Nelson prohibited Leilani from performing any household tasks per the doctor’s orders for her to rest. He would trail her every move, and occasionally, carry her if he thought she had walked too much.
Leilani enjoyed this treatment and over time, her belly began to protrude at the third month of pregnancy.
One day, Nelson returned home from work in the early afternoon, as usual. However, when he went to their room, Leilani was nowhere to be found. He then checked Susan’s room, only to find her sound asleep.
“Lani, where are you?” he called out when he returned to the living room.
“I’m here, honey!” Leilani’s voice came from the direction of the kitchen. Nelson’s heart skipped a beat, and he felt it race away from his chest.
He hastened into the kitchen and scolded softly, “What are you doing in the kitchen, Lani? How many times have I told you not to do anything in this house? Do you even listen?” As he spoke, he picked up Leilani and carried her out of the kitchen and onto a couch in the sitting room.
“I’m sorry, but the cook went to the store to get some groceries. So I thought I should start cooking since–”
“The cooking can wait. She just went to the grocery store and will be back soon,” Nelson interrupted, clearly upset.
“But Mom is hungry, Nelson. She hasn’t eaten anything all day, and I thought I could prepare something for her,” Leilani reasoned, knowing that Nelson wouldn’t argue further at the mention of his mother.
He sighed, rubbed his face, and looked back at Leilani’s face, already sporting her signature puppy eyes.
“Fine! But I’ll handle the rest. You can just stay in the kitchen with me and watch. Deal?” Nelson said, raising an eyebrow.
Leilani chuckled and attempted to stand up, but Nelson leaned in closer and helped her up.
“Nelson, you lack culinary skills,” Leilani stated blatantly, with a soft chuckle escaping her lips.
“Sweetheart, you can’t make such judgments. Just because you’ve never seen me cook doesn’t mean I’m incompetent,” Nelson defended, gently taking her hand as they made their way to the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, he helped her onto a stool before turning to face the countertop, where various ingredients were laid out.
Nelson nervously nibbled on his lower lip as he caught Leilani’s grin. “What do you want to cook again, darling?” he inquired.
“Beef stew, honey,” Leilani replied, her grin widening.
Trying to hide his apprehension, Nelson continued to scratch his ear.
“Do you need my assistance?” Leilani teased in a playful tone.
“No, my love. I can handle it,” Nelson responded quickly.
“Then why are you still standing there doing nothing?” Leilani prodded.
“I’m just taking my time. So, am I supposed to pour oil into the pot, followed by the carrots and-”
“Let me do it, Nelson. You watch and learn,” Leilani interrupted, already making her way towards him and gently pushing him aside.
“But, Lani. The baby,” Nelson reminded her, his tone almost pleading.
“The baby is perfectly fine, Nelson. Plus, you’re here with me. Everything will be alright,” Leilani reassured him, grabbing a knife and a cutting board.
Nelson wanted to protest, but Leilani pressed her lips to his, silencing him.
“Just stay with me, okay?” Leilani whispered, giving him a wink before resuming her task of chopping the carrots.
Unbeknownst to her, Nelson gave a mocking sneer, which quickly vanished as he pulled her body closer to his and nibbled on her earlobe.
“We’ve never tried it in the kitchen, babe. Should we give it a go now?” Nelson playfully blew into her ear and then lightly nipped at her earlobe.
Leilani closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath as Nelson enveloped her in his arms and gave her a deep kiss. Lost in the moment, she responded with equal passion.
The kiss lasted only for a mere two minutes, yet it left Leilani trembling with ardent yearning.
Nelson tenderly placed his palm against her cheek and planted a soft kiss on her nose, whispering, “Let’s give Mom food first, and then we’ll have all the time we want for ourselves. Sounds good?”
“I can hardly contain my excitement, babe. Let me hurry then,” Leilani responded quickly, returning to her cooking duties, much to Nelson’s amusement.
After twenty-five minutes had passed, Nelson carried the tray of food while Leilani walked beside him as they headed to Susan’s room.
“Your meal has arrived, Mom!” Leilani announced with enthusiasm as Nelson lowered the tray onto the bedside table.
“Yes, Mom. Thank goodness I was there to assist Lani, otherwise, the food wouldn’t be ready by now,” Nelson playfully teased, eliciting a playful glare from Leilani.
“All you did was flirt with me, Mr. Carter,” Leilani protested.
“But you enjoyed every moment of it, didn’t you?” Nelson mischievously asked, a naughty smirk gracing his lips.
He then attempted to wrap his arms around Leilani, but she quickly stepped back and scolded him.
“Behave yourself! This is not our bedroom!”
Nelson’s mouth formed into an ‘O’ shape as if the realization just dawned upon him that they were not in their own room.
“But why isn’t Mom waking up?” he asked, walking back to Susan’s bed where she was still peacefully sleeping.
“Do you think she’s tired?” questioned Leilani.
“If that’s the case, she should at least eat something before going back to sleep,” Nelson said, gently tapping Susan’s hand.
“Come on, Mom. Wake up now. You need to eat,” he urged, but Susan remained motionless with her eyes closed.
“Mom, stop playing around and wake up,” Nelson’s tone turned cold, but it still failed to rouse Susan.
At this point, Leilani’s chest began to rise and fall with apprehension as she exchanged a worried glance with Nelson, who abruptly stood up and moved closer to Susan on the bed.
“Fine, Mom. You win. Now wake up. This is starting to get expensive. I don’t like it,” he exclaimed, his voice laced with anxiousness.
“Mom, stop it now, wake up,” Leilani spoke up in a trembling voice as she moved closer to the bed and shook Susan’s leg.
Nelson then put a finger to Susan’s nose and noticed she was no longer breathing.
Fear clamped down on his heart as he shrieked, “MOM!!!”