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“Oh my God! I’ll be right there!”
Kenterris leaped from his bed and jumped into his clothes. In a flash he was in the garage starting the ignition. He thought that Cheron had finally come around and decided to give him a call. In actuality it was her stepmother. She’d called from Cheron’s phone to inform him that Cheron was in an accident.
His hands struggled to hold the steering wheel due to his sweaty palms. Beads of sweat were now also forming on his forehead and his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. Cheron was the only woman he’d ever truly loved. Even though they were no longer together, the thought of losing her made him sick with anguish. He prayed all the way to the hospital that she would be ok.
When he arrived in the trauma center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Grace spotted him as he walked into the waiting room and ran over to him.
“How is she?” Kenterris asked, frantically.
“We don’t know yet, they are running test and taking x-rays. This waiting around is the worst. I pray my baby will be alright,” Grace responded tearfully.
“She will sweetheart, we just have to have faith,” Glen, Cheron’s father chimed in. He placed a supporting arm around his wife. He was trying to be strong for the both of them but it was apparent he was just as distraught.
“Thanks so much for calling me Grace,” Kenterris replied. “Good to see you Glen,” he extended a hand to the eldery gentleman. They cuffed palms before moving in for a brief man-hug. During the two years he and Cheron were together her parents had grown quite fond of him. They knew that he and Cheron were no longer together however she hadn’t disclosed the reason why. As far as Grace was concerned Kenterris was the man for her daughter. She assumed they were just going through a rough path like many couples and would eventually get back together. The fact that Kenterris was a successful self-made millionaire made Glen take a liking to him as well. He felt like he was a worthy candidate to claim his baby girl’s heart. Cheron’s parents reclaimed their seats while Kenterris nervously paced the floor.
“Mr. and Mrs. Spencer?”
“Yes!” Grace replied, jumping to her feet.”
“You can go back and see your daughter now,” the nurse announced.
“Thank you!” Grace grabbed her jacket and her husband’s hand as they prepared to see Cheron.
The fact that her car had been totaled made them fear the worst and made the trudge to her room seem excessively long. However, the fact that no one came out to give them bad news was a good sign. Maybe all the prayers had actually worked. Kenterris decided to let her parents have a moment alone with their daughter before he visited with her. Besides, he wasn’t sure if she was conscious and he didn’t know how she would react to him being there.
When Grace stepped into the room she was taken aback by Cheron’s appearance. She gasped at the sight of how bad her baby girl was bruised. She ran to her bedside and wept. Glen tried to contain himself but his eyes immediately filled with tears.
“Mr. Spencer?” the doctor asked, extending his had to Cheron’s father.
“Yes, how is she doc?” At that moment Grace focused on the doctor instead of Cheron. She wanted to look in his eyes when he delivered the prognosis.
“Good news, your daughter is going to be ok,” he looked at both of them reassuringly.
“Are you sure?” Grace asked. “She looks pretty bad.”
“I don’t look that bad,” Cheron replied, slurring from the medication.”
“Oh baby, I didn’t realize you were awake.” Grace turned and kissed her and stroked the blood stained hair back from her face. Glen walked over to the bed, kissed her on the forehead and squeezed her hand.
“Daddy is here baby girl.”
Cheron managed to form a weak smile.
“It’s looks a lot worse than it actually is,” the doctor stated. “Most of her wounds are superficial. Aside from the heavy bruising to the face and chest area, she has several cuts, a mild concussion and a broken femur. She has two fractured ribs but other than that we found no other internal injuries. I expect your daughter to make a full recovery.”
Cheron’s parent’s faces immediately lit up. They both let out a sigh of relief. It was as though they were holding their breath the entire time he was speaking.
“Praise God!” Grace wailed. She turned to Cheron. “Did you hear that baby? You gon be ok! God is good!”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day doc!” Glen replied.
“Yes, she actually a very lucky young lady. Based on the fact that she was broadsided, she lucky to be alive. We are going to keep her for a few more days for evaluation, just to make sure that concussion is healing properly. After that you can take her home.”
“What about how bad she’s bruised,” Grace asked in a concerned tone.
“As I stated before Mrs. Spencer, most of her wounds are superficial. The bruises will go down on their own. In the meantime rest assured that we are doing everything possible to keep your daughter comfortable.”
“Make sure my daughter has the best care doc.,” Glen announced. “I don’t care how much it costs.”
“I will do just that,” the doctor replied, shaking Glen’s hand, then Grace’s. “Now if you will excuse me I have to look in on another patient. Ms. Spencer I’ll be in to look in on you a little later,” the doctor addressed Cheron before leaving the room.
After Cheron’s parents were done visiting with her, they went to the lobby to inform Kenterris that she was going to be ok and that he could go in to see her. When he entered her room he was taken aback by her appearance. Just seeing her lying there helpless and covered in bruises caused his heart to drop. He slowly walked over to her bed and gently caressed her bandaged head, causing her to open her eyes.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“Where else would I been after finding out my baby was in an accident?”
“I meant to say, how did you find out I was in an accident? Did Grace call you?”
“Yes, I’m glad she did. Cheron, I just want you to know that no matter what happened between us I will always be here for you.”
If it were under another set of circumstances Cheron would have been livid at her mother for calling Kenterris, but seeing as she was so hopped up off of pain medication she didn’t give him the tongue lashing that he normally would have gotten.
“She gets on my nerves....” She replied shaking her head. “Thanks for coming, but the doc said I’m going to be ok. Plus my parents are here so I’m good.”
Cheron’s response was actually an invitation for Kenterris to leave, when in all actuality she was happy he was there.
“Nice try, you’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
Cheron reached for her ribs as she quietly laughed to herself. Even though it was extremely painful she couldn’t help but giggle when she thought about the last time she’d seen Kenterris.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I was just thinking about the last time we saw each other at the club,” she replied softly.
“Ouch... do we REALLY need to bring that up?” he laughed.
“You made a complete ass of yourself that night.” Cheron could joke about the whole thing now, but she was furious at the time.
“Yeah, it was pretty bad, I suppose you aren’t going to let me live that one down are you?”
“Never”
They would go on to chat it up for a few more moments before Cheron got tired. Kenterris vowed to stay by her side and offer his services any way he could until she recovered. And despite her protests he did just that.
Once Cheron was home from the hospital his support never waned. Even though her family was there to care for her, he popped in on a daily basis to make sure she didn’t need anything, or to bring her something special to eat if she wanted it, he even drove her to follow up appointments. It eventually got to the point to where he told her stepmom and sister that he would take over Cheron’s care if it was ok with them. Grace couldn’t have been more pleased. Regardless of whatever happened between them as a couple, she could see that Kenterris still deeply cared for her daughter. And this just may be the chance they needed to patch things up. As far as Cheron was concerned, she was grateful for the help, but she was ready for all of them to leave her alone. It didn’t make her a bit of difference either way.
“Ouch!” Cheron winced as she attempted to get up from the sofa. Her ribs weren’t fully healed, so one twist or turn in the wrong direction was a painful reminder that she still needed to take it easy.
“I told you to call me if you wanted to get up,” Kenterris reprimanded as he stepped in the living room,
“I got it.....I’m just going to my room I don’t need you.”
Her mouth was saying one thing; but the fact that she was holding her side with one hand while struggling to get her crutches with the other, told another.
“Let me help you, stop being so stubborn,” he replied.
After gently placing his arm around Cheron’s waist, he then took her arm and put it around his neck, allowing her to put her weight on him as he helped her to her bedroom. Once he sat her on the bed he helped her lean back and made sure she had enough pillows behind her back and under her injured leg.
After she was settled in Kenterris went to the kitchen and came back with a tray holding a glass of water and her evening dose of medication. Along with a cup of her favorite lavender tea to help her relax.
“Why are you doing all of this?” she asked.
“I’m doing it because you need someone to take care of you and I want to do it. Besides, it’s the least I can do after all I’ve put you through.”
“So that’s it, you’re doing this out of guilt?” she asked in an annoyed tone,
“No, I’m not doing it out of guilt. Look Cheron, I don’t want to fight with you,” he replied softly.
The awkward silence that transpired over the next few moments was soon broken by the soft moans Cheron let out as Kenterris took her feet in his lap and began to massage them. She’d forgotten how strong his hands were, and how good it felt when he used to rub them for her when they were together.
“Baby, we need to talk,” Kenterris announced.
“Baby?” Cheron replied, rolling her eyes. “What do we need to talk about?”
“We need to talk about us. We haven’t really sat down and discussed our relationship since we broke up. Every time I try to reach out to you, you give me the cold shoulder. I realize that I hurt you, but I feel like we should at least talk about our feelings.”
“Damn right you hurt me,” Cheron snapped. Just the mere reminder of how he had betrayed her was enough to put her in a foul mood. As far as she was concerned that was water under the bridge and she had no idea why he was bringing it up. It wasn’t like she was ever going to forgive him. “There’s nothing to talk about. You showed me how you felt about me when you fucked my best friend. Oh I get it, you wanna talk so YOU can feel better. What’s the matter? The guilt eating you up?”
By now Cheron’s voice was shaking. And she could feel herself on the verge of tears. She’d finally gotten to the place to where she wasn’t crying over the loss of her so called friend or her man, and she wanted to keep it that way. This was the very reason she had been avoiding “the talk” from the jump. She pulled her foot from Kenterris’ hand and folded her arms. “You can go ahead and leave. I got it from here.”
Aside from the initial shock from when Cheron first became aware of the affair between him and Sonnet, this was the first time he saw how bad she was hurting. She never looked in his direction as she choked back the tears. Kenterris felt horrible about cheating on her, and the fact that he was actually the source of her pain did in fact make him feel guilty.
“Like I’ve always said; I know I was wrong. And I know it doesn’t mean shit after the fact, but I never wanted to hurt you. And if you must know, yes I do feel guilty about how bad I hurt you. I beat myself up every day for fucking up what we had. But none of that is the reason I wanted us to talk.”
Sensing that she wasn’t going to get rid of Kenterris until he got whatever he needed to say off of his chest, she let out a sigh and decided to oblige him. She turned to him and waited for him to continue. He moved from the foot of the bed and sat beside her. He wanted her full attention for what he way about to say.
“Cheron, the reason why I wanted to talk was because I need to let you know how I feel.” Kenterris then took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. “I love you Cheron. I never stopped loving you. I’ve been miserable without you. You are the only woman I have ever truly loved. I know I hurt you bad, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. You also need to know that I won’t give up fighting for us until you tell me that you want nothing else to do with me.”
Kenterris’ declaration of love made Cheron’s heart leap inside of her chest. Her eyes danced when they met his, and she could feel butterflies in her stomach. It was like they were meeting for the first time. She was overcome with emotion so quickly that she had to catch herself.
Damn! Why did he have to go there? Cheron thought. She had no idea that his words would have this much impact on her. She was all set with her come back as to why she didn’t want to hear his sob story. She was going to read him for one last time before putting him out, but he had to bring feelings into the mix. This was a game changer. Not only because she still loved him; but because of how she felt when he said the words to her. Her mind told her to beware of his smooth talking and playing on her emotions. However, where matters of the heart were involved, all sense of logic went out the window. What the hell was she going to do now? She decided to save face and tell him that there was nothing left between them, and that he may as well give up the fight, however that was the exact opposite of what came out of her mouth.
“I still love you Kenterris,” she replied in a breathy voice, as she felt herself starting to cry.
Kenterris let out a sigh of relief.
Shit! Why did I say that? She was beyond pissed at herself for not being able to maintain her composure. Her attempt at trying to play it cool failed miserably.
Before she could speak another word Kenterris moved in closer and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. As far as he was concerned Cheron still loved him and that was all that mattered. Anything else in the relationship could be worked on as long as the love was still there for one another. His lips gently grazed hers as he continued to look in her eyes to gauge her reaction. If she wanted him to stop he would have, but something told him that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Cheron was secretly in turmoil. Everything inside of her wanted to pull away from him but for the life of her she just couldn’t. The next thing she knew, she was kissing him back.
What started off as soft, tender pecks soon turned into a deep passionate exchange of lust. This was actually the moment both of them had been wanting again since he had started taking care of her. By now both of them were craving the other’s touch. Kenterris stood up and slowly undressed Cheron, taking in the full beauty of her naked body, cuts, bruises, leg cast and all. He then got undressed and slid in the bed next to her. Her body trembled as he covered it with soft kisses. He took extra care to not put his full weight on her when he climbed on top of her.
What would have normally been a hot, sweaty, bang session between the pair was now an exchange of emotion so deep they both felt like they had died and gone to heaven. This is what making love felt like.
“I missed you so much,” Kenterris whispered as he slid in and out of Cheron. His lips and hands trying to devour every inch of her.
“I missed you too,” she whimpered. She tilted her hips upward to take him in deeper.
Cheron was awaked the next morning from Kenterris looking down at her as her stroked hair.
“Good morning,” he said. He was beaming from ear to ear.
“Good morning,” she replied, still half asleep.
Kenterris kissed her on the forehead before getting up and starting breakfast. Once they were done eating He informed Cheron that he had to run a few errands and stop by the office, but assured her that he would be back later to make sure she was set for dinner.
“I keep telling you I’m fine. Take your butt back to work. I know that place is falling apart without you,” she joked.
“I’ll go back once I’m sure that you don’t need me for anything. They can manage just fine. So how do you want to do this?”
“How do I want to do what?” she asked.
“How you want to do us? Now that we are back together.....”
“Hold on, who said anything about us being back together?”
“Well I just assumed...”
“Well you assumed wrong. Nothing has changed between us.”
“So what was last night about?” he asked.
His feelings were clearly hurt. He just knew that since Cheron had told him she still loved him things were back on track. And the fact that they made love sealed the deal as far as he was concerned.
“Last night was about us both expressing how we still felt about each other. True enough, I still love you but I still have some healing to do. I want to take things slow and see where they progress. I’m gonna be honest with you. We may never get back together but at least we are in a better place than we were, and I’m good with that.”
Kenterris felt like his heart had been stepped on. But as bad as he felt he realized that Cheron was right. One night of sex wasn’t going to make up for all the heartache he had caused her. He realized that he was going to have to work to regain her trust if there was a chance that they may ever get back together. At the end of the day she thanked him for everything he’d done for her since the accident, but they both decided that it was best that he stopped coming by every day because there were too many emotions involved. He made her promise to call him if she needed anything, but for now it was best they go their separate ways.