Forbidden Attraction

Chapter 8

Cruz silently crept into the darkened hospital room. In a bed in the center of the room, Sully was still asleep after his surgery. The doctor had told her that Sully would make a full recovery, and that he had no brain damage from the head injury. The police had since caught the assailant, and he was in lockup at the station, crying for his lawyer, even though they'd found a gun and Sully's wallet on the man, so there was no way he could get away with the crime.

She walked over to the right side of the bed and gently ran her fingers through his hair, trying to avoid disturbing him. Her gentle touch woke him from his sleep.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey yourself," she replied. "You remember what happened?"

"I remember getting mugged and hit in the head, but that's it."

"You were also shot, but the doctor says you'll make a full recovery."

"That's good," he said. "Listen, Maritza, I'm sorry about our date..."

"Hey, don't worry about it," she replied. "It's not the first time I've been stood up."

"Unintentionally this time," he smiled.

"I'm glad you're okay. I had a good time with you the other night, and I'd like to continue seeing you, if that's okay."

"That'd be great. The day I get outta here, I'll take you wherever you want, what do you say?"

"Okay, yeah, sure."

"I'm glad you're here," Sully said, "and not somewhere else."

"Where else would I be?"

Two weeks later, Sully was discharged from the hospital. And he kept his word. He took Cruz to her favorite restaurant, on the first of many more dates.

I'm not going to say that they lived "happily ever after" because that's such a big cliché. Plus, there's always the small chance there might be a sequel, if you ask enough. No promises, though.