"Tough Choices"
11. Need
--
Melony tried to smile as she wheeled Daniel into their two-story house on Virginia Beach. It had been a long time since they'd been home together, and she'd like to cherish it. But it was hard to smile, and hard to feel at home, when Daniel hardly said a word, and hadn't smiled at all since the accident. Seeing the wheelchair ramp beside the stairway they'd had installed didn't help things either, as she saw on his face that he hated the fact that he had to use it. It made him feel like less of a man, she thought.
She dropped his bag in next to the door before the two of them went into the living room. She gave him a small smile before kissing him softly, "I'll go get us something to drink, ok?"
Daniel nodded and watched her walk away, before grasping the remote and turning the tv on.
--
Melony walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, retrieving two bottles of water and heading for the living room when the kitchen phone line rang. Setting their drinks down, she walked over and picked up the receiver, "Hello?"
"Hey, Mel."
Her eyes widened, glancing towards the living room before she said anything, "Hi, John."
"How's Daniel?"
"He's ok. He won't be able to walk for a while, but he'll be ok."
"I heard about that. I'm sorry Mel. I really am. But does this mean you'll be gone as long as he is?"
She nodded, "Yeah, he can't be alone. I need to be here with him. For him."
"Yeah, I get it. Two-story house and all."
She rolled her eyes, "Bye, John."
"Later."
She hung up and took she and Daniel's waters into the living room. "Don't we always have a stock of Corona?" Daniel asked, hesitantly taking the water from her. "Yeah, but you can't mix alcohol with your meds," She said as she sat down on the couch, "Didn't the doctor tell you that?"
He shrugged, "Wasn't paying any attention." He mumbled, sipping his water. She shook her head, "Well, you start physical therapy tomorrow. Until then, you need to get plenty of rest and refrain from moving around too much."
"I know, I know. I heard all that crap at the hospital."
She laughed, "I thought you weren't paying attention."
--
Melony's eyes popped open when the thunder boomed outside. She looked over at Daniel, sound asleep beside her, before she stood up and walked out, heading downstairs. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a Corona from the fridge and went into the living room. Falling back on the couch, she picked up the remote and tried to click on the tv on, with no luck. The power was out. Great. She thought with a shake of her head. She threw the remote down and gulped down almost half her beer. She groaned as her head fell back on the couch back, thinking of all the things she knew she would have to face in the upcoming months. Sure, things seemed pretty good now, but she knew that she and Daniel couldn't go forever without facing the truth about her and John. And Daniel and Jackie Gayda, which Melony was willing to swear on her life had gone down.
Just as she was about to bash her head in with the now empty beer bottle, she heard the door bell ringing. "Who the fuck's out in this kind of weather?" She groaned as she stood up and headed out of the living room and towards the door, her brain too sleep deprived to even think about looking through the peephole before opening the door, "Oh, my God."
"So that's the reaction I get, now?" The rain-soaked John asked, smiling before stepping inside and kissing her on the lips, "That's not how it used to be."
"John, what are you...?"
Her words were interrupted by his lips on hers, as he kicked the door shut and pushed her back into the living room. She pulled away and looked up at him, "John, you can't be here. Daniel's right upstairs..."
"Daniel's asleep. And it's not like he can walk in on us, right?" John said, touching her face gently, his beautiful blue eyes hypnotizing her like they always did as she fell backwards on the couch. He crawled on top of her, kissing her, his hands fidgeting to pull her t-shirt off and, after succeeding, his hands began exploring her body. She reaching down and pulled his shirt off, running her hands over his massive chest and grasping his shoulders, pulling him down into a passionate kiss. His hands slid down further, grabbing the top of her pajama pants and pulling them off, tossing them aside. A moan escaped her as he kissed her, touched her. She'd missed him. She'd longed for him ever since she left. She needed him. She needed the feel of him, the scent of him, the feel of him holding her they way he held her, with a love and passion and intensity that only he could muster. And as they made love on the couch for hours on end, God knows how many times, Daniel sat at the top of the staircase, his face red with anger, fighting back tears as he heard her calling out John Cena's name in ecstasy.
"I'm not as slow as you think." Daniel whispered softly, going back in the bedroom and closing the door silently.