“Because you’ve been throwing up all morning and can’t keep anything down. That’s what happens.” A pause. “Delphine told me.”
I blinked. “When did you talk to Mama?”
“She called me an hour ago. Said you were in bad shape.” Another pause. “I’m not letting you suffer through it without help.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Didn’t know how to process the fact that Mama had called him, or that he’d answered, or that he was now sending a doctor to our house like it was nothing. When the fuck did they exchange numbers?
“Amai—”
“Dr. Chen will take care of you,” he said, cutting me off gently. “Let her. I’ll check in later.”
He hung up before I could argue.
I sat there holding the phone, staring at the blank screen, trying to figure out what had just happened. Trying to figure out why my chest felt tight and my eyes were burning, and I suddenly wanted to cry for reasons that had nothing to do with hormones.
Mama appeared in the doorway, arms crossed, watching me with that knowing look she’d perfected.
“He’s sending a doctor,” I said quietly.
“I know. I told him to.”
“You called him?”
“You were throwing up every twenty minutes and couldn’t stand without swaying. What was I supposed to do?” She movedinto the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “That man gave me his number weeks ago and told me to call if you needed anything. So, I called.”
I looked at her. “And he just… answered?”
“On the second ring.” Mama’s expression softened slightly. “Said he’d handle it and hung up. Ten minutes later he called back and said Dr. Chen was on her way.”
I didn’t know what to say to that either.
“He’ll send a doctor quick, huh?” Mama said, her voice carrying that edge of humor that meant she was about to say something I wasn’t ready to hear.
“Apparently.”
“I think this man thinking y’all about to be a family.”
The words hit me harder than they should have. I looked away, focusing on the peeling paint on the ceiling and the water stain in the corner that had been there since I was a kid.
“I don’t know about all that,” I finally said. “He has a woman.”
Mama made a sound that was half laugh, half scoff. “Well, why in the fuck she ain’t have his baby? Can’t be too serious if he’s out here sending doctors to check on you in the middle of the day.”
I wanted to argue. Wanted to tell her it wasn’t like that, that this was just part of the arrangement, that Amai was protecting his investment. But the words wouldn’t come. Because deep down, I knew Mama was right. This wasn’t about the contract anymore. This was something else entirely.
And I didn’t know what to do with that because things were going well with Kaisen. He wasn’t hot and cold. He didn’t have a woman. He was hella supportive. Hell, you’d think he was the daddy the way he acted. It was getting complicated because I knew Kaisen wanted me for me. Amai may have only wantedme because I was carrying his child, and the idea of the perfect family looked good. I’d always wonder if he wanted me forme.
Dr. Chen arrived exactly twenty minutes later, just like Amai said she would. She was calm and efficient, carrying a medical bag that looked like it could handle anything. Mama let her in and led her straight to my bedroom without ceremony.
“Truth?” Dr. Chen’s voice was warm, professional. “I’m Dr. Chen. Mr. Landry asked me to check on you.”
I nodded, too exhausted to do much else.
She set her bag on the nightstand and pulled out a blood pressure cuff, a thermometer, and a stethoscope. “Let’s see what we’re working with. When did the nausea start?”
“This morning. Around 5:45.”
“And you’ve been vomiting since then?”
