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Fantasia's POV
Crackles of sunlight broke through my shut eyelids, forcing me to flutter my eyes open. I blinked a few times to adjust my pupils against the light, sitting up slowly. My back was killing me from sleeping the whole night on an uncomfortable metal chair. Dani tried to get me to go back to the hotel to clean myself up and get some rest, but that was the furthest thing from my mind. I won't be able to rest until I lay my eyes on Taraji and see for myself that she's ok. I know that her mental state must be in shambles, and I can't imagine what physical injuries have been inflicted upon her. The fact that she fought against a rape kit tells me more than enough. My phone showed tons of missed calls and text messages from Kendall. I didn't bother to respond to any of them. Oprah and Blitz have been blowing me up as well. I don't care about missing my scenes or call-times. They can replace me if they want. I'm not leaving this hospital until I talk to Taraji.
Nurse Brandee seemed to appear out of nowhere, causing me to huff and roll my eyes in agitation. I know that she was just doing her job, but she rubbed me the wrong way for some reason last night. I just don't like that she's keeping me away from Taraji, but I know that it's not her fault. I'm on edge. I won't be able to relax until I see her face to face. I want to hold her in my arms and keep her there until she feels like nothing can hurt her again. I want to love on her until she gets tired of my love. I want to do everything for her that I should have been doing from the beginning. I spent so much time trying to hurt her and get one-up on her, when I should have been listening to her problems and hearing her out. She was already damaged when I met her, and I damaged her further. Hurt people hurt people, but that's no excuse. Parts of me that had not yet healed from my past were still broken like she was broken, and we should have been trying to put each other back together instead of further tearing each other down. It's a shame that it took me almost losing her to realize just how much I need her. I need her like my lungs need oxygen. I need her like my heart needs a beat. I need her like my brain needs a nucleus to function. I need her so badly, and I hope that I can tell her that to her face today.
Nurse Brandee: You're still here. Where's your other friend?
Fantasia: She left. She'll be back later.
Nurse Brandee: It's sweet that you stuck around. The only family member of Taraji's that we could reach was her son, and he's in Washington. You can go in to see her, but you need to be very mindful of how delicate she is. Don't talk too loudly and don't under any circumstances try to touch her unless she invites you to.
Fantasia: I don't need you to tell me how to handle my girlfriend. I got her. Got it?
Nurse Brandee: Sure, but as long as you're on my floor visiting my patient, I'm going to advise you on what is and isn't appropriate. Just take my advice. You and Taraji will both be better for it.
