“Marz, I…” Scoffing, she shook her head as her hand lifted up and down. Her mouth opened and closed before she closed the salad container. “I really don’t understand why you’re making a big deal out of this.”
“Because you’re not,” I seethed, trying to maintain a bit of my calm. “You’re the one who said if Daniel found out there was a chance this was my baby that he’d leave you, correct? You wanted to hold off on telling him the truth to protect your relationship.” She nodded as her eyes watered. “But you don’t give a fuck about mine,” I gritted. “I’m trying to plan my future, my life, and I can’t do that with this hovering over me. I need to know if this baby is mine, Kiana.”
“I just… I was hoping we could wait until after I gave birth to have the test done.”
My nostrils flared as I gripped the handles of the seat. The laughter that spewed from my core was an unsuccessful attempt to calm me down.
“For what reason?” I asked, cupping my hands as my head tilted. “I really wanna hear this shit.”
“Well…” Her lips parted slightly as she looked down, and then she looked me dead in my eyes and said, “I’m gonna lose. Either way this plays out, I’m gonna lose.”
“The fuck does that mean, Kiana?” I asked, losing my patience.
“If you’re the baby’s father, I lose Daniel. If you’re not the baby’s father, I lose you.”
“How do you figure that?”
“You can’t tell me our friendship is going to survive this, Marz. If this isn’t your baby, you’re going to hate me for putting you through this.”
“I’m not going to hate you because we don’t know who the father is, but I will absolutely stop fucking with your ass if you draw this out unnecessarily. If you make me wait to find out the truth, I will not forgive you for being so selfish and inconsiderate. What happens between you and Daniel is not my concern. I’m not waiting because you’re scared to face the truth. If you don’t schedule the test, I’m going to tell Daniel about us myself.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Oh, I will call his ass right the fuck now, Kiana. Don’t play with me.”
A low growl escaped her before she snatched her phone off the desk. “Can we just do the test ourselves? I can order a kit and?—”
“Call your gynecologist and have them schedule you for the blood work. Whoever they refer me to for the swab, I’ll go to. Stop drawing this shit out, Kee, and make the call.”
Huffing, she did as I said—finally. When she was done, I stood and left. A part of me wanted to tell her our friendship wouldn’t change when all of this was over, but the truth was, I couldn’t say that for sure.
Once I made it to the car, I called Heir to check in on her. She was visiting her grandmother. Heir wanted me to meet her in case she transitioned soon, but unfortunately, it was looking like it wouldn’t matter. Her grandmother was out of it more than she was present mentally. They didn’t know if it was dementia or her losing her mental faculties because of her sickness. Her body was shutting down, and she appeared to be in a lot of pain, but she refused to go to the hospital. Heir was frustrated because her aunts and uncles went from one extreme to the next. One minute, they’d elect not to give her what she wanted, which resulted in them sending her to rehab and not letting her go home. Now that she was finally home, she was sufferingphysically and didn’t want to go to the hospital, and they were giving in to her with that.
“Hey, babe,” she answered sadly with a sigh.
“Y’all good?”
“I guess. Me and Onesty have been doing some research, and she may have a UTI. Delirium is a symptom of UTIs in the elderly. That would explain the memory loss and confusion along with the rest of her symptoms.”
“Well that would be easy enough to treat, right? Can’t y’all get a prescription for that online, or get a doctor to do a house call?”
“Yes to both. Daddy finally broke down and told his siblings he was going to do the right thing, regardless of how Granny felt about it. She won’t have to go to the hospital, but she is going to get a home visit. If it’s the UTI, the prescription the doctor writes will clear it up. He also said he’s going to draw her blood for some lab work while he’s here. I want to make sure it hasn’t affected her kidneys since they were already looking bad during her hospital stay. They don’t know how long she’s had the UTI if that’s what it is. I noticed her clenching in pain and asked what was bothering her, and that’s the only reason I’m thinking that’s what it is.”
“I’m glad you went to see her then. Prayerfully this will give y’all answers and her relief.”
We continued to talk for a little while longer before I let her go so she could finish her visit with her grandmother. If she was present enough to know who Heir was, I didn’t want to waste their time together on the phone when I could get an update when she made it back home.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Heir
Aries wasthe last to leave, and when she asked to talk to Marz, I knew why. I’d invited everyone over to thank them for helping me and Marz with my situation. It didn’t matter how much his family and friends said it wasn’t necessary, just saying the words thank you didn’t feel good enough. I’d cooked a feast, and we spent the last three or four hours eating, having fun, and truly enjoying each other’s company. When Aries asked to talk to Marz, I excused myself, but she grabbed my hand and stopped me.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she said with a warm smile. “I know you didn’t have to, and I appreciate the invitation.”
“I wouldn’t have a get together for Marz’s family and not invite his mother,” I told her. I understood why she probably felt like I didn’t have to invite her. She hadn’t been involved in what had been going on lately, but I didn’t care about that. I was in love with her son and had gotten a close friend in her daughter. I was grateful for her additions to my life.