by Lauren Wood
“No that was purely because of how I felt about you.” She admitted.
He studied her closely; he had felt that same feeling with her, why was he lying to himself. “I guess this makes it even more important that we get married. So what do you say?”
She stared at him shocked, “Yes I will marry you.”
Derrick kissed her deeply and carried her to the bedroom to celebrate. The pizza could wait until later, it would just be cold. But the heat he felt for her couldn’t wait any longer.
He undressed her slowly and commented on how beautiful she was. “You are ravishing Christy.”
She blushed at his comment and looked down. He grabbed her and kissed her deeply. They made love slowly, no condom needed. He was already a daddy, and he was with the woman he loved. How could life be any better?
After they were done, he held her close to him. “You know what baby; we’re both going to live our dreams together. I have a great feeling that your book is going to be bought by the publisher.” He said to her.
“I can only hope you are right.”
“So tell me what city would you like to live in?” He asked.
“Oh somewhere warm. Where do you want to go?” She asked.
“Somewhere in Florida maybe, I don’t know about California. I’m used to Florida now, and I love the weather.” He answered.
They talked about their future together, hoping for great things to come for them both. Then he changed the topic, “So when do you think you’ll hear back from the publisher?” He asked.
“Well I sent the manuscript to them around 2 months ago now, so any day. At least if you believe their web page response time.” She commented.
“Maybe it will come tomorrow.” He smiled at her and pulled her into his arms.
He was tempted to take her again, but his stomach growled loudly. It reminded him that he hadn’t eaten yet. “Hey let’s eat a bit.” He pulled her up out of bed and they went to eat.
Epilogue
Derrick had asked her to try and mend fences with her adoptive parents when they first got together. However, as he learned more of the story, he had stopped pushing her.
Christy had never shared everything she had gone through with anyone but Derrick. He had sat there one night and held her, as she relived the past.
Derrick had held her tightly as she told him about the beatings she had received from the mother. “All the while the father would let it go on. But there was one time he did stop her. She was using a metal wire to spank me with. It hurt so badly, she didn’t hit just my butt either, but was hitting my back with each swat. I don’t know how long it continued, but he finally held her hand before she could hit again. When she pushed me off of her, all I could see in her eyes was pure hatred. Do you know what it’s like to be hated? She had asked him.
“No I don’t baby.” He had told her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “I don’t understand how they adopted you and then made you feel so bad.”
“You know I didn’t either it took me years to actually understand it all. Right after we had Jimmy though I got it, I understood her.” She had responded.
“How did that make you understand here?” He had asked her, curious to what she had discovered.
“Remember I told you one time that they had lost their daughter? That was the reason they were looking for a girl to adopt. It was also the reason they had decided to adopt an older child like me. When we had Jimmy, that time he got really sick, and we weren’t sure if he would make it. I felt such fear, anger and so many emotions at one time. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to lose him. It would have literally broken my heart into a million pieces. Now you add in the fact that they pick a child who isn’t theirs and add them to the family. How could you really love this person? When you looked at the girl you would only want to see your own child. Instead you were looking at someone who wasn’t who you really wanted. I forgave her at that moment. I still think that they made a mistake. I don’t think she was mentally prepared for another child. They should have not even adopted me in the end. However, somehow I toughed it out until I was 17. But trust me once I could I got out of there. Would I like to tell her I forgave her? Maybe one day I’ll write a letter to her and tell her. But I don’t really want to see her face to face. Because even though I forgave her, I still would love to tell her that she made a huge mistake.” Christy had explained.
She had eventually written the letter to her mother. She didn’t place a return address on the envelope. As far as she was concerned she didn’t want to talk to them ever again.
Tomorrow would be their 10 year anniversary. Christy couldn’t believe the time had passed so quickly. So much had changed in both of their lives.
Derrick had been drafted by the Miami Dolphins and was already breaking many NFL records. He had driven them into the Super Bowl his very first year. Even though they lost that first time, they had run a couple in the past years.
Christy had sold her book, and was now a real author. No more ghosts writing were in her future. With each book she wrote, she used parts of her and Derrick’s love story. They sold like hot cakes, people loved her romances.
She had laughed one night when she had walked into the bedroom to find Derrick curled up on the bed reading her latest book.
He had looked up at her and said, “Hey you have the story about how we first met in here, that’s really cool!”
Christy traveled with him to away games, they were never far apart. She swore she had fallen even more in love with him with each passing day.
Derrick walked into the kitchen, Christy was cooking pancakes. “Oh man those smell wonderful!” He came up behind her and hugged her.
“They are your favorite!”
“Yeah I love these things; I swear I could eat them every day. But imagine how much weight I would put on.
“Where are the kids?” She asked.
“I told them to hurry down to eat or I would eat all the pancakes.” Derrick laughed.
Just then the three children piled in the door. “Dad didn’t eat all the food did he?” Jimmy asked.
He was their oldest; he was the result of her donor visit. He was the spitting image of Derrick, down to the dimples on his cheeks when he smiled.
“Hey tell John to stop touching all the pancakes.” Amanda yelled. “It’s gross did you even wash your hands?” She chastised her brother.
“I’m just looking for one’s with more chocolate chips.” He had said, rubbing his hand that had been hit by his sister.
“Now kids, I can always make more, so stop it. John, just eat from the top of the pile please.” Christy asked.
Amanda was 8 and in a phase where everything was gross, especially her younger brother. John was 6; he had a wicked tendency to push his sister even at his young age.
“You know what tomorrow is darling?” Derrick asked Christy.
“Of course I do, it’s 10 years!” She laughed.
“So since I’m off for a few months, how about we take a trip somewhere to celebrate?” He asked.
“Hey do we get to go?” Jimmy asked.
“Of course we wouldn’t go anywhere without you three.” Derrick answered.
“Oh can we go to Disney Land?” Amanda asked.
“Yeah can we dad and mom?” John asked as well.
Derrick looked at Christy, “What do you think?” He asked.
“Sure why not?” She shrugged her shoulders.
She looked over her family and pride filled her very soul. All those years ago she had felt so unloved in this very situation.
THE END
BROCK – THE BAD ASS
CHAPTER 1
“I want you to know that I’m always going to be in your corner. I asked you to put yourself in my hands and I promised that I would get you through this, one way or another. I know that you’re scared and I understand that you’re apprehensive about going under the knife. I’ve done everything that I can, but I’m afraid that t
he surgery is your last resort.”
It was another version of a speech Stephanie had given many times before. In fact, the entire scene was much the same each time. She would sit on her side of the desk, wearing her pristine lab coat, her reddish-blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. Her patient would sit on the other side, reacting to the news with either anger or sadness, both fueled by grief.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but sometimes I have to tell them the truth. I can work miracles and I was hoping that I could do that for him, but the spot on his brain scan has grown considerably.”
“I don’t know why you just didn’t tell me this over the phone,” Arnold said, giving over to the angry side of grief. Arnold Julius was an up and coming PGA star that had both the accolades and the sponsors who were clamoring for the chance to sign him on the dotted line. But an unforgiving drunk driving accident had caused him to not only to lose his livelihood, but had also placed his life in jeopardy. “This can’t be happening. I need some time to think about this.”
Arnold stood and drew a few deep breaths, but otherwise fell into silence. He knew that going underneath the knife meant possible brain damage, or even death. If he had his choice, he would rather die on the table than live as some sort of vegetable.
Stephanie stood and moved to his side of the desk, putting her hand on his shoulder. This momentary comfort was the push he needed to transition his grief from anger to sadness, and gave him license to cry on her shoulder. She tried to talk to him, but he was inconsolable.
This was the part of the job that Stephanie didn’t enjoy at all, and she had been through a few too many of these scenes in recent weeks. She was getting burned out and she needed time to recharge her batteries someplace tropical with some bronzed bodies and tropical drinks. She could already feel the warmth of the sand underneath her toes and the baking sun bronzing her skin and turning her into a desirable creature of the night. “I have basically given him a death sentence. His only hope is a surgeon that is worth his salt. I’ve given him my two best recommendations. The rest is in the hands of him and god. I can’t get emotionally involved. If I do, I will only lose myself, and that is not something I’m going to allow to happen.
Arnold new this prognosis was a possibility, and he knew that he wouldn’t be pleased to hear it, but he didn’t expect to break down. His doctor’s warm hand on his shoulder was the action that broke the dam, and everything flooded out. As his tears began to slow, he realized he knew the decision he would make: he would go under the knife and hope for the best.
“I know that you have done everything that you can, Dr. Wallace. There’s been nobody like you. Everybody told me that I was a lost cause, but you said that there was hope.” Arnold paused for a moment and then gave a rueful chuckle. “Hopefully that was not an error in judgment on your part. I’m grateful for the time that I have been given. I wish that it could be longer, and maybe it can. Only time will tell.” Arnold didn’t feel like he was living up to his reputation as a strong and confident black man. Rather than stay and risk another emotional outburst, he gave the doctor a nod and moved towards the door.
Stephanie watched him walk out of the office, giving her a meek smile before he turned the corner. She wanted to run to him and tell him that things were going to work out, but she wasn’t sure she believed it herself. As she pondered his future, she could hear her nurse in the background, muffled, as if she were inside a tunnel. She was more concerned with Arnold and what his state of mind was like, unsure if he could truly understand that it wasn’t a lost cause.
“I don’t mean to interrupt your thoughts, as I’m sure that you have a lot on your mind, but I believe you will want to hear this. Your father, Coach Avery, has asked me to tell you to look at your messages. I’ve never heard him sound so worried. I hope that there hasn’t been anything that is going to prevent him from winning the championship.”
Jennifer Belle was a consummate professional, but when it came to college football, she was a fanatic.
“If there’s anything that you can do to make sure that the cup comes home to this town, then I implore you to do whatever you can.” Jennifer was hardly the only person in the town invested in a win—the college team was on the cusp of doing something that would give the area something to be proud of for years to come.
Stephanie looked at Jennifer, taking in her bubbly personality, and she wanted to shake her. There didn’t seem to be anything that rattled her or made her feel like life was getting her down. She was always enthusiastic, and the fact that she was the coach’s daughter had given Jennifer a reason to take the job out of hand.
“I’m not taking anything that you say seriously at the moment, Jennifer. I had to give Arnold some bad news. I know that I shouldn’t let it weigh heavily on my mind, but sometimes I can’t help it. There are always those that get underneath my skin.”
“I wish that I could say the same thing for my love life. It’s been on life support from the moment that my ex-boyfriend took a job overseas.”
“I don’t think that you should get caught up with other people’s problems. You’ve told me from the moment that you hired me that we should never take our job home with us. With that being said, maybe it would be best to dedicate your time to something that will be more worth your while. Coach Avery has all the hopes and dreams of this town on his shoulders. Go and talk to your father and see what he wants. It will do you good to get some perspective. Stop and buy yourself something nice and put a smile on that face.”
In a past life, Jennifer was a motivational speaker. She’d gone to several high schools to put people on the straight and narrow. She had left that and went to nursing school after one of those kids decided that a life of crime was where the money was at. She felt responsible, but what she didn’t realize was that this kid was on the downward slope from the moment that he was old enough.
“I don’t have any pressing engagements for the rest of the day. I was planning to leave the office early and could swing by and see what my father wants. I’m not promising anything. Surely I’m not going to throw a team member underneath the bus for the chance at the championship.”
Stephanie grabbed her short, black, leather jacket. “Time to hop on my Harley and hit the open road.”
She went down to the parking garage and strode towards her black and red masterpiece. It was a beautiful design, with blue lightning bolts and flames that made her quite the conversation piece. She’d taken it to a custom shop and had paid an extravagant amount of money to get them to tailor it to her specifications.
“I see that look in your eyes. Believe me, I have that same look on the weekends,” Jeremy Nicholson said from behind her. “That is a beautiful piece of hardware. I don’t suppose that you know anything about motorcycles. Is this a hobby, or is this a lifelong dream that you have made a reality?” Jeremy was one of the new doctors in the office. He had liked Stephanie from the moment that he had come on board, but he had sensed that there was something painful in her past.
“I think that I bought it out of a knee jerk reaction to rebel against my parents. My mother is no longer around, but my father is always constantly on my back. The first day that I bought this thing, I made it my mission to drive over to his home and rev the motor. He came screaming out of the house and I only smiled. I turned and drove away with him shaking his fist in disbelief that I would put my life in danger like this.”
“My father had sent me an attachment on my phone. There were no names mentioned. He was worried that this was going to get out to the public and wasn’t taking any chances even with his daughter. The results of the scans were a little disturbing. That knee would need major rehabilitation. He was asking for a miracle and I wasn’t sure that I was gonna be able to give him what he wanted.”
“I know what it’s like to have a domineering father, and believe me, it’s not easy to get their approval. They expect so much from you that they don’t realize that you have your own mind and your own ideas
about where your life is going to go. I did go into medicine for my parents, but I didn’t exactly make them proud by taking going into sports medicine, as lucrative as it may be. They wanted me to be a surgeon, but for me, it was all about those dreams that had yet to be fulfilled. I lost my chance to play professionally when I blew out my knee and my shoulder at the same time. Not to mention that I had a heart condition that needs to be monitored each and every day for the rest of my life.”
Stephanie gave him a sideways grin. “I guess we do have something in common. My father has always stressed the importance of family, but mostly he has the team on his mind. He wants to project that family-man persona, but it’s not exactly the truth. I believe that my mother died of a broken heart. He was never able to give her the kind of time and dedication that she deserved. He had his eye on the prize. That has never been more evident than it is now. If he can make it through to the finals, then that elusive cup will be right there for the taking.”
“I had dated Jeremy for one night of complete boredom that made me want to blow the back of my head off. He was a good friend, but I didn’t see it going beyond that. I’d made it very clear to him that I wasn’t interested in a relationship. He had done me the service of not pushing the issue.”
“I think that we do these things for our parents, so that they can live vicariously through us,” Jeremy mused. “I’m sure that a lot of kids do that to get their parent’s approval. I can’t say that I’m not happy with what I’m doing, but I always get this distasteful look when I walk through the door on Christmas holidays. They jokingly get underneath my skin, until I dismiss it out of hand. I can’t let them see that their words hurt. It won’t stop me from going home, but maybe I should take a page from your book. They have never seen my motorcycle. It’s a long journey, but maybe it would be worth it to see the expression on their faces.” Jeremy could almost imagine the shocked and stunned expression on his family’s faces. He loved them, but he didn’t need their constant needling or asking him when he was going to settle down with a good girl.
