Chapter 5

Theo eagerly grabbed the unconscious Sara and flipped her onto her back. He started undoing her shirt buttons, but decided that it was taking to long, so he ripped it off instead. He sighed in excitement, and threw his own shirt off and unbuckled his pants. But something was wrong. He wasn't as excited as he should have been. And it was because Sara was unconscious. Well that's no fun. He thought. She can't be unconscious. Theo got off of Sara and went to find some duct tape. Finding some in her kitchen drawer, he went back to her and covered her mouth with it. Satisfied with his covering job, he went and slapped Sara's cheek. Her head simply lulled to the other side and remained there. He kept slapping her, trying to wake her up, but nothing was working. He grumbled in frustration, ripped of her bra, and followed by taking off her pants. Then he slapped her again. And again. And again.

Michael watched angrily as Jane left Lincoln and Veronica's apartment, then swore loudly.

"Michael, go talk to her. See how she's doing." Veronica told him. Without even replying, Michael opened up the door and left the apartment. Gearing himself up for their talk, he knocked quietly on her door. Getting no reply, he tried her door, and finding that it was unlocked, opened it. He paused and listened, and heard the sound of slapping. He immediately walked over towards Sara's room, and saw Theo on top of her almost naked body, continually slapping her, trying to wake her up.

"Stupid doctor druggie. Wake the hell up." He muttered to himself. Michael growled low in his throat, then ran up and kicked Theo off of her. Theo looked up in surprise as he fell off the bed and onto the floor, and then started groaning in pain as Michael started beating the hell out of him.

"Don't you EVER fucking touch her, you little piece of shit. I will kill you." He said as he delivered punch after punch to Theo. Finally, after Theo had lost consciousness, he leapt off of him and ran over to Sara. She was still unconscious. He banged on the wall for Lincoln, and then cradled her in his arms. Reaching for the phone behind him, he dialed 911, and explained the situation. At that moment, Lincoln walked in. "Holy…" he said, before running over to Theo and kicking him in the stomach. He turned to Michael, who was taking off his shirt with shaking hands and putting it on Sara, to help cover her up.

"The authorities are on the way." He said, his voice shaky and cracking with emotion. He bundled her up in his arms, her face cradled on his chest. He was fighting back tears. "This is all my fault. I never should have let Jane come over. I should have followed her." He said. Tears were now streaming down his face. "Sara, I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry. Please be alright." He tenderly kissed her rapidly bruising face. Lincoln came over, gently putting his hand on Michael's shoulder. "Everything's going to be alright. Just have a little faith." In the corner, Theo started groaning, and Michael's head snapped up, hate filling his features. Lincoln went up to him and grabbed his arms. Theo coughed.

"Hey…Linc the sink. Long time…"he coughed violently again, "no talk." He finished. Lincoln punched him in the stomach, and Theo curled up in pain.

"Shut up. You're goin' back to Fox River. What the hell did you think you were doing?" he growled angrily to Theo, grabbing his head and extending it back. Michael watched angrily, stroking Sara's back. He looked at the bed and saw the ash tray that he had made for her. It made tears well up in his eyes. She kept it. He felt a little surge of hope. Suddenly, Veronica walked in, stopping short and gasping. "Oh my God…Sara?" she breathed. At that moment, the paramedics walked in, along with the police. They went over the Theo and handcuffed him, while the paramedics brought the stretcher over to the bed. They gently put her on the stretcher and checked her vitals. Michael stroked her face, and when the paramedics started to leave, followed them and grabbed her hand.

"Sir," one of them started, "please let go of her." Michael completely ignored them, and continued holding her hand. The paramedics let it slide, and then started making their way back to the ambulance, Michael with her the entire way. Veronica, Lincoln, and LJ followed, Veronica silently crying for her best friend. They made it to the ambulance, and climbed in with the stretcher. Michael climbed in after them. "Sir, we're going to have to ask you to leave." One of the paramedics said. Michael just gave him his stare, and said "Make me." The paramedics sighed and admitted defeat. Michael sat next to Sara and held her hand the entire way to the hospital. He looked at her beautiful face, and even now he could see the bruises that were starting to come up. He held her hand and started crying silently, tears streaming down his face. I failed her. He thought miserably. I failed her.

Lincoln paced the waiting room area, waiting for word from Michael, or a doctor. Michael had not left her side at all, and he probably wasn't going to. Veronica sat in a daze, her face tear streamed and eyes bloodshot, and LJ sat next to her, holding her hand, his face in shock. They had arrived at the hospital twenty minutes ago, but it seemed more like an hour of waiting. Finally a doctor came out.

"Sara Tancredi is going to be fine. She was knocked in the head fairly hard, and will probably be out of it for another thirty minutes to an hour. She has a concussion, and will most likely have one hell of a headache when she wakes up. Other than that, she's fine. She can be released tomorrow." The doctor concluded. Lincoln sighed in relief, his shoulders sagging as he ran his hands over his face. Veronica broke down again, she was so happy, and LJ smiled again, his face clearly showing his relief. "Can we go see her?" LJ asked. The doctor nodded, and all three made their way over to her room. They entered to find Michael sitting in a chair, his hand entwined with Sara's. He was stroking her hair, and quietly singing a gentle love song, but stopped when his family entered. Michael looked dead tired, but he wasn't letting himself fall asleep.

"How's she doing?" Lincoln asked her, as he went over and stood next to his brother. "A lot better." He answered. "She can hold my hand." And upon closer inspection, he could see that Sara's fingers were entwined around his as well. Lincoln smiled. Veronica walked up and took hold of her other hand. "Thank God." She said. "If you hadn't gotten there in time…"she shuddered at the thought of what Theo would have done to her, and stopped talking. Michael's eyes flashed at he mention of Theo's name, but returned to their loving gaze when he cast his eyes back on Sara. He didn't say anything, but then turned to everyone.

"Hey, you guys? You can go home. I'll stay with her tonight." He had noticed how tired everyone looked.

"No, we'll just stay in the waiting room tonight. I want to stay the night too." Lincoln said. Veronica and LJ quickly agreed, and after a quick squeeze to Sara's hand, they all left. Michael continued his quiet singing to Sara.

I love you…

I've loved you all along

And I miss you…

Been far away for far too long

I keep dreaming

You'll be with me, and you never know

Stop breathing

If I don't see you anymore…

Michael felt his eyes drooping, and gently laid his head down on her stomach, still clutching her hand. His eyes finally closed, his last vision being Sara.

Her first thought was that her head hurt. A lot. Her next thought was of Theo, and her eyes flew open. She took a look at her surroundings, and noticed that she was in the hospital. She felt a gentle pressure on her abdomen, so looking down, she saw Michael sleeping on her stomach. She smiled. He looked so cute. She gently placed the hand that he wasn't holding on his head, and gently stroked it. She wandered what had happened that night. The last thing she remembers was leaving Lincoln and Veronica's apartment and laying on her bed. And then Theo had come in and hit her on the head. After that, she couldn't remember anything. Though she does vaguely remember singing. A nice soft tune, but she couldn't quite place the words. She returned her gaze to Michael. Did he save me again? She thought. Did Theo…rape me? She shuddered at the thought. She really hoped that Michael was able to save her. She tried to remember anything that might help to jog her memory, but after thinking hard for several minutes, she came up blank. Sighing in frustration, she gently disentangled her hand from Michael's and rubbed her face with them. She looked for the time, but couldn't find it anywhere. On her stomach, Michael was stirring, and then froze. He sat bold upright and looked towards her. She was awake. He smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry about that." His smile faded. "How are you feeling." He asked, concern evident in his features. Sara smiled, and then suddenly noticed that she was wearing his shirt, and she wasn't wearing any pants. The color drained from her face, and then she asked him, in a small voice, "did Theo…did he rape me." Tears started forming in her eyes, and Michael, looking at her expression, felt himself tear up inside. Taking her broken frame in his arms, he gently whispered, "no. He didn't rape you. I made sure of that." She exhaled in relief, and let herself be comforted by Michael. He was gently rubbing her back, and it soothed her. "What happened?" she finally asked, kind of dreading the answer. He sighed and started pulling away from her, but Sara, missing the comfort that he brought her, pulled him back to her. So he rewrapped his arms around her and held her.

"I kicked Jane out after you had left, and then I went to go check on you. You're door was unlocked, so I walked in because you hadn't answered my knock. I heard…I heard Theo slapping you, and…and I walked into your room." He stopped for a second to try and control himself. He was trying really hard not to cry. "Theo was on top of you, and slapping you. You…you were almost completely undressed under him, and I" tears started forming, and he willed them to not spill over. "I ran over to him and kicked him off of you, and I hurt him. Badly." He stopped for a second. "Then I went to you, and I put my shirt on you and called the police, and yelled for Lincoln." He kissed her gently on the head. "And now here we are." He paused for a split second. "Sara, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't of let Jane come over, then you wouldn't have left…and then…" he couldn't finish. The feeling of being able to stop this from happening was too strong in him. He closed his eyes to stop the tears, but one slipped out through his tightly closed eye lid. Sara gently rose up from his arms and looked at him.

"Michael. This isn't your fault. Don't ever think that." She reached up and wiped the tear with her thumb, and then gently kissed his forehead. Michael opened his eyes. It was the first time that she had kissed him first, and it made him happy. She went and cuddled up in his arms again.

"You're my knight in shining armor." She told him quietly. She smiled at the thought, as did Michael.

"And you're my princess." He said, just as quietly. He kissed her hair. They would make it.

Lincoln walked forlornly to Sara's room. Michael's boss had called his cell phone, and upon finding out what had happened to Sara, was rushing over to talk to him about an important business deal, and most likely Sara. Michael was not going to be happy. He got to her room and looked through the window. And smiled. Michael was lying down on the hospital bed, and Sara was in his arms. They were both facing each other, and Michael's arms were around her. He sighed. He couldn't bear to wake them up. So instead, knowing that Michael would hurt him for not waking him up, he left and went back to the waiting room. Five minutes later, Mr. Collins came running in with a big bouquet of roses. Looking around anxiously, he saw Lincoln and ran up to him.

"What room is she in? And where's Michael?" he asked breathlessly. Lincoln sighed, really wishing that he had woken up Michael now. But then he had an idea.

"I don't know. Let me go check. Stay here." He said. Lincoln ran back to Sara's room, and opened the door. Michael was sitting on a chair next to her bed, and folding origami rose after origami rose. He started when Lincoln came running in. "What's going on?" he asked, resuming the folding of his roses.

"Your boss is here." Lincoln said simply. Michael sighed and closed his eyes, then stood up, carefully placing the origami roses he had folded all around her. He smiled at the look, and leaned in a kissed her cheek tenderly. Then he walked towards the door and left to go and meet his boss. Sara woke up upon hearing the door close and looked around. Michael wasn't there anymore. Her face fell, but then instantly brightened when she noticed the many origami flowers around her. She carefully sat up and picked them up one by one. He had made twelve of them for her. She carefully tucked one behind her ear, and then made the rest into a little bouquet. Finding a ribbon off of a random present next to her bed, she tied them all together, and then simply held them in her hand, admiring them. What's wrong with me? I'm acting like a little girl in love. She thought. And then, it hit her. She was acting like a girl in love, because she was in love. Or actually is in love. She sat for a second. Was she really in love with Michael Scofield? The man who had lied to her. The man who had used her? The man who had saved her from certain death for the third time? The man who cared for her so deliberately, even when she would shun him? Yes. She finally decided. I am in love with Michael. Smiling happily, she sat back and stared at the little bouquet in her hands. "I love Michael." She whispered to herself. It sounded really good. She jumped slightly when the door opened, and then looked towards it, expecting Michael. She smiled when she saw Michael, but the smile was short lived when she saw who was behind him. Mr. Collins walked in, holding a big bouquet of red roses. Michael had walked back over to her side and sat back down in the chair. He was mad at Mr. Collins, but couldn't let it show. Mr. Collins handed the bouquet to Sara with a flourish.

"Here you are." He said. "How are you feeling?" he asked, giving the flowers to Sara. She smiled faintly in reply. "Thanks." She said, grabbing the flowers and putting them on the table next to her bed. She still hadn't let go of the little bunch of origami flowers, and Michael saw this. He was happy. But the happiness was short lived. He had to tell Sara something. And it probably wasn't going to make her happy. Sara remembered that Mr. Collins had asked her how she was feeling, so she added a fast "I'm good," before stealing a glance at Michael. He had his head in his hands. "Are you alright?" she asked him. He slowly raised his head and nodded. "I, uh, well I have to go out of town…for the week. To Washington." He told her. Sara's face fell completely. "Oh." Was all she said. Mr. Collins noticed their little exchange, and decided to intervene.

"You know, Sara, I was wondering, well…would you like to go out to dinner with me on Friday night?" he smiled at her. Sara still didn't smile. And she didn't answer. Mr. Collins started looking nervous.

"Sara?" he asked. Michael watched, praying silently that she wouldn't say yes. She finally looked at him. "I don't think that's such a good idea. You see," she grabbed Michael's hand in hers and entwined their fingers, "I'm already kind of attached to someone else." She glanced at Michael. He was staring at her with a smile. Mr. Collins looked on angrily. Without another word, he left.

"When do you have to leave?" she asked him quietly. Michael brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently.

"Right now." He said sadly. "Did you mean it?" he asked her. She let out a little chuckle. "I'm still holding your hand, aren't I?" she asked him. Michael's face broke out into a huge smile. Letting go of her hand, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around him, and held onto him tightly. "You can stay in my apartment if you want. That way, you don't have to stay in yours." He said, stroking her hair.

"I would like that." She said. Her head was buried in his chest, and he smelled really good. This truly was the one place that she felt most safe in: his arms. He relinquished his grip slightly, as did she, and they stared into each others eyes. Michael slowly lowered his head, until their foreheads were touching, then, still looking into her eyes, closed the gap between them, in a short, simple kiss.

"I have to go." He said, regret evident in his voice. "I'll call you." He slowly disentangled himself from Sara, and stood up.

"See you in five days." Sara told him sadly. She didn't want him to go. He leaned down and placed one more kiss on her lips. Debating on whether or not to say something, he decided not too, and then walked towards the door. He didn't want to scare her off. But then again, he wanted to say it to her face, so that she would no that he cared for her more than the average couple did. So stopping before he left, he turned around.

"I love you, Sara." He said. Then he turned around and left.

Sara sat in shock for a few seconds, then smiled to herself. So he loves me too. She thought. Sara stared at the door he had just disappeared out of.

"I love you too, Michael." She said quietly.

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