I went to the bathroom instead of getting the water.

When I got there I stood in front of a mirror, lifted my shirt and pulled down the waistband of my pants. I had a bruise where the table hit my hip.

It brought up memories I'd rather keep repressed.

I tried telling myself that that man and Eli weren't the same. So I let it go and just blamed it on the constant tragedies Eli endured in a matter of a few hours.

After a while, I left the bathroom and headed back to where they stood.

"Leyla..." he called me and walked over, his face looked so worried. "Baby, I'm-..." he was about to hug me then he put his arms down and stopped himself in front of me.

"It's okay, Eli." I promised.

"Stop saying it's okay, it's not okay. I fucking shoved you into a table, Leyla, that's not okay." He ran his hands through his hair and began pacing. This was the most stressed I'd ever seen him.

He finds out that his father withheld information about two critical parts of his life, his father disowns him as a son in front of fifty people, his mother, the parent who loved and supported him through everything, is dying rapidly, and now he feels like he's abusive.

He continued to pace with a tight grip on his hair and tears in his eyes that refused to fall. Even through all of that he didn't want to seem weak.

"Eli, I forgive you. If you don't believe it's okay then believe that I do forgive you." I promised him.

He stopped pacing and stood with his hands on his hips and his eyes on the floor.

"Okay." He sniffed. "Okay, that's fine."

"Good." I walked to him and I hugged him.

But I didn't feel him hug me back...

"Mr. Matthews?" The nurse called. Derek stood up and she grabbed Eli's attention. I let Eli go.

"You can come speak to her now, if you'd like." she told us.

Eli excitedly followed after the nurse and we followed behind him.

Finally, we got to a room only lit by two small lamps.

"She's right over there. Now she is tired, so please don't keep her for too long, her body is drained." The nurse explained.

Eli walked over to his mother's bedside and the nurse left us.

"Mama..." he greeted her.

"Hi, my sweet boy." She did her precious face hold and put a hand on Eli's cheek. He held her wrist and kept it there. Even through this she still managed to smile kindly.

"You look terrible." she laughed slightly.

Eli chuckled and sniffed. "How are you so calm about this?" he asked.

"Oh, I've been ill for a long time, my love. I've accepted my fate. Wallowing will only make the time I have left, miserable. I want to be able to say that my last days were beautiful."

Eli tried laughing through his pain. "Have I ever told you that your optimism is annoying?" he joked and she chuckled.

"Have I ever told you that your pessimism is?" she giggled and he laughed again followed by a sniff.

"Wipe your tears, baby." she instructed and wiped his cheek with her thumb. "I love you. Everything's okay. You're going to be okay."

He nodded.

"Where's my Leyla?" she asked.

'Me...?'

"Um, I'm right here..." I answered in confusion. I was nervous.

"Come here, dear." she commanded and I walked to Eli's side.

She held her hands out and I grabbed onto them while she smiled at me.

This wasn't an act. She was really content and unafraid. It was shown on her face.

"I love you." she told me. My eyes teared up as well.

"You are such a gift. I've only known you for a little over a half a year but I don't believe I'd ever find a person better fitting for my son." she claimed.

Eli kissed the top of my head.

"You're such a sweet, charming, and absolutely beautiful young lady, and I'm glad I got to meet you."

I nodded. "Thank you so much, I love you, too." I said and wiped my eyes.

I'm glad that over the past few months I'd grown a close bond with Deana before I had to see her go.

"Derek." she demanded with her sweet smile wiped away and he approached.

"Yes, dear?" he answered.

"You are a cold, angry, bitter, and conniving old man." she began. "Whoever this is, is not the man I chose to marry. You commit adultery, you belittle our son who used to be your greatest accomplishment, who used to be the little toddler you couldn't stop bragging about, who was your pride and joy and now you tear him down for simply being in the same room as you. You judge a young girl who's only wish in this family is to make a good impression and keep our son happy but you speak to her like she's some undignified trash off the street."

I'm almost certain she said all of that in one breath.

"And I still managed to love you. I managed to tell our son to respect you even though when it came down to it he had every right to speak to you the way that he did. Because you weren't acting like a father. You weren't acting like someone he should respect. You acted like a privileged bastard. The father he knew and loved was gone but you expected him to treat you with the same amount of respect." she continued. "Either you get your act together or everything you've created and loved will turn on you and fail miserably. It's your choice. I said what I needed to say."

I know that hurt him. If it didn't...then...there was no saving that man.

"Now all of you get out of here. I need my beauty rest." she giggled.

Eli gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek but she kept him down as she whispered something into his ear.

I wonder what it was this time. Even though I still didn't know what it was the last time.

She kissed his cheek and finally let him go.

"Yes ma'am." he stated.

I bent down to do the same and she kissed my cheek as well.

Then held me down, too.

"He's going to be stubborn. He's going to be a handful. He's going to be angry. He's going to be overwhelmed. Because, as much as he hates it, he's just like his father. But I didn't raise my boy to be a bad man. He's just a bit dramatic." We both giggled. "He'll give you the world, you just need to let him." she let me go.

"Yes, ma'am." I said just as Eli did before me.

We all began walking out of the room and I checked the time on my way.

1:37am.

We'd been here for a while.

____________________________________

We dropped off Eli's father and then headed back home.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" I asked Eli.

"Yes." His face showed a relieved expression.

I wondered if he still thought I was upset from earlier.

We got to his house and Eli immediately went to bed. He's had a busy day. I'm not surprised.

After a little while, I went to sleep, too.