Hi, thanks for all the messages. I am ok, was a childhood sports injury that never seems to get fixed right. Hopefully that was the last op. Thanks for your kind words. I wrote this chapter about 5 different ways because I have ideas of where I want to get to but I need to nurse the characters to make that happen. After everything that has happened I can't just make it all perfect straight away so I am working on it. I want to show the devotion of the characters to each other as everyone knows from S3 on the show that Tony and Michelle married pretty quick and that Tony was so in love with Michelle he would do anything to protect her. Even though I am not following suit with having Michelle preggers now, I still want to maintain how deep their love and connection is for each other. I hope you like this chapter. This is hard stuff to write, such sensitive issues and I hope I am giving it some justice. Thanks for taking the time to read, I hope you are enjoying the story so far...(ADULTS ONLY)
They hugged for a few minutes and then Michelle rested her head on Tony's shoulder. She was tired and drained and it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. Tony held her and stroked her for awhile. He tried to sleep but he couldn't. His mind was racing about everything. When he knew Michelle was definitely asleep he slid out of the bed and made his way out to the lounge room. Everyone else was asleep in their rooms and it was dark. He grabbed his laptop and the phone and sat on the couch.
First he called CTU to get an update on the situation and see if there were any new leads on anything. He asked Chloe to update him on anything they had learnt about Doug since his release and what he was doing. So far that was ok; he hadn't done anything out of the usual. He had claimed benefits and was staying with a friend about 35 minutes away. Next he asked her to find out what was happening with Sam and Ashley. He was pissed to find out that there hadn't been an updated report on either one of them for over 15 hours now. He asked her to check who had visited Sam in the last 24 hours, what condition he was in and what was going on with Ashley. Chloe awkwardly asked Tony how Michelle was a couple of times. He told her that she was doing a lot better but then she acted surprised that she could be doing well at all, after what she had been through. Tony sighed, was this woman really the person that was going to replace Paula? Clearly it was going to take awhile to get use to her. He tried to stay calm and as friendly as possible as he asked her to get back to him straight away with an update.
Whilst he waited to hear back from Chloe he sat researching everything he could find out on Doug, Ashley and Sam. There wasn't anything to read about Ashley or anything he didn't know about Sam but this Doug was certainly a loose cannon. It made him feel sick reading the rap sheet on this guy. There was no chance by the sound of it that 15 months in jail would have done anything to rehabilitate him at all. As much as they didn't want face it, he knew it wouldn't be over for Michelle with Doug. He sat rubbing his cheek staring at the machine thinking of all of the things he would love to do to that guy. The vibration of his phone snapped him out of his thoughts.
He snapped it open, "Almeida."
"Tony its Chloe...from CTU..."
"Yes Chloe, what did you find?"
"I have a list of names of people that have been in to see Sam. I am guessing that the only one of interest to you is Ashley..."
"How many times has Ashley been in there?"
"3 times in the last 24 hours."
"Fucking hell. I want you to set up audio in that room Chloe so we know what they are talking about..."
"I can't do that Mr. Almeida, you know that I am not allowed to do that for you. I know that you love Michelle and all but you can't expect..."
Tony cut her off, he was frustrated and tired. "Ok, fine. Just please do me a favour and keep me updated every time he goes in to see Sam. Can you do that?"
Chloe sighed, "I'm extremely busy Tony, and we have 5 stations still not operating at..."
"I know the situation at CTU Chloe but Michelle is one of us. She is a federal agent and she was kidnapped and...and...JUST DO IT. I'm not asking for a lot of your time, I simply want you to keep track of the log books at the hospital and inform me if and when Ashley goes back."
"Fine!"
Tony thanked her and then hung up. He wasn't looking forward to having to work so closely with Chloe when he went back. He couldn't worry about that now though, he had to find out more about Ashley. It infuriated him that Ashley and Sam could even still be having contact under the circumstances. Who knew what they might be planning. They both would know if Jess and Michelle testified against them they could spend the rest of their lives in prison. As he sat there staring at the screen lost in his thoughts the hotel phone rang, he looked at the time, it was 3am. He pounced on it hoping it wouldn't wake everyone else up.
It was Danny. He apologised for calling at this hour but he didn't want to wait until morning before he spoke to Tony. He explained that he had received a couple of phone calls from a man asking where Michelle was. Danny hadn't said anything but he knew from the voice it wasn't Doug. Then when Danny had gotten home from work, his wife had called and told him that a young man had knocked on their door late that afternoon looking for Michelle. His wife had told the young man she wouldn't have any idea of Michelle's where-abouts. She was separated from her brother at the moment and didn't know anything. Danny was extremely anxious and wanted to know what the hell was going on. Tony could barely get a word in as Danny bomb-barded him with questions of why they were staying in the hotel, what had happened and who the hell would be going to his ex-wife's house looking for Michelle and calling his phone. Eventually Tony got him calmed down enough to explain what had happened. Danny flew off the handle and couldn't believe that Michelle had not told him. Tony tried to explain that Michelle was going to tell him she just needed a couple days to digest everything and recover. He apologised to Danny and then told him that he really needed his help to make sure Michelle was ok.
After talking about everything for 45 minutes, Tony got Danny to agree to have a trace set up on his phone so that they could monitor any more calls from Ashley and find out where he was calling from. Danny was anxious about his family's safety and Tony promised to have someone from his office go over and make sure their house was secure and keep an eye on his family. Danny demanded to be able to come and see his sister but Tony Was able to talk Danny into giving Michelle a little more time. He promised to have Michelle call him in the morning so he could hear from her that she was ok.
Whilst Tony was out in the lounge on the phone to CTU, local law enforcement and Danny, Charlie had also received a phone call on his cell from the hospital he worked at. Someone had been in asking where Charlie was. When the hospital staff explained that Dr. Almeida had taken the week off the man had tried every possible tactic to find out where he had gone and what he was doing. The staff didn't give out any information, they didn't have anything to say anyway – Charlie had told no one where he was staying except for his PA and the therapist. As far as the rest of the staff were concerned, he was on vacation with his family. Charlie was really disturbed by the phone call and knew he had to talk to Tony. Clearly it was Ashley that had been trying to find out where they were. He decided it couldn't wait and that he had to go wake Tony up and speak to him.
When Charlie snuck out of his room out to the lounge, he was surprised to find Tony on the computer in the dark. He walked over to him, he could see on the screen that Tony was logged into work and looking up records on Sam and Ashley, he had maps up and had written a pile of notes on a pad next to him. He put his hand on Tony's shoulder, "What are you doing Tony?"
Tony hadn't heard his Dad and got a real shock, he was so deep in concentration. He spun around whilst trying to close the screen down. "Ummm just looking at stuff for work. What are you doing up Dad?"
Charlie sat on the sofa next to Tony. "What's really going on Tony?"
Tony rubbed his cheek and took a deep breath. "I've just been talking to a few people Dad, trying to see what is happening with Sam and Ashley..."
"Anything come up?"
"Yeah and it's not good. It looks like Ashley is trying to find Jess and Michelle. Ashley has been in to see Sam a pile of times in just the last 24 hours and he has been calling her brother Danny." He paused and took a deep breath, "He even went to Danny's family home asking where Michelle was..."
Charlie started to panic. "And what did they say?"
"Nothing. Danny and his wife are separated at the moment so she doesn't know anything about where Michelle would be at the moment but Danny is really anxious and quite rightly so, worried about his families safety. He has agreed to have his phone monitored for when Ashley tries to contact him again but his is extremely pissed that we hadn't told him what happened to Michelle."
Charlie dropped his head. "Tony, I've just had a call from the hospital as well. It sounds like Ashley showed up there as well trying to find out where I was..."
"WHAT?"
"Don't worry, they didn't tell him anything, they don't know anything to tell but my PA does and I should call her.'
They both sat in silence for a moment whilst everything sank in. This was a nightmare. Finally Charlie asked Tony in a very quiet voice. "What do we do Tony? We can't let Ashley get near those two again..."
"Sam's probably told Ashley that if Michelle and Jess testify against them they will go to jail for the rest of their lives. They are desperate and at the moment I am sure Ashley figures his only hope of getting out of this is to silence the girls. We need a plan. I'm going to make a couple more calls back to work, Chapelle can authorize some man power for us and I'll get clearance to have Ashley monitored..."
As he was speaking his cell phone started ringing out. He saw it was CTU and so he answered straight away.
"Almeida"
"It's Chloe. I feel bad being the one to have to tell you this, seeing as you are already so mad but..."
"What is it Chloe?"
"Your apartment has been broken into. One of your neighbours called local police about some loud noise they heard and when the police went they found your locks broken and that the place had been turned upside down."
"Mother fucker! When did this happen?"
"Just in the last hour, I am sorry Tony. I have informed Mr. Chapelle and he is on the other line to talk to you."
"Ok, thank you Chloe, put him through."
Tony covered the mouth piece and spoke to his Dad. "We need to get out of here. My apartment was just broken into and I'll bet my life yours has been to. It won't belong until Ashley figures out where we are and there are too many people and loose ends to place us here. You need to call your PA and find out if she has been contacted."
"Oh My God Tony..."
Charlie's phone rang and he snapped it open. It was his PA, Lisa. She was crying and hysterical and Charlie couldn't make out a word she said. He asked her to try and calm down so he could understand her. His heart was sinking, he already knew what this was about, and he hoped like hell she was ok.
"Charlie, some man came up to me in the parking garage after my shift. He wanted to know where you were. I told him I didn't know and he said he knew I was lying. I tried saying you had gone on vacation with your family but he said he would kill me if I didn't tell him where you were. I am so sorry. I'm sorry..."
"Lisa, that's ok. I am so sorry this has happened to you. Did he hurt you?"
"No."
"Are you sure? Where are you now?"
"I'm at a friend's house; I didn't want to go home. I am so sorry."
"Don't be sorry Lisa, I just can't believe this has happened, I am sorry I got you involved..."
"What's going on Charlie? What does this man want with you?"
Charlie sighed, he was on the verge of tears. "It is a long story but this man abducted my daughter and my son's fiancé. They are safe now but they were both hurt and now this man is looking for them. Did you call the police?"
"No, I didn't know what to do. I just drove to my friend's house and then wanted to call you."
"You need to call the police...actually I'll have someone from my son's office contact you, he is a federal agent and they are aware of the situation. Are you sure you are ok?"
"I am ok Charlie, I promise. He didn't touch me but Charlie?"
"Yes."
"I am so sorry, I told him which hotel you were at. He was threatening to kill me and I just blurted it out."
Charlie felt like he was going to vomit but tried to remain calm. This wasn't Lisa's fault and he felt horrible she had just been through such a scary ordeal. He didn't want her to feel bad. "Lisa, that is ok, please don't worry about that, we will be safe. I am just sorry this happened. Can I please take all your contact information and pass it on to my son's work. He is with a place called CTU, which stands for Counter Terrorism Unit. They will probably come and see you shortly to get a description. Is that ok?"
"Anything Charlie, whatever you need."
Charlie took down the address of where she was staying and the phone numbers. He apologised again and then hung up. Tony was still talking to Chapelle, he waved for his attention and when Tony had told Chapelle to hold on he spoke quietly.
"Tony, Ashley knows where we are. He approached my PA and threatened to kill her if she didn't tell him where I was."
"Is she ok?"
"He didn't touch her, she is just shaken up but we have to get out of here now!"
Tony was doing everything he could to stay calm but he felt like he wanted to just break down and curl into a ball on the floor. The thought of Ashley getting anywhere near Michelle or Jess again was enough to make him crazy. "Ok, Dad, can you go and wake Mum up and have her get Jess ready and can you go and wake Michelle as well? I need to sort this out with Chapelle. We will figure out the next step if you can just get the girls organised?"
"OK, here are the details for Lisa if you want your guys to speak to her." Charlie handed Tony the information and then raced into Natalie. He woke her up and explained that they needed to pack and leave. Tears ran down Natalie's face straight away as she listened to Charlie explain what was happening. They hugged and she agreed to go and help Jess get ready whilst he went to Michelle. Natalie asked Charlie if they were going to be ok and he told her that everything would be fine, that CTU was on the case and were going look after them but as he turned to leave the room he could feel a huge lump in his throat. He didn't feel safe, but he wanted to keep as calm as he could in front of his wife. He wanted her to feel safe and protected.
As Charlie made his way to Michelle he worried that physically she wasn't really up to having to go through all of this and moving places. He was going to have to make sure they took it easy with her. When he walked into the room he could hear soft little whimpers coming from Michelle. The closer he got he could see she was sweating and tossing and turning, she was having a nightmare. He sat beside her on the bed and gently said her name.
It took him a few moments to wake her up and when her eyes finally opened a little she looked surprised to see Charlie there. She looked to the other side to check for Tony and then back to Charlie. She was very pale and shivering a little. "What's wrong Charlie?"
"You were having a nightmare Chelle."
"Did I wake you? Where is Tony?"
"He is in the lounge on the phone. Listen Michelle, there is no easy way to say this but I need you to trust that we have the situation under control..."
"What?"
"Ashley knows where we are and is looking for you and Jess. We need to leave immediately."
"Oh My God. How did he find out? Where are we going? Who is Tony talking to?"
"He is talking to Ryan Chapelle. I am not sure exactly where we are going, Tony is figuring that out now with Ryan. Whilst he is doing that, I need to get us all ready to go."
Michelle sat up and started to get out of bed. Her eyes were watery but she was trying to keep it together. "Ok, I'll get our things. Is Jess and Natalie ok?"
Charlie could see a huge difference between just his wife's reaction and Michelle's. The agent in Michelle came out straight away and she was doing her best to remain calm and collected, whilst Natalie and Jess he was sure would be all over the place. He would almost rather have Michelle burst into tears because he knew how to comfort her and handle that but it was a lot harder if she became guarded and pretended that she was ok. He asked her if she needed help getting off the bed but she waved her hand and said she was fine that he should go and make sure Jess was ok.
Charlie stood and waited for another minute as he watched Michelle struggle to get out of the bed and walk over to her bags. She was clearly in lot of pain, he offered to help again but she repeated she was fine, for him to go to Jess.
"Do you want something for the pain Michelle? It will help you get through the move?"
"No, I need to be clear headed. Thank you though."
Charlie went and grabbed his case and made his way out of the room. He prepared an injection anyway, figuring that Michelle was definitely going to need one. He checked on Natalie and Jess who were frantically packing up their bags. Jess was asking Natalie a million questions and Natalie was trying to keep her calm and promise her that if they just did what Charlie and Tony told them to do, they would be fine.
Michelle made her way out to Tony in the lounge. He put his arm across her shoulders and kissed her forehead. He told Ryan he would call him back in a couple minutes. He hung up and hugged Michelle properly.
"What is going on Tony?"
"Sweetheart, Ryan is organising for us to go to safe house until they catch Ashley. It is going to be ok baby."
"How does he know where we are?"
"He threatened Dad's personal assistant..."
Michelle threw her hand across her mouth, "Oh My God, is she ok?"
"She is fine but he also trashed our apartment and has called Danny to get information and Dad's hospital...everyone is fine Michelle but we need to get out of here straight away."
"He called Danny? Our apartment? Holy shit Tony, he is going to kill us. He is trying to shut us up so we can't testify against him..."
Tony pulled her in closer and tightened his grip on her. "He will not hurt you baby, we are doing everything we can to get us all to a safe place. I'm going to look after you."
Michelle just nodded her head as she tried to take in the fact that their apartment had been trashed and Ashley was on a war path to find them.
Tony pulled back a little and kissed her on the forehead, "I need to call Ryan back and make arrangements. Are you ok to get dressed? Don't worry about packing, one of us will do that..."
"I'll be fine. Come tell me as soon as you are done with Ryan."
Tony had been on the phone with Chapelle and local law enforcement for a long time. They had sent an agent over to Lisa who had given a description that matched Ashley and also had someone on their way to speak with Danny's ex-wife now. Charlie, Natalie and Jess were getting packed and ready and hotel staff were on alert to watch out for Ashley and to certainly not let anyone know which room the Almeida's were in or which floor.
Charlie had been running back and forth between helping his wife and daughter pack and discussing things with Tony as they set up plans. It had been awhile now since he had seen Michelle, he asked Tony if he should check on her. "Yes thanks Dad, she is trying to be ok with all this but I could tell she was pretty freaked out before. I don't want her trying to pack or anything, I told her to just get changed. Can you let me know how you think she is holding up?"
Charlie knocked on the door but didn't get an answer. Tony waved at him to just go in, so he stuck his head in the door but he couldn't see her. He saw the bathroom door open just the slightest. He said her name but she didn't respond. He walked closer to the door and said her name again but she still didn't respond. He could hear the tap water running, but not the shower. He started to get a feeling something wasn't right. He knocked on the door and said her name louder. All of a sudden the tap turned off and he could hear a pile of noise. "Chelle are you changing?"
"No, I'm...I'm...I'll be out soon."
Charlie could tell straight away she was in tears. Not just a little bit either, she sounded on the verge of being hysterical. She was breathing so deeply it was hard for her to get each word out and she sounded absolutely panicked. He pushed the door open and watched as she shoved something under the counter and then stood back up against the wall, she looked like a young child that had just been caught doing something wrong.
"Charlie..."
He was lost for words for a moment as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her shoulders quickly. She wouldn't look at him properly and her breathing was getting more and more out of control. "What's wrong Chelle?"
"Nothing, just getting ready."
He stepped inside and was even more shocked when she took another step back against the wall. "It is ok to be scared Chelle, we all are but I promise you that it will be ok. Tony and Ryan are working out a safe house for us and..." He stopped talking when he looked down and saw a flannel on the ground. That was what she had thrown down when he had walked in. His heart sank. He walked over right next to her, bent down and picked it up. He held it in his hand in front of her, she looked like she wanted to grab it from him but she wouldn't let the towel drop from around her even though she had a t-shirt on. He stared at her for a moment, hoping to god she would at least be able to look up at him and give him eye contact but she couldn't.
"Don't tell Tony..."
Charlie wanted to burst into tears on the spot. This was absolutely killing him. He could see how much pain she was in just by the expression on her face. He gently took the towel that was around her and pulled it off. At first she held on to it to stop him but then she just let it drop. Her arms were bright red where she had been scrubbing them. He looked down at her legs but she had tracksuit pants on, he took the bottom of her t-shirt and lifted it just slightly to reveal her stomach. It was the same bright red. He couldn't stop a couple tears from running down his cheeks. "Chelle what are you..."
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
He didn't mean to but his sadness and frustration got to him. "You know this isn't going to help! Why didn't you come to me or to Tony and let us know how you were feeling? I'm supposed to be looking after you and helping you feel better and now...and now I see that I'm not doing shit to help you! What can I do to make you understand, what the fuck am I doing wrong here..."
Michelle was completely shocked. She had never seen Charlie like this and he had certainly never spoken to her like this before. Seeing him cry was heartbreaking. "It's not you or Tony. You guys have been amazing..."
"Obviously not. I knew I shouldn't have left you before! I knew you were not quite right. Is this because of what is happening?"
"I just...I just..." She was still in total shock at seeing Charlie losing it like this. "What if he gets to us Charlie? Do you know what he is going to do? He is going to finish what they started. I can't go through that again...I just can't handle that Charlie..."
He stepped in closer. "He won't get to you Chelle, we won't let you go through that again."
Tears streamed down her face and she shook her head in disbelief. He wrapped his arms around her, she buried her head into his shoulder and he held her tight and whispered into her ear, "It's going to be ok, we will all get through this. You gotta hang in there Chelle, I need you to keep staying strong."
"As soon as I heard he knew where we were my skin just started crawling again. It's like I can still feel him on me and I don't know how to stop it. How do I stop it?"
Charlie had never wished he had an answer to something more than he did right now. He would have given anything to be able to make her feel better. The whole thing made him feel so useless. He felt like he was failing her. "I don't know Chelle, I really don't know but it will get better. I am so sorry you are going through this."
Michelle pulled back a little and took the flannel from his hand. "No Chelle, no more. Talk to me, talk to Tony but don't..."
"Just let me finish my legs. Please Charlie, please..."
He grabbed the flannel back and closed the door behind him. "No, I'm not going to stand here and watch you hurt yourself. You have been through more than anyone should ever have to go..."
"It was all worth it though."
His legs went weak when she said that. "What the hell does that mean?"
"You can't tell me it wasn't worth it Charlie. If it didn't happen that way it would have happened to Jess and we all know that is the one thing none of us could have lived with..."
Charlie was shocked beyond belief that Michelle looked at it like that. Her words made him feel like his heart just stopped. It made him angry, angry that she could possibly think that any of this was ok because it happened to her not Jess. His voice rose again, "How the hell can you think that? It shouldn't have happened to either of you but don't think this is any easier on anyone because it happened to you not Jess."
"Just forget about it Charlie, it doesn't matter. We need to get ready. Just please don't tell Tony."
"Don't you start trying to shut me out Michelle. It matters, everything you are feeling matters. I can't handle..."
Michelle yelled back at him. "What do you want me to say Charlie? What do you want from me? I don't want to make you any angrier..."
"Angry? I am fucking angry! How am I supposed to feel Michelle? You saved my daughter's life. You came into our lives and turned it upside down in the best way possible. You have made my son the happiest I have ever seen him, you have bought us all closer together and then you actually endured hell just to protect my little girl. Do you know what it is like as a father to imagine your daughter going through something like that? Trust me...there is nothing worse AND because of you, she was spared from that. BUT how do I ever live with that or feel ok with that when I see what you have been through? So tell me Michelle, what am I supposed to do? How the hell do I comprehend all this?"
"You are supposed to be relieved that it wasn't your daughter that went through it and trust that I'll get through this. Believe me when I tell you I don't regret anything, I don't regret one choice I made, I know it was the right thing to do."
They both stopped and stared at each other. Speechless. There was a pound on the door, it was Tony. "What's going on?" He opened the door and stared at them both. Neither one of them answered him, they both stood with their eyes to the ground.
"What's wrong? Dad, Chelle?"
Charlie kicked the counter, making both Michelle and Tony jump. Tony went to his Dad. "DAD! What's the matter?" Tony had never in his life seen his Dad do something like that. He had never seen his Dad look so emotional and out of control as he did right now. Charlie ignored Tony and raised his finger and pointed at Michelle. "It was a selfless thing you did, it was brave beyond belief but nothing about this situation is right. You should never have had to make that choice, you should never have had to endure abuse like that and you shouldn't have to feel the pain that you do now."
Tony stood back dumbfounded. He looked at Michelle's arms and it didn't take him long to figure out what must have happened. He felt his legs go weak and like his Dad, he just wanted to lose it. Michelle was equally as worked up, still trying to catch her breath properly. "I'm sorry. Let's just forget this happened. We need to get out of here. I don't want you to worry about me I'm..."
"Worry about you? I am worried to death about you Michelle. I feel like I am failing you..."
"What, how? You have been amazing..."
"Amazing? That's why I just caught you trying to scrub your skin off. I signed you out of that hospital under the belief that I would be able to care for you and make you feel better. That I could make you more comfortable and help you through this. I should have made you speak to that woman, just like I would have if you had been anyone else. Just because you and Tony are agents does NOT make you immune to the reality of this type of situation. Both of you are just hanging in there and it is my duty as your father Tony and your doctor to be guiding you through this and helping you. I don't feel like I have done either!" He barely got his last words out before he burst into tears.
For the first time in his entire life, Tony watched his father sob. It stung to the core and it hurt like hell. He felt like he couldn't move, he couldn't find one word, he was completely and utterly at a loss.
Michelle stepped next to Charlie and went to put her arms around him. At first he looked like he didn't know what to do and then finally he allowed her to put her arms around him and they hugged. "Charlie you have been so incredible to me and to Tony, I'll never be able to thank you enough for everything you have done. I could never have gotten through any of this so far if it wasn't for you. You DO make me feel comfortable and you are helping me. For the first time since I lost my Dad, I don't feel like I have a hole in my heart and that is because of you."
He went to reply but he was still sobbing too hard. Michelle continued. "I'm sorry for what just happened. That wasn't your fault though. I just got freaked out. I'm trying but I can't just make how I am feeling disappear yet but I know with you and Natalie and Jess and of course Tony, that I will get there. You have to believe me when I say that I couldn't ask for more, you have been exactly what I have needed."
Tony had now put his arms around them both as well. "Dad, I've never felt closer to you in my whole life. I have depended on you more in the last few weeks than I ever have and you have come through for me in the best possible way over and over. Can't you see how much you are helping us by allowing Michelle to be out of hospital and with me and the family recovering? Can't you see how much Chelle and I have opened up to you the last few days?"
Charlie stood back and looked at them both. He rubbed his eyes and had started to stop crying. "Really?"
"Charlie, I've opened up and told you things I would never ever have told anybody. Telling Tony what happened was the hardest thing I have ever had to do and yet over the last few days I have been able to tell you things as well. You've made me feel so safe and loved. I know I keep having my moments but if it wasn't for you and Tony...I'd...well I hate to even think of where I might be. Both of you are the best people I know in the whole world and I am closer to you both and trust you both more than anyone I ever have."
Charlie smiled a little. "Thank you."
Tony put his arm back around his Dad. "Thank you Dad. I won't ever be able to say it enough."
"Please don't give up on me Charlie. Don't send me back to the hospital..."
Charlie shook his head. "I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to give up on you Chelle, I never will."
Michelle sighed in relief. "Should I go get my bag so we can get out of here? Where are we going Tony?"
Both men looked at Michelle in surprise and shook their heads. Tony let go of his Dad and stepped into Michelle. "I might have just come in at the end of all that sweetheart but I have heard and seen enough to know what sparked it and we are not going anywhere until we check you and make sure you are ok."
"I'm alright really..."
Charlie took a deep breath. "Tony's right Michelle. We are not leaving until I know you are ok. I want you back on the bed now."
Tony smiled a little seeing his Dad spring back into action. He was still completely shocked to have seen his Dad break down but he wasn't surprised. He and Michelle had been an absolute mess for days and it was Charlie that had kept them going. In a way he was glad his Dad had let it all out. He promised himself to make sure from now on he kept checking in with his Dad to make sure he was holding up as well. Sometimes it was easy to forget Dad's are not superhuman. He took Michelle's hand and led her back into the bedroom and over to the bed. She went along with it and lay on her back staring at the ceiling. She was angry and frustrated. She knew she had a long way to go because she still thought in the back of her mind that if she had it her way, she would be getting straight back into the shower and washing herself again.
Charlie stood next to Michelle and pulled his case up onto the bedside counter. "I'm really sorry I yelled at you like that Michelle, that wasn't fair."
"It's ok, really. I'm sorry I upset you so much."
Tony lay next to Michelle and traced his fingers down her arm. He hated seeing her like this. He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. "Ok sweetheart, where are you hurt?"
Michelle sighed. She could feel her lip beginning to quiver. "Stomach, legs and my arms."
Tony gently lifted her top to reveal her bright red stomach. "Oh baby..."
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
He kissed her on the lips softly. "I know how scary this is thinking about Ashley sweetheart but I am going to look after you..."
"But if he catches me Tony, you know what he will do. I can't stop thinking about what he will do to me. I'd rather be dead than go through that again..." She said it before even really thinking about what she had said, but it was the truth. She could see the look of sadness cross Tony's face and she could hear Charlie sigh.
"You will not go through that again, I promise you. This is where I really need you to trust me in sweetheart that I can look after you and get you through this. And CTU is doing everything they can to help."
"What is happening?"
"They are sending out a car to pick us up and take us to a safe house where we will have security. Danny and his family will also have security and so will Dad's PA, Lisa. They are going to catch him baby, we just need to hang in there a little longer."
"What about our apartment? I feel sick even thinking about him going through all of our personal stuff. Who knows what he has taken, or what he has found out about us."
"I know sweetheart, I know, it makes me feel sick too. BUT it is just stuff and we can replace things, we can move and start fresh...whatever we have to do to feel better." He was trying to convince himself just as much as he was Michelle.
They were all quiet for a few minutes as Charlie applied cream to any areas on her stomach and arms he felt needed it. A couple spots he had to put a bandage on it. He stressed to them both how much they needed to keep all of these areas clean and that he would be changing the bandages and putting antiseptic on it often.
Charlie gave Michelle some more pain relief and whilst they waited for that to kick in he went out to check on Natalie and Jess. They were both ready to go and sitting watching TV trying to distract themselves. They had heard all the yelling but knew that they needed to give them privacy and so Natalie was doing her best to keep Jess occupied. Charlie apologised for what was happening and explained that he should have Michelle ready to leave in about half an hour. He suggested they think about what they wanted to eat so that they could pick something up on the way and maybe they could stop off at borders or something and pick up a pile of movies and books for the next week.
Tony and Michelle hugged and kissed whilst Charlie was gone. Tony wanted to push Michelle and understand exactly what had happened but he knew it just wasn't the time. He knew enough. By hearing the Ashley was coming for them it had triggered Michelle off and she had slipped back into that dark place and not being able to think about anything but what had happened with Sam. Clearly his dad had caught her scrubbing herself and that had sparked everything off. He was still shocked over seeing his Dad and Michelle like that. He knew they now had a bond for life. In some ways it was nice to know just how close Michelle was with his family. She really was family now. He just couldn't wait to make it official.
"I can't wait to marry you sweetheart. I want to get married as soon as possible."
Michelle smiled."Me too, I don't want to wait. I'd marry you tonight if I could."
They kissed. "Well maybe this next week we should use the time to plan everything. A whole new fresh start. We can plan it for as soon as possible. As soon as you are feeling better, I want you to walk down the aisle and be my wife!"
"I love you Tony. I love you more than you could imagine."
"Trust me sweetheart, I can imagine."
By the time Charlie was back, the injection had completely kicked in and Michelle was feeling a little out of it and quite chatty. She started to make a few comments that really made Charlie and Tony laugh. She was being a little goofy and it was exactly what they all needed. Tony called CTU and told them they were a little delayed but he would let them know when they were ready to go.
Michelle pulled her tracksuit pants down to show Charlie the top of her thighs where she scrubbed. The medication once again had made her drop her guard and whilst a part of her felt a little self conscious, she didn't care anymore. Charlie had seen just about everything now and it was easier just to get on with it rather than letting it turn into a bigger deal. She felt shy and Charlie and Tony could see she was nervous so they tried to distract her as much as they could. It was hard to smile though, when they were so saddened by what they were seeing. Whilst Charlie changed the bandage on her stomach, Tony cleaned her thighs with the dettol and then applied the cream. Charlie then knelt down beside her. "Michelle please try and be as honest as you can with me...when you are trying to get 'clean' is there any specific areas that are bothering you the most or is it your whole body?"
"And my hair. I feel like I want to wash my hair again and again."
He sighed, she was missing his point. Tony didn't though so he tried. "Sweetheart, I think what Dad means is that we can see that from the areas you have tried to clean the most...like your stomach and thighs, that is what is bothering you the most...right?"
She slightly nodded her head, "Yeah."
Charlie stood up. "Why don't I give you both a couple minutes to talk in private? Can I have a quick word Tony?"
Tony followed his Dad out to the door. "I think you know where I am heading with all this Tony, I just don't want to make Michelle uncomfortable but Tony, if she is ummm...scrubbing her thighs to that extent, I can assure you that..."
"I know...but what do I do?"
"Try to talk to her, I think it would be really good if we did have that woman come in and see Michelle. It doesn't feel appropriate for me to do any of that kind of examination but I strongly believe, now more than ever, that Michelle needs it."
Michelle could actually hear what Charlie said and spoke up. "Please don't make me see someone or have an exam."
They both spun around and looked at her. Charlie felt bad she had overheard, they should have left the room completely.
Tony walked back over to Michelle and Charlie slipped out of the door to give them privacy. Tony sat on the bed and pulled Michelle into his arms. He kissed her on the head. "Dad's right baby, I think you need to be seen by someone...just to make sure everything is ok. I know the idea of it makes you feel very uncomfortable but I would feel so much better knowing that you were 100% ok."
"But I..."
"Chelle...you are not ok. What just happened proves that. I know this is hard but the bottom line is...you were sexually assaulted and you have not been checked properly. Anybody that went through what you did would have to go through this at the hospital straight away. It has been days now and it makes me very nervous. I am asking you to do this for me sweetheart. Will you do this for me?"
Michelle tightened her grip on him. "I can't believe I am saying this..."
Tony sat up a little and shifted his body so he could look into her eyes. "What baby? You can tell me anything."
She closed her eyes and spoke with a weak and quiet voice. "I think I do need to see her because I do have pain..." She stopped when she could see tears welling up in his eyes. She went to pull back but he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back in even closer.
"Why didn't you tell me baby?"
"I'm sorry, when your Dad first asked I was too embarrassed to even have the conversation and I guess I just hoped it would go away..."
"Is it bad pain sweetheart?"
She nodded her head. He held her close and told her how sorry he was. "I know I should have listened to your dad but I'm scared Tony..."
"I understand baby, I know how scary this all is. I can be with you every step of the way if you want me to?"
"Really?"
He kissed her again. "I'm with you for everything Chelle. I'll be by your side for anything. You are not alone, we face this together, ok?"
"Ok. I need you with me."
"Alright, I'm going to call Dad in and have him get it organized. Then do you think you are ready to get out of here and go to the new place? You will feel a lot better there and we can get on with planning the wedding and having fun."
"Yep, the sooner we are out of here, the better."
Tony called his Dad back in. Charlie could tell by the way Tony was holding Michelle and had red eyes that something had happened. He sat on the end of the bed.
"Dad, it would be good if you called that woman. Michelle does need to see her."
Charlie tried to keep as calm and collected as possible. "Needs to see her or is willing to see her?"
Tony squeezed Michelle's hand. "No, needs to see her."
Charlie didn't show it but he felt really frustrated with himself for not forcing the issue a couple days ago when it first came up.
Michelle kept her head down as she spoke. "Sorry Charlie, I was too nervous or something when you first tried to make me see her. I should have listened to you but I just wasn't ready to face it."
"I completely understand Michelle. You need to know that how you feel is completely normal. I should have forced the issue with you. Thank you for telling us. I promise you that you will find this woman very good, she is brilliant at her job."
Michelle nodded her head but still kept her eyes down. Tony kissed the side of her cheek.
"I'll call her now." He looked at his watch, it was just after 7am. "Michelle, is this something that I should be having her come out today or make an appointment for tomorrow?"
"Today."
He nodded his head and walked out of the room to make the call. He was relieved on one hand but very sad on the other.
Joanne answered Charlie's call on the 3rd ring. He apologised for calling so early but she told him it was fine and asked how Jess was. He told her how he felt Jess was going but then explained the reason he was calling was because he needed her to come and see Michelle. Within a few minutes it was clear Charlie didn't have enough information to tell Joanne for her to know whether this was a house call or if Michelle should be bought into her clinic. In the end she asked to speak with Michelle. Charlie warned her that Michelle was very guarded before taking the phone back into the room and asking Michelle to talk to Joanne.
Michelle asked for privacy and so they both left the room whilst she spoke to Joanne. Michelle tried to be as open as possible and answer everything she could.
Once Michelle handed Charlie back the phone he went back to the lounge an Tony stayed in with Michelle.
"Charlie, you need to bring Michelle down to the clinic. This is not a house call. Why wasn't this checked days ago?"
He sighed, "I can't even begin to explain the mayhem at the hospital and it got so bad I ended up having Michelle released into my care. I tried to get her to see you the first day but she assured me she was fine. She felt to nervous, which I completely understand given the circumstances, to speak up. It has taken a lot to get to this point where she has just opened up and asked for help."
"I'm not surprised after what she went through that she has her guard up, that is to be expected. However, I need to see her straight away..."
"How bad do you think this is Joanne?"
"I don't know yet Charlie, I've explained to Michelle that once I have examined her if she wants to go back into your care that you are going to have to know the situation. I can manage it but you still need to be aware. I'll know more once I see her. How quickly can you get her down here?"
"We will leave in a couple minutes. Thanks Joanne."
Charlie went back into the room. "Thanks for talking to Joanne Michelle. We need to take you down to the clinic straight away...
"She can't come here?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry but this needs to be done at her clinic. Tony can go in with you, I'll have the girls go pick out some books and movies whilst they wait and then we can head over to the new place."
"Ok, you are coming to right? I mean you will be there as soon as I get out?"
Charlie smiled on the inside. She really did trust him and that was a good feeling. "Yes, I'll be waiting for you both. Joanne told me that she mentioned to you that she will have to bring me up-to-date on the situation if I am going to continue to care for you. If you need any follow-ups, I can take you back to her but I do need to understand your whole medical situation. Is that alright?"
"Yes, I understand. Thanks."
He smiled and told them to get ready because they needed to leave in a minute. Tony called CTU and asked for the car to come. It would be there in 10 minutes. Charlie left the room to get Natalie and Jess ready.
Michelle kissed Tony on the lips. "I know it sounds dumb but what just happened, I mean just before with your dad and then just now, feels like I just took a really big step to getting better."
"That doesn't sound dumb at all baby. I completely agree. It is a huge step and I am very proud of you."
"I just want to get back to normal. Back to us having fun and playing around. I really want to put all of this behind us and try and just look forward to the future."
"You have no idea how good that sounds to me. We are getting there sweetheart. It is still really early days you know...I think we are doing well. This time in a week we will be 100 times better. And then before you know it we will be back at work and getting ready for the little one..."
"We need to make a nursery..."
Tony smiled. "You know, the apartment isn't really big enough for a family. Maybe we should move. Get a house and have a whole new start. We are going to have to have room to give this little guy a brother or sister soon you know..."
Michelle laughed. "Have you already decided it is going to be a boy?"
"I know it is! Strong, manly Almeida genes baby! I have a feeling you have a little baseball star in that belly."
They both laughed and then kissed. It was going to be a hard next couple of days but Michelle felt ready to start facing it with Tony.
As you know all my chapters are pretty long an take awhile for me to write. If you are reading this story and want me to continue please take a minute to review and let me know what you think and if I should continue. No point writing it anymore if no one is reading. Thanks for taking the time:)