Second Chances

Moving on

Jack’s mother’s words pierced Alanna’s heart. She plunged to the ground on her knees. Then, from all the way in the back of the room, Jackie cried, “Grandma, don’t say that. My dad is going to be fine.” Alanna smiled, “Jack is still alive.”

The Lieutenant helped Alanna up. Alanna grabbed the Lieutenant's arm and thanked him. The Lieutenant took Alanna to the waiting room and pulled out a chair for her. Jack’s mother frowned at the Lieutenant and asked him, “why are you being nice to that tramp.” The Lieutenant shook his head slowly saying, “Hanna, this is not the place or time.” Jack’s mother turned her head away and continued to cry.

Alanna sat quietly with her eyes full of tears. The Lieutenant stepped away for a second and Susan walked to Alanna. She pulled Alanna off the chair by her sweater. Then she pushed her out of the waiting room shouting, “Get out of here. You have no right to be here. He is my husband, not yours.” Alanna had no strength or desire to fight. She falls on the hallway floor and everyone stares at her with anger. Alanna starts to stand, slowly. The Lieutenant walks in and sees Alanna on the floor. He helps Alanna. He looked around the room and shouted, “If Jack makes it, it will be thanks to Alanna.” Jack’s mother stopped crying and turned to the Lieutenant. Then the Lieutenant looked at the officers and said, “There is no need for you to be here, go do your job.” The officers cleared up the area, leaving in the waiting room Jack’s family, Jackie’s friend, the Lieutenant, Susan and Alanna.

Jack’s mother asked, “What do you mean Bill?” The Lieutenant replied, “Today Alanna put her life on the line, to protect Jack. She took down one of the guys that tried to kill Jack and used her body as a shield to protect Jack from the other shooter. The room became quiet. Alanna sat and lowered her head. Jack’s mother held on to her daughter’s hands and looked at Alanna. She couldn’t believe that Alanna would risk her life for Jack. She whispered to Debby, “that can’t be true.”

Then the doctor walked into the room. Everyone stared quietly. Mary stood up alert and the doctor called Susan’s name. Susan walked in front of Alanna. Alanna took a deep breath. The doctor hands Susan some paper and asks for her signature. Alanna overheard that Susan asks for a DNR form. Alanna stands up and grabs Susan’s arm. In a broken voice, she pleaded, “Please don’t do that. Please!” Susan pulls away and rolls her eyes. The doctor hands her the form and Susan signs it. Alanna stood next to Susan, looking at her signing the form that would take Jack’s chances of survival away. Then the doctor informs Susan that Jack is out of surgery, but he is not doing well. They don’t guarantee that he will make it through the night.

The doctor then lets everyone know that, due to his condition, only his immediate family will be allowed to see him, but only for a minute. Susan is the first one to go in. While the rest of the family waits for Susan to come back. One after the other, all the family members went inside to see Jack and came out crying. Susan walked to Alanna and told her, “What is it going to take to get rid of you?” Alanna looked at her with teary eyes, “Please can I see him?” Susan smiled and told her, “Go ahead say your goodbyes.”

Alanna couldn’t believe how cruel Susan was now. She understood what Jack was talking about. Alanna follows the nurse to Jack’s bed. Alanna's heart-pounding, her hands were sweating, and she huffed as she walked to Jack. She was terrified of seeing him, but she needed to see him. They made it to the side of the bed and the nurse told her that she had one minute. Alanna rushed to bed. She looks at Jack’s leg. It was wrapped in a bandage and lifted by a metal device. He had a tube down his throat and machines all around. He looked extremely pale and his lips looked dried and purple. His bruised chest, uncover was moving up and down. Alanna cried, “my love” as she gently rubbed his chest. Then she grabbed his hand and leaned to kiss his face. His skin was cold. Alanna whispered in his ear, “I love you, please don’t stop fighting. I need you.”

The nurse placed her hand on Alanna’s shoulder and informed her that her time was up. Alanna walked out and Jack’s mother rushed in. Alanna kept walking to the elevator. She left without looking at anyone.

The next day, Alanna went to see Jack, but she wasn’t allowed in. She met John at the hospital, and he told her that Susan requested that Alanna would not be allowed to see Jack. Alanna walked away crying. At the front door, she bumps into Jackie. Jackie hugged Alanna and thanked her for saving her father. Then Jackie told her that he was doing a lot better today and the doctors said that he would fully recover. Alanna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “He is going to be alright” she whispered to herself.

Jack’s mother walks in and passes by them. Then Jack’s mother signaled Jackie. Jackie grabs Alanna by the shoulders and tells her, “I know you care about my dad and I appreciate what you did for him, but I need to ask you to stop looking for him. He is a married man and after this incident, my mother realized that she didn’t want to lose him. Please give my parents the chance to work things out.” Alanna nods and walks away.

Jack eventually recovers and Alanna finds out that he has moved back to his house with Susan and Jackie. Alanna was already too busy to worry about him. Due to the success of her daycare, Alanna decided to open another daycare. She bought an old bank building and was turning it into a daycare.

The bank was closed for a long time, so she had a lot to do. She needed an architect, so her friend that gave self-defense classes recommended someone he knew from his gym. She contacted him and they set up a meeting in a nice restaurant. He picked a high-quality restaurant, so Alanna didn’t feel right meeting him in the clothes she had worn all day, so after work, she went home and changed.

Alanna went home, took a shower and picked a nude ribbed midi dress and duster with nude heels. She blows her hair dry and leaves her hair down. Alanna took a little too long doing her hair, so she called a taxi. She didn’t want to spend extra time parking the car. She was putting on her makeup when the taxi arrived. Alanna rushed out the door and got in the taxi.

Alanna arrived at the restaurant and asked for Mathew. The hostess guided her to her table. The architect arrived on time and was waiting for her. The architect stands up and pulls out a chair for Alanna. Alanna sits and the architect sits across from her. Alanna reached out her hand and said, “Nice to meet you, Matthew.” The man shook her hand and said, “likewise Alanna.”

Matthew didn’t look like Alanna expected. Her friend described him as a nerd, so she expected a dorky guy with glasses. He did have glasses, but he didn’t look dorky at all. He was built not big like Jack, but he was built enough for his muscles to show through his shirt. He had a flirtatious smile. Alanna liked his fashion style. He was wearing a tight pink button-up shirt with the top two bottoms open, gray slacks, a leather belt, and leather shoes. His outfit complemented his dark hair and pale skin well.

Mathew grabbed the menu and said, “ We eat, then we play.” Alanna smiled and grabbed her menu to order. They talked about the project as they ate. He asked Alanna what she was planning, why she was doing it, and what her budget was. He was listening attentively and gave her some ideas. He made Alanna laugh a few times. When they finished the food, Matthew stood up and picked up a briefcase. He placed the briefcase on the table and opened it. He took out a laptop, closed the briefcase, and put it away. Then he took a deep breath, fixed his glasses, and with his head down looking at the computer screen he said, “We ate, now we play.” Alanna smiled. Mathew looked up at her and gave her a flirtatious smile. Alanna blushed and looked down.

Matthew went back to business. He asked more questions. This time he wanted specifics. He typed everything incredibly fast. In a few minutes, he finished asking questions and put the laptop away. Then he tells Alanna that he just needs to see the building and his proposal will be ready. Alanna said, “Okay, just let me know when you want to see it." Matthew smiled and said, "after dinner." Alanna laughed. Matthew called the waitress and asked what they had for dessert? The waiter listed all the desserts, and Matthew asked Alanna what she was having? Alanna thought about it for a second and then she asked for a New York-style cheesecake. Matthew tells her, “I love cheesecake, but I will have the lemon meringue pie.” The waiter took their order and walked away.

Matthew grabs Alanna’s hand and asks her, “Can I ask to make you a proposal?” Alanna looked at him confused. She wondered what kind of proposition he was going to make. Matthew interrupted her thoughts, leaning forward and whispering, “can I have some of your Cheesecake?” Alanna looked at him to see if he was serious and smiled. Matthew then explained that it wasn’t his cheat day, so he was trying to stick to only one dessert, but he wanted all of them. Alanna laughed and called the waiter again. She ordered every dessert and told Matthew they could take one bite of each. Matthew blew her a kiss and shouted, “you are a genius.” The desserts arrived and they took a bite of each of them, but that wasn’t enough. They took another bite and another before they noticed they had eaten almost everything. The only thing left was a three-layer chocolate cake because they found it too sweet. They left the restaurant laughing. Matthew tells Alanna, “I can’t believe you were able to eat all that food.” Alanna laughs and playfully punches his shoulder, “Actually you ate more than me.” Matthew laughs and keeps walking to his car. Alanna began to walk in the opposite direction. Matthew stops and calls Alanna. Alanna turned and said, “I’m sorry I thought we were going the same direction. She walked to him to say goodnight, but Matthew stopped her. “We are not going to see the building?” Alanna responded confused, “I thought that you were kidding when you said that you wanted to see it tonight. I didn’t bring my car.”

Matthew smiled and grabbed her by the waist, “I was dead serious, and don’t worry, we are taking my car. I’ll drop you off after.” Alanna let him guide her to his car. He didn’t let go of her until he opened the door of his shiny black Jaguar. He then held her hand as she got inside. Alanna exclaimed, “nice car!” Matthew smiled and nodded. He went around, left his briefcase in the back seat and got in the car. Then he stared at Alanna and with a flirtatious smile he asked, “where are we going?” Alanna gave him directions until they came to a worn-down building.

The parking lot was dark. Matthew looked around and asked Alanna, “is it safe out here?” Alanna looked at him and with a grin, she said, “for us normal people, it is safe, but for shiny cars like yours it may not be.” Matthew took another look around. Alanna laughed loudly, “It’s safe, and don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” Matthew smiled and got out of the car. He went to open Alanna’s door, but she was already out.

Alanna took out her keys and showed him the way. She used her phone flashlight to see where they were going. Alanna opens the door and turns the lights on. The building had only a few lights working, but overall, it looks in good condition. All the old bank furniture was still there. The only thing missing was the volt. Matthew asked Alanna how much she paid for it and Alanna explained that a family member of a person she hosted a funeral for, had given it to her for half the price. Matthew told her that it was a great deal because the building looks in great shape. “The parking lot needs lighting, but the building looks like it is in great condition.” Matthew took a measuring laser and wrote down the dimensions of the rooms. They enter a room that used to be an office. The desk chairs and file cabinets were still there.

Matthew sat on the chair and said, “Secretary can you get me a coffee.” Alanna didn’t like the joke and she said, “I’m not your secretary, I’m the CEO of this company and for that sexist assumption you are fired.” Matthew laughed and responded, “I apologized for my sexist comment.” He stood up and walked to Alanna then he moved close to her. Alanna took a step back and bumped the desk. Matthew moved his face very close to Alanna’s face. She could smell his breath when he whispered, “Can I try to make you change your mind.” Alanna’s blood rushed to her face. She lifted her hands up and held Matthew away. Matthew saw her reaction and got closer. Pressing his body against hers. Alanna's breath became agitated. Matthew ran his fingers up her arms. Then he moved a finger to her lips. He caressed her lips. Alanna gasped and he inserted a finger in her mouth. Alanna sucks his finger and smiles. Matthew grabs her back and presses her closer. He began to breathe heavily. He smelled her neck and moved up to her ear. Then he stops there. They both have their mouths next to each other’s ears. They listen to each other's breath and their breathing becomes faster.

Matthew breaks the silence by whispering, “You are irresistibly sexy.” Alanna puts her head down and Mathew kisses her neck. Alanna moans quietly. Matthew then moves back and looks at her face. He leans to kiss her slowly and Alanna meets his lips with a rough kiss. She kissed him desperately. Matthew grabs her legs and lifts her on top of the desk. They kiss hard and fast, breathing through each other’s mouth between tongue-twisting and mouth opening.

Mathew caresses her legs and leans down to kiss them, then he laid her back on the desk, pulls her panties out and began eating her savagely. Alanna moans and screams with pleasure. Matthew grabs her legs tighter and pulls her closer. Mathew murmured between Alanna’s legs. Then Alanna sits up. Matthew stands and places his hand on top of his lips and caresses them, enjoying the leftover sent. He grabbed her neck and kissed her. Alanna wraps her arms around him. They rub their bodies together and Matthew grabs her dress to take it off. Suddenly, Alanna stops. She pulls her dress back down and climbs off the desk. She grabs her panties and puts them on. Matthew looks at her confused and asks, “Is everything okay?” Alanna looks at his sweet eyes and confused face. She walked to him, placed a hand on his chest and explained, “I really liked you and I enjoyed what was happening, but I’m not ready to...” Matthew interrupted, “I understand, we can take it slow.” He hugged her. Alanna could feel his excitement pushing against her. Alanna thanked him for understanding and kissed him. They closed up and Matthew dropped Alanna at home. He walked her to her porch and kissed her good night. Then he asks if he could see her again, but this time on a date. Alanna hugged and kissed him. She gave him her personal number and they said goodnight.