Color Blind

Chapter 23

Tia and Lafayette hadn't even been married for a whole year before they found out that Tia was pregnant. You should have seen

Lafayette when she told him. He started jumping around like a little kid on Christmas morning. I had never even seen him get very excited before, other than when Tia agreed to marry him, and now here he was dancing around and acting a fool. As funny as the whole thing was, though, it was nothing compared to the way both of the boys acted when Tia went into labor.

Tia actually wasn't scheduled to deliver for another week when she started having contractions, but I had come down the week before all of the mothers (Scott's mother included) just to make sure someone would be there in case her water broke early. Up until then, I had actually been staying with Scott at his apartment, but for some reason, that night we decided to stay in one of Tia and Lafayette's guestrooms. I suppose it was fate that kept us there.

Actually, by the time we had all finished laughing and joking about old times, neither one of us felt like driving all the way back to Scott's. Tia, of course, told us that it wouldn't have been a problem if we would just get married and move next door. Then she looked pointedly at Scott, but avoided my eyes all together.

That night, I was just drifting off to sleep when a shrill cry ripped through the silent house. Before I even had time to sit up and wake up completely, Scott was out of the bed and running for the door. I had never seen him move so fast.

Back in high school, he and Lafayette had chased after two guys who were talking trash to Tia for parking in "their space," and then proceeded to beat the mess out of them. But not even then, not even out on the football field, did either one of the boys ever move as fast as Scott did this night. I was right behind him though, and met Lafayette out in the hall.

"What happened?" he asked frantically. "What's the matter?"

I just shrugged and flew down the stairs after Scott. By the time Lafayette and I reached them, Scott was already sitting calmly next to Tia on the kitchen floor and telling her to get ready to go to the hospital.

"The hospital!" Lafayette and I cried in unison. That's when I saw a little puddle of what looked like water on the cold tile beneath her.

"Oh gross, Tia! Did your water just break?"

Tia only shot me a dirty look and struggled to her feet. Scott held onto her and helped her into the living room. Lafayette went upstairs to get the already packed "emergency" bag and I went over to help make Tia more comfortable. It was so cute the way that Scott was playing doctor, holding her hand and asking how far apart her contractions were. It was then that she told us she had been having pains all day, but hadn't thought anything of it.

When Lafayette came back down with a suitcase in one hand and Tia's shoes in the other, Scott and I rushed upstairs to get dressed and then flew back down to another of Tia's cries.

When we finally reached the hospital, it seemed like Tia's contractions had ceased all together. This, of course, scared the hell out of all of us. Luckily, Scott had called into the emergency room on the way and two paramedics met us outside to help her in. We were told to stay in the waiting room until she was all settled into a hospital bed.

Scott and Lafayette paced nervously back and forth, stopping just long enough to take turns harassing the front desk nurse. Finally, Tia's doctor came out and explained to us that she was alright and that the contractions had started back once again.

"She's not in the best mood, guys, let me just warn you now." He chuckled as he led us down the hall to her room.

"Aw beh-be, are you awraght?" Lafayette drawled, rushing to her side.