The nurse drew blood from Pernelle’s arm first, and then from me, before taping cotton to my arm and telling us to wait for the paperwork.
“Now, that wasn’t too bad, was it?”
“Yes, it was. She tied that rubber around my arm like I was hitting heroin. That shit hurt.”
She complained, but I just let her have it because I wasn’t arguing with her ass.
While she sat there staring at the bandage on her arm, I stepped out and walked to room four, where Cashmier text me they sent her back to. When I opened the door, she was sitting there with her shirt pulled up over one shoulder and her baby resting against her chest. The look on her face said everything I needed to know. Cashmier was tired, and motherhood was whooping her ass, and I’m sure she wasn’t getting help from herbougie ass mama or aunts either. That whole family probably hadn’t changed ten diapers in their lifetime.
“Crew, when are they going to come and swab him? They take their fucking time here I see.”
“Oh, so you are an expert on DNA testing facilities and how long they are supposed to take? How many times has that baby been swabbed for DNA? I mean, does he have any saliva left?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Very funny, Crew, but instead of asking dumb questions, you should be worried about why he’s not latching on to my breast as he should and having to drink formula.”
“I mean, what the fuck am I supposed to do? Whoop the little nigga because he won’t do it?”
“No, of course not. The nurse says it helps if the skin around my nipple is pushed back to extract some milk so that he can taste it and want to suck for more, but it is hard to do while holding him.”
She complained, and as much as I wanted to ignore her, I couldn’t help but notice that the little man was struggling to eat right in front of me. I stood up, walked over to her, and grabbed her breast with my fingertips.
“Ouch, ouch, Crew!” She swung her arm at me.
“Be gentler than that please. My nipples are sore.”
“Alright, I’m trying.” She placed my fingertips where she wanted them.
Surprisingly, he latched on just how he needed to and started to suck on Cashmier’s nipple like it was his last meal, or should I say first. I kind of got caught up watching how this shitworked. I mean, I knew women could breast-feed. I've just never seen it like this up close.
Little man was going to work on his mama when the door opened and snapped me out of the gaze I had on him.
“Okay, we are ready to get started with the process. Since baby seems to be enjoying a meal, we will go ahead and swab the testing adult first.”
The nurse pulled out the long Q-tip and other shit she needed for the testing. First, she stuck the long cotton swab into my jaws to collect my DNA.
After she did that, she disposed of the packaging that she didn’t need in the trash and then made little man unlatch from his mama’s breast, and he started raising hell. He likes to eat, I see. Maybe he could be my son. I laughed to myself.
The nurse wiped his mouth clean of milk, swabbed him, and then, just that quickly, the test was done.
When the nurse left the room, Cashmier stayed seated in the chair that she was in.
“So, what’s next, Crew?”
“We wait on the results.”
“Mmhmm, but when you know he is yours, I would really appreciate some help with him.”
“What did I tell you would happen if I found out that he’s mine? I’m taking him and raising my son alone.”
Cash stood up from the chair, clutching the baby in her arms.
“I can’t believe someone standing in front of me who is a pure mama’s boy is threatening to take a child away from their mother. You can’t stand me because of shit I didn’t even do toyou, but I’m still King’s mother. I love him more than anything or anyone, and you don’t have to believe it for it to be true. You are no other man comes before him now, and I would never risk not being here with him to snake anyone anymore.”
She shook her head at me and then went over to the car seat to place the baby inside.
“How the fuck am I supposed to ever trust you, Cashmier?”
