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And underneath that fear was something else… Shame sat on his profile. His wheelchair was sitting beside the bed, close enough for him to see it but too far for him to reach from where he’d fallen.

“Get me in my chair,” Daddy said to the men in the room.

“We got you,” MJ said with a nod.

I turned my attention back to Mama while they worked together behind me.

“Can you stand up again?” I asked.

“I think so.”

“Don’t rush.”

She nodded. I put one arm around her and helped her slowly get back onto her feet. She leaned heavily against me.

“Where’s my phone?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about your phone,” I said as I helped her to her feet.

“My doctor…”

“I’ll call,” I cut her off.

“The hospital bag…”

“One of them will grab it.”

“The car seat?”

“Daddy was outside fussing with MJ earlier; it’s in the truck.”

I could tell that Mama was panicking, but everything was truly ready for this moment. Another contraction started before she could say anything else, and her whole body tightened against mine.

“Ahhhh!”

“Mama, breathe.”

“It’s never hurt like this,” she hollered.

My heart pounded harder. I looked toward MJ. He had one arm braced around Daddy while Tahari steadied him from the other side. They were getting him into the wheelchair carefully, but Daddy wasn’t paying attention to either of them. He was staring at Mama. The second he was seated, he grabbed the wheels and pushed himself toward us.

“Move.”

Tahari stepped out of his way. Daddy rolled right up to Mama and reached for her hand.

She grabbed his immediately.

“I’m here,” he told her.

Tears filled her eyes.

“Something’s wrong, Malik.”

“Shh, shh, we don’t know that yet.”

“I know my body.”

He squeezed her hand.