Give Me The Reason: A Love Story

by Coco Amoure

  “Girlfriend! Really Tyson?” she said, trying desperately hard to hold back the tears.

  “Calm down, baby, and let me explain,” Tyson said. He didn’t need her getting upset and now he wished like hell that he would have told Delaney about Ashanti when they first started going out.

  “Yeah explain, Tyson. Tell her how you sent me home to Florida and wouldn’t let me come back home.” Ashanti snickered.

  Delaney felt like such a fool. Once again she’d gotten her heart broken. “I think it’s best that I leave. Obviously, you have your hands full right now,” she said, trying to mask the hurt she was feeling. Everything he ever said to me feels like a damn lie. How could he keep this information from me? A pregnant girlfriend? He is not the man that I believed him to be. Once again, she’d let her guard down only to be let down and broken hearted. Delaney grabbed her puppy and her car keys before bolting out of the door.

  Tyson took off behind her. “Delaney wait, baby, she is not my girlfriend. Please let me explain,” he pleaded. The pain in her eyes was evident. He knew that he had royally fucked up. Delaney’s past had been full of disappointment when it came to men and he vowed to never hurt her. He didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Tyson had no idea that Ashanti was pregnant, and he wasn’t so sure that the baby she was carrying was even his. For all he knew, her ex-boyfriend could be the baby’s father. He wished like hell that he would have taken her calls or at the very least listened to the voice mail messages. All of this shit could have been avoided, if only he wouldn’t have ignored Ashanti’s trifling ass.

  “Fuck you, Tyson,” she hissed, slamming the door. He reached for the handle, but it was too late because she had already locked the door.

  Tyson banged on the window, begging her to let him in. Delaney shook her head no as she backed out of his driveway with tears streaming down her face. All he could hear were her tires screeching down the road.

  “Fuck!” he yelled and fell to the ground on his knees.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Delaney’s heart felt as if someone literally had their hands wrapped around it, squeezing the very life out of her. She couldn’t catch her breath and the tears wouldn’t stop coming. How could the love of life have a pregnant girlfriend that he’d been hiding in Florida? She’d bared her entire soul to Tyson, shed all of her insecurities, believing that he was different, that he was the one. Diamond sat over in the passenger seat looking pitifully at Delaney. She whimpered and hopped over into Delaney’s lap. Delaney gently picked her up and placed Diamond back in the passenger seat.

  Her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller id to see Tyson’s face appear on the screen. She pressed end, angrily throwing the phone into the back seat of her car. He called back to back incessantly, but Delaney refused to answer. She didn’t even know where she was going as she aimlessly drove around. Somehow, she had managed to get onto Interstate 285 heading north towards her house. The tears would not stop coming. To make matters worse, it started to pour down buckets of rain, making it even more difficult for her to see.

  Delaney pulled over to the right, because her exit was coming up. She hadn’t noticed the SUV in her blind spot. Out of nowhere she heard a crashing sound as the two vehicles collided into one another. Her car spun out of control and she slid across the expressway, crashing into the wall separating the interstate. The last thing Delaney remembered was seeing her life flash before her eyes before she blacked out.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  As soon as Cam received the call that Delaney was involved in a car accident on I-285, he immediately rushed out of the house en route to Well Star Cobb Hospital. He was on pins and needles the entire drive. He called Ava and told her he would swing by to pick her up. She refused to wait and said she would meet him there.

  Cam didn’t know if Ava tried reaching Cane or not, but he took it upon himself to call his brother. Of course the nigga didn’t answer. According to Ava, he hadn’t been home since before her birthday. Cane was going to rot in hell for the way he treated his family. Last Cam heard, Cane picked up with some young girl around the way and was staying with her and her four kids.

  Cam pulled into the parking lot, damn near jumping out before putting the car in park and turning off the ignition. Somehow Ava had beaten him to the hospital. He walked up to her, noticing that her eyes were bloodshot red from crying. When she saw Cam, she fell into his chest and cried harder. He wrapped his arms around her, even shedding a few tears himself.

  “Have you heard anything about her condition?” he asked.

  “It’s bad, Cam, it’s really bad,” she cried. He allowed her time to get herself together. “Come on, let’s sit down over here, Ava,” Cam said, pointing towards the waiting area.

  “The officers on the scene said that the witnesses reported that Laney was trying to exit the interstate when her car struck a large SUV, spun out of control and slammed against a brick wall. She hit her head. My baby is in a coma,” Ava cried. She buried her head in Cameron’s chest and balled like a baby. He felt helpless and it hurt him that he couldn’t do anything about it.

  “Did you try to call Cane?” he questioned. Ava jerked her head up and rolled her eyes.

  “Come on, Ava, you know he has a right to know,” Cam said, rubbing her back.

  “Fuck Cane. If he gave a damn about us at all, he would at least check in from time to time,” she snarled.

  Cam looked up to see a panic stricken Natasha rushing through the automatic doors. She spotted Cameron and Ava and ran towards them.

  “How is Delaney? I was watching the news and a car just like hers was involved in a bad accident,” she said breaking down. Natasha had a feeling that the black Acura she saw on the news belonged to Delaney. Her fears were confirmed when she tried calling her back to back with no answer. Delaney and Tyson weren’t leaving for their trip until tomorrow.

  Cam stood up and hugged Natasha. “Yes, baby girl, she was involved in a pretty bad wreck. She’s in a coma and we are waiting for the doctors to come out and give us an update.”

  “Oh my God! Why did this have to happen to my best friend?” she cried.

  “Hmmmpf, what would you know about being somebody’s best friend? You ain’t no different than your trifling ass mammy,” Ava spat.

  “Ava!” Cameron said, glaring at her. “This is not the time nor place. Delaney is laid up in a coma and you are out here behaving like a crazy woman. Natasha is her best friend and you know she would want her here.”

  Ava rolled her eyes, but she didn’t utter another word. She knew Cam was right, but she’d let her emotions take over and lashed out at Natasha.

  The three of them sat around for hours waiting on the doctors to come out and give them an update on Delaney’s condition. Natasha was so distraught that several hours had passed before it dawned on her that Tyson wasn’t there. She picked up her phone and called Drake because she didn’t have Tyson’s phone number.

  “Yo,” he spoke into the phone.

  “Drake, can you give me Tyson’s telephone number, please?” she sniffled.

  “What for?”

  “Delaney was just involved in a bad car accident. She’s in a coma. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know or he would be here right now.”

  Drake froze up, although he didn’t really know Delaney, he knew his boy would be torn up if something happened to her. Drake rattled off the phone number and told Natasha that he would be there shortly.

  Natasha dialed Tyson’s number and waited for him to answer. “Hello.”

  “Oh my God, Tyson, this is Natasha. You gotta get here quick, Delaney was just involved in a bad car wreck and she’s in a coma,” she said, her voice cracked with every word she spoke.

  “Where are you, Natasha?” Tyson panicked. He felt like all of this was his fault. He needed to be near her his woman.

  “We’re at Well Star Cobb. Drake is on his way too, I had to call him to get your phone number.” She sniffed.

  Tyson hadn’t
heard a word after Well Star Cobb, because he hung up the phone. He grabbed his keys and started to leave.

  “Where are you going, Ty?” Ashanti whined. He wished she would disappear.

  “My girl’s been in a bad accident and I have to get to her now!” he yelled. Tyson hadn’t meant to yell at her, but he was panicking and worried out of his mind about Delaney. If it wasn’t for Ashanti showing up pregnant at his door, they would still be cuddled up discussing their weekend getaway. But instead, the love of his life was in a coma fighting for her life.

  “Well, you ain’t leaving me here alone, I could have this baby at any minute now,” she said.

  “Man, fuck! Just come on,” he yelled, storming out of the house. The drive over was quiet. He didn’t want to bring Ashanti with him, but he couldn’t leave her there either, not knowing if she would go into labor or not. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure that the baby was his, and he planned on having a DNA test as soon as the baby was born. If he turned out to be the father, he would do what he had to do as a father. As far as he and Ashanti were concerned, that shit was old like yesterday’s news. He was never going down that road again, Delaney was it for him. He didn’t care what it took, he was going to get her back.

  After Delaney stormed out, he and Ashanti sat down to talk. She told him that she found out she was pregnant the second week that she was in Florida, but she was too ashamed to tell him. Especially since she’d left and went back to her ex-boyfriend. She admitted that at first she was going to pass the baby off as her ex’s, but she just couldn’t do that.

  That explained why she had been blowing up his phone for the past three months or so. He felt bad because if the baby was truly his, he wanted to be involved in its life. He made it clear to Ashanti that there was no chance of them getting back together, period. She wasn’t too happy about that, but she would just have to deal with it. He would spend the rest of his life making it up to Delaney. There was no way he could lose that woman. His heart beat for her. Without her he was nothing.

  Tyson walked into the waiting room with Ashanti waddling behind him. He saw Natasha sitting down with her head in her hands. She was sitting next to a man that resembled Delaney who he assumed was her father. Next to the man, sat a very attractive older lady who he was sure was Delaney’s mother.

  Natasha looked up and saw Tyson. She also noticed a pregnant chick standing a little too close to him. Natasha suspiciously eyed the female, but decided to table it for later. Right now it was all about Delaney, everything else could wait.

  “Tyson,” she said, standing up to hug him.

  “Have you heard anything yet?” he asked. He felt the tears burning inside of his eyelids.

  “I’m Cameron, Delaney’s uncle, and you are?” Cam asked, extending his hand to Tyson. One look into the young man’s eyes and Cam could tell that he truly loved Delaney. Cam’s heart swelled with love. He’d prayed that she would find someone who could help her overcome all of her hang-ups with relationships.

  “My name is Tyson,” he said, shaking his hand. Ava looked up at the young man and rolled her eyes. Tyson caught the shade that Delaney’s mother was throwing his way.

  “And this here is Delaney’s mother, Ava,” Cam said, nudging Ava.

  “Hey,” she dryly replied.

  Natasha was about to question Tyson about the strange pregnant woman when the doctor came out to speak with the family.

  “Ms. Michaels, Delaney is stable, but she is still in a coma. You can go in and see her, but only three people can go back at a time. Please keep the visits to a minimum. She is not one hundred percent out of the woods just yet, but we will do everything possible to make sure that she is comfortable.” He smiled reassuringly at Ava.

  “Ava, why don’t you, Natasha, and Tyson go on ahead? I will wait,” Cam said. He wanted to visit Delaney alone.

  “Are you sure?” Ava questioned. He simply nodded his head yes and took his seat. Ashanti sat down feeling totally out of place. She wished she would have just stayed back at Tyson’s place. She was sure that Tyson blamed her for his lil’ girlfriend’s accident. It wasn’t her fault that she ran out the house upset. Ashanti had been desperately trying to reach Tyson for months, and when he refused to answer her phone calls, she made the decision to pop up on him. So, actually he was to blame.

  Ava rushed to her daughter’s bed side. The tears started to flow anew. She needed Delaney more than she knew. Ava regretted all of the mean things she’d said to Delaney over the years and the way she’d treated her. The nurse told them that even when a patient is comatose, they can hear what is going on around them. Ava pulled herself together before she spoke.

  “Baby, this is your mama. I love you, Delaney. Do you hear me? I love you and mama will be right here when you wake up,” she cried. Ava couldn’t take seeing her only child in a coma. She ran out of the room in tears. Natasha and Tyson both had tears in their eyes as well. Tyson gestured for Natasha to go next.

  Natasha leaned down and kissed her best friend on the cheek. “Hey, boo, I know you can hear me, so listen Imma need you to get ya ass up outta this bed. I love you,” she said before breaking down. Tyson gently rubbed her back. “I can’t do this, Tyson, I just can’t. What if she doesn’t wake up?” she cried.

  Tyson gently picked up Delaney’s hand. He bent down and kissed her lips. For a few minutes he stood there staring at her beautiful face, longing to see her green eyes.

  “Baby, please wake up so that we can start over again. I’m sorry for not telling you about Ashanti. I was wrong for that. She and I were long over before you ever came into my life. I had no idea she was pregnant. You gotta believe me, bae. I have never loved a woman the way that I love you. Even if the baby she is carrying is mine, I will never leave you. Just wake up, my love, so we can work things out. Don’t leave me like this, bae, fight. Fight for us,” he said, and broke down crying like a baby. There was no shame in his tears.

  Natasha stood by listening. Now she had a clear picture of who the pregnant girl was. She walked up and hugged Tyson. Drake was sitting down beside Ashanti when Tyson and Natasha walked back into the waiting room.

  “How is she, bruh?” Drake asked Tyson. He could see that Tyson wasn’t holding up too well.

  “Man, she’s holding on,” he managed to say. Drake embraced his boy in a manly hug. Natasha, Tyson, and Drake all sat down. They knew they were in for a long night. Tyson offered to call a cab to take Ashanti back to his house, but she declined. He was in no mood to argue with her, so he let it be.

  Cam stood up and proceeded to walk to Delaney’s hospital room. He didn’t mention to anyone where he was going. His heart broke when he saw his beloved hooked up to so many machines. She looked like a sleeping beauty, considering what she’d been through. He pulled up a chair and sat down. He knew Delaney would pull through because she was a fighter, just like him. A sense of peace fell over him. He smiled knowing that she was going to pull through. Cam had to believe that she would or he wouldn’t be any good for Ava. He’d always been their protector and this was not the time for him to break down.

  He took her hand into his, softly kissing the top of her delicate hand. “Baby girl, you know how much I love you. I have seen you blossom from a beautiful little girl into a lovely woman. You have your whole life ahead of you. From what I can tell, you have a very nice man who clearly loves you. He seems like a keeper, baby girl, so don’t be too hard on him. Stop running away when things get tough. Give the man a chance to explain and make it right. Nothing in this life is easy, and we all have our crosses to bear. You’ve gotta learn to let go of the sins of your parents and live your life. Daddy loves you, Laney. I promise to always be here for you,” he said, as a single tear slid down his face. Cameron could no longer hold this secret that he and Ava had been keeping all of these years. Delaney deserved to know the truth, even if it meant she would never speak to him again.

  Suddenly, the machines that were hooked up to Delaney began making alarming sou
nds. Nurses and doctors came bursting through the doors.

  “Sir, we are going to have to ask you to step out so we can tend to the patient,” one of the nurses said. Cam bowed his head and prayed to God that he wouldn’t let his little girl die before she even knew that he was really her father and not his brother Cane.

  To Be Continued…

  Give Me the Reason 2

  Coming Soon

  Coming Soon From Lock Down Publications

  RESTRAINING ORDER

  By CA$H & COFFEE

  GANGSTA CITY II

  By Teddy Duke

  BLOOD OF A BOSS III

  By Askari

  THE KING CARTEL III

  By Frank Gresham

  SHE DON’T DESERVE THE DICK

  SILVER PLATTER HOE III

  By Reds Johnson

  BROOKLYN ON LOCK III

  By Sonovia Alexander

  THE STREETS BLEED MURDER III

  By Jerry Jackson

  CONFESSIONS OF A DOPEMAN’S DAUGHTER III

  By Rasstrina

  NEVER LOVE AGAIN II

  WHAT ABOUT US II

  By Kim Kaye

  A GANGSTER’S REVENGE III

  By Aryanna

  GIVE ME THE REASON II

  By Coco Amoure

  Available Now

  LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES I II & III

  By Coffee

  SILVER PLATTER HOE I & II

  HONEY DIPP I & II

  CLOSED LEGS DON’T GET FED I & II

  A BITCH NAMED KARMA

  By Reds Johnson

  A DANGEROUS LOVE I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII

  By J Peach

  CUM FOR ME

  An LDP Erotica Collaboration

  A GANGSTER’S REVENGE

  By Aryanna

  WHAT ABOUT US

  NEVER LOVE AGAIN

  By Kim Kaye

  THE KING CARTEL I & II

  By Frank Gresham

  BLOOD OF A BOSS I & II

  By Askari

  THE DEVIL WEARS TIMBS I, II & III