The door opened again, and Cathy stepped inside.
“Goddammit,” I mumbled.
Her squinted eyes roved from me to Leader to her daughter to her grandbaby, then back to Leader. His eyes had not left the baby, and tears still flowed down his face while his hands remained in the restricted position. Her face grew red, and when I thought she was about to lay Leader’s ass out, she stepped further into the room, added foam sanitizer to her hands, and went to the side of the carrier. Without moving Leader out of the way, she lifted her grandbaby from the carrier, closed her eyes, and hoisted her onto her shoulder.
I stayed put because I wanted to see how this shit was going to play out. Cathy had proven to me to be a reasonable woman, but people acted funny when it came to black men being in jail or having a record. She didn’t know about my stint, but Leader was standing here decked in Iron Kinser’s finest, so there was no hiding his shot.
“I’m sorry. I… I fucking ruined your daughter. I stole her future. I-I should’ve left her alone. I’m… Fuck. I’m—” He lifted his hands, pulling the chains. “I can’t even fucking hold her. I… She’s…”
“Hey.” She closed the space between her and Leader, gently grabbing his chin and lifting his face. “What’s your name?”
“Leader.”
“I see… Leader, you did not ruin my daughter. Does she lookruinedto you?”
He didn’t answer, but the look in his eyes showed he was not letting his rationale go.
“She looks perfectly fine to me. A few bumps and bruises that will heal, but she’s perfectly fine. You didn’t ruin her. You just gave her much more purpose. I don’t know your situation, Leader, and right now I don’t care to. What I do know is that Glee is going to be just fine. She has a mother, a father, and a sister who will make sure she and your daughter are well taken care of. And when you are in a position to step in physically, we will release them to you.”
She let his chin go and turned the baby so that she was facing him. Even I had to blink away my own emotion as Leader broke down again.
“I knew something was off… Something was different about her.”
“Leader. It’s okay.”
“She’s… She’s so fucking beautiful.”
“She is. I think she’s a perfect mix of you two.” Cathy smiled, and for the first time since Leader walked into the hospital room, his face relaxed.
“Just when I thought Glee couldn’t drive me any crazier, she goes and make a mini her. Shit…” He shook his head.
“Leader, lift your crown. Both of you,”—She nodded at me—“God makes no mistakes. Y’all were brought into their lives for a reason, and it’s not a slip-up or unconventional timing. They are both stronger than the two of you think. Trust me… My daughters are built to handle the magnitude of men that you are, but now you have to prove that you are built for them.”
Damn.
Leader bent down and kissed the baby’s forehead. “You just gave me another reason, pretty baby. I love you… so fucking much.”
He stood and kissed the top of Glee’s head and the side of her mouth. I gagged a little due to the feeding tube because thewhole setup was nasty as hell in theory. It was sentimental as a motherfucker, though, and I respect Leader for his love for Glee.
“Take care of them, please. I’ma… I’ma figure this shit out. She won’t be a single mama. I’ma find a way out of this shit. That’s on my life.”
Leader took another look at the baby as the door opened. Officer Steroids nodded, signaling that it was time for him to go. I was guessing that Don had gotten him a special furlough. That nigga’s reach was so long that I was beginning to think it was nothing he couldn’t do. When I thought back to how he’d put us in a whole-ass Biblical setting, I knew there was nothing he couldn’t do.
Leader began to shuffle toward the door but stopped just shy of it. “What’s her name?”
Don had now come back in but stood to the side, watching the scene with an unreadable expression.
Cathy chuckled lightly. “I never knew girls could be juniors. But she is. Her name is Leader… Baby Leader.”
Leader tensed, rubbed his hand down his face to dry it, and then looked at Don. “Aye, Demise. Can I holla at you alone for a minute?”
Don nodded and stepped back out.
“Aye, G….”
“You ain’t even gotta ask. Dey gone be straight, Leader,” I assured him.
He took one more look at Glee, then at his baby, before stepping out. Though he was no longer in the room, I could feel the heaviness he’d left behind. Just a while ago, we were both in a cell. Now, we were connected by sisters.
