Chapter 4

I Promise

"Mom!" this the only thing Michaela could get out in her shock. She had no idea why her mother was at her apartment. Wait. Apartment?

"Michaela, what are you doing at MY apartment?" Melinda asked as she took a step closer to the pair only to be hit with the smell of alcohol. "Have you been drinking?"

"Um, no." She said trying lie but clearly failing.

Melinda sighed rubbing her temple with her fingers. "Thanks for bringing her here Ms…" She paused waiting for the younger female to give her a name.

"Oh, it's no problem." Revy answered snapping out of the trance she was in. It was remarkable how much Michaela and her mother looked alike "I'm Revy, Michaela's student." She extended her hand towards Melinda.

"It's very nice to meet you Revy." Melinda shook Revy's hand and gave her a bright smile "I wish it was under better circumstances though."

"Yeah I agree." Revy smiled back at her.

Melinda walked out of her apartment and grabbed Michaela from the other side, trying not to move her injured arm too much. The two women dragged the drunken boxer into the apartment and laid her on the couch. Melinda walked to the kitchen and pulled out two glasses. "Would you like some water Revy?"

"Oh, no ma'am I really should be leaving now."

"It's late, I'll take you." Melinda offered.

"No, Mom its fine I'll drive." Michaela interjected as she hiccupped

Melinda shot Michaela a cold glance "You're as drunk as a sailor and you think I'm going to let you drive?! I wouldn't give you an aspirin, you're so plastered you've probably forgotten how to swallow and would just choke on the damn thing!"

Revy knows it's never a good thing to get between such a lovely mother, daughter conversation so she thought it was best to excuse herself "Like you said Ms. Warner its already late, I should get going before my mother calls." Revy started to walk towards the door.

"No." Michaela said in a brusque voice as she grabbed Revy's hand, sitting up "You're staying here with me." She pulled the younger girl towards her sitting her down on the couch and cuddling next to her.

Melinda raised an eyebrow for a split second trying to figure out her daughter's actions. Was she trying to use Revy as a shield knowing Melinda wouldn't rip into her in front of company or was there more to this or maybe that was just the liquor talking?

"I'll call T or Don to come get you." Michaela said as she grabbed her phone then fumbled through the contacts until she found the right one, "Here it is." The phone rang a few times then someone picked up. "Hey Don, its Michaela, could you…" She was cut off by the person on the other end "Huh? Yeah sure, could I have eight large peps with double stuffed crust and five orders of hot wings? That'll be delivery please. $86.70 got ya" Michaela took the phone from her ear "Mom what's my address?"

Melinda never thought she could move so fast. Soon the phone was in her hand and she quickly hit the end button, hanging up the call. "You were supposed to be calling Don!"

"That was Don!"

"That was Pizza Hut!" Melinda said before she sighed heavily and rolling her eyes. There was no way she was going to get through to her drunken daughter "Come on Revy I'll take you home."

"Ok." She said more than ready to leave because she could already see that Melinda was losing patience with her own flesh and blood. Revy stood up from the couch as her trainer hesitantly let go of her hand, this earned Michaela another glare from Melinda. The two were gone a few moments later and Michaela went back to lying down on the couch where she soon fell asleep.

THE NEXT MORNING

"Wake Up." Michaela felt something fall onto her stomach. She sat up and quickly covered her eyes from the blinding light that was coming in through the windows.

"Agh" She made a groggy sound as her hangover started to kick in. Her hand grabbed the object that was lying on her midsection and she looked at it. "What'd you give me this for?"

"I want you to read it or at least try to." Melinda sat a cup of coffee down on the table next to the couch Michaela was lying on.

"You want me to read with a hangover?" Michaela glimpsed at her mother.

"Speaking of hangovers…" Melinda took the paper back from her daughter throwing it on the table and closing the blinds before she sat in a chair adjacent from her.

"Ag, I had to open my big mouth." She knew what was going to come next and it was probably going to end with Melinda being mad at her for the next two days because of something she shouldn't have said.

"Drink the coffee it should help."

Michaela sat up slowly and grabbed the cup of coffee, sipping on it. "Sweet, just how I like it."

"Hmp, you know what I don't like?" Melinda started off, "I don't like when my drunken daughter shows up at my door step so hammered she needs someone to help her walk and can't remember where she lives."

The anger in Melinda's eyes was very clear so Michaela didn't think about making up an excuse just to make her angrier. "Yeah, I had too much to drink. It won't happen again." She looked down into the cup of coffee only to guilt in the refection that was being casted back at her.

"Hmm 'It won't happen again' why does that line sound so familiar?" Melinda turned her head a bit as if she was trying to remember something. "Oh yeah, that's right." She looked back at Michaela, her eyes as piercing as a bullet. "That's the same thing you said when I posted your bail five years ago, remember, or maybe you can't. You were so drunk; you thought it'd be fun walk around wailing a gun all over the place! I don't even know where you got a gun and for your sake you better hope I never find out."

The words sent chills down the boxers back as she remembered that night and where she got the firearm. There was no way Melinda could find out where she got it from, if she did the phrase 'I brought you into this world and I can take you out' would apply to her in a matter of seconds. "I-"

"I'm not done yet."

Michaela's heart stopped for a second not knowing what else would come out of her mother's mouth. "There won't be any more mercy from me with this drinking habit that you have. If this happens again I'll have you arrested and put you into rehab. You know better than me that once that happens, that championship belt of yours will be taken away." A regretful look washed over the older woman's face "I won't have to end up like your uncle."

The words struck a nerve; this was a line that was to never be crossed again "This won't happen again, I promise."

"It better not, unless I'll put the handcuffs on you myself."

Michaela snickered a bit.

"What's so funny? I'm serious."

"Of course you'll put them on, even though you'll probably end up handcuffing yourself to me as well." Michaela fell over laughing at the memory of the story Melinda told her. Back when she was fairly new in the Air Force as doctor in the field, Melinda accidently handcuffed herself to a cadaver. Michaela always laughed at the story and it happened to be one of her favorites.

Melinda leaned back in her chair with a smile on her face as she made a mental note to never say the word handcuff around her daughter ever again.

"But seriously mom, I'm sorry."

Melinda got up and walked over to her. "I forgave you before and I'll forgive you now." She embraced her daughter tightly.

"Thank you." Michaela returned the hug with just as much strength. Soon the two let go of each other.

"Someone's gotten stronger." Melinda smiled

"You don't say." Michaela chuckled lightly

Melinda walked to the kitchen, "I know you're hungry."

"How do you figure?" Michaela asked before chugging down the rest of the coffee.

"You tried to order eight pizzas last night, you have to be hungry."

"I did?" Michaela leaned back on the couch trying to remember the events from last night. "Wait. Where's Revy?!"

"Don't worry; I took your girlfriend home last night." Melinda said while she started to prepare some pancakes.

"Girlfriend?" The champion quirked one of her eye brows and looked over at her mother, who currently had her back turned.

"Isn't she your girlfriend? I mean the way you grabbed her hand and all cuddly…" She trailed off and began mumbling something to herself.

"Revy, is my student, nothing more. I'm straight, you know that. Besides like you said, I was drunk." Michaela was quick to defend herself "Wait, why did I grab her hand?" She pondered for a bit. "You know what don't even answer that." There was no reason for her to hear anything else about the night before. Michaela took the paper off the coffee table in front of her and looked at the front page. "New York Murder strikes again."

"Yeah that's the guy we've been hunting for the past month almost. Don't worry we'll get that bastard." Melinda flipped the pancake over

Michaela opened the paper and started to read the article.

"I talked to your father."

"Oh really." Michaela was interested in what the two talked about, seeing that they hadn't talked much since they separated.

"Yeah, and for once me and him both agreed on something?"

"And what would that be?" Michaela looked over at Melinda

"That you fought an amazing match last night."

Melinda didn't have to finish her sentence before all thirty two of Michaela teeth were showing. "Thanks, means a lot."

"You're welcome sweetheart" She didn't have to turn around to see the big smile on Michaela's face. "How's your shoulder doing?"

Michaela glanced at her shoulder, "Oh, I almost forgot about this thing. It's fine." She went back to reading the paper, "I barely feel a thing, Patricia did a good job in popping it back in. It's not even sore anymore."

"I think the liquor helped with that one." A small chuckle filled the kitchen

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up while you…" She stopped mid sentence and stared at the news paper article more intensely.

"What's the matter?" Melinda asked noticing the pause

"Maxine Wells."

Melinda stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Michaela. "We found her yesterday in an alleyway, poor girl. I wasn't expecting you to read that, I know how upset you get about things like that. I figured you would look at sports section instead. Why'd you stop?"

"I was just skimming when I recognized the name. Maxine Wells, I went to school with her back when I was living with dad. We weren't close but we knew each other because we both played sports for our high school. She told me that we should get to know each other better since we were both going to come to New York after we graduated."

"Oh hunny I'm so sorry." Melinda's eyes softened as she read the confusion and denial in her daughter's face. She walked over the couch to comfort her.

"Yeah you're right..." Michaela kept flipping through until she got to the sports section where her picture with an article took up the front page. She took it out of the newspaper and discarded the rest. "I shouldn't have read that."

Author's Note:Sorry for the extremely late update, I just started school back and I was drowned in work. Now that I've found the method to all this madness I can continue writing again! :) Whooo! Okay down to business. You guys finally get to see some of Melinda and Michaela's tough love relationship. As you can see Melinda can be just as ruthless when she puts her foot down as Michaela can be in the ring. I wonder how Michaela will clear things up with Revy. Will there be another victim or will Elliot and Olivia catch the guy? Tell me what you think and please Review!

~ShihoinBlazer ;")