Happy belated holidays everyone!
Many X's and O's and thank you's to:
taydo-the-potato, MoneytheChef, ladyrere1985, The lady of Gaia, anon, razzberry96, shugosailormewmewz21, JacksonKid3, DeLorean Hedgehog, 444teme444, Friday Foster, The Reviewer, Jor-El Smith, janiyah, nanadaprincess08, jazzyhue20, bunnybabe247, aj118, George Patnode, Kluvly, Jazavelli, LovinHueyFreeman, kingofmonsters1, Sodakandy, Katie, okroniiclez, and Kia!
(Thank you messages coming soon)
Don't wanna delay the chapter, I'll explain more at the bottom! Summary: School, BS class that gave me anxiety, stress, drama, no time, no life. But it's a new semester with more time, so it's all good in my hood now:)
Onward! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.
"Uh, is the cop here for me or Riley?"
"Your brother got caught spraying graffiti on... wait. Why would he be here for you?!"
"Uh, no reason!"
Huey Freeman and Robert Jebediah Freeman (AKA Granddad); Riley Wuz Here
Week 8
Saturday, August 11
Riley's POV
He carefully analyzed her movements from beside him. She had barely taken two seconds to hastily throw her hair into a ponytail, resulting in many loose strands falling from it. Her eyes were still red-rimmed, her blue irises seeming even brighter than usual. Her hand shook slightly as she slowly continued to fill out the form the doctor's secretary handed to her.
Riley sighed before lifting his arm to wrap around her shoulders. As soon as he made contact with her, she startled with a light gasp, not even noticing him.
"Shh, it's alright." Riley said quietly, pulling Cindy closer against him as he rubbed her arm and kissed her temple.
"I'm sorry." She responded, putting down her pen before she rubbed/wiped at her eyes, leaning into him.
"Don't be, you good." Riley told her, his cheek resting against her head. "It'll be alright."
He felt her hand slowly grip the side of his shirt as she pulled herself closer to him. "…I'm scared." She whispered.
Riley closed his eyes for a moment and let out a slow exhale through his nose. "I know, babe."
"Riley, what if-"
"Don't do that." Riley cut her off immediately, but gently. "Don't what-if." She was quiet for a moment before she whispered again.
"…But I can't help it, Riley. What if I did this? What if this is all my fault?"
Riley pulled back a bit so he could look down at her, incredulous. Her eyes were full of water again, threatening to fall at any moment. "Cindy, what?" He asked, causing her to bite her quivering lower lip as a tear started to roll. "Listen to me. You didn't do shit, Cindy. Ain't nothin' your fault." He told her seriously, squeezing her arm.
Cindy just stared at him as another tear fell, the remorse in her eyes never leaving. "If something is wrong… I will blame myself. I'm the one who wanted to do two jobs-"
"Fuck that. That has nothin' to do with this." Riley interrupted her.
"We don't know that yet." Cindy countered. "And if it does then…." She trailed off as she took in a sharp inhale, trying to choke back a sob.
"Shhh, c'mere." He shushed quietly, pulling her close against him again. He tried not to think about it as he held her tight. As he felt her tears soak through the thin material of his shirt. As glancing down at Cindy's stomach caused a twinge of pain to reach his heart. But he refused to think the worst. He could only repeat his mantra.
"It'll be alright."
"…But what if it's not, Riley?"
"Cindy, we don't even-"
"Miss McPhearson?"
Both Riley and Cindy's heads snapped up, looking towards the doorway of the waiting room. A small nurse in pink scrubs stood with a clipboard and a timid expression.
"Your doctor will see you both now."
Three Days Earlier; Wednesday, August 8
Riley's POV
"Unca Reezy!" Jamilah exclaimed while giggling.
"Reez, what are you doing to my godbaby? Be careful, please." Cindy grinned, watching them from the couch as they both entered the living room.
"Let me tell you what your godbaby was doin'." Riley smirked, approaching the sofa as he carried Jamilah with one arm, securely around her waist while he held her upside-down. Both he and Cindy chuckled as he carefully lowered the still-giggling Jamilah onto Cindy's stretched out lap.
"Alright, what happened?" Cindy smiled, holding Jamilah while sitting up to make room for Riley. "I don't even nap for five minutes before you both are getting into something?"
"Apparently, I can't be on the phone for more than three minutes before this one's getting into somethin'." Riley pointed to his niece, who smiled easily back. "Wanna tell Aunt Cindy where you were when I caught you in the kitchen?"
"Umm… on a chair." The child told her innocently.
"On a chair doing what?" Cindy asked gently.
Jamilah smiled cutely and fidgeted. "…Getting cookies."
"Getting cookies?"
"From the cookie jar." She explained sweetly.
"Mila…" Cindy began, trying not to smile too much at her cuteness, which was pretty much impossible. "You know you're not supposed to be standing up on chairs like that. You could fall and get hurt."
"I knooww." Jamilah nodded understandingly. "I'm supposed to get you, Unca Reezy, or Granddaddy."
"That's right. Besides, didn't you already have two cookies with your dinner tonight, little miss?"
"Yeesss." Jamilah grinned.
"So I'm hoping that Uncle Reezy got to you in time." Cindy said, glancing up at Riley.
"Uhh, there ain't no need to-"
"Unca Reezy caught me before I got to the cookie jar, Aunt Cindy." Jamilah smiled.
"Okay, good-"
"But he still gave me cookies!" Jamilah beamed.
"Oh did he now?" Cindy smirked.
"Yeah! He gave me three-"
"Alllright, baby." Riley slid his hand over her mouth while scooping her up. "Get your little bad butt out of here and go play." He smiled, setting her on the ground before giving her a light little spank with the back of his hand. Jamilah squealed with a laugh before fleeing the room. Riley grinned as he watched her hurry up the stairs, then slowly turned back to Cindy, his grin turning sheepish.
"Three extra cookies, Reez?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Weak."
"Oh not even, girl." He chuckled, leaning in to peck her lips. "Three extra cookies ain't gonna hurt her." He shrugged before rising from the couch.
"Three extra cookies will hurt her diet, silly." Cindy told him, delivering a whack to his behind when he stood. "And then Huey will hurt you."
"I wish a nigga would."
"You spoil her rotten, you know."
"She my baby. What you expect?" Riley shrugged again.
"Weak." Cindy stated again with a grin.
"You got one more time to call me that before I make you weak." Riley countered, leaning down towards her again. Cindy chuckled before his lips were on hers. He deepened the kiss slowly, causing her to let out a soft moan. When he bit gently on her bottom lip after a while, she emitted another noise before pulling back slightly.
"Weak already?" Riley asked her huskily.
"Shuddup, boy." Cindy smiled, giving him another quick kiss. "What were you doing before you saw Mila in the kitchen?" She asked when she pulled back.
"I was in here with her and you watching TV, but you were sleepin'." He said, going over to the entertainment center.
"I'm so tired of bein' tired, you don't even know." Cindy rolled her eyes. "It's so not like me."
"You pregnant, babe. Get used to it." Riley grinned from over his shoulder. "But yeah, I was in here workin' on this," He briefly held up a medium-sized piece of canvas paper from the shelf. "When I got a phone call about the studio. I left the room so I wouldn't wake you, went downstairs to see about some of the art, and by the time I got back upstairs I caught Mila with the cookies. But that's it. You didn't miss much."
"…What is that you were working on?" Cindy asked, her eyes transfixed on the artwork in his hands. Riley smirked before walking back towards the couch and plopping down beside her.
"Just a lil abstract work." He said, passing it to her.
"Oh wow, Reez. I like this so far." She sounded impressed. It was a detailed pencil sketch of the side view of a young eye. Opposite of it, beginning from the middle and continuing to the right side of the paper, there were objects like flying birds, butterflies, clouds, bubbles, flowers, etc.
"It's supposed to represent how the world's seen through the eyes of a child." Riley explained. "Magical and shit."
"That looks like Jamilah's eye." Cindy noticed with a smile.
"Yeah. I didn't color it in yet. I might change her eye color from brown to green for this picture. Put a lil bit of her mama in this one. Cuz you know Jazmine was… and still is the queen of seeing the magic and wonder in everything." Riley shook his head.
Cindy giggled with a nod and kissed him on the cheek. "I like that."
"Thank you, baby."
"What's goin' on at the studio?"
"The result of leaving Ed and Rummy in charge and unsupervised by themselves." Riley rolled his eyes.
"Oh God." Cindy's eyes widened slightly. Since Riley had gotten his studio building only six days prior, he'd been working hard already to try to get things in place. The past Saturday he had reached out to Ed for some help with the design and set up of the studio. Ed had apparently hired some of the best and fastest painters and designers, even a small crew of furniture movers. Riley had taken all of his completed work, which he had a lot of, to the studio so they could start placing it. But even still, every day since he had been working on something new.
"Yeah. They just keep asking me about what rooms need painted what and where to move certain stuff. Since I'm off tomorrow, I'm gonna go down early to see all they did."
"I can watch Jamilah if you wanna check on them now." Cindy offered, but Riley shook his head.
"Nah. They should be able to handle themselves for one… afternoon… goddammit." He said, fishing out the phone from his pocket after he felt the vibration, only to see that it was Rummy calling this time.
"Yo." He answered, rolling his eyes at Cindy who chuckled.
"Aye Reez. What color did you say to paint the room you want the naturific stuff in? Black?"
"One… naturific is not a word. It's naturalistic."
"Does it sound like I give two fucks what it's called?"
"And two, no. I literally just told Ed about ten minutes ago. I want that room green."
"The designer dude is askin' what kind of green."
"Huh? I dunno, a darker green?"
"Hol'on." Riley heard chatter in the background. "Homeboy said there's like fifty different shades of darker green."
"Nigga-"
"Here he is, he wanna talk to you." Rummy said before clearly handing the phone off.
"Mr. Freeman?" A terse voice spoke.
Riley sighed. "Yeah, this is him. What's going on?"
"Hello, this is Manuel L'Cosa with the design team? We're just having a smaallll bit of trouble finding the exact color and theme you were looking for with some of these rooms. We don't want to misinterpret and have to do a room completely over again, you understand."
"…Right."
"Great. Now then, in regards to the current room of interest, are you looking for more of an army green, jungle thicket, evergreen pine, or anything of the like? Those are just a few of the many darker greens that we have. We also have a few in-between colors from the selection I just mentioned."
Ding-dong.
"What? Wait, hol'on." Riley groaned, rising from the couch. He waved off Cindy who had tried to stand to get the door. "I've got it." He mouthed before heading out of the room. When he reached the hallway, he opened the door and was met by Thugnificent, AKA Otis Jenkins, with his lackey turned sidekick, Leonard.
"What up, lil nigga!" Thugnificent greeted loudly, as usual. He was dressed in his brown delivery man uniform with a small flat box in his hands. "Got these packages for you, dawg. Get in here and set the rest down, Leonard." He ordered, stepping past Riley into the foyer. It was only then that Riley noticed that Leonard was holding the bulk of the larger packages stacked on top of one another so that he could barely see over them.
"You sure it was better for me to quit Wendy's and work witchu, boss?" Leonard asked softly through his gritted teeth, clearly struggling with all the boxes. As he started through the door, he tripped on the ledge and the top two boxes toppled, falling to the ground and spilling a load of art supplies from them.
"Oh come on, man!" Riley complained in annoyance. "I'll call you back, nigga." He said into the phone receiver before ending his call.
"My bad, my bad, I got it." Leonard said, setting down the only box he managed to hold onto before starting to pick up the materials and equipment.
"Nigga, shut yo ass. That's why you ain't workin' at goddamn Wendy's. That shit coulda been a plate of food and them niggas woulda fired yo dumbass! Lucky I'm more reasonable and forgivin', shit!" Thugnificent ranted.
"True. You right." Leonard nodded simply.
"What the hell's goin' on? You guys okay?" The boys turned to see Cindy walk into the mess in the hallway.
"We good." Riley told her, bending down to gather some of the things off the floor as well.
"Yo baby, who you? You sexy." Thugnificent flashed her a smile, giving her body a once over. Riley snapped his head up and glared but Cindy only chuckled.
"What's the word, Thug? You don't remember me?" She asked with a hand on her hip.
Thugnificent stopped for a moment and cocked his head to the side, studying her face. "Aye, you do look kinda familiar…. We ever fuck?"
"NO!" Both she and Riley exclaimed at the same time.
"Does the name C-Murph ring any bells?" Cindy smirked, waiting for the realization to hit. When it did, his eyes widened and another smile came over his face.
"Fuckin' McPhearson… what is up, baby?" He asked, walking over and pulling her into a big hug.
"I'm good." She grinned, pulling back. "How are you doin'? Still trickin' on your delivery shit?"
"I'm holdin' it down, you already know. That alongside my mini reality TV series on the job. Thugnificent's makin' his way back on the map in this bitch!" He explained full heartedly, causing Cindy to giggle at his enthusiasm. "How old you now, girl?"
"Turned 23 last month."
"The fuck outta here. Leonard! You hear this shit? C-Murph's twenty-fuckin'-three!"
"Damn girl, you grew up. I mean, we all grew up I guess, but you grew up real quick. Well that don't really make much sense either considerin' we all grew up at the same rate but-"
"Anyway," Thugnificent cut him off. "What's up though? And whatchu doin' here?"
"Me and Riley started dating a while ago." Cindy explained with a smile, looking over at her boyfriend.
"Aw damn. I'm happy for y'all…. How long though? I mean, just for the record, are y'all strictly exclusive, keeping it open and casual? Cuz if that's the case-"
"Nigga, we exclusive!" Riley snipped, glaring at him. Thugnificent shrugged.
"Worth a shot. Most couples ain't as upstandin' as y'all are."
"We have our reasons." Riley responded dryly.
"Such as?"
Riley smirked at Cindy. "You wanna tell him?" This caused him to quickly direct his attention from Riley to her.
"What?"
Cindy grinned. "I'm expecting." She revealed with a hand on her stomach.
Thugnificent only stared at her blankly. "Expecting… what?"
DAMN, Thug is slow sometimes.
"A baby." Riley and Cindy said together. "She's pregnant." Riley added, gesturing to her. Thugnificent's jaw dropped, silent for once. Leonard assessed the situation and smiled at Cindy.
"Oh wow, congratulations C-Murph." He told her, earning a smile back. "You know who the father is?"
Riley blinked. But never as slow as fuckin' Leonard.
"Nigga, ME!"
"Oh good then." Leonard nodded easily. "You never know these days, I was just wonderin'."
Luckily, Riley's ringing cellphone saved him from responding to Leonard's idiocy. "Yo."
"Aye Riley, it's Ed."
"Nigga, what now?"
"Don't gimme that fuckin' tone! I'm helpin' YOU out!" Ed's quick temper flared.
"What is it, man?"
"…Oh yeah!" His voice was back to normal again. "I just wanted to let you know that all the shit for your new office arrived, nigga. The design team's almost done fixing it up the way I told 'em."
"Ed..." Riley said warily. "Whatchu mean all my stuff for the office? The only thing I ordered so far was a desk and a chair."
"Oh I added some stuff… on my bill, don't worry."
Riley was silent for a moment, glancing at Cindy who had taken the slip out of Thugnificent's breast pocket (who was still jaw-dropped and silent) to sign for the packages. She looked at Riley questioningly in return.
"I'll be down."
20 Minutes Later
"Oh… my… God…." Cindy spoke, her body at a stand-still, as was Riley's.
"Ed… what… in the…." He had to trail off, remembering that Jamilah was right there as well.
"Ooooh." The child said with interest, wandering more into the room.
"Thank you, Lil Bit." Ed acknowledged her with a smirk before glancing up at Riley and Cindy again. "So what do y'all think? Pretty sick, right? Just like old times."
Riley and Cindy were dumbstruck as they took in the new office. Ed had had it designed exactly like how their previous office was when they managed the Young Reezy's Fun-Raiser business: an exact replica of Tony Montana's office in Scarface. Dark walls. Purple long drape curtains. Large clear desk (and not the one Riley ordered) along with two wide red chairs (also not the ones Riley ordered). Red couches near the entrance. Gray carpeted floor. And of course, the red carpet that led from the doorway to the desk.
This was too much like old times.
"Too soon?" Rummy asked with a smirk. He was seated on the arm of one of the couches, glancing around again.
"Nigga, shuddup." Ed deaded him. "I'm waitin' for them to get here with a big-ass movie poster so you can hang it on the wall behind your desk. Let bitches know who they dealin' with, feel me? How badass is that?"
"My niece is in the room, chill." Riley finally snapped out of it, giving Ed a look. "And this is… definitely somethin' Ed, but… it's too much." He blurted.
"What! How's it too much?" Ed complained.
"It's creepy." Cindy chimed in. "I admit, it is cool, and pretty amazing that you got all this done in relatively a few hours, but it's just weird. And brings back bad memories."
"Girl, like what?!"
"You almost got shot!" Cindy countered.
"I did get shot but had on a vest!" Riley added.
"We watched a man's head get blown off!"
"We were attacked by legitimate company workers, an Italian mob, and the FBI all at the same damn time!"
"We were kids! I had nightmares for weeks-"
"Yeah-yeah-yeah, aiight! So there was some blood shed… so what? How does all of that take away from this room? It's dope as hell, right?"
Riley put a palm to his face. He was ready to respond when the door opened from behind them.
"Oh, Mr. Freeman! Thank goodness you're here!" Riley immediately recognized that uptight voice. "Have you decided on a green yet?"
The Night Before; Friday, August 10
Cindy's POV
"Mmmm… lower… lower… mm, right there, Reezy." Cindy sighed, her body relaxing even more.
"Why'd you stop me, bay? I was about to go even lower." The smirk in his voice was obvious.
Cindy chuckled quietly. "For me or for you?"
"For you, of course." Cindy let out a squeak as he felt him smack her bare behind. "Smartass."
"You love it." She smiled, beginning to roll from underneath him so that she was now gazing up at him on her back. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, babe." He grinned, leaning down to meet her lips.
Cindy let out a tiny moan as she kissed him back. She was feeling a million times better after Riley finished giving her one of his amazing massages. It was about ten o'clock and they were both already in bed after a long day. Truthfully, Cindy had been dying to lay down since she came home from work that afternoon. It had been a good week, but an exhausting one for her.
One of the main reasons was work. Not that she was complaining; it had been her idea anyway. She was just whooped. Monday, Wednesday, and earlier that day she had done her normal personal trainer gig at the gym. But Tuesday and Thursday were Cindy's first days shadowing her new boss at the U of Maryland, which she already loved. Both the newer and current faces of the Lady Terrapins (the women's basketball team at the university) had to be in attendance about a month early prior to classes, giving them and the coaches a little extra time to train and familiarize themselves. Cindy had been thrilled to meet them; they all seemed like a pretty good hand of girls for the most part. And she really liked shadowing Libbey and learning how things would work. But even though it was less strenuous than the gym, it was still long and tiring work with helping the team do drills, partnering, gym time for everyone, the learning and reading the manuals as well as protocol papers, etc. It was easily draining, but worth it.
And, of course, the other reason Cindy was so exhausted was from the pregnancy. She was constantly tired and she couldn't stand it. For someone that's always on the move and always active with practically everything she does, it was torture for her to tire out so quickly. Not to mention to sleep and nap for hours at a time. But she did what she could. And one of the greatest things was that Libbey understood. She even suggested multiple times (actually she more-so told her) that Cindy could sit down if she needed to or was tired, which she shamefully had to do at times. She hated sitting on the bench and watching from the sidelines, even when she wasn't playing. She couldn't wait to give birth so she could be fully committed and fully hands-on with the job.
"How you feel, bay?" Riley asked, sliding off her, but bringing her closer into a cuddle.
"Much better now, thank you." Cindy replied, snuggling her head against his chest. "How about you? I know you're tired."
"Eh, I'm good." He said, making Cindy roll her eyes.
"Reez, if I'm tired, then I know you are too. You've been up until at least three in the morning for the past four days."
"How would you know? Everytime I get back to the room, you sleepin'."
"Babe, I'm serious. You need your rest too." Cindy told him, giving him the eye.
Riley smirked slightly, leaning to kiss her forehead. "Don't worry about me. I'm good… for real." He added when her expression didn't change. "I've just been on a roll, y'know? Once I get an idea, I just go with it." Cindy finally cracked a grin. He'd been extremely focused lately, making such headway with his newer pieces even throughout his daily routines. Some he had finished within hours, some in just one day. And then he'd move onto a new piece. He was so talented.
"What's got you so inspired lately?" She inquired, bringing her hand up to stroke his facial hair. Riley chuckled gently, moving his hand down to her thigh.
"I can think of a few things." He replied, his voice sounding husky.
"Such as?" Cindy tried to ignore the tingling sensation she felt as he brushed her leg.
"Just… getting this studio… getting this shot to do what I've always wanted… to start my career… provide for my family… for the baby…." His gaze drifted to Cindy's stomach for a moment, a tiny trace of a smile on his face. Then his eyes lifted to hers. "For you... You're all of it. Both of you."
Cindy smiled gently before bringing her lips to his in a sweet kiss. She didn't need to verbalize and tell him how much she loved him. She'd rather show it.
Slowly, she slid her leg over his hip and grazed her hand on his back, lightly tugging him a little closer. Riley took the hint and carefully rolled so that he was on top of her. Cindy let out a feeble whimper when he moved his lips down to her neck, immediately going to her spot.
"You moanin' for me already?" Riley murmured in between his kisses and sucking along her collarbone.
"Mhm." At the same time he was doing this, Cindy felt his hand swiftly move to her back and undo her bra. She stifled a gasp when he pulled it off, all while gradually sliding his lips further down her chest until his mouth enveloped over her breast.
"Ahh… Reezyy…." She moaned, feeling antsy underneath him.
"Mm," He hummed, flicking her bud with his tongue. "You ready for me already?" He probed, moving to her other breast. Cindy sighed blissfully in response. She barely noticed that Riley's hand had quickly moved in between her legs. She let out a much louder noise then she intended when she felt him deliberately palm her womanhood with a light stroke.
"Mmm, you definitely ready, babe." He added deeply, feeling the dampness through her panties.
"Stop playin' with me, Esco." Cindy demanded in a hushed tone, leaning to bite the top of his ear. Riley's response was a low groan before he hastily pulled her thong down past her hips and down her legs. Cindy smirked as she watched him slide and wiggle his way out of his shorts and boxers.
No matter how many times she sees it, it never fails to impress her.
Cindy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Riley kissed her back passionately, his tongue playing with hers while he held her strongly, Cindy's legs wrapped tight around his waist. They continued to kiss deeply until Cindy felt him begin to align himself at her entrance. As she mentally braced for it, Riley bit her lip gently as he began to slowly ease into her.
"Aahh… fuck, babe." She whispered, tossing her head back into the pillow as her hands clenched the sheet. Riley leaned down and nuzzled his face into her neck while he slowly began to move.
"You sensitive tonight," He muttered in between his kisses.
"Ah… uh-huh…." She uttered, biting her lip.
"How's it feel though?" He asked, lifting his head to look at her as he slowed down his tempo even more. Cindy moaned again at the fullness she felt, wrapping her legs tighter in pleasure. Then she smiled at Riley and brushed the back of his head.
"The same way it always feels. Amazing." She whispered. Riley grinned before pressing his lips to hers, beginning to get more into it.
And more into her.
Saturday, August 11
Riley's POV
I done came up, got my name up
So when they speak of who blinged up, I'm who they bring up
Riley wearily opened his eyes as he heard his phone ring. He glanced down and gently lifted his arm from around Cindy before grabbing his cell off the nightstand.
"Yeah?" He spoke groggily.
"What up, Riley!" Ed practically shouted into the phone, causing Riley to pull his phone away from his ear.
"Ed, what the fuck? It's too early for that shit!" He snapped.
"Nigga, shut the fuck up, it's after eleven!" Ed shot back. "You the one that wanted to get down to the studio today for more work. We can't do that without a damn key."
Shit. Riley had slept in hella late. He'd almost forgotten that he'd wanted to be at the studio for most of the day to get some work done. After the office fiasco, he knew he couldn't leave Ed and Rummy in charge to run things anymore. He ended up keeping a few things the way they were, like the nice red leather couches, but the rest of it had to go. Ed had initially been annoyed but had gotten over it. Riley appeased him by agreeing to get the Scarface poster, so they were good.
"Aiight, uhhh… gimme until around noon. I'll meet you down at the studio." Riley told him, sitting up.
"Sounds good, fam."
"Aiight, peace." Riley clicked off and put his phone down. He saw Cindy beginning to stir and leaned back down to kiss her cheek.
"Babe?" He murmured against her ear, wrapping an arm around her.
"Mhm?" She noted in response, snuggling back against him, making him smile.
"I'm goin' down to the studio this morning to work, remember?"
"…Oh yeah, you told me that." She finally spoke. She yawned before starting to roll over. "I was gonna come too."
"You don't have to, C. It's Saturday and it's early. Just-"
"If you tell me to 'stay here and rest' I'm gonna hurt you." She cut him off with a smirk. "I already told you yesterday that I was gonna come help. So shut up."
Riley snickered. "Damn, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." He teased before leaning closer to peck her lips. "Morning."
"Good morning." Cindy grinned, leaning in for another kiss. When she finally pulled back after a few moments, she pushed the covers off her and turned to stand from the bed.
"I get the bathroom first." She told him easily, winking over her shoulder before she covered her naked body with her robe.
"Baby, you can have whatever you like." Riley smirked, eyeing her as she came across the room. She squealed when he smacked her ass while she was walking past him.
"Boy, behave!" She giggled, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway.
"When does that ever happen?" Riley grinned, rising from his bed to go to his dresser. He pulled out a clean pair of boxer briefs and basketball shorts to put on so he could run down and eat a quick breakfast. Once he did, he walked out and started down the hallway. He was about to descend the stairs when he heard Cindy's muffled voice.
"…Riley?"
He stopped and slowly turned to walk back towards the bathroom door. There was something unsettling about the way she said his name. It sounded strained and anxious. Off.
"Babe? What's up, I'm outside the door." He said, trying the door anyway. It was locked though.
"Hold on… shit." He heard her say softly. There was definitely something off.
In just seconds, the bathroom door flew open much sooner than Riley expected. His focus went directly to her face. Her eyes were wide, panicked, and glassy, looking like she was moments away from crying.
"Cindy hey, what's-"
"Blood." She interrupted him quietly.
"What?" Riley repeated, moving closer as his eyes quickly examined her from head to toe. "Blood where?"
"I-I had to go to the bathroom and when I stood up there was blood in the bowl and when I wiped." She explained, her voice wavering.
"A lot?"
Cindy nodded shakingly. "I didn't flush, you can look." Riley didn't even hesitate as he stepped around her to peek into the toilet. There did seem to be a lot of red in there. Shit.
"There's something wrong, isn't there?" Cindy said as he turned back around. "I shouldn't be bleeding, Riley. Why am I bleeding?"
"Shh, calm down, we're gonna find out." He told her, reaching out to put his arm around her, but she avoided his grasp.
"Do not tell me to calm down, Riley!" She raised her voice, her bottom lip quivering. "Something might be wrong with the baby!"
"Aye, don't say that shit." Riley retorted, sterner than he intended. "I'm not tryna hear that, C. The baby's gonna be fine." He rephrased.
"You can't guarantee that Riley, what if it's not?" Her voice cracked as it went soft again, a tear rolling down her cheek. Riley shushed her and stepped closer to hold her.
"Hey, look at me." He spoke, cupping her face with both hands and brushing away the falling tears. "I'm tellin' you. The baby's gonna be fine and you gonna be fine. I ain't tryna hear any other options, aiight?" He waited a few seconds before he finally got the slightest of head nods, prompting him to briefly peck her lips in response.
"I want you to finish getting cleaned up real quick, I'm gonna bring you some clothes, and while you doin' that I'mma call the doctor so we can get a walk-in appointment. After you done, I want you to call Jazz too. Maybe she's read about this or even experienced somethin' like it. Okay?"
Cindy nodded slightly again. "I'm scared though."
"Don't be." Riley shook his head. "It's gonna be aiight. You're both gonna be fine." He kissed her lips again. "I promise."
Cindy's POV
Riley eventually placed his hand on Cindy's knee that had been restlessly bouncing up and down for the past few minutes as they waited for their doctor. After the nurse brought them back to a room, she sat with them and asked some basic questions and for Cindy to explain what was going on. The nurse had been nice enough, but all she had done was listen quietly, write some things down on her clipboard notes, then took her current measurements, height and weight, and blood pressure. Then she left to go get her official obstetrician, Dr. Emerson. Of course, she wanted to see her real doctor, but Cindy was pissed the nurse couldn't give them some type of explanation as to what was going on.
"She'll be in any minute, babe. It'll be fine." Riley told her quietly, reaching for her hand and absentmindedly drawing circles with his thumb. "I never asked, what'd Jazmine say when you called her?" He asked. Cindy knew he was probably just trying to keep her mind off the wait, but she appreciated the distraction.
"She told me not to panic and that it might just be a strong case of spotting. She apparently had that. But I know what spotting is. It's usually only supposed to be a little. There shouldn't have been anywhere near that much blood. Especially when I wiped." Cindy shuddered, trying not to think about it.
"Aye, you never know though. Shit if I fuckin' know about any of this." He added, shaking his head. Cindy tried to give him a grin, but it felt more like a grimace. He was staying so calm about this. It was slightly driving Cindy crazy that he wasn't more worried, but she knew that he needed to be the level-headed one to keep her together.
"I don't know. She asked if we wanted them to come here, but I told them no just… I just told them no. They'll meet us back at the house in an hour or so, depending on how long this takes." Cindy mumbled. She had been ready to say just in case, but rephrased it for Riley's sake.
Just in case… there is something wrong.
She was trying so hard not to think that way, but the thoughts in the back of her mind weren't going away. What if she somehow overdid it at work? This was her first week working at both the gym and at the university, the only major change. Maybe it was too strenuous for her. And it had been her idea to get involved with two jobs.
It would be all her fault if that turned out to be the reason. And she would never be able to forgive herself.
"Stop thinking." Riley stated, breaking her out of her thoughts. Cindy slowly glanced at him from beside her. It was no surprise that he was watching her, reading her mind like always.
"My brain's not a TV, Riley. I can't turn it off."
"You can change your thoughts." He countered easily.
"I don't have the remote." She quipped, feeling testy.
"Girl, if you don't, who does?"
"Reezy," Cindy complained, giving him a light whack with the back of her hand. "Stop it."
"Damn, am I annoyin' you?" He asked, a smirk twitching at his lips.
"Yes." She stressed.
"Good. Focus on that." He grinned, squeezing her thigh. He leaned closer like he was going for a kiss on the cheek, causing Cindy to turn her face slightly, presenting it to him. But, because he's Riley, he decided not to kiss her cheek, but lick it.
"Eww, boy!" Cindy squealed, pushing him away as she quickly wiped her face while he laughed. "You're so dumb."
"You love me though." He told her with a wink.
"Get outta here with that, bruh."
"Aye, I'll lick your whole face, you keep up." He smirked, edging closer.
"Reezy, don't fuckin' play. I will hurt you." Cindy told him firmly, trying to fight her smile as she held her arms up in case she needed to block him. "Reezy, I'm serious. We're in a doctor's office, now—aah! No!" She squealed with laughter as Riley grabbed her anyway and held tightly as he nuzzled furiously into her neck, nibbling and tickling her against protests.
"Reezy, stooop!" Cindy giggled loudly.
"No!" He murmured, muffled against her throat.
"Reezy! Stop it right-"
Knock knock knock!
Cindy and Riley both jumped, pulling away from each other quickly. "Come in!" Cindy spoke as she rubbed at her neck, attempting to rub away the new redness that Riley more than likely caused. The door to the room opened and Dr. Emerson entered with a clipboard in hand, immediately catching Cindy's attention.
"I'm always glad to hear laughter and see my patients having a little bit of fun." She said with a warm smile as she closed the door.
Momentarily. Cindy thought to herself, giving the woman a false smile. Maybe what's on the clipboard will change everything.
"So tell me about how you're feeling today, Cindy. Riley?" She asked, addressing them both as she sat in the swivel chair across from them.
"Um," Cindy began, clearing her throat immediately after as she looked to Riley. "Not too well this morning. I woke up to some bleeding when I went to use to restroom. Both in the bowl and when I wiped down there."
"Mm-hm." Dr. Emerson nodded, glancing down at her notes. "Did you consider the amount of blood you saw to be a lot?"
"To me, and to Riley too, it looked to be a lot, but we don't really know the difference between what would be normal or abnormal to see I guess."
"Completely understandable." Dr. Emerson agreed. "Are you sore at all in that region or feeling anything strange?"
"No, not at all." Cindy shook her head. "The only thing I did was put on a light pad, just in case. But other than that, I feel normal."
"Question," Riley cut in, raising his hand halfway like he was in school. "Could this be just a symptom of… what's it called, spotting? My sister-in-law mentioned that. That's common right?"
"Absolutely. Spotting is completely normal the first weeks or even months into the pregnancy. The difference between that and vaginal bleeding is that with spotting, you'll usually only see maybe a few drops every now and then when you wipe or in your liner. With bleeding there tends to be a much prominent flow of blood."
Shit.
"And… bleeding is very bad?" Cindy asked quietly.
"Not necessarily, Cindy. I don't want you to panic." Dr. Emerson said, reaching out to place a light hand on her knee. "Can it be bad? Yes. But, some women are just prone to heavier volumes of blood." Riley nodded from beside her and rubbed her arm, as if to say 'see?' But Cindy still wasn't completely comforted.
"What are some of the reasons for bleeding? The ones that are potentially hazardous." She asked, trying to stay calm. But the only thought in the back of her mind was miscarriage.
Dr. Emerson shifted her jaw for a moment as she glanced down at her notes, appearing to be thinking. She surprised them both when she started to stand.
"I'll tell you what. I've got a better idea." She began, moving the chair back to its original position. "I think I'd like to get a sonogram read on you if you're up to it. I want to see first-hand if there's any sign of anything that I might be able to spot from the picture."
"Really?" Cindy asked, surprised. Riley looked the same way. "You'd be able to see something this early?"
"You're able to see the baby this early?" Riley added in question.
"Oh, of course. He or she is only going to be about the size of a bean, mind you, but yes. You'll be able to see your baby." She smiled. Riley and Cindy glanced at each other, quiet. "I don't want either of you to be too worried," Dr. Emerson spoke again. "Because you don't have any pain or abnormalities Cindy, I doubt very much that it's something critical like you might be fearing. I just want to get a better read so I can assure that everything's going smoothly as planned. Okay?"
Cindy glanced back again at Riley as he rubbed her back, encouraging her to be brave. So she nodded. "Okay."
Time seemed to drag in slow motion for Cindy as Dr. Emerson took them to a different room. As they waited for the equipment to be set up. As she moved to the table and started to get prepped. As her mind continued to go and go and go.
"Alright, we're just about ready." Dr. Emerson said, still pressing a few buttons on her monitor. Cindy inhaled and slowly released a shaky breath. Riley stood directly beside the table and held her hand.
"Are you both ready to see your baby?" She asked them both.
"Hell yeah." Riley grinned.
"Riley," Cindy scolded quietly with a light smile. "Yes." She answered.
"Okay then. Let's get to work." She turned to face Cindy more, a tube of gel in her hand. "If you could lift up your shirt, Cindy."
"I gotchu, girl." Riley began before Cindy could, sliding the bottom hem up until it was just under her bust line. "I'm a pro at this." He mock-whispered to the doctor, earning a laugh from her.
"Will you knock it off?" Cindy chuckled. She loved him for trying to keep the mood light.
"You two are great." Dr. Emerson grinned, beginning to rub the cold gel on Cindy's belly.
Cindy exhaled and tried to fight the butterflies that began to form. Now she was a mixture of both scared and anxious. It was exciting that she'd be able to see the miracle that was currently in her stomach already. She just prayed that everything was okay.
"Alright, here we go." Dr. Emerson said in a sing-song voice, turning back to desk for a moment. "I'm just gonna use the transducer and try to come up with a good picture. Then I'll turn the screen around so you both can see, okay?"
"Okay." Riley answered. Cindy had thought she had responded too, but apparently no noise came from her mouth.
She tried not to hold her breath as the doctor started to rub the device along the area she had just covered with gel. Cindy felt like she was shaking as she carefully watched her examine the monitor, waiting for some type of facial expression to prepare her for what she would say.
"Okay, I'm starting to get a good image, just let me…." She trailed off and Cindy tensed when she felt her hover the transducer in one spot, slightly tilting it first to the left, and then back to the right. "…Huh."
"What?" Riley asked immediately before Cindy could.
"Is the baby alright?" She demanded almost pleadingly. Her facial expression seemed nonexistent. "Do you see movement? Does everything look okay?"
"Is the baby okay?" Riley echoed right after.
"Calm down, your breathing is quickening and distorting the image, dear." She tried to soothe, and Cindy was ready to snap. Because if one more person told her to calm down today. "But yes, both of you. Your babies are fine."
"God, that's all we… wait, what?" Cindy stopped talking.
"Wait, what'd you say?" Riley repeated. "It sounded like you put an 's' on that."
Dr. Emerson turned the face of the monitor to them and smiled. "I did." Then she pointed. "See right there and there? There are two little round things side by side… you're having twins."
Cindy gasped loudly and put her hands to her mouth, causing the image to flicker. But when her stomach settled again, the image didn't change. Because there in the dark round area that used to be empty, Cindy could make out two small white pods… twins.
"Twins?" She said aloud, her hands still over her mouth in shock.
"Get the fuck out." Riley, who had previously been standing upright holding her hand, was now leaning onto the table, supporting most of his body with his free hand while he loosely held onto Cindy's with the other. "Don't play wit me Doc, are you serious?" He asked, sounding unsteady.
"I'm very serious. Congratulations." Dr. Emerson beamed at him. Riley only stared back at her silently, his jaw slack.
"Oh my God." Cindy uttered, feeling light-headed almost. "Oh my God." She repeated, not knowing that she was about to cry until the tears reached the brims of her eyes. "We're having twins, are you serious? Are you sure?" She asked, feeling like an idiot at the word-vomit but didn't care.
"Yes, I'm sure. Congratulations." The doctor chuckled. "And these are happy tears, I take it?" She grinned, handing her a tissue from the desk.
"Yes." Cindy nodded, taking the napkin and bringing it to her eyes as she laughed through her tears. "Riley, we're having twins. We're having two." She exclaimed, turning to him in disbelief.
"Dos." Was his only response, looking very out of it.
"I can't believe it." She said, another giggle escaping her mouth as she reached her arms up to hug him. Riley leaned and hugged her back, feeling more like he was leaning against her for support, but Cindy didn't mind. They both needed to support one another. "Oh my God." She repeated against him, trying to get herself together.
"Unbelievable." Riley murmured.
"Are you happy?" Cindy asked, tears still running down her cheeks as she pulled back.
"Babe, I'm just in shock." Riley said with a shrug and a smile. "But… yeah. I just… I can't believe this…. Doc, are you sure?" He turned to Dr. Emerson again.
"Yes, Riley." She laughed again. "Meet Baby A and Baby B." She pointed at the monitor from left to right. Riley leaned closer over Cindy to get a better look.
"Wow." He breathed. "How do you tell 'em apart?"
"Can you know now if they're identical or fraternal?"
"When's the soonest that we'll know the genders?"
"Shit, wait, wait." Cindy said suddenly. "Before we ask any more questions, can you first tell us if there's anything wrong or abnormal about the picture you're seeing?" Riley nodded in agreement.
"I can answer all your questions. And no, Cindy. Nothing looks out of place to me in this image. Everything looks perfect."
"Oh thank God." Riley muttered, letting out a breath, as did Cindy.
"So, there's no explanation for what happened this morning at all?" She asked, confused.
"The only thing I can think of is that you just will have a more severe case of spotting during your pregnancy, not that that's a bad thing. But we can be sure to keep an eye on that." Cindy nodded in response. "And you're positive you can't think of anything that you were doing that may have caused it?"
"No, ma'am." Cindy shook her head.
"What did you do the day prior? Just to have on record." Dr. Emerson asked, picking up her clipboard and pen from the desk.
"The only thing I did was work." Cindy shrugged. "I took it very light though. Came home. Relaxed most of the day. Then Riley gave me a massage and we went to bed."
"Put-you-to-bed!" Riley fake-coughed. "Ooh. 'Scuse me."
"Shut up." Cindy blushed, whacking him.
Dr. Emerson raised an eyebrow with strange interest. "You had sex last night?"
"I gets it. Ow!"
"Shut up." Cindy repeated. "And yes. Should we not be?" She asked in worry. She ignored the way Riley snapped his head in her direction like she was crazy.
"Oh no, it's perfectly fine to have intercourse during pregnancy. However, that could possibly explain your predicament this morning."
"Huh?" Riley and Cindy said simultaneously.
Dr. Emerson chuckled, not meeting their eyes for a moment. "During pregnancy, some women are, shall we say more sensitive, when it comes to sexual activity. It's very common. It's natural for light bleeding to occur, irritated or itching skin, and even bacterial infections. Especially the um… more vigorous."
"You mean rough?" Riley smirked.
"Riley, will you stop it?" Cindy hissed.
"I'm not doin' nothin'! And why you blushin' Doc, damn. You supposed to be a professional here! OW!"
Dr. Emerson smiled, a light flush on her cheeks as she laughed. "Moving on. What other questions do you have for me?"
Riley's POV
"Honey, we're home!" Riley called loudly when he opened his front door and stepped inside, Cindy following behind him. They walked into the next room and saw Jazmine, Huey, and Granddad sitting watching TV, but the sound was muted as they walked in.
"Are you both okay?" Jazmine asked immediately, rising from her seat.
"What happened?" Granddad added from his chair.
"It's okay girl, sit down." Cindy said, tossing her hand in the air.
"No, I mean it. Tell us." Jazmine demanded, her hands on her hips.
"We're about to. But really, sit down." Cindy chuckled, waving her down. Jazmine looked at her funny before taking her seat next to Huey again.
"Where's Jamilah?" Riley asked his brother.
"At Tom and Sarah's. We didn't want her to be here in the event you came back with bad news. But what's going on?" He answered, raising a slight brow.
"Tell us." Jazmine pressed again. "If it's something serious about the baby, let us know now-"
"Daamnn, y'all relax. The babies are fine. What?" Riley shrugged easily as if he didn't see the big deal.
"Well thank you, that's all we wanted to… wait, WHAT?!" Jazmine exclaimed, her jaw dropping.
"WHAT did you say, boy?"
"It sounded like you put an 's' on that." Huey added, his eyes even widening.
"Twinning, y'all." Cindy beamed, gesturing to her stomach. Jazmine screamed and jumped up, rushing over to Cindy. Riley had to step out of the way as she more or less crashed into her with a huge hug, crying already.
"Are they sure?" Granddad asked in disbelief.
Riley snickered. "I had the doctor fuckin' triple-check. But I saw 'em. We havin' twins."
"Ohhh lawdy-lawdy-lawd." Granddad said in response, leaning his head back on his chair, shaking it lightly as he closed his eyes.
"You excited for your great-grand-twins, G?" Riley asked with a smirk.
"Twins or not, your kids ain't gonna terrorize me, boy. You and Huey together were enough for five lifetimes!" He shot back, causing Riley to laugh. But he couldn't front. Riley could see the grin he was trying to hide.
"Whatchu think, Unk?" Riley asked turning to Huey. "What's goin' through Uncle McHater's mind, huh?" Riley snickered, stepping over and reaching out his hand. Huey rolled his eyes, but smirked as he smacked and clasped Riley's hand.
"You're in for a ride if you're having two. Good luck."
Riley sucked his teeth. "Man, that's it? No, 'I'm gonna help you whenever you need, give you tips, give you lessons,' nothin'?"
"Hell no. Your ass is going to learn. Just like I did." Huey shrugged.
"That ain't fair, you only started out with one!"
"What, you want a cookie?"
"Can you boys behave for five minutes, please?" Cindy chuckled.
"Please. Now come on, tell us! How'd you find out this early? I didn't see a sonogram until about my 13th week!" Jazmine said, giving them both her full attention.
"We told the doctor what happened and she just wanted to get a look to see if she would be able to find anything, and there they were." Cindy smiled as she explained.
"Wooww." Jazmine practically cooed. "Can they tell if they're identical or fraternal yet?"
"Because it's so early, it's kinda hard to tell for sure at this point, but from the way she was looking, both of the babies seem to be in one sac. Either that or there's a really thin membrane in between. And in that case they'd be identical."
"Shut UP!"
"Ohhhh lawdy-lawdy-lawd!"
"Yeah-yeah!" Riley snickered. "It was insane. We got to see 'em, hear their heartbeats which was incredible, know about their positions and sizes right now, all of it. It's wild."
"Baby A and Baby B." Cindy added with a smile.
"How will you know which is which?" Jazmine asked curiously.
"She said the one lower and closest to the cervix-"
"Ew."
"Shut the fuck up Huey, is Baby A." Cindy continued. "And the one higher is Baby B."
"Wow." Jazmine breathed again. Then she turned and looked back at Huey. "Baby, what if we have twins?"
Huey blinked at her. "We won't."
"They didn't think that they were."
"Never say never, Uncle Huey." Cindy smiled.
"That'd be dope. Y'all should go get your sonogram today now that you mention it." Riley smirked. Jazmine smiled and turned to Huey again.
"Can we go?"
"Sure." He said dryly.
"You'll drive me?"
"Mhm." He nodded as he started to stand from the couch.
"Today?"
"Yep."
"Are you lying?"
"Yes." He grabbed her hand as he started to pull her out of the room. "Time to get our kid and go home."
"Fine." Jazmine giggled, allowing herself to be dragged. But then she stopped and turned in the doorway. "But wait. What was the real reason you had bleeding earlier?"
"Ew."
Cindy smirked at Huey. "Just the result of…." She trailed off from her train of thought, quickly remembering that Granddad happened to be in the room…. But apparently Riley either forgot or didn't care.
"The result of all this DICK!"
Yeeeesss Lord, I'm finally DONE with this chapter! Y'all don't even know the struggle! One, I've had writer's block forever; Two, school's just been a bitch; And three, I've had no time to even think OR work! So happy to get this out. I've barely proofread, I just want y'all to know I'm not done. I'd never forget about you guys:)
Disclaimers: I don't own shit, ya feel me?
Shoutout to the amazing people who have messaged me, commented, and reviewed your concerns and regards with checking up on both me and asking about my mother. I sincerely appreciate that from the bottom of my heart. Very recently, we got news that doctors are one step closer in finding out the exact issue and cause of her sickness and are trying to get her started on a plan to get her healthy again. So please, continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. It means the world to me! :D
I know you must get tired of hearing this, but I am TRYING. This semester should (finds wood to knock on) be much better than last. My schedule seems much more open so I'm hoping to have more time for updates. I will get back on my grind as soon as I kind. Honest.
Love you all so much. Thank you for being supportive. Thank you for being loyal. And thank you for giving me drive. Much love.
~Schweetie