*****Authors Note: So this is a little bit different from my other two stories so far, I hope you will give this a chance as the subject of this story has been on my heart the past week and I couldn't ignore it anymore. I don't know, this could be it, or maybe there will be more, either way, maybe this event just needed to breath a little. I do not own the Characters used in this story, they are the property of their respective parent companies.

Sully knocked on her door. She didn't answer and he knew she was home, so he knocked again. He was annoyed. Waiting downtown, he was supposed to meet Michaela for a drink, but she hadn't showed up after texting him that she would be there soon. So after three hours downtown, and suffering through the advances of a desperately lonely woman looking for a one night stand, he was here at her house. He hoped whatever was left of their friendship wasn't gone, actually he hoped they could find new ground in their relationship, but he needed to confront her first.

She opened the door and with an unenthusiastic tone said, "Hello" and stepped to the side to let him enter. Sully walked a short distance into the entryway and turned, keeping a good distance from her. "Why would you do that Michaela? I've been downtown for hours, you sent me a text saying you would see me in thirty minutes, and then left me there to fight off the advances of a one night stand!" She busied herself and replied, "I just didn't feel good Sully, I'm sorry." He felt guilty for being angry, maybe she really didn't feel good. He looked at her with concern, " Are you ok, are you sick?" For a minute he was contemplating the worry he had for her health, but when she answered, he knew that her dismissal had been somewhat selfish. "I just didn't want to go out, and I didn't want to go downtown," she managed to say. Sully was furious on the inside, "So you just left me there!" Michaela sighed with exasperation. Sully noticed her annoyance. "Well, I'm sorry common decency is a problem here," he looked at her and she was starting to withdraw further into herself. "What's this really about? What are you running from?" Sully didn't give her time to answer because he knew there would be no answer. She was avoiding the answer. "This is about David, isn't it?" Michaela's eyes dropped, "Sully I can't help but be sad about him, I watched him die in that terrible accident." She wanted to cry but she held her tears. Sully wanted her to feel his pain,"Don't you think I miss him too, I had just had dinner with him, and I told him he had better hurry up and get to work, don't you think I feel guilty too! If I hadn't said anything…..if I hadn't said anything, he would still be here."

David had been Sully's best friend, David was in love with Michaela, and for that reason Sully had always kept his distance even though he felt a connection with her, and wanted to be closer than just friends. Michaela went on a rant to try and appease him. As she talked and mentioned the accident, she recounted the evening that David had rushed to the hospital wanting to get in the parking garage as quickly as possible so he wouldn't be too late. He had taken a chance that the light would be green on a street he rarely used. But he had gotten trapped behind a slow driver, and as the light turned yellow he knew he would be stopping and the motorist in front of him would just be making it through. Frustrated, he remained calm, and he looked at the clock in his car, he was going to make it in time, but it would be close. Unfortunately, when the light changed to green again he hit the gas hard and without noticing the car that sped through the intersection, he was T-boned and died instantly. Michaela had been walking quickly out to her car to retrieve some paperwork she had left. She had a presentation today and had arrived early. When she saw him at the red light, she decided to stick around for a minute to walk back into the hospital with him. As he started across the intersection, and the other car did not stop, she could only watch in helpless horror as the events of his death happened right before her eyes. When the car settled from being thrown by the impact, she ran to his car and upon getting past his grim state, she tried to find a pulse, but there was no pulse to be found. He was gone.

Sully could tell she was reliving the events of that tragic day in her mind. Unfortunately, being scheduled for a business trip overseas, Sully had turned off his phone at the airport after having dinner with David. It was only after a twelve hour flight into Germany that he realized his best friend was dead, information no one should learn from a Facebook post. And because he knew that David often picked Michaela up, he was desperate to find out if she had also been in the car. He tried calling her but there was no answer. He later learned that Michaela had dropped her phone when the wreck occurred and it had left her without one for a few days while she withdrew into an almost reclusive state of living. The hospital was short staffed but because they knew it was a great tragedy for her, they offered to let her have time away. Michaela had denied the time off and as usual, she had tried to work through her anguish. She was using the activity to put everything else behind her, even those that were closest to her.

So it was work and home, and work and home for a solid three months now. Everyone was starting to notice how much it had changed her, but she wouldn't take the time to heal. She had blocked all calls except for the hospital. Initially, Sully had tried for a solid two days to contact anyone he could think of that might be able to give an accurate update about what had happened, who had been in the car. He couldn't eat or sleep, but finally he reached his friend Robert. Robert had told him that David was the only one in the car. Sully gasped and drew in a deep breath, he was so torn between his emotions. How was it possible to feel happy that Michaela was alive when David was dead? He felt guilty, he didn't know what to do. And why had she ignored him? Finally, he had received an email after he had expressed his sorrow for her loss, hoping she might respond if they didn't actually speak over the phone. It was brief but she explained that her phone had been broken and that she had waited a few days for a replacement. She said she was busy with work and that had kept her going.

Sully knew that wasn't a good sign, she often prioritized work above all other things and not that he didn't appreciate a healthy dedication to professionalism, but he knew she was going to go too far to mask her pain. He had finished his work ahead of schedule and managed to leave Germany early. He saw her briefly when he arrived but not much after, and that's why he had arranged for them to meet downtown. So as he stood there listening to her talk, all he could think of was how terrible this must be for her and his heart was broken that he didn't have all the answers she needed. And then it struck him, as she recounted the events and her relationship with David, she hadn't said David's name one time, and it was like she was avoiding it, saying certain things that indicated a man she had feelings for but never once actually saying his name. If he had decided to confront how she had been treating him, the decision was strictly made that hearing David's name was his new confrontation. She really was afraid to let his name leave her lips and Sully needed to hear it. This wall that she had built was already much bigger than he had anticipated. So when she mentioned "him" again Sully led her to reiterate the feelings she had just expressed in a different way. Making sure she would have to mention "him" again. It was then that he confirmed what he already knew, she would not speak David's name. Sully stopped her, "Him? I'm sorry Michaela, I don't know who you are talking about?" She looked at Sully and she knew he had just figured out that he was the first to notice that she refused to utter that name. Hurt filled her soul, like she was a child again and someone was taking her favorite pet away. "Him Sully, I'm talking about him." It was the first time Sully had truly stood up to her, not allowing her to have an out. He elevated his voice, "Who's him?!" Sully was desperate, and he stood his ground. She was tearing up before him, "You know who I'm talking about!" She was starting to break, and it hurt him to push her any further but he had to. "Well then say it!" Defiant, she reiterated, "Say what?!" Sully's jaw clenched and he was disgusted with himself for making her say anything more, the heat of his defiance filling him with anger, looking into her eyes with fire in his soul, "He was my friend too. Say his name!" Eyes pleading and piercing the silence, she cried and let the sound of those five letters leave her trembling lips, "David!"

They both stopped, time was frozen in place…..his anger quickly disappeared.

They both stared at each other and Michaela yelled through hurt and anguish, "Get out!" Sully didn't have to hear her say it again, he felt terrible but he wasn't sorry for what he had done. However, he knew he needed to leave, pushing her to this breaking point, and having her break was the most he could hurt her. He knew if she would ever forgive him for forcing her to face this fear, then he needed to do exactly as she said, he needed to give her some control over this situation. He didn't hesitate and he walked straight to the door and left.

Michaela stood there not believing that he had done exactly as she had asked. She thought they would fight, maybe she needed to fight. His earlier defiance had led her to believe he was just angry about being left downtown alone, trying to hurt her. But his willingness to do exactly as she asked made her rethink what he was feeling. David was Sully's friend and up until this night, she had only been processing her feelings, her pain. He was broken when he left her, he must be hurting inside, and she regretted that she had been pushing him away when she should have been holding him near.

Sully walked straight to his truck, got in, and started crying. He wasn't the type of man that cried often but losing his best friend to a tragic death, and his potential loss from putting all his emotions on the line had overwhelmed him. He berated himself, still feeling guilty for pushing so hard, for not letting her escape the anguish. She must be so devastated right now and all he wanted to do was hold her until she felt like her heart wouldn't fall to pieces. Just then his phone made the familiar sound of a new text message, he hadn't expected anything this fast but it was her. She must really hate him right now. He looked at it on the seat and knew this was it. Reaching for it, he was a mess, expecting to be told off. He unlocked the screen and read the text, "I'm sorry."

Just like that she had accepted what he had done for her, and she now saw the pain he had in his own heart. Realizing they needed to be apart for now, he texted her back, "I'm sorry too, I'm not angry with you, and I hope you can forgive me, we can talk later." Sully started his truck and drove home.