Sonny was in rare form, silenced by his joy. His son was going to be okay.
Everything that he had done, all the praying, all the wishing, had worked
on some level. Did Damian know just how much Sonny fought with himself to
ensure that the boy lived? Would he even care if he did know?
Damian was still in a state of fuzziness. He knew where he was, he knew who he was, he had a rough idea of what was going on and what had happened, but he was still adjusting to the light and his voice was somewhat softer than it should have been. He was out for almost a day... he didn't know that he had gotten hit that hard. He remembered feeling the slightest amount of pain before he blacked out, obviously his senses were dulling that feeling so that he didn't feel all of it. Now, though, he did. Every time he tried to move his body screamed at him, especially his ribs. Sonny had told him that he had broken a few ribs. So much for that vaunted perfect record of not having a single broken bone in his life. Damian actually hadn't been in the hospital himself for longer than a few hours unless he was there with someone else, his mother or Michael being the two times that stood out in his mind the most. He was extremely tired, the meds that they had him on were breaking his stamina down so that he would force himself to get some rest.
"If you want to get some sleep, if you want me to leave you alone... you just have to ask," Sonny looked at the monitors, he couldn't help himself. Maybe he was dreaming, maybe Damian was still knocked unconscious and his subconscious was just giving him the one thing that he wanted above all else. It was possible, but it wasn't something that he wanted to think about.
"You wouldn't really leave me alone, would you?" Damian asked. "Even if I asked you to, you'd come back in the room when I was asleep."
"What makes you so sure of that?" Sonny knew that his son was right, but he wanted to know regardless.
"Because I know the type of person you are, dad. I know that you take the things that you consider to be a part of you very seriously, and nothing means more to you than your children... which I've got the fortune of being part of."
"Fortune?" Sonny scoffed. "Seeing you like this, seeing you hooked up to a bunch of machines and still fighting for your life makes me realize just how unfortunate being my son is for everyone. This is all my fault."
Damian stretched a feeble and shaking hand out, touching his father's arm, "You couldn't have stopped this from happening."
"If I would have found out that someone was going after my kids and stopped them before it happened, I could have."
"You're going to dwell on this forever, aren't you?" Sonny asked.
"I failed a child, something that I promised myself I would never do. There's a few things that I do not tolerate people doing, and I've done one of them myself. How can I live with myself after realizing just how hypocritical I can be?"
"Dad... you're not perfect," Damian's hand fell. Sonny felt it slide off his arm. "But... even with all of that imperfection... you're still good at being a father."
"You're just trying to make me feel better, aren't you?" Sonny inquired, not believing Damian's claim. A good father would put his children above all else. A good father would always make sure that his children were safe. Sonny had thought he was doing that, but he was realizing that he wasn't doing it as much as he should have been. Damian didn't give him any answers. "Damian?" The calling of his name did nothing to spark a reaction out of the young man. Sonny felt a cold chill run down his spine at the thought that he was going to be coming out of his dream. He looked over and saw that his son was asleep again, but he had clearly moved... the medications that they had Damian on had taken their toll on him and he was still fighting to get his strength back. Sonny felt relief wash over him once more before he walked out, closing the door. He would only be gone for a minute.
Waiting Area-
Michael came back with the distinct marking of cake on his face, evident by the small amount of frosting that was still on the side of his mouth. Carly saw her son and laughed before grabbing a tissue and wiping the edge of his mouth.
"Mommy..."
"You had something on your face, Mr. Man." Carly was being nonchalant. Would Michael understand that she was just acting out on her motherly instincts because seeing Sonny act on his fatherly instincts made her feel somewhat obsolete? Sonny was running circles judging himself, and Carly knew that it was entirely unjustified, but if the situation were any different, if Carly had her child in the same situation, she would be right with Sonny. Even with it being Damian, she still felt the grief, although it was on a slightly different scale. He had hurt himself protecting her child. She had been so mean to Damian that he didn't need to protect Michael. There was no reason for him to be as attached to Michael as he was. But he was, and it was because of that unconditional love that the two shared that Michael was standing there completely healthy in front of her. She knew that if things got any better she would try and be nicer, she would try and show Damian that even though they went through a very rocky start, she was glad that he was around.
"Has there been anything?" Courtney asked her father as she watched Carly tend to Michael.
"No," Mike replied. "Sonny hasn't come back from the room that they took Damian into."
"We should just focus on the positive things, right?" Courtney sat down. "I mean, he's not going to die, he's just got a few broken bones and he's not going to be going through anything that would compromise his life."
"That's right, princess," Mike rubbed her back. "He's going to be fine."
"You're right, Mike," Sonny came around the corner, a noticeable grin on his face.
"Michael?" Mike wasn't entirely sure why Sonny was so positive all of a sudden.
"He woke up." Sonny looked down at Michael, "Hey, buddy, your big brother is going to be okay."
"You promise?" Michael asked.
"He's more worried about you than he is about himself," Sonny said. "You were the first person he called out for..."
"He woke up?" Courtney wondered. "Just like that?"
"I was with him... hoping for something that would show me that he was still alive and I heard him make a sound before he opened his eyes and yelled out for Michael. I think he was just remembering the last moment before he lost consciousness."
"Can I go see him, daddy?" Michael asked.
"He's asleep right now, buddy," Sonny said. "He's still really tired and the medicine that they have him on is making him even more sleepy."
"I'll be quiet," Michael stated. "I won't wake him up, I promise."
"Sonny, he just wants to make sure that everything is going to be all right with his own eyes," Carly gave Sonny those pleading eyes that had worked a few times in the past. She only hoped that the record would stay with her on something that actually mattered.
Sonny gazed at Mike and Courtney. While they remained silent their eyes told Sonny the only thing that he needed to know, they were agreeing with Carly. On the whole, Sonny was also in favor of the idea deep down. "Okay, Michael. But remember, be quiet."
"I will," Michael grabbed Sonny's hand and walked down the hall towards the room.
When they opened the door, Michael saw that Damian was in the bed and he wasn't moving. "Daddy," Michael whispered, "are you sure that he's all right?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Do you think that he knows I'm here?" Michael asked.
"I think he does," Sonny answered. "He said that he knew that I was with him, so he must know that you're with him now."
"I'm afraid..."
"Of what?"
"Losing him."
"That won't happen, Mike," Sonny picked his son up. "I promise you that it won't happen."
"How come it took him so long to wake up?"
"He was really tired," Sonny said. "He needed to sleep in order to be strong enough to wake up."
"But if he slept for so long, shouldn't he be up right now?"
"Well... he's still tired, but he was strong enough to wake up. You know how sometimes you wake up for a minute and then you go back to bed?" Michael nodded. "Well, that's what it's like with your brother. He woke up to let us know that he was okay, but now he's still going to need to get the rest that he needs before he gets well enough to go home with us."
"How long is that going to take?"
"I wish I knew."
"I want him to come home with us right away," Michael said. "Can't you make it so that the doctors won't be mad if we take him home right now?"
"Michael, he still needs to be watched by the doctors here at the hospital. We don't have the equipment that he needs to make himself feel better at the house."
"Can't you buy some?"
"I suppose I could, but the machines don't do the work, the people do," Sonny hadn't thought about the possibility of just taking Damian home and giving him the care that was needed from the penthouse, but when Michael gave him that idea he thought about it and realized that it wouldn't be ideal. Getting his child the proper care was more important than keeping him put away in the penthouse.
"Why did he say my name first?" Michael wondered. "Why didn't he say Maxie's name, or yours?"
"I guess because you were the first person on his mind, Mike," Sonny couldn't really explain it better than he already had. "Like I said, he's still worried about you."
"But I'm not the one in the hospital," Michael continued to look at Damian with an almost idle curiosity. "I'm not the one with the broken ribs."
"Sometimes people can be hurt in more ways than physically. You know how scared you were last night?"
"I could barely sleep..."
"That's because your heart was hurting, and your mind was making you think the worst things that could have happened. I was doing that all night long."
"He was right," Michael muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Sonny asked.
"He told me once, after I had the bad dream and you were out with mommy that everyone has nightmares... you were having some last night, weren't you?"
"Yeah, and they were really scary," Sonny said.
"Daddy?" Michael made the name a question. He had a favor to ask, "Can you leave me alone with him for a little while?"
"What? Why?" Sonny asked.
"Please..."
"Michael..."
"I'll be careful, I swear," Michael looked at Sonny. "You got to spend time with him alone... why can't I?"
"You sure you can handle it?" Sonny asked. "I know you're still scared."
"You said he's going to be all right. I believe you."
Sonny put Michael on the ground, "I'll be waiting outside. When you're ready, open the door, okay?"
Michael smiled, "Thanks, daddy."
"No problem, buddy." Sonny walked out and closed the door. What was Michael planning?
Michael stood on the chair so that he could see what was going on. He grabbed Damian's hand and held it. Damian did the same thing for him when he was in the hospital. He thought it was only fair. Michael would protect his big brother... somehow.
Damian was still in a state of fuzziness. He knew where he was, he knew who he was, he had a rough idea of what was going on and what had happened, but he was still adjusting to the light and his voice was somewhat softer than it should have been. He was out for almost a day... he didn't know that he had gotten hit that hard. He remembered feeling the slightest amount of pain before he blacked out, obviously his senses were dulling that feeling so that he didn't feel all of it. Now, though, he did. Every time he tried to move his body screamed at him, especially his ribs. Sonny had told him that he had broken a few ribs. So much for that vaunted perfect record of not having a single broken bone in his life. Damian actually hadn't been in the hospital himself for longer than a few hours unless he was there with someone else, his mother or Michael being the two times that stood out in his mind the most. He was extremely tired, the meds that they had him on were breaking his stamina down so that he would force himself to get some rest.
"If you want to get some sleep, if you want me to leave you alone... you just have to ask," Sonny looked at the monitors, he couldn't help himself. Maybe he was dreaming, maybe Damian was still knocked unconscious and his subconscious was just giving him the one thing that he wanted above all else. It was possible, but it wasn't something that he wanted to think about.
"You wouldn't really leave me alone, would you?" Damian asked. "Even if I asked you to, you'd come back in the room when I was asleep."
"What makes you so sure of that?" Sonny knew that his son was right, but he wanted to know regardless.
"Because I know the type of person you are, dad. I know that you take the things that you consider to be a part of you very seriously, and nothing means more to you than your children... which I've got the fortune of being part of."
"Fortune?" Sonny scoffed. "Seeing you like this, seeing you hooked up to a bunch of machines and still fighting for your life makes me realize just how unfortunate being my son is for everyone. This is all my fault."
Damian stretched a feeble and shaking hand out, touching his father's arm, "You couldn't have stopped this from happening."
"If I would have found out that someone was going after my kids and stopped them before it happened, I could have."
"You're going to dwell on this forever, aren't you?" Sonny asked.
"I failed a child, something that I promised myself I would never do. There's a few things that I do not tolerate people doing, and I've done one of them myself. How can I live with myself after realizing just how hypocritical I can be?"
"Dad... you're not perfect," Damian's hand fell. Sonny felt it slide off his arm. "But... even with all of that imperfection... you're still good at being a father."
"You're just trying to make me feel better, aren't you?" Sonny inquired, not believing Damian's claim. A good father would put his children above all else. A good father would always make sure that his children were safe. Sonny had thought he was doing that, but he was realizing that he wasn't doing it as much as he should have been. Damian didn't give him any answers. "Damian?" The calling of his name did nothing to spark a reaction out of the young man. Sonny felt a cold chill run down his spine at the thought that he was going to be coming out of his dream. He looked over and saw that his son was asleep again, but he had clearly moved... the medications that they had Damian on had taken their toll on him and he was still fighting to get his strength back. Sonny felt relief wash over him once more before he walked out, closing the door. He would only be gone for a minute.
Waiting Area-
Michael came back with the distinct marking of cake on his face, evident by the small amount of frosting that was still on the side of his mouth. Carly saw her son and laughed before grabbing a tissue and wiping the edge of his mouth.
"Mommy..."
"You had something on your face, Mr. Man." Carly was being nonchalant. Would Michael understand that she was just acting out on her motherly instincts because seeing Sonny act on his fatherly instincts made her feel somewhat obsolete? Sonny was running circles judging himself, and Carly knew that it was entirely unjustified, but if the situation were any different, if Carly had her child in the same situation, she would be right with Sonny. Even with it being Damian, she still felt the grief, although it was on a slightly different scale. He had hurt himself protecting her child. She had been so mean to Damian that he didn't need to protect Michael. There was no reason for him to be as attached to Michael as he was. But he was, and it was because of that unconditional love that the two shared that Michael was standing there completely healthy in front of her. She knew that if things got any better she would try and be nicer, she would try and show Damian that even though they went through a very rocky start, she was glad that he was around.
"Has there been anything?" Courtney asked her father as she watched Carly tend to Michael.
"No," Mike replied. "Sonny hasn't come back from the room that they took Damian into."
"We should just focus on the positive things, right?" Courtney sat down. "I mean, he's not going to die, he's just got a few broken bones and he's not going to be going through anything that would compromise his life."
"That's right, princess," Mike rubbed her back. "He's going to be fine."
"You're right, Mike," Sonny came around the corner, a noticeable grin on his face.
"Michael?" Mike wasn't entirely sure why Sonny was so positive all of a sudden.
"He woke up." Sonny looked down at Michael, "Hey, buddy, your big brother is going to be okay."
"You promise?" Michael asked.
"He's more worried about you than he is about himself," Sonny said. "You were the first person he called out for..."
"He woke up?" Courtney wondered. "Just like that?"
"I was with him... hoping for something that would show me that he was still alive and I heard him make a sound before he opened his eyes and yelled out for Michael. I think he was just remembering the last moment before he lost consciousness."
"Can I go see him, daddy?" Michael asked.
"He's asleep right now, buddy," Sonny said. "He's still really tired and the medicine that they have him on is making him even more sleepy."
"I'll be quiet," Michael stated. "I won't wake him up, I promise."
"Sonny, he just wants to make sure that everything is going to be all right with his own eyes," Carly gave Sonny those pleading eyes that had worked a few times in the past. She only hoped that the record would stay with her on something that actually mattered.
Sonny gazed at Mike and Courtney. While they remained silent their eyes told Sonny the only thing that he needed to know, they were agreeing with Carly. On the whole, Sonny was also in favor of the idea deep down. "Okay, Michael. But remember, be quiet."
"I will," Michael grabbed Sonny's hand and walked down the hall towards the room.
When they opened the door, Michael saw that Damian was in the bed and he wasn't moving. "Daddy," Michael whispered, "are you sure that he's all right?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Do you think that he knows I'm here?" Michael asked.
"I think he does," Sonny answered. "He said that he knew that I was with him, so he must know that you're with him now."
"I'm afraid..."
"Of what?"
"Losing him."
"That won't happen, Mike," Sonny picked his son up. "I promise you that it won't happen."
"How come it took him so long to wake up?"
"He was really tired," Sonny said. "He needed to sleep in order to be strong enough to wake up."
"But if he slept for so long, shouldn't he be up right now?"
"Well... he's still tired, but he was strong enough to wake up. You know how sometimes you wake up for a minute and then you go back to bed?" Michael nodded. "Well, that's what it's like with your brother. He woke up to let us know that he was okay, but now he's still going to need to get the rest that he needs before he gets well enough to go home with us."
"How long is that going to take?"
"I wish I knew."
"I want him to come home with us right away," Michael said. "Can't you make it so that the doctors won't be mad if we take him home right now?"
"Michael, he still needs to be watched by the doctors here at the hospital. We don't have the equipment that he needs to make himself feel better at the house."
"Can't you buy some?"
"I suppose I could, but the machines don't do the work, the people do," Sonny hadn't thought about the possibility of just taking Damian home and giving him the care that was needed from the penthouse, but when Michael gave him that idea he thought about it and realized that it wouldn't be ideal. Getting his child the proper care was more important than keeping him put away in the penthouse.
"Why did he say my name first?" Michael wondered. "Why didn't he say Maxie's name, or yours?"
"I guess because you were the first person on his mind, Mike," Sonny couldn't really explain it better than he already had. "Like I said, he's still worried about you."
"But I'm not the one in the hospital," Michael continued to look at Damian with an almost idle curiosity. "I'm not the one with the broken ribs."
"Sometimes people can be hurt in more ways than physically. You know how scared you were last night?"
"I could barely sleep..."
"That's because your heart was hurting, and your mind was making you think the worst things that could have happened. I was doing that all night long."
"He was right," Michael muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Sonny asked.
"He told me once, after I had the bad dream and you were out with mommy that everyone has nightmares... you were having some last night, weren't you?"
"Yeah, and they were really scary," Sonny said.
"Daddy?" Michael made the name a question. He had a favor to ask, "Can you leave me alone with him for a little while?"
"What? Why?" Sonny asked.
"Please..."
"Michael..."
"I'll be careful, I swear," Michael looked at Sonny. "You got to spend time with him alone... why can't I?"
"You sure you can handle it?" Sonny asked. "I know you're still scared."
"You said he's going to be all right. I believe you."
Sonny put Michael on the ground, "I'll be waiting outside. When you're ready, open the door, okay?"
Michael smiled, "Thanks, daddy."
"No problem, buddy." Sonny walked out and closed the door. What was Michael planning?
Michael stood on the chair so that he could see what was going on. He grabbed Damian's hand and held it. Damian did the same thing for him when he was in the hospital. He thought it was only fair. Michael would protect his big brother... somehow.