~This is an alternative ending which was sent to me by a fellow reader (who prefers to remain anonymous). It takes place shortly after the events of the final chapter.
I decided to publish it because of its quality & content. I hope you love it as much as I do~
~MARCH, 1989~
Valerie's heart banged like a hammer inside her chest as the elevator took her up to the level that she desired. She felt like she was going to lose her mind, but she had to do this.
She needed to do this.
The elevator stopped abruptly which caused her to gasp due to the terrified state she was in. The door opened and she took a deep breath before she walked into the oh-so familiar velvet hallway and towards his apartment. The walk to her felt like she was a death row inmate taking their final steps into the execution room. If she could, she would run away into the night and never come within a block of that apartment complex. But she couldn't, she had to do this for her own sake, for Michael's sake.
She had to talk to him.
There she was. In front of the door that she thought she would never see again. She paced back and forth in the hallway for about five minutes, trying to calm herself before taking the daunting task of ringing the doorbell. The seconds started to feel like hours and time started to blur for Valerie as she breathed to steady her nerves. When she heard the locks turning, her head shot up and her left arm adjusted her purse. And there he was. Her former lover, Michael.
Her Michael.
"Valerie?" he said, poking his head through the small gap in the doorway. "W-What are you doin' here?"
Everything that she had planned in her head to say to him evaporated and her mouth went dry. "I-I needed to, uh—"
"I thought I told you never to come back."
That came out harsher than intended. They both glanced down before Valerie spoke up once again,
"It's important."
Wordlessly, Michael opened the door and motioned Valerie to enter. Once she walked in and he shut and locked the door behind her, he turned around and walked towards his oak liquor cabinet.
"You want a drink?" he offered.
"No thank you, Michael. I-I'm fine," she replied, crossing her arms.
To Michael, this was a red flag that Valerie was uncomfortable. "Is somethin' wrong?" he asked.
"Can we sit down? I need to tell you something Michael..." She pursed her full lips together.
"Um, Yeah. Sure. Come sit," he said, gesturing her to the white couch that was in his living room. They both sat together. "So what did you need to tell me that couldn't wait till tomorrow morning?"
This was when the first cracks in the dam started to form for Valerie.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for hurting you in the past. I've been so terrible to you and I don't know how to forgive myself for how I treated you." Valerie's voice started to fracture as she gave her testimony to Michael, "but if you say you forgive me, then I could work on forgiving myself."
For a second Michael looked down to think before making eye contact again.
"I forgive you Valerie," he said, and the dam broke for Valerie. She erupted in sobs to which Michael wrapped her in his arms to comfort her. "Ssh, I know. I'm sorry too. I'm not innocent either." He pulled Valerie into his lap and started to gently rock her. "I'm sorry for fucking you over so many times, for getting you on drugs, for cheating on you when I was falling in love you. You're not the bad guy here."
After a couple of minutes of them holding each other. Michael let go of her, got up, and brought back some tissues and a glass of water which he gave to her.
"Thank you," she said before drying her eyes with the tissues.
"You're welcome," he whispered, before taking her in again. To Michael's surprise, he liked comforting her, he liked the feeling of nurturing her.
He never stopped loving her.
"I need to tell you something else Michael," she croaked, "please don't be angry."
"You dying? You got AIDS?" he asked, wide-eyed.
"No, Michael..."
"Somethin' happen with your parents?"
"No; I moved out and I don't talk to them anymore."
He put his arm around Valerie and lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. "Tell me what's wrong, Valerie."
Valerie looked down and her lip started to quiver, and she took a deep breath and sniffled.
"Michael, I'm pregnant,"
Those three words hit him like a semi-truck going 80 miles an hour.
"A-Are you sure?"
She reached into her purse, from which she retrieved a small photo. She handed it to him. Holy shit. He didn't once blink as he stared at the grainy black-and-white image, at the tiny black marking which was all the proof that he needed, unable to decipher the various numbers and coding around the edge.
"I-I'm four weeks," she murmured, not wanting to startle his fragile state. "I took two tests and had a doctor check me," she added, "I can show you if—"
"No," was all he said.
"I'm so sorry, Michael," she whispered as he continued to study the photograph. "I know you're the father because you're the only person that I've slept with. I just wanted to tell you before I have the termination next week...we aren't good for each other and a baby is just gonna make this worse. With the state I'm in, I would be a terrible mother and I know you would want nothing to do with it."
Seeing her cry and say those things broke Michael's heart. He let the photo fall into his lap, and cradled her in his arms again, allowing her to let her emotions out into his chest. He put his chin on top of her head as he looked out the sliding glass door to his balcony, feeling a few tears slide down his face. He remembered being a little boy and running around his house in Gary with a baby doll, how he would pretend to feed it with a little plastic bottle and rock it to sleep. He wondered: where did that version of himself go?
As Michael became overwhelmed with emotions he kissed the top of Valerie's head. And then he realized something. Someone was growing inside Valerie, half of him and half of her. He created life. He always wanted this, he always wanted to be a dad, he just didn't grasp it until now.
He pulled away from their embrace and wiped her tears away from her face, looking into her big green eyes. "I'm not mad, Val."
Valerie became wide-eyed in disbelief. "What?"
"I said I'm not mad, Valerie," he repeated, stroking her cheek with the pads of his fingertips. "First of all, you'd be an amazing mother. It ain't right of you to say that you wouldn't be. Second of all, I do want something to do with you. I want everything to do with you. I wanna take you back, I wanna kiss you, hold you, spoil you, touch you, make sweet love to you—I mean, I'm in love with you, Val,"
Tears started to spill out of Michael's eyes at this point, and Valerie smiled at the sight, at his bared feelings.
"I fucked up," he continued. "I fucked up this whole relationship thing that we had by messing with other bitches and shit while I was away from you. I was being selfish and I didn't realize how much I loved you and needed you. I didn't feel shit when I was with 'em. But I feel something when I'm with you. When we made love the night before I left, I felt love and passion from you. And look what happened." He palmed her lower abdomen. Valerie placed her hand on top of Michael's and stroked the back of his hand with her thumb as she was in deep thought. "I want you to keep it."
Her eyes met his, requesting validation.
"Please, Valerie. At least think about it, won't ya?"
Her silence was probably the most terrifying sound in the world to him. She could go any which way she wanted and he didn't know what she was going to say.
A couple of moments later she started to nod her head. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll take you back and I'll have this baby," she agreed.
"I can't believe it, Val!" Michael jubilantly shouted and pulled her into a fervid kiss.
When they separated Valerie put her right index finger to his lips as if to hold him in the moment.
"This is your last chance, Michael. If I see or hear you with another girl, I'm cutting your dick off, got that?"
Michael's teasingly rolled his eyes and nodded.
"I mean it, Michael,"
He quit the nonchalant attitude and took her seriously.
"Promise me that you'll stay true to me." She places her hand flat on her stomach. "To us."
He sighed. "I-I'll try..."
She shook her head. "No, that's not good enough. Promise me, Michael."
He looked directly into her shining emeralds, held both of her hands, and bid farewell to his days of indulging in careless freedom and debauchery.
"I promise, Valerie."
"Okay...Daddy," she grinned, pulling him into another kiss.
"Daddy?" he smirked. "I like that."
"Well, you're going to be one."
Michael smiled and kissed Valerie before laying her on the couch and making love to her.
~A/N~
This shouldn't really be my end-of-chapter note, so huge S/O to the lovely person who used their inspiration to come up with this masterpiece.
Therefore, go ahead & let them know your thoughts on it as we finally, officially bring 'THURSDAY' to a close...
❤️