Destiny

Chapter 12

Destiny was in her eighth month of pregnancy, and as far as anyone could tell nothing bad had happened. She had a sense of paranoia, however, due to the fact that so many people had warned her about something bad happening.

Her father fretted over her quite a bit, and made sure that she was comfortable in every single way. Between her father and Jourdan, Destiny was completely unable to get anything done but she did not mind all that much. After all, they were only doing this because they cared about her and wanted her to be safe at all times. It was endearing, in a way, for her to be so well treated. It made her feel like she was worth something, like he was important to them, and while she was in such a vulnerable state she needed people around her that made her feel this way. It was all that she could do to keep herself from screaming her lungs out, and now that she had people around her that were taking care of her every need she felt like she might just be able to handle the situation a little bit better.

She was walking along the fields with Jourdan one sunny afternoon, and enjoying the beautiful view.

“You know,” she said to Jourdan, “the due date is coming up and we still haven’t talked about names. I mean, I know that I have not really made a decision yet but that does not mean that we cannot think of a name for our own child.”

“That’s true,” said Jourdan. “I think we should talk about it now. It would be a nice topic, after all. What do you say?’

“I agree,” said Destiny. “What sort of names do you have in mind?”

“Would you like to discuss boys names first or girls?” asked Jourdan.

“What are you hoping for?’ asked Destiny.

“I think I am hoping for a girl,” said Jourdan. “A son would be lovely as well, but I think I want a girl more than anything else. A little daughter to love and spoil, yes that would be everything that I want in the world. What about you?’

“I am hoping for a girl as well,” said Destiny. “I have always preferred daughters over sons. If we do have a son I will love it equally, but I just prefer a daughter at this point. What sort of names are you thinking of for our daughter?”

“I was thinking of Marie,” said Jourdan. “It was my mother’s name.”

“That is such a lovely name!” said Destiny.

“I know!” said Jourdan. “I always loved my mother’s name. Do you have any ideas for names it if is a girl?”

“I was thinking of Chantal,” said Destiny.

“Ah,” said Jourdan, “I see. That is a beautiful name, and it really goes well with the situation. A name with a story behind it, what a lovely idea! I think Chantal would be extremely pleased by this as well, and after all that she has done for us while being here I think that this is the least that we can do.”

“That is true,” said Destiny. “Are you sure you like the name? We could consider Marie too if we don’t like that one, or we could come up with a name that both of us want.”

“No,” said Jourdan, “I actually love that name. Even outside of its story and origin, I love that name. It has such an air of mystique to it, it seems to evoke so many different things. It sounds like the name of an international pop star!”

Destiny laughed and felt a sharp pain in her stomach. At first she thought that it was because she had laughed so hard but then the sharp pain returned. She cried out once again and fell to her knees, clutching the swell of her belly.

“Destiny!” said Jourdan. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“I… I’m in pain,” said Destiny, “it really hurts. It’s a sharp pain I don’t know what’s going on…”

“It’s okay,” said Jourdan, whipping out his phone. “It’ll be alright.”

“Jourdan,” said Destiny, “Jourdan I am scared… I am so scared…”

“Hush now,” said Jourdan, “it will all be okay, don’t worry, it will be alright…”

Destiny started to cry as Jourdan called Remy. He asked him to bring the doctor, Chantal and Destiny’s dad in the helicopter to the location he was sending him. Destiny could barely pay attention. All she could do was sob. She had lost her child, she just knew it. She knew that there was no coming back from this, that she was going to have to suffer the consequences for all she had done.

Even though she had never done anything evil in her life, in fact she had been a very good person, she felt like she was being punished. And in that grief, she was completely and utterly inconsolable.

The helicopter came, and Destiny barely realized what was happening to her. As she was placed in the helicopter and checked by the doctor and transported to a nearby hospital, all she could do right now was pray. All she could do was pray to her God and ask Him to save her child’s life. She did not even care about herself right now. All she cared about was the life of her child.

*****

Destiny’s heart was pounding as she entered the hospital. Eisenhower yelled for a wheelchair, for something, anything. A bunch of doctor’s rushed in. It was clear that they had been told that something could go wrong, and they were prepared for it.

It seemed odd to Destiny that she was being treated with so much special attention. She had never been treated like this, as she was just a black girl from the south. After all that had gone on, she realized that Jourdan had made sure that she would be given the best medical care available, and that she would be provided with all of the help she could possibly use. It was a wonderful feeling, and it made her love Jourdan all the more.

They put her on a bed and checked her out, and made Jourdan wait outside. The wait was extremely tough for him.

He paced around, and nothing anyone could say could console him or make him feel better in any way. He had been so careful, he had put so much effort into trying to make Destiny comfortable, and to ensure that nothing would go wrong with her labor. All of that effort had been in vain, because she was now in danger along with her child. In spite of all of his best efforts, his child might not make it, and this was something that drove him utterly crazy.

He walked around, anxiously panting and gasping, until he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.