Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
Michelle settled in for the first night in her Louisville apartment. It had been six weeks since that day in their bedroom of the Santos house. Danny was so supportive of her decision. She knew that he would go along with her decision to leave, but she was unsure how he would deal with it. She had been afraid that he would bury himself in his work, turn a blind eye to what she was doing. But he hadn�t. She had been surprised at how helpful he�d been.
After she�d told him of the pregnancy and her plans, he�d taken her to Louisville himself, to find an apartment for her. He wanted to make sure that she was in a safe neighborhood, with plenty of people close by to help her, if she needed it. They selected a two bedroom apartment on the East side of town. The complex was home to several young families, as well as several elderly couples, and Danny felt confident that Michelle was in a good place.
He�d carefully timed the drive from her apartment to Baptist East Hospital, where the baby would be born. He�d gone with her to the initial consultation with her OB-GYN, Dr. Armstrong. He was a kind, gentle man, and Danny felt comfortable with the fact that Michelle would be in good hands.
They�d managed to keep everything a secret from Carmen, Pilar, even from Rick and Abby. No one knew about her pregnancy, and no one knew that she was leaving. When she moved, she told Rick and Abby that she and Danny were having problems, over the business � the same conflicts that they had before. Danny didn�t tell Carmen and Pilar until after she left. He gave them the same story that Michelle told Rick and Abby. Whether or not Carmen bought it, he couldn�t tell, but he didn�t think she cared � she was just glad that Michelle was gone. No one knew where she�d gone, not even her brother. She�d told him only that she needed time away.
Michelle curled up on the sofa in her new apartment. She pulled the blanket to her waist and picked up her copy of �Your Pregnancy Week By Week�. She hoped it would take her mind off of Danny, by reading how the baby was developing during this week. But, it only made her think of Danny more. Finally, she put the book down, and gave in to her thoughts.
She remembered Danny�s promise to her, that he would find a way to be with her, before the baby was born. She believed him, or rather she believed that he wanted to do what he said, but she had to wonder if he could. She wondered if he would be able to just pick up and leave if the business wasn�t legitimized in time.
She wanted so badly to hold onto his promise, but she knew she had to prepare herself for the possibility of a life without him. For this baby�s sake, she couldn�t afford to have her heart broken, at the very time this little life entered the world. She had to be able to stand alone, if it was necessary.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. She knew before she answered that it was Danny. Who else would be calling? She fought the urge to answer the phone with �Hi Sweetheart� or �Hello Sexy�, and instead said simply, �Hello�.
�It�s me,� he said.
�Aren�t you being risky?� she asked. �Surely you aren�t calling from the house.�
�No,� he began. �I have a new cell phone. No one else knows about it, and you�re the only one who�s going to have the number.�
Michelle scribbled the number down on the notepad beside the telephone.
�I contacted a cellular representative in Louisville, and arranged for you to have one, too.�
�Danny, this is a bit much,� she protested.
�Michelle, you�re my wife, and you�re pregnant, and even though you�re only a few hours away, you might as well be on the other side of the planet. I want to be able to get in touch with you.�
She knew she wouldn�t win this battle. �OK,� she relented. Besides, she did sort of like it when he was over protective.
�Next weekend, I have to take care of some business in Chicago. It�ll only take a few hours, but I told Mama that I need some time to myself. So, after I finish in Chicago on Friday, I thought I�d fly down stay with you until Monday morning.�
�Danny, we�re never going to be able to make this break if you�� Danny cut her off before she could finish.
�Look Michelle, I have no intention of making any kind of break with you. I totally understand why you wanted to leave, even agree with you, but I promised you that I�d find a way. And I meant it. And I�m not going to spend the next months, until the baby comes, not seeing you or being with you.�
�I know. It�s just that, saying goodbye to you doesn�t get any easier.�
�Believe me, I�m aware of that. But I�d rather say a few painful goodbyes than not spend any time with you.�
Michelle could not speak. The tears were falling now, and she cried softly into the phone.
Danny heard her crying, and spoke softly to her. �Baby, I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to upset you. I know how strong you�re trying to be, and I respect you so much for it. But you aren�t in this alone. It doesn�t matter where you are, I�m going to find a way to be with you. Even if it�s just a weekend or an afternoon.�
She knew she could not refuse him. She wanted him to come anyway. It didn�t matter how strong she was feeling, the sound of Danny�s voice saying he needed her turned her to water.
�I�ll try to make an appointment with Dr. Armstrong for next Saturday. That way you can come with me.�
�I�d like that,� Danny said. Michelle could hear him holding back tears. He wanted so badly to be involved in this pregnancy.
�Next weekend I�ll be about 15 weeks along, so maybe he�ll agree to do an ultrasound.�
Danny�s heart quickened at the thought of seeing his child for the first time.
Michelle continued, �It�ll probably just look like a big blob, but we should be able to see the heart beat.�
�I don�t care what it looks like � it�ll be beautiful, just like Mommy.�
Tears streamed down her face again.
She hung up the phone, and cried for a long time. This was going to be much harder than she thought. She finally relented and accepted the fact that she needed Danny, and she would be glad for him to visit her whenever he could. She wouldn�t fight him on it anymore. She would cherish their time together, and believe with everything in her, that Danny would keep his promise. In her heart of hearts, she knew he would.
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