IF YOU THINK I NEED YOU/CH 6
For a moment, the world seemed to fade away as she felt Daniel slip his arms around her waist, pulling her body even closer to his, so they were pushed against one another. She tasted his lips, felt his hot tongue exploring her mouth, and smelled his distinctly masculine and familiar cologne that she knew from shopping for the man was outrageously expensive.
She had snuck a whiff once, years ago and discovered its scent wasn't nearly as intense and wonderful in the bottle. It smelled so much better on the man himself.
When he moaned into her mouth, then began nuzzling her neck, running his hands up from her back into her hair, she felt as if she might literally swoon. Did people do that these days? She certainly never had. She was normally not one to faint easily. She didn't even pass out in extreme heat (although she definitely did sweat a lot!)
He broke away, and looked into her eyes, brushing back a strand of hair from her face, "Hey, where did you go? I felt like you sort of...lost focus for a second there. What's wrong, am I not a good enough kisser to keep your attention, Betty?" he seemed slightly offended.
She blushed, nodding furiously, "NO! It's not that! You're an amazing kisser, Daniel! I just...um...I think...well, you know how I sort of … um ...babble a little when I get nervous when I'm talking?"
He grinned, "Yeah. It's adorable! OH! I get it...you were 'babbling' in your head just now? Because you were nervous? Why? Is it...do you not feel comfortable kissing me here, with my family in the next room? Is that it? We could go somewhere with more privacy, if you want." he took her hand, leading her towards his bedroom.
She nodded, but stopped him from pulling her away, "Sort of. That's part of it. Another is...well, you know, it's...YOU, Daniel! You're...you and I'm me...and I...don't want to be a big disappointment. You've kissed all kinds of women. A LOT of women."
He sighed, obviously frustrated that she didn't seem to want to continue their kissing in his room, where they could be alone, "I know I have. But...we've also known each other really well for almost three years now, Betty. This means something to me. You mean...the world to me. I really want us to...wait a minute, did my SISTER offer YOU a job?"
He turned, his ears pricking as he heard Alexis, talking in the next room and he didn't wait to hear Betty's response before he charged into the kitchen to confront his sister, "What the HELL, Alexis? Now, you're trying to steal Betty away from me, too? Don't you think you've done enough to screw me over? Well, you can't have her! Betty's MY girl!"
Betty followed him into the kitchen and stood, her eyes flashing with fury at his little childish outburst, "EXCUSE ME? What am I; a...toy to you? She can't HAVE me? Really? I'm not some THING you can fight with your sister over like a toy, Daniel! I haven't told Alexis I would work for her, for your information. I told her I wanted to think about it.
I knew you would act like this! You're such a child sometimes! I get why you freaked out about Wilhelmina, because she's such a...a meanie! But for your information, your sister was TRYING to protect our reputation by offering me a promotion, working for her, so I wouldn't be under you anymore.
I mean...okay, that didn't sound right. You know what I mean! She was trying to make up for...for...everything! Nobody can change the past, Daniel! You need to...calm down! And STOP telling ME what to do! You are NOT my boss anymore, because I QUIT!"
"You already did, remember? To work for Wilehelmina. And you quit working for her to help me. Now what? You're quitting working for me again before I even hire you back...officially? I see. It's just ME you don't want to work with anymore is that it?"
She stood her ground, yelling at Daniel, "NO! Maybe I don't! Not if you're going to be so… so… possessive all the time! You're always yelling at me, telling me not to get involved with other people. Henry, and Wilhelmina and now Alexis? I get that you were trying to protect me from getting hurt with Henry…"
"Don't I have the right to tell you when I see you making such a huge mistake?"
"NO! You don't! Me, wanting to go back to Mode and now, thinking about working for your sister in another magazine, both times I was just trying to get a better job! Why are you so mad about that?"
He walked back to her and put his hands on her arms, his eyes filled with emotion, "Because...we were just getting started! Things were...just starting for us, Betty! At least, that's what I want. Don't you?"
"I don't know, Daniel. I thought so, but I might need to think about it now. Besides, Alexis's idea was mainly for US, so we could...date."
"It was?"
Alexis rolled her eyes, sighing in exasperation, "Yes, you big dumbass! I wasn't trying to steal "your girl' away from you, okay? I was just trying to help give you two an option so you would not be accused of 'sexually harassing' her!"
"Oh. I see." he said quietly, feeling like a huge idiot. He realized he had reacted badly, to both his sister and Betty.
He stood there, wondering how he could make it up to both of the women.
Betty's phone rang and after a moment, her eyes clouded over, "WHAT? Oh my God! Is she okay? I...uh-huh. Yes, thanks, Hilda. I'll be right there."
She saw everyone looking at her expression, "It's Christina! She's in the hospital. She fell down the stairs at Mode! Marc found her and called an ambulance. This is all my fault! She was working on altering my clothes! She's really hurt! badly"
Daniel pulled her into a hug and turned to his sister and mother, "Ladies, can you take DJ to see his grandparents for me? Deej, buddy, I need to take Betty to the hospital to check on her friend first. But I promise, I'll catch a plane and meet you in Paris as soon as I know Christina's doing better, okay?"
He released Betty for a moment and hugged DJ, who looked upset, as he told Betty, "Miss Christina est une très gentille dame! I hope she and the baby are alright, Bet-ty! Oh, and Je suis très désolé pourtout!"
She nodded, patting his head, "It's okay, DJ. Daniel, are you sure? I can get a cab there."
He frowned, shaking his head, "No way, Betty! I mean...well, of course,… if you really don't want me to come with you, I won't. But...I'd like to be there, if it's okay."
Her eyes were moist and she bit her lower lip. She looked a bit lost.
Claire walked to the young woman and held her, "You have to go to your friend now, Betty. You're all she has. Her family is in Scotland. Besides, Daniel has his whole family to help him with DJ. There is no emergency with his situation. Christina needs you immediately. And Daniel loves you. He just wants to be with you, to help if he can to be there for you, if you think you need him."
Daniel looked at his mother, not sure if Betty was comfortable (or he was) with the fact that his "mommy" had just crossed that line by declaring out loud that he was in love with her. He watched Betty's expression carefully, and after a second of her silence, he took a deep breath and reached out to take her hand in his.
"Mom's right. If you don't mind me tagging along, I would love to ...well, actually, I mean I do...love YOU, Betty. So, if I can help...I would really like to stay with you. And...I'm sorry. Really sorry for behaving like a child before. You were right to get mad at me. You too, Alexis. I had no reason to act like a big douche and get all possessive like that.
It won't happen again. Not that I won't get jealous of other men probably, but...I am willing to share you for the sake of your career. I promise! Deal? You know I can't stand you being mad at me, Betty!"
She nodded, "Fine! You're forgiven! You're such a baby sometimes, Daniel! Come on, let's get to the hospital! Bye, ladies, DJ! I hope I still get to join you all in Paris soon! Good luck with the lawyers and DJ's grandparents."
Daniel hugged DJ again quickly and kissed his mom on the cheek as he and Betty beat a hasty retreat to the town car, taking them to the hospital.
Once they settled in the back seat, Daniel could tell how scared she was for her friend, so he put his arm around her, pulling her to him and stroking the top of her head as he whispered, "Christina's a tough gal! She's going to pull through. Try not to worry!"
He wasn't sure how appropriate it was for him to comment on Christina's baby, since for all intents and purposes, it could very well be his baby brother whose life hung in the balance. He noticed neither his mother or Alexis had mentioned the child, either. Still, it was a tiny, helpless baby, regardless of who the poor little guy was related to.
Daniel couldn't help but think it might actually be pretty amazing to hold a baby. He had been robbed of the opportunity of ever getting to hold DJ as an infant. He squeezed her hand, bringing it up to her lips and kissing her fingers, "I'm sure the baby will be fine, too, Betty. When is she due?"
Betty shook her head, "I'm not sure. Sometime next month, I believe. But who knows? They might have to take it early by Cesarean if they think it's under stress."
He looked at Betty with concern, "Cesarean? Really? That's when they have to like...cut the baby out of the mother's stomach, right? Oh. Wow!"
She nodded, "Yeah. Hilda was yelling so much when she went into labor, almost two weeks after Justin was due, in the summer, and it was SO hot! She was yelling at everyone at the hospital to just cut the baby out of her!
She said she didn't care if the gardener ripped it out like Alien! She was screaming so loud! I mean...you've heard my sister. You can only imagine how loud she got when she was in excruciating pain! She almost broke my hand, holding onto it!"
"Your mom was still alive then, right?"
"Yes. She was there, too. She was holding Hilda's other hand. Papi was out, looking for Santos...to kill him, he said at the time. He was SO mad at him for ditching Hilda and freaking out. Of course, we found out much later that he had gotten mixed up with some pretty shady guys, trying to get money by gambling, taking out a loan that he couldn't pay when he lost, so...he was hiding from them and didn't want them to know Hilda was pregnant with his child, in case they hurt her.
You met him. He was a good guy, deep down. A little rough around the edges. He tried to make up for the past to Hilda and Justin, though. He tried to help us get the money to help Papi get a lawyer. And he saved that store owner's life when he got shot. He had his faults. I guess we all do."
Daniel nodded, "Especially me. I can be a spoiled little rich jerk at times."
He looked at Betty, "I guess your silence means you agree?"
She shrugged, but leaned against his chest, trying to relax, "At times, maybe. I'm very bossy a lot of times. And I don't always learn from my mistakes. I tend to expect perfection and be too judgy of people I care about." she glanced up at him carefully.
"So, listen, about what my mom said earlier. I'm sorry that you had to hear her be the first one to say that. I should have told you sooner how I feel about you. But now is not really the time. I want you to know, that's the only reason I sort of looked uncomfortable when she blurted that out like she did. My Mom has a very blunt way of saying stuff sometimes. A lot of the time. Hell, all the time, actually! Well, you know her, Betty! You know how she is. Mom's...Mom!"
She smiled, "Yes, Your mother is...definitely unique! Which isn't bad, really. At least you always know where you stand with her. She's bold and honest and upfront. I like that very much about your mom, actually. It reminds me of Christina. She's like that, too. They always tell it like it is."
Daniel wished they would hurry up and get there. He could see how much Betty was worried about Christina's well-being.
"Thank you for coming with me, Daniel. I know you already have a lot on your plate with DJ."
He shook his head, smiling, and stroked the inside of her palm gently with his thumb, "No, I don't. Not anymore. No, actually, thanks to my amazing GIRLFRIEND, I found out that I didn't really need to worry that much about keeping custody of my son.
Plus, I do have my cool, unique, honest, and upfront mother, and my sister, who also just happens to be DJ's biological father, plus, as you pointed out, I have the financial means to offer to let him visit his grandparents often. The only thing I'm concerned about right now is you."
"I'm not still mad at you, Daniel. You can relax."
He let out a visible breath, "Good! You're sure? Never mind! If you say you're not, I believe you. I don't want to poke the bear. Not that you're a bear. I just...I'll shut up now."
She giggled slightly at his goofiness. She knew he was possibly deliberately talking so much to try and distract her from being stressed about Christina's welfare. It was sweet. He was beyond adorable, being so worried that she wouldn't forgive him. Not to mention how sexy he was being, running his fingers up and down her arm softly.
He didn't seem to realize what he was doing, but it was driving her out of her mind, sending chills up and down her spine. The way he was watching her so closely, intent on making sure she was happy. He was totally irresistible and as soon as she knew for certain her friend was alright, she planned on attacking the man.
She grabbed his fingers with hers, and gently held them down on his thigh. He glanced down, seeing what she had done and making silent eye contact to figure out why she had done so. They seemed to be using their usual somewhat telepathic communication to "discuss" what was going on between them and silently agreed to actively stop doing anything remotely sensual until they had seen to Christina's welfare.
The minute they arrived, Betty ran to her friend, shocked at how fragile and bruised Christina looked. Tears ran from her face as she hesitated as to what part of the woman she could safely touch without causing her further pain, "Oh my God, Christina! What happened?
Why did you even take the stairs? Why didn't you take the elevator? I'm sorry! That's so stupid and insensitive of me. Please tell me you weren't trying to get exercise! In your condition? I thought you said you hate exercise."
"Bet-ty! Settle! I'm goin' to be alright! I don't know what happened, exactly. I was supposed to meet Stuart. He was late as usual, and I was on my phone, not really looking where I was going. He and I argued earlier. I don't know who, but I swear, someone ran past me, as they went up the stairs and said sorry.
I stood there, like a fool, wobbling for a second, then got my foot stuck and lost my balance, it knocked me off me bum! And with this big ole belly of mine, I went rolling down the steps, like a huge tub!
The baby is fine. They did an ultrasound and said there was no harm. I'm pretty bruised is all, and I've broken two ribs, as well as my wrist, and wrenched my neck a bit. But I'm very lucky. I'll recover alright. It just bloody hurts like the devil, since I can't get soused like I usually would to dull the pain or get morphine or somethin' from the doctor!
What are you doing here, Betty? I thought you were going to Paris? OH! You stayed because of me?"
"Of course I did! As soon as I heard. I was so worried. I'm still worried! Are you sure you're alright, Christina? You look terrible!"
The Scottish woman raised her eyebrow, "Well, excuse me, luv! I'm not at my best here right now! And here I was going to compliment you and tell you how lovely you look in my dress! It suits you quite well, if you ask me. You should have let me design for you ages ago! I TOLD you fashion is my life.
And it seems to have enriched yours, in spite of your own stubborn bloody determination not to let working at a fashion magazine change you, you daft idiot! Just look at you! You're freaking gorgeous! Yer smile is quite dazzling without the braces, I see. Was that the crown prince himself escortin' you here I saw earlier, lurking in the hall? See? I told you not all change is a bad thing!"
Betty grinned, "You were right, Christina. Some change is really good! And thanks again for the dress. Are you sure you didn't fall because of me? I know you stayed at Mode longer to work on my alterations."
"Pfft! Tosh! Don't go blamin' yerself, now! I already made that dress for you, ages ago but you would never wear it, remember? And I was only anxious to go there in the first place to get away from my fight with Stuart. I gave some of the alterations to my interns. They are all done and on the Meade jet by the way.
But...clearly YOU are not! Listen to me, luv. I am fine. YOU need to go, join Daniel and his family in Paris. See Paris with the man yer so clearly addicted to, will ya?"
"But Christina! I want to talk to the doctor first."
"Unless you get him to believe that you and I are sisters from another mother or...perhaps we are a Lesbian couple and you are my bride, I don't believe you can get that without my consent, luv! And I'm telling you, I am doing just fine, and so is the little Junior Mint here. So listen to me, and Go! GO!"
"But Christina!"
"Bet-ty! You standin' here, holdin' my hand is not going to heal my bruises one second faster and it's bloody PARIS! PARIS! Come on, luv! If if were you, preggers, you know damn well you'd tell me to go as well! And I would go!"
After pacing and finally locating Stuart and seeing that he truly meant his wife no harm, but was just as concerned for her as Betty, she finally relented, instructing Justin, Hilda, and her father to take turns checking in on her and taking her magazines and whatever food she asked for.
After seeing Wilhelmina in the hospital lobby, trying to milk Christina's accident for a publicity stunt, Daniel confronted the woman, "YOU are not welcome here! Christina needs rest and you're just upsetting her!"
Wilhelmina raised an eyebrow, glaring at Daniel as she shouted in an accusatory tone, "The Meades are the ones who stand to benefit the most by trying to cause my surrogate to lose MY baby! Where were you after the party, by the way, Daniel?"
"He was with me all night." Betty stood in front of Daniel, between the two, "And he's right. Christina doesn't want or need you here. Your press brigade is making too much noise and keeping her from getting any rest. You wouldn't want her to lose YOUR baby, now would you?"
The diva shrugged, stomping off, and waving the paparazzi away, "Fine! I see you finally decided to heed my fashion suggestions about your wardrobe and personal appearance, Betty. It seems to be working well for you. Daniel was with you ALL NIGHT, was he?"
Once she saw that the woman had actually left Christina alone, Betty reluctantly said her goodbyes and as they started to leave the hospital, Daniel wrapped his arm around her waist, "Come on, I've always wanted to do this!"
"Daniel? What are you doing?" she giggled, seeing he was taking her into an empty room and locking the door behind them.
