A/N: This chapter is longer than the others I've written so far (including the next chapter). So this kind of feels like a proper one-shot (hopefully that makes sense).
This is dedicated to Rockgirl23, who will hopefully get a kick out of this scenario.
Kiss 3: A breathy demand: "Kiss me" - and what the other person does to respond.
Brian rushed through the hospital corridor to Jackie's room.
This had not been how he had envisioned today going. It was supposed to be her day off from work. Unfortunately, his day had been mapped out with work-related things. But they had planned to meet up later.
Until he'd gotten a call from Jackie's station informing him that she'd been involved in a car accident. They hadn't known much about her condition, just that she was alive.
Which made him nervous as hell.
As he approached his destination he slowed down and took a breath. There was no one except the hospital staff going about their day, no one to reassure him that she was fine. He decided to look at the window to get a glimpse of her.
And maybe to prepare himself for what he might find.
As soon as his eyes inspected the glass, he saw her. He stared blankly at the image before him as relief – and uneasiness flooded him.
Apart from a few cuts and bruises Jackie looked fine. What concerned him, however, was the man comforting her.
It wasn't a total surprise to find Mike Jardine there; the two had been close friends for years. What he hadn't expected was to witness a sort of intimacy between them. Nothing untoward, but he couldn't help but feel like an intruder looking in, yet he couldn't bring himself to look away.
Mike had his hand in hers, his thumb unconsciously brushing her skin. The smile they shared was soft, tinged with relief on Mike's part.
As he looked on, questions formed in his mind. Had Jackie ever smiled at him like that? Was she wondering where he was right now, was she even thinking of him?
If this was another man Brian might have entered the room in a rage, but he knew Mike had strong morals; he would never cross that line.
As for Jackie…he trusted her – for the most part.
The longer he watched them the more disturbed he became, neither had even noticed him, too caught up in this quiet moment. Realisation dawned on him as he acknowledged the most important person in Jackie's life.
And it wasn't him.
Maybe Brian never would be.
He took a deep breath; he couldn't watch this any longer
The sound of him opening the door announced his arrival.
Jackie turned away from Michael, slightly startled to find him there. "Hi," she smiled. "How did you know I was here?"
"Your station called me." He stepped closer to her, just as Michael moved back. "I thought it was your day off today."
"It was, but I was fed up, so I decided to run some errands."
Brian smiled in spite of himself, she always liked to be kept busy.
"I can give you a moment alone if you like," Michael suggested.
"Thanks," Brian said politely.
He tried to ignore the small smiles of understanding before Mike left the room, but it just added to his mood.
"So, what happened?"
He listened with interest, it seemed she was lucky, aside from some cuts and bruises she was relatively unscathed. Thankfully she was okay.
"What's Mike doing here?" he asked once she'd recounted the accident.
"I called him."
And there it is, thought Brian as he wallowed in his oncoming dismay. She hadn't bothered to phone him herself, but she had no problem with calling Mike.
Seeing his disappointment, she explained, "It was a gut instinct, Brian. I'm so used to going to Michael whenever I need someone, he's always been a good friend to me."
"Well, I'm here now," he smiled, but it lacked real warmth. "What use would I be if I didn't support you?" The last part sounded hollow to his ears. But if Jackie picked up on it, she didn't show it.
It wasn't long until Mike left the hospital, which cheered him up slightly. But Brian couldn't shake the image of him comforting his girlfriend out of his mind.
It wouldn't be long until he had words with Jackie on the subject.
It wasn't a surprise when Jackie had declined Michael's offer of taking some leave. But despite her protests, she had seemed a little out of sorts the past couple of days.
It concerned him.
That was how he found himself at her door. But not before ensuring that she wasn't busy. The last thing he wanted was to intrude, especially if Brian was present.
"Hi," she smiled before letting him in.
"Hey," he said before he removed his jacket, hanging it on a nearby hook.
"So, what did you want to see me about?" she asked once they entered the living room.
"I just thought I'd check up on you, after everything that's happened."
"I'm okay, apart from the cuts and bruises," she smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"That's good." He continued cautiously, "You've just not seemed yourself. Is there something else bothering you?"
Jackie sighed. "Brian and I broke up."
His face fell, "I'm sorry, Jackie."
"It's fine." She sat on the couch. "It was a mutual decision." Michael joined her on the couch before she continued, "He gave me several reasons why it wouldn't work out…I couldn't disagree."
"What were the reasons?"
The only answer he received was silence. Her face turned away from him, it was almost like she'd forgotten he was there.
"I'm sorry, that's none of my business."
She turned to face him. "It's okay, I probably should tell you the truth. I'm just not sure how to say it."
A bemused expression crossed his face. "You know you can tell me anything."
She nodded before they shared a look, his stare reinforcing his words.
"Well, the first thing that Brian didn't like was seeing you at the hospital."
"Seriously?" he scoffed.
"That was my reaction too, but he had a point. When the other car crashed into mine, my first thought was of you. I didn't want anyone else. I tried to tell myself it was instinctive because we've been friends for so long. But that's not really true."
Michael scooted closer to her, just outside of her personal space.
She continued, "In the end, we both realised that Brian would never be number one in my life. Not when that spot has always been reserved for you."
"Jackie…" he trailed off, words failing him.
"Look, I understand if you don't feel the same." She dropped her eyes, "And we can forget about this if you—"
His hand cupped her cheek, stopping her from saying anything more.
"Do you really think I don't feel the same?" he finally spoke.
"I don't know," she admitted. "You haven't exactly been vocal in your feelings."
Guilt struck him as he considered her words. There had been so many opportunities where he could have told her how he felt. His reasons had been honourable – to him.
But as he stared at her, he realised he had only cost them precious time.
"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to risk losing you. You mean so much to me that I don't know what I'd do without you."
Her smile warmed his heart. His thumb stroked her cheek as he spoke again.
"And if you let me, I'll do anything that I can to make up for the time we've lost."
"I can think of one thing."
"What's that?"
She looked deep into his eyes while he held his breath, knowing what her next words were likely to be.
"Kiss me," she breathed.
He gave a small nod before he carefully found his lips with hers. It started softly, but it didn't take long for the kiss to deepen, growing increasingly desperate as their feelings consumed them.
A couple of days ago, he could have lost her to a car crash, and he had almost lost her to Brian. His kisses showed her just how much he had longed for her, and it felt wonderful.
Before long, Jackie was crushed to the corner of the couch, Michael planting several kisses on her neck. In his mind, he knew he should stop, take things slow, her breakup with Brian was very recent. But with her soft moans and caresses, it was becoming harder not to lose himself in her.
Somehow, a thought entered his mind, giving him the strength to pull away from her.
"I'm not hurting you, am I?"
She laughed softly. "Trust me, you'd know."
He smiled in relief.
"Stay?" she whispered.
Michael smiled at her tenderly, "Always."