Hard Choices
      Chapter 5
 

“Do you, Michelle Bauer, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The judge cleared his throat in the long pause that followed. “Ms. Bauer? Would you like me to repeat the question?”

Jesse leaned toward her. “Are you okay?”

“Hmmm?” Michelle shook her head. “No, I’m not okay. I can’t do this, Jesse.” She turned and ran out of the room.

Jesse asked the judge to give them a minute, then ran out into the hall to catch up with Michelle.

“We talked about this, we have to do this to protect you and your baby, Michelle.”

Michelle lifted her head and Jesse saw that she was crying. “I can’t, I just can’t. You’re such a good friend for being willing to do this, Jesse, but I can’t stand there and vow to God or the State or anyone else that I love anyone but Danny. We should still be married, and it’s all my fault that we’re not, and now my baby may never know his father, and …” she fell into Jesse’s arms, now openly sobbing.

Jesse smoothed her hair with his hand and spoke soothingly. “I know, I know. Everything’s a mess. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I thought we were all going to live happily ever after, you with Danny and me with Drew, but it’s all out of control now.” He hugged her tighter. “Michelle, you know Danny is going to do everything he can to work this out, but the most important thing right now is keeping you and the baby safe. That’s what this is all about.”

Michelle stepped back and wiped her cheeks. “It’s so ironic, if you think about it … the first time I married Danny, I pretended it was you. And now, I’m marrying you, and wishing with all my heart it was Danny.” She smiled. “No offense.”

Jesse returned the smile. “None taken. Let’s just go get it over with, okay?”

Michelle sighed and took his arm. “Okay. Let’s do it.”


Danny had just stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist when he felt a hand on his shoulder; the steam from the shower limited visibility. Instinctively, he turned and slammed the owner of the offending hand against the wall of the bathroom.

“Owww. Danny, it’s just me.”

“Theresa? What the hell are you doing in my bathroom?”

“I wanted to surprise you.” The steam was clearing, and Danny could see that she was wearing a transparent lavender robe and nothing else. It was funny, a few years ago he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off of that body, and now he felt nothing as she stood nearly naked before him.

“I told you, I’m not ready for this, Theresa.” He grabbed his own robe, a thick terry cloth, from the hook on the wall and quickly put it on, leaving the towel in place. “You can force me to marry you, but you can’t force this.”

Theresa ran a finger down his chest where it was exposed. “I think it would help you to get more … focused … on our future, Danny. I’m not expecting love … yet … but we can have a little fun.”

Danny stepped away from her and out of the room. “I’m not in the mood for fun.”

Theresa was right behind him. She put an arm around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder to whisper in his ear. “The Danny Santos I knew was always in the mood.”

Danny shook her off. “The Theresa Sandoval I knew had more respect for herself than this. I’ll come to you when I’m ready, Theresa. Now please get out. I’ll see you at dinner.”

Theresa knotted the tie of her robe and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Danny walked over and locked it before lying down on his bed.

Right now, Michelle was marrying Jesse Blue. The man he had worked so hard to win her away from was becoming her husband, and as far as the world would know, the father of their child. Danny suddenly wanted to get dressed and speed down to the courthouse to stop the wedding, but forced himself to resist the impulse. Michelle and Jesse’s marriage was buying them all time to figure out how the hell to get out of this mess; he was determined now that he would be the one at Michelle’s side when she brought their son or daughter into the world, and it would be his name listed as the father on that child’s birth certificate. Lying there on the bed where he had made love to his wife - too few times, it seemed now - Danny began to plan the steps that would lead to their reunion.