Dark Redemption - Charlotte Byrd Page 0,3

gives me one last squeeze of the hand and walks away. Fluorescent lights cast shadows in all directions while his shoes make a quiet clinking sound colliding with the linoleum floor. I want to run after him and tell him thank you, but I can’t make myself move.

Despite how angry I am with Dante, I have no choice but to go back to the hotel suite that he paid for. I spend a long restful night there and when I arrive at the hospital the following morning, Dr. Ellis has a big smile on her face.

"Things are improving quite well and very fast!”

Taking my arm, she leads me to the room where Mom sits up a little bit, with her eyes open. She smiles at me.

Big fat tears start to roll down my cheeks.

I run over and give her a big bear hug, holding her close and feeling the warmth of her body.

"You're okay. You're okay," I whisper over and over again. She gives me a wink.

There's still tubes inside of her mouth, but she's here, present. She nods when Dr. Ellis asks her questions and squeezes my hand.

I say a million prayers and thank yous and stay with her the whole day, not wanting to miss a minute.

Mom is still relatively tired and when she takes long naps I lose myself in the books that I bought and think about Dante. Suddenly him paying off this debt and the anger that I felt about it earlier disappears.

I want to talk to him again. I want to thank him for the surgery because after all, even despite the complication, it went well.

They got the entire cancer out and now, Dr. Ellis is very positive about her survival outcome.

Allison continues to check in with me once a day. When I tell her the good news, she celebrates by opening a bottle of champagne.

"Oh, I wish I could join you," I say, "but drinking alone in the room sounds a little depressing."

"It is not depressing," Allison says, tossing her hair and pointing a finger in my face. “Now, go get some alcohol and call me back.”

3

Jacqueline

Allison wants to know when I'm coming home. I don't know yet.

Mom is still pretty weak, even though she's getting better. As far as plans to come home however, I don't even know where to begin.

I tell Allison about what happened with Dante. She listens carefully and then says, "You're not getting off that easily.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“He gave you this massive gift. Maybe it wasn't in the right way and maybe he should have told you, but maybe then you wouldn't have accepted it. I mean, he was kind of a stranger at the time.”

“I know,” I admit.

"I mean, you have a right to be mad at him, but you don't really have a right to push him away forever. You have to thank him."

I look down at my fingernails and pick at what's left of my clear nail polish.

“I'm still upset.”

“So, let him apologize,” she says. When she shrugs, her loose fitting sweater falls off one shoulder, reminding me of the movie Flashdance.

“Let him apologize and let him make amends. Let him buy you flowers and woo you again. But you have to forgive him."

“No. Why? Why do I have to do that?”

"Because you love him, you idiot.”

I snap my eyes to meet hers. That's the first time I've ever thought of it that way.

Is that why I'm so angry with him? Because I'm actually in love? Suddenly, it seems so obvious.

“Okay, don’t tell me that you're surprised.” Allison laughs.

She walks over to the kitchen, props the phone up, and I see her getting the vegetables out of the refrigerator and slicing them on a cutting board.

I don't know what to say. I lean closer to the phone.

I look at my reflection in the corner and fix my hair to make it look a little more voluminous.

“I just feel like such an idiot,” I finally say.

“Don't be. You're not. You met under unusual circumstances. It's hard to know what to expect. But you do know that he paid a lot of money for that treatment. And that means it's not exactly a guy that you can just toss to the side.”

“Oh, please. I'm not going to date someone just because of his money," I say, waving my hand dismissively.

“I know that you are this whole holier-than-thou kind of person, but let's be honest. He paid your mom's medical bills without even breaking