Page 75 of Certified Pressure 3
Once the gel was gone, the doctor gave us another smile and quietly slipped out the room.
I wiped my eyes and looked over at Pressure. He was still smiling, shaking his head in disbelief. “A boy,” he said softly. “That’s wild.”
He bent down, placing another kiss on my stomach. “I told you it was gon’ be a boy. I could feel it.”
“You did say that,” I said, my voice trembling from emotion.
When I sat up to grab my clothes, Pressure’s hand caught mine. He pulled me close, his arms wrapping around my waist as he pressed his forehead against mine. I could feel the way his chest rose and fell, slower now, like the weight of everything was sinking in.
“You givin’ me another son,” he said.
I froze for a second. “Another?”
He nodded and slowly sat down in the chair beside the bed. “Yeah. I never told you this, but me and Ka’mari lost our baby. He was a boy too.”
My heart dropped. I had never known that.
“She was seven months,” he said, his voice low. “We was almost there. We had the name picked out, the room ready, all that. One day the doctor came out to the house for a regular checkup and couldn’t hear the heartbeat. They told us to go to the hospital. When we got there, they did an ultrasound and said his heart had stopped. I don’t even know why. They couldn’t tell us. I held him, though. He was perfect, and looked just like me… but he was gone.”
I sat there, speechless. I could see the pain in his eyes, and I could tell that trauma never really leafy him.
“That shit broke me,” he said, rubbing his hand over his face. “It made me cold for a long time. That’s why this mean so much to me. I ain’t say it, but I been scared. Every time you tell me you good or the baby good, I get this knot in my chest like somethin’ could go wrong again. I can’t go through losin’ another one.”
I moved closer to him and took his hand, pressing it against my stomach. “You’re not,” I said softly. “You’re not losin’ him. I’m not losin’ him. Our baby is fine. He’s healthy, and he’s gonna make it.”
He looked at me, his eyes softening. “You promise?”
“I promise,” I said, meaning every word.
He nodded, taking a deep breath before pulling me back into his arms. I could tell that Pressure was letting himself breathe.
After a few minutes, he pulled back and said, “Ma waitin’ on us. She been blowin’ my phone up about this appointment. She wanna know if she got a grandson or granddaughter.”
I smiled. “I already know she’s gonna be happy.”
“She gon’ go crazy,” he said with a smirk. “So come on. You and Zurie ridin’ with me.”
I nodded, slipping out the chair. He held the door open for me, and we went out to get Zurie. She was still in the front playing with her iPad open on the table, laughing at whatever cartoon was on the screen.
Pressure scooped her up with one arm, kissed her cheek, and said, “Come on lil’ mama, we out.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling as he carried her to the car.
The ride to his mother’s house was quiet but comforting. I looked out the window, watching the palm trees sway and the sun bounce off the water as we crossed the bridge toward Nzuri Hall. It brought back memories of the first time I had been there for his mother’s birthday. I could still remember the way she carried herself with such grace and power.
Now we were headed back, not just as guests but as family.
Pressure was quiet as he drove, but his hand stayed on my stomach the entire time. I could tell his mind was somewhere between relief and reflection, but for once, he didn’t look burdened. He looked like a man who was finally getting something back that life had taken from him.
Eboni Keep in Nzuri Hall
As soon as I pulled up to my parent’s crib, I already knew somethin’ was goin’ on. The driveway was packed with cars from one end to the other. Anytime it looked like that, I knew Ma had called everybody over. When she called, the whole family showed up—no questions asked. I eased into a parkin’ spot, cut the engine, and glanced over at Pluto. She was sittin’ quiet with one hand resting over her stomach, the other grippin’ the strap of her purse.
“You look nervous,” I said with a half smile.
She gave a small one back. “A little. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen your mama and the rest of the family.”
I nodded. “Ain’t nothin’ to trip on. You met most of them at Mama’s birthday. Same people, same energy. You good.”
