Page 145 of My Little Doe
Epilogue
December 7th, 1996
My eyes fluttered open, and my bladder was screaming for me to relieve it. I walked with eyes barely open to the toilet. As soon as I stood, a wave of nausea ran over me. I nearly puked. My stomach didn’t feel right. Maybe the chicken we ate last night wasn’t right. My eyes were still so heavy.
The clock read six forty-nine. I crawled back into bed. Quinn wrapped his arms around me. I held onto his hand, rubbing my finger on his wedding band. We got married in October, when the leaves were starting to change.
It was a beautiful wedding, the one every little girl dreams of having. Except that my parents or brother wasn’t there, but Aspen was the flower girl. I’d sent invitations to several family members, but most of them sent a card and an apology for not being able to make the drive. I understood we were quite a ways from Tennessee. Quinn’s family made up for everything. We didn’t do any parent dancing, since he too didn’t have parents. Instead, we did our couples dances and then opened the floor for everyone else.
Quinn nuzzled his head into my neck. I heard him take in a deep breath, then hold it and immediately take in another.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“You’re pregnant,” he whispered.
“What?” I shot out. I tried to sit up, but he gripped me tighter, nuzzling into my neck.
“You’re with baby,” he said.
I wanted to say something, but nothing came out of my mouth.
“Are you okay, Zay?” he asked.
“I… uh… are you sure?” I asked.
“Yes, quite sure. I can smell it, plus if I focus, I can hear its little heartbeat thumping,” he said.
“Heartbeat?”
“Yeah…. Which means you’re close to six weeks or so?”
“I had a period the night of the full moon,” I said.
“I just know what I know, babe,” he said.
“Do you know what today is?” I shot out.
“Yes, it’s Izayuh’s birthday,” he said.
“Yeah…” I muttered.
“What an amazing gift he has given us,” he said.
Silence filled the air for a long while.
“I think I’m gonna call Lina,” I finally said. I’d been assisting Lina with births for the last several months. It was such an exhilarating feeling watching a mother give birth. The first couple of births, while I was elated during the birth, I went home and grieved the birth I didn’t get to have or the baby I didn’t get to bring home. After I’d done six or so, they no longer made me sad. I often came home high from an adrenaline rush. I’d been learning so much from Lina and Callie.
I crawled out of bed and walked over to the dresser, where one of our phones had been installed. I dialed Lina’s number. Thankfully, she was an early riser.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Titi,” I said.
“Zay, are you—is everything okay?” she asked.
“Well… I don’t know… I feel a little ill this morning, and Quinn says I’m pregnant. He can hear the baby,” I said rapidly.
“Oh, okay. Is that a bad thing? Isn’t that what you all wanted?”
