Hard Choices
      Chapter 11
 

As Michelle walked into the recovery room and looked at Danny lying in the bed, her mind flashed back to the last time she’d seen him in a hospital bed, after his car accident, when he’d been rushing back to her, to save her life once again. He was making a career of it, she thought to herself, risking his life to save hers. She walked over to the bed and took his hand. His eyes fluttered open at her touch and he managed a weak smile.

“Hi.”

Michelle leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Hi yourself. You saved me, again.” She glanced down at her stomach and smiled. “You saved both of us.”

“Yeah, well, you wouldn’t need so much saving if I had never come into your life in the first place, would you?”

Michelle put her hand to his lips. “Hush. Don’t say things like that. I’m alive in ways I would never have dreamed were possible without you in my life.”

Danny squeezed her hand with the little bit of strength he had. His voice was hoarse, and barely more than a whisper. “I was so scared when I saw Drew pointing that gun at you, baby, and it was my own fault. If I’d listened to you about my mother in the first place, if I’d done a better job of protecting you, I never would’ve had to go to Bernardo, and …”

“Danny, please. You need to rest. We can talk about this later.”

“No, we can’t. Theresa knows we’re still together now, doesn’t she?”

Michelle nodded. “I don’t care about her right now, Danny, I just want you to focus on getting better – ”

“Michelle, you’re in danger. I want you to go to the police station right now, go see Frank, he can get you some protection.”

“I’m not leaving you! Besides, I haven’t seen any sign of Theresa since we left Company. She hasn’t shown up here. Maybe she finally gets it, that she can’t make you love her. Maybe she’s just going to bow out gracefully,” Michelle said hopefully.

Danny struggled to raise himself on his elbows, groaning in pain. “Michelle, please do what I’m asking. Believe me, if there’s one thing I know for sure about Theresa, it’s that she doesn’t give up easily. I won’t be able to rest until I know you’re safe. Go.”

“Okay. But I’m coming back, with a police escort if I have to. If I’m in danger, then you are too.”

Danny shook his head. “I’ll be fine. I love you.”

Michelle stroked his forehead with the back of her hand and leaned in to kiss him very gently. “I love you, too.”

Michelle spoke to Frank at the police station, and he’d arranged protection for her and Danny in the form of plainclothes police escorts. Danny’s plan, before the shooting, had been to gather evidence on Theresa, Bernardo, and their entire operation, and turn it all over to the FBI in exchange for placement for himself and Michelle in the witness protection program; Frank had been acting as his liaison with the FBI.

“Thank you, Frank, for everything.”

“Not a problem. I’ll be by the hospital tomorrow to talk to Danny; we may have enough to move on Bernardo already, if you guys still want to go that way.”

Michelle frowned. “I don’t know. I’m hoping Theresa’s come to her senses. I don’t want to go into hiding if we don’t have to.” She gathered her purse and coat and turned to leave, then turned back. “Frank? I have one more favor to ask.”

Frank crossed his arms and sighed. “What is it?”

“Can I please see Drew? She’s here, right?”

“Michelle, she tried to shoot you tonight. Besides, it would be against policy for her to have a visitor before she’s been processed, you know that.”

“Yeah, I know from experience.” She smiled sardonically. “But I also know those rules get bent from time to time. Frank, I just want to talk to her for a minute. Please.”

Frank took Michelle by the elbow and led her back to the holding cell, where Drew was sitting cross-legged on the same bed on which Michelle had passed many miserable hours not so long ago. “Five minutes, Michelle. That’s it.”

Drew jumped up and came to the bars. “I guess you’re happy to see me in here, huh?”

“Actually, Drew, I thought I would be. I told Jesse tonight that I was done feeling sorry for you, but the truth is, I've been where you are now, and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. I just wanted you to help me understand why you hate me so much.”

“Michelle, I wasn’t thinking straight … I wasn’t really going to shoot you, Danny startled me, the gun went off before I knew what happened, I swear. I just wanted you to know how horrible I was feeling, how hurt I was.” Drew looked up from the button on her shirt that she’d been nervously twisting. “Is Danny … alive?”

“Yes, he is. He’s going to be okay. You won’t be facing murder charges.”

Drew looked heavenward. “Thank you, God.” She returned her gaze to Michelle. “You're right, I do hate you, Michelle, but it doesn’t really have anything to do with you, it's just who you are. You’re everything I’m not, everything I always wanted to be. People love you just for being you, but I feel like I have to prove myself to everyone. You’ve had this perfect life –”

Michelle was shaking with anger. “Yeah, let me tell you about my perfect life, Drew. I was conceived by an act of adultery and abandoned by my biological mother. The woman who raised me died as an indirect result of another of my father’s infidelities while I was still a child. My next stepmother died, and my father left me and hasn’t even bothered to come back for my wedding, or, oh, let’s see, my murder trial. I spent a year of my life blind. I accidentally killed a man who was trying to rape me, then got turned over to the mob for it by someone I considered a friend. I was forced to marry someone I didn’t love to protect my friends and family, and then after I actually fell in love with my husband, I found out he’d been unfaithful to me. Our entire family nearly got blown up at church, I was committed by my own brother, and my mother-in-law devoted her life to trying to destroy me. I was framed for murder, convicted of a crime I didn’t commit. Since I’ve been cleared, I’ve had to deal with the fact that my husband sold his soul back to the mob for my freedom. I’m sure I left a few things out, but I’d say that basically brings us up to this evening, when my unborn child was almost left fatherless, thanks to you.”

“Hey, I’ve suffered a lot, too --”

“Yeah, Drew, you have, but the difference between you and me is that you can’t let any of it go, you have to blame it all on someone, when the truth is, it’s just life. Everybody suffers! Everybody struggles, faces setbacks, loses loved ones, and the world doesn’t owe any of us an apology for it. I know you must’ve been hurt when Jesse told you he’d married me, but the fact is, he couldn’t tell you the truth because he couldn’t trust you to put the needs of anyone else before your own feelings.” Michelle stood as close to the bars as she could. “Whether you believe it or not, Jesse really loves you. Hold onto that. Good-bye, Drew.” Michelle turned on her heel and walked out.