Chapter 14: Anything for You
Carla padded into the living room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She spotted Michelle at the dinner table, elbows resting on the white surface, fingers knotted through her hair. Her eyes were red; dark circles splayed beneath her bottom lashes. Her phone laid beside her; the case flipped open so the screen was visible. It was clear she hadn't slept.
"Morning…" Carla offered her a gentle smile, creeping round the table to stroke a hand down the back of her head. Her hair was knotted beneath her fingers, unkempt after hours of stress and anxiety. "Any news?"
Michelle shook her head, biting her lip. She'd been sat by the phone for hours, waiting for a call from somebody. Anybody. She didn't care who it was, as long as they could tell her Vicky was safe. The silence had been driving her crazy.
"I'll go and pick Sonny up in a bit." Carla offered, heading back towards the kitchen and flicking the switch of the kettle. "Jenny text, apparently he didn't sleep well; kept Johnny up half the night. I said it'll be because he's out of his routine, what with everything going on. Did Tyler come home?"
Michelle glanced up, taking a moment to process the question.
"Yeah, he got in about five." She released, slowly; dazed from exhaustion and worry. "He's crashed out in his room. Apparently, his boss has given him as much time off as he needs. Paid and everything." She finished, her voice tired and croaky.
"Well, that's very generous of him. It was nice of him to help with the search as well, wasn't it?"
"Mmhmm." She nodded her reply.
Michelle jumped sharply as the screen beside her flashed into life, her ringtone blaring out from the tinny speakers. Carla looked up hopefully as she snatched the phone from the table, heart thumping in her chest.
Mum Calling.
Michelle let out an audible groan as she read the words on the screen. She rejected the call, slamming the phone back onto the table as she paced towards the kitchen. Carla shot her a questioning look as she poured boiling liquid into one of the mugs laid out on the counter before her.
"My mum…" Michelle sighed, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. She accepted the mug from Carla, taking a sip of the steaming coffee and wondering how much more caffeine her body could ingest before finally relenting and giving in to sleep.
"Shouldn't you at least keep her updated?" Carla suggested. She could see how torn up her best friend was and wanted nothing more than for her to share the burden. Michelle shook her head.
"What if someone tries to call with news and they can't get through?" She pointed out. Carla let out a sigh.
"The police could already be out looking, babe-"
"No," Michelle shook her head, "they'd have let me know."
The phone buzzed once more on the table; the ringtone piercing the air.
"God, can she not take a hint?" Michelle snapped. Carla let out an empathetic sigh, crossing the room and scooping up the phone from where it laid face down on the table.
"Erm, Chelle…" She breathed, holding out the phone towards the younger brunette.
Michelle's heartrate doubled as her eyes flashed to the screen.
Unknown Number Calling.
She gasped, snatching the device from Carla's hand and holding it up to her ear.
"Hello?" She asked, urgently; the desperation in her voice clear. Carla brought her hands up to cover her mouth; her teeth nervously biting down on the nail of her thumb. The breath she was holding burnt her lungs. She let it out as Michelle collapsed in a flurry of relieved tears. She stumbled forwards to catch her, easing the phone out of her hand to continue the conversation with whoever was on the other end of the line.
"Yes... Yes. Weatherfield General? Okay, thank you. Yes, she'll be right there."
Michelle's eyes widened as her stomach dropped once more.
"Weatherfield General?" She repeated, quietly. Carla's arms wrapped tightly around her once more.
"It'll just be a precaution. I'm sure she's absolutely fine. Come on, let's get you a cab."
The strong scent of disinfectant and white washed walls, combined with the stress and exhaustion, made Michelle's head spin. Her knee bounced up and down uncontrollably as she sat alone in the family room, feeling numb. She had no idea how long she'd been waiting. The game show that had been playing out on the small television screen as she'd arrived had long since ended, replaced instead by the lunchtime news. She wasn't paying it any attention; her eyes focused solely on the floor.
She thought the fear would have subsided by now. Vicky was safe; that, she knew. But still, she was frightened. What of, exactly, she couldn't be sure. Perhaps she was scared of the state she'd find her in. Or maybe she worried about what to say to her. Terrified that she would fall to pieces when all Vicky needed was for her to be strong. It was probably a combination of all that and more.
She'd been over and over how she should act when she saw her; reading countless articles through the night as she waited on the edge of her seat, desperate for news; skimming through the leaflet the nurse had given her as they'd led her down the corridor, until it fell apart in her hands. She couldn't help but remember her own experience, being locked up by Will. How terrified she'd been throughout the whole rescue process, not knowing what had happened, or who she could trust. The trauma of the questioning and examinations, when all she wanted was to be at home, safe.
She took a deep breath, a physical pain in her heart as she thought of Vicky experiencing those same emotions. It had taken so much longer to find her, and Michelle dreaded to think what she had gone through.
Her head snapped towards the door as it creaked open, a tired looking doctor poking her head around the wooden frame.
Michelle felt as though her body was moving of its own accord as she scooped up the bag from beside her feet and followed the woman along the corridor. She felt dizzy, emotion flooding over her as she placed one foot in front of the other.
"She's been asking to see you." The doctor smiled warmly, as she placed a hand on the door handle, before rapping her knuckles lightly on the wood. "Vicky? You have a visitor…"
The doctor stood aside and allowed Michelle to step into the room. Despite her overwhelming urge to lunge forwards and hold Vicky tight, she refrained.
She offered a watery smile to the woman sat in the bed; limp, unbrushed curls resting against the patterned material of a hospital gown. Her stomach tensed at the sight of her, pale and worn out, but smiling brightly in her direction.
"Hey…" Michelle said, quietly; blinking away the stray tears that were threatening to fall.
"Hey yourself…" Vicky whispered in return, holding out her arms and beckoning the older woman towards her. Michelle crept closer, allowing Vicky to pull her down onto the bed and wrap her into a tight hug. "I've missed you so much."
Michelle couldn't help the tear that slid from the corner of her eye then. She relaxed into Vicky's hold; her own arms wrapped tightly around the younger woman's torso. She took a breath, inhaling the faint scent of perfume that still lingered on Vicky's neck. She couldn't find the words to say to her. She'd run over and over it in her head as she'd waited, but now the time had come, she just couldn't put into words everything she wanted to say.
"Where's Sonny?" Vicky asked, prompting Michelle to pull away and take her hand instead.
"He's at home with Carla. Tyler's there too. They can't wait to see you." Michelle smiled, before suddenly backtracking. "Unless you're not ready. I can call and send them round to the pub until you're settled again, or-"
"Michelle, stop fretting. I just want everything to be normal. I want you and the boys and a nice meal and… Just for everything to be how it was."
Michelle nodded, wiping her tears away on the sleeve of her jumper.
"I brought you some things. Just clothes and your toothbrush and stuff. They said they'd taken everything you had for testing, so I figured…"
"Thank you." Vicky said, quietly. Michelle stared at her, taking in every contour of her face, each tiny freckle, deciding that she never wanted to let her out of her sight again. "I'm so sorry, Chelle…"
Michelle's brow creased, a pain settling in her chest once more.
"You don't need to apologise!" She urged, squeezing her hand lightly. "You haven't done anything wrong."
Vicky sighed, averting her eyeline to the wall opposite. She knew Michelle would want her to be open; not bottle up her feelings and deal with them alone. But she also knew that she couldn't bear putting Michelle through that. Not when she already held so much guilt about going along with Gary's plan in the first place. She had regretted it from the moment she'd woken up, alone and afraid, with barely any recollection of the night before, and she was sure she'd continue to regret it for the rest of her life. She wasn't sure she could handle people constantly telling her that it wasn't her fault. That she wasn't to blame. That she was the victim.
Victim. She hated that word; the connotations it held. Being labelled as such made her feel weak. It suggested that she was innocent.
She knew she wasn't. He'd told her enough times. It was her fault; it was exactly what she deserved. It would teach her a lesson for ever trying to cross him. Sat alone in the darkness with nothing but her own guilt and those words swimming around her mind, it was almost impossible not to believe them.
"You can talk to me..." Michelle whispered, breaking the lengthened silence. She reached out carefully to tuck a strand of hair behind her girlfriend's ear, careful not to move too suddenly.
"There's nothing to say." Vicky shrugged, offering Michelle a forced smile. "I just want you to take me home."
"Where is he?" Vicky asked as soon as she'd stepped into the flat. She let out a sigh of relief as Carla appeared in the doorway, Sonny wriggling in her arms.
"Look who's here, Sonny!" She cooed, pointing out Vicky to the squirming child.
"Oh, baby! Mammy's here!" Vicky scooped him up, holding him tightly against her. "I've missed you so, so, so much."
Michelle hovered in the hallway as Vicky carried him into the living room; whispering softly to him as she went. She felt a hand rest against her back and shook the frown from her face as she turned towards Carla.
"It's over now." The older woman assured her, rubbing gentle circles on Michelle's back. Michelle nodded, offering a weak smile. "I'll leave you to it. Get some rest, okay?"
"Thank you, Carla." Michelle responded sincerely. She let out a breath as the door closed behind her, shutting out the rest of the world and all of the dangers that it held.
Having Vicky home hadn't dulled the sick feeling that had settled in the pit of Michelle's stomach for the past forty-eight hours. She could still feel the faint pounding of a headache behind her brow and the blotchy stress rash that had clawed its way up her neck was only just beginning to fade. She took a deep breath, forcing her feet to carry her into the living room.
"Do you want a cuppa?" She asked, as briskly and upbeat as she could muster, though her hands shook as she picked up the kettle and filled it with water.
"Please." Vicky smiled.
As Michelle busied herself with the drinks, the flat remained relatively quiet, save for Sonny's gurgling and Vicky's soft cooing. It seemed almost like any other day. The winter sun was shining through the window, casting the room in a warm glow. As Sonny crawled across the carpet, Michelle could almost convince herself that everything was normal.
She paced over to the living area, a mug of steaming tea in each hand. Placing them down onto the coffee table, she lowered herself next to Vicky, smiling as Sonny changed direction to crawl towards her.
"Oh I see. Even after days apart you'd still rather play with Mummy Michelle." Vicky teased, rolling her eyes and reaching out to take her mug. She caught the look on Michelle's face and stopped herself. "What?"
"I love you." Michelle's voice was meaningful; serious.
"I love you too."
"And I'm never letting you out of my sight again." Michelle pulled Vicky into a tight hold, almost squashing Sonny between them.
"Chelle. I'm fine. I'm not going anywhere." Vicky took Michelle's face between the palms of her hands and pressed a lingering kiss against her forehead. "But, can you keep an eye on him while I pack?"
Michelle's brow creased.
"Pack?"
"For London. We go away tomorrow."
"I..." Michelle paused. "I didn't think we'd be going... Not after-"
"Michelle. I promised you fireworks beneath the London Eye and a posh hotel, and that is exactly what you're going to get."
Michelle sighed.
"Are you sure you're up to this?"
"Stop fussing. I'm fine."
Michelle let out a breath. Perhaps getting away from here for a few days would be the most beneficial thing for them both.
"Fine. You go pack, I'd better sort out a baby sitter."
"Want me to pack for you too? I've got my eye on that really sexy underwear I got you for your birthday last year..."
"Victoria Patricia." Michelle raised a warning eyebrow, playfully cupping her hands around Sonny's ears.
"Michelle Sinead." Vicky pushed back, before letting out a laugh and striding into the bedroom.
Michelle took a deep breath. Having Vicky home wasn't going to be the end of this. It couldn't be. There would be test results and interviews and court dates to come. But she supposed, just for now, they could try to put everything aside and just enjoy New Years together. It seemed to be just what Vicky wanted. And, if Michelle had learnt anything, it was that she would do anything for her.
