Forever Yours: How it all Began

Chapter 23

I'm so glad to be back home. My parents were taking care of me. My mom had taken some vacation time so that she and I could take a girl's trip, but because I'm too weak, we've had to change our plans.

"Mama you don't have to wait on me, I'll be alright. I can prepare my own meals." I whined.

My mom wasn't having it. She was going to make sure I had three balanced meals and two snacks a day. I couldn't walk downstairs to the kitchen without one of my parents helping me. I'm glad that they want to take care of me and make sure I'm alright, but it's becoming too much for me to bear.
I've been home from the hospital for three days now and my parents won't allow me to walk around in the backyard. Staring at the four walls of my room is going to drive me crazy.

Just as I was about to call for my dad to bring a Gatorade, Andre walks into my room. Thank goodness he brought it with him. He walked over and sat at the foot of my bed. I just looked at him trying to figure out why he even came to visit. He hasn't seen me since I left the hospital three days ago.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked.

At first I just looked at him, not saying a word.

"Yes, I'm feeling better." I answered.

We looked at each other for a bit before Andre resumed the conversation. He apologized for not coming to check on me sooner and added a few reasons as to why he had been m.i.a the past few days. I told him he didn't owe me any explanations as to how he spends his time. That's when realization hit me! Dre is treating me like his other female friends with benefits. So of course he's checking on me when it's convenient for him. It became so clear.

I started shaking my head and laughing to myself. This man thinks he can break me and turn me into a Macy. I looked at Dre with a smile on my face and told him that it was nice of him to visit. I confirmed that I was feeling a lot better and told him I'd see him later because I needed to take a nap. He looked at me like I was dismissing him. In fact, that's exactly what I was doing.

Dre stood up from the foot of my bed but instead of leaving, he moved towards the head of my bed and laid down beside me.

"Take a nap, and I'll be right here when you wake up."

He pulled me towards him and told me to rest. All I could think was that I don't need him here with me. My parents have waited on me, making sure I'm resting, eating and hydrating. He comes three days later and acts like he's concerned about me. I moved away from him a little and told him I'd sleep on my pillow for comfort. He then takes the pillow and lays it across his chest and tells me to lay down. Damn did he not get the hint? I'm giving him a way out. I'm trying to let go but he's making it hard for me. I laid on the pillow that's across his chest and soon fell asleep.

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I'm 100% better.  I've got to do better about taking care of myself and not busying myself to keep my mind off of other issues in my life. The way I felt two weeks ago, I never want to go through that again.  I kept telling everybody that I was ok, but I wasn't. It felt like my body was shutting down on me.

I'm so glad that my mom suggested that we keep our plans for our girls' time. She set us up with an all inclusive 4 night 5 day vacation to Los Cabos, Mexico. We went on excursions, shopped, ate at fancy restaurants, received the best spa treatments and more. Spending that time with my mom was the best. It also gave me time to clear my mind of some things, specifically my relationship with Andre, my career and my overall health. I can't sacrifice my health, happiness or peace for anyone else. Having a real deep conversation with my mom confirmed what I was already thinking.

Now I'm sitting in my Director's office trying to figure out why he called an impromptu meeting with me. All kinds of negative things were going through my mind. Had I taken too much time off, was he not pleased with the results of the last project? He finally entered the office and sat down in the chair behind his desk. He looked at me for a few seconds before he began to speak.

"Ms. Layton! I have to honestly say that I've never had a direct intern that yields the kind of work ethic that you have. The passion you have for this work shows up in the results of your projects and presentations. I have gotten nothing but great commendations from investors and other contractors. Because of the work you've put into this latest project, I'm here to make an offer that I hope you won't turn down."