Before she had her son, she wasn't sure if she was ready to do this, especially after what had happened to her, but she felt better knowing that that he would never again be around her. Another part of her was afraid to do this without her mother, she had died four months ago, but she still managed to be present in her life. Even got baby gifts from her, through her best friend. Her father was never really in her life, he left her mother to raise her alone when she was four months old, and she maybe saw him four or five times after that, but Joshua Uley was not father material.
Isla's church rallied around her during this time, and she had a baby shower thrown by them, they had chosen a Noah's Ark theme, and then a month after that one, her good friends threw me a Lion King themed one. She had went into labor just before midnight last night, and she drove herself to the hospital, and her son, Kaden James Uley was born at 1:35 in the morning. She had refused pain meds and an epidural, so she had only opted for Tylenol, which helped.
She slept until 8:30, and glanced over to the bassinet where her son was sleeping before reaching for her phone when she heard it go off, and saw a text message from her best friend, Taliyah. 'Hey, I'll probably be coming over in a couple hours, is there anything you like me to bring you?'
She read the message before responding. 'I will love you forever if you bring me Little Caesars. Hawaiian pizza and some crazy sauce. Oh, and rootbeer please! Thank you! (:
She sent the message before putting the phone down. After a nurse came in to check on her, Isla elected to get a shower. She had briefly rinsed off after the birth, so she went and showered with what the hospital had, but it wasn't much. She changed into a sundress before coming to sit back down on the bed, picking up her son as she fed him and then changed him.
Taliyah came in at 11, true to her word, bringing Isla her pizza and a root beer. "I have your pizza and root beer." She said, setting it on the table. "And." She approached Isla, holding out a thirty-one bag. "I come bearing gifts."
"Oh?" Isla looked over to her best friend, sitting up and legs dangling over the bed. Taliyah handed her the bag, before going to sit down, holding Kaden. Isla placed the bag on the bed and unzipped it, first, pulling out two small Jewelry boxes.
"Those are from your mom." Taliyah said. "She asked me to hold onto them until Kaden was born." Isla opened the first box to find a ring with baby footprints and Kaden's birthstone in the middle, and hers (February) on either side of the ring. The second box contained a matching necklace, with just one stone, Kaden's.
She set those aside to see what else that she had put into the bag. And pulled out a 'mama bear' Yeti cup, travel sized toiletries, medical stuff she would need, baby blanket and raddle, and some snacks. She also pulled out a long sleeved navy floral maxi dress.
"That's for you to wear home tomorrow." Taliyah said. "Are you sure that you don't need me to drive y'all home tomorrow?" She asked.
"I'm sure." Isla nodded. "You have your procedure tomorrow and I have to go by a Target run before I go home." She said. "I'll be fine." Isla shook her head. "I may need you to help me put some stuff in the car in the morning though." Nothing had been said about her not driving herself home, but she knew that they would be wary about letting her go if they knew, not like they could do anything anyway.
"Yeah, of course." Taliyah nodded. "Is there anything you need now?"
Isla nodded. "I have a thank you basket for the nurses out in my car if you'd like to get it out for me."
"Oh yeah, sure." Taliyah nodded, standing up and putting Kaden back before getting Isla's keys from her. "Where are you parked?"
"Parking garage, second floor." Taliyah nodded and left. Isla finally got to eating, putting the pizza box on the bed, and ate a couple slices while watching the news on the TV. She glanced over when Taliyah came back.
"How was Kenai?" She asked, she had asked her to let him out a few times.
"He was good. I believe he's anxious for you to get back home."
Taliyah left a couple hours later, and before Isla knew it, it was the next morning, and she got a shower and changed. Taliyah came by and helped put the stuff in the car before her dental procedure. "Are you anxious about today?" Isla asked her, after signing her discharge papers. Then she changed Kaden and then changed him into his 'coming home' outfit, a white long sleeved onesie with 'Oh Deer, I'm Here' and a pair of navy blue deer head pants with a matching hat on it.
She then put him in his car seat and buckled him in correctly before putting the navy and grey ocean plush blanket on his lap before she put the woodland deer car seat canopy on the car seat, before standing up to leave.
"Yeah, I've never been put to sleep before, but they can't dig out these wisdom teeth with me awake." She gave a heavy sigh, walking Isla out to the car. Isla got Kaden in and secured, before waving bye to Taliyah and drove off. She stopped by Target to get a few things, before finally heading back home. She first brought in Kaden and went up to her apartment/condo and unlocked the door. "Hey Kenai." She smiled, and set the car seat down so she could shut the door. She allowed Kenai to sniff the baby for a moment before she put the car seat on the dining table and took Kaden out, before walking to his room and placed him in the crib, and shut his bedroom door before going back down to get the groceries and other stuff. It took her a couple trips, but she got it all in. She fed Kenai and put the groceries up.
A month went by pretty fast and she had gotten into a routine with Kaden, and she had just fed him and put him down for a nap and was watching a movie on the couch with Kenai when she got the phone call. She put the TV on mute as she answered her cell phone. "Hello?"
"Isla Uley?"
"Yes?"
"This is John Davenport, I am Joshua Uley's lawyer, I regret to inform you that your father is on life support."
Isla was a little surprised to hear that, but she honestly wasn't sorry to hear that. "When did it happen? And how?"
"The other night. He drinking and driving."
Isla rolled her eyes. Typical Joshua. "Okay..."
"Isla, there is no easy way to say this, but, your father left you to handle his affairs."
"I'm sorry, what?"
The lawyer sighed. "I don't know why, but Joshua asked for you to handle his affairs."
Isla shook her head, and sighed. "Okay." She said. "Then what's the next step?"
"Well, first things first, they need you to go in and identify him. And then next of course, is taking him off life support and then burial and all of that."
"Let me guess, he wants to be buried in La Push, right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Okay, which hospital?"
"They took him to Duke Hospital up in Raleigh." He said.
"I suppose." Isla sighed. "I can leave this afternoon, it's only a four hour drive from here." She said.
"Okay. I'll meet you at the hospital when you arrive, and we can go over everything else then."
"Alrighty then. Thank you." Isla said, hanging up. Then she called Taliyah to see if she would go with her. She went to her bedroom and grabbed out a duffel bag as she started throwing a couple changes of clothes in it, before moving the bag to her son's room to get some of his stuff packed, all while waiting for Taliyah to answer.
"Hey, Tali." Isla said when she picked up. "I have a huge favor to ask of you."
"Shoot."
"I just got a call that my father is on life support up in Raleigh, and I have to go to the hospital and deal with that." She said. "Would you mind going with me?"
"Yeah, sure, of course!" Taliyah said. "When are you leaving?"
"Maybe say an hour?" Isla asked. "I'll come and pick you up."
"Sounds good. See you then."
Isla put some of Kaden's clothes and extra diapers and a pack of wipes in her bag. She text another friend asking her to house sit for a couple days or however long she'd be in Raleigh, before packing Kaden up and driving over to Taliyah's place and picking her up. After stopping to fill up with gas and grab something from Starbucks, they were on their way to Raleigh.