Only You

Chapter Twenty-Two

Fallon
I wake up to tubes and wires connected from machines to my body creating soft beeping sounds.

"You're awake." A deep male voice says.

I turn my head to see a hunched over Tynell sitting with a sports magazine open in his lap.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asks.

"Only a day." He says simply,"Doctors said you'll be okay."

I sigh,"And Donnell?"

"He's on his way to Atlanta's jailhouse, and guess who's your lawyer?" He asks with a raise of an eyebrow.

I crack a smile and tears begin to brim my eyes.

"Where is he now?" I ask thinking of Michael.

"He should be here soon. He was here this morning, but you were knocked out still." Tynell says.

"Water, please. How was he?"

Tynell hands me a cup of water and allows me a gulp before taking it back.

"Looks like he missed you. Bags under his eyes and shxt." He says.

"I wanna see him." I say,"and Imani."

"He'll be here. I don't know about his daughter though."

Michael
I return to the hospital heated as hell. Donnell wants to plead not guilty, even though all the evidence is going to point or otherwise. It took me all of my willpower to knock jump across the table and choke the life out of him.

When I got the news that Fallon was bought to the hospital by a man, I immediately dropped everything and drove over. I thought the guy would be Donnell, but it was some other dude who seemed pretty cool.

She was asleep with all these bruises and huge white bandages on her arms and back. I broke down in tears of happiness and relief. When Tynell told me that Donnell is in the custody of the police, I had to leave to get some things situated.

I'm back and I'm a bit better. I hope she's awake. I take the trip up to the seventeenth floor with the bouquet I bought from the flower shop on my way here. Lilacs, they're her favorite.

I hear soft voices coming out of Fallon's room before I walk in. Her soft laughs causes me to forget everything. I slowly walk in and the voices cease talking. Fallon stares at me like a deer in headlights.

I move closer to her bed with the flowers limp in my hands. Tynell stands up and says he'll be back before leaving.

"Are those for me?" She asks with a weak smile.

"Yeah. I remembered that you liked lilacs." I say with my voice trembling a bit.

She takes them out of my hands and smells them.

"Thank you." She says laying them on the desk next to her bed.

I watch how she flinches as she returns to me. Tears blur my eyes as I sit on her bed and hug her body. She grabs onto my shirt and exhales as if to say "Finally"

"I thought I lost you." I muffle into her neck.

"We'll always find each other." She says.

I lift myself away from her and stare into her soft brown eyes that brim with tears. Her face has scratch marks and her eye is swollen, but she's still too damn beautiful.

"Stop staring. You're making me feel weird." She says with a blush.

I smile and gently kiss her lips.

"I'm in love you." I tell her honestly.

"Love is a strong word, Ealy. Are you sure?" She asks seriously.

I think for a moment about it. Eboni would want me to be happy. I deserve to be happy, and so does Fallon. I'm tired of the games.

"I know what I'm feeling is real. You know I don't have time for games." I say.

She smiles and plays with my ear.

"I'm in love with you too, baby."

Hm. Music to my ears. I touch her casted leg, but she slaps it away.

"No." She says firmly with a shake of her head.

I look into her eyes to find all the hurt and pain. I know it's gonna take a while for her to heal.

"Sorry." I say immediately.

"I can't.....not yet."

"I understand. No need to apologize." I say while taking her hand instead.

We remain silent for a few as thousands of questions I want to ask swim through my head.

"How you feeling?" I ask vaguely.

"Everything. I don't know...."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." She says getting stiff.

She pulls her hand away from mine as if she's disgusted and begins to cry.