The Birth of a Young Prince.
Heavy rain spat down onto the ground in North Philly, the Heaven's in an uproar. In the hood of Philadelphia, where the rich folk would never dare go near, in a broken-down house with toys spawled all over the dead grass on the lawn and loud rap music thumping out of houses along the derelict street, Cookie Lyon had started having contractions with her third son. A son she'd had her fingers and toes crossed would be a little girl, but apparently God just didn't feel like giving her what she wanted. Third times didn't seem to have a charm, anymore.
Her sons, Andre, and Jamal had been ushered to their shared bedroom when Cookie had started having contractions, so they wouldn't be in the way of the commotion. Cookie lounged back on the beige couch, trying to get comfy to no avail as her back and stomach ached, uncontrollably. Seeing as she and Lucious had been through the labor thing twice already, they knew there was no point in going to the hospital when her contractions were still quite far apart. The old hoopty with the driver's side door duct-taped so Lucious' ass wouldn't fall out, wouldn't be able to survive a trip to the hospital only to be sent back home.
In an attempt to soothe his wife's pain as she rubbed her stomach and rested her head back against the pillow propped underneath her neck, Lucious massaged her feet with oil Carol's 'friend' had given her. Cookie had vowed never to use it, knowing the kind of friends her sister kept, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Lucious' finger kneading her palm of her foot felt quite nice, briefly distracting her from the exhausting pain she was in.
"How you feeling now, baby?" Lucious questioned, concerningly, peering up at her through hazel eyes when a contraction passed. Cookie slumped her shoulders down in relief.
"I'm okay," she mumbled back. "How many minutes apart was that?" she questioned, having forgotten to keep count.
"30, baby." He answered, chuckling when she loudly kissed her teeth with annoyance. She was more than ready to get this baby out. She loved pregnancy, but damn did she hate the labour. "You're doing great, Cook," he praised, rubbing her knee with a smile beaming with pride.
"Am I? I feel like crap," she murmured as she laid her hand atop of his and gently squeezed.
He rubbed his thumb on her knuckles, affectionately. Lucious leaned his head forward and rested it against his wife's stomach. His smile widening into a grin when he felt, what he was sure to be, his son's head pushing back. He definitely had Cookie's head shape just like Andre; round and circular. But of course, he would never tell his wife that in fear of getting slapped or punched. Cookie stroked the back of his neck, distracting herself from the pain by being attentive to her husband. Lucious was way more affectionate than her - it was something she and Carol joked about a lot - however, whenever an opportunity presented itself to love on her man to show her appreciation for all he does for her and their family, that's exactly what she would do.
Just as he was about to drift into a peaceful sleep in a less than ideal position, his eyes shot open and his system went alert when Cookie's hand closed around the back of his neck tightly and strangled hisses of pain tumbled out of her lips, alongside a few curse words. He pushed out of her iron hold and squeezed her hands when he saw her jaw clenched.
"Hey, baby, it's all right. You've got this," he promised, rubbing her knuckles. "Breathe through it." He encouraged. "Like this," Cookie peered at him through her pain and mimicked his breathing. "That's it, Cook. That's it."
When her contraction passed, her death grip on his hands loosened and she came to rest her forehead against his. "It's that time again," she muttered, disgruntledly. "If there's ever gonna be a next time, it's your turn to be pregnant."
"Shit, if that means I get a chance to pig out without you calling me a fat ass, I'll happily do it." he joked.
Cookie laughed. "Shut up, stupid."
As the contractions got stronger, Cookie's hunger for some Chinese food grew greater. Lucious dabbed her forehead with a hot rag as she breathed through the contractions pulsing through her. His sweet words of encouragement brought a slight smile to her pained face. Pregnancy sounds great until it comes to labor. Cookie chanted her in her head 'Never again, never again' but with a slicking talking, fine ass husband like Lucious, 'again' was inevitable.
"You know what I want right now?" Cookie questioned as Lucious rubbed her aching lower back.
"For this to be over?" he guessed with a chuckle.
Cookie hummed. "That, and some Kung Pao Chicken."
Her husband's lips quirked up. "Right now?"
She turned to peer at him with a pout. "Please."
Lucious stared at her with pursed lips. He could never resist the sweet face she put on when she really wanted something, and since the Chinese place was only around the block, he bowed his head in defeat and sucked his teeth when Cookie's face lit up like a crystal ball. In a durag and basketball shorts, Lucious pecked his wife's lips before jogging up the stairs to find something more appropriate to wear. It would only be his wife to be craving a takeaway between her thirty-minute contractions.
"Baby, I won't be long." He told her, kissing her mouth again. Cookie patted his cheek, affectionately. "You sure you gon' be okay?" he questioned with furrowed eyebrows.
"Lucious, this isn't my first labor. I'll be fine," she assured. "I'mma call Carol now, anyway." She gently pushed his chest. "Go get my food."
He stood to his feet and shook his head with amusement. "Yes, Ma'am."
When he had got back, Cookie had damn near snatched the food from his hands and stuffed it down her throat. He patted her back and occasionally scolded her to slow down before she choked, but her excuse was that she wanted to enjoy her food before she had another set of contractions thanks to his 'big-headed', inconsiderate son'. Lucious had just smiled and rubbed her back. Carol had reached the house when all Cookie had left was pork balls and chips, and boldly commented on Cookie being a 'fat ass'. Lucious had excused himself to the bathroom when the two sisters had started arguing, wanting to protect his ears.
Throwing a pork ball at her sister, Cookie snapped; "I don't know why I bothered calling you! I was better off calling the neighbourhood crackhead...Oh wait, that is you!" she exclaimed.
Carol's mouth dropped as she pointed a finger at her big sister. "You so lucky you not pregnant right now!"
"I'm lucky? Oh no, bitch, you lucky!" she retorted back. "Because I would've beaten yo' dumbass like ten times already!"
"Oh really?" Carol pulled out her earrings. "Come get me, bitch!"
"Try me, hoe."
Just when Cookie went to swing for her little sister, she paused when she felt a trickle of water spill down her leg. Glancing down at the wet patch, Cookie didn't know whether to scream 'Hallelujah' or cry because of the intolerable pain that was soon to come. With a hand on her hip, she called out;
"Lucious!"
Her husband came barrelling down the stairs and looked between Cookie and Carol before glancing at the small puddle on the floor.
"I'll get the car ready." He told her. He couldn't contain his excitement, even he tried, as a grin rose on the corners of his mouth.
"I'll get the hospital bags. Same place?" Carol asked with their argument long forgotten.
Cookie nodded and slowly waddled to the couch to try and relax, which was short-lived as a powerful, cramping contraction consumed her body. She fisted the side of the sofa and clenched her teeth, cursing Lucious in her head all over again until the pain subsided.
"It won't start," Lucious announced, jogging back into the house in a slight panic as Carol lugged the bags down the stairs.
Cookie's eyes snapped to his. "The hell you mean it don't won't start?"
"The damn car won't start, Cook, and from the timing of your contractions, a taxi is gon' take too long."
Cookie's eyes began to narrow at her husband. "What are you saying?"
"We gon' have to have young boy here."
"Here?" she repeated. She looked around and scoffed. "Of course. Just my luck." She sucked her teeth. "Carol, go get me some towels and Lucious, go wash yo' hands. Let's have this damn baby."
"A little enthusiasm wouldn't kill you, Sis."
With a straight face, Cookie forced out a dry; "Yay."
As they approached the finish line and Cookie could barely talk, as all energy drained from her body from pushing, she squeezed her sister's hand - probably breaking a few fingers - and listened to the soothing sound of her husband's voice coach her through the labor. Most men wouldn't want front row seats to their lady's cooch pushing out their child, but Lucious was more than ready. He and Carol had switched positions and he was playing Nurse like a Boss as the lady on the phone instructed him on what needed to be done.
"I can see the head!" he exclaimed. "We're almost there, baby. One big push," Cookie took in a deep breath before pushing as hard as she could, ignoring the cries of her sister as her fingers suffered. "Keep going, keep going. That's it, baby. You're amazing. Amazing, Cookie!"
Cookie slumped back and released Carol's fingers with a heavy sigh when loud, barrelling cries spilled out like music into the room. Tears pricked in her eyes as Lucious murmured 'We did it' with astonishment. She leaned up and gazed with a soft smile at her husband peering down at their son like he was the entire world and more.
"Lucious, give her the baby," Carol demanded with a laugh. Cookie chuckled when her husband snapped out of his trance and carefully put their son into their arms and covered him with a fresh blanket. Cookie's lips pouted as she gazed down at her beautiful baby with curly hair - thanks heartburn - and wrinkly little hands pressed against her chest. Lucious came beside her, and kissed her forehead.
"Thank you." He murmured.
"For what?"
"For giving me a family."
She turned her head and kissed his lips. "I love you."
"So, you gon' reveal what you called him?" Carol asked, unapologetically, interrupting a tender moment.
Cookie sucked her teeth. "Hakeem." She whispered as she cradled the baby against her chest.
"Little prince's name is Hakeem."
-
It's not the great, but it's something. The goal is to end this book when I write 40 one shots in total so enjoy!
Oh and here's a little bit of the one shot that I removed;
Lightning struck outside the Lyons' home in North Philly. Heaven's in an uproar. Inside the home, Cookie was passed her due date, getting awful cramps, and preparing for contractions to come. As rubbing her stomach in a soothing circular motion, Cookie rested her head back against a cushion and peered down at her husband beneath droopy eyes to watch as he poorly painted her fingernails. She didn't understand how such a great artist - not just in music, but drawing, too - could suck so badly at a simple nail painting job.
"Man, are you in Kindergarten? Draw inside the lines!" she exclaimed, exasperatedly, as the nail vanish dripped down her thumb.
Lucious, loudly, sucked his teeth as he wiped away the mess. "Why do you even need your nails done?" he retorted, incredulously. "You're giving birth, not having a photo shoot."
Cookie's eyes rolled skyward. "It's a good damn thing I'm not going to a photo shoot because with nails like these," she shook her head. "They'd laugh me out of the door." she proclaimed.
"I'm tryin'!" Cookie snorted. "Why you got to be so rude, woman?" he asked, gently popping her thigh and chuckling when she, childishly, whined. "I'd blame it on the hormones but you're like this all the damn time, man." Cookie narrowed her eyes at her husband. "But I love you this way." He quickly added, not wanting to get on the wrong side of his pregnant wife.
"Damn right you do," she muttered before lifting her hands up so she could softly blow on her nails. Lucious smiled, adoringly, at her before standing to his feet, "You want some water, baby? Another cushion? A blanket-"
"I'm good, baby," she promised, interrupting his tangent. "Come hold me," she exclaimed, outstretching her arms.
Lucious smiled at the sight. "But, your nails,"
"Please."