You Again (Completed) ✔️

73.

Standing in a black tunnel, I wait to see what will happen to me. A white figure appears out of nowhere and approaches me.

When the whiteness disappears from around the person, I see my mother. She holds her arms out to me. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here?"

I run into her open arms and whisper. "Where am I?"

"You're in the in-between."

What does she mean by the in-between?

I move out of her arms. "What's that?"

She has tears in her eyes. "You're between life and death. People come here before being brought back to life or are passing on."

"Mom, what are you doing here? You should be at home with Dad. Not here. Not now." Tears begin to fall as something begins to sink in. "You died because of the tumour?"

She nods. "The tumour was far too embedded in my brain that the Doctor couldn't save me."

"Mom, this isn't fair. We didn't get to spend time together. I was supposed to go shopping with you and bond more, but everything happening made it impossible."

She kisses the top of my head. "Julia, I would have loved to do everything with you." She pauses momentarily, adding, "You have to move on from this."

"What if I can't move on, Mom?"

"You'll have to. Some people need you to wake up." She wipes away a tear. "Your father is going to need you more than ever. If you die, he'll have no one, and I think he'll do something stupid."

"I want to stay with you. I don't want to go back."

After I say that, a white light appears, revealing more people to me. They are my Aunt Natalia, Antwon and Liam.

Natalia looks at my mother and says. "We can't leave without you, little sister."

A smile spreads across Mom's face. "I'll be right there." She hugs me again. "Forgive them for all the pain they've caused you, Julia. I don't want you to hold grudges against the dead."

Looking at the three of them, I say. "I forgive you for everything you've done."

Liam walks towards me, and he's about to hug me when I stop him. He stops mere inches away and says, "I'm sorry, Julia. You shouldn't be here, unlike the rest of us. You're going to have a long life, and there's going to be plenty of action and love by the one man who has wanted you from the start." He walks towards his Mom and mine.

Antwon holds Natalia's hand, Natalia holds Liam's and Liam holds Mom's. They look at me one last time before all four walk down the black tunnel and disappear.

"It's been two weeks since she's been in a coma. When's she going to wake up?" I hear Cole say.

"She will wake when she's ready, Cole. We can't make her do something she doesn't want." Dad says. "How am I supposed to break the news to my daughter that her mother is dead."

I know she's dead because I just saw her a couple of minutes ago.

My hand starts twitching, and I feel my body wake. The first sense that comes back to me is the smell. The room smells like chemicals.

Opening my eyes, I see an IV on my arm and follow it to the clear bag sitting on an IV stand. The room's walls are white, and an irritating beeping sound is coming from my right side.

"Julia," Cole yells when he sees me. "You're awake."

I don't say anything to him.

He grabs my hand. "Do you need something to drink?"

I nod.

Cole grabs the pitcher of water and pours me a cup. He brings the cup up to my lips, and I drink it. He moves the cup away.

"Dad?"

He looks in my direction before standing and walking over to the bed. He grips hand. "Hey, Princess."

"I didn't have any choice. I had to kill Natalia." Tears begin to fall as I remember the day I killed my mother's sister.

He hugs me. "I know. Cole and everyone at the warehouse told me what happened. Even about your..."

"Cousins," I look out the window. "I can't acknowledge them as anything but that now. Since I found out the truth, it's been easier to accept that they are psychopaths."

"I have some news to tell you, Julia. It's going to be hard to hear it."

"I know, Dad." Lowering my voice, I say. "I saw her when I was in the in-between. Mom told me everything." I pull Dad into my arms and hug him. "I'm here, Daddy. I'm not going anywhere."

A smile spreads across his face. "That's good to hear. There's more news I need to share with you."

"Okay,"

"I'm moving to Florida in a couple of months. I got a job offer that I can't refuse."

"I'm going with you, Dad. I don't want to stay in Los Angeles with all this place's bad memories."

Cole remains quiet as we talk. He looks between my father and me and says, "I should go."

My heart breaks a little hearing him say that. "Cole, I don't want you to leave. Please, stay."

He leans forward and places his lips on my forehead. "If you're leaving here. I'm coming with you."

That's what I was hoping to hear from him.

The door opens, and Amalia walks in. She's holding a bunch of flowers. "Julia, you're finally awake." She places the flowers on the table and then runs over to me. She hugs me. "I'm glad you're okay."

"We're moving to Miami," I tell her.

A smile spreads across her face. "That's great. You'll be closer to me, and we'll be able to hang out more." Looking at Cole, she says. "You have a choice to make, Cole. Will you join the family again, or will you be alone?"

"That's something that Julia and I will be talking about at a later date. At the moment, we'll concentrate on her getting better."

It's not the first time that he's said something like that. I think it's a good idea for him to be part of the family again.

When he talks about his family, there's always a smile on his face, even if it's not supposed to be shown. It's there for me to see all the time.

His parents taught him well about hiding emotions, but since he's been with me, the things he's been taught have gone out the window.

If he goes back to the family, I know he'll have to change so he can make decisions much more easily without worrying or second-guessing himself.

I'll have to help him get through this, but that will be when the time is right for the both of us.