Promises

Parts 19-20

By Candy

"What time does your first class end?" Danny asked her over breakfast, a couple of weeks later.
"I already told you," Michelle groaned. "Ten-thirty."
"And your next class is at eleven," he said, writing everything down. "And where will you be between classes?"
"Danny," she said, reaching for his hand. "Would you please relax? Carlos is going to be with me all day long. He has promised to not let me out of his sight and I promised you I would stay close to him. You don't need to worry."
"Michelle, it's been over two weeks, and we still don't have any answers. I won't stop worrying until whoever poisoned you is caught," Danny snapped. "Truthfully, I would feel a lot better if you would just stay home."
"Don't start on that again!" she yelled, standing up. "How many times are we going to have to go through this? I am not going to give up medical school! That is not an option."
"Can't you understand why I'm worried?" he demanded. "Not only is someone out to hurt you, but you're pregnant too."
"Thanks for reminding me," she laughed. "I was beginning to wonder why I've been sick every morning for the past few weeks!"
"Don't get smart with me," he glared at her.
"Then don't treat me like a fragile doll that might break!" she screamed. "I know you're worried, but I agreed to have Carlos around. What more do I have to do?"
Danny was silent, holding back the words he knew he would later regret.
"Are you going to answer me or not?" she demanded when he wouldn't say anything.
"Please calm down," he said as if calming a child.
"Don't treat me like a child," she charged.
"I'm sorry," he caved in when he saw the hurt in her eyes. "I'm just frustrated that we don't have any answers yet and I'm worried about you."
"I know," Michelle said in a calmer voice, reaching for his hand. "Don't you know I'm just as frustrated. This is supposed to be one of the happiest times in our lives. We should be celebrating with our family and friends and picking out baby furniture. But we can't. I can't even tell anyone that I'm having a baby."
"You will," he whispered, pulling her down to his lap. "Soon. I promise."
"Before long, I won't have to tell them," Michelle said with a frown. "They'll be able to see for themselves. I am already getting fat."
"Are you kidding?" he laughed. "You can't even tell."
"You're such a liar," she smiled. "You mean to tell me you haven't noticed any changes in my body in the last few weeks?"
"Well, let's see," he lifted her shirt and placed warm, soft kisses to her abdomen while Michelle ran her fingers through his curly hair. His hands moved from her back around to the front and inched up higher.
"Oh, no you don't," Michelle laughed, pushing his hands away. "I don't have time for this."
"It won't take that long," he smiled, moving his lips up to meet hers.
"Giving yourself a little credit there, huh?" she smiled beneath his lips.
He didn't respond except to intensify their kiss. With the little strength she had left, she pushed him away and stood up. He dropped his head to the table with a thud.
"Sorry," she apologized. "But my chauffeur is waiting."
"Wait," he stood up. He pulled her in his arms again and held her tight. "Please be careful."
"Danny, I'm going to be fine," Michelle said wrapping her arms around him. "Please don't worry."
Before Danny could respond, there was a knock at the door. Danny turned to open the door and found Carlos standing there.
"Is Mrs. Santos ready to leave?" he asked.
"I told you," she responded. "It's Michelle and yes I'm ready to go."
Danny turned his back to Carlos and captured Michelle's face in his hands. He leaned in for a gentle kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too," she whispered. "My last class is over at 3:00. I'll call you when we're on our way home."
"Thank you," he whispered back.
Michelle walked past him and Carlos. Danny grabbed Carlos' shoulder. "You make sure you keep your eye on her at all times."
"Don't worry boss," Carlos said. "Nothing will happen to her."
Danny watched out the window as Carlos pulled out of the driveway. "Please God, please take care of her."
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After Michelle left with Carlos, he got back to work making phone calls. As of yet, Ben had still not managed to get Carmen released. At least he didn't have that to worry about right now. Michelle still didn't know and he still didn't know how he was going to tell her. He would worry about that when the time came. For now, he had other problems to worry about. He picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello Bernard," he began. "This is Danny Santos."
"Ah, Daniel," Bernard replied. "I hear you've been stirring up trouble."
"I told you before, I need answers," Danny demanded. "Someone poisoned my wife and I want to know who is responsible."
"I understand that Daniel," he said. "But you must understand that since your mother's conviction, your name does not carry much weight with the other families."
"I did what I had to do to protect my family, Bernard," Danny snapped. "Or have you and everyone else forgotten that my mother tried to kill my wife?"
"I remember. I always thought Carmen to be a little over the edge. I told Thomas that he needed to keep her in check," he said.
"You spoke to my father about Carmen?" Danny quizzed. "When was this?"
"Not long after Pilar was born," he explained. "Your father had tried to keep her away from the family business, but she was determined to be a part of it. He kept her shielded enough to keep her safe, but after Pilar was born she began to take a more active role. Your father decided then to get out. He didn't want Carmen or you children to be a part of this life anymore. He spent years trying to change the Santos' business, but he knew he had to do it gradually. Unfortunately, he was killed before he had the chance to finish what he started. After his death, Carmen took over and reversed every step Thomas had taken in making the family legitimate."
"My father was trying to make the business legitimate?" Danny asked in shock. "Why didn't my mother ever tell me? Why didn't he ever tell me?"
"You were a young boy when your father died," he responded. "Both of your parents knew deep down that Mick would never be able to lead the family business because he just didn't have it in him. You, on the other hand, were the apple of your father's eye. He wanted you to take over the business, but he wanted it to be a legitimate business first. He never wanted you to be involved in the crime he grew up with. Carmen wanted the same thing, but she wanted the power and the money that came with the illegal activities. She fought him every step of the way to keep the business the way it was."
"I remember the night he died," Danny sighed. "I heard them arguing downstairs. She wanted him to go to some meeting to complete a deal and he said he didn't want to be a part of that life anymore. He finally agreed to go, but he told her it would be the last time. He would not be a part of any illegal business after that meeting."
"Carmen blamed herself for persuading him to go to that meeting," he said. "He didn't want to go, but he did it for her."
"If it weren't for her, my father would still be alive," Danny said through gritted teeth.
"Possibly," Bernard sighed. "But your father was living a very dangerous life. Getting out of the business suddenly after generations of dealings, is not taken lightly. Your father could have easily gotten killed with the way he was making deals to get out. That's what concerns me about you, Daniel. Do you realize the risks you are taking by making your family business legal?"
"I have to do it," Danny demanded. "Michelle does not want to live that kind of life. I don't want that kind of life anymore. She is my life now and I will do what it takes to make her happy and keep her and our children safe"
"Oh, you are your father's son," Bernard laughed. "You are so much like him, it's almost as if I'm talking to him right now."
"Now that I know my father wanted to make this business legitimate, I am even more determined," Danny said. "I am determined to finish what he started, whatever it takes."
"Thomas was my dearest friend," Bernard said. "I promised him I would take care of his children, especially you, and that's what I plan to do. I will see what I can find out, but you must remain calm, Daniel. Do not stir up more trouble than you can handle. And whatever you do watch your back and your wife. You know people will look for and exploit your weakness."
"I know," Danny breathed unsteadily. "That's why I'm doing this. I can't let anything else happen to her."

________________________________________

Michelle entered her first class amid curious looks. Carlos didn't exactly look like a typical pre-med student with his dark suit and sunglasses. She was going to have to try to get him to dress a little more casual so maybe he wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb. Who was she kidding? People would still stare. No one else had a personal bodyguard to escort them around campus.
After a little while, she was actually able to concentrate on the professor and forget that Carlos was 'scoping' out the room. She hadn't realized how much she had missed going to school. She was one of the unusual ones in medical school who loved listening to lectures. She wrote furiously, trying to take as many notes as she could. Ever since she could remember, her life had involved medicine and she knew it was her destiny to be a doctor. Her mother had wanted that for her and she was determined to make her mother proud.
Under Dr. Sedwick's orders, Michelle had only signed up for three classes this semester. She would never admit it to Danny, but by the time the third class was over, she was exhausted. She did as she promised and called him as they were pulling out of the school parking lot.
"Yeah?" Danny snapped, answering the phone.
"Is that anyway to greet your wife?" she laughed.
"Hey sweetie," his voice softened. "How are you?"
"Fine," she lied. "I just wanted to report in and tell you that Carlos and I are on our way home. What's with you? You sound busy."
"I've just been trying to catch up on some work," he explained. "I'm still at the office, but I'm on my way out the door right now." He pulled the phone away from his head to say something to his secretary.
"Who are you talking to?" she asked.
"I was just telling Diane that I am on my way home to meet my beautiful wife," he explained.
"Well, I need to stop by the grocery store first, so you'll beat me home," she said.
"Carlos goes inside with you," Danny demanded.
"I know, I know," she sighed with a giggle. "I'll make him push the cart."
He couldn't help but laugh at the image of Carlos pushing a cart around the grocery store. "Just take it easy on him."
"I think he can handle it," she smiled as Carlos cut his eyes at her.
"Don't be long," he said. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said. "I'll see you soon."
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Michelle arrived home a short time later. Carlos was getting some of the grocery bags from the back seat when Michelle went to the other side of the car and reached for some of the bags. She juggled them in her arms as she tried reached for the door handle. She almost fell forward as Danny suddenly opened the door from the other side.
"What are you doing?" he scolded, taking the bags from her arms.
"What?" she asked confused. "We're just bringing in the groceries."
"You shouldn't be carrying these," he said as he set the bags on the kitchen counter.
"They're not that heavy, Danny," she groaned.
"They're heavy enough," he said as Carlos brought the rest of the bags in and set them down beside the others.
"I tried to get her to wait on me and let me get them," Carlos explained. "But your wife is a little stubborn."
"Believe me I know," Danny laughed.
"I can't believe you're ganging up on me Carlos," Michelle smiled.
"It's only been a few weeks and he knows you so well already," Danny kissed her forehead. He then turned to Carlos, "I'm staying home for the rest of the night so you can go ahead and go home."
"Okay then, I'll be in touch," Carlos said. "Have a good evening."
"Thanks Carlos. I'll see you tomorrow," Michelle smiled. As the door closed, she turned back to her husband. "So what have you been doing all day."
"Just working," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "How was your first day of classes?"
"Okay," she forced a smiled.
"What is it?" he asked, noticing her expression.
"I got a lot of sideways glances today," she explained. "It just feels weird having Carlos follow me everywhere."
Danny sighed, hating that she was having to live this way. "I wish you didn't have to, but until we…"
"I know, I know," she cut him off. "Until we find out who poisoned me, we can't be too careful."
"Am I sounding like a broken record?" he smiled.
"No more than me," she sighed. "I'll just be glad when this is all over and the only worries we'll have is which wallpaper to put in the nursery."
"That's an easy one," he smiled. "Football."
"I don't think our daughter will want football wallpaper in her room," Michelle laughed.
"Who says we're going to have a girl?" he questioned.
"Who says we're going to have a boy?" she retorted.
"Want to bet?" he smiled.
"What?" she laughed. "You want to bet me whether or not our baby will be a boy or a girl?"
"Why not?" he said.
"So what do I get if I win?" she teased.
"Whatever you want," he said.
"Whatever I want, huh?" she replied. "I may have to think this one over for a little while…want to make sure I get something very good out of this deal."
"Oh, I promise it'll be good," he flashed her a sexy smile, pulling her back into his arms and giving her a not so gentle kiss.
Breathless, she pulled back. and whispered in his ear, "We better unload these groceries before the ice cream melts."
"It is a little hot in here, isn't it?" he said as his lips found hers again.
She finally pulled away despite his groans and started to unload the first bag. He followed her over to the counter and helped.
He looked over at her as she closed the refrigerator door. "You look tired."
"I'm okay," she said. "I have a lot of studying to do."
"Already?" he frowned.
"Yeah, I don't want to get behind right off the bat," she replied.
"Okay, but I think you really should go upstairs and rest for a little while," he said.
"I told you I'm…" she began as he pulled her into his arms.
"Michelle," he cut her off with a kiss. "I can see it in your eyes. You are tired. Please just go lay down for a little while. Besides, if you do, I may just have a surprise for you when you get up."
"A surprise?" she smiled. "What are you up to?"
"Now if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" he grinned.
"Okay, okay," she playfully hit his arm. "You win…this time anyway. I'll be upstairs if you need me for anything."
"Hmm," he moaned as they kissed again. "Don't tempt me."
"Your loss," she sang as she started up the stairs.
"Don't follow her. Stay in the kitchen," Danny told himself. "You have work to do."
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A couple of hours later, Danny had finally finished dinner and was setting the table. He had gone up to check on Michelle a few times, thankful that she had fallen asleep. As he was placing the last plate on the table, the doorbell rang. He opened the door to find Rick and Abby holding Jacob in a carrier.
"I'm glad you could make it," Danny smiled. "Come on in."
"We're glad you asked us," Rick replied.
"Hey Abby," Danny leaned over and kissed her cheek. "How are you?"
"Wonderful, except for lack of sleep," she laughed. "Jacob has a thing for 3 AM. He seems to like that time of the morning."
And I can't wait to go through the same thing, Danny thought to himself.
"Where's your father?" Danny asked, worrying that Ed wouldn't come.
"He was on the phone with the clinic in Europe," Rick explained. "He told us to go ahead and he would be here shortly."
"Where's Michelle?" Abby asked, picking Jacob out of the carrier.
"She's upstairs resting," Danny explained.
"Is she feeling okay?" Rick questioned quickly.
"She's fine," Danny reassured. "She was just a little tired after classes today."
Danny couldn't keep his eyes off of Jacob. His thoughts kept drifting to his and Michelle's baby. He couldn't wait until they would have their own baby to hold.
"You want to hold him?" Abby asked, noticing Danny staring at Jacob.
"Can I?" he asked sheepishly.
"Of course," Abby said. "You are his uncle." Danny crossed the room and held out his arms as Abby placed Jacob into them. "Just hold his head up."
Danny smiled down at the baby in his arms, "Hey Jacob. I'm your uncle Danny." He started walking with him through the living room toward the back deck. He stood at the glass door talking to him.
"He's going to be a wonderful father one day," Abby whispered to Rick.
"Yeah, one day," Rick said hesitantly.
"What's wrong?" Abby asked.
"I was just thinking about Michelle," he explained.
"Did I hear my name?" Michelle entered the living room. "What are you two doing here?"
"Hey sis," Rick kissed her forehead. "Danny invited us over to dinner to surprise you."
"He did?" Michelle smiled. "Where is that husband of mine?"
"He's doing some male bonding with your nephew," Abby explained. "I think he took him over toward the back door."
Curious, Michelle went through the living room, planning on sneaking up on Danny. However, when she finally found him, she stopped in her tracks. She swallowed around the lump in her throat, unable to hold back her tears. She just stood there watching as Danny was whispering to Jacob. It wasn't until she got closer that she could make out what he was saying.
"Now you're going to have a cousin soon," he said. "Your aunt Michelle thinks it's going to be a girl. Don't tell her this, but I wouldn't mind a little girl, with blond hair and big brown eyes just like her mother. I'm going to count on you to look after her when you two get older. If she's anything like her mother, she's going to be stubborn and want to do everything on her own, but sometimes you just have to help her without her knowing it. You'll learn soon enough that women can drive you crazy. But they can also make you happier than you ever thought you could be. That's the way it is with me and your aunt Michelle. She is hardheaded sometimes and a little too independent all the time, but I love her more than anything in this world. I can't imagine my life without her."
Michelle moved in closer and put her arms around Danny's waist, "Jacob, you can tell your uncle Danny that he's stuck with me. I'm not going anywhere."
"How long have you been listening?" he asked blushing.
"Long enough," she smiled, reaching around to kiss Jacob's soft head.
"I guess I sound pretty silly talking to a baby like that," he forced a small laugh.
"Not at all," Michelle said seriously, leaning against Danny's shoulder. "You don't know what it means to me to see you like this with Jacob. I have always wanted to marry a man who would be gentle and loving with our children. I'm just lucky to have found such a man."
"He's so beautiful," Danny's voice cracked.
"I know," she whispered.
"Is my grandson being held captive?" Ed said walking in.
"Dad," Michelle turned around quickly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as everyone else," he explained, giving her a hug. "I've heard rumors that my son-in-law here is a pretty good cook. I came to see if that's true or not."
"Oh, he is," Michelle laughed. "Thankfully. I think we would starve to death if I had to cook."
Danny cleared his throat and took a deep breath before turning back around. "That's not true, honey. You made dinner the other night."
"I don't think Hamburger Helper counts, Danny," she frowned.
"Well, I'm going to teach her to cook one day," Danny smiled, handing Jacob back to Abby. "Then you'll all have to come over and taste her cooking."
"Just warn us ahead of time," Rick whispered.
"You just wait big brother," Michelle hit him on the arm. "I'm going to cook you a dinner so fabulous you'll regret ever doubting me."
"I'm sure you will," he laughed.
"Speaking of dinner, we better eat before it gets cold," Danny said, leading Michelle into the kitchen. "Will you help me in the kitchen? You all can go ahead and sit down. Everything's ready, we just have to bring it into the dining room."
After Danny and Michelle set the food on the table, they started eating.
"Danny, this is fabulous," Ed said. "Who taught you how to cook?"
"My grandmother," he replied. "She always told me that it was important to be able to do things for yourself. She taught my father too, which was good because my moth…" he stopped in mid-sentence, dropping his eyes to his plate. "Well, anyway, we had servants most of the time, but he still liked to cook for us occasionally."
Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say next.
"Well your grandmother taught you well," Abby broke the silence.
"Thank you," Danny smiled.
"So, Michelle," Rick began. "How was school today?"
Michelle proceeded to tell them all about her day and the classes she was taking, all the while making sure not to mention Carlos. They continued talking in the living room after dinner. Michelle rocked Jacob to sleep and almost went to sleep herself.
"It's getting late," Ed finally said.
"I think we're about to lose Michelle," Rick commented.
"What?" her head snapped up at the sound of her name.
"I was just saying, it's time for us to get going," Rick laughed. "I've got an early day at the hospital tomorrow."
"Well, thank you again for dinner," Ed stood up, shaking Danny's hand.
"I'm glad you could all come," Danny said as he and Michelle walked them to the door.
Rick leaned over to hug Michelle and whispered in her ear, "You take care of yourself and don't overdo it."
"I promise," she whispered back.
Danny closed the door behind them and turned back to Michelle. "You go on to bed and I'll clean up."
"I really have some work to do," she said through a yawn.
"You wouldn't make it five minutes," he laughed, wrapping his arms around her. "You have a late class tomorrow. Why don't you just do your work in the morning?"
"Okay," she yawned again. "I am really tired."
"Go on up," he kissed her. "I'll be up in a few minutes."
"Don't be long," she smiled.
"I won't," he said. "Now go."
He watched her walk slowly up the stairs. He couldn't believe how happy he felt. Although he knew he wouldn't feel completely comfortable until he found out who had poisoned her, but tonight had given him a glimpse of the normal life that they both wanted. And for the first time, he actually began to believe that they could have that normal life. Everything was finally starting to turn around for them. At least that's what he thought.

Parts 21-22

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