Tainted • Lil Xan

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DALLAS, TEXAS.

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The newborn baby that Diego held in his arms was in a deep sleep, his small chest rising and falling slowly with each breath he takes. Diego couldn't hide the small smile that was on his face. He didn't care that it was 6 in the morning and he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. He had witness the miracle of life and he couldn't believe it. Diego slowly rocked back and forth on the wooden rocking chair that the nurses had brought in awhile ago.

"You're a natural." Michelle whispered, loud enough for him to hear. Diego lifted his head up to look at his friend. Her brown hair was tied up and she looked exhausted as she laid on the hospital bed, he couldn't blame her, just three hours ago she was pushing a baby out of her. Diego gave her a small smile as his attention was brought back down to the newborn in his arms. "You want kids?" Michelle quietly asked as she watched him with her baby.

Diego stopped rocking as he thought about her question, looking down at the newborn in his arms again, he nodded his head. Late night conversations between him and Penelope about their future crossed his mind.

"Yeah, four. Three boys and a girl. At least that's what Lupe and I talked about a few years ago." He had given her an honest answer. He did want kids but only with Penelope. He couldn't see himself tied down with anyone but her. Before Michelle could say anything about it, Diego spoke up as he watched the sleeping baby. "Have you decided on a name yet?" he quietly asked. Michelle let out a sigh as she nodded her head.

"Ezekiel Diego Cruz, figured his middle name should be the same as his tio slash godfather." A wide smile was on Michelle's face as she answered his question. Diego's eyes widen at the news and his mouth dropped open at what she had just said.

"You're serious?" Diego asked as he looked at Michelle's face, there was no sign that she was lying and he couldn't believe he was the godfather. Looking back down at little Ezekiel's face, his tan skin looked so soft. The blue newborn beanie the hospital put on him when he was born was on his head. Never did Diego think he could love such a tiny human, just the thought of having a baby with Penelope made him beyond happy.

"Have you talked to her?" Michelle asked as she watched him. Diego instantly shook his head. Penelope was mad at him and he understood why. He had tried to call her a few times the night before but she refused to answer, sending him straight to voicemail each time. Their conversation was cut short as a small knock was heard, the door to the hospital room was opened and in walked Alicia Cruz, Michelle's mother. The older woman's blonde hair was tied up in a tight ponytail and she was wearing jeans and a regular black shirt.

"How are my babies doing?" Alicia asked as she walked toward her daughter, giving her a kiss on the forehead. Michelle gave her Mom a small smile as she said a simple 'fine' in reply to her Mom's question. "Your Dad just caught his flight, he should be here later on today." Alicia announced as she placed her coffee down by the table beside Diego. "Still can't believe Diego here, rushed to get the plane yesterday and your Dad couldn't even be bothered to do it." The annoyance Alicia felt toward her husband could be heard and Diego didn't bother saying anything as he stayed silent.

Slowly taking his phone out of his pocket, Diego was disappointed that he had no messages from Penelope, she had every right to be mad. He kept such a hug thing from her. If he hadn't been such a dick yesterday maybe everything would've been okay but the flight had been long and Penelope wasn't the only one who had blowing up his phone, Marcus and Steven both did too.

Diego knew that he needed to get back to LA soon but the thought of leaving his godson made him upset. Maybe a few more days in Texas wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Diego, you look exhausted hun. Go home, sleep and shower then you can come back." Alicia said as she stretched her arms out to get ahold of Ezekiel. Nodding his head, Diego stood up he made sure to give his godson a gentle kiss of the forehead before grabbing Michelle's car keys. Giving them both a simple 'bye' Diego walked out of the room.
The hospital was quiet, the smell of hand sanitizer and coffee were all he could smell. The cries of some newborn babies could be heard as he walked towards the elevator. Pulling out his phone, he dialed Marcus's number. It wasn't surprising when his call went straight to voicemail. He couldn't help the eye roll he did. 

"Listen, I just spent 13 hours with Michelle as she pushed your baby out of her! Then I spent three hours with the little guy while she rested." Diego took a deep breath and exhaled, there was no point in getting mad. "and all I can say is you missed out on such an important moment. Get your shit together, be a dad to your kid bro. This shit ain't just about you no more." Pressing the button to the elevator Diego cleared his throat. "Think about it dude." Hanging up the phone as he walked into the elevator. Diego was more than ready for bed but he knew he needed to call Penelope before that. Just as he reached the main lobby, he checked the time. It was 6:27 in the morning which meant it was just 4 in LA.

Going with his gut, Diego decided to dial Penelope's number anyway, she probably wouldn't answer but he needed to let her know that loves her. Clearing his throat one more time, Diego was greeted by Penelope's voicemail.

"Hey Lupe, I'm sorry for calling you this early as I just..I needed to tell you that.." moving the phone away from his ear for a second Diego closed his eyes for a moment. "fuck ..I'm sorry, ok?" He said it quickly and he knew Penelope wouldn't believe he was really sorry. "I'm sorry for being such a dick yesterday and I'm sorry for not telling you that I knew about this sooner." Opening his eyes again, Diego looked around. People were sitting on couches and there was a few fish tanks that made the place look more lively.  "I love you Penelope, I'll explain everything when I'm back in LA , if you let me." Diego let out one more sigh as he tried to think about what else to say. "Please don't be too mad at me. I love you and I'm sorry."

Pulling the phone away from his ear again, Diego hung up. He could only hope Penelope wouldn't stay mad at him for too long because the next time he has to spent that long in the maternity ward, it better be with her.

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7/30/18

Happy Monday y'all

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

I just couldn't resist not writing about Diego with a baby, ugh my heart💓

Also, go Diego go, giving that lil speech to Marcus's voicemail.

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