Sorry for the delay. I hope you like this chapter, it is a long one! I don't own 24. This is for adults only!
It took close to 25 minutes for the nurses to administer both Tony and Michelle with their pain injections and then check their obs. Michelle spent the whole time slowly becoming more anxious about having to go through everything with Tony as soon as they walked out the door. She thought that maybe she was about to be bought some time when one of the nurses asked as they were walking out the door if it was ok for their parents to come back in now. She went to say yes but Tony beat her to it. "Do you mind asking them to give us a little bit longer alone? You can let them know we are ok, just talking some things through and will be ready shortly."
The nurses told them of course and closed the door behind her.
Michelle sighed, "We can let them come in you know, they are probably going crazy out in the waiting room."
Tony shook his head, "They also know how important it is for us to talk sweetheart. They will be fine waiting a little longer; I need to go over this with you."
She wanted to protest but she knew that wasn't fair. He had just shown her every inch of himself and been so wonderfully patient and amazing with her as she checked him out, it was only fair that she gave him the same back. She just wished it didn't feel so hard.
Tony could see hesitation all across her face and he watched as her hands clenched up into little fists. He rolled on his side again a little towards her and then used his fingers to gently open her hand back up, "I know you are scared sweetheart, I am too but I need this. I can't talk to anyone else or even try and start moving forward until we do this, can you understand?"
She nodded her head and looked him in the eyes, "Yeah, it's exactly how I felt Tony so I know...I'm just nervous."
He was nodding his head showing her he understood. Even though the covers were still up around their chests, he slid his hand down and began to pull her gown to the side. Just as he started to do this, Michelle realized that she had absolutely nothing on underneath the gown. She instinctively grabbed his hand to stop him. "I just...I just realized I don't have anything on underneath Tony?"
He wasn't quite sure what to say. They stared at each other for a moment before she asked him, "Why don't I have any underwear on? Where are they?"
He shook his head, "I don't know baby. I am assuming they were removed when you were taken into surgery..."
"What? They would do that?"
He felt terrible for her. He could see how vulnerable she was and he really felt lost as to how to handle the situation. Again before he said anything she spoke, "But you had your boxers on? Did you have them on when you woke up?"
"No baby I didn't, I had to ask for them. There must have been a good reason for it though. When they examined you during surgery..."
Michelle's voice became different. He couldn't tell if it was embarrassment, vulnerability or anger. "Tony, did they use a rape kit or something on me? I didn't think they were allowed to do anything like that unless I gave permission."
"Sweetheart, by the time they got you to the hospital you were in a really bad way. Can you remember at the house that I was having trouble trying to get you to even keep your eyes open? I honestly don't know to what extent they examined you but of course they would have had to check everywhere they could see that you may have been hurt."
Rationally she knew that. She just felt caught off guard by the whole thing and it made her feel sick to think of a pile of doctors and nurses examining her like that when she was out cold. It made her wonder what had been said to her dad and she felt violated all over again. She was a very private person, she hated even going bra shopping so the thought of strangers and people she knew looking, thinking or talking about her in that way was really hard to tolerate.
She had no idea why she said it, where it came from or what she was thinking, it just rolled off her tongue, "I've never had a one night stand or anything like that before you know Tony."
He looked at her confused. He could feel the injection starting to kick in and his mind wasn't nearly as sharp as he needed it to be right now. Her voice became a little quieter, "I don't know why I just said that...I just...it takes a lot for me to 'open' up to anyone and I feel so exposed the last few days. It's not me..."
He knew she was struggling, he hated knowing how this was all making her feel and he wished he had an answer for her that would make everything seem ok. "I love that you are private like that Chelle. It makes me feel so special that you have let me hold you, touch you, see you...I completely understand how uncomfortable all of this must make you feel but I need you to try and remember that the doctors wouldn't have done anything unless they had to..."
He felt the grip of her hand loosen on his, "I know..."
It was awkward because he couldn't really move her gown to the side without her being completely exposed to him straight away. He had intended on taking it very slow with her and working his way from her neck down but there wasn't really a way of doing that. Knowing that they had removed her underwear had also started to make him go crazy imagining what might have happened. He couldn't help himself, "Baby, he touched you there didn't he?"
He was surprised when she nodded her head. He had expected to have to go back and forth with her but he figured the injection was making her drop her guard. He tried not to let his facial expression match how he was feeling. He didn't want to freak her out but he could feel himself getting angrier and angrier at David. He kept going, this time he pulled her in a little closer and spoke in a very gentle tone, "Did he put his fingers inside..."
"NO! Tony..."
He stopped, he was about to apologize for being so blunt but she beat him to it, "You have to believe me when I tell you he did not put his hands inside my underwear. He grabbed me roughly for a moment but that was over my clothes. He didn't..."
He soothed her, "I believe you sweetheart. Thank god..."
"I hate the thought of you even thinking about another man doing that to me Tony and I wouldn't have let him do that, I wasn't prepared to not blow my cover for him to do that..."
He kissed her sweetly. "I know baby, I know. I never want to have to think about another man being able to touch you. I am so sorry he did what he did, I'd have killed him for that alone. You're mine and..." His voice trailed off as he hoped he hadn't just stepped over the line claiming her like that.
She surprised him in the best way possible when she actually smiled at him a little, "I am yours..."
He couldn't help a big grin spreading across his face at her words. He loved hearing her say that. He loved that she smiled when she did and he was even more relieved when she completely let go of her grip on his hand like she was giving him the 'ok' to proceed.
He gently slid her gown completely to the side. He watched as she held her breath as he then began to move their covers so that he could see her. He felt shivers run down his body as he saw her naked for the first time and he knew he had never in his life felt so 'taken', so in love, so mesmerized by a body as he was by Michelle's. Her eyes were closed and he leant down and kissed her on the lips. "You are stunning...the most beautiful woman in the world sweetheart. Please look at me."
She slowly opened her eyes and looked back at him. "Tony..."
He ran his hand up her thigh gently, "No, I mean it Chelle. My heart is pounding a million miles a second, every inch of you drives me insane. I never knew it was possible to be as attracted to someone as I am to you. You are my absolute fantasy."
No one had ever said anything like that to Michelle ever. Not even close and it made her heart flutter and her body flinch. "No one has ever said anything like that to me before...you know I feel the same way about you, right?"
He grinned. Her words were a little slurred and he thought his were as well. They were staring at each other like giddy teenagers. "I love you..."
"I love you more than you could ever imagine Tony."
He let out a little groan and then shifted his gaze back down to her body. He could see a bruise at the top of her inner thigh and he cringed at how roughly David must have grabbed her. He ran his hand right up to the bruise and ever so gently traced his fingers over it. He could feel her body flinching a little. "Is this ok baby?"
She nodded her head. "Yeah..." She had closed her eyes again.
"Can you look Chelle? You are going to have to be able to look at this and I'd rather you did with me for the first time."
Michelle opened her eyes and looked down to Tony's hand that was gently resting right at the top of her inner thigh, his fingers were so close to her that as he traced a little more the back of his knuckles briefly touched her. She didn't know how to feel. On one hand, having Tony Almeida touching her and being so close to her like that was something she had yearned for, for the past year. On the other, she could see a dark bruise that he was slowly tracing and that knowing that mark was from another man's hands made her feel icky. She had no idea what to say.
When he could see she was unsure of what to say and he could see confusion on her face her pressed her. "Are you uncomfortable with me touching you here sweetheart? Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt and you don't make me feel uncomfortable Tony...I guess I just wish so desperately the first time you saw me like this wasn't in this situation."
He moved his hand to another part of the bruise and again briefly touched her, she knew he hadn't meant to touch her there, it had just been the way his hand had moved but it still made her flinch a little. Tony had shocked himself a little as he hadn't meant to go that high, it had barely been a second but it still made his heart beat a little faster. "Sorry...I didn't mean..."
"That's ok...I'm ok."
He smiled. "I wish this wasn't how this was happening for the first time as well sweetheart, I know how you feel. It does make me feel closer to you though if that is any help? What's happening, what has happened and how we are trying to get through it together is making me feel closer to you than I ever thought possible. If things had gone the way we wanted and I had taken you to dinner and a movie...I can guarantee we wouldn't have been so open and raw with each other so quickly."
"That's true." He had made her smile a little. "In some ways I feel like I have been with you forever with how close I feel to you. Tony? What do you think that dinner and a movie date would have been like?"
"To be honest, had I come and picked you up and had the guts to tell you how gorgeous you are and kiss you...I doubt we would have even gotten to dinner. I have a lot of pent up sexual frustration from wanting you all year that I'd be lying if I said I would have been able to sit through a whole dinner and movie without kissing you...touching you...trying to be as close as possible to you."
She loved how honest he was with her. How flirty he was, how they had managed to remain professional around each other all year, she had no idea. Once they had agreed on their 'date' she had immediately skipped all of that in her head and began to allow herself to think about being intimate with Tony. She had figured she would have trouble not jumping him the second he came to her door. "I'm the same baby. I don't think I even thought about the actual date part...I was just thinking about being with you."
He felt a shiver run down his spine. He titled his head, ran his hand right across her to the inside of her other thigh and held her a little more firmly. "So you wouldn't have thought I was a total sleaze or jerk if I had pounced on you straight away?" He was smiling at her with a cheeky grin.
"Are you kidding me? I would have loved it..."
Tony could clearly tell his voice was slurred and so was hers. He had lost all inhabitations and was just saying what was on the tip of his tongue before he thought anything through, "So there is a chance I might have been the one that got to be your first one night stand...not that it would have been a just one night but you know what I mean..."
Michelle giggled. "Without sounding easy...I can't imagine I would have had the will power to wait with you. BUT that's just because it is you Tony...I'm not usually..."
He leaned up and kissed her to stop her from finishing. Then he whispered, "I know sweetheart. Trust me, I know."
They kissed again and he ran his hand up and down her leg a little. It was taking all of his will power not to do what he really wanted but he knew she wasn't well enough and this wasn't the time or place. When he finally did get the chance, he intended on taking his time and exploring every inch of her, spending forever making her feel as good as possible. He hadn't realized he had groaned in frustration out loud until he heard Michelle ask him what was wrong. He moved his hand up and rested it on her hip and dropped his head into the crook of her neck. "Do you know how hard it is for me to be this close to you and not be able to do what I want?"
Her voice was a little shy but clearly excited, "What do you want to be doing?"
"I'm feeling pretty stoned here Chelle and feel like I have absolutely no filter..."
She laughed a little, "Me too, I feel high. I want to know what you want to be doing though..."
He groaned again. "Using my fingers to open you up, sliding them inside you and then tasting you...using my tongue to suck and lick you whilst pushing my fingers deeper and deeper inside you..."
She couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. She knew the drugs were making them say things they wouldn't normally have the courage to say but she loved it. Hearing him describe what he wanted to do to her turned her on and made her body desperate for him in a way she didn't think possible. "Sounds like you have thought about this..."
"Only a million times every day." He hesitated, "God, these drugs are strong, I..."
She kissed him. "I love it. Do you know how much I love hearing you talk to me like that Tony? Then what happens? What do you want me to do to you?"
He gave her another cheeky grin, this time though she could see a flash of shyness coming through. "You know what I want from you. After you said what you would do to me when we spoke before the mission...I can't stop picturing it. That is of course if you still want to do that, I wouldn't..."
"Tony, I can't wait to have you in my mouth. I am going to show you just how much I want you, I'm going to pin your hands to the bed and only use my mouth until you explode..."
Tony felt himself become as hard as a rock and he pushed himself against the side of her leg as he moaned. "Fucking hell Chelle. You are killing me..."
"Or you can put your hands on my head and guide me to do exactly what you want..."
"Jesus baby...I'm gonna come just hearing you talk to me like this." He pushed himself into her again, harder this time. "Tell me you want me Chelle. Tell me you want me to make love to you..."
"Tony, I want you so much. I've wanted you to make love to me since the day we met. I want you to take control and I'll do whatever you want...I just need to be with you."
He knew he should stop before he seriously couldn't but this was fast becoming one of the best conversations he had ever had and hearing this side to Michelle was driving him absolutely wild. He thought about how innocent she seemed at work and how hearing her now was blowing every fantasy he had out of the water. He pushed for more. "Just promise me one thing...cause I've thought about it a lot. When we are better and I can have my way with you...will you let me lay you on my counter, stretched out naked in front of me and..."
He had a brief rush of nerves as he thought about how full on they were talking but she egged him on, "And..."
"I want to spread your legs open, have you wrap them around my waist as I take you..."
Oh my God, yes...anything. And I want you to..." She stopped, having brief flashes through her mind of how out of it she was, how she had never spoken to anyone like this, never mind Tony Almeida and how this was so far from the way she would ever speak. She wondered if the drugs were a good thing or is she was going to be humiliated when she snapped out of this trance she was on.
She felt him push himself into her side again. "Don't leave me hanging sweetheart...say it..."
"I am so high Tony. I've never spoken this way before, I can't believe what has come out of my mouth..."
"Me either baby, but I'm loving it. Just tell me what you have imagined...I want to hear you say it..."
She sighed, this man had exceeded any sexual experience she had ever had and they had barely done anything. Who knew a few admissions could be so powerful. She decided to go for it. "I want you to lean me over your bathroom counter, in front of the mirror. I want to see the look in your eyes as you make love to me and I want to be able to see as you hold my breasts in your hands and explore my body..."
"Fucking hell...shit! That will be amazing. I want to see the expression on your face as I push myself as deep as possible inside you. I want you to beg me to go harder and faster and I want to be able to watch myself finally getting to have my way with you."
"I don't think I have ever been more turned on in my life Tony, hearing you speak to me like this..."
Just as Michelle was finishing her sentence the door flung open. Tony quickly pulled the covers up a little and then his body felt parallelized as he was left pushed into her, staring at her, desperate to hear the end of what she was going to say.
They couldn't take their eyes off each other, it felt like they were staring into each other's soul as everything got bought to a grinding halt and they were left hanging. Thinking about everything they had just said. Tony couldn't even bring himself to look up to see who had walked in the door. The world had been blocked out and all he could see, think or feel was Michelle.
It was a nurse. She crossed the room and rummaged around in the cabinets on the other side of the room for a couple of minutes. When it became clear she wasn't going to leave straight away, Tony pulled his body away from Michelle's a little. He was so turned on that he needed to calm down. He felt his face become so red and he tried to think about anything else so that if the nurse came over to them he wasn't going to be completely humiliated and busted. Michelle helped him by pulling her hands out of the covers and resting them on the outside and then shifting her gaze over to the nurse, dropping eye contact with him.
When the nurse had found what she was looking for, she made her way over to the bed. She came over to Michelle's side. "How are you both feeling?"
Michelle spoke for them both. "Pretty out of it. That is some strong stuff you gave us before."
"And your pain? Is it under control?"
They both nodded their heads. "Yes, thank you."
"Ok, well, it has been nearly half an hour and I need to do another set of obs so I will be back in just a few minutes with one of the other nurses, ok?"
"Sure."
As she made her way back to the door she turned around and looked at them, her voice was kind and caring, "And Michelle, the doctor is on his way up shortly to talk to you. There are some more tests he would like to run on you but needs your permission first."
The door closed behind them. Michelle sighed and looked back at Tony, "Fucking great...you know exactly what that's going to be about!"
Tony felt everything come crashing back to reality. He cupped her cheek with his hand, "I'm here for you Chelle. You don't have to go through anything alone, ok?"
She nodded her head, "Thanks Tony."
They stared at each other for another few moments before he finally broke the silence. "Ummm are you ok? I mean with what just happened? I got so carried away...I meant everything I said, I just can't believe I actually spoke those words out loud..."
"Me either, that was incredibly intense but I loved it. I can't explain how good you manage to make me feel. You just made me forget about everything else that has happened and I was utterly lost in you. How do you do it Tony?"
"Do what?"
"Make me forget everything else? Make me feel like we are in our own little world where everything is just perfect, everything I've always wanted...happy..."
Tony's eyes felt watery. "Sweetheart, it's you. It is what you do to me. I can't control myself around you, I am lost in you. I just love you so much, all I want is you to be happy."
"You make me happy Tony." She giggled a little. "God, I feel so like...naughty or something. I can't believe what I said...but it was all true, all what I have thought about, just never thought I would have the guts to ever say them out loud."
Tony laughed with her. "Me too. These pain injections are excellent! Although, I hope now...now we have been honest that you always feel safe and comfortable enough to tell me anything. That is a conversation I want to finish and some promises I want to make good on...as soon as we can get ourselves out of this place and I have you all to myself at home."
Michelle stuck her hand out to shake his, he took it and laughed. "Deal! You have my word. Get us out of here and I am all yours."
He leaned in and kissed her. "I love you Michelle Dessler, I am completely and utterly in love with you."
She felt a happy tear roll down her cheek. "You have my whole heart Tony, I love you more than I ever thought it was possible. It is the best feeling in the whole world."
"It sure as hell is. I've loved getting to know you so well over the past year baby but now that I have you in my life like this, I want to spend every day making you happy, looking after you and giving you everything you want."
She kissed him back. "You already do."
The watched each other and smiled for another few moments before there was a knock at the door. Tony looked up, made sure they were both covered and then said 'come in.'
It was Jackson, followed by Josh. It was obvious how concerned they both were. Their faces were pale and drawn and both men looked exhausted. Jackson came and pulled up a chair beside Michelle.
"I know you both need some time...space together but unfortunately this can't wait. The doctor is on his way up and I need to talk to you Chelle."
Michelle smiled for her Dad even though her heart was sinking. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Jackson looked up at Josh and Tony then back at Michelle. She could see he wasn't sure if she would want them in the room or not. "It's ok Dad, anything you need to say you can tell me in front of Tony...and Josh. They have both been through everything with me, couldn't be worse then what they have already seen or heard right?"
Jackson cleared his throat. He had already discussed this with Josh after the doctors had spoken to him hours earlier. Josh had been amazing at helping him to find a way of dealing with the situation. "Ok, it is just that when you were bought into the hospital you were fairly out of it. Can you remember anything?"
Michelle was a little confused, "From when? The house or arriving at the hospital?"
"The hospital Michelle. Well anything from the ambulance to when you went into surgery...can you remember anything that was said or happened?"
She could feel her heart beginning to beat faster and faster. "I don't quite understand, I thought I was completely out of it? I don't remember anything."
Jackson took her hand in his. "You were in and out of consciousness Chelle. You answered some questions that were asked but by the time it came to taking you into the operating room you were deemed unfit to..."
Michelle didn't like where this was heading. She cut him off, "What? Just say it? Does this have anything to do with these other tests the doctor wants to do?"
Jackson looked up at Josh for a second and then back at his daughter. He ended up just blurting it out, stumbling on every word. "They need to do an internal examination sweetheart. One for victims of sexual assault. However they need your permission and you wouldn't give it. They then asked me as I am your father and I have power of attorney but you asked me to say no. I didn't feel right at the time agreeing to it when you begged me like that, however now that you are awake and aware of the situation, I need...we all need you to agree to this Chelle."
Michelle's eyes bulged open. She looked at Tony whose eyes were full of tears, she felt him grab her other hand. She immediately became defensive. "What exactly did I say? I don't need a rape kit and I'm not having one."
"Darling, you were asked if you were assaulted...if he touched you, hurt you and you answered yes. I have been told that you have bruises that suggest he forced himself on you and..."
Michelle felt like she was going to explode. "Everyone knows he grabbed me, touched me but he didn't get that far!"
Josh spoke up, trying to help Jackson out. "When the doctors tried to prep you for surgery Michelle, you became so upset at anyone touching you or looking at you that in the end you had to be sedated just to get you into the gown. You yelled at them that you didn't want one more person touching you. I asked you if you had pain there and you said yes."
Her eyes were closed shut tight, trying to block everything out. "So what are you saying you all don't believe me? I was out of it, I didn't know what I was saying that so it doesn't count! And of course I was in pain."
Jackson had tears streaming down his cheeks. "It is not about us not believing you sweetheart, it is about making sure you get the help you need. I need you to be able to trust us, talk to us so that we can help you."
Josh continued on from Jackson, "And this is not just about an internal examination Michelle, this is about being treated for the assault emotionally and physically. It seems like the situation...both times...were completely out of control and you can't expect to handle that on your own. It is going to be ok Chelle, we can all help you through this..."
She didn't know what to do. She felt so angry and she hated that she couldn't remember ever even being asked questions or what she had said, it made her feel out of control. "What exactly did I say?"
Josh slightly shook his head. "Enough Chelle for us to know that..."
She cut him off, even though she had asked she couldn't actually bare to hear the answer. She turned to Tony, "You know Tony, the whole thing was filmed. You said so yourself that you would have stormed the house had he gotten me into the room so you know that nothing happened."
He was in hell. Her eyes were begging him to agree with her and be on her side but he couldn't bring himself to. "Baby, I know he didn't have a chance to take you into the room, but I did tell you that the camera was blocked when he was holding you and we couldn't tell what was going on. Remember I said that the guys had to stop me at one point from rushing in cause I didn't know..."
His voice trailed off as he saw a look of hurt and betrayal in her eyes at him. He felt sick to his stomach. He looked at his Dad and at Jackson who looked on the edge of a nervous breakdown. He needed to know what Michelle had said when she was bought into the hospital. Had things been worse the night before than she had admitted? Had something happened when he had left the cameras to storm the place before he found her?
Michelle felt her whole chest becoming so tight she felt like she couldn't breathe. "I can't believe this. It feels like it doesn't matter what I say now, you all won't believe me. I was hurt and scared to death before when I was bought in, I was totally out of it...whatever I said doesn't mean anything, I'm telling you that I'm ok. You can't hold that against me..."
Tony's voice came out louder and more defensive taking them all by surprise a little. "Nothing is being held against you Chelle it's also not going to be ignored..."
He was cut off by the doctor, James walking in. James could hear the arguing before he had opened the door and one look on all their faces explained everything. He had been the doctor that had attended to Michelle when she was bought in and he was the doctor that had spoken to her father. He introduced himself to Michelle and Tony and apologized for interrupting them. When the room went silent after he spoke, he took another step closer to them all. "Aaahh Michelle, I am assuming that you have been informed that I am requesting for more tests to be done?"
Michelle tried to keep her voice calm. "Yeah but I don't need them and I do not give my permission for anything else..."
"Michelle, please I need you to rethink this. You have been through a very traumatic situation and..."
"NOTHING HAPPENED!"
"Well that's just simply not true Michelle. A lot of things have happened...not just once but 2 different times. Do you remember talking to me before you were taken into surgery?"
She had been caught off guard that he was being so blunt. He was speaking in a very caring and soothing tone but he wasn't letting her get away with anything. She couldn't look at him, she couldn't look at anyone. "No..."
He felt terrible for her that she was in this position. Clearly her family cared for her and was trying to be there for her but he knew how hard this must be on her to talk about. He was use to victims denying everything. He tried to sound as sensitive as he could when he spoke, "I outright asked you if you had been sexually assaulted Michelle and you said yes. You would become so incredibly upset when we tried to undress you and prep you for surgery that I had to sedate you in the end. I do understand how you are feeling right now but we can make this a little better for you if you try to let us in?"
"Everyone knows I was assaulted. I'm not denying that he touched me but he didn't do what you are thinking. I'm sorry if I caused a scene before but after the last 2 missions I don't want strangers looking at me or touching me, surely you can understand that?"
"Please don't apologize for anything. You are incredibly brave and strong and a hero from what I have heard...saving all those women. Women I have been treating since you were all bought in by the way and you really did save their lives Michelle. Maybe things got a little more out of hand the first night than anyone realized..." He didn't know that, he had just thought that it was a big possibility and wanted to see how she reacted to him saying that.
"No...I told the truth." She made herself look at Tony, she could see that he was very confused and didn't know what to be thinking. "Tony?"
He kept holding her hand. He ignored the last part and asked her his own question. He knew Michelle better than anyone and he knew how to get answers from her. "I know that after how close we are, that you love me so much sweetheart that you will be able to tell me the truth, no matter how hard it is. You have the chance to put me out of my misery here Chelle, make me stop imagining a million different scenarios...you don't want me hurt or upset do you?" He felt like he was manipulating her a little bit, that it wasn't fair to turn this around and make it about him and he felt numb inside for doing that but he also knew her well enough to know that by making it about someone else, not her, she was more likely to tell them what they needed to hear.
"Of course I don't Tony; you know I don't want to hurt you..."
He felt even worse when she responded and like that and at the same time began to cry. He reached out and gently wiped some tears from her cheeks with his thumb. He took a deep breath and kept going, wanting this to just be over. "When David grabbed you when you came out of the bathroom on this last mission. How was he holding you?"
Everyone was surprised that Michelle seemed so intent on not upsetting Tony anymore that she finally started to talk and instead of her voice sounding defensive and angry, her tone was scared and quiet. "He ran his hands all over me roughly..."
"Your breasts Michelle?"
She nodded her head and continued to cry.
"And during this he grabbed you, the bruise I just saw, was that from then?"
"Yeah..."
"Did he put his hands inside your pants sweetheart?" He held his breath. She had stopped looking at him and was covering her eyes with her hand.
"No. Last night when I had a skirt on he put his hand up my skirt and grabbed at my underwear and grabbed at me but I fell to the ground because he was hurting me so much. This time it was just quickly for a moment...over my pants, I swear."
Everyone felt themselves sigh in relief a little but also their hearts felt heavy at hearing what he had done. Jackson was in hell hearing this but was trying to be strong. He told her he loved her. He watched as Tony went to try and get her to put her hand down from her eyes but she wouldn't and he didn't push it.
Tony kept leading the situation. "You are doing great baby. What else happened then? Did he kiss you?"
"Yes. I tried to pull back but I couldn't and then Jacob walked in and that's when he seemed to just..." She stopped herself.
Tony gently encouraged her to keep going.
Michelle couldn't hold back anymore, she felt like she was going to vomit as she thought about what David had done and that she was about to have to say it out loud, in front of Tony and her father. She pushed the palms of her hands into her eyes, trying to hide and trying to stop the tears. Her voice became broken by sobs, "I hate him so much. I hate him. How could he do it? How could anyone be like that?"
Tony couldn't hold back tears anymore seeing her like this. She sounded so vulnerable and scared and Tony felt like he had pushed her into this dark hole. He felt responsible for pulling her out. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry sweetheart..."
"Why do you need to hear this? Why does my Dad need to hear this? It's not going to make anyone feel better..."
Jackson put his hand on her forehead and gently stroked it. He had never seen his daughter like he had today and it broke his heart more than anything had in his life. His voice was also broken down. "Because I love you Chelle. You are everything to me and I need you to know that I am here for you...that we all are. All I care about is finding a way to help you feel better and I know that if you can just talk to us, share with us what you have been through then we will know better how to help you. Please you are doing so well...can you keep going?"
Tony wished she would let him hold her, he needed to have her close but her guard was up and she wouldn't move her hands from her eyes. "I love you baby, we all love you..."
After a few moments of trying to catch enough breath to speak again she finally began to speak again. "He grabbed me by the arms, so hard I thought they were just going to snap off. Then when Jacob walked in he spun me around so that I was facing Jacob and he was behind me. Jacob was looking straight at us. That's when David, right in front of this other man, started to grab at my...at my...at my chest as roughly as he could. His hands groped me everywhere and this other guy just kept standing there talking to him. Like I was nothing, like I was just a piece of useless meat. He didn't care what David was doing or that he was hurting me and it was like David was showing this guy how little he thought of me. Finally when this guy started to reveal too much in front of me David yelled at him to stop and that's when he spun me around again and told me to wait for him, that he would be back."
All the men in the room felt horrible. They could completely understand how bad that must have made her feel, how degrading it was. Tony couldn't stand it anymore, he had never felt more useless in his life just having to watch her hysterical and not be comforting her. He grabbed her hands and pulled them away from her eyes and at the same time pulled her body up into his. He was surprised that instead of fighting him, as soon as he had gotten her hands away from her eyes she buried her face into his shoulder and gripped onto him as hard as she could. He was so relieved. He knew she was still hiding her face from everyone but it didn't matter as much now that she was letting him hold her. He repeated how much he loved her, how brave she was and how special she was. Jackson rubbed her back and shoulders and told her the same thing. They needed to let her grieve this now and they were all responsible for doing anything in the world they could to support her.
James asked Jackson and Josh to step outside with him for a moment. Michelle didn't even seem to notice as her head was still buried into Tony's shoulder and she was crying. Once outside the door Jackson let out a large sob and Josh grabbed his shoulder, "I'm so sorry Jackson, that was hell to hear and I can only imagine how hard that must have been for you."
He was shaking his head. "I just don't know what the hell to do for her. What am I supposed to do?"
James cleared his throat, "She will get through this. She has an amazing support system around her and I strongly believe with Michelle most of this is about making her drop her guard and feel comfortable to talk about it. She is so determined to be strong that she needs to understand that it is ok to be hurt and affected by all this..."
Josh nodded his head, "What about the test? I believe Michelle that things only went as far as she has said..."
"Well this is where it is difficult. I believe from the video footage they have and from what she has said matches her injuries and makes sense that nothing more happened. The only question mark is the night before. I don't want to put her through the examination if she doesn't need it and is willing to seek emotional support and help for everything that she has been through BUT..."
"You heard her though, she will never agree to it anyways..."
"True, however you do have the ability to force her to have the examination. So does CTU, she simply would be deemed unfit to return to work if she didn't get the medical attention requested."
Josh shook his head. "That feels really unfair. I would be all for it if I thought she had to have it or that she wasn't talking to us but she has. She was in he worst possible situation when she and Tony came back to his apartment the other night when I treated her...I was mortified at how hard it must have been on her and Tony and I really had to push her to open up with us but I want to be fair on Michelle that she did end up telling us what happened and putting her trust in us to help..."
Jackson was nodding his head, "I agree. Even though we might have to push her, she is really trying to do the right thing. You saw her in there. As soon as she thought that she was making the situation worse on Tony or hurting him she completely caved and spoke up. I thought we were going to go back and forth for a long time but Tony clearly knew the best way to make her talk..."
Tony was still holding Michelle, he had dropped his head into her neck and was content just holding her. She was calming down and he took the time to speak to her before everyone came back in. "I am really sorry I just did that to you Chelle."
"Did what?"
"Turned the situation around and made it about me so that you would talk, even if you were not ready to." His voice was tight and restricted as he was overcome with guilt for manipulation the situation because he knew how she felt about him. As glad as he was that it had worked and she had talked, he didn't know if it was the right thing for him to have done.
She took a few deep breaths. "Do you believe me?"
"Yes I do, of course I do baby. I was just thrown for 6 when I heard what happened when you were bought into the hospital. I had no idea that they had questioned you. I hate thinking about how upset you must have been and I wasn't with you. That must have been horrible and I can only imagine how scared and lonely you felt..."
"I don't really remember it Tony. I can't have you or my Dad thinking something else happened when it didn't. It's bad enough you have to think about what did happen but it makes me feel sick to think that any of you might be thinking even worse than that..."
"Can I see your arms sweetheart?"
He felt her body stiffen in his arms and she hadn't moved her head. He could tell she was trying to figure out what to do. He pushed her again. "Will you look at me? Don't hide from me baby..." At the same time as he spoke he tried to gently pull her back so he could see her face.
Michelle allowed Tony to move her body. She didn't want to, she felt like hiding from everyone but realistically she knew she didn't really have a choice. She couldn't stay in his shoulder for the rest of her life. She kept her eyes down and when he was looking at her she spoke quietly, trying to be as honest with him as she could, "I feel humiliated Tony. It is hard enough with you but to know how your dad and my dad must be thinking..."
"All they are thinking is how much they love you Chelle and don't want to see you in pain..."
"That's not true and you know it. The same as you, they are picturing David and what happened. Soon I'll have to debrief with CTU and then they will all know. How will any of them look at me the same again?"
"Why are you so sure Chelle that everyone will be thinking negatively about you? Why can't you see that people will be thinking about how brave and strong you were, what a good thing you did for all those women?"
"I don't know..."
"Maybe you need to go down and visit some of those women, then it will really hit home what a good thing you did, then you will be able to start putting some of this in perspective."
"Jeez Tony, you make it sound like it is so simple."
"Maybe it is simple Chelle. You are carrying this around like you have done something wrong...like you should be ashamed of yourself and I can't stand it."
She pulled away from him. It felt like all of a sudden he was being really harsh on her and she didn't understand. "Sorry you feel that way. You don't understand though Tony."
"What don't I understand?"
"Why are you being like this? You seriously can't understand why I feel embarrassed right now?"
"I do understand Chelle but I wish you could also try and see how amazing you are. There are other people involved in this that need to take blame for what happened as well...you think you get to carry the burden for the whole thing?"
"What?"
"I was in charge both nights Chelle and you don't think I feel like I let you down big time? Like I should have protected you a fuck load more than I did?"
"Oh my god Tony! What more exactly do you think you could have ever done? You are going to act like I am thinking negatively about myself and going about this all wrong but you are just as bad as me!"
Both of their voices were raised now and he couldn't believe how quickly the situation had gotten out of control but he couldn't help himself. He was having trouble dealing with everything and he was lashing out on her. Deep down he felt like he wanted her to yell at him, blame him for what happened so maybe then she wouldn't feel so bad about herself. "Bullshit!"
She was completely thrown off guard when he said that to her. His voice was so angry she couldn't believe it. She didn't understand what was happening, it felt like all of a sudden he had become so angry with her. She moved away from him so that none of their bodies were touching anymore. "If you are angry at me Tony, just tell me what for. Don't do this..."
"You are angry at me Michelle. You have to fucking well be." He went to move closer to her but she pulled away from him, enraging him even more. He knew he was losing it, nothing in his head made sense right now. "What? Now I can't even fucking touch you?"
She didn't get it. Why would he want to touch her when he was yelling at her like this? "What do you want Tony? You want to hold me close whilst you yell at me some more?"
He shook his head and it looked like he was going to explode. He tried to take her hand again in his but she pushed it away. He knew how he felt but he had no idea how to articulate it to her and he didn't know why she couldn't just understand.
"I would never have just said all that stuff to you Tony if I knew how you really felt."
"Said what stuff?"
"About being with you!"
He choked on his words. "You regret that now?"
"I regret opening myself up to you and saying all that stuff when clearly you are so angry with me at the moment. I actually thought we were so close...yet now I don't even understand what is going on."
"You can't take that back! You can't make me feel that way and then take it away from me. I meant everything I said!" He had lost control of the situation and he hated it. He knew he wasn't making sense and in some ways felt like a child for the way he was behaving but he had lost his temper and simply didn't know how to make sense of his feelings.
"I never said I didn't mean it Tony!"
"What did you mean then? Do you want to be with me or not?"
She looked at him so confused. She had no idea what the hell he wanted from her and it felt like it didn't matter what she said right now anyways he wasn't going to be happy. Maybe after hearing what had happened had really been too much for him? She began to try and slide her body off the bed. She didn't know where she was going or what she was doing but she felt like if she continued to stay there like that it was just going to make everything worse. He just seemed to be getting more and more angry and worked up.
Tony couldn't believe it when she started to get up off the bed. He watched in silence for a few seconds as he saw her slim frame and back exposed from the gown. Her back was black and blue and as she pushed herself off he could see the clearest handprint on her arm. He could actually make out each single finger mark and it was so large on her small arm that it completely wrapped around her doubling up so that 2 finger prints were next to each other. He thought he was going to vomit. "Oh my god..."
She looked at his eyes and she could see the horror on his face as he looked at her. She looked down at her arm and saw for the first time the marks and she was shocked. She instinctively went to cover it with her hand. She felt her body sway as she became unsteady and she felt light headed. She started to cry, "that's right Tony, disgusting isn't it? For the first time you forgot to pretend like it's not bad!"
He felt the biggest lump in his throat. He couldn't believe how much he loved her. It hit him like a ton of bricks how horrible it was for the first time since all this happened to have her upset with him. To have her actually try to be moving away from him because of how he had acted. How the hell had he just let all this happen? "STOP IT! Stop moving Chelle. You are not allowed to get up, you are not well enough." She didn't listen to him and continued to move. He tried again, "I'm sorry, please stop it."
The door burst open and Josh came flying in with Jackson. They hesitated for a brief moment when they got the shock of their lives to see Michelle up like that. She looked like she was about to fall flat on her face. Jackson ran to her side and held her, "What the hell is going on?"
"I need to leave...I want to go Dad." She started crying and struggled in his arms to move.
He held her close and looked over at Tony for answers. He knew straight away he wasn't going to get one, Tony looked worse than she did. He looked completely broken and lost. Josh was trying to get Tony to calm down and talk to him. All that came out of his mouth was that he was 'sorry'.
Jackson couldn't believe how small and light Michelle was in his arms. She seemed smaller than ever and he could see all of her back and arms and it sunk in how bad she was. He barely knew where or how to hold her without hurting her. He finally got her so he could see her face and he held one cheek, "What's wrong sweetheart?"
"I don't know. Tony's so angry at me. I told you all that I shouldn't have said anything! Look what's happened!"
None of this made any sense. He looked at Tony and Josh. Finally Tony was able to speak. "I'm not Chelle. I don't understand how you are not angry with me?"
"I am angry Tony...I am!"
"No." He shook his head and tried to keep his voice calm. "Not for this, for everything else. I don't understand how you can take on all the blame, think less of yourself after how amazing you were and yet me, the person that didn't protect you and let you down, you pretend like I am not responsible for anything. And now, you tell me you wish you had never said of those things to me. You let me think I had you and yet you regret telling me all that stuff...you wouldn't even let me touch you!"
She yelled back at him. "You are twisting everything! I never said I regretted saying that to you. I just hated that I felt so fucking close to you 10 minutes ago...closer to anyone I ever had and then all of a sudden you are so angry with me. You can't expect me to open up to you and then push me away. AND I saw the way you just looked at me. All this time you act like you see right past the bruises and that it is ok and when you are caught off guard I could see how horrified you were..."
The men let them have it out. Clearly this is what they needed. On one hand they wanted give them privacy but Jackson knew he couldn't let Michelle go, he was holding all of her weight now and he knew she would be on the ground if he let go.
"Sad Chelle...Sad! Am I not allowed to feel sad when I see how hurt you are? You were hysterical when you saw how hurt I was, why the hell do you think it is any different from how it makes you feel? It hurts me, it doesn't disgust me, and there is a major fucking difference!"
Finally she stopped yelling. His words hit her and she understood. She hadn't thought twice when she burst into tears over his injuries yet she had expected him to act like he was fine seeing hers. "Please Tony, just tell me why you are so angry?"
"I just am! I don't know why, I just lost it. I'm not angry at you. I don't know how to accept my role in all of this. I thought you would be mad at me and feel let down yet the only person you seem upset with is yourself and that makes no sense to me."
"I have just been honest Tony! I don't feel angry with you or blame you for anything that happened. I feel like you saved me. Like you gave me the strength to get through it all and when I did fall you were the one that knew how to pick me up..."
"You are too good for me." He started to cry as he realized that she was the first woman in his life to love him unconditionally. Every other woman had always made him feel like he was to blame, even when things were not his fault. They had all made him have to jump through hoops and do everything to make him feel good enough or accepted and yet Michelle just loved him for who he was.
"Tony! Don't say that, how could you ever say that?"
He dropped his head. "No one has ever accepted me the way you do Chelle. Nina, every other woman in my life has done everything they could to push me down and make me feel like crap and yet you...without effort seem to accept and just love me for who I am. You try and make me feel good and wanted. I am not use to it. I'm sorry that is why I am messing everything up. You deserve the absolute best and yet you are the one that has been hurt..."
Michelle's body went even weaker on her and she kind of slumped in her Dad's arms. She could hear him sigh in panic as she put her arms on the side of the bed for more support. "Tony, I am sorry. I am so sorry you have been made to feel like that. It's not fair because you have the most beautiful heart of anyone I've ever met. The honest to god truth is though, you haven't done anything wrong, and you haven't let me down. Can't you see how good you have been to me through all of this?"
He kept his eyes down. Humiliated for how honest and raw he had just been in front of everyone and shocked at how he felt. Her words meant the world to him but he was in a dark hole and struggling to see out of it. He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know..."
"No, look at me Tony and tell me. All the moments we have had in the hospital or at home where you have held me, comforted me, put a smile on my face...how could I ask for more?"
"But you shouldn't have ever been in the position that I have had to do that..."
"Did you send me in on the mission Tony? Or did Chappelle? Did you fight tooth and nail the whole time to stop me from going in?"
"Yeah but..."
"No, no buts. Is that true?"
He sighed, "Yes."
"And do you feel like I have leant on you through it all? Haven't I been so completely open and raw with you? Don't we just get closer with every minute or am I just imagining that?"
"No, you're not. I've loved that you have let me in sweetheart. I just...I just HATE what you have been through. I hate seeing you hurt, I hate seeing you cry. All I want is to see you smile. Tell me how I am ever meant to deal with this?"
Her body slumped some more and Jackson had to grab her again to keep her from falling. He couldn't help but put one hand around her waist, making her yelp out in pain. "Sorry darling, sorry...I need to get you back in bed you are not well enough."
Tony had leant forward trying to catch her and Josh bolted around to their side of the bed. Pain radiated through her body and she lost her breath for a second. Then it felt like she went into shock or something, she felt like she couldn't do anything. Tears streamed down her face but she couldn't let out a sound. She was scared and when she knew that Josh was helping to support her as well she fell into her Dad's arms. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the world as he felt his daughter cling onto him like she hadn't done since she was a young child.
"Dad..."
"I've got you. I've got sweetheart."
"Don't let me go, I can't move."
"I won't." He tightened his grip on her and almost sighed in relief when he heard her finally start to cry again. He looked up over her head to Tony and then to his side a little at Josh and asked them with his eyes what the hell he was supposed to do.
Josh was supporting Michelle as much as he could as well. The back of her body was exposed and the sight of her black and blue body was a constant reminder of how delicate she was right now. "Michelle, your dad and I are going to lift you back onto the bed ok? Tony can you reach the button for the nurses?"
Tony nodded his head and reached for it. He was a little bit in shock. They went to move to lift her but she shook her head. "No, not yet please...I can't move. Can you give me a minute?"
"It's not going to get any better until you are lying down Chelle. Tony's called for help and we will get you something for the pain as soon as possible."
Tony felt useless. He couldn't get up and help like he wanted to and he felt guilty that it was because of how he was behaving that she was even in this position. He tried to move closer to her but his Dad stopped him. "No son. You can't and I don't want to end up with you in the same position. We will get Chelle back to you in a second." He hated seeing his son in so much pain. After everything he just heard he knew how much work was going to be involved to get them both through this.
A couple nurses came flying through the door. "Oh my God, what's going on? Why is Michelle up?"
Josh spoke assertively for them. "We had a situation. Michelle is in a lot of pain..."
Michelle could hear everything going on around her and she wished she had the strength to just turn her body and climb on the bed but she didn't. She could feel the cool air on her body and it suddenly hit her how exposed she had been this whole time to everyone. She clenched her Dad's shirt on his chest. "Dad?"
He leant his head down next to her hers, "It's going to be ok sweetie."
She whispered to him. "Can you pull my gown around to cover me?"
Jackson's heart dropped a little lower if that was possible. He reached one hand around to her back as much as he could reach and pulled the gown back together. A million things were running through his head, there were just so many things that he wanted to say to her but he didn't know where to even start. Like Tony had said, how the hell were they meant to ever accept what she had been through? He just wanted his daughter to be ok and happy and he would give anything to make her feel that way. Aware he only had a moment before everyone would be in the room to help them, he whispered back to her even though he knew Tony and Josh could hear as well. "I love you so much. I promise you it can only get better from here. I'm here for you sweetheart, anything in the world you need."
"I love you Dad. Thank you for being here."
All of a sudden Jackson felt a huge surge that he wanted to be the one to help Michelle back onto the bed. He knew she was going to feel more vulnerable and exposed with a pile of other people in the room and he felt a fatherly pang of protectiveness than he ever had before. "Let me lift you onto the bed..."
He felt her nod her head straight away and he sighed in relief. He looked up over at Josh who gave him a head nod that he had heard and was ready. Together both men were able to lift Michelle up, it took a couple of attempts before they found the best position and they could hear her trying not to scream in pain. Jackson saw her clench her eyes shut as tight as possible and that she holding her breath. They tried to move as quickly as possible but at the same time were so gentle with her.
Tony pulled the covers to the side and got himself ready for her. He didn't know quite what he was meant to do. He still felt so lost. He couldn't do anything but watch as they went about getting Michelle back on the bed. He saw Jackson also trying to keep her gown covering her as much as possible but she was still exposed and by now they had all seen to a large extent the injuries she carried from the last couple days. He could see the look of pain in her Dad's eyes when he saw the bruises and he knew how much it must be hurting Jackson. That was his one and only daughter and not only was she black and blue but she was clearly in emotional hell. He wished he could promise Jackson that he would make Michelle better, that he could make it all go away for her and make her happy again but with the way he felt right now, he wondered if he would just be lying. He figured that no one would believe him anyways after the state he was clearly in himself.
Tony realised how much that was hurting him as well right now. He wanted to be the strong capable man in Michelle's life that took away all her problems and made everything ok but right now he felt like he didn't understand how Michelle, along with everyone else wasn't questioning if he was capable of that.
Michelle felt her back land on the bed and she tried to shuffle from side to side until she found a position that she was comfortable in. She was trying so hard to just breathe right now, she felt so uptight and anxious that her whole body had become restricted and she didn't know what to do with herself. Once she was on the bed, Tony pulled the covers back up over her and she saw Josh move around to his side. Her Dad continued to try and help her get comfortable.
The doctor walked back in followed by a nurse. Josh explained quickly for them that it was ok, they had gotten Michelle back on the bed that she needed something for pain. James could tell by the way Josh had spoken, it wasn't the right time to be questioning them over what had happened. Instead he told them he had an injection for her and made his way to Michelle.
Jackson had trouble getting out of the way to allow James to administer the injection. He was holding her hand and he didn't want to let go yet, he felt like he couldn't. He was haunted over what had just happened and he needed her to know that he was right there with her, when he felt her squeeze his hand he became even more determined that he wasn't going to let he go right now. James pulled the covers back and gave Michelle an injection in her thigh. "This will help Michelle, just give it a few minutes ok?"
She nodded her head and thanked him. He looked at Tony and then made his way around to his side of the bed. When Tony realized he was going to give him one as well he put his hand up and stopped him. "No, no...I don't need one."
"Yes, you do Tony. I can see you do."
Tony shook his head adamantly. "No. I am not having one of those, I need a clear head right now. Maybe soon but...but not yet."
Josh put his hand on Tony's arm. "It's ok son, we are all here. Why do you feel like you need a clear head? Feeling better is the number one priority right now."
"No, the number one priority is fixing what just happened. I can't think clearly with that shit and I have some things I need to sort out or else I am going to go crazy."
He watched as all the men looked at each other trying to decide what to do. Tony put his hand out. "Seriously, let me just have a few minutes. I need to be able to sort through a few things and then I will. You can't force me to have the injection and I don't want to argue about it right now."
James put the injection back in the container. "Ok Tony, take a few minutes but as soon as you want this, just ring the buzzer ok? I'll have the nurses check your obs shortly and if they are not stable then I won't have a choice."
He nodded his head that he understood and they all watched in silence as James and the nurse left the room. Tony turned his attention to Michelle. He took a few deep breaths before he spoke to make sure his voice came out calm. "I'm really sorry I pushed you like that sweetheart. That I made you feel like you had to get up. I lost my temper but that's no excuse for the way I just spoke to you...I..."
She half turned her head to look at him but mainly kept her eyes trained on the blankets. She cut him off. "It's alright Tony. I understand...really I do. You don't need to be sorry."
She continued to amaze him. His head dropped and so did his voice, "I can't believe you, and you are so amazing. You should be yelling at me right now."
"I don't want to yell at you. I've got nothing to yell about. I just want to know that you are ok. I'd rather you be able to tell me how you are really feeling so we can sort through that then waste energy we both don't have on yelling at each other and besides...besides...I love you Tony, I want you to be happy and ok just as much as you want it for me."
"How I am really feeling is that someone needs to be to blame for what you are going through and..."
"DAVID is to blame Tony! No one else. Not you, not CTU, not me, not anyone but that fucking prick David."
She took him off guard a little bit. She was right. He was all prepared to fire another question at Michelle when he found himself looking up at Jackson and asking, "Do you still feel like I am the guy that can look after your daughter and make her happy? After everything you have seen now, you still going to tell me honestly that I am the one for Chelle?"
Jackson smiled at Tony. "Even more now than I did an hour ago if that is possible Tony. You have been through yourself Tony and yet all you care about is trying to look after my daughter. I know how much you love her. I know that you would do anything in the world for her and I know she feels the same way back. You need to cut yourself some slack here Tony, stop trying to take the whole thing on your shoulders and let your Dad and I in. We can help you both out as well you know. Whilst you are both adults and fully capable of taking care of yourselves, why wouldn't you let the people that love you so much try and help you through this right now?"
Before he had a chance to answer, Michelle piped in. "I need all of you right now. I need you more than I could ever explain Tony. I love you. You are hurting as well though right now and we should be leaning on each other and our families."
He was nodding his head, trying to take it all in.
Michelle continued. "And Tony...I know we have to talk about a lot of stuff but I need you to know with everything you have been saying. You are the only one for me. I know that in my heart. I am sorry that from the way you have been treated before it is hard for you to accept but I need you to hear me when I tell you that you are everything in the world and more than I could need. I don't expect you to be strong all the time, I don't expect you to fix everything for me...but I do expect that you will just let me love you for who you are. That just because I got upset before, or you lost your temper doesn't mean I automatically regret what I said to you earlier or how much I opened up to you. I loved that, I've never had that with anyone before and nothing could change how I feel about you. I'm not going anywhere and I want to be with you more than anything else. That is what is important to me. Can you accept that?"
Tony felt his heart flutter again for the first time since all this happened. He replayed her words over and over in his head so he would never forget them. It made him smile. He reached for her, "Can I hold you again baby?"
Everyone could see the relief wash over her face as she nodded her head. She let him pull her body in close and hold her hand. He leant down and kissed the side of her neck. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I can accept that, I promise. You just continue to blow me away, I love you so much. You are my everything baby."
Thanks for reading. Please take the time to review, I really appreciate it:)
