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Kourtney realizes something’s wrong when she wakes up to footsteps padding across her floor and no energy to pick her head up to swoop her lovely little girl—a big girl since she’s five and can tie her shoes—into her arms.
Pregnancy is never easy, she knows that because she has a daughter and the first time around morning sickness wasn’t a stranger, but this isn’t just morning sickness. It’s downright exhaustion that makes it difficult to open her eyes cause the sunlight makes her head pound. It is reminiscent of the fever she got at around seven months when she was pregnant with Imani.
She does so anyway.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Kourtney mumbles, grabbing at her sheets. She pulls herself up slowly until she’s sitting and can lift Imani onto her lap.
She smiles weakly at the bows in her hair. Jet must’ve thought she needed the extra sleep and got Imani ready for her playdate with Amelie and Gianna. She’s wearing simple jean overalls with a frilly white shirt under her and her favorite kitty socks.
“Hi, Momma!” Imani notices that she doesn’t instantly pepper her face with all kinds of kisses and looks up at her puzzled. “Are you okay?”
“Momma’s fine. Just a little tired.”
“Little sissy, okay?”
Kourtney hums, “Your little sister is good. She’s excited right now so she’s having a wonderful time kicking Momma.” Imani nods, but her expression is still laced with uncertainty.
For only five, she’s extremely smart and empathic for her age. She cries whenever she sees another kid get hurt on the playground and runs over to make sure they’re okay while trying to be strong for them and wiping their tears.
Imani lifts her hand, mimicking Kourtney and Jet’s movement whenever she comes down with a cold. She places her cool hand on Kourtney’s neck. Her eyes widen as she feels how warm she is.
Imani slithers out of her lap, “Daddy!” She yells through the halls. Kourtney slumps, pressing two fingers to the side of her head.
The baby continues to kick all around, “It’s nice to see you got your sister’s energy.” She smoothes her thumb over her protruding stomach.
Six months just like the first time around is when everything starts to hit her—she means that literally. The kicking is so much worse when Jet is around as if they could tell who he was and wanted him to know.
Speaking of her husband, he soon comes rushing in. Led by Imani, he leans down in front of her. He placed the palm of his hand all around her face. His brows pinch together.
“Baby, you’re burning up.”
Kourtney sniffs trying to regain any ounce of air back into her nose, “My nose is blocked. My eyes are burning. My head is killing me. Welcome to the second trimester, baby.” She tries to joke, failing when she breaks out into a fit of coughs.
“You can’t take any of your normal pills. F—.” He quickly stops himself, both of their eyes flickering over to the young girl who repeats whatever she hears no matter what. “We haven’t stocked up on the safe ones. I’m gonna go make you tea and when Maddox comes to pick Mani up, I’ll go get the medicine.”
“No!” Imani stomps, “I don’t wanna go. I wanna stay here with Momma.” She runs over, wrapping her small arms around Kourtney and placing her head against her stomach.
“Mani, you can get sick. You’ve been looking forward to this playdate all week.” Her only response is a shake of her head. “I’ll take care of Momma and call your Aunt Maddie every hour to update you.”
“No.” She says more firmly. Her stubbornness is a mix of both of them. Mostly Jet even though he’ll tell you it’s mostly her.
Jets put his hands up in surrender.
“You heard the girl,” Kourtney smiles softly. “Mani, go get one of the masks from the living room and put it on for me.”
Imani nods, running out into the hall, and straight into the living room. Kourtney reaches for his hands, he helps her stand to her feet.
“Do you want to go to the hospital?”
She shakes her head as he walks her to the bathroom attached to their room, “I think all those hours at the shop are finally catching up with me.”
“We still have some of the herbal soup Momma Greene made. Do you want me to heat some up?”
She nods, “Can you put some water on the stove, so I can make some tea?”
“I’ll make the tea. You’re not moving a finger today. When you’re done, get right back into bed before Dr. Imani comes in and berates you for being out of bed and I co-sign her.”
“Yes, Nurse Jet.” He leans over, kissing her forehead. He presses his nose into the side of her face, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Baby girl seems to recognize him and gets right back to kicking. “I love you. I do, but she’s hitting my ribs.”
“Sorry, baby. My fault.” He presses another kiss against her cheek.
“Move your head, she’s still playing soccer with my uterus.” Jet chuckles as he walks off leaving Kourtney to get ready to do nothing for the rest of the day and just curl right back into bed.
Dr. Imani comes running in with a mask, her coloring set, and her adorable gables as the best kind of medicine. Jet comes back soon with a bowl of soup and a thermometer to properly take her temperature.
He picks through all the medicines one last time before grabbing one for headaches that is safe for her pregnancy. Jet soon leaves Dr. Imani, in charge, and quickly runs over to the store. This moment happens often when she watches the shadow of where he was standing just a minute ago and feels so much love in her heart.
Listening to his best man speech for Maddox. When he said his vows. The first time they kissed after they said I do. Watching him pick up Imani for the first time with so much care and love like he just came alive again. Watch how gentle he is as a father as a vet as a husband. It’s falling in love all over again. It’s knowing that there is always someone to turn to and she’s never alone.
Kourtney never realized how much being alone scared her. Her Mother is the strongest woman she knew and being raised by her made her into who she is today. She just always hated that she had to do it all on her own with no one to lean back on, but now that she’s older and seeing her Mother get the love she wanted for her since she was young. It is like a piece of her being stitched back together to meet the pieces that fill her happiest moments.
“And then, Sara went all up the hill and rolled down. She was dizzy after,” Imani smiled, excitedly recounting all the stories
“Did you roll down?” Imani looks offended that she was asked in the first place. Kourtney fiddles with one of her bows.
“My hair. My skirt. No, no, I only watch and play with the flowers.” She had most of Kourtney’s personality with Jet’s face. She had slender yet round eyes, and a rounded nose that pulled out at the edges, but she had her cheeks and charisma so it counts for something. She carried her for nine months, it’s gotta count for something.
Soon, Imani’s beautiful recounts turn to soft murmurs as they both are engrossed in their 50th rewatch of The Princess And The Frog. By the big final kiss, Imani is snoring with her head on her lap. Kourtney carefully pulled the mask down, and gently moved her head to the side. Kourtney cannot go through with carrying her to her room when Jet comes swooping into the room.
“I got her.” He whispers.
“I’m not going to break while carrying her.”
“Kourtney, the world spins every time you stand. I can see it, just let me take care of you. You’re holding another piece of my world in there and you, yourself are that world. This is the least I can do.” He presses, and he lifts Imani into his arms beckoning her to get back into bed.
“Okay, so I came to Tylenol for day and night. Benadryl cause you always get allergies when you’re coming down from a cold. Plus, you’re going to like this one. I stopped by Back Home 'cause I know finishing that soup was tortuous.”
“You’ve done a wonderful job, Nurse Jet.” She smiles, “Dr. Imani will be very proud when she wakes up from her usual five-minute afternoon nap.”
“I hope so, she’s a scary girl during monthly evaluations. I always feel like I’m gonna be fired.” He laughs softly, placing everything down so it’s easily accessible, “Do you want me to get anything else?”
She shakes her head, “A nice cuddle will suffice for now. Dr. Imani will have a list of demands when she sees you slacking.”
Kourtney folds her arms over Jet’s as he pulls her flush into his chest. He rests his chin on her shoulder. “You know, it’s not as bad as last time.”
“Thank god because if it was no matter how much you said no. We would’ve been driving up to the hospital because it seems like you forgot I was the last one with a medical degree.”
She waves him off, “We did not need to go to the emergency room, sit there for fifteen hours, and get flimsy fever reducer medicine. See, I’m already feeling better.”
“I don’t get it. Imani sneezes and you’re packing to take her to the emergency room. And then, I’m the one talking you down the ledge.”
“All you’re saying is that we balance each other perfectly.” Jet helplessly breaks out into a smile. “So, you’re welcome that you’re so lucky.”
“I am lucky. You and Imani are my entire life and more. And, I am so excited to introduce another baby into that world so I just want to make sure you’re okay always.”
“Thank you for always taking care of me and being the best dad ever. Please, stop looking at me like that. My hormones are a mess and I think I’m gonna cry 'cause I can’t kiss you.” She pushes his face to the side, sniffing from both her cold and the tears that already started to well in her eyes while Jet laughs.
“I love you so much,” he says.
He places a feather-like kiss on her shoulder, “I love you too.”
Imani soon woke up having a tired look in her eyes as she climbed into bed, squeezing into the middle of them, and took her rightful place. The rest of the day is filled with trying to watch a good amount of movies from the movie basket as Dr. Imani recounted all of it to her little sister. Her profession was to make sure Kourtney was as comfortable as possible with lots of laughs because laughter is the best kind of medicine.
Jet monitors her temperature every few hours. Kourtney soon settles into the second go-around of it all. All feelings from the first time come rushing back to her with additions and years of changes.
But, one thing remains the same. It doesn’t matter how many times they circle back here, she’ll always have people to lean on who suck energy back to her, until she’s coming back to life in all her full glory.
(Zuri Mae Park-Greene just needs four more months to meet them where they are.)