LEAN ON ME

OOOOOOOOOOOOOK I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR 52737983475766 YEARS FOR THIS UPDATE BUT IT WAS MY SON'S 3RD BIRTHDAY (WHICH HE LOOOVED BTW THANK U FOR THE BIRTHDAY WISHES) & I HAVE THIS CRAZY SINUS INFECTION THT IS KILLIN ME BUT NONE THE LESS HERE I AM FOR YOU MY DARLINGS. BUT ENOUGH OF THAT SHIT. HERE YA GO.HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! ENJOY!





chapter 39



Drake woke up blinking as the bright light reflected off the snow & into his window. The
treacherous sun is what woke him from his slumber. He rolled over to his belly & reached
over to Nicki's side of the bed. It was cold. He looked over at the bathroom door. It was
open. He sat up rubbing his eyes before getting up & heading downstairs. the smell of
bacon immediately infiltrated his nose.
"Mmmmm." he said as he sat at the counter. she turned around from the stove &
smiled.
"hi baby." she said removing the pancakes from the pan.
"Smells good." he said with a yawn. "You're in a good mood."
"Yeah, jus felt like doing something. I've been cleaning all morning then i got hungry."
she told him. she walked over to the counter with a plate in her hand. she placed it in
front of him. turkey bacon egg whites cinnamon buns & a sky high stack of fluffy
pancakes covered in butter & fresh Canadian maple syrup. his stomach rumbled.
"thank u." he said as he cut in to his pancakes.
"You're welcome." she said sitting next 2 him with her own plate.
"this is really good!" he said with his mouth full. He placed a syrupy kiss on her cheek.
"thank you." she giggled.
"Where'd you get all this energy from?" he asked.
"I don't know" she shrugged. "For sum reason I just feel like I have to get ready. Like he's
gonna be here soon & I jus wanna be prepared." she said nibbling on her bacon.
"I believe that's called nesting." he said.
"Woah! Sumbody's been reading the baby books." she laughed.
"well you're not the only 1 who wants to be prepared." he said 2 her. "But dont worry we got
like 3 more months you're gonna be fine."
"Yeah well still, I wanna b ready, You know?" she said to him.
"Yeah I know what you mean." Drake nodded. They talked a little while longer as they ate.
When they were done, Drake took the dishes to the sink & washed them. Nicki had a
phone meeting that morning. While she took care of business in the study, Drake sat in
the living room flicking through channels. He was just about to doze back off when
there was a knock at the door. Drake got up & answered the door to see SB on the
other side. "Whats goin on man?" he said slapping him up.
"Whats good?" said SB.
"Shit. You know, jus chillin." Drake shrugged.
"Aye sorry I couldn't make the party. I had a lot of shit to do. You know how it is." SB had
been busy running his restaurant in Miami. It had been a long time since he'd been up
north.
"Yeah I feel you. It's all good."
"Hey is Nicki here?" SB asked. He was anxious to see her. It had been a while since the
last time he saw her & he was excited to see how pregnancy was wearing on her.
"Yeah lemme go get her" Drake said. He walked up to the study & knocked on the door.
She was on the phone.
"Hold up Shanell. yes baby?" she said to him.
"Theres somebody here for you." he said to her.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Come look." he said simply. She gave him a puzzled look.
"I'll call you back." she told shanell before hanging up. She got up from the desk &
made her way downstairs. When SB caught his first glimpse of her he laughed. She
looked so cute as she waddled her way into the living room. As soon as she saw him
her face lit up.
 "Safaree, what are you doing here!?" she said hugging him as tight as she
could.
 "I was in the area so I thought I'd stop by. How you been?"
 "Good! I been good. Baby's getting big." she said patting her stomach. And
indeed she was. It seemed like she was getting bigger everyday.
 "I see this! You look so....weird. Like, it's funny seeing you pregnant. You're
so..." SB was about to say something in reference to her size but stopped when he saw
Drake behind her motioning for him to stop. Drake knew if he said anything about how
big she was getting, she would cry all day.  SB cleared his throat before he spoke
again. "Uhhh, beautiful." Drake mouthed the words 'thank you' before walking to the
kitchen.
 "Awwww! Thank you!!! Come in & sit! Are you staying long?" she asked as
she took his coat, hanging it on a hook by the door.
 "Actually yeah. I thought we could chill a lil bit since I haven't seen you in a
while." he said to her. He kicked off his shoes by the door & went to flop on the couch.
"So what you been up to preggo?"
 "Nothing. Just trying to stay stress free. What about you? How's your exciting
life Mr. Business man?" she asked sitting down next to him. She folded one leg under
herself, getting comfortable. SB proceeded to tell her about how his business ventures
were going. It was fun for her to hear about his life, but also sad. She missed being
outside the house but she was still kind of scared to leave.
 "So what'd you buy so far? For the baby I mean?" SB asked, catching her
off guard. She simply shrugged.
 "Nothing really. I haven't been outside much & Drake doesn't wanna shop
without me." she told him.
 "Why the fuck not!? You goin bring my godson into the world with nothing?"
As soon as he said that, he regretted it. he was only joking, but he could tell there was
something wrong by the look in her eyes. He softened his expression.  "I'm sorry. You
know I was jokin'. What's wrong?"
 "I'm just scared. Anything could happen in this world. You just never know
what could go wrong." she confessed. I was hard for him to hear that. Nicki had always
been the type of person that could face anything. He hoped his gifts could cheer her
up.
 "Well, then I'm glad I shopped before I came here. Hold up." SB said before
jumping up. He slipped on his shoes & coat & ran outside to his SUV.  He came back
with about 20 shopping bags.
 "Safaree what is this?!" she said, peeking in a few bags. He held a finger up
before running back outside. He came back in with another 20 bags & closed the door.
"This." he said "Is my gift of ignorance." Nicki picked up a bag & looked inside.
"Really?" she said reaching inside. "Gucci booties? For real?" she said holding them in
her hand.
"Whats wrong with that?" SB asked. Nicki shook her head as she went through more of the
bags. Prada bibs. Louis Vitton diaper bags. Roberto Cavalli onesies.
"I didn't know they made this stuff so small." she said marveling over the intricate pattern
of the teeniest Yves st. Laurent cardigan she had ever seen. She couldn't wait to see her
son in it. she looked over at her best friend who was talking to her but she blocked out
the sound. she looked at him laughing smiling talking about her son. It brought a smile
to her face. After she & Drake got back together she had been worried about the effect it
would have on their friendship. She was so happy to see him in her home just as
excited as everyone else about her son. It made her want to cry, but she didn't wanna do
that around him. She looked down & took a deep cleansing breath.
"Faree." she said softly.
"Whats up?" he said holding tiny gold bracelet sprinkled with diamonds.
"Thank you. For being here." she said smiling at him. He smiled back.
"Welcome." was all he said. He meant it & she could tell. She knew it was only a matter
of time before the water works started. She stood up.
"Goin to the bathroom. I'll be back." She rushed past Drake who was just coming in the
room. He sighed heavily as he sat on the couch.
"What's up with her?" SB asked, his voice laced with concern.
"Hormones, partly." Drake said.
"And the other part?"
"She's scared."
"She was sayin somethin' about that? What happened that got her so scared?"
"You remember the nurse from the hospital in Miami?"
"Yeah, Sunshine she called her."
"She's dead." SB sat back, a shocked look on his face.
"Damn. That's fucked up. She was a nice girl."
"She was our nurse's sister. But that's not the killer. You remember the girl that cleared
my name? Maliah's sister? Shes dead too."
"Get the fuck out!" SB exclaimed.
"That's what really fucked Nicki up. Marissa was pregnant. She's afraid something's
gonna happen. She goes to her appointments & shit but as far as going to places with
a lot of people like stores & shit, she wont do it. I'm kinda glad you're here. I mean I
love her to death but I know you & her been friends for a long time. You know her better
than me.I got some shit I been workin on for a while I wanna finish up for her, so while I'm
doin that, maybe you can cheer her up, get her out of this damn house. She worries me
sittin in here all day. I don't want her depressed." Drake hadn't told anyone that he was
concerned about Nicki before now, but he had to say something. He knew if anyone
could help it was SB.
"I'll see what I can do my nigga." SB told him. Just then, Nicki came back in the room.
"What are you guys talking about?" she said sitting on Drake's lap.
"Are you hungry?" Drake asked trying to lighten the mood.
"A little. Why?" she asked.
"I'm feelin like cheesecake. How bout you?" he said smiling.
"Sure." she told him. He slid her off his lap & stood up. He walked over to the door &
put on his coat.
"I'll be back." he said giving SB a look. SB nodded back. Drake walked out the door.
SB turned to Nicki & smiled.
"So how was the party? I'm kinda mad I missed it." said SB trying to make
conversation.
"I was so fun! I had fun. Wish you were there though." she said. "Especially since
Drake had his little friend Karla here. I don't think she likes me."
"Why not?" he asked. Nicki shrugged.
"Just a feeling. But everything else was great. Wayne was here. Didn't expect that. I
guess he & Shanell made up. At least that's what she told me on the phone. I'm kinda
glad. She should be happy."
"That's great but we talkin bout you. Whats up with you? I barely talk to you now. Whats
up with that shit?! What you pregnant so you just kick a nigga to the curb?" he said
laughing.
"Uh excuse me but ain't nobody tell yo ass to move to Florida! And you got my number
just like I got yours! Two ways street my nigga!" she said pointing at him.
"Yeah yeah you right. My bad." he chuckled. "So what the hell do you do for fun these
days?"
"I don't know! I cook."
"You cook? That's your fun?!" he said shaking his head. "That ain't goin work."
"Well I don't KNOW! I don't really wanna do anything! Drake tries to make me do stuff
but I just..."
"You just nothin! We gonna do somethin today! Whatchu got around here that's fun? I
know that nigga got some games or sumthin!" He walked over to the entertainment
center. He noticed the XBOX 360 game console Along with the Wii. "Ok I see yall
got...Mario, you wanna play Mario?" She shook her head. "Ok fine, what about....Black
Ops? We can shoot some zombies!"
"Zombies!? I'll pass." she giggled. SB sifted through more of the games until he
stumbled on one he couldn't refuse.
"This.......this is it. Lets play this." he said holding up the game. Nicki walked over to him
& took the game.
"Michael Jackson: The Experience. Really?" she said turning the case over in her hand.
"Yeah!!! this game is the shit! Everybody loves Michael!" said SB. He took the case,
opened it & popped in the game. 
"I don't know Safaree." she said sitting down on the couch. He walked over to her &
pulled her up. 
"Come on Nicki. It's just a game." he said putting the controller in her hand. She looked
at his face. He was smiling like a child. She couldn't help but smile back. She slipped
the wristband on her wrist & tightened it.
"Make sure you put that wristband on." she told him.
"Man that shit is for suckas! I'm a professional."
"Yeah nigga be a professional at yo house! I don't want my tv broke!" she laughed. He
sucked his teeth as he placed the wristband around his wrist. "Thank you."
"Yeah whatever." he said. He pointed the controller to the screen. "What song you
wanna do?"
"I don't know! Just pick 1."
"Well I don't wanna pick something you cant do. What about...Beat it? We can do that."
"Ummm I'm thinkin not."
"Ok then....Black or White."
"No."
"Stop being so picky!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" she said hitting her with her controller.
"Chill, chill! Alright!" He kept scrolling through the songs until he stumbled on 1 he
thought they could both do. "I got it. We can do this 1. It's easy."
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough? I don't know. I feel like I'm gonna fuck this all up."
"It's mad easy. Just shut up & play." Nicki huffed.
"But I don't want to!"
"Stop whining & play!"
"No!" she said stomping off. He followed her.
"Nicki, whats the deal? Why you trippin? It's just a game!"
"I just don't wanna mess up." she said, her voice low.
"Something tells me this isn't just about the game." She couldn't speak. "Nic, what is it?" 
She shook her head.
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"Why not?"
"Cuz I JUST DON'T!" she shouted. He felt bad. He knew she was hurting but he just
didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to handle this emotional Nicki. Just then,
Dricki came running to her carrying his leash. She walked to the door with him, hooked
his leash to his collar & slipped her feet into her knee high Timberland's. He followed
her over to the door & put on his coat. "I don't need a babysitter." she spat.
"I'm not here to babysit." he said back. She looked at him as she zipped up her North
Face. She said nothing as she slipped out the door. He let her walk a couple paces
ahead of her. She didn't say anything. She just walked.  She sat on a large rock as she
let Dricki frolic around in the frozen meadow a little ways down the road. She was trying
to clear her head. She felt bad for yelling at SB but she just wasn't ready to talk yet. She
sat outside thinking for about an hour and a half  before she finally decided to go back.
When they got back to the house she let Dricki off the leash & hugged SB. "Whats this
for?" he said embracing her.
"I'm sorry for yelling. I didn't mean to."
"It's cool." he told her. She backed away & looked down.
"You still wanna play that game?" she asked. He smiled at her.
"Yeah. C'mon." he took her hand & led her over to the t.v. Nicki was actually a little
excited to play. She thought maybe she wouldn't do as bad as she thought. She shook
her hands out as the soft chimes signaled the start of the game. "Look atchu! Actin like
this is a boxing match!"
"Shut up & put the strap on! Pauz!"
"I keep tellin you I'm a professional man!"
"Yeah whatever!" She said nudging him with her elbow. The first song he picked was
"Remember The Time" Nicki was surprised at how fast pace it was. "Woah! Ok! Didn't
know we was goin just start dancin soon as the song came on!"
"Shut up & dance!" he said laughing. She laughed at herself as she tried to mimic
the King Of Pop's tutting technique. She thought she was doing horrible but she caught
a glimpse of the score bar & saw it was moving up. She felt her confidence go up
slightly as she saw her score was slightly surpassing SB's. She really got into the
groove then. Hand over head, step. Hand over head, Step. Handover head, sliding tut.
Bend down, sliding tut. She was really enjoying herself. She was kind of upset that she
didn't take up Drake's offer to play this earlier.
"How you beatin me preggo!?!" SB said.
"Cuz I'm a beast!" she laughed. She was starting to get out of breath so she was
thankful when the choreography stared slowing down. She moved her arms, slow tutting
like the Nefertiti on the screen showed her, SB behind her mimicking Michael. She song
was almost over when her front door flew open scaring her.
"Jesus ma! You scared me!" she said clutching her chest.
"Don't use the lords name in vein." Carol warned.
"Sorry." she said trying to get back into the groove. SB looked over & caught a glimpse
of Drake with a large box signaling him to keep her distracted as he ran upstairs. He
swiftly slid to the far side of her, blocking her veiw. She tried to look past him.
"You slippin nigga! You slippin!" he said distracting her. It worked. He kept her
occupied long enough for Drake & Maciah to run in with a few more boxes & bags.
Sandi was the last one in, closing the door behind her. She was carrying a few bags
herself. The song had finally ended. Nicki flopped down on the couch laughing as the
game counted up the score. Four stars. She had beat SB by a few hundred points.
"You cheated." he told her.
"How did I cheat & I don't even know how to play the game?"
"You know how to play, stop frontin!" SB said laughing. She looked just as Drake was
creeping down the stairs.
"Hey i didn't know your mother was coming over." she said smiling.
"Uuuh yeah. She wanted to surprise you." he said scratching his head. " I'm gonna help
her get settled in. Your cheesecake is in the kitchen, babe." he said before taking
Sandi's bags & heading upstairs. Sandi followed. Nicki shrugged, fanning herself.
"You still wanna play?" SB asked her.
"In a minuet. I'm kinda hungry." she said getting up & heading for the kitchen where her
mother was making coffee.
"Already knew you were coming." Carol said sliding her a plate with 2 pieces of
cheesecake already cut.
"Thank you mommy." she said before digging in to her cheesecake. They sat having a
quiet conversation for about 45 minuets before Nicki decided she wanted to give this
game another go. She came back to the living room where SB was just finishing
"Ghost". Nicki gasped when she noticed he didn't have the wrist strap on. She slapped
the back of his head.
"What was that for?" he said holding his head.
"Put that damn strap around your wrist!" she shouted. He sucked his teeth as he
slipped the wristband on.
"What song you wanna do now? 'Thriller' is a good 1."
"I don't think I'm ready for that. It says 'INHUMANE' I don't think I can handle that."
"Alright, then lets do 'Dont Stop Til You Get Enough' It's real old skool." Nicki
shrugged. She laughed as SB warmed up for the song, swinging his arm back & fourth,
rolling his neck. "You know the force it.......it's got a lot of power." he quoted. She joined
in.
"You make me feel.....you make me feel like. OOOOOOOOOH!" she recited raising
her arm above her head in one of MJ's signature stances. They fell into the groove
immediately. Moving side to side as they did the arm roll & the do-wop, singing along to
Michael, having a good time. They moved on to the next song, & the next, & the next.
Soon they were 5 songs in. They had been playing for just about an hour & Nicki was
just about worn out. She layed down on the couch, her hands over her head, panting. "I
did NOT think I could play this long! Wooooah!" she said wiping the sweat from her
brow.
"You did good preggo." Sb said patting her head.
"Thanks." she laughed. "I wonder what the hell Drake is doin up there. I should go
check."
"Maybe he's spendin some quality time with his mom. Give him some time. I'm thirsty,
how bout you?" SB said trying to stall.
"I guess I could go for a drink." she said pushing herself up. They walked to the kitchen
 & Nicki poured them both a glass of orange juice. They took their drinks back tot the
living room & sat on the sectional. They didn't talk much, they just sat in a comfortable
silence as they drank. They might have made a comment here or there but nothing to
hold a real conversation. When they were done SB asked if she wanted to go 1 more
round on the game before she gave it up. "I think I'm all moonwalk-ed out. But you can
play."
"C'mon Nicki. You'll probably never even play this again. "Billie Jean", last 1." SB
pleaded.
"I'm good. My arm needs a rest. But go ahead & play. I'm goin to the bathroom, I'll be
right back." she said a she got up & waddled toward the bathroom. SB shrugged & got
up off the couch & grabbed the controller. He started the song. He was really getting in
to the groove, doing the kick, humping the air, grabbing his crotch, spinning. In that
moment, he WAS Michael. He was half way through the song when Drake came down
the stairs.
"Yo, where's Nicki?" Drake asked, but SB didn't hear him.
"SB, where's Nicki?" he said a bit louder. Still no answer. The last time he yelled a bit.
"Yo SB!" he said, startling him. the next thing he knew the controller was slipping from
his grasp. It flew across the room & hit the t.v., the tv then wobbling slightly before
falling front-first to the hardwood with a crash. The 2 men stared at each other, wide
eyed, unable to believe what just happened.
"What the hell was that!!?" Nicki yelled as she ran from the kitchen into the living room.
She gasped when she saw her 60" flatscreen on the floor. She noticed the Wii remote
sitting slightly off to the left of it on the floor. She slowly looked from the controller up to
SB who was still in shock. She frowned. "You didn't put the wrist strap on..............did
you?" she said crossing her arms. He shook his head, his eyes falling to the ground.
"So.......give me a reason NOT to fuck you up."
"Cuz it wasn't my fault." SB exclaimed. "The white boy did it!" He pointed to Drake.
Drake furrowed his brow.
"What?!" he said confused.
"Nigga if you didn't come down the stairs screamin & shit, scarin me, I wouldn't have let
the shit go!!!" said SB. 
"Hell nah, don't put this shit on me! You shoulda just put the wrist strap on!"
"Nigga I'm a PROFESSIONAAAAAALLLLL! I keep tryin to tell yall dat!" They
continued to go back & fourth arguing, sounding like small children. SB threatening to
tell Drake's mom was the last straw. Nicki thought it was so funny to see them argue.
She started to laugh. Silence fell over them as they stared at Nicki laughing.
"She's lost it." SB said shaking his head.
"Yup." Drake agreed simply.
"I'm fine. You guys are the lunatics!" Nicki chuckled. "You're telling mom Safaree?
Really?!" They all laughed. It was rather funny. But, all was quiet when a surge of pain
struck through Nicki suddenly. She wrapped her arms around her belly as she winced in
pain. She could feel her son kicking frantically. Drake looked at her face & knew she
was hurting. He rushed to her side.
"You ok?!!" he asked.
"Yeah." she told him. The pain was gone as fast as it came. The baby had settled down
& it was as if it never happened at all. 
"You sure?" He was unconvinced.
"Yeah. I think it was just from all the dancing I was doin today. I'm ok now." she told
him. He put a hand on her belly. The slight thump against his hand calmed him. Just
then, Maciah came racing down the stairs.
"Is she ready!?! It's finally-hey the t.v.'s on the floor." he said stopping in his tracks.
"Ready for what?" Nicki asked.
"Your surprise!" Maciah said excited. She looked at Drake & then at Maciah.
"What surprise?!" she asked.
"Just somethin your brother's been workin on." Drake said.
"He helped." Maciah said pointing to Drake. "Come on. I wanna show you!" he said
grabbing her hand. She walked with him up the stairs, Drake close behind her. He led
her down the hall to a closed door. "Ok, you ready?"
"Yeah I'm ready lamb chop."  she told him. She opened the door & gasped. It was the
most beautiful nursery she had ever seen. She couldn't have decorated it better is she
tried. The room was a statement in its self with its large windows that gave a breathtaking
panoramic view of the forest outside. It was perfect for the Hundred Acre Wood feeling
the linen & furniture gave her. The creme color of the bedding complimented the
natural wood finish of the crib. There were bookshelves full of wonderful children's
stories. The long bench by the window looked like the perfect space to read those
stories. She loved the bumblebee decals in the walls & the original art in the walls. The
minimalistic design of the room said so much. It left so much to be discovered. Just
the type of place for a child's imagination to run wild with endless possibilities. All the
textures, muted colors, everything was just perfect.
"Do you like it?" Maciah asked her.
"I LOVE IT!" she said. And she really did. There wasn't 1 thing in that room that she
wanted to change. "How did you come up with this?"
"Well I wanted to do something nice for him & for you. It's gonna be a long time before
he can play with any of the cool toys so I wanted to do something that would make both
of you guys happy at the same time." She walked over to him & hugged him tight.
"This is the best thing ever. Thank you lambchop." she said kissing his forehead.
"Welcome." Just then, Carol & Sandi walked in. They too marveled at the room.
"Oh honey this is beautiful. I'm sure the baby will love it!" Sandi said hugging Maciah.
"Yes he will. Especially cuz his uncle Ciah did this for him." Nicki said smiling. She was
at the bookshelf examining the complete collection of "Winnie The Pooh" stories when
another shot of pain surged through her. She bit her lip to keep from making a sound.
She walked over to the bench by the window & sat. The cool glass felt good against
her skin. She was flushed. It had been almost 20 minuets from the first pain & she was
a little worried. She looked out the window to keep from giving herself away. She felt a
slight tap on her shoulder & she jumped. It was her mother.
"Nicki did you hear what I said?" she asked. 
"What? No, I'm sorry. What did you say mommy?" Nicki said snapping out of her trans.
"Oh, I was just talking about the baby. He's such a blessing to us. We've all been so
distant from each other. Because of him, we've all become so much closer. I think this
was divine intervention."
"Really? You think so? Nicki asked.
"Yes I do." said Carol as she sat next to her daughter.
"So do I" Sandi chimed in. "If it wasn't for this baby, who knows if we would all be
together like this. I really think this is a message to us that we need to celebrate life
together. We needed to be closer."
"You know, I think you're right. If it wasn't for him I don't think we'd be spendin all this
time together. I've never been happier." Drake said sitting on the floor next to Nicki.
"Yeah I always wanted a kid I could ignorize & then send home." SB said from the
doorway.
"That's not even a word." Nicki said.
"I know. I made it up."
"Safaree, please shut up." she said rolling her eyes.
"Well we've never been happier either." said Carol. "And since were on the subject of
the baby, there's something we wanted to talk about."
"Ok. What is it?" Nicki asked raking her fingernails over Drake's head.
"Well, you haven't picked a name for him yet. So Sandi & I have been talking about it
we think we've found the perfect name."
"Really? What is it?"
"Well we were thinking since is such a blessing he needs a good, strong name. A
name that means something. What do you think about Malaki?"
"I love it, but isn't that like a book in the bible? What does it mean?" Nicki asked.
"It means 'Messenger' or 'Angel' in Hebrew." Drake told her.
"Wow, really? That's very.....fitting. I like that." she smiled.
"And maybe his middle name could be Kiran. Mommy says it means like 'Light' or
something. I googled it." Maciah told her. She rolled the name over in her head. She
really did like it.
"What do you think baby?" she said looking down at Drake.
"I like it. I think It's a good name & our mothers agree so how can that be bad?" He
turned around to face her belly. "The question is...does HE like his name." He felt his
son kick rapidly as Nicki nearly jumped out of her seat. She sucked in a breath. "You
ok?" She nodded her head. "Don't lie. What's wrong?"
"I don't know. There's just this pain. Like a cramp or something."
"LIKE A CONTRACTION?!" he exclaimed.
"I don't think it's that. It's doesn't hurt that bad."
"You almost jumped in my LAP! I think we need to call Koyoa." She tried to refuse but
he already had his Blackberry out.
"You sure you ok Nicki?" Maciah said quietly. He was afraid for his sister.
"I'm ok."
"No you're not! This is the second pain you've had like that." SB said.
"Third." she said.
"THIRD! Baby why didn't you tell me?!" Drake exclaimed.
"Cuz it's not that bad." she insisted.
"You wouldn't say if it was." SB told her. It was true. She didn't like to complain.
"She says how far apart are they?" Drake asked.
"Maybe 20 minuets."
"Are they getting closer?"
"They're pretty much the same."
"She's coming over."
"Noooo! Tell her to stay home. It's not that serious."
"She's already gone. She's 5 minuets away." Before long Koyoa was at the door.
Drake let her in & led her upstairs to where Nicki was. Nicki frowned.
"What? You're not happy to see me?" Koyoa said pouting.
"Not at 8:30 st night when I know you could be at home with your family." Nicki told her.
"My family is fine. The boys are sleep & Their dad is home with them. Now shut up & let
me check out that baby." she said pulling out her stethoscope & blood pressure cuff.
Her blood pressure was good, her pulse was steady & the baby's heart rate was fine. 
"You look & sound good. I think what you're experiencing is Braxton Hick's
contractions."
"What is that?" Drake & SB asked together.
"It's just his way of helping you get ready for him to come out. but don't worry, I don't
think he's coming any time soon. Buuuut just to be on the safe side, & for the sake of
Drake's sanity, I wanna stay with you until you have another 1."
"Thank you." Drake told her. He was really worried about the both of them. He didn't like
seeing Nicki in pain & he was worried about his son. He sat by her, not moving once.
"Koyoa, it's been like an hour. You can go home." Nicki said after 45 minuets.
"No, I said I would stay so that's what I'm gonna do. Shut up & stop tryin to put me out!"
"I'm not trying to put you out. I just think I'm fine. It's probably cuz of all the movin
around I was doin earlier."
"Do I even wanna know?" said Koyoa.
"I was playing the Wii dork!"
"What game?"
"The Michael Jackson 1."
"Oooooh I love that game! But prolly not the best game to be playin all day when you're
pregnant."
"Well, it was only a few songs!" Nicki said.
"Define 'few'." Koyoa said glaring at her.
"I don't know. Eight.......maybe ni-ahhhhhhhh!" Nicki squeezed Drake's hand as she
waited for the contraction to pass. Drake held his breath as he looked at her. He
wanted to take all the pain away. Knowing he couldn't was killing him. It was only a few
seconds but it felt like hours to him.
"You ok?" Nicki asked him, looking concerned.
"I'm good." he said. She held up his hand.
"Could've fooled me." He was slightly shaking. Koyoa took off her stethoscope.
"Was that 1 as bad as the other 3?" she asked.
"No." Nicki said.
"Well, then you're fine. The contractions are spreading out & are less painful so its not
real labor. Just drink lots of water & try not to overwork yourself. But if they get worse or
more frequent, you call me back. No excuses you hear me?" Koyoa said hugging her
then Drake. "Try & take it easy for the rest of the night at least. Call me tomorrow." SB
escorted her out. Drake sat next to Nicki, his arms wrapped around her tightly.
"I was so scared." he admitted to her.
"I couldn't tell." she joked.
"Seriously Nicki. I was worried."
"I was kinda glad."
"Why would you be glad that I was scared?"
"Because you always seem so sure of yourself. It makes me self-conscious."
"Nicki." he said kissing her shoulder. "I only act that way cuz I don't want you to see how
scared I am. I wanna be strong for you. But I guess that was a mistake."
"I know you wanna be there for me baby but I can be the strong 1 sometimes too."
"You're always strong. I could never do what you're doing. I love you so much for this."
he said caressing her belly. "Now lets get you & Malaki to bed." He said sweeping her
off her feet.



now he has a name arent you happy!?!?! Malaki Kiran Graham is almost here!