My steps are heavy and quick as I follow behind the nurse who leads the three of us to a room. The sound of kids crying, machines beeping, and people moving hits my ears as my eyes try to remain on my target.
“Here we are. If you can lie Zakiyah on the table for me, please,” the nurse says once we enter room number four.
I am unable to speak, so I nod and gently lay Kiki down as she whines without opening her eyes. Her face twists, and a frown slides into place, yet she doesn’t move from the spot I place her in.
“We received a call from your pediatrician’s office, but can you elaborate on what’s been going on? How long has Zakiyah been sick?” the nurse asks.
I take a moment to review Kiki’s symptoms and how long they’ve been ongoing. With every word, my chest aches as I realize the severity of Kiki’s symptoms. In two years, Kiki has never been this sick. What makes it worse is that there’s nothing in my power to make her feel better. Watching her sick and miserable has me feeling like a failure as her father.
“Okay. Thank you for the information. I’m going to get her vitals, and then the doctor will be in.”
I nod, and my eyes shift to Caziya, who has been otherwise quiet, as she links our hands together. She squeezes my hand gently, and I give her an uneasy smile before my eyes return to the bed Kiki is in as the nurse goes about completing her tasks.
“Oh,” the nurse says, and my brows hike immediately.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Her temperature is 104.3. Let me grab the doctor.”
“Jesus,” Caziya utters.
Words fail me in this moment as intense pain surges across my chest and helplessness settles within my body. I stand and walk to the bed and run my hand over Kiki’s forehead. I frown when her forehead feels like it can boil water or cook an egg.
“My baby,” I whisper.
“She’s going to be okay. You got her here, and these experts have every resource at their disposal to help her get better,” Caziya tells me when she walks up beside me and runs her hand up and down my back in a soothing manner. The longer Caziya rubs my back, the more strength I feel in my body.
Strength is exactly what I need because within an hour, Zakiyah is being admitted into the hospital and taken to a room. The doctor told me that Zakiyah has the flu, and with her high fever, dehydration, and limited food intake, they needed to admit her to better manage her condition. Tears fall heavy from my eyes after I watch the nurses run an IV and hook my baby up to a monitor.
“Alright. What do you need?” Caziya asks once Kiki is settled and sleeping peacefully, oblivious to everything and everyone around her.
My eyes are on Kiki’s small body in the bed that feels bigger, colder, and more sterile than the one she sleeps in at home.
“Just you, Ziya. Th-thank you for being here.” My words are heavy with emotion as I fight to control myself so I don’t fall apart.
“First of all, you don’t have to thank me for doing something that you would have to hire an armed bodyguard to keep from doing. Secondly, you have me. Lean on me, because I got both of you.”
I found out that Caziya is a woman of her word as she indeed had Kiki and me. Kiki’s hospital stay lasted two days, and Caziya, like me, didn’t leave her bedside. It feels great to finally be on the way after the worst forty-eight hours of my life.
“Can you stop by my apartment so I can grab some clothes? I’m going to stay with you two until I’m sure you can be without me,” Caziya says.
Hm. You better pack everything then, Ziya.
“I’m not sure when that will happen. While we probably could be without you now, I’m unsure if either of us will survivewithout you. Make sure you get more than a couple of days’ worth of clothes because Kiki and I are needy,” I smirk.
Caziya giggles, and the sound causes my heart to skip several beats before it returns to its normal rhythm.
“Stay, Pwitty.” Kiki cosigns.
Her voice still sounds raspy, but thankfully, she’s on the mend and much better than she was a few days ago. The light has come back into her eyes, her face has color to it, and she’s eating and drinking like normal.
Thank you, Big Homie. You keep blessing me over and over again.
Another thing that Caziya did was pray over Kiki’s body every day that she spent in the hospital. Then she would pray over me before she would lay my head in her lap and run her fingers through my hair until I fell asleep. I've fallen even more in love with Caziya over the last couple of days, so I must figure out how to make her a permanent part of Kiki’s and my life. We might not need her, but I can confidently speak for Kiki when I say that we damn sure want her.
“I’m not going anywhere, Kiki. I’m going to take care of you and your daddy,” Caziya answers Kiki’s request.
“Otay, Pwitty.” Kiki’s cheerful voice matches the cadence of my heart which lets me know that my baby and I are on the same page.
