Title: Faithfully Yours
Title: Faithfully Yours
Author: MichelleBA
Summary: The lives of Tony Almeida and Michelle Dessler, together and apart, through the good and bad.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tony Almeida, Michelle Dessler or any of the other mentioned "24" characters or things. (Lyrics by Enrique Iglesias)
Chapter 38
"You owe me 900," Michelle announced as Gina set her piece down on New York Avenue
"Crap! I suck at Monopoly!" she said.
"Don't feel bad, I'm great at his game" Michelle said.
"So it's not that I suck, its just that you are amazing?"
Michelle smiled "You make me seem so modest"
Gina gave the money to Michelle "Ahh, sarcasm that's why you and Tony get along so well"
Michelle smiled glancing at the clock over Gina's head. "My turn" she said rolling the dice. "Yeah I haven't lost in like years"
"You played with Tony lately?"
"No, he good?"
"Insanely good, your pretty good but I think he could ruin your streak"
Michelle looked up and sat back "oh you think so?"
"He's REALLY good" Gina said rolling the dice.
"We'll see about that," Michelle challenged.
"You might not want to do that if you want to keep your winning record"
"Is that a threat or a challenge?" Michelle asked "Because either way game on!"
Gina laughed, "Ok when?"
"Sunday at Tony's house, when you get home so you can witness it"
"Deal" Gina said shaking her hand.
Michelle glanced up at the clock again "So did you have fun yesterday?"
"Definitely!" Gina said with a huge smile "This has been the best hospital stay ever!"
"I'm glad, I wasn't sure If you were gonna be up for the entire season"
"No it was AWESOME!! I love Grey's Anatomy I could watch it every day!"
"That was a great season, it's funny because I was in the hospital a few months ago when I watched season one and then now I'm in the hospital with you and I watched the second season, I'm watching a show that takes place in a hospital in an actual hospital"
"Don't you love it!"
Michelle laughed. "Yeah it's a great show"
"Tony makes fun of it"
"I know he does" Michelle said "But he's the one who had it on his iPod"
"That's how you started?"
"Yup"
Gina laughed "Can't wait to figure out how to turn that against him"
"Yeah" Michelle glanced at the clock.
"Stop it" Gina said.
"What?"
"You've looked at the clock every 5 minutes for the past three hours"
"Sorry he'll be getting on the plane soon"
Gina turned around to see the clock "Yeah and he should be home in about 9 hours"
Michelle moved her piece "8 hours 39 minutes and" she looked up "46 seconds"
"Geez listen to yourself" Gina said in surprise with a laugh.
"It's pathetic, I know"
"I find it cute"
"I find it slightly obsessive"
"Well I think it's sweet"
Michelle glanced at the clock "Well I think we need to get rid of that clock before I go insane"
Monday night I feel so low
Count the hours they go so slow
I know the sound of your voice
Can save my soul
City lights, streets of gold
Look out my window to the world below
Moves so fast and it feels so cold
And I'm all alone
Don't let me die
I'm losing my mind
Baby just give me a sign
And now that you're gone
I just wanna be with you
And I can't go on
I wanna be with you
Wanna be with you
I can't sleep and I'm up all night
Through these tears I try to smile
I know the touch of your hand
Can save my life
Don't let me down
Come to me now
I got to be with you somehow
Michelle played with her fingers as she watched the flight monitor waiting for Tony's flight to pop up. The time was right on the screen so she checked the time every 30 seconds. "So who you waiting for?" an old man asked her.
At first she didn't realize he was talking to her but then she turned to him "Oh, I'm sorry" she smiled "I'm waiting for my boyfriend"
"You're not married yet?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's just that women like you don't last long when you are 'on the market'"
Michelle laughed, "Who are you waiting for?"
"My son and his family" he said with a proud smile.
"Are they coming to visit?"
"No they're coming home from Florida" he said seeing their flight pop up "Oh, there it is… gate 16" he said as he read the monitor "Well, it was nice talking to you, by the way my name is Patrick"
She shook his hand "Michelle"
He smiled and headed away. Michelle analyzed the conversation in her mind while she checked the time 'that killed 4 minutes'
Just then his flight popped up on the screen. She quickly read 'Gate 3' and headed off. She stood there staring at the doorway that he would come out of. She stared more and checked the time on her phone. Then finally he emerged with one laptop in a bag hanging from his shoulder, a carry-on bag hanging from his arm and in the other hand another laptop. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and slowly dropped all the bags. "Hey sweetie" he said in that voice.
They stayed like that for about half a minute then he pulled back to see her face. A single tear had fallen. "Sorry" she said as he wiped it away.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing" she said picking up on of his laptops.
He picked up the other two bags and they began to walk toward the luggage claim. "Tell me"
She looked up and decided to tell, "Ok, well… it's like you were a good dream"
He smiled signaling for her to continue.
"When you were gone it was like, other than Gina, I was back to being alone… like you had been a dream and I had woken up… just not having you around, but now you're here and when I see you, it's like you're a dream that I had that came true"
He kissed her on the side of the head "I love you so much" he whispered.
"Geez, throughout all my life I've never been this… mushy… you've made me soft Almeida"
"Don't worry I'm feelin the same thing" he chuckled.
"Yeah, but you don't lose sleep over me, or go insane cleaning and re-decorating when I'm not around and you seemed to be able to keep your composure back there"
"Ok, let me tackle one of those at a time" he took a breath "Knock knock"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Knock Knock Michelle you better answer"
Michelle rolled her eyes "Who's there?"
"47" Tony replied
"47 what?"
"Minutes" Tony said, "That's how much sleep I got last night"
Michelle laughed "really?"
"Knock Knock"
Michelle laughed harder "Who's there?"
"Yes"
Michelle continued to try to get her laughter under control as Tony grabbed his two suitcases of the conveyer belt. Michelle took one and Tony took one. "So what's next?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did you stay up all night and re-decorate the hotel room?"
"Even though it really needed it… no" he said "I just spent all my time obsessing over your Christmas present."
Michelle smiled "Hope you like what I got you, you're so hard to shop for"
"Number 3, I'm a man"
"What?"
"The third thing you know the no sleep, redecorating and now the third thing"
"So you don't cry because you're a man?"
He scratched his chin "Yup" he said in a deep macho voice "Ain't much that can bring me to tears"
Tony thought back in his mind…
FLASHBACK
"Michelle?" …She heard something in the distance, it sounded like him, 'keep focusing Michelle someone will be here soon' she told herself. "Michelle?" she heard it again, that wasn't her imagination she felt someone stroking her face she tried to talk "To.." she coughed "Tony" her voice was almost non existent, it was just a small croak.
Tears were forming in his eyes "Hey it's ok I'm here. Hold on I'll get you help" He carefully slid his arm under her back and under her knees and gently lifted her off the ground.
"Wh- Where-?" she tried to say.
"Shh it's ok just stay with me, we're gonna get you help" He carried her down the stairs the medics were loading Kyle into the chopper and were waiting for him, he slowly set her down on a stretcher. They loaded her into the chopper and took off…
………
"He's… I think he's, it's my fault" she couldn't even get out a coherent thought.
"Who? Jay? What did he do?" Tony asked frantically.
At that everything came rushing at her. Her boyfriend who she had trusted so deeply and thought she might love had been cheating on her all along. He never really cared about her; he hurt her- in so many ways. The drinking, the yelling, the cheating…he didn't care about her. He had never loved her, he had lied to her. She trusted him and he stabbed her in the back; her heart ached. All of these realizations, it wasn't the alcohol, it was him, he wanted to hurt me, he meant what he said. These realizations that were rushing at her so fast made her dizzy. "Tony, I …need…to...breath" her whole body was shaking as she took sharp deep breaths.
"Ok, ok listen to my voice Chelle" she listened. "Breathe with me okay"
"Uh…huh"
"Ok don't try to talk, steady, even, breaths." He breathed loud so she could hear and follow along. After about 3 breaths he talked again. "Good job, now close your eyes, and relax." He kept breathing with her until her breaths became more normal "Your doing a great job Chelle. Are you sitting down on the couch?"
"Yeah" she said in a whisper.
"Ok just lay down and close your eyes. Keep breathing with me." They breathed for a minute or two. "Are you falling asleep?"
"Uh huh" she said groggily
"Ok I want you to put your thumb on the 'end call' button, and as soon as you feel yourself drifting off push that button. You don't have to speak, just hit that button, but in the meantime keep breathing with me."
"Okay" she whispered. It only took her another three minutes before Tony heard his phone beep letting him know that she had fallen asleep. His eyes were full of tears, but he refused to let them go. It killed him to know that she was in pain.
He was so glad she hadn't died… 'What if she had?' Tony visualized her funeral this was enough for a tear to fall, but he wiped it away.
END FLASHBACK
Michelle still lightly laughing talking about his manliness "….and nothing can make you cry, like superhero your just tooo tough" with a fake man voice and a huge smile looked up at Tony, who had a single tear rolling down his face. "What's wrong?"
"It's you"
"What?" Michelle said her smile melting.
"Every superhero has a weakness, you're mine" Tony said wiping his tear and blinking away the rest that were in his eyes, he smiled and continued as he held her face "You're the one person that can bring me to tears"