This story was inspired by the movie "Sliding Doors" with Gwenyth Paltrow. Where there were two scenarios in the same movie and the characters go through a lot of similar scenes but in different contexts.
In this story, Michelle and Drew have had their run in with Mick, but Michelle makes some different choices.
This is my first ever fanfic. The characters are the property of GL, I just borrowed them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michelle sat alone in the waiting room outside ER. She was waiting for news. . . any news about Mick.
"Why am I still here?", She thought to herself. The walls seemed to be closing in around her the longer she stayed. "I need to get out of here before it’s too late."
"It’s already too late, Michelle!" She could hear the echoes of Drew’s voice inside her head. Why hadn’t she just left the beach with Drew? Why did she have to be ‘little goody two shoes’ once again? She admonished herself for the decision she had made. She looked up at the clock on the wall. Had it only been an hour? She thought back on the events that would surely change her life.
Mick had cornered her on the beach. He’d had that look on his face. She’d known what he wanted. She had fought him off as best she could, but there was no stopping him. Drew had saved her from being raped by hitting Mick on the head with a rock. After that, Mick had turned on Drew. Michelle had had only one option. She had picked up the same rock and hit him again. She could still hear the sound and feel the vibration of rock hitting human skull. The memory made her cringe. She didn’t think of herself as being that strong. Maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through her veins, maybe she’d hit the exact spot Drew had. For whatever reason, after Michelle had hit him, he had not gotten up. He had looked at her through glazed eyes.
She and Drew argued about what to do. Drew wanted to run. Michelle wanted to get help. Drew was sure he was dead. "What did it matter", Drew had said. "We can’t save him and we’ll only get into trouble, big trouble. I’m not talking about the cops, I’m talking about Mick’s friends. You know they know I got him arrested. They’ll figure I’m to blame."
Michelle had said, "If he’s dead, it doesn’t matter if I stay. If he’s alive, then I can’t leave."
"What if he survives? What will we do then? Have you even thought about that?" Drew screamed at her.
"Look, he tried to rape me. Who do you think the police are going to believe?.....Him? Or me?" Michelle was confident that the police would believe her.
In the end, Michelle had promised to keep Drew’s name out of it, if Drew would call for help. After Drew left, she hurled the bloody piece of evidence as far out into the lake as she could. The tide was moving up the beach and she hoped the remaining evidence would be destroyed before the police arrived.
Help seemed to take forever to come. The EMTs that arrived had found a pulse, albeit very weak. She had heard one of them say, "The patient is unresponsive to outside stimuli." She knew that meant he was probably in a coma.
She had heard Rick’s voice over the radio, barking out orders to the EMTs, trying to save the man that had tried to rape her. How ironic this whole situation was. In more ways than one. She, who so badly wanted to save lives, now might be responsible for taking one.
The police had arrived and started to question her. She stuck with the story that she and Drew had agreed upon. She told the police she had been to the lighthouse and taken a walk along the beach when she came upon Mick. They asked who had made the phone call. She lied and said she’d gone back to the lighthouse to make it.
She knew that if Mick survived, it would have been better to tell the truth from the beginning. She had confidence that her friend Frank Cooper, a detective with the Springfield Police Department, would help her.
The police seemed to be satisfied with her answers. They knew who she was. A Bauer. Daughter of Ed. Sister of Rick. She knew what kind of clout her position in the community brought. She used it. She didn’t often, but tonight she was glad she had it.
When Mick was ready for transport, the police had finished with her. She asked if she could go the hospital. She wanted to see her big brother Rick. Partly for comfort, partly to ask him some medical questions.
She was waiting for news now and felt like she was going to go crazy if something didn’t happen soon.
Suddenly, she heard loud voices in the hallway. She turned her face toward the commotion. A tall striking looking man strode toward the doors to ER.
"Where’s my brother?" the man demanded.
Michelle could tell from his demeanor that this man was used to getting answers to his questions.
The duty nurse ran after the man and tried to catch him before he entered.
"Sir, you can’t go in....", but as she struggled to finish her sentence, he entered the room Michelle so desperately wanted to see inside.
A second later, the man was back in the waiting area. Noah, one of the male nurses was escorting him out of the trauma unit. She could hear Noah telling him he needed to let the doctors do their job. All the color had drained from the man’s face and he no longer seemed in control as he had just seconds before.
The duty nurse walked over to him. She seemed to be trying to comfort him and he was asking her questions...questions Michelle was unable to hear.
She watched in horror as the duty nurse turned and pointed towards Michelle. The nurse was saying, "Mr. Santos, this is the girl who saved your brother’s life."
PG-13 for some Language
Danny's mind was a blur as he tried to focus on what the nurse had just told him. He walked toward the girl sitting in the waiting room. "Hello, I’m Danny Santos, Mick was....is my brother", Danny’s voice cracked with emotion.
Danny looked at the girl standing before him. He stared into her eyes. He became lost in them. What color were they? Like Dark Chocolate. Warm. They represented life. Not the life of tubes and machines he had just left in the other room. He broke away from those eyes and remembered where he was, why he was there. This place. It represented death to him. Papa’s death. Would it soon also represent Mick’s death?
He watched the girl react to what the nurse was saying. She seemed..nervous..or ...flustered...or was it just embarrassed? She shook his hand. Such warm hands. What was the old saying? ...Warm hands, cold heart. Not her, definitely not her.
Michelle wasn’t sure how to react to this man. She hadn’t expected Mick to have a family. She was only staying to find out his condition and now she had to make sure she didn’t bring any negative attention to herself. She looked into his eyes and for a brief moment she forgot all about the events of the day. She introduced herself, "Hi, I’m Michelle Bauer. I...I’m sorry about your brother."
Michelle...Michelle...he knew he had heard that name before. It couldn’t be the same girl. Mick had talked about a girl named Michelle. Some bimbo at Millennium. This couldn’t be the same one. Mick had talked of her in locker room terminology. Cunt. Fuck. Pussy. Could this possibly be the same girl? Mick raved about her looks, her body. He had bragged about how she was after him, flirting with him. He’d had plans for her. Danny shuddered at the thought of what his brother could have done to this girl.
He focused his attention back to what the nurse had told him. "Thank you for helping Mick."
"I...I’m glad I happened to find him. I was at the Lighthouse and I found him when I went for a walk on the beach," Michelle tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible, she knew she wasn’t a very good liar.
The Lighthouse. The image brought back memories of he and Mick. They used to break into the place when they were kids. They hadn’t been there in years. Not since it was bought and remodeled by the....
The Bauers. The Bauers owned it. He stared at her again. Recognition of her name, her status, of who she represented to him came flooding into his brain. No, she definitely was not the girl Mick had talked about. Danny had known girls like her when he had gone to college. He remembered how they had reacted to the name Santos.
Danny realized he was staring at Michelle.
Michelle had hardly taken a breath since Danny had walked into ER. He was studying her with such intensity she felt he could see right through her. Could he tell she was covering up? She didn’t see how.
"Have you talked to anyone about your brother’s condition?," Michelle asked trying to get him to stop staring at her.
Danny shook himself out of his daze and answered, "What?...No, the nurse said the doctor would be out soon. Do you know who that might be?"
A smile flashed across Michelle’s face as she responded, "Uh...that would be my brother Rick...he’s in charge of ER."
At that moment, Rick Bauer walked out of the double doors that led to ER. He paused to talk to the duty nurse, who pointed at Danny. Rick proceeded to walk toward him until he stood facing Danny. "Mr. Santos, your brother is in pretty bad shape."
Danny frowned as he spoke, "How bad? Was he shot?"
Rick responded, "No, he sustained a fairly severe blow to the head. He’s still in coma. He was having difficulty breathing, so we put him on a respirator. Currently we have classified him in critical condition."
Danny interrupted, "How long will he be unconscious?"
"Right now it’s a waiting game. I can’t give you any guarantees. We’ll be taking him up to ICU in a few minutes. You’ll be able to see him then. I’ll let you know when we do that." Rick used his professional demeanor as he spoke. He still didn’t seem to have noticed Michelle, who was standing a little behind him and to the left.
"Do you know if the police have any suspects?," Danny asked.
"No, I have nothing to do with the official investigation," as Rick finished the sentence, he turned to go back into the ER when his gaze fell upon Michelle. His mouth dropped open and he said, "Michelle, honey, what are you doing here?"
Michelle stammered, "Well, I...I was the one who found Mick."
"Did you know this guy?", Rick was surprised that his little sister had any knowledge of or even knew a member of the mob.
Michelle looked down at the floor and mumbled, "Well,...he worked for Jesse down at Millennium."
Both Rick and Danny stared at her. Rick’s stare turned into a look of disgust as he was reminded again of the kind of people her relationship with Jesse Blue had brought into his little sister’s life. "Michelle, I think we need to have a serious talk about the kind of people you’re becoming involved with", with that said, Rick walked back into ER.
Michelle looked up at Danny and said, "I’m sorry my brother was so rude, he usually isn’t so quick to judge people. My mother always taught me not to prejudge people and that’s how I’ve always tried to live my life."
Danny stared at her in amazement because it suddenly became quite obvious that Michelle could possibly be and probably was the Michelle that Mick had talked about. And yet she wasn’t. She was so far removed from the girl that Mick had described, he almost laughed at the irony of it all. He knew, too, that she was nothing like those girls he'd known in college.
Danny shrugged and said, "It comes with the territory, don’t worry about it. Your mother sounds like an amazing woman."
"She was. She died when I was young, but she had a very strong influence on my life." Michelle's voice trembled as she remembered her mom.
Danny noticed Michelle's eyes tear up and then added, "I didn’t know you knew Mick."
She blushed and said, "Well, my boyfriend manages the club and I met him while he worked there." She tried to make it sound as matter-of-fact as possible. Michelle watched Danny for any sense that he suspected the truth.
"Oh, I see," was all Danny had to say.
"Well, I’m glad Mick has someone to be with him now, I guess I’ll go home, I’m kind of tired." Michelle knew she needed to get out of the hospital before he started asking more probing questions.
Rick once again emerged from ER. He looked at Michelle with concern and said, "Michelle, I’m surprised you’re still here. I’d like to talk to you when I’m finished with Mr. Santos."
He then turned to Danny and said, "Mr. Santos, your brother is being moved upstairs. You may accompany him and stay a few minutes if you wish."
Danny thought of his mother and knew she would soon be breathing down his neck for answers. He pressed Rick for a few more details. "I need to call my mother and let her know what’s happened. She’s out of town, but I was hoping to be able to tell her a little more. How’s my brother doing?"
Rick began again, "As I said before, we just have to wait to see the extent of his injuries. Head trauma is difficult to predict. Right now, his brain is swollen. There has also been a lot of inner-cranial bleeding."
Danny’s face fell for a moment as he took this in.
Rick noticed and then added, "I don’t mean to alarm you. On the positive side, his heartbeat seems to be strong and steady. I don’t think he’s in any imminent danger."
Rick’s last few statements seemed to satisfy Danny.
Danny turned his attention to Michelle. He smiled at her, looking at her with the same intensity as before and said, "Thank you again for what you did and I’ll be talking to you soon."
It wasn’t exactly what Michelle had wanted to hear. She wanted nothing more to do with Mick or his family and now she knew that was impossible.
"OK", was about all Michelle could manage to say.
At that moment, the gurney carrying Mick emerged from ER. Danny raised his left hand, saluted at the both of them, as if to say both thank you and good-bye. He then turned and followed the gurney down the hall.
Rick escorted Michelle to his office. She knew that he had a lot of questions. She could tell she was in for it now.
"Rick, can't this wait till later? I'm really tired. I just want to go home and go to bed." Michelle didn't need this on top of everything else that had happened tonight.
"Do you know who those people are?" Rick was almost screaming at her.
"Look, I only knew Mick before tonight. I told you that. Who are they anyway?" She asked in confusion.
"They're, you know, mobsters, Michelle," Rick said.
"What do you mean? Like in The Godfather or something?" Michelle said with a sense of disbelief. She had always thought the movies tended to exaggerate things.
"The Santos family is one of the biggest crime families in Springfield. I've had more to do with them than I care to as head of ER," Rick said sarcastically.
"Every time there's a powerplay between the crime families, we see the results right here. I could care less if the members of the mob kill each other off, but when the innocent get hurt that is when it really bothers me," Rick continued with passion in his voice.
Michelle longed to scream out, "I'm the innocent, I was hurt." But all she could manage to say was, "I didn't know about the Santos family." Then she added, "I knew Mick was...is a creep, but Danny seems different somehow."
"Don't let his polished exterior fool you, Michelle. He was raised to be a cold-blooded killer. Just like his father before him. This isn't the first time I've seen Danny Santos here at the hospital. When I was in medical school, Dad treated Danny's father. Dad did his best, but there wasn't anything he could do," Rick said in a somewhat softened voice.
"You mean his father died?", Michelle asked incredulously. She realized that she and Danny had something in common. They had both lost a parent at a relatively young age. Now, he might be loosing his brother as well. She couldn't let herself think about that right now.
"Yes. And you would think they would learn something about this circle of violence that surrounds their family," Rick said with no sympathy in his voice, just disgust.
"Rick, what is the point you'e trying to make?" Michelle demanded.
"I just want you to stay away from these people. I don't like the kind of people that you're meeting at Millennium. I wish Jesse was more concerned for your safety," Rick said.
He had a frown on his face and Michelle knew he was unhappy with some of the choices she had made in the past. What would he think if he really knew what had happened?
"Look...... I'm not attracted to these kind of people. I didn't know Mick was a member of the mob. I just happened to find Mick on the beach and I didn't mean to meet Danny. I just wanted to find out how Mick was doing. I have no intention of seeking out the Santos family, although from what Danny said, he's expecting to talk to me about what happened to Mick. Don't be surprised if you see us together. Just know I do not intend to make a habit of it. I hope this keeps you from worrying about me." Michelle was hoping that what she was saying would be the truth.
"Michelle... I'm sorry if I jumped to the wrong conclusions here, but I'm just concerned about you. I haven' seen much of you lately and I feel kind of guilty that I haven't taken better care of you," Rick's voice seemed to calm down.
"Rick, I'm so glad you are my big brother and that you are here for me. I'l talk you to later when I'm a bit more coherent. I'll see you at home, O.K.?" With that said Michelle left Rick's office to go to her car.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Danny entered the darkened chapel. He had found his way there after escorting Mick to ICU. He had felt totally useless there. Mick was obviously out of it. Danny had squeezed Mick's hand. No response. He lowered his mouth to Mick's ear and whispered, "Hang in there big brother. I'll find out who did this to you. Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
ICU was not a very private place. Lots of nurses were milling around, checking IVs, all the other things nurses did. Danny didn't like the feeling of having his emotions on display. He made a note in his head to take care of this before Mama came for a visit. She would like the lack of privacy even less than he did.
He wasn't sure why he'd come into the chapel. Religion had played an important role in his life. He'd been an altar boy with his cousin Ray when he was younger. The rituals of the Catholic Church comforted him in ways he couldn't quite explain, even to himself. He couldn't quite resolve the teachings of the church with the way his family did business, but he didn't like to dwell on that. He knew the church brought him comfort when things happened to the people he loved. He had especially embraced the church when his father died.
He sat down in the back of the chapel. He thought about Mick. It wasn't a surprise Mick was hurt. Danny had known ever since they were kids it would probably come down to this. Mick had always been the tough one. Never afraid of hurting other people or of getting himself hurt in the process. Even so, it was hard to see him like this.
Danny felt guilty for his part in defining Mick's life. He knew that Mick should be head of the family because he was first born. Mick would have been the family's first choice for crime boss in the time of their grandfather when strength and ruthlessness were the perfect qualities to possess. In this day and age, however, it was more important to be savvy in the areas of business and politics where the right tip on insider trading or knowing which palm to grease would procure the biggest profit.
This was to be Danny's future, to become the brains behind the operation. They still needed Mick to play the enforcer. Taking care of any problems with their neighborhood clients or dealing with any competitors who tried to move in on Santos' territory. Actually, Danny saw the areas where Mick was needed as becoming unnecessary and tending to be very messy. The aftermath of Mick's actions were often difficult to cover up from the police and he was sometimes more of a headache than an asset. Danny knew that in the future, he would be phasing out those portions of the business for the more lucrative areas of big business, when and if, his mother finally let him take over.
Mick knew the truth about his lot in life. He knew Danny was his mother's choice to become head of the family. Mick sometimes joked about his job with Danny. Sometimes he would taunt Danny with his latest brutality. He knew Danny couldn't always take the cold hard facts about how the family ran its business. Mick enjoyed showing him the reality of their lives.
Danny's mother had always told him he would be the one to go to college. The first one in the family to do so. Danny' childhood had been somewhat sheltered from outside influences. The Santos way of life had been drummed into him from an early age. Respect for your elders was of paramount importance and you did not argue with the decisions they made.
Danny's mother had not seen the peril in sending him to college. He remembered how his college courses and professors had opened his eyes to other ways of living one's life. Knowledge could be a dangerous thing for someone like him. He now often felt trapped in a life that he had no control of.
He resented the way people reacted to hearing the name of Santos. The family had always stressed the importance of being proud of their name. Danny was proud of the struggles they had overcome, but sometimes he was ashamed, too.
Danny thought back to how Michelle Bauer had reacted when he had met her. She hadn't flinched at the mention of his name. He was intrigued by everything he'd seen in her. He wondered what it would be like to have a girl like her in his life.
Danny knew that he would be responsible for finding out who hurt Mick and for the punishment that would be doled out. Any other kind of betrayal and he would never have to soil his own hands. He would call on one of the many henchmen that worked for the family to do his bidding. But, because it was Mick, his mother would expect him to exact revenge on whomever was responsible.
He thought again of Michelle. How would a girl like her react to what he was going to do? Why would her reaction be so important to him? He knew it was a symptom of what he disliked about his life.
He lowered his face into his hands and said, "Please help me." He wondered if God would hear him. He didn't know exactly what he wanted. Not to have to exact revenge? Or was it something even bigger he wasn't ready to face?
He heard the door to the chapel swing open. His jaw dropped as he saw who had entered the chapel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michelle was exhausted. After she had left Rick's office, her only desire was to go home and go to bed. Walking zombie-like down the hall at Cedars, she had hardly noticed the hospital personnel that passed. Some of them just smiled at her, a couple of them actually addressed her by name. A fog enveloped her brain and by the time she had processed their greetings, it was too late to acknowledge them.
For a brief moment, the fog lifted and she had recognized the doors to the hospital chapel. She headed for the safe haven where she had often taken refuge during her life.
She knew she should just go home, but she felt a need to sit and think. Entering hesitantly, she looked around the darkened room. It seemed to be deserted. She made her way to the front pew and sat down. Many hours had been spent in this room; when her mother died; the time she'd gone blind; praying for the kids in the AIDS ward.
Everything Rick had told her shook her to the core. She thought back on the decisions she'd made earlier on the beach. If she knew then what she knew now about Mick being a member of a very powerful mob family, would she still do the same thing? She knew what she'd done was the right thing, but she knew too, if Mick recovered her future was in great doubt. She no longer feared the police.
She went over in her mind everything Rick had told her. She thought back to Danny Santos. If she had met him at college without knowing who he was, she would never have known he was a member of the mob. Mick seemed like the type, but not Danny. Was she just fooling herself? Willing her desires to become reality?
She wondered where Drew was. Back at Millennium? Had she told Jesse everything? Jesse. She hadn't thought of him all evening.
She silently prayed for guidance. She was torn between two desires. She didn't want Mick to die, but she was terrified if he lived. She wasn't sure what to pray for. Finally, she made one simple plea. She said aloud, "Please help me." She sat for a while until she heard someone clear their throat in the back of the chapel.
She thought she had been alone and was somewhat taken aback by the fact that she wasn't. She knew she hadn't said anything to implicate herself and yet it made her uneasy to think that she had been so careless. She stood up to leave and nonchalantly tried to look over in the direction of the noise she'd heard. The chapel was too dark and the source of the noise remained anonymous.
Michelle exited the chapel and headed for her car.
After Michelle left, Danny sat for a long time glued to his chair.
He stared at the spot Michelle had just vacated. He wondered what Michelle Bauer might need help with. Surely God would answer her prayer. He was sure her prayers were more noble than his.
He thought about his own plea made just minutes before. He knew that he would have to fulfill his family commitment of revenge for what happened to Mick. He could not escape his destiny. But suddenly he realized that what he wanted to do was to help Michelle. Would helping her excuse the sins he was about to commit?
"Your kidding yourself, Santos. She'll never trust you enough to confide in you." He chastized himself. Was he bewitched by her the way Mick had been?
Mick. He felt guilty. All of his attention should be focused on his brother, but meeting Michelle had shaken him to the core.
Danny left the chapel. He knew what he had to do.
Michelle sat in her car and debated about where to go. Should she go to Jesse and Drew at Millennium or home to her own bed?
She had promised to keep Drew informed, but she also recognized that she didn*t think she could take Drew*s harping right now. She reasoned with herself that nothing was going to change overnight as far as Mick*s condition was concerned. Her brain was so frazzled that at this point, she didn*t want to be forced into making any decisions that she might regret later. There was a real possibility of that happening if she went to Drew*s. She just wanted to sleep.
Michelle was in her bathroom when she heard the phone ring. She hesitated about answering it, but almost on instinct she spat the toothpaste out of her mouth and headed for the phone. She stopped herself from answering and let the machine get it. She heard the machine click and recognized the pause that represented the playing of her outgoing message. It seemed like a million years since she had recorded the very simplistic greeting: "Hi! This is Michelle. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave me a message after the beep and I*ll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a great day!" At the end of the pause, she heard the beep and then she heard Drew*s voice being recorded, "Michelle, if you*re there, pick up. I need to talk to you............" After a pause, Drew*s voice got louder and more belligerent, "Michelle, pick up the phone...." Another pause and Michelle could hear a muffled, "Shit...... she*s not there yet, Jesse." Then in the background Michelle heard Jesse*s voice, "We*ll try again later, Drew." Drew slammed down the receiver and then Michelle heard the whir of the answering machine preparing itself to receive another message.
Michelle was pissed. Why was Jesse with Drew? Why wasn*t he here with her? She knew it wasn*t their fault this time, it wasn*t really her fault. Lately, it seemed that Jesse had as often as not made decisions that put him by Drew*s side instead of her own. She thought back on what her life had been like the last few months. It wasn*t what she*d wanted. She blamed much of her unhappiness on Drew. Drew had made some stupid mistakes that had affected both her and Jesse*s life. Even Mick had become involved with them because of her. She didn*t want to think about all of that right now.
Michelle debated about calling them, but she was mad. She ended up turning off her answering machine and unplugging the phone. She got into her nice, safe bed, pulled the covers over her and curled up into a ball. She fell asleep almost immediately.
Michelle woke with a start. She was sweating and the dream she*d had came back to her in a flash.
She was back at the beach. Mick had a hold of her. He was dragging her across the sand, his menacing laugh echoed in her head. A figure suddenly lunged at Mick and knocked him to the ground. Michelle watched as Mick looked up at the figure. She turned her head to follow his gaze and there standing over her was Danny Santos. Danny extended his hand to Michelle. Michelle took it and he lifted her off the sand, effortlessly into a standing position in front of him. Their eyes met, he smiled at her, a charming almost hypnotic smile. The world around them faded. Magically, as often happened in her dreams, the scene suddenly changed. She and Danny were transported from the ugly scene at the beach to inside her lighthouse*her refuge*her guiding light.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Michelle*s concentration on the dream was abandoned and she realized someone was knocking on the door in her room which led to the outside. She momentarily tried to refocus on the dream, but it had evaporated from her consciousness. Why was she dreaming about Danny Santos?
She grabbed her robe, tiptoed to the door and peeked behind its curtains. She smiled. Glad to see a familiar and comforting face, she opened the door.
"Jesse." Michelle gasped with relief.
"Are you alright, Michelle? Why didn*t you come to Millennium?" Jesse grilled her without giving her a chance to respond.
Jesse*s concern was soon drowned out by the irritating voice of Drew. "Michelle, what the hell have you been thinking? You promised you*d let me know what happened. You*re being really selfish here."
"Look Drew, we*re never gonna agree about what happened tonight. I didn*t feel like fighting about it anymore. Will you just get off my back?" Michelle pleaded.
Michelle proceeded to tell them about what happened at the hospital, Mick*s condition, meeting his brother Danny, Rick*s warnings about the Santos family, as much and in as great a detail as she could remember.
"Drew, I*ve been thinking. Both the police and the Santos family are probably going to zero in on you as a suspect because of your recent run-ins with Mick. I think it*s best if you and Jesse give each other an alibi. You can*t do anything to help me."
Jesse piped up. "Michelle, I could say I was with you at the lighthouse."
"Thanks a lot for sacrificing me, Jesse." Drew whined.
Michelle asked Jesse. "Didn*t people see you at Millennium tonight?"
"Yeah, I guess that wasn*t such a good idea, huh?" Jesse responded. "OK, Drew, I can say you were in the club*s office working on the books. After all, nobody saw you downstairs and luckily I don*t think anybody asked for you that night."
"Geez, what a way to make me feel needed, Jesse**Oh, and by the way, thanks for being so eager to save my butt." Drew said sarcastically.
Michelle hated to hear Drew*s woe-is-me kind of talk. Everything that was wrong in her life was always someone else*s fault.
"Michelle, I*m still worried about you. What if Mick*s family starts to suspect you?" Jesse said with concern. "Did Mick*s brother believe you about tonight?"
"I don*t think anyone from his world would be stupid enough to take credit for saving the life of the person who*s head they just finished bashing in." Now it was Michelle*s turn to be sarcastic.
"Michelle, stop beating yourself up about Mick. He was*.is scum. Remember what he was trying to do to you. You had no choice. And besides, you probably saved Drew*s life." Jesse said.
"I guess I should have thanked you for that." Drew mumbled.
"Well, I guess we*re even because you saved me, too. I mean it. Thank you Drew." Michelle said.
Michelle smiled at Drew. Drew shifted her weight from side to side and smiled begrudgingly.
Michelle wondered if this was to be a turning point in her and Drew*s relationship. For so long, they had been at odds with each other over Jesse*s role in each of their lives.
Her speculation soon ended when Drew chided her once more. "I*ll never understand why you did what you did. If Mick comes to, we*re gonna to be in deep shit!"
Michelle once again tried to defend herself. "I couldn*t just leave him, no matter what kind of person he was. I wouldn*t be able to look at myself in the mirror let alone become the doctor I*ve always wanted to be. I*m sorry if my decision will one day affect you and I guess in a way I have been selfish by putting your life in danger, too."
Jesse then tried to diffuse the situation. "Drew, what*s done is done. We can*t keep worrying about what might happen. Let*s just take this day by day. I think Frank can help us if Mick or his family cause trouble. After all, he was attacking the both of you."
Michelle wanted to reassure them of her intentions. "I*m scheduled to volunteer at the hospital tomorrow. I*ll check on Mick*s condition and his prognosis. I promise I won*t leave you out of the loop anymore. I know it was unfair of me to not call you earlier. In my own mind, I had a reason, but I*ll never let you down again, OK?"
Jesse and Drew both nodded in affirmation of what she*d said.
"Michelle, I don*t want you to have anything more to do with the Santos family. What is Mick*s brother like? What*s his name?" Jesse asked.
"Danny is his name. He isn*t anything like Mick. If Rick hadn*t told me he was a member of the mob, I would have never guessed. He is very grateful for my helping his brother. I*m safe as long as Mick can*t say otherwise. Mick is on a ventilator. He*s unconscious. He*s not coming out of this overnight, unless of course, there*s some kind of miracle." Michelle tried to reassure Jesse that she was safe for the moment.
"I think I need to get some sleep, now." Michelle sighed.
Jesse held her in his arms and asked her, "Michelle, would you like me to stay with you?"
"That*s perfect, Jesse. How the hell am I supposed to get home?" Drew whined once again.
Michelle gratefully said, "That*s really thoughtful of you, Jesse. But, I*ll be fine. Aunt Meta and Abby are here and I don*t want to make anyone more suspicious about tonight. I think you should take Drew home."
Michelle heard the disappointment in Jesse*s voice as he said, "OK, Michelle*." He moved closer, kissed her on the cheek and then whispered in her ear, "Remember I love you."
Michelle smiled at him. It reminded her of how sure she was of his love for her. She looked only at him and said, "I know."
Drew, uncomfortable with being left out of the conversation, piped up with, "Come on, Jesse. Let*s get out of here so Michelle can get her beauty sleep."
Michelle rolled her eyes at Drew*s comment, but held her tongue.
She let them back out the door and locked it behind them. She felt the weight of everything upon her and leaned her body against the door. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She heard the familiar throttle emanating from Jesse*s motorcycle engine. Something was different. She couldn*t put her finger on it, but she felt separated from him. Was it her imagination?**Or, was it just lack of sleep?
Danny was sitting outside of ICU when his cell phone rang. Only a handful of people knew his number. He was almost positive that it was his mother calling. He’d tried to reach her at her hotel room in Chicago after Mick had first been taken to ICU. She’d been out for the evening and he’d left an urgent message for her to call. He’d also tried her cell phone, but he’d gotten the standard reply about the number not being available. “Hello,” Danny said. “Daniel, this is Mama. You said it was urgent. What’s wrong?” Carmen's voice sounded tense. “Hello, Mama. I have some bad news.” “Daniel, is it Pilar?” “No, Mama, it’s Mick.” “Oh, No. Is he…..?” “No, he’s not dead, but he’s been hurt really badly.” “Where is he? Where are you?” “He’s at Cedars in intensive care. I’m right outside his door.” “Was he shot? Do you know who did it?” “No, Mama. He wasn’t shot. He was hit on the head and left for dead. He’s very lucky that someone found him and called the paramedics.” “Has he said anything about how it happened?” “He’s hurt really badly, Mama. He’s unconscious. The doctors aren’t sure he’s going to make it.” Daniel heard a sharp intake of breath. He knew his mother was upset, and yet the next thing out of her mouth proved she was the indeed head of the family. “What about security, Daniel?” “I need to talk to the hospital administrator about posting some bodyguards.” “Dietz is coming back with me. He’ll be able to help you set up security." “Only family members and hospital personnel are allowed in ICU. When will you be back?” “I’m leaving right now. I should be back within the hour. I’ll see you soon.” “Goodbye, Mama.” Danny let out a sigh of relief. That was over. He pocketed his cell phone and went back in to visit Mick. He heard the steady beat of Mick’s heart. Heard the hiss of the ventilator keeping Mick alive. Heard the pump of the blood pressure machine activating itself every few minutes. He wondered what had happened to Mick. He wasn’t surprised Mick had ended up fighting for his life, but he was surprised by his injuries. Most mob hits were just that, gun battles or drive by shootings, bullets ripping through flesh. Just as papa had died. He assumed Mick’s attack had been interrupted. It was possible Mick’s attackers had fled when Michelle Bauer happened upon the scene. One more reason to be indebted to her. He thought back to overhearing her in the chapel. What problems could this girl possibly have? She was beautiful. She was smart. She had a boyfriend. She had a nice family. OK, her brother hadn’t been too nice to him, but he seemed to care about her. There was something about her that intrigued him. He was going to find out as much as he could about her and help her if she would let him. The steady beat, beat, beat of Mick’s heart monitor suddenly became erratic. An alarm sounded as the heart monitor flat-lined. Danny had seen enough movies to know what it meant. He heard the familiar, “CODE BLUE IN ICU, CODE BLUE IN ICU”, being broadcast over the speakers. He watched with both horror and fascination as the doctors wheeled a crash cart into ICU to attend to Mick. Danny had seen this happen so many times on television that he wasn’t surprised by what they were doing. In a way, he could almost separate himself from what was happening. The tubes providing oxygen, blood and fluids along with the bandages that almost completely covered Mick’s head, made his brother appear almost alien, totally unrecognizable. Danny watched with detachment, as three times, the doctors charged the defibrilator trying to jumpstart his heart. Finally, the fourth attempt succeeded. Danny left the close confines of ICU after the doctors had stabilized Mick. His body began to relax, he hadn’t realized he’d tensed up. One of the nurses came over to him and suggested he take a break and get some coffee. He told her of his concerns for Mick’s safety. She assured him she would stay with Mick until his return. He asked if there was a place he could get some fresh air. She told him there was a rooftop garden on the 8th floor. He thanked her. For some reason, he trusted her. He took note of her name and made a mental note to send her some flowers for her thoughtfulness. Danny took the elevator to the 8th floor. He found some double doors opposite the elevator that led to something called the AIDS Memorial Garden. He exited the doors of the hospital and went outside into the cold November air. He stayed outside for a long time, thinking about his life and taking inventory of the people he’d lost. His father was dead, now Mick might be gone, too. His mother, although not physically dead, had all but ceased to exist for him. In her place, was a shrewd businesswoman and vindictive mob boss. His sister Pilar was gone from his day-to-day existence, part of Mama’s plan to keep her protected at all costs. Abuela was the only constant in his life, but her health was failing. Pretty soon he would be alone. Being without a wife had been his choice. It would have been easy to marry the daughter of one of his family’s associates. In fact, his mother had hoped he would marry Theresa Sandoval, daughter of her best friend. They had virtually grown up together and for the longest time were like brother and sister. Their relationship had had its ups and downs, but Danny knew he would never marry her. He had been attracted to several “regular”girls, but once they learned he was a Santos they would make it clear that his attentions were not desired. The girls who came from his own background were suspect. One too many times, he’d discovered they knew he was the Santos heir and only wanted him for the power he could provide. He hated being used. He usually picked girls who were on the fringes of mob life. He’d keep them around as long as they didn’t start depending on him. He could screw them one day and forget about them the next. He knew Mama would expect him to marry someday, produce the Santos heir. Now that Mick was hurt, possibly unable to produce an heir, someday might be sooner than he had previously thought. Danny’s hands were numb by the time he came back into the hospital corridor. He stood just inside the double doors that led to the garden and blew on his hands to warm them. He noticed a plaque on the wall commemorating the garden. The plaque listed those involved in its creation. One name in particular stood out among all the others. Michelle Bauer. He’d lived all his life in Springfield. He knew about the Bauers, knew what they represented to his family, to any outcast member of society. Maybe he’d purposefully dismissed her name if he’d heard it before just because of what her last name meant to him. Tonight, after talking to her and finding out what she’d done for Mick, he’d talked to some of the nurses on duty and found out she was in pre-med. One day she would be a doctor, possibly doing what the doctor’s in ICU had just done for his brother. The more he learned about this girl, the more he wanted to know. Danny walked back to ICU to find that his mother had arrived. Actually, he heard the shrillness of her demands long before he arrived back at the nurse’s station. She was belittling the same kindly nurse he’d thanked just half an hour earlier. He interrupted her tirade. “Hello, Mama.” His mother berated him, “Daniel, where have you been? You promised you’d watch over your brother until I got back.” “No need to take your frustrations out on the hospital personnel. This nurse has been very thoughtful. I needed a break and she promised to watch over Mick.” “I see,” Carmen bristled. “Since when have you started trusting people outside the family?” “Since she saved Mick’s life.” Danny said defensively. She looked over at the nurse. “Thank you um..... Ms. Evans.....is it?” His mother said in a less than sincere voice. She did not apologize, that would show weakness, something Danny knew she would never do. The nurse smiled at Danny and returned to ICU. “Look, mother, I know you are upset about Mick, we all are, but we are going to have to deal with these people until Mick is better. I don’t think any of our enemies or whoever is responsible for Mick have had time to plant someone here. And besides, I watched that nurse and several others save Mick when his heart stopped about an hour ago. I felt I could trust her.” Danny wanted his mother to experience some of the pain he’d had to live through in the last few hours. Carmen lost her bravado and said, “His heart stopped?” “Yes, but these people know what they are doing. Don’t worry.” He hadn’t meant to be so unfeeling. He reminded himself she was Mick’s mother. “As far as security goes, I’m going to talk to the hospital administrator in about an hour. I’m sure we can come up with a satisfactory arrangement.” He knew that if the hospital couldn’t meet their requirements they’d find a solution. “O.K. Danny, now what about this attack, do you have any clues?” Carmen said, back to her usual demeanor. Danny responded, “No clues yet. I want to get a good night’s sleep before I start my investigation. We are very lucky Mick was found. We owe a lot to the girl who helped Mick.” Carmen demanded, “Who is this girl? Are you sure she wasn’t somehow involved?” “Mother, I’ve learned a lot about this girl tonight. I would bet my life she isn’t.” Danny stated as firmly as possible. “You’d be betting all of our lives if you’re wrong. I don’t want you to count her out just yet.” Danny knew she was wrong. There was no way Michelle was involved.
