•••Sequel to Black and Blue: The Calm•••
It's been nearly four years since Nyla Bridges and Elijah Davis have crossed paths. With their relationship ending in the worst possible way imaginable, the two fight to pick up the pieces and rebuild their l...
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Painful contractions ripped through Nyla's body, awakening her from the sleep she'd finally found not too long ago, after several trips to the bathroom. She hissed and held her protruding belly as she stepped out of bed. As soon as her feet met the plush rug alongside of her bed, amniotic fluid gushed from in between her legs. She wasn't due for another twelve days, but the baby girl inside of her had other plans.
She knew that she was pressed for time because her contractions were minutes apart and the pain had only intensified with each contraction. She grabbed her cellphone from the nightstand and ordered an Uber. She stalked inside of the closet and grabbed her articles of clothing. She groaned in agony, having to continuously pause and hold the bottom of her swollen belly while she dressed herself in a pair of spandex biker shorts and a t-shirt. Finally dressed, she slid her feet inside of the Adidas slides and crouched down in her closet to retrieve her hospital bag. She swung the duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed her purse from her dresser before waddling out of her bedroom.
Any trace of humidity had been erased by the cool air of the summer night. With both her phone and keys in her hand, she dialed her mother's number and secured her townhome. "Hey, sweetheart. Everything okay," Sheila knew that if either one of her daughter's were calling at this time of night, it had to be some sort of emergency as both of her girls were well aware of just how early she routinely went to bed. "My water just broke. She's coming, ma," Nyla practiced the breathing techniques she was taught in her Lamaze class while she held onto the railing as another contraction came about. "Did you call the Uber?"
"Yes, it should be pulling up any minute now," Nyla looked into the street. "Okay. Me and daddy are on the way. I'll call Kia and your grandma, and let them know you're going into labor." Nyla nodded while tears coated her cheeks. "Please, hurry and get here," Nyla sniffled and lumbered down the steps. "Baby, don't cry. We'll be there as soon as we can, okay? I love you." Nyla clenched the strap of her duffel bag and stood on the sidewalk, "I love you, too."
She disconnected the line and placed her phone inside of her purse. A few minutes later, her Uber arrived and a woman stepped out of the car, opening the back door for Nyla. The Uber driver took Nyla's purse and duffel bag from her and placed them in the back seat. "Thank you," Nyla climbed in and laid her head back, while she spread her legs and rubbed her belly, seeking comfort for her pelvis. "Please wait for your grandma and papa, little one," Nyla whispered, a wave of emotions hitting her just as hard as the contractions had been doing for the past fifteen minutes.
Although her mother was set to arrive a week prior to Nyla's due date, Nyla knew that when she'd made the decision to move to Philadelphia, five months ago, a two hour drive from the Bronx where her parents lived, she was taking the risk of delivering her child without the support of her family. She had tried to convince herself that she could handle the worst case scenario, but now that it was looking as though she would likely be delivering her baby alone, she was overwhelmed.
