Hard Choices
      Chapter 3
 

Michelle was lying on her back on her bed, thinking that nothing that had happened today made sense. Nothing. She’d known that he was upset and hurt by her decision to file for divorce - Rick had told her he’d moved out of the house, and Ross had let her know when Danny had signed the divorce papers -- but she couldn’t understand his cold reaction to the news that she was carrying his child. No matter how angry he was, the Danny she knew would’ve been absolutely ecstatic to learn he was going to become a father.

Ever since she’d learned she was pregnant, Michelle had been imagining the moment when she could tell Danny, picturing the look of pure joy she was sure would come over his face. She hadn’t asked to see him when she’d found out, because by that time she knew her release was imminent and she’d wanted to give him this news without bars or glass walls between them. The last thing she’d expected had been for him to describe her pregnancy as “unfortunate.” She’d been so stunned by that, even more so than by his announcement that he was marrying Theresa, that she’d fallen apart, but once Rick brought her home and she’d had a chance to calm down, she realized that something was very, very wrong, and she was determined to find out what was really going on. Danny was protecting her from something, she was sure of it. Maybe it had something to do with Carmen and her confession, maybe Theresa had something to do with it … whatever it was, Michelle was resolved to get to the bottom of it, so that she and Danny could finally get on with the rest of their lives, with this baby.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. She assumed it was Rick, Abby, or both, coming to check on her again. “I’m fine, guys. I’ll be downstairs in a little bit.”

“Michelle, it’s Jesse. Can I come in?”

Michelle sat up and ran her hands through her hair. “Sure, Jesse.” She stood up to meet him at the door.

Jesse immediately pulled her into a hug. “I can’t believe it, you’re out! How does it feel to be free?”

Michelle stepped back. “Well, I’ve had better days, frankly. Danny met me at my release to inform me that he’s engaged to Theresa.”

“Yeah, I heard they were an item again.”

“You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jesse sat down on the edge of the bed. “C’mon, Michelle, it wasn’t my place to tell you something like that. And you had enough to deal with as it was.”

“Well, it doesn’t make any sense. Danny still loves me, I know he does. And now, with the ba-” she stopped herself. She wasn’t sure she was ready to tell the world that she was pregnant, especially given the current situation with Danny.

“With what? What’s going on, Michelle?”

Michelle decided that if there was anyone she could trust with this news, it was Jesse. “I’m pregnant. Danny and I are going to have a baby.”

“Wow. Does Danny know?”

Michelle sat down next to him on the bed. “I told him today, and he’s acting like he doesn’t want anything to do with me or the baby, because of the divorce. But I don’t believe him, Jesse. There’s something going on with him, and I’m going to find out what it is. Because we belong together -- me, Danny and our baby, and I’m not going to just give up on him. I'm not.”

Jesse sighed. He looked at Michelle; her lower lip was jutting out the way it always did when she was really determined. It was going to be a long night.