I heard Kannon, but I kept staring my uncle down. “Your son is a fucking bum, and you have to accept the fact that you raised him to be that way. You’re the reason we don’t get along. You’ve always put us against each other, then you get pissy because he can’t compare.”
“Boy! I will beat you down!”
“Tune!”
A name only Kannon called me soared into the air for a second time, but this go around her voice held an uneasiness that led me to glance over my shoulder. For what felt like ages, time moved in slow motion, seeing Kannon’s eyes roll in the back of her head and her body hit the grass. Like a fish out of water, her frame convulsed then locked up repeatedly. After she revealed what we believed were our biggest flaws, I researched Kannon’s condition. I remembered it was best not to touch the person and make sure there were no hard objects around. I felt helpless watching her seize, so I laid in the grass beside her, not giving a fuck who was watching.
“Come on, baby. You’re all right. You’re all right, Kitty.” I coached Kannon once I saw her limbs relax. When she came to, I couldsee the lightreturn to her pretty, brown eyes, though tears made them glossy.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, breaking my heart.
“Baby, you don’t have shit to be sorry about.” I pushed her hair back off her forehead. “You hit the grass hard. I need you to get checked out.”
She shut her eyes and nodded. “Just give me a minute.”
“I got you. We’ll stay here as long as you need to.”
Echo and Pluto came over and sent everyone watching to the other side of the yard without me having to ask. Eventually, Kannon allowed me to pick her up and drive her to the hospital. Once I told the nurse what we were there for, she took Kannon toa room without making us wait. My stubborn girl got upset when I insisted the nurses give a pregnancy test before performing an X-ray or CT scan, but she agreed when I reminded her of the risk she would take with not knowing.
“Neptune, you are being dramatic. We could’ve taken the test at home.”
“I’ve asked you to do that for a month, and you keep putting it off. Next to having you piss in my mouth and spitting it on a stick, this was the best option.”
“Ugh! You damn right. That was a horrible option.” She balled her lips. “I feel terrible for interrupting another Sinner party. Your family probably thinks I’m a bad luck charm.”
“I don’t care what they think, and you shouldn’t either. I love them for making me solid, but some of their viewsare tainted. Thatdoesn’t have anythingto do with you or me.” I slipped my hand under the cover and squeezed her leg. “I’m just grateful you’re okay. You scared the shit out of me.”
A somber expression mixed with her makeup, yet the nurse returned before I could pick her brain.
“Mrs. Blackstone.”
“Mrs. Sinner.” I corrected her without thinking. “What did the test say?”
The round, black lady smiled and hugged the clipboard to her chest. “Oh Lord. Are you daddy?”
“Daddy? The test was positive!”
“Clear as day. Now, let’s run a few tests to make sure mommy and baby are well. I hope I can send you home to celebrate in a few hours.”
“Kitty,why are you giving me a hard time? I only left the house because you had plans to meet your girls.”
“I know,” she whined. “I don’t know what’s wrong. One second, I was picking out an outfit, then I got caught up in this emotional-ass movie about cats. Next thing I know, I’m laughing and crying.”
“Mama, your hormones are out of order. You only have five months to go.”
“Only?” she yelled. “Ugh. Come home. Let’s lay in bed and eat snacks while you rub on my booty.”
“All right. If I turn around, you can’t change your mind. No lunch with the girls.”
The line got quiet.
“If I don’t go, I’ll never hear the end of it. My girls feel like I’ve abandoned them since we got together.”
“All right, let’s do this. You go to lunch but skip the movie. We can meet at your place by four.”
“Are you sure you’ll be done by then? You told me after the meeting with your family, you have another stop.”
“I do, but it won’t take long.”
