Queen Bee

April 2002 (1)

Speed walking down the long, badly smelling hallway of the hospital, I scanned every single room number as I passed by them, keeping my eyes peeled for 217. This is the right wing, isn't it? Yeah, there's babies crying in damn near every room. This has to be the maternity ward. As I kept walking, I knew I had to be getting closer and closer. She's gotta be around here somewhere! Fuck, I hope Marshall's already here. I don't wanna have to face Kim alone. 

213... 215... 217! Fuck, finally! Peaking my head gently into the room, I saw Marshall, Paul, some tall woman with red hair, and a nurse who was holding the tiniest little baby girl. Wait. Where the fuck is Kim? 

Knocking on the door ever so gently to make my presence known, I earned everyone's heads cranking towards me. "Yo! Baby! Come in, come in." Marshall quickly gestured for me to come towards him. "This is Tanya, she's the social worker who's helpin' us out with the adoption." 

"Oh! Hi Tanya, it's nice to meet you." I said as sweetly as possible as I made my way over towards Marshall. 

"Hi! You must be Angel, right? Marshall's wife?" She asked as she stuck her hand out towards me. 

"Girlfriend, but yeah! That's me." I replied as we gently shook hands. 

"Oh." Her face twisted, telling me she was confused. "Why did I think you two were married?" Looking towards Marshall, I raised a brow, telepathically telling him this is why he shouldn't go on drunk rants and tell the public something that's not true. "Oh well, my mistake. But you two live together, correct?" 

"Yeah." I said with a nod.

"So you would also be Stevie's primary care taker then, yes?" 

Oh shit. Is that what Kim named the baby? It must be. "Yeah, that's correct." 

"Okay, excellent. So, we just have a few documents for you to sign. Marshall's already signed all of his-" 

"I'm not legally adoptin' the baby too, am I?" A worried look ran across my face as I glanced towards Marshall and then Paul. 

"No, no, no. They're just required as you will be living in the same household as her, and it just says that you are one of her primary caretakers until Kimberly is released next month." Tanya quickly corrected me. 

"Oh, okay." I nodded as a wave of relief washed over me. It's not that I didn't want the baby, of course I did, I just didn't want Kim's baby legally attached to me. God knows that would only cause more problems between me, her, and Marshall. "Where is Kim by the way?" I asked as Tanya began grabbing the necessary documents from her brown folder. 

"She's already been taken back to the prison." Paul answered as he gestured his head towards the door. 

"Ohh." I nodded again in realization. 

"Here you are, Angel. I just need you to sign where ever you see an X" Tanya said as she handed me the papers, along with a pen. 

Sitting down on the hospital bed to start reading them, Marshall quickly interrupted. "Paul's already looked over 'em, ya good, baby." Looking up towards Paul for reassurance, he nodded with his lips pursed out telling me it was okay. As I looked back down towards the papers, I began signing my name over all the X's just as Tanya had said. After about two minutes, I was finally done and I handed them back to Tanya. 

"Perfect. I'll make copies of these when I get back to my office today and fax them over to you for your records, okay?" 

"Okay, that'd be great. Thanks." I replied. 

"Of course." Tanya smiled sweetly at me, revealing two front gapped teeth, almost identical to Proof's. "Okay, well I think that's it. You two- Or should I say three, are free to leave." Tanya smiled once more.