“Father, please don’t let this be the end. Please help us to have time to make more memories,” I whispered over Marc’s prayers.
The hands on both shoulders squeezed me again. When Marc said, “Amen,” and everyone else said “Amen,” I exhaled a long sigh and stood on shaky legs.
Turning around, I saw Coach Jesse and Amélie standing behind me. They were the hands that I felt. I wiped the tears from my face that I hadn’t known I cried.
“. . . count to ten?”
“One, two, three, four, five—” Hope filled my heart as I listened to Chanel’s voice. A voice I longed to hear. I pressed my way through the small crowd to where they had her lying on a gurney.
I stared into her lovely face as she looked back up at my confused one. “Is she okay, Doctor?”
“I think she is. Ms. Dubois, I would like to run a few tests if you don’t mind. But let’s get you to the hospital first, okay?”
“Yeah. I mean, I feel fine.”
“When was the last time that you had something to eat?”
“I haven’t eaten all day. I had a pack of peanut butter crackers earlier, but there was so much excitement, I couldn’t eat.”
“Okay. We’re going to get you to the hospital, get some fluids pumped into you, and see about getting you a nice, juicy steak burger and some fries. How does that sound?” Doctor Barrington asked.
She nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
“Come on, Santoro,” one of the medics stated, waving me after them.
I turned back to my team. “Thanks, y’all,” I declared, dapping Wade, Sean, and Marc up before hugging them.
“Anytime,” Marc replied.
I turned away from him and jogged down the hall after the medics, the doctor, and Chanel.
“Are you sure?” Chanel asked, staring at Dr. Barrington.
“The tests don’t lie. We also took blood work, and the exam shows that there’s also a fetal pole there. You are pregnant, Ms. Dubois.”
Joy filled my heart. I thought back to the pastor’s words:“And You shall not only bless them, but You will bless their seed as well.” “Your barrenness is healed, child.”
“I’m pregnant,” Chanel repeated for the third time within a minute.
Dr. Barrington smiled as he gripped her shoulder. “You are, and from what we can tell, you’re four and a half months along.”
“That’s impossible,” she whispered. “I’ve been getting my cycles. I mean sporadically, but that’s nothing new. They always show up and then go missing for a couple of months before they pop up again, sometimes lasting for three weeks straight. They have been more sporadic than normal. I mean, I hadn’t had one for three months this last time, and then it came back for two days before it disappeared again.”
“That is not abnormal. We checked you, and both you and the baby are fine. The fact that they became more sporadic could not only be contributed to your pregnancy, but also the amount of stress you have been under these last several months.”
Our team doctor had been very aware of everything that we had gone through with both Shaniece and Zoe. Not only had we apprised him of some details, but he had already seen a lot in the media, like everyone else.
“I guess we’re getting that start on the family we wanted earlier than expected, baby,” I stated as I wrapped an arm around her.
She pressed her hands to her face in disbelief. I chuckled as the tears fell from her eyes. “Baby, I can’t believe this. It’s a miracle.”
“Yeah, it is,” I agreed.
“Just like pastor said it would be,” she whispered, shaking her head.
“Well, I will allow you two to have some time alone. I’m sure that you’re going to need more than enough to process it. Call me if you have any questions. Young lady, I want you to make an appointment with your ob-gyn as soon as possible. If you don’t have one and need a referral, let me know, and I will get you one.”
“Thank you, Dr. Barrington,” we both stated.
