Page 113 of Crash: Love in Scrubs
She caught me last night watching a video called“What Dads Should Know in the First Trimester”and laughed like I was watching cartoons. I didn’t care. I told her then, and I’d say it again, if I’m in, I’mall the wayin. Ain’t no halfway. Not for her. Not for our kids.
“Why not? I’m a curious father,” I said, cutting my eyes at her. “I’m tryna make sure this baby don’t come out jittery ‘cause you sneaking around drinking iced coffee like it’s water.”
“What? I’m not!” she said, way too fast.
“Sametra.” I hit her with a slow head turn. “You posted a picture yesterday, cute lil’ selfie in the car. Real innocent. But what’s sitting clear as day in the cupholder, baby?”
“What?” she asked innocently, though we both knew she was caught.
“A large, iced coffee from Lasater’s. Weirdest damn thing.”
She burst out laughing, caught in 4K. “Okay…but listen, I can’t juststop. If I go cold turkey, my head’ll be pounding, and you’ll be asking who the hell I turned into.”
“I ain’t ask you to go cold turkey, but you could ease up. Maybe step down to a small. That’s all I’m sayin’.”
“I will. I promise,” she said, grinning like she knew she was lying. I kissed her knuckles, anyway, knowing damn well she’d be in that same drive-thru tomorrow morning like a crack addict.
“You ready for this?” I asked as we pulled into Dr. Cole’s office. She looked stunning. Anxious, but stunning. Her handwas warm in mine, thumb rubbing circles like she was trying to soothe both of us.
“Yeah,” she nodded, adjusting the bracelet I gave her. She’d been wearing it every day and seeing it on her wrist made me happy. “And I plan to pay attention this time. You ready?”
“I been ready since the day I found out,” I said, squeezing her hand. “Today’s the baby’s first photo shoot. We definitely gettin’ one of them 3D joints later. Put it in a frame or somethin’.”
She laughed, tension easing from her shoulders. “Don’t get too hype. It’s probably just gon’ look like a lima bean or something.”
“A cute little bean, though,” I said dead serious, making her crack up again.
Once we checked in, we sat in the waiting room, surrounded by soft music and other couples who all looked calm as hell. Meanwhile, I was bouncing my damn leg like it had a motor.
There was this one couple across from us, she had to be six months in, belly out, glowing, with her husband rubbing her back. That was gonna be us soon. Sametra round and glowing, me getting on her nerves with how much I hover.
“Relax, baby,” she whispered. “It’s gonna be fine.”
I tried. But my mind was on overdrive. Hands dragging down my joggers, trying to shake the nerves.
“Malik,” she said softly, tapping my leg. “You’re vibrating the whole row of chairs.”
“My fault,” I said, sitting up straighter. “Just... I don’t know. I’m excited. And terrified.”
Her whole vibe shifted. She turned toward me, eyes soft but serious. “Everything’s okay. My labs were good, blood pressure’s normal, no red flags. Our baby is strong.”
“I know,” I nodded. “It’s just... I want this so bad. Like, deep down bad. And the idea of anything going wrong? It’s got my stomach flipped.”
“Then you gotta speak life over us,” she said, grabbing both of my hands. “The energy you carry matters, Malik. Your voice, your presence, your faith, are part of what’s feeding our baby, too. So, no fear, no doubt. Just love. Just faith.”
I leaned in and kissed her, right there in the waiting room. I didn’t care who saw it. This was why I loved her so damn much. She was so strong, so wise.
“Sametra Andrews?” the nurse called out, and we stood together.
“I got you,” she whispered, lacing our fingers. She looked up at me, and I nodded. We made it to the room in no time. After she left, I helped Sametra up onto the exam table, smoothing the paper blanket over her legs.
“You good?” I asked, brushing my knuckles across her thigh.
“Yeah. A little tired, but that’s normal,” she said, locking eyes with me. “You don’t have to hover. I’m not made of glass.”
“I know,” I said softly. “I just... I want to take care of you.”
“You do. Every day.” She reached for my hand. “I love you.”
