Chapter 8: A new life.

Samantha quickly rushed to Kiandra who had lost consciousness and she froze when she noticed blood coming from Kiandra’s legs.

Samantha got out of her shock and she rushed to the phone to call an ambulance. After speaking with the officials, she rushed back to Kiandra.

“Everything will be fine. The paramedics will be here soon. Just hold on,” she said, even though Kiandra couldn’t hear her…

****

“It’s been a week already, why haven’t you woken up?” Kiandra heard Samantha say to her. What was her friend rambling all about? She wondered as she opened her eyes.

“Kiandra, oh my God, you’re finally awake,” she heard Samantha squeal. “Hold on, let me get the doctor,” she said and ran out of the room. There was silence after and Kiandra tried to sit up.

The door opened once again and Kiandra heard footsteps approaching the bed where she was laying on. “Please don’t move,” she heard a doctor say and he started to check her vitals.

“What happened?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

“You were unconscious for a week due to the hit you suffered to your stomach,” the doctor answered her as he continued to examine her.

“My baby?!” Kiandra exclaimed when she remembered what had led to her landing in the hospital. “Is my baby alright?” she asked the doctor.

“Well Miss Aidan, it’s complicated,” the doctor answered and his answer worried Kiandra.

“What do you mean by that?” She asked, squinting her eyes suspiciously as she knew whatever the doctor would say wouldn't be good.

“You see, you hit your stomach pretty badly and this affected the baby. While we managed to save it, we couldn’t save it from the effects of the hit it took,” the doctor said.

“What does that mean?” Kiandra asked the doctor.

“It means your baby won’t have a normal growth. We can’t tell which part exactly got affected as it’s still developing but there’s a high chance of you giving birth to a disabled child.”

“Oh,” Kiandra replied.

“Also, while examining your body, we discovered that your body is weak for the child you’re carrying…”

“So you advise me to get rid of the baby,” Kiandra said as she could tell that was what the doctor was about to say.

“Yes,” the doctor affirmed. “It’s your choice to make as the mother of the child. Excuse me,” saying that, he turned and left.

“Were the police able to find the man responsible for my condition?” Kiandra asked Samantha in a distant tone, one that sounded as though she was detached from reality.

“No, they found no traces of the man. It’s like he disappeared ,” Samantha answered. “Did you notice something he said?” she asked.

“That someone didn’t want me to bear the child,” Kiandra answered, and Samantha nodded.

“We had just found out about your pregnancy, so how on earth did the man know that you were pregnant?” Samantha asked.

“That’s because I told Lucas Valencia that I was pregnant,” Kiandra answered, and Samantha’s eyes widened in shock.

“What? Explain?” she demanded from Kiandra. Kiandra took a deep breath and she told Samantha what had transpired between her and Lucas.

“I can’t believe that asshole would actually send a man to kill his own child!” Samantha seethed with rage after Kiandra was done. “You shouldn’t allow him to get away with what he did.”

“No,” Kiandra shook her head. “I have no intention of pursuing the case.”

“What?! Why?!” Samantha probed.

“You said it yourself. These people are powerful and I have no intention of challenging them,” Kiandra stated. “If Lucas doesn’t want a child then I won’t bother him with it but I’m having my baby.”

Samantha bit her lips at what Kiandra said. “Even though…”

“Yes!” Kiandra cut Samantha short. “I’ll take care of my child no matter what!”

The door opened and Samantha’s dad and her grandmother walked in. Samantha froze upon seeing her father, as the look he had on his face told her that she was in big trouble.

“Dad,” she started, but he cut her short.

“The doctor told me everything. Do you really want to keep the baby?” he asked, focusing his attention on Kiandra. He knew whatever happened wasn’t her fault, as his mother-in-law had filled him in.

“Yes,” Kiandra answered. “I’m going to college soon, which means I won’t put any of you in danger.”

“Who is the father of the baby?” Desmond inquired.

“It’s best you don’t know as it might put you in danger,” Kiandra answered and Desmond didn’t push it any further to which Kiandra was thankful for.

“You’re traveling to a new state to further your education, and I have female colleagues over there. I’ll reach out to them, so they can help you with the baby and Samantha will be there with you every single step of the way,” he stated.

“After all, it is her fault you’re in this situation,” Desmond added, and Samantha bowed her head in shame as she was too scared to look at her baby.

“And about your records, I’ll ensure no one is able to investigate them,” he assured Kiandra. “The doctor has been informed not to let anyone know you didn’t lose the child.”

“Thank you,” Kiandra said and she meant it from the bottom of her heart, as she didn’t know how she would have handled the situation alone.

“Let’s get you home so you can leave for college,” Desmond said, and Kiandra nodded. She sighed heavily as she knew that a lot was going to change because of her decision but she would face it head-on.

****

FIVE YEARS LATER.

“Girl, you really need to get your lazy ass up and start arranging your apartment,” Samantha yelled as she entered Kiandra's apartment.

She met the latter lying on the couch with her eyes closed. “Why do you have to be so loud?” Kiandra asked in irritation as she massaged her temples.

“Because you won’t do anything if I’m soft with you,” Samantha answered and she dragged Kiandra off the couch.

“Ouch,” Kiandra cried when her butt hit the ground. She finally opened her eyes and glared at her best friend. “One of these days, I’ll reach my limit and kill you.”

“Until that day and if I don't kill you first. For now, let’s focus on cleaning your apartment,” Samantha said and she walked over to some cartons to remove the contents.

“You know, you should have just let my dad handle getting you an apartment,” Samantha said as she started to arrange what was in the boxes.

“He has done a lot for me. I didn’t want to trouble him anymore. Besides, I know he had a hand in getting me this apartment,” Kiandra stated, and Samantha pretended as though she didn’t hear what Kiandra said as it was true

The two then got busy arranging the apartment Kiandra had refused to touch for three days. “Whew, that was tiring,” Kiandra collapsed on the couch three hours later.

“It would have been more tiring if I hadn’t been there to help,” Samantha said as she handed a bottle of water to Kiandra. She too took her seat beside Kiandra.

“So…” she started.

“So?” Kiandra raised an eyebrow.

“We’re in a new city,” Samantha stated.

“I know,” Kiandra replied while feigning oblivion to the point Samantha was trying to make.

“We’re in the city where he lives,” Samantha continued.

“Who?” Kiandra asked, still feigning oblivion.

“Lucas Valencia,” Samantha finally said his name.

Kiandra’s eyes immediately turned cold when she heard the name of the man that was responsible for turning her life upside down.

She turned to Samantha and said, “I know he stays in this city and I don’t give a shit. I moved here because I finally found a job here to support me and my child. Please don’t mention that asshole’s name.”

“Okay,” Samantha raised her hands in defeat, dropping the matter as she knew how sensitive the name was to Kiandra.

“You should get going. I wouldn’t want your boyfriend to think I’m monopolizing you once again,” Kiandra said in irritation and Samantha laughed.

“Don’t worry, I already told him that I’m spending the night here,” Samantha informed Kiandra.

“Well then, you wouldn’t mind getting us something to eat,” Kiandra stated as she stood up. “I’m going to go take a long shower. Food better be ready by the time I come out.”

Getting into the shower, the thoughts she had been bottling up came back in full force. It had been five years since that fateful night when she had a one-night stand with Lucas Valencia, the man who hired a man to kill his own child.

The remaining months of her pregnancy were tough, very tough, just like the doctor had said it would be. It would have been unbearable if she didn’t have Samantha by her side.

Her resilience had paid off as she held her daughter in her hands six months later. However, just as the doctor said, she didn't give birth to a healthy baby. Even though her daughter wasn’t physically deformed, she was weak, very weak.

At first, she didn't cry and when she did cry, she had trouble feeding off her mother naturally and she had to be fed with infant formula and pumped breast milk.

After she was born, she had to spend three months in the hospital at first until the doctor said her condition could be managed.

When it was time to sit, her daughter couldn't do so by her own strength. Neither could she crawl nor walk by herself. It was specialized nurses who helped her daughter in standing and walking.

And even at that, Zendaya would take only a few steps before her body would reach its limit and if she overworked herself, she would land in the hospital for days.

She spent a lot of time in the hospital in order to get treated, and she still wasn’t fully cured. But that didn’t reduce Kiandra’s love for her daughter in the slightest. And while she would cry and apologize to no one in particular for not being careful enough, she would never show weakness in front of the little girl.

After graduating from college, things became even harder as she couldn’t find a job. After almost a year of searching, she finally found one. The downside was that it was in another state; the city where he lived.

If not for her daughter, she wouldn’t have taken the job for fear of running into him. ‘My life sucks,’ she sighed in resignation. After what seemed like forever, she finally stepped out of the shower and went to meet Samantha.

“I thought you had died in there,” the latter heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing Kiandra.

“Wouldn’t you like that?” Kiandra retorted as she took her seat. “I ordered some Chinese food. You know, Zendaya is going to be coming here tomorrow. You might want to stock up.”

“I wished she would have just agreed to stay with Nana,” Kiandra groaned.

“You know how attached she is to you and besides, you wouldn’t last a week without your daughter,” Samantha rolled her eyes and Kiandra laughed.

"I can't wait to start my new job," Kiandra said, changing the subject.

"I can't wait too. You finally got the big break you deserve," Samantha stated. "I can tell you're going to kill it when you start."

"I hope so," Kiandra sighed.

"I know so," Samantha deadpanned. Kiandra could only hope that Samantha was right.

Little did she know that life had other plans in store for her as always.

****

Kiandra looked at the time and saw that it was already twelve o'clock. This meant that their plane must have landed.

She tapped her feet impatiently as she was itching to see her daughter.

It had been six days since she had seen Zendaya last and Samantha was right, one more day, and she would have cracked.

Her phone lit up and Kiandra checked who the text was from. It was from Desmond.

'We're coming out now,' was what the text read. Kiandra stood up from her seat and started searching for them.

She found them a few seconds later, as Desmond's height made it easy for her. She then walked over to where they were.

"Hi baby," Kiandra greeted her daughter excitedly.

Zendaya, who was resting her head on Desmond's shoulder, turned upon hearing her mother's voice.

She immediately stretched her hands out, and Kiandra didn't waste any time in collecting her from Desmond.

"She has been itching to see you ever since you left," Desmond informed Kiandra.

"I missed her too," Kiandra replied. There was an announcement and Desmond knew that was his cue to leave. He had to travel once again on an important mission.

"I have to go now," he said, and he kissed the mother and daughter on their forehead.

"Take care," Kiandra said. "Won't you say goodbye to Grandpa?" She asked Zendaya.

There was no response from the little girl, nor did she turn to wave to Desmond. This was something they were already used to and neither one of them was offended.

"Bye," Desmond said and he rushed to catch his flight.