Chapter 3

"Mom please…not here. Not now. I just want to see Natalie."

"I told you not to come."

"She reached out to me! She's my sister!"

"If she is your sister why did you leave her?! You could have made things easier for us!"

"Because I was done being you! Doing your duties for you! It wasn't my responsibility to provide for this family!" Michonne screamed at her.

Michonne saw her mother's eyes widen for a second before she felt the stinging pain on her cheeks. She shook off her pain and stared down her mother defiantly.

"You could hate me all you want, you and Sherri. You could do whatever you want to me, say whatever you want about me but you will not deny me this! You will not deny me seeing Natalie. She's the only reason why I even came back to this hell-hole.

"I'm her mother! Watch me!"

Antoinette left the room and returned seconds later with two security officers. She pointed angrily at Michonne.

"Get her out of here! She's not family!"

"That's not true!"

The officers moved towards Michonne.

"Ma'am…we are going to have to ask you to leave."

Michonne looked from the officers to her mother and started pleading with her.

"Why are you doing this to me? I am your daughter too! You never loved me! Why?!"

"Get her out! NOW!"

The officers began physically removing Michonne out of the room as she was fighting them. She was not going to go quietly.

"Get your hands off me!" Michonne shrieked at the officers. "Get…off!"

They had almost had her out of the room when a voice called out to her.

"Michonne?"

Everyone froze.

"Is that you? Is it really you?"

Michonne head snapped back to see Natalie, eyes barely open, looking at her. She started crying and pulled away forcefully from the officers and rushed up to Natalie. Michonne caressed her cheeks, her tears falling on her sister's face. Natalie tried to smile but found it difficult.

"Yes! It's me…Michonne! Don't try to speak!"

Michonne started showering kisses on Natalie's forehead.

"Where were they taking you?"

Michonne stared angrily at her mother.

"Nowhere little sis. No one is taking me anywhere. I'm here to stay. "~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the doctors came in and check on Natalie's condition Michonne sat next to her bed staring at her for atleast ten minutes, smiling on the outside but torn up on the inside. Antoinette had left the room very irately five minutes ago.

"I can't believe you're here."

Michonne took Natalie's hands in hers and examined the cuts on her wrists. Tears welled up in Natalie's eyes.

"Are you here to stay?"

"I am here until you get better."

"And then you're leaving again."

Michonne didn't want to say anything that would disappoint or hurt Natalie. She remained mum.

"If you are leaving, please take me with you! I promise I wouldn't be a burden! I'll quit school and get a job!"

Natalie was starting to panic and the monitors in the room began going crazy. She had to calm Natalie down.

"You need to calm down Nats!"

"Promise that you will take me with you! I can't stay at home! Promise!" Natalie cried.

"Ok. I promise! When I am going, you're coming with me! Now please clam down!"

Two nurses and a doctor rushed into Natalie's room. Michonne stepped back giving them room to work. After a couple of minutes, Natalie was sedated and the doctor asked her to leave to give her some rest. Michonne walked out of the room and saw her mother sitting in the corridor. Their eyes met and Michonne was the first one to turn away.

She felt guilty, not for leaving but for not taking Natalie with her. For months it ate away at her soul, even causing her to turn to various pills to help her sleep and to ease her pain. Michonne walked into the hospital's small chapel and sat down in the pews. She didn't hear when someone else entered behind her until she felt the warm loving embrace from a familiar arm. She burst into tears.

"It's my fault!" she cried. "I should have taken her with me! I survived and she would have survived too!"

Without releasing her hold, Sasha slid into the seat next to her.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you didn't do anything wrong. You were 14 and in a bad situation!"

She cupped Michonne's face.

"The people who were supposed to protect you didn't. All you did was try to protect yourself. You are not wrong for doing that."

"But I should have protected her and I didn't!" Michonne wailed.

Sasha pulled Michonne into a tight embrace. She didn't know what else to do or say to help Michone alleviate her guilt of leaving Natalie behind. All she could do be there for her friend in her time of need.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rick had just received a call from head Nurse Baron about a patient who was dying and wanted to have his last rites and was on his way there when he saw Jessie sitting by the park with the younger of her two sons Timmy. His heart sank as Jessie smiled broadly at him. 'Dear God…not on this lovely day.' He quicken the pace of his steps and gave her a curt hello as he passed by her..

"Good morning Father. Can we talk? Please?"

Rick slowed down…reluctantly. Jessie was at his side in an instant, abandoning her son.

"I'm on my way to the hospital to give a dying man his last rites. How many I help you?"

"Michael and I had a fight last night. We said horrible thing to each other and now I feel guilty about it."

"Ok…"

"I was wondering if I could see you this Sunday after mass in the confessional booth."

"Father Gabriel will be conducting mass this Sunday so I will be happy to let him know that you will be needing him at confessional."

Rick felt a great deal of satisfaction seeing the disappointment on Jessie's face.

"Ok."

"Have a good day Mrs Wallace."

Jessie just shrugged at him and Rick walked off.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Michonne had a healthy cry for about five minutes when she and Sasha

"I'm sorry about your uniform. It's wet."

"Don't worry about it. I have another one in my locker. I can change. How are you feeling?"

"A little better. Thanks."

"What are you going to do?"

"She wants me to take her with me when I am leaving."

"Are you going to leave?"

"I can't stay here Sasha. You know that. Too many bad memories and I don't want to have anything to do with my family."

"I know that this will be selfish on my part but I miss you. I want my children to meet you. I want you to stay but I know you can't so when you leave take Natalie with you."

"I want to meet your children too."

"This is your home and you shouldn't be running from it."

"This place hasn't been my home for 14 years and I ran because I didn't have a choice."

"I know and I am sorry for being so selfish but I miss my friend."

"I missed you too Sasha."

The door to the chapel opened and Michonne instinctively turned away her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Sasha turned to the door and smile.

"Hello Father Rick. What brings you by today?"

Rick looked at the ladies but his focus lingered abit longer on the woman whose back was turned to him. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Sasha.

"I'm here to give Mr Patterson his last rites. He's dying."

"I heard. They moved him to the east wing, room 10."

Rick was still looking at the woman who hasn't moved or said a word. He looked at Sasha and saw the dampness of her blouse and realized that the woman had been crying on Sasha's shoulders.

"Is she ok?"

"She will be. This is Michonne my best friend. She used to live here. She's just back in town to tie up some business."

Michonne heard when Rick stepped forward and she quickly put on her sunglasses. He stuck out his hand between her and Sasha. She glanced at Sasha who was smiling at her. Michonne shook it not looking up at him.

"Michonne."

"Hi Michonne. I'm Rick. Nice to meet you."

Michonne nodded in reply. Nurse Creed came into the chapel.

"Nurse Ford…your patient is asking for you."

"Thanks!"

Sasha rose to her feet.

"I have to run." She turned to Michonne. "Don't leave town until we have dinner and you meet my children…ok?"

"Ok."

"Father."

Rick nodded to Sasha and watched as she left. When he turned around he was surprised to see that Michonne was already on her feet but her back was still turned towards him.

"I know that Sasha said that you were alright but it doesn't seem like it."

Michonne closed her eyes and slowly sat back down on the chapel pews, burying her face in her hands.

"Michonne?"

Michonne began to tremble as she fought to stave off the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her. Rick saw her struggles and slipped effortlessly in the spot left empty by Sasha and watched her quietly.

"I'm fine…I'm fine." Michonne mumbled.

He didn't know what to do and he didn't want to touch her for fear that she turned out to be like some of the other women in Crystal Savannah…after all Sasha did say she is originally from here. His taking precautions and the powerful urge to comfort her was pulling him in opposite directions but he decided to err on the side of caution.

"If you ever need to talk you can come by the church."

"Ok. Thank you."

He slipped out of the pew and walked towards the door, pausing to stare at her for a minute then quietly closed the door behind him.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rick watched as Mr Patterson passed away peacefully in his sleep two hours after his last rites were performed. The old man talked incessantly and then suddenly stopped saying that he was tired. He closed his eyes and half an hour later he died. Rick left the room and the nurse came in to prepare the body.

As he had no next of kin Mr Patterson left instructions with the hospital that they cremate him. He had also informed Rick that his attorneys will contact him soon about further instructions concerning his Will. Rick was surprised and when he pressed him, Mr Patterson refused to say anything more. After he left the room, Rick next stop was the chapel. He looked inside and was somewhat disappointed to find it empty. Sasha caught him coming out of the chapel.

"She's not there."

"Who?"

Sasha shook her head and turned to see Abe walking towards them. The men greeted each other and Abe kissed his wife passionately. He watched as her eyes follow Rick strolled down the corridor and out of the hospital.

"What's wrong babe?"

"Scandal."