The Black Panther (Discontinued)

Stages ( New chapter )

" Oh my goodness, look how plump she's gotten. Is that my Lily ?! ", Romanda beamed. Lily grinned at my mother before reaching her arms out to her. Most babies didn't want to be held by someone they only met a few times. Romanda nuzzled her face into Lily's while she talked to her like she could comprehend what she was saying. My mother was great with kids, they really seemed to like her. Ahmet just looked disconnected but still managed to smile at his daughter.

" Hey...", he nodded at me.

" How are you ? ", I asked.

" I'm managing...for that one ", he pointed to Lily and Romanda who was balancing her on the counter. 

" I get it ", I sighed.

" How is she ? ", he asks about Harper.

" She's not good at all. She barely talks, has a hard time getting out of bed. The only thing she's doing herself right now is showering and putting her clothes on. Everything else is a real task for her and she refuses to eat. She's lost weight  ", I confessed.

" It won't last much longer trust me. She's resilient and mentally stronger than she thinks. I think she's just more shocked at how far things went. I don't want her to blame herself ", said Ahmet.

" I'm thinking about taking her away for awhile but first I need her stable enough to travel and she is not. Come..I'll take you to her ", I motioned towards the hallway. Ahmet followed me up the stairs to our bedroom. I lightly knocked on the door and cracked it open.

" Harper...you have a visitor sweetheart ", I called out to her. She popped her head up from the mattress and sat up. Storm ran from under the covers and past Ahmet and I, bleating down the hallway. That was my cue to go put her outside with her flock.

" Go in ", I motioned towards the door. Ahmet looked unsure but he carefully headed inside by himself.

Harper pov *

I sat up in my bed watching Ahmet walk into my room, closing the door behind him. I still hadn't fully broken down since everything that happened, but the moment I saw him I burst into tears. He held me tightly to his chest as I finally let go. Ahmet soothingly rubbed my back and after a few minutes I was calm.

" Wow, that must work pretty well on Lily huh ? ", I pulled my puffy face from his shirt and looked up at him. He chuckled at my joke.

" Actually it does ", he smiled.

( Ahmet is played by a younger Chris Paul
Emporer Atsu is played by Dennis Haybert
Empress Naomi is played by Nicole Ari )

" That's because you've been dealing with babies since YOU were a baby ", I referenced myself.

" I always wondered how you turned out so kind. Out of everyone in our family...", I sniffled into his shirt.

" You're good too Harp ", he mumbled.

" After what happened I can't say I am ", I sighed, walking back to my bed. Ahmet sat in a chair in front of me.

" Don't say that ...", he grabbed my hand.

" I'm not. I killed people. I killed people with children...I killed people who were fighting for a cause they didn't fully understand. I was in between a rock and a hard place. If I didn't fight them they'd kill me and my family. If I fought them I'd be hurting them and others ", I shook my head.