved babies, and I already knew I’d have my little sister as much as my parents allowed me to have her.
By the time we got to the hospital, she was seven centimeters dilated. Those last three seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, she was pushing, with me and Hershel holding her hands. Emelie’s cries were the most beautiful thing I’d heard. She was such a pretty little doll, looking just like her mama.
“I can’t believe you had a whole baby,” Steel said, fingering her chubby cheeks.
“Like I don’t have four already?” Mom said.
He laughed. “Yeah, but you’re hitting fifty soon. Wasn’t this considered a geriatric pregnancy?”
“Kerrion, go to hell.”
“I’m just saying, Ma. Please tell me you’re done now.”
“Yes, I am. These tubes are tied, ’cause there will be no more oops babies.”
Hershel chuckled. “I mean, it was fun making them.”
Their three other children and I frowned.
“Don’t do that,” Steel said. “That’s nasty.”
“The nasty got your black ass here, didn’t it?” Mama sassed.
Steel smirked. “You right. At least Emelie will have someone close to her age to play with.”
“Yeah, ’cause your brothers are slowly repopulating the earth,” my mother said with a giggle.
“It’s uh, . . . it’s not just them.”
I hid my smile as everybody looked at him with wide eyes.
“You’re having a baby?” Kalia asked. “You and Donna?”
“Yep. She’s about six weeks now.”
My mother immediately began to tear up. “I’m gonna be a grandma?”
Steel grinned. “Granny and PaPa.”
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner!” she fussed.
“We wanted to wait a lil bit, Ma. I’m telling you now.”
“Oooh! My baby is having a baby! Come here!”
He handed Emelie over to me and went into her arms where she smothered his face with kisses.
“I’m so happy for you, Kerrion. I know how important having a family is to you.”
“Congratulations, son,” Hershel said, pulling him in for a hug.
