Chris stood in front of the casket with tears pouring down his face. As the casket began lowering into the ground, his heart sank with it. Nothing could've prepared him for this day, absolutely nothing. Saying goodbye to the love of his life was nowhere in his plans, yet here he was.
From his peripheral vision he could see Erin's parents and her sister saying their goodbyes. He wanted to be upset with them because he felt if they really loved her they wouldn't have kept a big secret like Erin being adopted for so long. But he realized regardless of that, they lost her too and they were hurting too.
"Chris we gotta' go man." Mario placed his hand on his shoulder
"I can't." He sobbed "I can't let her go." Chris broke down on his knees
The only thing that caught his attention was a baby crying. He looked around in confusion before looking at Mario.
"Mr. Brown." Mario's lips moved but it was a female's voice
"Huh?" He became even more confused
"Mr. Brown." Chris felt a tap on his shoulder
He jumped out of his sleep, hearing baby cries. He got out of the chair and picked up Masiyah, gently rocking her.
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(Pictured: Masiyah/Chris and Erin's daughter)
"I can take your daughter to the nursery if you'd like." The nurse said
"Nah. I'm good." He yawned
"You won't be if you're exhausted. I'll keep a close eye on her." She assured
"No thanks." He said with a little more sternness
"Alright." The nurse began checking Erin's c-section scar
Erin and the baby both survived. But now Chris was waiting and praying on her to wake up. It's been two weeks and Erin doesn't even know her little girl is here.
"Everything looks good with Ms. Daniels." The nurse told him "Would you like anything?"
"No." He fed Masiyah her bottle
"Ok, and please take my advice and get some rest. You're no good to either of them if you're too tired to function." She said before leaving out
The nurse had a point. Between caring for the newborn baby all by himself, monitoring Erin, and trying to squeeze in a little time for himself to do things like eat, sleep, and shower. He was exhausted.
He hadn't let anyone but Mario see the baby because he knew Erin wasn't dealing with her family right now, but he needed some extra help.
He looked down at Masiyah who was holding his finger. "Ready to meet the rest of your crazy family?"
*
"Oh she's beautiful." Lena entered the hospital room
"She looks like me." Naomi smiled
"Oh please, the baby got more hair than that." Lena eyed her sister's bald head
"Oh hush." Naomi chuckled, nudging her
They shared a quiet laugh with each other as they looked at Masiyah sleeping. Chris furrowed his brows in confusion. Thinking to himself
When did they become cool?
"Oh yeah, they working on their relationship." Melanie said to him
He nodded in understanding.
"So, what have they been saying about Erin?" Naomi asked
"It's touch and go. Some days she's showing progress, other days she's declining." He twisted his mouth
"Ok..." she sounded saddened by his response
"Well whatever happens we will deal with it as a family." Lena held her sister's hand
"And Chris, we want to thank you for taking on such a big responsibility by yourself. I know it's probably hard, but thank you man." Terrence shook his hand
"Of course. I'd give my life for these two." He referred to Erin and Masiyah
Chris turned his attention to Mario who was rocking Jr. to sleep.
"You bring me a change of clothes?"
"Yeah." He handed the bag over
"Thanks." Chris grabbed the bag and stood up "Y'all good with watching her a quick second?"
"Sure. Take your time." Lena said
These past two weeks Chris has been showering, eating, and sleeping in the hospital. The nurses were nice enough to let him stay a few nights out of the week so Masiyah could feel close to her mother.
Chris was thankful for that because he wanted to be here when Erin woke up ...if she ever woke up.
*
Later that night, Chris was up talking to Masiyah.
"You have your mama's nose." He smiled at her. Masiyah just gazed at him with her sleepy eyes "We love you so much."
Soon as he said that, the monitor flatlined. Chris quickly stood and rushed over to Erin who was no longer breathing. "Nurse!" He called out
A bunch of doctors and nurses burst into the room "Sir you have to wait in the hall."
"No, what's wrong? Why isn't she breathing?" He held onto Masiyah, nervously rocking her
"Please wait outside." The nurse repeated, leading him towards the door
Chris decided not to argue and let them do their job. All the while, praying hard as he could.
