His hands grabbed my arms first, then his eyes dropped and caught the gun in my hand, and he froze for half a second, like he was tryna understand why the gun was in my hand in the first place.
“Baby,” he said low, “what the fuck goin’ on?”
I shook my head, cryin’ harder, and my words fell out messy. “I shot her,” I choked out. “I fuckin’ shot her, baby.”
Kay’Lo’s face tightened. “Shot who?”
I lifted my eyes to his, and the rain ran down my cheeks so it mixed with my tears, but I knew he could see the truth in my face.
“Echo,” I said, my voice crackin’. “She dead.”
For a second, he ain’t move, and the only thing I could hear was the rain and my breath and the way my heart was beatin’ too hard inside my chest.
Kay’Lo stared at me like his brain was runnin’ through every possible explanation, and none of them was landin’ right ‘cause it didn’t make sense for me to be the one sayin’ this.
Then his hands moved again. He took the gun from my hand immediately, and turned it away from us, checkin’ it. Then he tucked it up and out the way like it was nothin’.
His eyes came back to me, and this time his voice was lower, but it carried weight.
“Baby,” he said, “look at me. Look at me.”
I tried, but I was cryin’ too hard. My whole body was shakin’, and my stomach tightened again, and I grabbed my belly like I was scared I was hurtin’ my baby.
Kay’Lo’s hand slid to my face, his thumb wipin’ my cheek even though the rain kept puttin’ more water there. “You good? You bleedin’? You hurt?” he asked, and his voice got rougher on the last word.
“No,” I whispered. “I’m not hurt.”
He wrapped an arm around me and guided me toward the house, keepin’ his body close like he was makin’ sure I ain’t slip on the wet driveway, but his other hand stayed on my stomach the whole time, pressin’ and rubbin’ like he was checkin’ on My’Love more than he was checkin’ on me. I could feel his palm firm against my stomach, and I could feel how hard he wasconcentrating even though he wasn’t sayin’ much. Kay’Lo wasn’t the type to panic out loud, but he was the type to move straight to what mattered.
“Baby, breathe,” he said low, pullin’ me closer as the rain kept comin’ down hard. “I need you to calm down, baby. Talk to me with your breath right.”
I tried, but my chest was tight and my tears wouldn’t stop, and my hands was shakin’ so bad I had to clutch his shirt just to feel like I was still standin’ on my own two feet. The gun was gone from my hand now, and I ain’t even remember when he took it, but I was glad it wasn’t on me no more ‘cause I ain’t trust myself with nothin’ right now.
Kay’Lo’s hand didn’t leave my stomach. He pressed again, then he rubbed slow, then he pressed like he was askin’ her to answer him.
“My baby,” he murmured. “Come on, My’Love. Let daddy feel you.”
I swallowed hard and looked up at him, and he ain’t give me some long speech or ask a bunch of questions. He just kept his hand there, patient and firm, and I could tell he wasn’t movin’ until he knew our baby was okay.
Then, My’Love kicked…
It wasn’t soft either. It was a real thump against his palm, like she was lettin’ him know she was still in there and she wasn’t goin’ nowhere.
Kay’Lo’s shoulders dropped a lil’, and I felt my own breath finally come out like I had been holdin’ it for too long. I put my hand over his, pressin’ where he was pressin’, and for a second we just stood there in the rain with our hands on my belly feelin’ our baby move around.
Kay’Lo leaned his forehead down to mine, and I leaned into him right back, cryin’ hard but also feelin’ that bit of relief spread through me.
“A’ight,” he whispered, his voice rough. “She good. She right here.”
I nodded, my tears droppin’ down my face so fast I couldn’t wipe them all. “I’m sorry,” I choked out, and I ain’t even know what I was apologizin’ for first.
“Stop…You hear me? We gon’ deal with whatever later, but right now you gotta get in this house and calm down for my baby.”
He pulled back just enough to look at me, then he wiped my cheek with his thumb even though the rain kept replacin’ the tears.
He guided me the rest of the way to the door with his hand still on my stomach like he ain’t trust nothin’ else. Once we got under the covered part by the entrance, the rain ain’t hit as hard, but my body was still shakin’ and my mind was still spinnin’.
Kay’Lo opened the door, walked me in, and kept me close, basically holdin’ me together without sayin’ a bunch of words.
