Once again, thank you so much for the reviews - you guys rock!

Surprisingly, Tony was the first to wake. It took a long time for everything that had happened to register. They were still in the same position they had fallen asleep in. It had been a warm night and the covers were down by their feet and as a result of Tony's hands around her waist, Michelle's t-shirt had ridden up her body. Tony stared at her stomach and delicate frame in his boxer shorts and top. He thought she was absolutely beautiful. He would have been happy to watch her all day but he desperately needed the bathroom. He tried to be as gentle as possible as he slid out of her arms and off the bed. She stirred slightly but then seemed to fall back asleep.

When he was in the bathroom he heard Michelle's phone ringing, she caught it after the 3rd ring. He stepped back into the bedroom to see Michelle sitting up in his bed talking.

"Yes this is Michelle Dessler….is he ok? No…no…I'll be there, I can't be there until later on today but I'll be there….thank you."

She hung up her phone and sat staring at it. Tony cleared his throat and made his way over to her. "Michelle, is everything ok?"

She looked at Tony briefly but quickly looked down again. "Umm, I need to go. I'm sorry but I really need to go."

"Michelle, what is it? What's going on?"

Michelle jumped out of his bed and started to find her clothes. "I have to go….where are my pants? Shit…oh shit."

Tony put his hand on her arm to make her stand still. Finally she looked at up at him and he could see that her eyes were watery and her bottom lip was quivering almost out of control. He couldn't believe how much it hurt to see her this way. "Michelle…"

As soon as she heard him say her name she had to look away and try and concentrate on gathering her things. His voice was so soothing and his eyes were studying her looking for answers. She didn't want to cry, if she started she might not be able to stop. He was waiting for an answer, but she wasn't sure how to give him one without completely losing it. "I have to change…"

She tried to step forward but Tony grabbed her hand and placed his other one firmly on her cheek. "Look at me." He demanded.

Tony's tone of voice had taken Michelle by surprise and she automatically did as he asked. Once she was looking him directly in the eyes he gently traced his thumb on her cheek as he spoke softly this time. "What is wrong?"

"That was the hospital, my dad has had a heart attack."

Tony pulled her body into his and hugged her tightly. He kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry. What did they say? Where is he?"

Michelle gripped on to Tony's bare chest and pushed her eyes into him hoping to stop the tears. She had to be strong right now and she wasn't prepared to let herself fall apart, for her father's sake as well as Tony's – she didn't want him to see her like that. His warmth felt so good but she only allowed herself to be comforted by it for a moment before she pulled back. "He is in Chicago, and I'm the only one he has got."

Tony was trying to keep her close but she was making it difficult for him. "What about Danny…or your mom?"

Michelle shook her head. "You saw him yesterday, he is not in any condition to be there for Dad. And mum and dad split up years ago. I just need to be there for him Tony."

"I understand Michelle, but you need to take a moment to calm down first."

Michelle looked almost insulted. Couldn't he tell how hard she was working at being as calm as she was? All she wanted to do was become hysterical but so far she had managed to keep that suppressed. "I'm fine Tony. I just need to get home so I can pack some things and organise a flight."

Tony didn't believe her for a second but he knew Michelle enough to know it was better to follow her lead. He would just make sure he was there when she was ready to allow herself to be upset. "Alright then, I'll drive you to your place and help you get organised."

That seemed to settle Michelle a little bit. "Thanks Tony." She went into his bathroom to change. When she came out Tony was packing a bag of his own and on his telephone to the airlines. Michelle listened in shock as he booked 2 seats on the next flight out. When he hung up the phone Michelle struggled to find her voice. "What are you doing?"

"What? You don't think I'd let you go on your own do you?"

"But Tony, I'd never expect you to do that for me. What about work? I'll be fine…really."

Tony stopped shoving things into his bag and took Michelle's hand. "This isn't up for discussion Michelle, I am coming with you. I won't get in your way, I promise – I am just going to be there when you need me."

Finally Michelle's face relaxed a little and a tiny smile appeared. "Have you always been this bossy?"

Tony kissed her forehead and pulled her in for a hug. He couldn't help but smile too. "Yes. Now grab your shoes and let's go to your place, we don't have a lot of time."

By the time they arrived in Chicago it was after dinner. Michelle wanted to go straight to the hospital before they did anything else. Tony hailed them a cab and held Michelle's hand as they were driven to the hospital. He was really worried about her, she had been so quiet all day and hadn't eaten a thing he was sure since last night. He hadn't pushed her to talk at all, he had just watched her carefully and used every opportunity possible to make sure she realised he was there for her. Twice he had thought she was finally ready to surrender to her feelings but then she surprised him by taking a quick hug from him and then trudging forward again.

They hadn't discussed the night before at all and Tony desperately wanted to address it but he didn't feel the timing was appropriate right now. He had a clear memory of everything that had happened last night and he wanted to thank her for everything she had done. He wanted to apologise for being so forward with her and at the same time he wanted her to know how amazing it had been to spend the night with her. Waking up with her in his arms had truly been the most perfect thing he could have hoped for.

Before she knew it, they were standing outside her father's room. When Michelle hesitated, Tony put his arm around her. "Do you want to go in by yourself? I will wait right here for you."

"Will you come with me?"

Tony gave her an assuring smile. "Of course I will." He took her hand and began to lead her into the room. "We will do this together…ok?"

Michelle almost lost her breath in shock of seeing her father covered in tubes. His eyes were closed and if it weren't for the machines attached to him you wouldn't be able to tell whether he was even breathing or not. She stood staring at him willing her feet to move. She wanted to hug him but that seemed impossible with all of the tubes.

Tony's voice snapped her out of her trance. "It's ok Michelle, everything you see is helping him." He gripped her hand tightly and led her to the chair next to the bed. He sat next to her with a comforting hand running across her shoulders.

Her father's doctor entered the room and immediately took position on the other side of the bed. "I'm John Desslers doctor, Steve Carson."

Tony stood and shook his hand. "Dr. Carson, I am Tony Almeida and this is John's daughter Michelle."

After the pleasantries were aside, Dr. Carson explained to Tony and Michelle her father's condition. He had suffered a moderate heart attack and may require by-pass surgery but they were waiting to see how he settled first. He was stable and just sleeping the drugs and trauma off right now. By tomorrow he would be a lot more alert.

Tony could see Michelle had begun to relax a little at hearing the doctor's words. Finally she asked what she had wanted to know all day. "So he is going to be ok?"

"Yes. A change in lifestyle is on the table now, he will need to be a lot more conscious of how he takes care of himself but over-all he should recover from this quite nicely. Of course we will have to see how he goes over the next 24 hours regarding by-pass surgery."

Michelle took a huge breath of air and thanked the doctor. After spending the entire day bracing herself for the news that she might lose her father it was hard to know what to do with the relief she felt.

After the doctor left Michelle finally took her fathers hand and held it tightly. Tony decided to give her a couple minutes and so he told her he would just be outside the door where he would book them a hotel for the next couple nights. Michelle thanked him profusely as he made his way out of the room.

Before he dialled Tony leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Hearing that Michelle's father was going to be ok was the biggest weight off his shoulders. It had been ripping him up inside seeing Michelle like this all day and the thought of the news being any worse had scared the hell out of Tony. It dawned on him that Michelle's happiness was about the only thing that mattered. He didn't think twice about booking only one room for the both of them. He found a place only a few minutes away. Once he was done with that he placed another call to CTU. He had spent a long time today trying to decide how to explain both his and Michelle's absence from work for the next few days. There wasn't a lot he could say except for the truth, besides he had decided flying somewhere over the middle of the country that his relationship with Michelle was more important than anything work would say about the matter. Once on the line with Chappelle he launched into his explanation straight away. Without going into detailed he explained that Michelle needed a few days break and he wanted to be with her. Although not to happy with the situation Chappelle knew he couldn't say much because they were both owed so many days relief anyway.

Relieved things had gone relatively smoothly with Chappelle, Tony made his way back to Michelle. She stood up as he entered the room.

"The nurse said he won't wake up tonight and it would be best if we come back in the morning."

Tony nodded his head as Michelle slid her arms around his waist. "I booked us a room nearby. We should go back and get you something to eat."

Michelle reached up and kissed Tony softly on the lips. "I can't thank you enough. I don't know what I would have done without you."

Michelle didn't even bat an eye-lid when she learned Tony had booked them one room to share. The thought of going without him even for a little while didn't feel like an option right now. He had been everything she had needed all day.

She decided what she needed was a shower. She turned the water on and as she began to undress she finally let herself think about the last couple of days. Between everything at work and now her father she felt overwhelmed by her emotions. She had kept herself together all day which she was surprised at. She knew it was because Tony was giving her any strength she didn't have. No one had ever been as good to her as Tony had been today and she wondered how she had ever coped without him.

Her thoughts crossed back to the feeling she had experienced while waiting to see her father. She had always been very close to her dad and thinking about him lying in the hospital like that made her heart ache. What would she have done if she had lost him? Without warning tears started to stream down her face and she knew she was useless to stop them this time. A she started to sob for the first time she sat on the floor pulling her knees up under her chin.

Tony was sitting on the end of the bed going over the room service menus when he heard Michelle crying. He jumped to his feet and made a bee line for the bathroom door. He stopped himself seconds before he went flying in, realising that she was showering. What would she think of him just bursting in? But how could he just leave her in there crying to herself – he knew that could be the loneliest feeling in the world. He couldn't stand hearing her sobs anymore, he had to go to her, if she kicked him out – so-be-it but he had to try and be there for her.

"Michelle…" He opened the bathroom door to see her curled up into a little ball sitting in just her panties and t-shirt. With the hot water still running the room was filled with steam – the sight broke Tony's heart. He raced over, turned the water off and gathered her in his arms. "Hey, hey…come here…"

Michelle latched on to Tony drawing his body in as close as possible. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. They way she held on to him made him feel more protective of her than he thought possible. She was finally letting him know that she needed him and that was such a proud feeling. She began to take deep breaths and calm down. Tony stood up bringing her with him.

"God I'm sorry Tony, I didn't mean to…"

He traced her tear-stained cheek with his thumb. "It's about time if you ask me…"

"What?"

"Sweetheart, it is ok to be upset. After everything you have been through, I don't know how you've managed to keep it together this long."

Michelle began wiping her eyes. "I thought I'd feel better if I had a shower, but I guess I just started thinking too much."

Tony ran his hands down the side of her body and rested them on her waist. "I think a shower would do you the world of good."