Free A Rich Man's Baby by Daaimah S. Poole Page B

going to have to call out from work, and I didn’t want to do that. Reginald was going to be out. He had to see a lung specialist today all because he wanted to smoke. I didn’t want to leave all the work on Miss Alberta and Jeremy.
    The next morning, Kierra was still hot. I dialed my job and told them I wouldn’t be in. I dressed Kierra and took her to her pediatrician’s office as an emergency walk-in. By the looks of the waiting room, I knew it was going to be a long time before she was seen. Just my luck, everybody’s child was sick. Most of the children were either watching Sesame Street or playing quietly with blocks, except for one little girl who was having an adrenaline rush. She kept screaming and running around the office singing, “Who let the dogs out? Roof, roof, roof.”
    I looked over at her mother, who was obliviously talking on her cell. She did tell her to sit down a couple of times, but the little girl didn’t. Kierra put her hands over her ears and snuggled in my lap. I patted her back and looked around. Nobody else would say anything. So I said, “Excuse me,” to the mother, and she didn’t respond to me. She just placed her phone on the chair and yanked her daughter up and made her have a seat. Thank you, I thought.
    We waited about forty-five minutes before we were seen. They were calling names by severity. The doctor knocked on the door. He took a quick look in both of Kierra’s ears and said she had a double-ear infection.
    â€œCan I have a sticker?” Kierra asked, perking up.
    He pulled one from his pocket. “Yes, here is a Shrek sticker for you,” he said. Then he turned to me and said, “Mom, some antibiotics will get this all cleared up. She will be feeling better in a few days.”
    All day waiting just so he can take five minutes to see her, I thought as Kierra redressed and placed her sticker on her forehead. We walked out of the doctor’s office and she announced to me that she was hungry. I promised her McDonald’s after we got her prescription filled.
    It was just past noon and raining like crazy. I walked into the pharmacy and handed the prescription over, then noticed a woman looking deathly sick in the chair. I just shook my head like “stay away from me.” Then the woman sat up, and I couldn’t believe it was the nurse Adrienne from the eighth floor.
    â€œAdrienne,” I said, shocked.
    She looked up at me.
    â€œYou okay?” I asked.
    â€œYeah, I’m all right. I just have that bug that’s going around. I’ll be fine.”
    â€œYou should get some rest.”
    â€œI am. See you later,” she said as the tech handed her her medicine.
    I sat down where she was seated and waited for Kierra’s medicine. It took about fifteen minutes, and Kierra was begging me to buy her a toy and to have someone spend the night and call her father. I just couldn’t wait to get home and make her take a nap. The doctor’s office had drained me. We walked out of the pharmacy and I opened the car door and instructed Kierra to put on her seat belt. I put on mine, then looked to my left and saw Adrienne slumped over on her steering wheel. I didn’t want to be too nosy, but she looked like she shouldn’t be driving. I got out of my car and tapped on her window. She looked up and rolled down the window. I asked her twice if she was okay. The second time she admitted she was in pain and asked me to take her home. I cleared out the front seat of my car as she staggered into my car.
    â€œWho is that, Mommy?” Kierra asked loudly.
    â€œMiss Adrienne from my job.”
    Kierra came through the split in between the front and backseat. She looked at Adrienne, and said, “What’s wrong with her, Mommy?”
    â€œGirl, get in the back and put your seat belt on!” I yelled.
    Adrienne gave me her address and I drove her home. Once we reached her building, I helped her