Prince's POV:
"Don't move," I whispered the next morning as I squatted down in the bathroom with Mya's body in front of me, a camera in my hand. I had a mission to photograph her pregnancy every month and had found the Polaroids she'd taken on her own without me knowing and put them back so she wouldn't find out. The click of the picture being taken filled my ears and I placed the camera on the counter. My hands cupped her stomach under the flap of material that was unbuttoned and displaying her baby bump that was very slowly making itself more noticeable. Not just to me, but to her too. "Beautiful," She was discreetly looking over my shoulder at the photo that had developed. She had specifically told me that I couldn't take pictures of her face due to the paralysis, only her stomach and we'd spent the past hour doing just that with candles as the only sort of light.
Mya's cellphone sounded throughout the room and she eyed the name on the screen before answering. A few seconds later, Brian's face showed up and I waved, furrowing my eyebrows when I saw he didn't have Ian. "Just checking on you. Is you know who behaving himself?" He asked with raised eyebrows. Mya laughed and nodded her head, not mentioning what occurred the day prior. Then, she asked the question I was wondering also. "W..where's b..baby P?" Bowing his head with a smile, Brian mumbled under his breath before turning the camera around. Glam Slam was playing in the speakers and it was confusing why until I saw John entertaining our son in front of the mirror.
"Him and Eric are loving this. This baby..man, he knows you're not here and looks around whenever he hears Anne's voice or sees her. He misses you, Mya. As far as P goes, you know we have a piano..he gets excited when he hears it. It's the cutest thing." I smiled in response and kissed Mya's cheek as we watched John and Eric dance around Ian cradled to John's chest. Mya's friend was singing very off-key and terrible and she was wanting so badly to smirk, but couldn't yet. So, I did it for her. I saw Mya's fingers start tapping to the beat. Her stomach was firmly pressed against the corner of the vanity as her back tensed. She paid it no mind, but pressed her stomach harder into the corner and sighed silently with her shoulders slumped.
"Oh my gosh," John said dramatically as he turned Ian around so he could see everything going on in front of him. "Look ocean eyes, it's you're favorite person ever!" I playfully shook my head as he got closer to the camera until baby P could visionally see us and his expression immediately changed. He had a bond with Mya, one he didn't have with me and it made me question the court system and wonder what their issue was with her.
"Hi doll." John mumbled happily in the camera, greeting Mya with a wave as he held baby P close to his body, who was very excited to see us, but her the most. "This little dude has stolen my heart." Eric came behind him and said hello, his head rested on John's shoulder and I walked away momentarily to let Mya talk to everyone by herself.
"Hello darling." It dawned on me when I turned back towards the camera that they never talked like that around me. "You feeling okay? You need anything?" Popping an apple in her mouth, Mya shook her head and stared back at Ian, who was attempting to gain her attention with his eyes. The feeding tube that was in his nose was delivering food and he was making noises as if to say, "pay attention to me, please!"
"H..Hi buddy," Mya said softly, her mouth twitched, but didn't curve. "I..I miss y..you," Hearing her speak those words so hesitantly, so full of emotion, caused me to sigh sadly. Her hands were shaking and John noticed, but didn't draw attention to it. Instead, he whispered in Ian's ear, who was still fixated on Mya's face.
"Why are you staring at me like me like that? You look angry all of a sudden," John whispered hesitantly. Ian also picked up on her mood change. His bottom lip trembled, but his cries never came, until Mya unintentionally scared him by hitting her leg on the vanity. He started screaming. "You just focus on you and the baby for right now. Okay? Ocean eyes is in great hands with us, well, Brian and Anne since this is where he's staying. But he's okay. I promise. Let me know if that boyfriend of yours does anything. Or, if you need anything, call me. Text me. Blow Eric up. Okay?" Nodding, Mya said her goodbyes and the screen went black.
-
The tradition of bringing me into the shower with her resurfaced shortly after that phone call. Her fingers traced the same place as earlier, but this time, she did it to me before questioning why her neck was scarred and mine wasn't. Not only was she overwhelmed, but she was hurting and trying to hide it from me. Insisting on still having the lights out, she didn't say a word. The shower head was positioned to spray the wall instead of us and I realized what she was trying to do. She was trying to "sweat out" the withdrawal that seemed to creep up on her just as she began to get relief. It wasn't working.
She wanted peace. In that moment, what Brian was trying to make me understand all made sense. Her mind remembered. I never touched her. When I did, she flinched away. Her hands played with mine and then stopped, only to resume seconds later. She was very nervous around me, but her grip never loosened, almost as if she was telling herself that I wasn't someone else. Eventually, she got up, and dried herself off before I did the same, eyeing the scars in the middle of her spine as she walked away from me, severely limping. The pallet I had made on the floor was still there and that's where she went, looking at me watch her. "Y..you have..w..work to d..do?" She asked me softly, attempting to put on the pajama shirt that was directly in her view. She couldn't button it all the way, but she was desperately trying. "I..I don't..w..want to k..keep you f..from it." I knitted my eyebrows together, wondering if she forgot who I was. My expression must've been unintentionally negative because she looked away.
I shook my head gently as I exited the closet fully clothed. I got down on the floor and slowly guided her fingers so she could finish the task she was wanting to complete. "I've worked nonstop since I was a teenager my love. I have enough money to never work again. You aren't keeping me from anything. Even if I did have something to do, you and the baby come before anything else. When Ian comes back, you, him, and the baby will come first before I do anything. Don't think that you're harming my work because you're not." I whispered truthfully, laying down with her and feeling our bodies mold together as she took a breath.
"W..Why d..do y...you..l..love s..someone s..so broken? D..don't you..w..want s..someone d..different?" Holding her waist, I felt her rub my knuckles that were just above her bump and I frowned at the question before Brian's words rang in my ear.
"Mya is still Mya,"
Kissing her neck, I smiled as the hand she couldn't yet feel was rested on her stomach as she awaited an answer. She truly wanted to know and I could only tell her what was in my heart as she turned around to face me. "Why do I love you? Well, for starters, your eyes take my breath away every time I look at you. But, why do I love you? I love you because you are the only person I can be myself with. I love you because you love me unconditionally, even though I haven't been the best boyfriend lately. I love you because you're you, my love. I love the sparkle in your eye when you get excited, especially when you're with our son. Your eyes brighten to a whole new magnitude. I love the silent ways you use to tell me you love me. I love that you continue to fight like you do. I love you because you're real. It's something that I didn't get when you were gone. I thank God every day for bringing you back to me." I paused and gathered my thoughts before continuing. "You are not broken." She cut me off before I was finished and I dug my palm into the skin that was tense on her body, listening to her talk to me with such frustration at who she had become.
"B..But I a..am b..broken b..because I..I can't d..do t..things..l..like n..normal people..a..and I..d..don't tell you b..because I..I know it's..h..hard on y..you." My heart sank at the next sentence that came out of her mouth. "I..I h..heard you..talking t..to..Brian. I..I was o..outside the d..door...but l..left a..after y..you got d..done..talking.." She felt broken because of me and I felt like the worst person as she went to get up again, only laying back down when I slowly brought her against my chest.
"Mya, I didn't mean those things in the way I made it seem. Yes, you're different than you were before and it took Brian lecturing me for the thousandth time for me to let that go. I selfishly wanted the old you back. You're different, yes but that doesn't mean that you're not the same girl I fell in love with. When I said it was hard on me, I didn't mean it in the way it probably sounded to you. Yes, it's hard on me. But, you're not the reason for that. We were together for so long that I considered us common-law, although the state doesn't legally recognize those marriages. In sickness and in health is something that I haven't been taking seriously when it comes to this and I should've been all along. Helping you isn't what is hard on me. I cherish the little moments. I do not care if you need help doing the simplest of tasks, I'm here to help you accomplish them because I love you." I whispered, softly kissing her and trying to contain the tears in my eyes as we switched to sitting instead of laying. She was staring at me, I could feel it.
"It's hard for me to see you struggling every day. It's so hard for me to continue to watch you achieve something, only to have it snatched away. It's so hard for me to hear you cry yourself to sleep on a daily basis because you think you're not a good person. It's so hard for me to know that you truly believe that you don't deserve happiness. It's so hard for me to look at you and see the brokenness in your eyes, knowing I caused more than half of it. It's so hard for me to know that I told you something that is unforgivable and I have no reconciliation of it. It's so hard for me to know that our child could be born early at no fault of your own. I prayed for God to bring you back to me, and I've done nothing but throw things in your face. I'm so sorry. It's hard for me because I constantly have this thought in the back of my mind that something's going to happen to you and our baby. That I'm going to blink and you'll be gone." My biggest fears were finally vocalized out loud to the person I trusted most. The truth. I felt a weight being lifted as Mya's thumb wiped away the tears on my cheeks.
It took her brain a few seconds to process what I had just said and I was patiently waiting for her to move, say something. My heart pounded when she whispered something I hadn't heard since the first few nights we spent together in 1986. She didn't stutter, but the very noticeable slur of her words was making her frustrated as she tried to ask me, pausing every few seconds until the four words flowed off her tongue. That's when I knew she was still the same. "Can I..hug you?"
I laughed softly, the memory of her asking me the first time flashed before my eyes as I nodded and felt her embrace me, her arm she couldn't feel was put behind my neck with the other and I felt her body sway us back and forth, mimicking a gesture I used to do to calm her down. I was terrified. She must've picked up on it because what she whispered next was followed by her lips on mine, a silent way of telling me everything was okay, even though it was far from it. "I..I'm not going..a..anywhere, P. I..I p..promise. I..I'm okay." I closed my eyes and felt the sensation of her grip tightening around my neck. Her sadness was only apparent because I could feel her own tears fall on my shoulder.
"I..I promise. O..Okay? Pr..promise." My pinky finger locked with hers without moving and all I could do was pray that she was right.
-
"Okay, for two grapes, what is this?" I asked softly, holding up another flash card in front of Mya three hours later as we sat on top of the piano in studio B. Her neurologist unexpectedly showed up at my door and said that someone had tipped DCS off about Mya's cognitive deficits and demanded that a neurological exam be done before court. She failed during three different tries, and each time, it broke her heart, even though nobody told her she didn't pass. She knew. The neurologist, Dr. Allen, spoke to me in my office afterwards. She told me that Mya's symptoms were indicating that the damage was far more significant than they anticipated. But, she was very, very slowly making progress towards recovery, cautiously warning me that she could backslide at any moment. Dr. Allen left the results on my desk, told me that she was "never here" before giving the advice that flash cards and repetition had been very helpful to other patients on their road to recovery.
We didn't talk about her failing, the mention of DCS, we didn't talk about any of it. Instead, I asked Amber to pick up various packs of flash cards with words and pictures on them, determined to keep the peacefulness going. She was feeling good for the time being and despite the shakiness her body was exhibiting, she was in a playful mood. Feeding her a single grape, I raised my eyebrows as she concentrated. "You got this mama," I said with encouragement, holding her hand that was resting in my lap. It had the word written beside the picture in big letters, but she couldn't put two and two together. "It rhymes with far. I have one sitting in the parking lot.." Staring at me, Mya's eyes brightened and I smiled proudly at her expression.
"Two grapes. Come on, I know you can do it." I said, holding the fruit I promised her in the palm of my hand as she said the simplest of words with excitement laced in it. She stuttered, but I didn't care. I was so happy to see her making progress, even if it was something as easy as talking. "C..car.." I put the flash card down and kissed her cheek, then her lips.
"H..Hey P?" She asked me as I placed my feet down on solid ground and watched her stretch her body, laying on her stomach with her legs spread apart. "C..Can you play for me? I..I like hearing y..you play." I sat down at the bench and placed my fingers on the keys, taking a breath before I played a song I had never done on the piano. Mya was forcing me to reconnect with the past and as the room filled with a melody I hadn't played since the album's release in 2004, her head raised in confusion and curiosity. Her face twisted as I sang. Her eyes closed with concentration.
"I don't wanna go too fast, cause if I do you just might stay.." I stopped playing when I saw tears in her eyes. Before I could ask her what was wrong, she asked me to keep going. "P..please.." She was adamant and I knitted my eyebrows together, holding my gaze. Instead of continuing on the piano, I dug around the files on my computer until I found what I was looking for and pressed play. The Dance started to play through the speakers all around the room and the curious look returned.
"May I have this dance?" I asked with an extended hand, frowning when she shook her head and attempted to curve her lips. "I c..can't dance P," She whispered softly, laughing when I wouldn't take no for an answer and put her feet on top of mine without a second thought.
I led Mya around the room to the beat of the music and felt her body move against my own, our hands intertwined. The beat dropped and Mya's lips found me after I spun her around, catching me by surprise. Her head tilted and I hesitated when she backed me up against the wall. More of Brian's words rang when she pressed herself against me. She could miscarry at any time. Picking her up, we switched places and I shook the thought out of my head. Music blared, our lips moved in sync, and I was savoring every moment. Mya's right hand began to mess with the buttons on my shirt as I removed hers and threw it somewhere in the room. I popped the buttons on my shirt and also threw it somewhere before I hesitated.
Dr. Smith told her to take it easy and here she was, not doing that and I wasn't helping. "Maybe this isn't a good idea mama, you're supposed to be taking it easy." I mumbled softly. "No stress,"
Mya Johnson had always figured out a way to make me do what she wanted, and I always caved. This was no different and I put her down to remove her pants and my own, kicking the items of clothing out of the way and laughing out of nowhere when I picked her back up. Her legs tightened around my waist and my mind was racing with what ifs when I walked over to the couch and laid her on it. "S..stop worrying. We're o..okay." She whispered in my ear, seconds before she kissed my lips and pulled away. Smirking, I decided to trust her word as I placed my hands on her knees and positioned myself. "You tell me to stop if it's too much." Nodding, Mya looked up at the ceiling and froze with the movement of my hips before her body synced with mine, almost subconsciously until my head started spinning.
The sound of pleasure that escaped both of our mouths was drowning out any noise that I should've heard. The look of Mya about to go over the edge was the only thing I was focused on. I was fascinated with her. Every curve, every movement. The way she whispered "P" as her toes curled and her back arched. The feeling of satisfying her after so long was intoxicating and we both lost control shortly after the last groan of my name was spoken.
-
Hello hello. :) part SIX - "TIME" is here! This part and the final part of seventeen is the beginning of the healing journey for Mya and P and in all honesty, this chapter made me so happy..😭
•unedited!• if there are any typos, anything that doesn't make sense, mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix asap
Until next time...
💜