(~) Chapter 6 (~)
*~The next day~*
"Sailing, takes me away to where I always heard it could be...I heard it could be. Just a dream in the wind to carry me, soon I will be free...." the sweet sounds of Melissa's favorite song lingered through her head, arrousing her from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes to see all the guys around her bed singing to her.
She sat up, and was relieved that her head didn't throb anymore. JC sat down beside her and took her hands in his, as he continued to sing. Melissa felt a small tear rolling down her cheek. JC reached up and gently wiped it away with his thumb.
"That'll be one dollar." Chris cracked when the song was over. Everyone looked at him, and just shook their heads and smiled.
"What?? I thought it was funny!!" He defended.
JC ignored Chris' attempts at making everyone laugh, and turned back to Melissa.
"Good news." he whispered smiling.
"Oh so there IS such a thing as good news?" she replied, still upset with all that had happened.
"Yes baby, there is. You're going home today." he said while stroking her hand.
Before she had time answer, a nurse came into the room with a wheelchair. "Just to let you guys know, you're now booked to perform in the rest of the rooms on the floor." she laughed as she walked over to Melissa.
"We charge a dollar for our services." Chris continued.
"Chris! Give it up!" Lance cried.
"What? I didn't do anything." Chris replied innocently.
"Well, I'm going to have to ask all of you to leave for a few minutes. You can wait right outside the door while I get Melissa ready to go home." the nurse said.
Everyone waved and was on their way out the door, except for JC who lingered behind. Melissa looked up at him and grinned.
"You have to leave too baby. Just because you're my boyfriend doesn't mean you get to stay." Melissa giggled.
JC looked down at her and silently pleaded with his eyes, not wanting to leave her side for a second. Melissa pulled him down to her and softly kissed his lips.
"Just go wait outside, this won't take but a second." she whispered before placing her lips on his again.
JC smiled at her before walking out the door to meet up with the others.
"Well, the doctor told me that she was going to be very emotional the first couple of weeks. She may not show it right now, but she's being torn apart by losing the baby. And he said that we all needed to be there for her to help her get through this. Especially you JC." Stef stopped to look at him before continuing. "He also said that she would go through a period of major mood swings, depression being the one she would experience the most."
"Well, I know this is going to be hard, but we're all going to have to be there, and to keep her mind off of this." Lance added.
Everyone nodded in agreement as the nurse emerged from the room pushing Melissa in a wheelchair. "This girl is ready to go home!" the nurse laughed.
"Well, we want her home." JC added as he looked at Melissa and smiled.
Everyone walked outside and stopped as Lance pulled the car up. The nurse helped Melissa up and whispered in her ear, "Hold on to him honey." she said as she looked at JC. Melissa smiled, "Oh I will. I don't plan on letting go."
*~Back at the house~*
"I'm going to go upstairs and lay down." Melissa replied tiredly.
Everyone looked at her with worried looks.
"I'm FINE you guys, I'm just tired." Melissa cried as she turned to go upstairs.
JC sat at the table feeling helpless. He wanted to help her so much, but he was unsure of how to. He finally got up and started walking towards her room, as he knocked softly on her door, and walked in to find her laying on her bed with tears rolling down her face.
He walked towards her slowly and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Melissa, what's wrong?" he whispered quietly.
"Nothing's wrong JC!" she snapped.
"If nothing's wrong, why are you crying??" he said, starting to get frustrated.
"You wouldn't understand! You don't know what it's like to lose a baby!" She sat up and yelled.
"The hell I don't understand! It was my baby too you know!" JC snapped back, immediately regreting yelling at her. But she wasn't the only one hurting.
Melissa looked at him in shock, then she looked away.
"Yeah, but you weren't the one carrying it." She muttered.
"Melissa, it was STILL a part of me that you lost! You're not the only one hurting here!" JC cried as he stood up and walked towards the door.
Melissa cringed as JC slammed the door, then she collapsed to her bed in sobs.
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(~) Chapter 7 (~)
JC stormed down the stairs. He was upset and frustrated with the way Melissa was shutting him out, but most of all, he was upset at himself for taking it out on her. It wasn't her fault, and he regretted it more and more with each passing second.
"Whoa, JC, what's wrong with you?" Justin asked as soon as he saw JC.
"Nothing." JC snapped as he grabbed his keys off the table and started towards the door.
"Josh, what's going on?" Stef questioned, walking into the living room.
"For the last time, NOTHING!" he screamed as he slammed the door shut and ran towards his jeep.
"Damnit." Stef muttered to herself as she ran up the stairs towards Melissa's room.
Stef stopped in front of her door and heard loud sobs filtering from the other side of the door. She knocked softly.
"Melissa?" she called out.
"Leave me alone!" Melissa screamed in reply.
"Melissa, just open the door and talk to me." Stef urged.
"I said leave me the hell alone!" she spat out as she continued to cry.
Stef stood there for a few more minutes, when all of a sudden, an errie silence filled Melissa's room.
"Melissa?"
There was no reply. Stef started to get worried as she knocked on the door again, and still got no reply. Stef tried to turn the doorknob, and found that it was locked.
"Justin!" Stef screamed as she ran back down the stairs.
"What Stef?" Justin came out of the kitchen and met her at the bottom of the stairs.
"Melissa is really upset, and she was crying, and now there's nothing coming out of her room and the damn door is locked."
A look of fear swept across Justin's young face as he raced up the stair's to Melissa's room. He knocked on the door and called out her name, and got the same response Stef got, silence.
Stef was standing beside Justin as he backed up.
"Look out Stef." Justin commanded as he reared back and kicked open the door. They both raced into Melissa's room to see her hunched over in a corner, unconcious.
"Damnit, call her doctor Stef." Justin said as he rushed over to her. Stef ran out of her room and raced down stairs to call her doctor.
Justin picked her up in his arms and layed her on her bed. He then rushed into her bathroom and got a wet washcloth and put it on her forehead.
"Melissa? Come on girl....wake up." Justin whispered quietly.
Justin and Melissa were very close. Almost like brother and sister. They shared everything with each other, and it killed him to see her like this. A part of him wanted to go out and knock some sense into JC for doing this to her, but another part of him understood why JC reacted that way. Because he loved her and cared for her, and his emotions were all mixed up.
"Justin? Her doctor said that she just passed out because of all the stress, and to just try to keep her calm." Stef said as she walked back into the room.
"I also called JC, but he has his cell phone turned off."
Justin looked back down at Melissa, and noticed her eyelids fluttering a little.
"Melissa?"
Hey eyes opened slowly as she looked up to see Justin hovering over her. She tried to sit up, but Justin slowly pushed her back down.
"Oh no you don't. You scared the hell out of us, you're gonna just lay here for a while."
"No Justin, there's something I need to do, I have a phone call to make." she said quietly.
"JC has his phone turned off." Justin said, assuming she wanted to call JC.
"No, I don't need to call him." she answered.
"Well, who do you have to call?" he asked.
"The airport." she said as she looked away.
"What?? Why the airport?"
"I'm going back home to Arkansas. I can't stay here any longer."
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(~) Chapter 7 (~)
"Melissa, you're just upset, don't talk like you're going to leave us." Stef stated. On the outside, Stef remained calm, but on the inside, she was worried. She knew that when Melissa made up her mind, there was no stopping her, and no talking her out of it.
"No Stef, I can't stay here. I was afraid this would happen. I knew that when JC found out that I was pregnant, he would never look at me the same again. And I was right. He doesn't." Melissa said quietly.
"Melissa, you are SO wrong! JC loves you so much." Justin said as Stef nodded in agreement.
"Whatever." Melissa mumbled quietly with tears in her eyes. She tried once more to get up, and again, Justin pushed her back down.
"Damnit Melissa, we're NOT gonna let you leave us." Justin said, his voice cracking slightly.
Melissa's eyes flashed with rage as she looked up at Justin.
"You're not going to let me leave, instead, you're going to make me stay here and be miserable and unhappy?? You're going to make me face JC every single day?? And make me forever live with the fact that I was carrying his baby and that I lost it? Everytime I look at JC, I think about it, and I CANNOT HANDLE IT DAMNIT!" Melissa screamed in tears.
Stefanie pulled Justin away from Melissa. "You're supposed to be keeping her calm, not upsetting her more." she said as she pushed him out the door. Stef turned to look at Melissa, to see her bury her head in her pillow and cry. She sighed and wished there was more she could do for her. But this was now between her and JC.
*~Later that day~*
The front door opened, and Justin and Stef looked up to see JC walk in the door. He didn't say a word to them, he just walked up the stairs towards Melissa's room. He knocked softly, but didn't get an answer. He tried to open the door, but found it locked.
"Melissa, it's JC, can you open the door please?"
"There's nothing to say Joshua." she shot back. He cringed when he heard her call him Joshua. She only used it when she was really mad at him.
"Yes there is, we need to talk, and we need to talk NOW."
She just layed there and ignored his pleas to open the door. She was being torn apart on the inside, and didn't wish to be torn apart anymore by seeing JC.
JC finally gave up and walked back down the stairs. Stef and Justin looked at him coming down the stairs slowly. Stefanie clenched her teeth in attempt to keep from biting JC's head off for what he was doing to her best friend. She was about to say something, until she saw Melissa coming down the stairs. She looked like her normal, vibrant self. Her short blonde hair was pushed behind her shoulders, and her face had light make-up on it, and was no longer blotchy from crying.
Melissa ignored everyone's eyes, and walked straight into the kitchen to get something to drink. Moments later, JC followed her.
Melissa jumped and whirled around when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see JC. She avoided his eyes as she turned back around.
"Melissa, why are you shutting me out?" JC said quietly.
"Well, why do you not look at me the same way you used to JC? You can't stand there and tell me you don't see me any different after you found out we slept together, and that I was carrying your baby JC." she said as she whirrled around and looked him in the eye.
"Melissa, that's not true." he said softly, as he reached down to take her hand in his, but she pulled away.
"I just wish you would quit shutting me out. I want to help, but how am I supposed to when you're like this?" he questioned sighing.
"You can't help me now JC. No one can." She whispered quietly, pushing past him and running back up to her room, leaving JC behind in the kitchen.
She ran up the stairs to her room and ran into her room, locking the door behind her. Her mind was reeling with thoughts, but she knew what she had to do. She walked over to her bed and picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Yes ma'am, I need a one way ticket to Little Rock International Airport leaving late tonight please."
*~Later that night~*
Melissa snuck out of the house while everyone was asleep and put her bags into her cherry red ford probe. She turned and looked at the house one last time.
"I love you JC." she whispered with tears in her eyes, as she climbed into her car and took off towards the airport.
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(~) Chapter 9 (~)
Melissa wiped away her tears and turned the radio up. An all too familiar song pounded through the speakers.
"And now, by request, the latest hit from 'N Sync and Gloria Estefan, 'Music Of My Heart' on Power 105.7"
"Oh god, not that song." she muttered as she turned the radio off, and took the airport exit.
*~Back at the house~*
Stef opened her eyes and squinted, trying to let her eyes adjust to the light pouring through her bedroom window. She stood up and stretched while peering out the window.
"Where in the hell is Melissa's car?" Stef mumbled to herself. "Oh god, she couldn't have...." Stef said to herself as she ran out her door and into Melissa's room.
Some of her stuff was gone, and there was a note lying in the middle of her bed, along with her key to the house. Stef drew a deep breath and picked up the note.
==============================
Dear Josh, Stef, and Justin,
I am so sorry to be doing this to you guys. But I
feel that this is the best thing to do. You may not realize this now, but in the long run, it'll save us all a bunch of grief and heartache. JC, I don't know what else to say, other than I love you with all my heart. Please understand why I am doing this, and please don't be upset at me. Maybe one day I'll be able to explain this better. But until then, I love you always baby.
-Melissa
==============================
*~In Arkansas~*
Melissa sighed as she walked out of the airport and put on her sunglasses, so no one could see her eyes that were still puffy and swollen. She got into her rental car and drove three hours to her hometown of Harrison. She smiled for the first time in days as she looked around at the familar surroundings. And finally, her mind was off of JC and the accident.
She pulled her car into her old friend, Kelliey's driveway, and shut the car off. She got out of the car when she saw Kelliey come out on the porch.
"My god....Melissa? Is that you?" Kelliey cried walking off the porch.
"Yeah girl, it's me." Melissa smiled.
"What are you doing back here in Arkansas?" she shrieked, running towards her and pulling her into a hug.
"Well, I'm really not here by choice, kinda forced to come back." Melissa sighed.
Kelliey looked into Melissa's eyes, and immediately knew that something major was bothering her.
"What happened?" she said softly.
Melissa looked down at the ground, and preceeded to tell her the whole story. Finishing in tears. Kelliey wrapped her arms around her friend.
"That boy needs a good smack right upside his head for treating you like that." Kelliey muttered.
"Yeah he does Kelliey. But there's still one problem that I can't get away from by coming back here." Melissa stated softly.
"What's that?" Kelliey questioned.
"I still love him with all my heart." Melissa choked out.
*~Back in Florida~*
Stef let the tears roll freely down her cheeks as she clutched the note in her hand, and turned to run downstairs.
JC and Justin were sitting at the kitchen table, and both looked up to see Stef walk in crying. Justin immediately jumped up and pulled her into his arms.
"Stef, babe what's wrong?" Justin asked worriedly.
Stef couldn't speak, she silently handed the note to Justin as she clutched onto him tighter. Justin read the note and looked up at JC.
"We've got a problem." Justin said quietly, trying to hold back his tears.
JC knew immediately it had to do with Melissa. He jumped up and snatched the note out of Justin's hands. He quickly read the note as tears came to his eyes. He finally did it. He drove Melissa away from him. JC looked up at Justin and Stef with tears clouding his blue eyes.
"I'm going after her. I can probably still catch her at the airport." JC choked out.
"No JC, she's back in Arkansas by now." Stef answered quietly.
JC numbly walked into the living room and sat down by the phone. He dialed Melissa's number in Arkansas, but found out that the number was changed. He then proceeded to call her mother and all of her friends. He almost lost her once, and he was determined not to lose her again.
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(~) Chapter 10 (~)
*~One week later*~
"Melissa? Girl wake up." Kelliey said shaking Melissa violently. Melissa just groaned and turned over.
"Girl, wake up NOW! JC just called."
Melissa's eyes shot open and she sat upright.
"He...he did?" She choked out, wondering how he found Kelliey's number.
Kelliey sat down on the edge of Melissa's bed.
"Yeah, he called a few minutes ago and asked to talk to you. Your mom told him where you were. And he said he was on the next flight out of Orlando. Which should put him here in a few hours."
Melissa's heart fluttered. She was still madly in love with him, but she didn't know if she was strong enough to face him just yet. She was still hurting. But she was also hurting from being away from the man she loved.
"I wonder if he's still mad at me for leaving?" she thought to herself. "That was stupid and childish of me, and I'll be lucky to ever get things back to the way they used to be."
She shook her head and cleared it of confusion and thought, as she jumped up and ran to the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Damn Melissa, you look like death warmed over." She muttered to herself. She sighed and turned on the shower and attempted to get herself prepared to face JC again.
*~Later that day~*
JC pulled up into the driveway and shut the car off. He sat there enduldged in his thoughts for what seemed like eternity. He knew this is what he wanted to do, but he was unsure of how Melissa would react. Then a figure caught his eye.
Melissa was sitting in a swing in the back yard, her back to him. JC sat there motionless. He was taken aback with how beautiful and innocent she looked, in a yellow sundress and her blonde hair blowing in the soft breeze.
JC slowly got out of the car and started walking towards her. He fingered the small object in his pocket as he looked up at her once again. "It's now or never." He said to himself.
Melissa noticed his shadow behind her and sighed deeply.
"Hello Josh." She said quietly as she got off the swing and stood up to face him. As she turned towards him, JC immediately pulled her into his arms.
Melissa closed her eyes as he held her tightly. She breathed in the sweet smell of his cologne and sighed, once again, feeling safe and secure.
JC pulled away and looked down at her. "I've missed you so much." He whispered softly.
"I've missed you too." She whispered back.
JC ran his hand softly against her cheek, and then tilted her chin up towards him, as he leaned down and grazed his lips against hers. Melissa wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer and intensified the kiss, as if to make up for all the kisses they missed out on.
As the kiss ended, Melissa looked up into JC's eyes, "JC, I'm so sorry for leaving like that. I should have never done that....." she was silenced by JC softly placing his finger on her lips.
"Melissa, there's something I need to say." JC stated quietly.
"I was in agony the whole time you were gone. A part of me was gone with you. I never want to feel that way again. I loved you since the first time I ever seen you, and now I know that that love is stronger than ever, and will be for the rest of my life."
Melissa looked up at him as he continued, and gasped when JC got down on one knee and pulled something from his pocket. JC took her hand in his and looked up at her.
"Melissa, I love you with all my heart and soul. My world revolves around you, and my heart beats for you, and only you. I never want to spend a second without you." He stopped and slid the ring onto her finger and once again looked up at her with nothing but love and compassion in his eyes.
"Will you spend the rest of your life with me and give me the honor of making you my wife?"
Melissa stood there with tears rolling down her cheeks. Unable to speak and move for a few seconds.
"Yes JC." She managed to choke out.
JC smiled as he stood up to her and pulled her into his arms in a loving embrace.
"I love you Melissa." He whispered softly.
"I love you too Josh." She whispered back as she looked up at him and placed her lips softly against his.
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