Ashanti Renèe Robinson, NY 📍

We're expecting baby girl anytime now and I can honestly say I fuckin hate being pregnant. I will never do this shit again.

"Bae what is you doin?" Jay asked as I sat on the edge of the bed with my shoes.

"I'm tryna put my shoes on !"

He laughed at me. It was hard to put these shots on wit this overgrown stomach in the way.

"Let me help you." He said taking the shoe from me.

"No bitch move." I snatched the shoe from him and tried stomping my feet in them. "Got it." I said wiggling my foot out. "They hurt."

"Take them off and wear these then" He said rising my black fur slides on the floor.

"Okay!" I said taking off the sneakers and slipping into the slides.

"Now can we go?" I smacked my teeth and grabbed my purse off the bed.

Aaliyah, Jay, and I were going to get last minute shit to put in the overnight bag for the hospital.

"You guys ready?" Aaliyah asked as we got in the car. We nodded and made our way to the store.

———

Jo'nae Mariè Andrews, NJ📍

"DEMARCUS!" I yelled throughout the house. He was hiding. I reloaded my nerf gun as I walked down the hall way towards his room.

I cocked it back and pushed the door open wit my foot. I walked in and he jumped out the closet with his gun pointed at me. I shot a nerf bullet between his eyes.

"Ah! Jo'nae what the fawk." He said holding his face.

"Oops."

"You ain't get enough of shooting people?" He put his gun down and picked up the bullet that hit him. "This small ass shit. And you aimed it right between my eyes? You a born assassin."

I laughed and put the gun down before flopping on his bed. We been playing nerf battles all day.

I pulled my phone out my pocket and checked it. Ashanti texted me that she was on her way to the store to get the hospital bag ready.

"Awe." I said getting up.

"What's wrong"

"Bro Ashanti is about to birth a whole ass baby." My eyes teared up. I can feel the love.

"I can't wait till she gets here. I can't wait to hold her and spoil the shit outta her."

"Yea yea right right. I can't wait to teach her how to shoot her first gun and he can share skittles when she get some teeth." Demarcus said cheesin.

"Boy shut the fuck up!"

"What!"

"You always mess up a cute lil moment." I left the room and went to mine.

I took the pill bottle off my nightstand and dumped two tablets in my hand before popping them in my mouth and drinking water. Ever since I got shot my nerves been shaken up. I don't feel pain anymore but I do tense to loud noises. The night I killed Laura didn't help. I was fucked up that whole night and the day after that.

"You aight?" Demarcus asked standing in the doorway.

"Yea I'm fine."

Jay didn't want me to take the medicine originally and neither did Demarcus. They were afraid that I would become addicted again. But I believe Im different now.

He walked over to me and felt my head and neck.

"You should take a spa day."

"Why?"

"You haven't relaxed since the day you got shot. You've been so tense and on your feet you need a day to yourself." He grabbed my waist and walked me out the room.

"Man nah ion need no spa day i'm fine."

He ignored me and lead me to the car.

"I'm hungry." I said as he buckled my seat belt.

"We'll get food before we get there."

"I forgot my wallet."

"Fuck yo wallet."

I rolled my eyes. He be doin the most.

———

"Aight you good." Demarcus asked as I sat in the spa chair with a hot towel over my eyes.

"Yes I'm fine."

"Aight imma split I got business to handle." He kissed my cheek and walked out. "Call me when you bout done." He said before leaving.

I laid my head back on the massage chair and took a deep breathe. This was so nice.

———

"Jay come on I'm being fr!" I said taking the bag from him. He kept trying to put them over my head.

"Alright last couple things on your list are.. hand sanitizer and a diffuser?" Aaliyah read.

"Yep." I nodded. "I don't want nobody touchin my baby without sanitized hands and body."

Aaliyah and Jay nodded. We got the items, paid for them, and made our way back to the car. Once we got in Aaliyah already started to make the overnight bag.

"We'll get her clothes from the house and put them in here." She said throwing the empty bags at Jay.

"What I'm supposed to do wit dis?" He said holdin them.

"I don't know that's why I gave em to you." Jay got out the car and threw them away in the cars age in front of the store before getting back in and pulling off.

We made it back to the house and Aaliyah put the baby's clothes in the overnight bag and sat it on our chair in our room.

"Have you guys thought of any names yet?" She asked sitting on the edge of our bed. I was in the bathroom getting in comfortable clothes and Jay was on his phone by my vanity.

"Nah. I haven't." I said through the door.

"There's been so much going on a baby name is the last thing I been thinking about." Jay responded.

I slipped my sweats on and pulled my white tee over my bump.

"Ah!" I said gripping the counter with one hand and my other on my belly.

"Ma?" I heard Jay say as he pushed the bathroom door open. "What's wrong wit you?"

"It hurts!" I said to him. He put his phone down on the counter and rubbed my back telling me to breath through it.

"How does it feel baby?" Aaliyah asked kneeling in front of me.

"Painful."

"Go downstairs and get her some water Jay Jay." Jay left hesitantly and got me a water bottle. I leaned against the counter and drank it.

The pain had gon away.

"Feelin better?" Aaliyah asked. I nodded.

But I spoke to soon. Another pain came and it was worst than the first one.

"Fuck!" I yelled out holding onto Jays arm.

I felt water trickling down my leg.

"It's happening." Aaliyah said.

"What's happening?!" Jay asked in confusion.

"She's going to have the baby!" They both quickly helped me up and down the stairs to the car.

I was in so much pain I barely remember half the shit they was doing. The pain was hitting back to back at this point and wouldn't stop. They were getting worse! The heavy breathing and water wasn't helping.

All I can remember is Jay yelling and running wild. Aaliyah was tryna calm him down while she was on the phone.

It went from yelling and screaming to bright lights and doctors.

"Ashanti Renèe Robinson, that's your name, right?" A male doctor asked. I nodded.

"You're going into labour with your babygirl right now. What you are experiencing are contractions." I nodded.

"Would you like an epidural?"

"The fuck is that?"

"It numbs the bottom half of your body so you don't feel the pain of pushing the baby out."

"Yea sure." I nodded.

"The man with the tattoos and woman with the long curly hair who are they to you?"

"My boyfriend and his mother."

"Okay. Is he the father of your baby?"

I gave him a mug look. Cause the fuck is that supposed to mean.

"I didn't mean it like that ma'am it's been very similar situations like this where the boyfriend is just the boyfriend."

"Yes. He's the father."

"What's his and his moms name?"

"Aaliyah and Jay." I said looking around. "Where are they?"

"Oh well Jay passed out in the hallway when I told him you were moments from having your baby."

I laughed. "Aaliyah is in the doctors office with him while they check him to make sure he's okay. Is this your overnight bag?"

"Yes. It is."

"Okay. I'll go and get them you sit tight." He said before leaving the room.

I smacked my teeth. Like bro where the fuck am I going to go.

———

Demarcus Wayne, NJ 📍

"Shit! Jo'nae come on!" I yelled coming into the spa.

"What what what." She was getting her feet rubbed.

"Ashanti is in labour with the baby come on!"

I watched her grab her stuff together quickly.

"Move girl." She said to the massager.

"You have to pay!" She yelled out. I threw money down on the table and took Jo'nae by the arm and we ran out the door.

I sped to the hospital and up to her room.

When I got there Aaliyah and Jay were in the room with Ashanti. She was holding Jays hand while he held an ice pack to his head.

"Damn what happened there?!" I asked touching the ice pack. He mugged me and turned back to Ashanti.

"How you feelin bestie."

"Get this thing outta me."

We laughed. I can't believe it's happening. The baby is coming.

———