Crumbling Climax (Grey Love)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

”sometimes your life can change from having night mares to having a knight on a mare”

I had woken up in a hospital bed with Derick and Angie staring at me with relief, I was still traumatized and couldn’t stop crying and asking everyone where Michael was. I was hospitalized for four days because of some of the fractures I had and the rape wounds. I was stitched up, took an HIV and pregnancy test and they all came out negative.

Michael was alive but still hospitalized in intensive care unit because of the severe injury he had obtained. Two of his ribs had been broken, and the bullet he had in his chest damaged some tissues so he was transferred to the university teaching hospital (UTH) in Lusaka for further treatment.  I never got to see Michael, however I worked with his lawyer to sort out all the legal issues and passed my statement on what had transpired. Richard had died but Jack survived and after being discharged from the hospital arrested, Thelma was arrested too.

I returned back home to eastern province, where I saw a therapist and received further treatment. Being home with family was the best thing I needed to fully heal, I was just so traumatized to carry on with my normal life. I would have nightmares every night and that went on for three months, I couldn’t fall asleep without being sedated. I lost contact with any of the people I knew especially Michael, we both needed time to heal both physically and mentally.

I missed Michael so much, but thinking of him brought back all the sad memories and I felt haunted. In May I decided to school despite my mother telling me not to, I didn’t want to waste my life by letting my fears get the best of me. I promised my family that I would continue doing therapy even when I went back to school.

My name had been finally cleared, Jack was sentenced to life imprisonment for many
crimes he had committed mostly murder and drug trafficking. Thelma was given three years for assault and conspiracy in kidnapping and attempt rape, she had confessed all her crimes including paying Fred to drug me that night at the club. Michael and I had been cleared of all charges, our names were finally clean and the whole nation knew about it. People actually supported me and showed me compassion for what I had gone through, the people were no longer against me and that was the best thing that could happen to me.

I finally returned to school, and when I reached my room I found Michael waiting there for me with Derick and Angie. I broke down in tears when I saw his face, I was happy but again felt guilty for what I had made him go through. I hugged Derick and Angie and told them how much I had missed them, “we are glad to have you back Muwemi, we missed you so much.” Angie said to me and she and Derick left the room to give Michael and I some privacy.

Michael stood there just staring at me, not saying anything to me. I couldn’t keep myself from crying and felt a hard lamp on my throat, I just couldn’t look into his eyes without feeling guilt. “I’m not the type who gets speechless, but right now I’m struggling to find the right words to use. Seeing you stand there again after months of not seeing or hearing from you has me furious, and I honestly feel like walking out on you. So that you can also feel what I felt when you never picked up my calls for six months, and maybe you can finally realize how not hearing from you killed me more than anything.” He said to me calmly, as he walked towards me. He looked as handsome as ever and all I wanted to do was touch his colored face and kiss his pink lips. “As much as I want to, I just can’t walk out on you, because I almost lost you once and I won’t take any risks again. That day in November, I almost died without letting you  know exactly how I felt and I don’t want that to happen again.”
He stepped even closer to me, that we were now breaths apart and I could feel goosebumps on my skin. “I don’t want to let any moment go by without telling you how I really feel about you, because every step we take is a step closer to death. Muwemi, I’m in love with you, I’ve always been. It took me almost losing you to realize that we don’t have all time, and we are not promised tomorrow—“