Chapter 19:
That day Mitchie was able to leave the hospital. Peggy and Nate came to pick her up but she insisted on staying with her father which he was very happy about. Nate and Peggy did understand but didn't leave until they've made sure that she didn't need anything whith which they would be able to help.
In the afternoon finally everything was settled but Mitchie didn't allow herself to rest. She looked at her father who insisted she'd stay in bed. "No I won't! I have waited long enough to tell him about her, I am not going to back down now!" Dan knew that this was Mitchie Torres and not Mitchie Arlington, the girl he had got to know the past day. This girl didn't take no as an answer so he gave in: "But I'll drive you!" he insisted.
So 20 minutes later he stopped in front of the Gray's Estate only reluctantly letting his daughter leave with Riley. "Call me if you need a ride back okay!" he called after her, only receiving a weary smile from his daughter.
Shane was standing at the window, saw her getting of Dan's car, helping her daughter to get out of the car. It was hard for him to think of her as his own child. Everytime he thought of her he thought of Mitchie's daughter, just as he had before she had told him. But watching her he again saw how much she resembled him as well. The dark brown hair a combination of his and Mitchie's, the brown eyes with the green sparkles...
'Luckily she resembles Mitchie more than me!' he thought smiling. Then he asked himself what she wanted from him, probably talking, was he in the mood to talk? Not really! He was still starring down at her when he suddenly realized that she was starring back up at him. Immediately he backed away from the window, his heart racing his breath going just like he had run around for a while. How she had looked up at him had reminded him of their first kiss, when she had looked up at him just right before the canou flipped…
Mitchie had not anticipated that reaction but she was obstinately. She had made up her mind and she wouldn't back away. She had promised herself for Riley's sake not to make such stupid mistakes again. She finally had to face him, talk to him, scream at him, she had to be the old Mitchie again...
She took her daughters hand and walked on right to the door where she rang the bell, almost instantly she heard his voice through the door: "Leave Mitchie I don't want to talk to you, if you have something that needs to be said, tell my lawyer!"
Mitchie didn't say a word she just rang the doorbell again, and again, and again… After a while Riley looked up at her mother. "No one's opening why are you ringing the bell so many times?"
Mitchie kept ringing it and looked down at her daughter smiling: "Because I know that Shane's home and I need him to listen to me!" she explained knowing that Shane probably was able to hear her. "And don't you want to hear another story of his?" she asks and the girl starts jumping up and down next to her: "Let me ring the bell too!" she screams exitedly and Mitchie stopped ringing the bell just for a second to pick her daughter up.
Just right when Riley wanted to press the bell button Shane started talking. Riley hesitated realizing it was a story he started to tell. She looked up at her mother: "Mommy he's telling me a story…" she exclaimed happily and Mitchie nodded. "Seems like you have a place in his heart Sweety!" she says, carressing her hair and let her down again. Shane had stopped, hearing them talk: "Do you want me to go on Riley?" he asks and the little girl nodded, causing Mitchie to smile: "What did I tell you about nodding?" she asks and Shane was able to hear a sudden: "YES!"
He had to smile, that little girl certainly was a smart kid. He was sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the door. He didn't care that his housemaid was looking at him strangely and started to tell Riley a story. But it wasn't really a story, it was more like his own life wrapped up into a story…