Something In The Water Volume 2

~19~

Prince went down the hall and out the double doors to meet with the rest of the support that was waiting to hear of Carlyn's condition. As he rounded the corner he took a deep breath and tried his best to put on a brave face in front of every one. Erin and Regan caught sight of him and stood up from their seats. Dez and Andre soon followed their lead and by then the whole group huddled around him anxiously. The only person Prince's eyes fell on was Tremaine. As he tried to keep himself from falling apart in front of everyone the vibe in the room felt strange. Andre knew that something wasn't right and he couldn't hold in his curiosity.

  "Well Skip? How's my niece? What did the doctors say?" He asked fidgeting with his sunglasses in his hands.

The question was certainly heavier than Prince had imagined but he knew that he had to update everyone. They all loved Carlyn just as much as he did and were worried about the baby. Prince let out a sigh as he lowered his head.

  "Tremaine?" Prince said sadly.

Tremaine stepped up nervously to his father in law and was almost about to cry as he feared that it was bad news.

  "Please say that my baby is ok? And my wife. Please? I need to know that they are both ok." He said nearing a whisper as his worry showed on his face.

Prince placed a gentle hand on Tremaine's shoulder and gave him a relieving smile.

  "You should go back and see your wife. Just know that she's still unconscious but just talk to her. Maybe she'll wake up for you." He said to him.

Tremaine didn't speak after that. He hurried off to see his wife and be with her. Erin met up with Prince in Tremaine's place with tears in her eyes.

  "What do you mean.....unconscious?" She asked.

  "They uhhhhh......they had to perform and emergency C-Section to save the children."

Everyone couldn't believe what they had heard as the happy faces filled the tiny waiting space. The only one who wasn't smiling was Prince and Regan knew that there was more to what he had said.

  "Prince what's really going on?" She asked concerned.

It was time to bare all as he looked over at his family. He didn't want to ruin a happy moment but he knew that they all had to know.

  "Carlyn was carrying twins......and......"

  "Time out brotha. Whatchu mean....was? Did something happen to those babies?" Dez asked as the anger was seeping through his tone.

  "Carlyn lost the smallest twin. The other baby is in the NICU as we speak. They're trying to stabilize her as best as they can but-"

  "She......she had a baby girl." Regan said as she began to bawl.

  "Did they know what the other twin was?" Andre asked.

  "I wouldn't let them tell me. It was best that I'd give Tremaine the opportunity to take over with Carlyn's care. He is her husband and I can't be selfish. I have to let my little girl go and let things happen. This was all my fault. Carlyn warned me several times and I never......I never listened to her. Now here she is in a hospital bed unaware that she lost one child and could possibly lose another."

  "Come on now Skip don't beat yourself up man! I'm sure that Carlyn and that precious child will pull through just fine! I know it! I have faith that God will make a way for it to happen. You should too! My nieces are gonna pull through!" Andre said as his tried to fight his emotions from showing in his eyes.

Andre put his arm around Regan who was now a weeping mess and couldn't stop herself from crying. Jackson went up to Prince and pulled him aside and wanted to show his sincerest support.

  "I know that we've just met under unfortunate circumstances but......if you'll let me I can help you with whatever you need. Even if its just for someone to talk to. I feel just terrible that this happened. You have my deepest condolences and my prayers are with you and the family."

Prince looked at Jackson and extended his hand. Jackson shook it and pulled him in for a hug. The genuine act between Jackson and Prince was a rather unexpected but pleasant one. Prince let his vulnerability show and for a brief moment that Jackson and Regan were an item. He befriended Jackson right then and there and buried his feelings of envy and jealousy because it wasn't about what he wanted anymore. It was about his daughter. Prince was so broken that he let himself cry on Jackson's shoulder. One by one the others came over and joined the embrace. They all cried and said a prayer together and were hoping for a positive outcome for both mother and child. The huddle was then broken by the sound of the female doctor who was caring for Carlyn.

  "Excuse me? Mr. Nelson?" She called.

Prince quickly wiped his face and straightened his coat then turned to greet the doctor.

  "Yes I'm here. How is she?" He asked with a small sniffle.

  "Well I'm happy to tell you that she's awake. She's asking for you. We'll be moving her out of recovery and to a room in just a minute. Would you like to see her once we get her settled?"

  "Yes! I'd love to! Please let me know the moment she's comfortable and I'll be right there!" Prince replied excited.

  "And what about the baby?" Dez asked.

  "Baby is still in the NICU. She's still not out of the woods yet but she is stable. Right now I wouldn't recommend her to be seen right now since it will be dangerous for her considering none of you are in sterile dressings.....but we'll be able to move her into a room with a window where you can see her from her isolette. It will be a few days before we can do that because she's still not breathing on her own. We're hopeful that she will within that time frame. She will be monitored by nurses non stop and everything is recorded by the hour. We understand that this is a special case and that nothing will get outside of that department. Our manager has made sure that we signed off on all the paperwork that the attorney has given us."

The doctor smiled at Prince and placed her right hand on his shoulder.

  "Carlyn and baby are in very good hands. I can assure you we will do everything we can for them."

Prince gave her a nod and the doctor went back to tend to Carlyn and get ready to transport her to a room. Andre and Dez patted Prince on the back happily.

  "Just don't lose that hope Skip. It's gonna be alright." Andre said.

He pulled out his phone and headed for the exit door.

  "Hey man where you going?" Dez asked as he watched Andre move faster than ususal.

  "I just gotta make a quick call home and i'll be right back." He said back over his shoulder.

Andre began to dial a number then put his phone up to his ear. It rang two times before a man had answered on the other end.

  "Paisley Park security this is Tony."

  "Hey Tony! It's Dre. Listen is Tori there?"

  "Yeah man she's still here. What's going on? Is everything alright?" Tony asked.

  "No but it will be. I'm on my way there right now. I just have to make a stop first. I'll call you when I'm at the gates. I want you to buzz me in."

Before Tony could asked what was going on the line clicked and all he could hear was a dial tone.