Destined 2 Love ( Sequel )

A T L A S T I S E E T H E L I G H T

The feeling of my body being shaken repeatedly caused my eyes to flutter open as they adjusted to my surroundings. "It's about time!" A familiar face exclaimed, almost making my heart drop. My eyes instantly met hers as my body fell in a slight state of shock, "A-Ashanti?" I blinked a few times.

"You look like you saw a ghost." She laughed. Ghosts can't be real, can they? "Am I dreaming? Aren't you...?" I stopped myself from saying the word. "Dead." She chuckled, "Why, yes I am." My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "So does that mean I'm?" My heart picked up it's speed. "Relax! You're not dead." She assured; still I was confused to how I could possibly be seeing my best friend who died. "Ok, I must be in a really crazy movie or something because I've been seeing the weirdest shit."

Ashanti giggled with humor, "Like, you hooked to a breathing tube while constantly being monitored?" She asked. "What happened to me, Shanti?" I desperately questioned, in need of answers. I only remember my car flipping over; everything that came after was a blur. She claimed a seat at the edge of the bed. "Des, you were in a car accident, don't you remember?" She looked over at me. I shook my head, "Somewhat, but everything is...fuzzy." My voice slightly cracked. Ashanti exhaled heavily.

"You're currently in the hospital, fighting for your life." She informed. My eyes instantly became watery as my mind shifted to Kross and the kids. "We need more time", I thought to myself. "I, I have to get back to the kids, Kross...my sisters and brother." Tears had already began streaming down my face at this point. "Then go on back; go back to your loved ones because they need you most Des." I bit the inside of my lip, hard enough that I nearly caused myself to bleed. It sounded easier than it seems. "I try, all the time. I can't." My head dropped.

"Girl! The Destiny Jones I know isn't a quitter. She fights for whatever she wants and stands on that shit!" Ashanti voiced. "I'm tired of fighting. I've been fighting my entire life, Shanti. I fought when being molested by my own creator. I fought for my mama to believe me. I fought for my siblings, to protect them. Hell, who's fighting for me?" I asked. "That wonderful man of yours. Your beautiful son, everyone. We are all fighting for you, Des." She said.

Her words gave me some hope, but still, I couldn't find the energy to fight hard enough. "And if you don't wake your ass up soon, I'll just have to throw a bucket of cold water on you." She added, bringing me to a great level of laughter that I haven't experienced in a long time. Soon our laughter faded and only the beeping machine could be heard throughout the room. "I hear him." I mumbled. "Hear who?" Her face scrunched.

"Kross." I sighed, "Every time he comes to visit, I hear him. He tells me about Kaleb and Skylar. He even reads to me sometimes. I can't imagine what he must be feeling watching me lay in a hospital with tubes down my throat." I shook my head, blaming myself for what everyone else must be feeling. "Which is exactly why you need to fight. Everyone is rooting for you, but are you rooting for yourself?"

Her question lingered in my mind. Am I rooting for myself? Maybe I'm not trying hard enough...maybe giving up is what's easier, for me at least. "What if I don't have anything left in me?" I selfishly questioned. "But you do. You have a career, friends and family. You have so much to fight for Des."

Ashanti was right. I do have a lot to fight and live for. The thought of even thinking it would be easier to give up slightly made me cringe. The room was filled with silence again before I cleared my throat, "I'm sorry, Shanti." She looked at me for a second, confused and waiting for me to elaborate. "I wasn't there for you when you needed me to be. If I could go back in time and save you, I would. No hesitation." I detailed. She sighed, looking up at the bright ceiling lights. "It wasn't anyone's fault." She shrugged.

"Instead of facing my problems head on, I chose the easy way out, like a coward." She shook her head. "Can I ask why you did it?" I took this odd opportunity to get the answers I never thought I'd be able to obtain. Her shoulders went up then down, "I was already drowning, Des. I figured strapping bricks to my ankles would speed up the process. I couldn't continue watching myself deteriorate." More tears formed my eyes as I listened to Ashanti express why she took her own life.

We sat in complete silence as no further words were exchanged. We held hands while our heads rested on one another for support. A few minutes later; a familiar male voice could be heard in the room. My heart fluttered. I watched as Kross sat two bouquets of flowers on the stand before leaning in to kiss my forehead— he never missed a day. I smiled at the sight.

"You have to go back, Des." Ashanti spoke. Before I could respond, she vanished. Turning back around to face Kross, who was busy telling a unconscious me about Kaleb's day at the park yesterday caused me to feel warm inside. I do have a purpose; getting back to my family that needs me.

"He wanted to be such a big boy." Kross chuckled, playing the video of Kaleb that was in his phone. He was attempting to climb the monkey bars with the help of his uncle Darnell, thought he didn't want it. When he finally slipped the phone back into his pocket, he noticed something unusual. He rubbed his eyes twice to make sure they weren't deceiving him— they weren't. What he was witnessing was real.

He watched as Destiny moved her fingers. A wave of happiness came over him as he shouted for the nurses. He held her hand, talking to her, hoping her eyes would soon open too. "I'm here baby. I always been here. I'm not going nowhere." He said into her ear. Nurse Morales entered the room along with 3 other nurses. Kross informed her about what he had saw and she quickly paged Doctor Richards.

As everyone anxiously awaited the Doctors arrival, from the hospital bed, Destiny fought to open her eyes. She kept thinking about her talk with Ashanti, and how she needed to fight her way out of this coma. "You have to go back, Des" repeated in her head serval times before she finally saw the bright lights and white ceiling. Due to the tube down her throat she couldn't call out. But she was awake; it wasn't dream. She could see and hear everything.

"Ms. Jones, I'm Doctor Richards. Nod your head if you can see how many fingers I'm holding up." He instructed. She nodded, seeing that he was holding up 3 fingers. "Good, good." He smiled. As the team of nurses quickly worked to remove the tube from her mouth, Kross paced outside the door, impatiently waiting. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he felt the movement of her fingers as a good sign— things were looking up.

Twenty-minutes later, Doctor Richards walked out the room with a update; one that was about to change how things over the course of weeks had been going.

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I was doubting this chapter update a lot but I hope you guys enjoyed it 💕 don't forget to

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