ANGEL

Four.

The hours were flying by, and still no sign of Angel waking up from his medically induced coma. It was nearing 4am and I was currently the only one awake in the waiting area. Charlotte insisted that I stayed put out here until progress was made. I could've easily booked a hotel room, but who knows what'll happen. I wanted to be here whenever Angel woke up, at least.

Sitting up from the uncomfortable pad I had made myself, consisting of two chairs and a blanket the nice nurse Mercedes had given me, I stretched my limbs and let out a small yawn. I could smell the coffee from the nurses' pantry, which they made clear it was okay for me to use. Needing something to wake me up, I headed in that direction and made myself a small cup of coffee.

I lingered around in the pantry area a little longer just to finally enjoy a little bit of peace and silence. These past few hours has been overwhelming for the most part. Everything was becoming hard to digest, leaving me to feel so many different emotions that I wasn't prepared for.

After enjoying my cup of coffee, I stepped out of the pantry and headed for Angel's room. Charlotte was stuck on me not seeing Angel just yet, so she instructed for me to knock on the door whenever I needed her. I was beginning to do that when I caught a familiar face coming around the corner.

Josh's eyes met mine and I could see the confusion and angriness in his face. Even though I'm sure he was feeling like shit that I was keeping something from him, he still embraced me with a hug and asked if I was okay.

"I'm fine," I mumbled with a nod, "You got here faster than I expected."

He looked around the hospital and then stared me directly in my eyes. It seemed as if he was staring me deep into my soul. Josh has always been a man that was in tune with his spirituality and the universe, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was reading right through me.

"What's goin' on B? You not telling me something and I don't know why because I've always told you that you could tell me anything. Are you visiting a family member or something? Why are you here?"

I sighed knowing that the truth will have to someday come out. Now would be perfect timing to tell Josh about my teenage pregnancy that I've lied and hidden from him for years, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything just yet.

Shrugging my shoulders, I stared at him wishing I could say more but no words were able to form. I gripped onto his arm, feeling the tears threatening to fall. I didn't want to seem dramatic, but this could really harm or help our relationship. I didn't want to lose Josh, but I also didn't want to forget about Angel. It would be nice to have both, but I knew Josh all too well. I wouldn't be surprised if he left me because of this.

"It's a long story that I'm not ready to explain yet."

He rubbed his hand over his face, "I respect that, but I'm here with you. I need to know something. You suddenly appear at a hospital in New Orleans don't seem fishy to you? You can't leave me out of the loop Beyoncé."

"You right," I was able to say after a long pause, "But it's so much going on right now baby. I'd rather tell you in a different scenery."

I took a seat in one of the chairs of the waiting area while Josh stood in place staring down at me. There's no telling what was going through his head, but I knew my man. I'm sure Josh already knew the answers to his own questions but would rather I speak up instead.

"How long has it been since you've eaten?" He finally asked. Being here in this hospital removed all of my desires to eat. It brought back memories to when I was a teenager, all alone in the hospital about to give birth to my child that's now fighting for his life.

I felt so much guilt as I thought about Angel. I'm not sure of the life he had with Charlotte, but it was my job to raise him and make sure he made the right decisions and I wasn't there. I'm unsure how he really feels about me, but I hope that he's willing to listen to my side of the story. There's no telling what he has been told about me so far.