Pretty Wings (Paul Walker)

Ch. 9

This had to be the worst day of Hanna's life. Minus Paul's death of course. She had woken up in the middle of the night with the worst pains in her stomach and didn't know where it was coming from, it took all of her strength to make it to the bathroom and when she did, she noticed spots in her panties, explaining why she was currently in a hospital bed flipping through channels.

"What do you mean I can't go in there," she heard Cheryl on the other side of the door. "That's my daughter in law and grandchild you will let me in."

She could hear a struggle going on the other side before Cheryl opened the door.

"The nerve of people around here," she sighed fixing herself up before walking over to Hanna. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," she shrugged.

"So tell me exactly what happened?"

Cheryl had received a phone call from Hanna earlier in the morning, but couldn't answer the phone.

"I just had some bleeding that's all."

"And the baby?"

"She's just fine."

Cheryl sighed in relief.

"You've got to stop stressing sweetie."

"I know," she sighed.

"Do you need anything?"

Hanna shook her head no and wiped away a stray tear. What she really wanted she knew she could never get back.

***

Vanessa sat across from her ex-husband and rolled her eyes.

"Leave her alone."

"What have I done to her now?"

Chris looked back at his ex-wife and shook his head.

"You know that she almost lost her baby."

This was news to Vanessa, but she didn't care.

"Whose it is?"

"You know damn well that baby is Paul's."

"Are you sure? Paul is dead remember?"

Chris shook his head stood up to leave the restaurant.

"I don't know what you are up to, but you better leave Hanna and my grandchildren alone."

"No one gives a damn but them, so get out of my face."

Chris shook his head and left before any more bad blood could be spilled between the two.

***

Sal walked into Hanna's hospital room and froze where he stood when he saw someone sitting next to Hanna. His instincts to protect her kicked in.

"Who the hell are you," he asked with his jaw clinched together.

The two women turned their attention to Sal.

"Sal this is Cheryl, my mother in law."

Cheryl looked up at hearing that familiar name.

"Oh so you're Sal," she asked standing up.

"Yes mam."

Cheryl looked back at Hanna and smirked.

"Paul was right," she said before walking out the room to give the two some privacy.

"So that was Paul's mom?"

"Yup."

"What did she mean?"

Hanna rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Sal calm down."

Sal handed Hanna the flowers that he'd brought her and she thanked him.

"So I have a few questions that have been on my mind for a while now."

"What are they?"

"Why him."

Hanna bit her lip and shook her head. She was not about to go down this road with him, not again.

"Sal I'm exhausted do we have to do this right now?"

"Yes actually we do. For the life of me I can't understand why you choose him over me. Was it because he had money? What was it?"

"I don't think you really want to do this not right now," Hanna said taking on a deathly cold tone.

"Oh I'm very sure."

"Fine, no it wasn't because he had money. The real reason I chose Paul over you Sal is because of how natural things felt with us."

"And things didn't feel natural with us?"

"Where is this coming from, Sal?"

Sal bit his lip and tried to think of a way to put things into perspective with her.

"Helping you on this case just has me feeling like you still can't let go of him."

"Why the fuck would I let go of him Sal?"

"He's fucking dead Han. He's not coming back and you've convinced yourself that he was murdered when in all reality he wasn't."

Hanna looked up at Sal and could honestly say that she didn't recognize the man that stood before her.

"Get out," she whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere until you get it through your head that Paul is dead," he said taking a seat next to the bed.

Hanna's heart monitor sped up as she tried to calm herself down.

"Say it with me Han. Paul is dead."

He smirked as he looked over at her and noticed her easing closer to the call button on her bed railing. He stood up and pinned her down to the bed and started kissing on her neck.

"Paul is dead and this," he said cupping her vagina, "is mine."

"Get off of me," she screeched.

The door flew open and Hanna thanked God that someone had shown up to stop what was about to happen.

"Get the fuck off of her," Cody said pulling Sal off of Hanna as Cheryl rushed back into the room to comfort her distraught daughter in law.

"She's pregnant and I promise you if she loses my granddaughter you will answer to me. Not get the hell out."

Sal walked out of the room and Hanna calmed down a little bit.

"What was that about," Cody asked after making sure Sal was not allowed back into Hanna's room.

"That was Sal," Hanna said.

Cody whistled.

"No wonder Paul wanted to beat his ass."

Hanna laughed.

"Now I'm wishing that I would have let him."

Cheryl eased into the bed beside Hanna and she rested her head on her mother in law's shoulder. She loved this woman for many reason, but the main one was she always found peace whenever she was around.