Hey guys! Thank you all for the well wishes on moving and the birthday wishes too! :D you all are the sweetest! I am happily settled into my new place with wifi(yay!) and am excited for this and the next two chapters! It's going to be good! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! xoxo
The week passed by slowly, with Michael fighting a fever for three whole days, often needing Alex and Gabriella to hold him up and feed him. On the fourth day he woke in the early morning, his fever broken. He struggled to sit up and stopped when he saw Gabriella sleeping, sitting in a chair, her head resting on the bed by his side. She had dark circles under her eyes, and even in sleep looked exhausted.
He felt guilty that he had caused her so much grief. He laid a hand on her head, brushing her forehead softly with his thumb. She stirred beneath his hand, her eyes fluttering, eventually sitting up stiffly. She stretched, groaning as her tired muscles protested. She finally noticed Michael was awake, "Hey! You're awake!" –thank God- she added silently.
She placed a hand on his forehead and the other around his wrist, taking his temperature and pulse. She sighed in relief; he was steady as a rock. She smiled at him, cupping his cheek gently, "You scared us really badly Michael. Try not to do it again, ok?"
He laid his hand over hers, "I'm sorry, I'll be more careful, I swear it."
She nodded and stood, pulling her hand away. "I'm going to get you some food and water. Later today if you are feeling up to it, we can go for a short walk." She left the room quickly and ducked outside, tears choking her. She pressed her fist to her mouth, suppressing her sobs; she had been so scared that Michael wasn't going to get better.
After the first day had moved into the second and his fever had risen she had been forced to give him an IV and a steady stream of antibiotics. Gabriella sank to the ground, covering her face with her hands, crying. She gave herself a few minutes and then stood, shaky, and pulled herself together. She went back inside and made another pot of oatmeal with powdered eggs and spices. She took a bowl to Michael and sat by his side, eating a bowl of her own. She watched as his eyes grew heavy, smiling. Even after being out for four days he still needed rest. She took the empty bowl out of his limps hands and went out to the kitchen to wash them up.
Alex came in from outside, carrying a stack of wood for the fireplace. Gabriella gave him a large smile, "He just woke up for a little bit! His fever is gone and his pulse is good. I think he's through the woods. He even ate some oatmeal."
Alex smiled back at her, "That's great! Good job Doc!"
Gabriella shook her head, "Nah, wasn't me." Alex smiled and shook his head at her reluctance to take a compliment, even though it had been her up with Michael for nearly two days straight when his fever had spiked. She was a strong woman. He knelt and lit a fire in the fireplace, it was starting to get chilly out, and it looked like it might rain.
He could see the exhaustion in Gabriella's face when he stood and watched her clean the bowls in the kitchen. He walked over and laid a hand on her shoulder, "Go get some rest; I'll be working on these translations for awhile. I'll be here if he wakes up and needs anything." Gabriella choked up again, and nodded her thanks before heading to Alex's room to lie down.
Hours later she woke, better rested. She walked out of the bedroom, running a hand through her hair, working out tangles. She walked into her room and balked when she saw the empty bed. She moved through the house quickly, fear growing when she couldn't find Alex or Michael. She ran outside, her 9mm in hand, and came to a stop when she saw Michael and Alex in the back yard; Alex practicing his fighting, Michael guiding him, sitting on the ground.
She sighed, tucking her gun into her waistband and walked over.
"How long have you been up to this?" she asked, trying not to sound upset.
Alex gave her a guilty look, "Sorry Gabriella, he was getting antsy, and I thought this was the best way to keep him from getting into trouble."
Michael lifted a hand, "He is right here and can speak for himself."
Gabriella gave him a silencing look, "I told you that you could go for a walk when I was there. You could have ripped your stitches, passed out….god Michael! You scared me!" she ended up shouting.
Michael frowned, "I apologize, I didn't mean to upset you." She stared at him and then shook her head in frustration. She walked back into the house and sat down with some of the books, flipping idly through them. When she had calmed down she went to the kitchen and made some dinner for the three of them. By the time she had finished, Alex and Michael were coming back in, Michael leaning on Alex with one hand on his shoulder.
"Sit" Gabriella said firmly, pointing to the table. Alex and Michael sat, both looking meek. She laid plates in front of them laden with rice, green beans, and chicken. She sat down and they ate in silence for a few minutes until Alex spoke up, "Come on Gabriella, you can't stay mad at us forever."
Gabriella sat and chewed her food for a moment and then smiled at them, "I'm not mad, I was just worried when I couldn't find Michael. He just woke up and I was worried the fever had come back and he had gotten up and wandered. That's all." Alex nodded and Michael's face was impassive.
They finished dinner and Alex offered to clean up, giving Gabriella the chance to clean herself up. It had been at least five days since she had been able to get clean, what with taking care of Michael.
She wrung out her long hair, sighing with pleasure at the feeling of being clean. She pulled on a pair of shorts and an oversize sweater, feeling relief at being in clean clothes. She wandered out to the living room and found Michael sitting on the couch, working on translations. Alex was outside, patrolling.
She sat down on the couch next to Michael and touched his arm softly, "Hey", he turned to look at her, "I'm sorry that I yelled at you."
A hint of a smile played on his lips, "You have nothing to apologize for. I acted rashly."
Gabriella barely smiled back, "Just try not to do it again, ok? I don't like worrying about you like that."
He nodded and then handed her the book he had been looking at. "This and the others don't seem to tell us anything about the chosen one for heaven, but they do seem to point to a town further north, called Savior. I believe that we will find the answers we are looking for there."
Gabriella nodded, "Ok, when do you want to go?"
"Tomorrow morning" Michael said, speaking softly.
Gabriella sighed, standing, "Time to pack then!"
Michael watched Gabriella leave; he felt guilty for worrying her earlier, but he had felt better and wanted to get out. She seemed more comfortable with him now, happier. As he had been reading and translating, he had had flashes of memory from his time when he was fevered.
He remembered her cool hands wiping his body off, her soft touch as she checked his stitches and most of all, remembered her words, "Don't you die on me flyboy, I can't live without you", whispered as she held his hand.
The next day
After driving for nearly 5 hours, they pulled up in front of a run down, yet still charming bed and breakfast. They decided to move out the next morning and scout the houses nearby.
The next day they moved out, working in a grid pattern, searching house after house, finding nothing. They had only covered about 1/8 of the small town before they had decided to head back to the bed and breakfast and scrounge up some dinner. While Alex made dinner, Gabriella waylaid Michael, letting him know she needed to check on his stitches. She had him sit on the bed in her room after he had removed his shirt and pants, pulling the vanity chair up to inspect his wounds.
Gabriella pulled the stitches out of his leg and out of the two smaller gashes on his chest. She ran her fingers over his slowly forming scars, and his older scars, smiling at him sadly. "I'm sorry you have more scars to add to your collection" her hand resting on his chest.
Michael laid his hand over hers, "So long as it's your handiwork keeping me alive, I don't mind."
Gabriella smiled, "Ok, sounds good." She stood, "You can get dressed now" and walked out to the dining room.
Michael watched her go, wondering if she felt anything for him other than friendship. He thought she did, with the way she smiled at him, looked at him, and had kissed him back. He sighed, he only wanted her to be happy, and he knew she had been happy with Ben, but that the distance had worn on them and Ben had been able to see that Michael had feelings for her. Michael rose and dressed, heading out to the dining room for dinner.
The next day they headed back out, working in a grid, searching more houses. Mid afternoon, they convened on the street with Michael and Gabriella having come up empty.
Alex came around the corner and waved to them, "Hey you guys need to come see this place. I think what we need is inside."
Michael gave him a curious look, "Why do you say that?"
Alex sighed, "Just follow me and I'll tell you." They walked down the street and around the corner to a large Victorian house, where Alex came to a stop.
He pointed to the house, "When I walked past the house, my tattoos changed, and I had a vision of myself in the house, holding a book, and the pages were glowing."
Michael stared at him for a moment then asked, "Are you sure?" Alex nodded. They all stood staring at the house until Gabriella squared her shoulders and walked up the front porch, tossing smile and called over her shoulder, "Come on boys, time to go see what it is we've been looking for."