35.
One day.....
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A day had passed and she had still felt the weight of that, moment when the clock struck midnight.
The silence that followed after that day, was very much expected, as it dawned on her gradually that their fears, her apprehension about assuming the role of First Lady, Theodore becoming President and his fear of losing her again, were all creating a divide in their otherwise blossoming relationship.
That was what she had thought, until it was the fourth day of silence between them both.
Parker started coming around with bouquet of flowers, notes attached and asking her very vague question. In a way she was slightly overwhelmed with all the flowers and the questions that Parker would ask but she didn't mind, feeling quite grateful for it as it caused her to think about that one specific question he had asked days, eventually a week ago that made her realize that it had indeed stirred a hint of fear within her, though not as much as it might have five years prior.
Five years ago, the whirlwind of falling in love with Theodore had spun her world so rapidly that echoes of her ex's demeaning voice haunted her nights, his face invading her dreams.
Faced with this, she made the difficult decision to leave.
Eventually, a week passed, and during that week, Nia had spent that period, imaging l herself learning to love every part of him, even the part where she's acknowledging him being President and the idea of being married to a President.
It eventually dawned on her that this was somewhat starting to feel like this was karma for leaving him out of fear.
She chuckled bitterly at the irony that he seemed to be reacting in a similar way, just not leaving entirely.
At least that was her assumption.
The news media on the other hand was getting, frenzy surrounding his inauguration, with Lisa being mentioned countless times that Nia lost count. Despite her promise not to search for any articles, she couldn't resist the temptation. Among the multitude of articles, one article in particular caught her attention, was one written by a smaller news company and titled.
District Attorney; The ex wife of The President Elect. Sources say she's fit for First Lady.
She could not help but feel jealous and perhaps even anger.
Reading that article, made her feel oddly envious of Lisa Vera, who was deemed classy, beautiful, and already perceived as the perfect First Lady in that particular article.
The Perfect First Lady.
She was his ex-wife. Nia thought.
And she was beautifully white.
Initially, the thought made Nia chuckle.
She had never considered race as a factor in their relationship. However, as she thought deeper about it, she started to picture images of Theodore and Lisa with their two kids, proudly posing in front of the big house, a different narrative emerged. One that seemed to emphasize their conventional, picture-perfect family dynamic that doesn't exist but it makes sense.
And that made her chest tightned at the thought of Theodore marrying someone else.
Someone other than her.
And as she scrolled through more articles, each word felt like a claw digging into her heart, tightening her chest with a suffocating grip. Tears had streamed down her face, and blurred the screen in front of her.
In the moment she had felt like a tiny mouse being chased relentlessly by two cats, unable to escape their relentless pursuit. But despite feeling very scared and nervous, one thing she couldn't stop thinking about was him.
She loved him so much, and now that they were officially together, she couldn't imagine being without him.
So as the following week came, she felt grateful work started, as this was her chance to try and forget about Theodore just for once. And since the institution opened, her students had shown enthusiasm for returning, distracting her mind from him.
On Monday, they shared stories of their Christmas holidays, and on the following day, they proudly displayed their artwork they did over the holiday.
However, by Thursday, Nia began feeling unwell. Dizziness greeted her upon waking, prompting her to call in sick and sleep past her usual alarm.
When she woke up, she tried to do some chores and respond to emails from parents, while the uneasy feeling in her body came back. And while organizing her closet, she paused, feeling an unusual heaviness in her body and experiencing blurred vision. A throbbing headache started pulsed behind her eyes, making it hard to focus on anything around her.
Her muscles twitched and spasmed uncontrollably, betraying her with every involuntary movement. It felt as though her body had turned against her, aching and trembling with each passing moment.
She felt drained of energy, as if someone had sucked all the life out of her.
But it wasn't just physical discomfort, confusion clouded her mind, making it hard to think straight. She felt lost and disoriented, struggling to make sense of what was happening to her.
As the door creaked open, she laid on her bed, feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the symptoms washing over her.
Parker's voice sounded muffled, distant, as if coming from a faraway place.
"The Paramedics are on their way Ms. Wells, just hold on,"
When the paramedics arrived, they quickly jumped into action to assist with her seizure. Once she was taken to the hospital, Parker stayed by her side, and she felt thankful for his presence.
The doctor conducted blood tests, reviewed her chart, and checked her glucose levels before Parker entered the room. "Thanks," she whispered, and Parker responded with a slight smile, the first of what she hoped would be many.
Yet, amid the relief, a question lingered in her mind, prompting her to ask softly, "Can I ask how you got in?"
She watches as he shrugs, and explained. "The President Elect had flowers scheduled for you today," his tone softening with genuine concern. "I went to your work to deliver them but your coworkers mentioned you called in sick. So I came to the apartment, knocked but you took a while to answer. I grew worried."
He paused before continuing. "I debated whether to kick it down after three minutes passed, but fortunately, the lock pick did the trick."
His words painted a picture, but never the less she felt grateful. "Well thank you." As her father rushed in, Parker swiftly exited, disappearing from sight. Her father enveloped her in a tight embrace, concern plastered across his face. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Just then, the doctor arrived, timely enough to explain to both of them that she had experienced a near Hyperglycemia seizure. After the doctor briefly went over the steps she needs to take to prevent having another near hyperglycemia seizure.
A couple minutes later, her father stepped outside briefly, leaving the doctor to continue going over her chart, while her gaze wandered to the window on her right, lost in thought.
Within moments, she heard the doctor finishing up and gesturing for someone to enter.
Turning her head, her eyes met his, and for the first time in two weeks, she truly felt the absence of his presence.
His expression had guilt written all over it, but seeing him now brought a rush of emotions, a mixture of relief and with a silent plea in her eyes, she reached out her hand to him, a longing to close the gap that had grown between them.
He immediately broke down in tears, unable to control his sobs, as his arms wrapped around her, while her head rested against his stomach.
"I'm alright, Theo," she whispered softly.
Immediately, his body relaxed at the reassurance those two words provided. And eventually hours had passed, yet as she stood in front of the mirror watching him help her get dressed, she knew he was still overthinking and scared, as he had insisted on taking her home and staying with her, canceling all his plans to focus on her.
"Theo?" Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, her reflection staring back at him from the mirror.
His gaze immediately met hers, and she observed a warm smile spreading across his face. She had already briefed him on everything the doctor had told her, ensuring he was filled in and not overly worried, as the doctor had assured her she was fine. And after all the necessary checks were done, Nia, her father, and Theodore made their way toward the back exit of the hospital, mindful of the media agency stationed outside. To say the least, she felt nervous, a knot forming in her stomach and a voice in her head whispering.
They know.
The media always knows.
Nevertheless, once they were outside, the three of them entered the waiting vehicle. Nia sat beside Theodore, her head resting on his shoulder as they made their way to her father's home, which didn't take long for them to reach. Once the vehicle stopped and Nia's father got out, he gave her a kiss on the forehead. She noticed the subtle nod he gave to Theodore, and she smiled.
As the vehicle drove off, she gave her father a wave goodbye, feeling grateful that he was home when it happened. If he had been away on a trip, she knew he would've been even more stressed than he was now.
During the ride back to her apartment, she leaned against Theodore's shoulder, feeling a sense of calm wash over her.
She closed her eyes briefly, savoring the quiet moments shared between them amidst the gentle hum of the vehicle engine and the cool breeze blowing against her face. Her eyes remained closed for the remainder of the ride, only opening when she felt the vehicle pulling up to her apartment. Once they arrived, a secret service agent instructed them to wait, so she kept her head leaning against his shoulder while he stole a few kisses on her forehead, until the door finally opened.
They both stepped out, hand in hand, making their way to her apartment. Once they reached the door, Nia opened it and immediately headed straight for her room.
She laid on the bed with her eyes closed, trying her best to push aside thoughts of her near-seizure experience and the media for the moment.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, she extended her hand for him to take, which he did, lying down right beside her. She lifted herself up and placed her head on his chest, finding solace in the rhythm of his breathing.
"I'm sorry," He says, breaking the silence.
"For what?" Nia softly asked.
"For letting my fear get the best of us, I should've called you that night and I should've been here for you today, Nia. I'm so sorry," He whispers, loud enough that she heard him clear.
She lifted her head up, and for the first time in weeks, she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "We all have fears, Theo, and that's okay."
"Today scared me," He admitted, and his fingers gently intertwined with her hair as their eyes met.
"It scared me too. I'm just glad Parker was here. So thank you for that, and please relay my message to him," Nia asked, voice filled with emotions, feeling grateful that Parker was there.
"I will," He promised.
The two of them continued to gaze at each other, lost in their eyes for a moment before she broke the silence.
"I missed you so much, Theo," She whispered, a single tear escaping her eyes.
"I missed you too, darling," He replied, and she noticed the tears welling up in his eyes.
At that moment, he took a deep breath and said. "The past few weeks I've been overthinking about us a lot, the distance was my fault and I apologize for that. I've been realizing a lot that I need you in my life Nia, you're the one person that consumes my mind everyday. The one person that makes me feel so happy, that thinking about a future without you makes it not worth living. What happened today just unlocked more fears for me, and I don't think my little heart could take it anymore." Theodore paused to catch his breath and control his tears.
"I want to marry you, I want to spend forever with you, have kids, and grow old together. I want that. And most of all I love you to the moon and back, Nia Wells. You don't know how much you make me feel, to the point that I'm second-guessing what I truly want right now. To be President or to be with the woman that I love. And frankly, I will choose the one that truly makes me happy."
"And that's you, because in your arms, amidst the chaos of this world, I find my peace. I found my purpose. Darling I am both the happiest and the most heartbroken man alive. " His voice was barely above a whisper as he poured his heart out, her heart swelled with love, hearing the emotions behind it.
"So if I have to choose I will choose you," He whispers.
She felt hurt by his words, but she still forced a smile that adorned her face while tears cascaded down her cheeks, as she whispered, quietly. "I've been thinking a lot over the past 2 weeks and I feel like it would be selfish of me to ask you to choose. I don't want that, Theo."
"I realized that I'm the one holding us back, and I apologize for that. I just needed some time to truly think about us, and I came to the conclusion that I really want this. I want a future with you as well," She watched as he closes his eyes the tears falling down the side of his face as he heard her words.
"So I don't want you to choose," Nia murmured, her voice barely audible. "But I want you to ask me the question you asked me weeks ago." Nia's smile was bittersweet as she looked at him.
His eyes widened.
The air between them crackled with anticipation, awaiting his question, until he finally asked again.
"If I were to ask you to marry me, would you say yes?"
Her locked eyes with him, a faint smile gracing her lips as she spoke softly. "I would say yes," she paused and watched as his smile grew wider before she continued. "If anything today and these past few weeks have taught me is that the future is uncertain."
The tears spilled from Theodore's eyes, and he leaned his head against her forehead, while her fingers reached up to gently wipe away his tears, "I'm so happy to hear that darling. I love you so much that I could shout it from a fucking tower right now," Nia chuckles, playfully hitting his chest lightly, before whispering.
"I love you too baby,"
He blushed at the pet name, their foreheads still pressed together as they stared into each other's eyes for a moment.
Then, he leaned in and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips.
This felt like their happy place.
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Long ass chapter, if I made a mistake I'm sorry. This was too long I even had debated making a second chapter but I decided against it. (🫶🏾)
I'm learning a lot as I'm writing and doing my research cause as a first year Nursing student, I have little to no knowledge about Hyperglycemia Seizures.
So I hope that I did my best to accurately portray (write it).
How was it?
See y'all next chapter 🫶🏾