Soooo...this really was complete. I had no intention of adding to it but for some reason today I just really wanted to expand on what might have happened the day after and all of this came out. I have a feeling I'll probably regret adding to it because I actually really liked the first part of this story, probably more than anything else I've ever written, and I'm not sure how I feel about this part. BUT...I wrote it...so I might as well share it otherwise it was just a waste of time. lol Hopefully it's not too bad. It probably feels a little out of character at times, but I tried to look at it like Michael really did almost die and even a family that has a terrible time showing love would be able to show it when something like this happened and they realized how close they came to losing someone they loved. Anywho...it really IS complete this time though! :)

It had only been about 3 hours when Amanda awoke the next morning as light began to creep in through the window. She hadn't slept much in that time, she had kept waking up with a need to check on Michael...to reassure herself that he was still breathing. He hadn't moved at all in his sleep and still laid there exactly as he had when he had collapsed onto the bed. As she let her gaze fall on him, she felt tears form as she let her eyes travel over the parts of his body that weren't covered by the bed sheets. She couldn't get a handle on her emotions and the day had only just begun. She felt so many things that she couldn't even keep them all straight. She was so thankful that this man was laying beside her, breathing deeply in his sleep. So thankful for another chance to experience life with him. She couldn't drag her eyes away from his face. He had always been attractive, that was part of what had gotten her attention when they were young...that and this unexplainable thing about him. She wasn't even sure how to describe it. He had this way about him...this confidence...a swagger without really trying. It had drawn her to him like a magnet...she hadn't had a chance. As she looked at him now though, she marveled at the man he had aged into. He definitely was no longer the boy she had fallen for. To say he was handsome was an understatement, at least in her opinion. Some people's glory days were their youth, but when they aged you were no longer able to look at them and see the beauty that had once been there. For Michael though, it was different. He had been a cute boy...but he had aged into a gorgeous man that took her breath away. It was all she could do while she was laying there looking at him, not to touch his face where stubble framed his chiseled jawline. She didn't want to wake him, and there was still an underlying feeling of being unsure of where they stood with each other.

Last night had been filled with so many emotions that were spurred by the danger and fears of the events that had taken place. Now she felt slightly calmer and was filled with the realization that at some point they would need to talk about the future and what they wanted. She lifted her eyes up from her husband, only to see the mirror on the wall across from her. She was filled with shame as she read the profanity that she had written there. The room was exactly as she had left it that day...Michael hadn't touched a thing.

She heard a soft groan as he moved ever so slightly...

Michael felt as if he had been hit by a truck and he couldn't contain the groan that escaped as he moved his body to make sure it still worked. As he grimaced in pain and waited for the moment to pass, he became vividly aware of Amanda's presence beside him. He didn't need to open his eyes, it was like electricity was passing between the mere inches that separated them. He let his eyes slowly open until he could just barely peer out from under the eyelids. The room was just softly lit from the daylight creeping through the sides of the curtains.

He almost jumped when he felt Amanda's hand softly move onto his chest, coming to a rest above his heart. It had felt like his heart stopped for a second and he hoped she hadn't felt that. He turned his head until his eyes found her. She had been watching him and when his eyes met hers, she had taken her bottom lip between her teeth and almost looked unsure.

All he knew was that it had been so long since they had been together that just her hand on his chest was driving him crazy. He hadn't wanted to break their eye contact, but he couldn't stop his eyes from moving across her face and down her body. Why did it feel like it had been years since he had seen her? Even longer since they had touched.

He suddenly became away that her hand had traveled down his chest and her fingers were softly tracing the skin above the waistband of his boxers, going back and forth until finallly coming to a rest with her hand wrapped around his side...her thumb gently caressing his skin. He wasn't sure when he had started holding his breath but he hoped she couldn't see the reaction she was getting from his body.

Judging from the slight flush to her face, he was going to go ahead and guess that she had noticed. He looked up at the ceiling and slowly let out the breath that he had been holding. He tried to push himself up so he could rest against the headboard but his body protested each move and he ended up wincing in pain.

"Try to lie still Michael...your body needs to heal" Amanda whispered, her face revealing how much it hurt her to see him in so much pain.

"I have to move sometime Manda..." he had managed to get out as he kept on until he ended up where he wanted to be.

"Where are you going?" he asked, disappointed as she vacated her side of the bed. She was wearing her usual around the house outfit of yoga pants and a tank top but for some reason it made his mouth go dry when she came around to his side of the bed to put an extra pillow behind him. Maybe it was because the tank top was just low enough to remind him of what he had been missing. He knew that she was well aware of it too.

"I'm sure the kids will be here soon, I'm going to go check and make sure I got everything cleaned up last night" she replied as she walked into their closet and stopped just inside the doorway.

His jaw dropped as she stood there with her back facing him and lifted her tank top above her head. Yep...she definitely knew exactly what she was doing and what it was doing to him. That was why she had remained within his line of vision. He pulled the blankets up a little further as he watched her remove her yoga pants. She was one beautiful woman and right now he wished more than anything that he didn't feel pain just sitting here watching her. He suddenly realized that she had been saying something when she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Uh sorry, what was that?" he managed to get out. She smirked before taking two steps that took her just out of his line of vision to where she could grab the clothes she wanted. He mentally cursed their closet design.

"I asked if you were hungry...I can make you some breakfast before the kids get here" her voice traveled from the other room.

He leaned his head back against the pillow in frustration. Oh he was hungry alright but he had a feeling what he was hungry for wasn't on the menu.

"Nah, I think I'm good. I don't know if I could keep it down yet" he replied as he realized his stomach was still turning a little from his prior movement.

Amanda stuck her head around the doorframe with a concerned expression on her face. "Are you still feeling nauseated? Michael we really should take you to the hospital. You probably have a concussion and who knows what else."

She knew from the silence that followed that a hospital visit would not be happening. She decided to wear jeans and another tank top. She had seen the reaction that she had gotten from Michael and knew he wasn't quite up to the activity that he was hoping for and she didn't want to get him too excited. Then again, it HAD made her feel good to know she still had that effect on him and she knew that he loved the tank tops...so she had chosen that maybe for her own selfish purposes. She was sure he wouldn't mind though.

She walked out of their closet to find him with the blankets pulled up to his neck and staring up at the ceiling.

"Do you want to try to make it downstairs or do you want to lay here for a while?" she asked him as she sat down on the edge of the bed beside him and pulled the blankets down to his waist while she checked his bandages.

He was silent as he watched her until she had finished and her hand had returned to his side, where her thumb once again softly stroked his skin. He felt weak but he wasn't sure if it was from his injuries or from her...probably both.

"I should probably stay here for a bit" he finally admitted with a sigh.

Amanda smiled before leaning down and softly kissing his forehead.

"I'll be back up to check on you in a little while" she said before leaving the bedroom.

Amanda had left her cellphone downstairs after she had texted the kids last night. She hadn't wanted it to go off and wake Michael up when he was resting. She had text messages from both Tracey and Jimmy insisting they were coming over first thing this morning, and she had one from Franklin letting her know that he had found Michael and had taken him home but she should check on him because he wasn't in good shape.

She sent Franklin a quick text back, telling him that she had been there when he dropped Michael off and had stayed the night to keep an eye on him. She stared at her phone for a few seconds before sending Franklin a second message to thank him for caring about her husband and for bringing him back to her.

She heard a car pull up in the driveway and knew Michael must have heard it too because she heard sudden movement from upstairs. She glanced out the window quickly and seeing it was the kids, called out to Michael.

"It's just Tracey and Jimmy babe, stay in bed..." she stopped abruptly when she realized that she had called him babe but she didn't have time to feel awkward about it because the door popped open quickly and she was soon bombarded with questions.

"Where's daddy?" Tracey practically yelled as soon as she had gotten in the door, stopping only to wrap her mother in a quick hug.

"Is he ok?" Jimmy asked before Amanda had even had a chance to answer her daughter.

She held up a hand to stop them before they could ask more questions.

"Your father is upstairs," she said quietly, "but he looks pretty rough and I don't want you to be alarmed when you see him."

Tracey immediately started crying and Jimmy just looked scared.

"He's fine now, his body just needs to heal...I promise" Amanda added...hesitating slightly before promising.

Both kids looked at the stairs, looking a little afraid of what they would see up there.

Amanda took them both by a hand and walked upstairs with them, both hesitating outside of their parents door, where Amanda let go and pushed the door open before walking over and opening the curtains a little more to let light in.

Tracey couldn't stop the gasp that came out of her mouth when she saw her father in more light. He had a bandage on his forehead, his right eye was all sorts of black and blue and still slightly puffed up, and his upper body was covered in bandages and various bruises and marks.

She didn't even realize she was crying again until her father spoke.

"Ah Trace...don't cry...I'm fine sweetheart, I promise" he said in his familiar, slightly raspy, voice.

She ran over to the bed and buried her head in his uninjured shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry daddy, I'm so sorry" she wailed as he held her and softly stroked her hair.

"Shhh it's ok, everything is ok sweetheart" he whispered.

"It's not ok daddy, we left you! We left you and look what happened! What if they had killed you?! What would I have done? I...I..." she fell apart into tears again.

Jimmy hadn't moved from the door. He stood frozen in the same spot unable to tear his eyes away from his father, but unable to move. Tears had formed in his eyes and he didn't dare blink and send them over the edge. He had never thought he was close to his dad and liked to point out all of his flaws, but in the moments where he was afraid he had lost him, all he had felt was devastation that he would never see him again. He had never thought about it before because both him and his sister had always viewed their father as invincible. Sure they had made statements before about him dying, half joking, but neither had ever expected it to come true. He had always seemed bigger than life...untouchable. Clearly that wasn't the case looking at him now.

He hadn't realized that his mother had crossed back over to stand beside him until he felt her hand touch the side of his face. He flinched for a moment because he was startled, but when his eyes met hers and he saw the tears there looking back at him, his own finally spilled over. His looked back over to the bed and he met Michael's eyes.

"I uh...I...I'm glad you're ok pops" he said...slightly horrified by how bad his voice shook.

He still hadn't moved but when his dad lifted one hand and waved him over, he finally took a step towards the bed, which turned into two, which turned into rushing the last few steps until he dropped to his knees beside the bed. When Michael wrapped one hand around the back of his head and pulled him in close, that's when Jimmy finally allowed himself to collapse when he saw the tears in his father's own eyes.

His dad never cried. In fact, he rarely saw any emotion out of his father other than the flashes of anger that his temper put on display. Never sadness, never fear, and definitely never tears. He had always felt like a disappointment to his father whenever he DID show emotion. In this particular moment though, all of that was forgotten. In this moment they were just a family that had almost lost the glue that they didn't realize held them all together.

Amanda kept trying to wipe the tears away as they made their way down her face, but as fast as she wiped them away, more quickly replaced them. She sat down on the edge of the bed behind Tracey and softly rubbed her back as her daughter cried into her father's shoulder. This wasn't typical for her little family. They didn't show emotion unless it was anger, jealousy, or bitterness. It wasn't that they didn't FEEL love...it was just that none of them knew how to express it. That had traveled down the family chain. Her and Michael didn't express it well...their parents hadn't expressed it well before them and probably their parents before them. As horrible as this whole experience had been, this felt like exactly what they had needed as a family. Not the Michael getting tortured part, but something that showed them how short life was and that they really did love and need each other.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she silently got up and let herself out of the room.

"Hello?" she answered quietly without looking at the caller ID.

"Hey it's Franklin. I just wanted to check on Michael"

"Franklin, hi...I...I'm glad you called. I can't thank you enough for what you did last night..."

"Michael would have done the same for me...how's he doing anyway?"

"He's ok...well...he will be anyway. I...I almost lost him Franklin" her voice broke as she voiced the words. She didn't know why she was telling this to Franklin. She barely knew the man, plus...if anyone knew how close they came to losing Michael...it was him.

There was silence on the other end for a few moments...

There was so much Franklin WANTED to say. Like 'well maybe now you guys will get your act together,' or 'maybe now you and your kids can actually act like you care about the man"...instead he decided to keep those thoughts to himself.

"Yeah...yeah I know..." was all he said.

A lot more than she did. She had no idea how close it was. She didn't see her husband hanging upside down from a hook and moving towards a machine that would make sure that no one would ever see even a hint of the man again. She didn't have to fight her way through a dozen men just to get to Michael and have to fight through a dozen more to get back out. She didn't go back to her own home and sit there looking at her hands shake for a good hour after everything should have calmed down. She was lucky like that.

"Franklin..." her voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"This whole thing...did it have somethin to do with...was...was it Trevor?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

There was silence again for a few moments.

"Listen...Amanda...don't worry about Trevor. Just worry about Michael right now."

He heard a sigh on the other end of the phone before she replied.

"So basically yes...this was Trevor..."

There was silence from Franklin after she said that. It didn't matter, he didn't need to say anything. This had Trevor written all over it.

She glanced over her shoulder through the open bedroom door. Tracey and Jimmy had stopped crying and were both sitting on the bed talking to Michael, who glanced her way and smiled.

"So uh...you guys gonna be ok?" Franklin's voice came back over the phone.

Amanda smiled softly as she watched her family.

"Yes...for the first time in a long time I think can say we're ALL going to be ok."