Here Again, Without You

chapter 23

 Marleena knowing that Maggie was due soon with her baby was hoping that she could be there for her sister when she went into labor with the baby. As she was thinking this thought a knock on her door jolted her from it looking up she sees Donald who is holding a springtime bouquet of flowers offering her a peace from an argument they had much earlier in the year. "What brings you here?"

Donald smiling from ear to ear looking all sweet "I would like to ask you out to lunch and if you are available to go with me, I'll take you some where that neither of us have been in a long time. So would you go with me?"

"What's the occasion?" Marleena shaking her head with speculation of trouble and more arguments to come.

"I would like to say I'm sorry and apologize for what I said earlier this year. Would you be willing to forgive me?"

"Okay if it's to eat, yes I'll go with you"

Acting like a teenager who asked for his first date saying "that's great can we go now as I have reservation at the Plight Lounge Restaurant."

"Sure, let's go" Marleena said and closed out her computer as she was not getting any work done thinking of here sister and now Donald coming to retrieve her for a meal that she was thinking about skipping.

The drive to the restaurant was quiet, leaning her head against the frame of the door her thoughts drift to what had caused her not to have children. Blaming her best friend for causing her to be stabbed those years ago in the abdomen wondering if she had healed enough to hopefully one day have a child. Pulling up to the valet Donald gets out and walks around to Marleena's door opening it and hands the valet the keys to park the car, as they go in the maitre d' takes them to their table and seats them leaving them with their menu after taking their drink order. Donald reaches across for Marleena's hand "I have something to say. I want you to think carefully about it after I tell you, okay?"

Marleena nods her head in agreement as he continues "please forgive me for not being there when Shantee had held you hostage and you were stabbed, I was just heading to the area to search for you when I was struck from the passenger side by a truck and sent to the hospital. I still love you, can you forgive me?"

Marleena looking away so her sad countenance wouldn't show "I forgive you, I realize that after I had to have surgery and now I cannot have children of my own"

"That is okay. I still love you no matter what, whether we have kids or not, we have plenty of niece's and nephews to keep us busy. Would you still marry me?" as he gets to one knee next to Marleena showing her the brilliant stunning pear shaped white sapphire with baguette on both side of the ring.

Marleena's eyes were threatening to spill their tears as she tried to hold them back, she wanted to argue but the words only came out as a weak "yes" as she tried smiling and let the tears roll down her cheek as she knew that she still loves Donald deep down, not giving up on dreaming to be his one day has now become reality. Donald placed the ring on her finger kissing her hand, he stood up and bent to kiss her forehead gingerly as if she were a frail child.

After their meal, they went to the bridal shop in the town thirty miles away known for the best designs around, The house of designs from Italy. Donald and Marleena explained to the host there what they would like to have for their style of wedding. The host left and promptly returned with the designer Sharie who showed the design for the men's suit as well as the brides wedding dress while she skecthed in person for them to approve. After getting the approval Sharie set to work immediately so not to keep them from going forward with their plans.

Two Weeks Later

Sharie had completed the dress and the suit asking them to come for a fitting and final adjustments of their attire. It fit them near perfect only the hems remained. Which only required a day to work on them. Marleena was pleased with the way her dress turned out and fit beautifully where it should, and seeing Donald in his suit was just the start of a new beginning for them.

At the wedding venue many of Donald's business partners were present as was his cousin Kelby with her husband Ethan, Marleena's sister Maggie was her matron of honor and her grandfather walked her down the aisle to the alter when she would meet her soon to be husband. As she approached the front of the alter where Donald was standing, she noticed that he had a blank stare on his face with blood oozing from the right side of his chest wall where a knife had been stuck by her ex brother in law who was laying in a pool of his own blood from a gun wound that was fired just minutes after she had walked down the aisle to be married. She was there just as Donald had collapsed into her arms with her crying "No, not again, not without you. please stay with me" she pleaded over several times until the emergency technicians arrived at the venue to rescue Donald. Taking him to the hospital nearby to have immediate surgery to repair the area where the knife had been stuck in place.

While Donald was in surgery, Maggie cried her water broke and the baby was premature at this time and she was praying that all was well with her sister and her fiance as the stress of the day is what brought on her labor. She had called her sister to the delivery room, Marleena arrived just as they were prepping Maggie for a cesarean section to deliver baby to keep mom and baby from stress induced fetal death. As Maggie delivered at seven months into her pregnancy. Having a beautiful little girl she named Wenona. Marleena's phone buzzed with the call from the doctors who were doing surgery on Donald requesting her presence for them to talk face to face about his condition.

Marleena arrived back to the surgery waiting area for Donald's surgeon to give her the update on his condition. He stated "He is in God's hands now. We have done everything we could do. Now the rest is up to him. He is currently in ICU on a ventilator with lots of IV fluid to keep him hydrated and nutrients infusing into his body. It is a wait and see period for the next forty eight hours, after that we will see."

Marleena started crying "It's not fair, I don't want to do this again without you. Donald you have to live for you and me. Especially for us now please wake up."

While lying in the hospital bed, Donald could feel a tug on his heart as it ached and he wanted so bad to wake up from the nightmare that he had been through. He wanted to hug that voice that was next to him talking to him and crying for him. Determined to move Marleena felt his left finger move and immediately call for the nurse to get the doctor to check him out. When the surgeon arrived he, saw that Donald had in fact woke up from the comatose state he was in. checking his pupils for any sign of damage as well as some reflexive damages with any nerve damage that could occur while in a coma. After having checked all of the bases, "We can remove the tubes now that he is awake so he can breathe on his own now." the surgeon was saying to the nurses as they started removing the respirator the helped him to breathe and Donald left out a big breath and took in another deep breath to fill his lungs with air on his own. Smiling up at Marleena as she was letting tears flow down her cheeks to fall softly on his hand she was holding.

"Hey I'm fine now. I love you always and you will not be without me again" Donald whispered softly.

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