Don't Take the Girl
       

Year: 1983

Danny's daddy was takin' him fishin'
When he was eight years old
A little girl came through the front gate
Holdin' a fishing pole
His daddy looked down and smiled
Said we can't leave her behind
Son I know you don't want her to go
But someday you'll change your mind

And Danny said
"Take Billy Lewis, take Philip Spaulding, take my best friend Ray
Take anybody that you want, as long as she will stay
Take any boy in the world
Daddy, please don't take the girl"


Eight year old Danny sat in the hot sun with his legs dangling off the back of the pick-up truck waiting patiently for his daddy to return. He lifted his bottle of RC Cola, threw his head back and downed the last sip in one big gulp. With squinted eyes, he glanced down at his fishing pole and tackle box lying on the truck bed and thought he would die from excitement if his daddy didn't hurry up. Danny looked forward to these monthly fishing trips ever since his parents had divorced. Times spent alone with his daddy were special - they shared a great bond with each other. Danny looked across the street at the Bauer residence where his father had gone to borrow some life vests and saw the front door open. Out came his daddy and trailing right behind him was that girl, Michelle Bauer. Danny didn't particularly care for her because she was after all, a "girl!" He thought all girls were gross and really served no purpose. He liked to play with mud pies, hunt insects and do all the kinds of things that little boys like, but all Michelle wanted to do was dress up her Barbie dolls, bake in her Easy Bake Oven and play doctor. Michelle had just turned six and her father had gotten her a play doctor's bag for her birthday. After that, she thought she was really something. She was constantly wanting to take your pulse, check for a fever and put a bandage on you somewhere. Danny thought she was just annoying and he would rather she leave him alone. As his daddy and Michelle came through the front gate, Danny noticed that Michelle was holding a toy fishing pole and was wearing a life vest too. The look on his face immediately went sour and he looked at his daddy with eyes begging him to say it wasn't so.

"Danny, Michelle is going to join us on our fishing trip today. Won't that be fun?"

Danny's heart sunk and he pleaded and begged. "Daddy! Why does she have to go. I want it to be just you and me!"

His daddy kneeled down to look Danny in the eye and smiled as he gently spoke. "Danny, sweetheart, we can't leave her behind. She asked if she could go and I couldn't say "no." Son, I know you don't want her to go, but someday, believe me, you'll change your mind."

Desperately trying to convince his father not to take Michelle, Danny pleaded some more. "Daddy, can't we take Phillip Spaulding or Billy Lewis? What about Ray? Ray would have a blast with us. We could catch tadpoles together. Daddy, Pleeeeeease. Don't take the girl."

"No, son. We're going to take Michelle and that's final. You're hurting her feelings. Look at her."

Danny looked over and saw Michelle's big brown eyes filled with crocodile tears. When she blinked, a single tear trickled down her cheek and made a big splash on the top of her life vest. As much as Danny hated to admit it, he did feel sorry for her.

With a stomp of his right foot, he finally relented and said "Oh, all right! You can go Michelle Bauer, but I don't want to hear you squealing like a girl when I catch a big slippery fish, and you better be prepared to bait your own hook. We have live worms you know and they can get really messy!"

With that said, they all three climbed in the front of the pick-up truck and off they went.


Year: 1993

Same old boy, same sweet girl, ten years down the road
He held her tight and kissed her lips in
Front of the picture show
Stranger came and pulled a gun
Grabbed her by the arm
Said "If you do what I tell you to there won't be any harm"

And Danny said:
"Take my money, take my wallet, take my credit cards
Here's the watch that my grandpa gave me, here's the key to my car
Mister give it a whirl
But please don't take the girl"

Over the years, Danny and Michelle developed a special bond with each other and remained the best of friends all throughout their school years. Danny was a Senior in high school and was scheduled to graduate in the summer and Michelle would enter the next school year as a Junior. At Michelle's Sweet 16 birthday party, Danny had begun to see her in a different light. It seemed that over night, she had somehow changed. Danny had always seen her as a pretty girl, but she was sort of skinny and awkward, wore glasses and had braces. When she turned 15, the braces came off, the glasses were replaced by contact lenses and she had grown at least an inch or two. She was like a butterfly coming out its cocoon. Her body had changed in ways that made Danny blush and she had developed into this incredibly beautiful, intelligent and talented young woman. The curls that Michelle had hated as a child hung down her back and across her shoulders and framed her face in the most perfect way. When she smiled, she lit up the room and everyone was well aware of her presence.

He stared at her from across the room as she mingled with her birthday guests and he wondered if she ever thought of him in the same way. If he had the slightest inclination that she would be interested in him as something more than just a friend, he would go for it. But without a sign from Michelle, he wouldn't pursue it in fear of ruining their special friendship.

From across the room, Michelle could feel his eyes on her. Their bond was so special, she always knew when he was watching. For many years now, he had been her friend, confidant and protector. She secretly hoped, however, that one day he would be more. She glanced over the shoulder of the person she was speaking with and as she suspected, he was staring at her. She gave him a wink and a devilish smile and returned to her conversation. When she was done, she felt she needed some air so she headed out to the pool area and took a seat by the spa.

As she sat there, she thought of Danny and wondered why he was always staring at her. It seemed like she was always catching him looking at her and most of the times when he knew he was caught, he would quickly look away in embarrassment. Danny was 18 years old now and no longer the boy she remembered from their childhood. Growing up, he had always been tall and skinny and had a look of his own. The girls had always thought he was cute and from that, he developed a bit of a cocky attitude about himself. He knew he was popular with the girls and he was never without a date on the weekends. Michelle, however, spent most of her weekends at home studying. For quite some time now, Michelle had looked at Danny in a different way, but would never admit her feelings about him for fear of rejection. She had been completely unaware of her own beauty and never thought she stood a chance with Danny as something more than just his friend. Her thoughts drifted back to a few moments earlier when she was inside and Danny was staring at her. He was so handsome tonight that he took her breath away. Her party was semi-formal and he was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and a black bow tie. He had slicked his beautiful curls back and his eyes burned right through her. He was classic looking and all the girls blushed when he spoke to them. Lost in her thoughts, she was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Danny! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that. You scared me."

"Michelle, I called your name twice but you were so lost in your thoughts you didn't even hear me."

"I'm sorry Danny, I guess I was pretty deep into it."

"Really? What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, just things. Nothing you would be interested in."

"Why don't you try me Michelle. You might be surprised at what I'm interested in."

"What does that mean?"

Shaking his head and turning away from her, he replied "Nothing - it means nothing. I'm sorry. Please, go ahead and tell me what you were thinking. Was it Bill Lewis?"

"Was what Bill Lewis?"

"What you were thinking silly. Were you thinking about Bill Lewis?"

Sensing a hint of jealousy in his voice, Michelle said "No, I wasn't thinking about Bill. I was actually thinking about you and me and how we've changed over the years. You're going to be going off to college in the fall and I'm going to still be in high school. I'm going to miss you so much Danny. I've gotten so used to having you around that it's going to be weird when your not here. It's like you're a part of me. I guess that over the years, you've become more to me than just a friend."

It's a sign, Danny thought. The sign I've been looking for. Could she possibly be interested in something more than just a friendship? He leaned down and grabbed Michelle by the hands and pulled her up from the chair. They were only inches apart and Michelle felt dizzy from the feeling of his breath on her face. He placed a finger underneath her chin and lifted her face up until they were eye to eye.

"I know exactly what you mean Michelle. I try not to think about it because every time I do, I feel empty inside. You've been a part of me for so long that I can't bear to think about being a part from you either."

"Really Danny?"

"Really Michelle. I'm going to go out on a limb here and risk my pride, but somewhere, somehow, my feelings for you changed. I want to be with you and hold you in my arms. I want to be the one that makes you go weak in the knees. The one you share everything with - your hopes, your dreams. But most of all, right now I want to feel your lips on mine for the first time. I've dreamed of this moment and I can't wait any longer. I'm in love with you Michelle Bauer. I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I'll understand if you don't feel the same, but I just had to say it."

Michelle couldn't believe it. She had secretly dreamed of this moment for so long. The man she had been in love with all of her life was confessing his feelings to her.

"Danny, I can't believe your saying this to me. I've loved you for so long, I just never thought you felt the same. I love you too."

With that said, they could both wait no longer. Their lips met hungrily and they melted into each others arms. When they finally pulled away from each other, Danny asked Michelle out on their first date and she happily accepted.

One Week Later

Danny and Michelle sat in the front seat of his car at the drive-in watching Jurassic Park. With Michelle sitting so close to him, Danny couldn't concentrate on the movie. He leaned his head into her shoulder and started nuzzling her neck with little kisses. A wide smile broke out across Michelle's face and she tried to act like she was watching the movie, but the more he kissed her, the weaker she got. When she couldn't control herself anymore, she gave in to him and they both fell on to the seat with arms and legs entwined. They were young and in love and nothing could stop them until Danny heard a click. He looked up towards the sound and saw a gun pointed directly at him. He jumped up off of Michelle and before he could push her to the other side of the car, the man reached in and grabbed Michelle by the arm. Aiming the gun directly at Michelle, the man spoke.

"Look asshole - if you try anything funny I'll blow your brains out and take this pretty young thing for myself. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it." Danny said slowly.

"Good, I'm glad we understand each other asshole. Now, if you do what I tell you to there won't be any harm to you or the girl."

"Okay man. Just calm down." Fearing for Michelle, he begged the man to take everything he had on him if he would just leave Michelle alone.

"Look Mister, here's my wallet. You can have all my credit cards and cash. I'll even give you the watch that my grandpa gave me and the keys to my car. Please Mister, just don't take the girl."

The man forced them out of the car, robbed them both of everything they had and took off in Danny's car. Danny and Michelle grabbed each other and hung on for dear life. At that moment, they both knew that one could never bear to live without the other and vowed that they would always be together for the rest of their lives.


Year: 1998

Same old boy, same sweet girl, five years down the road
There's going to be a little one and she says it's time to go
Doctor says the baby's fine
But you'll have to leave'
Cause his momma's fading fast and Danny hit his knees

And there he prayed:
"Take the very breath you gave me, take the heart from my chest
I'll gladly take her place if you'll let me, make this my last request
Take me out of this world
God please don't take the girl

In the fall of 1993, Danny decided not to attend Florida State University and instead enrolled in Springfield University so he could be close to Michelle. They couldn't bear to be a part from each other and they planned to marry as soon as Danny graduated from college in 1997. In the summer of 1995, everyone celebrated Michelle's high school graduation with a big party at the Bauer residence and Danny was right by her side. After graduation, Michelle enrolled in Springfield University as a pre-med student and Danny was so proud of her. He himself would be graduating in the summer of 1997 and he had been promised a good job with Spaulding Enterprises and he could hardly wait to start. He and Michelle had planned to marry as soon as he graduated and this job would afford him the opportunity to support Michelle while she attend school full time.

In the fall of 1997 Michelle and Danny were married in a romantic candle light ceremony. Danny was dressed in a black Christian Dior tuxedo and Michelle was breath taking in a gown specially designed by Badgley Mishka. The wedding was extraordinarily beautiful and was the talk of Springfield. Everyone knew the history of the two lovebirds and found it refreshing and wonderful that two childhood friends and later sweethearts, would still love each other enough to commit the rest of their lives to each other. All you had to do was look at Danny and Michelle together and you just knew that they were soulmates.

Compliments of their parents, Danny and Michelle went on a four week honeymoon around the world. They were both in heaven and had never been more in love. When they returned they both settled into a small but pretty little house near campus so Michelle would be near school. Their days were spent working and going to school and their nights were spent making love and enjoying each other. Life was so wonderful that Christmas was upon them before they knew it.

Michelle awoke on the morning of December 23rd not feeling so well. Danny had already left for work and she didn't have any classes that day so she decided to sleep in. When she tried to get out of bed, a wave of nausea hit her and she immediately sat back down. "Oh God" she thought. "I can't be getting the flu, I've got finals coming up." She tried to stand up again and the nausea was too much this time. She ran into the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before she vomited. After she was done, she sat there for a while in case she felt like vomiting again. She started thinking about where she could have caught the flu when it hit her. She had skipped a period and hadn't even noticed because she was so busy with school. "It couldn't be" she thought. "We use precautions all of the time........., well, most of the time. I guess I could be pregnant."

When Michelle felt better she headed off to the drugstore and bought a home pregnancy kit. As soon as she got home she took the test and to her surprise, it was positive. She couldn't believe it. She was right in he middle of school and she and Danny had only been married for a little over 2 1/2 months. She must have gotten pregnant on their honeymoon. How was she going to tell Danny. She decided to let the new sink in and hold off on telling Danny until she was used to the idea herself.

On Christmas morning, she and Danny jumped out of bed as giddy as two six year olds and ran to the living room which was filled with presents. Over the last couple of days, Michelle had come to grips with her pregnancy and wanted to surprise Danny in a special way. She felt certain enough that he would be happy about a baby. When they were finished exchanging gifts, Michelle pulled out a small box and handed it to Danny.

"What's this? I thought we had opened all the presents."

"Oh, just a little something extra for you. I hope you like it."
Danny grinned and tore into the box like an excited puppy looking for a treat. Inside was a small pacifier with a note attached that said "I hope you love your present as much as I already do."

At first, Danny didn't understand. He just sat there dumbfounded trying to figure out what it meant. He looked up at Michelle and when he saw the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye, he knew. A big grin broke out across his face and he gathered her up in his arms.

"Michelle, does this mean what I think it means?"

"Yes honey. You're going to be a daddy."

Danny jumped up off the couch and screamed at the top of his lungs "I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh God Michelle, I love you so much.

As the months went by, the size of Michelle's abdomen increased significantly and she was more beautiful than ever. She simply glowed with motherhood and Danny was more in love with her than ever. One night in September of 1998 while they were laying in bed watching t.v., Michelle felt her first contraction. She and Danny started timing them and realized they were 5 minutes apart. Before they knew it, they were 2 minutes apart and they rushed to the hospital. Dr. Sedwick checked to see how Michelle was progressing and found that she was 9 centimeters dilated. Michelle was in great pain and Danny felt completely helpless.

"Allright Michelle, it's almost time to push. Are you ready?"

"I think so. Pleeeeeaseeeee Dr. Sedwick, can't I have something for the pain?"

"I'm sorry Michelle. The by the time you got here, you were too far along to give you anything."

"God Danny, I don't know if I can do this."

With tears in his eyes, Danny kissed Michelle's forehead and assured her that she could.

"Baby, you are so strong. I know you can do this. Try and think about what's it's going to feel like holding our beautiful baby in your arms. I love you sweetie and I'm here for you. I know you can do it."

Danny breathed life into Michelle and she suddenly felt like she could get through this. She squeezed Danny's hand, buried her chin into her chest and pushed with all her might. This continued for one hour and she wasn't making any progress. She was exhausted and Danny was worried sick about her and the baby. Michelle simply couldn't push anymore and she was in agony. Suddenly, Dr. Sedwick kicked the swivel chair out from under herself and stood up and screamed.

"SHE'S HEMORRHAGING!!!!!!!" GET HER TO O/R STAT!!!!!!"

Danny panicked and Michelle was rushed off to surgery screaming Danny's name as they wheeled her down the hall.

Danny was screaming and a nurse tried to calm him. "I NEED TO BE WITH MY WIFE!!!"

Mr. Santos, your wife is in good hands. They are going to take her into surgery, get the baby out and take care of the hemorrhaging. I'll let you know as soon as I hear something.

Danny sat down on the sofa in the waiting room and cried. "Michelle, oh Michelle......how did this happen. Please God, please let her be o.k."

It seemed like hours had passed when actually it was only 30 minutes. Dr. Sedwick came into the waiting room and Danny jumped to his feet.

"Danny, I um...I'm very sorry. We were able to get the baby out in time, but Michelle is very critical. She's lost a lot of blood and we've done everything we can do for her right now. She's very critical and at this point, I'm afraid it's in God's hands Danny. It doesn't look good. I'm so very sorry. The baby has been taken down to the nursery and you can go visit if you would like. It's a girl Danny, you have a beautiful baby girl."

"Can I see Michelle please?"

"Yes, but for just a moment. I'll show you the way."

Dr. Sedwick turned around and Danny followed. All of this was more than he could stand. How was he supposed to celebrate a new life and be prepared to give up another. Michelle was his life. He didn't know if he could survive without her. He was overwhelmed with emotion and felt that he would collapse at any minute.

Dr. Sedwick showed him into the ICU and Michelle looked like an angel surrounded by all of the white sheets. She was hooked up to all kinds of machines and her breathing was shallow. He pulled up a chair beside her bed and took her hand. It was so cold. She looked so pale and lifeless. Danny buried his head into her chest and began to sob. He was ready to make a pact with the Devil in order to save Michelle, but instead, he sobbed as he prayed to God.

"Dear God, I'm begging you......please don't take my Michelle away from me. She's all I've ever known. Please. I'm asking you to spare her life for the sake of our baby and take me instead. Take the very breath you gave me. Take the heart from my chest. I'll gladly take her place if you'll let me, make this my last request. Take me out of this world. God please don't take the girl."

Danny spent hours by Michelle's bedside and finally decided to go to the nursery to see their new baby girl. She was beautiful - a perfect little clone of her mother. Danny's heart swelled with joy as he held her in his arms and kissed her little forehead. As Danny sat rocking their daughter, Dr. Sedwick walked in.

"Danny, I don't know how to tell you this......"

"Oh God, please, please don't tell me - I can't take it......"

"No, no Danny. Wait a minute. I'm here to tell you that Michelle is awake. It's nothing short of a miracle Danny. Her blood pressure is good and she's sitting up asking for you and the baby. You need to go to her."

Danny was ecstatic. He placed the baby in the arms of Dr. Sedwick and she assured him that they would bring her right up to Michelle's room. Danny ran all the way and when he reached her room, he was out of breath. He flung open the door and there she sat. His beautiful Michelle.

"Hi" she said.

"Hi." Danny answered.

He couldn't believe it. God had heard him. He had spared his wife. Danny ran to her bedside and collapsed in her arms. All of the emotions he had been carrying were released into her waiting arms and Michelle caressed his face and kissed his tears away while she cried as well.

"Danny. Our baby.....where's our baby."

Danny was about to tell her when the door opened and the nurse wheeled their new baby girl into the room. Danny carefully picked her up and placed her on Michelle's chest and he had never seen a more beautiful picture in his life. He had no doubt that he was the luckiest man in the world.

Danny's daddy was takin' him fishin' When he was eight years old....

THE END