Playing The Hand Life Gave You

Chapter 2

 I spent the rest of my pregnancy with my best friend since pre school, Lana Walls.

Lana dropped everything to move in with me and promised to stay as long as I needed her there.  I think she was just ready to leave the boarding schools alone too, we spent our whole lives in all girl schools tucked away from any one we knew learning to be socialites. 

 She talked me through my emotional outburst about the baby, Kelly, my parents, getting fat.  Everything seemed to make me cry.

But Lana kept me focused and motivated.

 I was happy to have my bestfriend there with me.  I don't know how I would have managed alone.

But just when you start leaning to hard on some one God has a way of showing you that you really can only count on yourself.

 Lana had to fly out of town to convince her parents she was still worthy of her weekly allowance when I went into labor two months early.

 I had to get myself to the hospital, get my self checked in.

Go through all the scary test by myself. They wanted to stop the labor but my baby girl was having none of that.

 "Let me see her." "One moment Ms. Joy, she's a little small but everything looks good."

 "She's gonna be here for a little while but her heart and lungs are strong you have a name yet."

 "Haven Hoyt-Joy." My baby girl was only 2lbs 15oz. and was in the hospital for two weeks before I finally got to bring her home.

 She was gaining weight quickly, eating good, sleeping through the night. She was the best baby.

 But she wasn't staying a baby long and her father was missing out on so much.

Two years after Haven was born I ran into Kelly for the first time since the restaurant. "Kelly I don't want to fight with you, or try to convince you to be in our lives.  I'm nineteen now and still to this day love you."

I don't regret my decision and hope you don't ever live to regret yours. Just look at her Kelly, Isn't she beautiful."

"She is beautiful, so much time has went by Hunter how do I, I can't it's best you keep doing what you doing. She is beautiful, just like her mother."

Kelly may not realized what he was missing out on but I cherished every moment I had with Haven.

She was walking and talking and learning so much so quickly.

I was dreading the day she would ask about her father. I hadn't said a word good bad or indifferent and always prayed Kelly would ring the bell before she asked.

Until then I just did the best I could with the cards I had and made sure this little nut was happy.