Dean was stunned at the door flying open Michelle tumbling into his arm. "Michelle," he shook her, "Michelle."

"Danny?" she questioned semi-conscious. The bright light of the day was harsh to her eyes.

"No Michelle, it's Dean." Reality came crashing back to greet her. He had come to take her to the hospital....to the hospital to see Danny. Michelle found herself choking back her tears for the hundredth time.

Dean studied the girl lying in his arms. She was so broken, so battered. The stress of the previous night coupled with Danny's accident was far too great a strain on her. He was even more certain now that he should have never agreed to come and get her yet Stacey had been so insistent.

"Michelle, are you sure you are up to this? Maybe you should go lie down for a while, you don't look so good."

"I need to be with Danny. I have to be with him."

"The last thing that Danny would want right now is you putting your own health at risk. You need to get some rest. He'd skin me alive if he knew you just fainted and I still let you come to the hospital."

"Dean you can either drive me or I'll drive myself!!" she forced making a weary attempt at standing on her own.

Danny had been correct in his assumption that she was a stubborn one. There was no way he was about to change her mind. He knew she was going with or without him and Dean definitely didn't want her behind the wheel of a car in her present state.

"Okay, easy there," he reached to steady her, "Let's go." He didn't even wait for her response but rather gathered her in his arms and carried her to his car. It was funny to him that less then eight hours before he had been doing the very same thing only going in the opposite direction.

Michelle's thoughts ran rampant as the car weaved in and out of traffic on the way to the hospital. They bounced from her fights with Danny to Parker, the play, the cast party, Danny and Dean finding her this past morning all of it was flowing together in such a contorted way Michelle didn't know what was real at the moment.

Dean led Michelle through the maze of corridors. As bad as he knew she looked he fought the urge of taking her directly to the emergency room yet he wasn't up for the fight he was certain she would put up. More importantly he didn't think her body was up for it. Dean pushed the button for the seventh floor as the elevator doors glided closed. The nameplate beside the number read ICU. Michelle couldn't distinguish if it was the motion of the elevator or the realization of just how badly injured Danny was that forced her stomach to lurch. She leaned into Dean in an effort to steady herself as the elevator came to rest at the seventh floor.

"Are you really sure you are up to this?" he asked again recognizing how fragile she was right now.

Michelle only nodded. She let Dean take over guiding her in the direction of the nurse's station where they stood waiting for anyone to notice them. "May I help you?" a petite red head asked.

"Yes, we are looking for Danny Santos," Dean responded.

"Are you a relative?" she questioned.

"No."

"Then I'm unable to give out that information."

Michelle pushed her hands hard against the counter to stave off the newest flood of oncoming tears. Her voice was barely above a hoarse whisper when she finally spoke. "I have to see him. I'm his girlfriend and his counselor from CONNECTION VILLAGE."

"We already have someone claiming to be from CONNECTION VILLAGE," the nurse responded eyeing them curiously.

"I'm sure that you do," Michelle's voice had gained a newfound strength, "However I'm also involved in his case. Could you please tell us how to find him?" Michelle was growing more and more impatient.

"It's against hospital policy."

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR HOSPITAL POLICY!" Michelle yelled. Instinctively Dean reached for her again as the room spun beneath her feet. The expression on her face showed him that she needed to sit down...needed to rest yet that wasn't about to happen without finding out where Danny was first.

"Please, can't you see how important this is to her? Can't you just tell us where he is?" Dean pleaded with the nurse.

The young woman looked at Michelle and suddenly relented, "Room 742, section C."

"Thank you," Dean smiled.

It was a considerable distance from where they were standing to where they needed to be. Each step for Michelle was difficult at best. He suggested that he carry her but she wouldn't hear of it. He was going to have his hands full with her he thought shaking his head as they finally came up on the room numbered 742.

Michelle stood at the crest of the door for what seemed to be an eternity so afraid to go in. Dean pushed the heavy wooden door open revealing Malcolm and Stacey standing on either side of Danny's bed. Immediately Michelle went to Malcolm embracing him.

"Oh god...why...why did it have to be him? Why now after we were getting everything right again?" Malcolm had no answers for her many questions. He ran his hand through her hair trying unsuccessfully to calm her cries.

"Michelle....." Stacey started but ended in her own flood of tears.

Malcolm pulled back finally truly looking at Michelle, "My lord what happened to you?"

Once again Michelle felt the room spinning. She went for Dean's outstretched arm but missed, luckily Malcolm steadied her.

"Here sit down please," Dean pushed the chair closer to her. "Michelle, Michelle are you all right?" he asked touching her face. She was noticeably pale and so cold.

He had promised Danny that he would take care of her and from the looks of things he was doing a lousy job so far. Danny had been so earnest about him wanting Dean to keep Michelle safe...that if any happened to him that he was to take care of Michelle. Dean hoped it would never come to that but at the time he agreed, he would have agreed to just about anything to keep Danny calm until the ambulance arrived.

Michelle made another venture at standing but Dean kept his hand firmly on her shoulder. "Please would you just take it easy for a minute?"

Michelle's eyes were glued to Danny. The thought that paraded through her mind was how she had been the cause of this all. It was all her fault that he was lying the fighting for his life. If she had just listened to him, if she had just seen Parker for what he really had been, Danny wouldn't have had to confront him at all. She looked up at Dean eyes questioning, begging to go to Danny. Without question he aided her in getting up and over to his bedside. The tears came at an uncontrollable pace. The way the sobs wracked her body Dean was sure that she would again faint. He wrapped his arm protectively around her waist just in case.

"Danny....I am so sorry. This should have never happened to you," Michelle's tortured voice filled the room, "Not after all you have already been through. All of this, everything, it's my fault. Mine for not being straight with you from the very beginning, mine for thinking you knew who I was, mine for letting Parker back into my life, mine for letting you go after him and MINE if you die!!!" Michelle brought his hand to her cheek brushing the hair from his forehead. Silently she willed him to open his eyes. She needed more then anything to see his eyes. Those around her watched as she laid her body against his chest and began to wail.

Dean did everything with in his power but nothing caused her to move. Finally Malcolm stepped forward, "Michelle," he said soft but firm, "Come on honey, let's go get some coffee."

"NO...NO I HAVE TO STAY HERE. I HAVE TO BE WITH DANNY!!!"

"Stacey will stay. She'll be here with him. Come on now." Malcolm took her by the hand and led her from the room with Dean in tow behind. He motioned for him to stay behind with Stacey knowing she needed someone right now as much as Michelle did. Dean hesitated for a moment before returning to Danny's room.

Malcolm settled Michelle at a table in the cafeteria before heading to the line to get them some coffee. As he inched through the line, Malcolm never once took his eyes off of her. His mind was doing it's best to make sense out of maze of senseless things floating through it. Michelle looked in almost as bad of shape as Danny did. He couldn't help thinking he was to blame for this as well. His role in this whole mess was a large as Michelle's if not larger. In the grand scheme of things his meddling had been the catalyst that sent Danny careening over the edge.

Malcolm slid into the seat across from Michelle who was blankly staring out the bank of windows. In the bright light of day, Malcolm was able to get a good look at her face. He was shocked at what he saw. Her cheek was bruised and swollen, eyes black blue and distended. Again there were visible hands prints on every part of her body. He moved forward to touch her only to have her back away.

"Michelle, please talk to me. Tell me what the hell happened to you."

She turned to him brown eyes filled with anger and anguish, "IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!" she spat, "Danny's lying there in that hospital bed and it's my fault. If I would have never come into his life he would have been better off." She brought her hands to her face waves of nausea running through her again.

"Michelle, are you all right?" The tinge of green that had overcome her was evident to him. The look in her eyes when they met his own told her that she was anything but fine.

"Where the hell do I even start?" she cried, "I know that I completely screwed up with Danny, but we were fixing it....we were in sync again......" she choked on the words. "I should have just stayed away. He would have been so much better without me. He sure as hell would be fighting for his life like he is now."

"You're wrong. Danny's life has always been a fight. Can't you see that the minute you walked into his life you gave him a reason to want something better then what he had? He was merely a shell of the person he could be until you showed up. Michelle in his short time with you he thrived. He was suddenly the person I had read about. The guy he was before his father died. You didn't hurt him....you helped him. Really you did."

"I HURT HIM...god I hurt him so deeply. I lied to him. I knew I was doing it but I just kept on doing it. Danny was right. I knew about all the lies he survived in his life and I still lied to him. He deserves someone who understands him........."

Malcolm leaned across the table wiping a tear from her battered cheek, "You are so wrong, honey. I lied to him too. You aren't the only one to blame here. I let you believe that Danny knew you were helping me. It was wrong but I really thought that I was helping him. I did everything to try to reach him. Nothing worked so I used the feelings that Danny had for you to my advantage. I never imagined that it would blow up the way that it did. I'm sorry Michelle. I know how hollow those words seem now but my intention was to talk to you about this together. But Danny blindsided me before I ever got the chance. He stormed my office one morning with a picture of you and your dad at some charity function. He really thought that he was bringing something to my attention that I didn't know. Needless to say he was shocked when I told him everything. Danny was so furious he stormed out before I had a chance to make him understand that you hadn't been part of some big plot against him. So you see I feel even more responsible for this whole mess."

"Malcolm......" her voice quivered, "What am I going to do? I can't even imagine losing him too." A new cascade of tears fell on Michelle's already tear stained face.

Her reference to the loss of her mother tore at Malcolm's heart. The pained expression on her face told him that she hadn't yet come to terms with Maureen's death. Danny's condition was unstable at best, Malcolm prayed that he had enough strength to pull through. He didn't know what it would do to Michelle if he didn't.

"Michelle, you need to know something," He needed to make her understand where Danny's mindset was when he was wheeled into the ER at Cedars. "I talked to Danny when the EMT's brought him in. Michelle, he loves you. All he could think about was you. He was so adamant about never letting anyone or anything hurt you................."

She dropped her head to the table. The cool surface was soothing against her feverish skin. The room spun again as she swallowed forcing the bile raising from her stomach from finding escape. The events of the last forty-eight hours were hitting her and hitting her with blunt force. She would have given anything to have been the one lying in that hospital bed and not Danny.

Malcolm came to her side helping Michelle to stand once more. She doubled over in agony stabbing pains ripping through her rib cage. The force of the spasm brought on the lightheaded feelings causing Michelle to go limp in Malcolm's arms.

When she again opened her eyes, she looked to find herself lying on a stiff vinyl sofa in what she thought was a lounge of some kind. Malcolm had been relieved to find it empty. Even the slightest movement caused her to see stars.

"Easy there. Just lie back and relax. You just fainted again. Please tell me what's going on. What really happened to you Michelle?"

Michelle moved her eyes from his. The idea of reliving the nightmare one more time was unfathomable. She thought if she could only push it far enough into the recesses of her mind that it would make it all go away. Yet Malcolm's probing gaze wasn't about to let that happen.

"Well you obviously know all the stuff that happened at the center. Me and my stupid story. How could I have been so dumb? I didn't know what else to do. I tried everything to make him understand but I couldn't even get him to listen to me. Nothing worked Malcolm....nothing."

Malcolm knew exactly where her desperation had come from. The same place his idea of using her to help him with Danny had been born. It was apparent that neither idea worked all that well.

"I felt like such a fool chasing after someone who so obviously didn't want me. So I accepted a date with Parker. We played the leads in WEST SIDE STORY so I thought it would be all right if we went to the cast party together."

"This is the Parker that we discussed before?" he questioned. She nodded.

Malcolm now wished he had expressed his doubts regarding the change that Michelle had thought she had seen in him. Too bad hindsight is 20/20 he thought to himself.

"He really had me fooled. I thought that he understood and came to terms with our breakup and that we were becoming friends again. I couldn't have been more wrong. All through the party all I could think about was Danny. Going to the party with Parker had been a mistake from the get go. Whether Danny wanted me back or not didn't matter because either way I didn't want Parker."

"I am glad to hear you say that," Malcolm sighed still not sure how she had ended up in her current state.

"Then by the grace of god there he was....."

"Who?"

"Danny. I looked up and there he was coming through the doorway. It was so strange like he had forgotten everything that happened between us. He wasn't mad anymore. He just wanted to be with me. I was speechless not to mention incredibly happy. Of course Parker wasn't. Him and Danny argued....and well I don't remember all that much except ending up on some deserted road. He tried to get me to believe that Danny punched me. Then his master plan finally began to unfold right before my eyes. He wanted to make me pay for ruining his reputation by dating Danny. When I wouldn't go along, things got a little rough."

"Just how rough Michelle?" Malcolm asked even though by the looks of her he knew how rough.

Again Michelle looked away before she was even able to utter the words. "He tried to rape me," The calm way she spoke stunned him. "When I tried to stop him.....he beat me and beat me," now the flood of emotions started.

Malcolm gingerly brought Michelle's body to his embracing her as she sobbed.

"He dumped me off god knows where. I made it to the center where Danny and Dean found me this morning."

"Michelle, honey you really need to be seen by a doctor. I think you may have a concussion. This being lightheaded and fainting isn't a good sign at all." He drew back a worried expression filled his features.

"I can't...not now. Not with Danny the way he is. I should get back to him." Michelle's effort at standing was futile at best. She was only able to sit back down as the room somersaulted around her.

"Michelle, you can't be any good to Danny if you get sick too. Beside you know he wouldn't want to see you like this. He would want you be taking care of yourself."

"Why did he have to go after him? We were finally together again. Why couldn't he just let it all go? The most important thing was we were together again......." Michelle cried out in anguish.

"You already know why. Danny loves you Michelle. He has since the moment he set his eyes on you. You know him well enough to understand that he couldn't let anyone get away with being harm to you. He did it because he loves you that much."

"Yeah and look where that love got him," she yelled, "He could die and all because he loved me!" her tone was so tortured.

"YOU LISTEN TO ME. Right now the most important thing is that you stay calm. Can't you see the more worked up you get the worse off it is for you? Each time you raise your voice or get angry I see that look on your face. You are trying like hell to keep from fainting. Please relax. This isn't your fault. Danny did what he did to protect you. He did it out of the love he feels for you. Do you love him?" Malcolm asked a question he very well knew the answer to.

"OF COURSE!!!" the inflection in her voice darted an octave higher.

"Calm....remember stay calm. Then the best thing for you to do right now is take care of yourself. Danny wouldn't want to know that you are putting your own health in jeopardy."

Michelle sat back against the stiff vinyl digesting Malcolm's words. All of it made perfect sense. She could hear Danny's voice ringing in her ears. Telling her that she was sick and needed to take care of herself. Both he and Dean had wanted to take her to the hospital at first sight of her yet she had managed to talk them out of it. Before Michelle could even begin to think of anything else she had to see Danny. While she knew he was unconscious she needed for him to know how much he meant to her, how much she needed him in her life. Michelle knew in her heart she couldn't live without him.

"Michelle!" Dean and Stacey burst forth into the quiet room, "Thank god we found you." Her vision blurred and mind raced at the urgency in Dean's voice.

"What's happened? What's wrong with Danny?" she stood too quickly losing her balance. Dean's strong arms were there to keep her from falling. He hated to be doing this to her now but she had a right to know what was happening with Danny.

"Sit down first," he said lowering her body back towards the sofa.

"Please...." she begged, "Please just tell me what's going on with Danny." The tears made silent tracks down her cheeks.

"I'm not really sure. He was awake for a little while then all of the sudden he just passed out. The nurses rushed in called for the doctor and we were ushered out of the room so fast I didn't know which end was up."

"Dean," his name caught in her throat, "I'm scared."

"Me too Michelle, me too," he knelt beside her squeezing her hand.

"Let's go upstairs and find out what they are doing for him," Malcolm suggested. All his hopes of getting Michelle to see a doctor herself had been dashed in one fail swoop.

Michelle was positioned between Malcolm and Dean as they waited for the elevator to arrive. Neither man knew how much more stress she could take. Her body had been pushed to its limit and well beyond. She leaned into Dean resting her head against his shoulder tiny beads of sweat forming on her brow. Dean caught Malcolm's attention each eyed the other knowing that she was getting worse by the minute.

"Excuse me," Malcolm began as he tapped a man from behind, "Are you the doctor in charge of Danny Santos' case?"

"Yes I am. Are you his father?"

"No, but I am the closest thing he has to one." Malcolm went on to explain his relationship to Danny to the doctor who seemed satisfied with the clarification. The man in the white coat couldn't help but eye Michelle from head to toe. His eyes quizzed Malcolm.

"Dean, why don't you take Michelle in to see Danny while I talk to the doc?"

"NO!!!" Michelle forced with all the strength her tired body could put forth. "Please...I have to know what's wrong with Danny. You have to tell me please......." Michelle was again sobbing as Dean enveloped her in his strong arms.

"If you wish to see him I might suggest that you go in before we take him to surgery," the doctor stated.

"SURGERY!?!?!" panic now filled her voice.

"Go in and see him Michelle," Malcolm squeezed her hand. Dean nodded helping her inside.

"That girl," Danny's doctor started, "She doesn't look all that well. Was she in this accident too?" he asked.

"No."

"She should really be seen by a doctor."

"I know," Malcolm sighed, "I was just about to get her to when Danny's friends came down to tell us that something was wrong. She's Danny's girlfriend...a stubborn girlfriend at that. She's not going to go anywhere until she knows that he's going to be all right."

"That's really not in her best interest. It could be awhile before we know anything about his condition. The surgery itself will take quiet some time."

Malcolm hung his head low as the doctor continued his explanation of what lay ahead for Danny.

Dean pushed the heavy wooden door to Danny's room open for the second time that day. The room was eerie, dark, gloomy and deathly quiet. The hollow sound of the ventilator echoed off the stark white walls. Dean pulled a chair closer to the bed and gently sat Michelle down. She stared at him intently. Danny's curls fell shaggy against his face. No amount of her pushing them back kept them in their appropriate place. She longed for his eyes to open. She wanted to again see those intense eyes that had the ability to see deep within her soul. She missed his mischievous grin and the soft way his fingers grazed her skin.

He was so still and so pale. Michelle didn't have a clue how to reach him. She stood up causing the chair beneath her to crash against the hard tile floor. Dean stood watching and waiting. Michelle put her face within inches of Danny's. He was amazed that she was still upright as her breathing was labored exiting her body in short hard bursts. Against Danny she looked even paler then he.

"Hey Santos you can't leave me. NOT NOW," she choked the words catching in her throat, "I NEED YOU! I LOVE YOU DANNY!"

Since this whole ordeal had begun, Dean saw a completely composed and in control Michelle. She leaned forward kissing Danny's frigid cheek.

"I'm sure that's the best medicine for him," Malcolm said entering the room.

"What's going on.....what did the doctor say?"

Malcolm motioned for Dean to help her back into the chair. He didn't know what sort of reaction his news would bring but whatever it was it wouldn't be good.

"Malcolm?" Michelle's voice quivered as she reached for his arm willing him to speak. "Please....please tell me."

"Michelle, they just don't know," he returned hesitantly.

"What...what are you trying to say?" her eyes toggled between Malcolm and Danny.

Malcolm sighed bringing his gaze to rest on Dean. What he had to say was going to hurt him as well. What his words would do to Michelle however..well there was just no telling. He didn't think she could mentally or physically handle it.

"He may never regain conscienousness."

Michelle suddenly felt as if a thousand needles were being simultaneously being pushed through every part of her body. The stabbing pain in her chest left her breathless.

"He's got to be okay. He has to be. I can't ....can't live without him. Did you hear that Danny? I WON'T BE WITHOUT YOU!!!" Dean and Malcolm rushed to steady her again. The room spun around her as all the dreams she had for them tumbled to the ground like some sand castle destroyed by high tide.

Dean encased her body with his embrace. "I CAN'T LOSE HIM TOO!!! I CAN'T LOSE HIM."

"Michelle, we have to go. The need to prep Danny for surgery."

Michelle heard the words but their sounds took on a warped version off what she had heard. It sounded almost to her like a record being played at the wrong speed the sounds moving in and out of her eardrums.

Michelle let Dean move her body over the threshold of the door. She was numb. So numb in fact that her body not longer carried any noticeable pain. Before they were able to fully exit Danny's room Michelle came face to face with Parker Simms. She collapsed in Dean's arms.

Dean could hear his own heartbeat in his ears as he called out to Malcolm who had yet to leave Danny's room. "MALCOLM!" he yelled again, "Michelle...Michelle," he said tenderly shaking her to no avail. "Sweetie, please....come on Michelle wake up," Dean heard his own panic which only served to frighten him more.

"What? What is it?" His question was answered the minute his eyes scanned the floor to see Dean cradling Michelle's limp body in his arms.

"I can't get her to come around this time. Something's really wrong....she won't wake up," hysteria rose in his voice.

"Take it easy," Malcolm assumed the take charge position all the while trying to reign in his own panic. "Michelle, honey....it's Malcolm and Dean sweetie....wake up." He too was shaking her yet still no response. He looked up and noticed Danny's doctor heading for them. Without a moment's hesitation he went to him. "We need your help. Danny's girlfriend...she just passed out and we can't get her to come around." Malcolm a man who thought he could control most things around him suddenly heard the voice of a man completely out of control. His fear for Danny and now Michelle getting the better of him.

"Go get a wheelchair," the doctor barked instructions to the nurse who had been walking along side of him, "Could you please tell me what I'm dealing with here?" he asked. Malcolm pulled him aside and began relaying the story that Michelle had only recently told him.

Parker stood to the sidelines watching the chaos ensue around him. He watched as Dean gently placed Michelle into the wheelchair the nurse brought to him. She hadn't made an attempt coming around. The stark reality of what he had done; how badly he had truly beaten her slapped him in the face at that moment.

He shuddered thinking back the previous night's events still unable to fathom how things had spiraled completely out of control. First there had been Michelle then his altercation with Santos, Parker felt as though he was losing his grasp on just about everything.

Dean's frantic voice forced Parker back into the hospital corridor. "I want to go with her. I promised him that I would look after her," Dean's tone pleaded with anyone to listen to him.

Malcolm's strong hands came to rest on his shoulders, "Let them get her settled first. I spoke with the doctor and told him what happened to her or what we think did." Malcolm raised his brow. "They are going to run a few tests, do a head CT and some x-rays. You can see her as soon as they are done with that."

"What if she comes to and there isn't anyone around her she knows. She's gonna freak!"

"Dean," Malcolm squared his shoulders looking him straight in the eyes, "It's out of our hands right now. She's with the best possible team. They will take good care of her. Danny will understand you letting her go."

Malcolm sensed the thoughts that were running a sprint through Dean's tired mind. His promise to Danny loomed large inside of him.

"Let's go get some coffee and I'll make a call to Michelle's father. I'm sure he would like to be here."

It wasn't until then that Dean finally saw Parker lurking in the distance instantly knowing who he was. He was the blonde that Dean had seen Danny fighting with; he was the same person who had run Danny down without a single thought; he was the guy who had tried to rape Michelle and beat her half to death. Dean's blood boiled over igniting a wild fire in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't imagine what he was doing there.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU HAD THE NERVE TO SHOW UP HERE!!" Dean spit in Parker's face. "WHAT DID YOU COME TO FINISH OFF WHAT YOU STARTED?!?!?!"

"Dean....Dean what's going on here? Who is this?" Malcolm inquired at the stranger's identity. This young man looked like he had survived his own accident as well. Danny's fists had taken their toll on Parker before he had managed his escape.

"GO ON....GO ON TELL HIM WHO YOU ARE!!!!!!!!!!" Dean bellowed.

Parker hesitated wondering what reaction his name would have for this man. "Parker Simms." This revelation brought perspective to Malcolm for Dean's fury. "I came to see Danny."

"WHAT!?!?!" Dean again roared, "HAVEN'T YOU REEKED ENOUGH HAVOC ALREADY!?!?!"

"Hey man I'm sorry. I never wanted any of this. I didn't mean to hurt him. I just had to get away from him. I didn't think he would try something as stupid as making an attempt to stop the damn car..............." Parker's voice trailed off into the distance as the thud Danny's body made hitting the hood of his car rang like a bell in his ear.

"Too little too late don't you think?" Dean stood his ground doing his damnedest not to finish what Danny started.

"If you never wanted any of this then why did you attack Michelle?" Malcolm asked calmly.

"It wasn't supposed to be like that. She was supposed to be over him. We went out. I thought we could get back our old magic." Parker spoke as if he were saying lines of a script.

"Don't you think it's time to be honest?" Malcolm countered, "This wasn't the first time you hurt Michelle was it Parker? You know it wasn't and I know it wasn't. You know damn well this had nothing to with getting her back as your girlfriend but everything to do with revenge...payback for some fictionalized crime you felt she committed against you. Parker, she told me....told me everything." Malcolm looked directly into Parker's eyes as he spoke yet the only thing that looked back at him were a pair of ice blue eyes. "I have made the doctor well aware of what we suspect to have happened to Michelle tonight. I can only imagine the amount of explaining that this will require to the police not only for what you did to Danny but what you attempted to do to Michelle as well."

Those words brought a cold rush over Parker's body. This being his turn at having the room spinning beneath his feet. It was all so unbelievable but yet there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it.

"I really would like to see him. I just need a minute to talk to him," Parker said.

"YOU ARE FUCKING KIDDING RIGHT?!?!" Dean retorted.

"They are getting him ready for surgery now," Malcolm offered.

"It's that bad?" Parker's words were but a whisper.

"I'm afraid so."

"I didn't know that I hit him that hard. Oh god forgive me......" This was the first time yet so far that Malcolm saw any sort of remorse from this boy.

"I have to see him," Parker forced the issue.

Malcolm nodded.

"NO...NO FUCKING WAY!!!" Dean literally screamed, "You know that Michelle wouldn't want this and neither would Danny."

The counselor in Malcolm came forward in him. The odds for Danny at the moment weren't all that good. He imagined that Parker needed to make peace with him.

"Dean relax. I'll go in with him. You go find Stacey and the others. Let them know what's going on with Michelle so they don't worry."

Still unsure Dean followed Malcolm's direction.

Parker sat in the chair that had been Michelle's earlier. The tears welled in his eyes without any control over them. Crying was something that Parker hadn't done since he was a small child. He had been taught a long time ago that crying wasn't for a man's man but for the spineless. Which according Howard Simms would never be his son. All those teachings were suddenly null and void as Parker sat staring at Danny's lifeless body. The sight was more then he thought he could bear. Yet maybe it was that fact that he had been the cause of it all was what had been too much for him.

"Hey, Santos," Parker struggled for the words. "I know that I'm sorry isn't enough but I don't know what else to say. Michelle loves you man. I was an ass. I had no right to mess with her or you either. I can't take back the things that I did....god I wish I could. I really never wanted to hurt either of you. I just wanted Michelle to see........" Parker stopped knowing that this wasn't what he wanted to say. There was no way to apologize for the things that he had done. A simple I'm sorry wasn't going to fix this. Danny was fighting for his life and Michelle, lord only knew what she was facing. "Please forgive me." Parker placed his hand over Danny's as if to shake it.

"Thank you," Parker addressed Malcolm as he walked past.

How hard that had been for Parker was abundantly clear to Malcolm. There was no denying a man like Parker lived by ego alone. Saying he was sorry and asking for forgiveness wasn't something that came easily to him. Malcolm didn't envy the road that lay ahead of that young man either.

Malcolm walked into the waiting room joining the others from CONNECTION VILLAGE. Rick was now sitting along side of Stacey making what Malcolm saw as a futile attempt at comforting her. The faces in the room all appeared a bit shelled shocked at the happenings. It was then that Malcolm saw Liza standing alone in the corner.

"I didn't expect to see you here," he said approaching her.

"I know that I've made no bones about what I thought you were doing the two of them was wrong......but I surely didn't want anything like this to happen," she returned.

"I'm glad you are here. It looks like we are in for a long night. I need to get in touch with Michelle's family. They should know what's going on. Will you stay here with everyone?"

"Yes...of course. You go ahead and handle things."

Malcolm walked to the hall to find Dean wearing a groove in the floor with his pacing. "Why don't we go get that coffee now?" he asked putting his arm around Dean's shoulder. Dean was doing his very best to stay strong for his best friend and girlfriend but Malcolm could see he had just about reached his breaking point.

Dean sat down at a table while Malcolm went to make the call to Ed Bauer.

"Hello," he started, "I would like to speak with Mr. Bauer."

"He's out at the moment," the voice informed him.

"Well this is about his daughter. I think that he should get over to Cedars........"

"What's wrong with Michelle?" Meta Bauer's voice filled with the worst possible scenarios.

"I'm Malcolm Farrell. I am with CONNECTION VILLAGE. She came here to see about Danny Santos. He was in an accident. I don't know if you know much about what happened to her......"

"I know everything!" Meta spat eager to know if her niece was all right. "Is Michelle all right?"

"She's hurt pretty badly. She's passed out on us a couple of times. The doctor's thought it would be best if she was admitted for some tests. I think that it would be wise for him to be here."

"I'll get in touch with him right away. Thank you for calling."

Meta placed the receiver in its cradle praying that Ed would be able to handle what she was about to tell him. The idea of Michelle's being in danger from her affiliation with CONNECTION VILLAGE would have nothing on the idea she could meet the same fate as her mother.

Malcolm positioned himself in from of Dean who was staring intently into his cup of coffee. "Hey how's the coffee?" he asked.

Dean shrugged not even bothering to take a drink from it yet. His mind was fixated on Danny and Michelle. Danny have already been in surgery for a little over three hours now and there hadn't been any word on Michelle either. He was going stir crazy.

"What's taking so long!?!?!" he barked impatience getting the better of him.

"It's okay. These things take time. The doctor said that we were looking at...at least six hours if not more for the surgery." This wasn't the answer that Dean had been looking for and Malcolm knew that but it was the best he was able to muster while his own worries plagued him.

"What about Michelle though? I thought for sure we would have heard something by now. All this waiting....it's driving me nuts!"

"Why don't we go see if we can find out what's happening with her then?"

Malcolm felt what he knew was a smile creep over his face. Michelle Bauer had an uncanny knack of seeping into the heart of everyone that she touched. Dean had been no exception.

The pair stopped by the nurses station to inquire on Michelle. They were informed that Dr. Lathem had been assigned as her physician. He was due to be finished with his rounds any time now if the wished to stay and speak with him. The expression on Dean's face told Malcolm they would be waiting.

"Dr. Lathem?" Malcolm questioned the man coming towards them.

"Yes," he returned.

"We were wondering if you had any news on Michelle Bauer's condition?"

"Yes, we are just getting her settled into a room now. The tests have been completed........"

"So what did you find out?" Dean broke in unable to wait as the hospital formalities ran their course.

"Easy," Malcolm turned to him, "Let the man finish."

"The x-rays showed that she has at least five broken ribs and a number of hairline fractures as well. The head CT showed a serve concussion. Which obviously explains the lightheadedness and fainting she was experiencing. There as still a few tests at the lab that have yet to come back but that's the bulk of her condition.

"What about......." Dean began while Malcolm finished.

"We have reason to believe that Michelle may have been raped. Is that the case?"

"No we found no evidence of any sexual assault."

Both men breathed a huge sigh of relief as one of the many weights weighing them down had been easily removed.

"Can we see her?" Dean was anxious to see with his own eyes that she was okay.

"We gave her a sedative. She was pretty scared and obviously worried about her boyfriend. The sedative will help her get the rest she so desperately needs right now."

"Please can I see her? I promise not to disturb her," Dean's pleading sounded like a small child in search of an elusive prize.

"All right but just for a few minutes. She really does need to recuperate. She's in room 517."

"Thank you....." Dean turned to Malcolm.

"GO.....go I'll catch up."

Dean gently pulled on the door to Michelle's room slipping inside quietly. For the first time since finding her at CONNECTION VILLAGE she looked at peace. His eyes scanned the machinery she was attached to. All he was able to make out was a monitor of some kind and an IV.

Dean pulled a chair from the wall against her bed. He rested his hands on hers giving a silent pray of thanks. The knowledge that while Parker had physically destroyed her, he had not violated her was a great relief to him. He was certain that it would ease Danny's mind as well, that was if he ever got the chance to tell him.

Dean rested his weary head on the edge of the bed. While he barely knew Michelle Bauer there was something about her that made him want to know her better. It wasn't just that she had been his best friend's girlfriend. There was more too it then that. Something radiated from inside her pulling people to Michelle like a magnet.

Her presence in Danny's life had been remarkable. In Dean's mind there was no denying that Michelle had been the reason, whether Danny would admit to it or not, that he hadn't run straight to Darcie when his world fell apart for the millionth time. Even through the betrayal he thought she committed against him, Michelle Bauer was still a guiding force in his mind forcing him to seek out another way of handling things rather then running for his familiar escape routes.

Dean heard the door swing open behind him, He fully expect to see Malcolm entering the room yet the person that his eyes were met with... it was unthinkable to see Parker Simms standing in the room with him.

"What the hell do you want?!?!" he asked clenching his jaw in a vain attempt at keeping his temper in check. His eyes darted to Michelle knowing full well that she was sedated but didn't want anything to upset her none the less.

"I wanted to see how she was doing."

"LIKE YOU FUCKING GIVE A DAMN!!" Dean returned louder then he expected to hear his voice.

"I know you don't believe me....Hell I can't blame you for that but I love her. I didn't mean to hurt her," Parker cried.

Dean felt Michelle stir beneath the touch of his hand. He didn't wait a second at ushering Parker from the room. Parker Simms was the last person on earth she needed to see right now.

"YOU'RE DAMN LUCKY SHE'S OKAY!" Dean spat, "You did a hell of a job on her though. She's got some broken ribs and a serve concussion......." Dean watched himself grabbing Parker by the collar of his jacket without much control over stopping his actions. Every ounce of his pent up rage spilling over the brim.

Parker almost laughed out loud thinking here we go again. This time however he didn't even put up a fight.

"DEAN.....ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!" Malcolm's booming voice came from out of the distance, "This isn't going to solve anything." Dean watched Malcolm walking towards him with another man he recognized only from his picture. The picture that Danny had showed him days before. It was Ed Bauer, Michelle's father.

"NO!!!!!" Dean countered before he could stop his mouth from forming the words. "But it sure as hell would make me feel better." He never once let Parker go.

Parker caught sight of Michelle's father and then to his horror his own father stepped out from behind Ed Bauer.

"I think that you and I have some things to discuss son," Howard Simms said sternly.

"SOME THINGS TO DISCUSS!!?!?!?!" The words Dean was hearing were unbelievable. "DISCUSS!?!?! He tried to rape Michelle....hell he beat her so bad that she landed in the fucking hospital.....he ran down my best friend with his car....Danny might not ever wake up and you think that you have some things to discuss.....Is that all DISCUSS?!?!?!" Malcolm stood watching as Dean had reached his breaking point finally sobbing.

"Easy Dean," Malcolm said grabbing for him as his body slid against the wall, "Mr. Bauer, Michelle's in this room. She's been sedated but you can go in and see her." Malcolm motioned towards the door.

"Thank you. Don't think this is over yet, Howard," Ed's words were ominous as he entered Michelle's room.