Michelle opened her eyes and saw the stranger sitting beside her bed. Michelle looked at her closely. She didn't look familiar. Did she know this woman and just didn't remember? She tried to recall Abby's words to her earlier. She hadn't mention Michelle having a head injury so didn't think her memory was affected. But still, there was something familiar about this woman.
"Michelle?" the woman with the kind voice said. "Hi, I'm Susan. I am a nurse here and a friend of Danny's. How are you feeling?" she asked. Michelle looked at Susan and remembered Danny mentioning Susan and how kind she had been to him when he had been in the hospital. She had a kind face and a warm smile and she was glad that Danny had known this lady.
The pain medication that they had been dispensing her through her IV was beginning to wear off. She tried to tell Susan that it hurts but instead the word came out "huts". She could move her mouth a little now but doing so hurt so much. Her eyes also hurt. She knew her nose was broken and she had done some damage to her cheekbones and she would bet her next round of morphine that her eyes were going to blacken soon if they hadn't already.
"I know it hurts Michelle" Susan said. "Please don't try to talk. I have something I need to tell you. Danny is here" she said and Michelle made a garbled sound and looked around the room for him. She became panicked when she didn't see him.
"Michelle, please dear, let me finish. Danny is not here in this room but here in the hospital." she said and Michelle had a puzzled look on her face. "He has hurt his hip again and he has to have the operation tonight" she said and watched Michelle's eyes grow wide. She made a low sound of distress and Susan mentally berated herself. See Danny, she thought, I told you this wasn't a good idea.
She placed her hand on Michelle's arm to calm her. Michelle was trying to speak again and Susan told her to relax. She would get to see Danny before he had his operation if she felt up to it. She nodded her head eagerly. "I have to tell you the truth Michelle, he won't sign the consent forms until he is sure you are alright. Now, you are a doctor so you know the toll he has placed on his hip and quite frankly, he should have already had this operation and now it can't wait. If he waits, he will be confined to a wheelchair permanantly. Will you help convince him to sign the papers?" Susan asked her gently.
Michelle nodded her head again. She made no more effort to try to speak since it hurt her mouth to even try and form the words.
"Okay then Michelle, I will go get him. He doesn't know how bad you've been hurt and he has been like a wild animal trying to get in here to you. I will tell him what has happened to you and tell him you can't talk but you can nod your head yes and no and that will help. Okay?" she said and Michelle nodded her head.
"Good, I will go get him now" she said and left Michelle alone in the room. Tears began to fall from her eyes. Danny was going to have that operation and she was stuck in this bed not able to help him. He had hurt himself. She had been afraid he was overdoing it but he felt so good this morning and he promised to use his cane. What had happened to make his hip worse?
She waited and listened to the sounds outside her door. Her ears perked up when she heard the sound of a wheelchair coming down the hall. She had become very familiar with all kinds of hospital sounds and the sound of a wheelchair across the floor was one she knew well.
The door opened and Michelle tried to lift her head a little. Susan was pushing Danny in his chair and he looked very unhappy about it. She would have laughed had she not been in so much pain and could have actually moved her mouth.
Danny stood up when the chair was wheeled next to her bed. Susan berated him but he ignored her. He leaned his body into the bed so it would support some of his weight and take it off of his hip. He bent down and brushed her lips with a swift kiss and then began to kiss her tears she was shedding. "Shh, baby, it will be alright. I promise it will be alright" he said and he laid his head on her chest. She ran her hand through his hair stroking his scalp in a calming fashion. She wanted to tell him she would be alright. She wanted to chase away the agonized look on his face. He needed to save his stregnth for tonight.
Danny nuzzled his cheek against her breast and felt her chest move up and down in a slow pattern of breathing. He didn't want to leave her. Susan had prepared him for the injuries she had sustained and she had assured him that none of them were life threatening, but to see her in pain was killing him. Worse in fact than the most agonizing pain his hip could inflict on him. Her face was covered in bandages and her mouth was closed with wires. He had asked Susan how was she going to eat and she had explained that she would be taking her meals through a straw for the next couple of weeks.
Danny shut his eyes and thanked God for sparing Michelle. He didn't know any details about the accident and since she couldnt talk, it would be some time before he got some answers. He knew he would go crazy if he didn't know what had happened to her. She was an excellent driver and the car was brand new. How did she end up in the ditch? He hadn't gotten a chance to look at the car very closely since his main concern had been Michelle's safety. He needed some answers and he knew who to get them from. He would ask Dietz. Only trouble was, he was going to be in this damn hospital for at least a week.
He needed to call Pilar before he had his surgery tonight. He needed her to take care of things around the house and to let Sarah and Juliet know what was going on.
He lifted his head up to look at her. She looked at him and tried to move her mouth into a smile.
She knew he was worried about her. She wanted him to forget about her right now and concentrate on the upcoming surgery. She was so frustrated not being able to speak to him and to tell him she loved him. He looked so scared. He had gone through this before without her and she needed to be there for him now. She placed her hand on his cheek and their gazed connected. They communicated without words.
Susan left the room for a few minutes to give them some time together. She went to the main nurses desk and got a small pad and pen. She was going to bring it to Michelle so she could write her thoughts. She looked so frustrated not being able to communicate her thoughts to anyone.
She looked down at her watch. It was time to go get Danny and get him ready. He would need to take some pre-op medicine and he would need to get prepped for surgery. He would insist she do the prepping and they needed to get started. His surgery was scheduled in two hours.
She went to the door and knocked gently. She heard Danny tell her to come in. The scene she walked in on was very tender with Michelle stroking Danny's cheek and jaw and Danny rubbing her hand. She really hated to interupt this moment between them, but she had no other choice.
She cleared her throat softly and Danny turned around. Michelle's gaze also fell on her. "I am sorry Danny , but it is time to go. Here, Michelle" she said and handed her the pad and pen. "I brought this for you to use. I promise to come back and stay with you during the surgery if you want" she said and Michelle nodded her head.
"Okay, Danny, say your goodbyes and then we have to go" she said and stepped out into the hall for a moment to give them some privacy.
Soon she had Danny back in his wheelchair and taking him back to the room he was in. She gave him his medicine designed to make him relax and then began to prep him for the surgery. Soon the medicine took effect and Danny began to give way to drowsiness. He looked up at Susan and whispered "Promise".
"What Danny, promise what?" she asked.
"Promise to take care of Michelle" he said and she nodded her agreement and he went to sleep.
Susan watched him for a few minutes to make sure that he was sleeping comfortably. They would give him anesthesia in the operating room soon but the pre-op pills were making him doze now. "I promise Danny. I will take care of her" she said and patted his arm and went to get the doctor to tell him that Danny was ready to go up.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dietz was tired and he was sore. The nurse in the emergency room had insisted on looking at his cuts. They were nothing, just minor but she had made such a fuss that he had let her get a doctor and they had stiched up his side where he had a gash that was a little deeper than he had thought. He had waited until Danny's nurse had come out to tell him that Danny would be having surgery too and then delivered Danny's message to him. He was planning on going up there again after he got a shower and put on some clean clothes.
He had managed to find out about Michelle. She wasn't hurt badly. She would make it. He was glad. She had scared the life out of him when he had found her. He had thought she was dead.
He removed his pants and emptied the pockets. He still had the bullet in his pocket. The police would be all over him if they knew he had this evidence but he didn't trust the police in this town. Frank Cooper was straight as an arrow but David Grant.........damn.
He was suppposed to meet David this morning. He had been on his way there when he had happened upon Michelle. Boy, Pilar was going to be pissed at him.
He wondered where she was. He picked up the cordless phone and dialed her cell number. She answered on the first ring. "Where are you?" he asked.
"I am at home you dolt, where were you? You didn't meet me when you said you would" she said not disclosing that she had paid him a visit and searched his house unawares.
"I know, I got held up somewhere, Listen meet me at the usual place. We need to talk. I will be there is ten minutes and don't be late. I have an extremely tight schedule" he said and hung up the phone.
Ten minutes later, almost to the second, Pilar drove up. He got out of his car and walked over to her. She arrogantly stayed in her car and he bent into the window. She didn't even turn off the ignition. He didn't care that she was trying to put on airs with him. Let her. He was going to cut her loose right now from his neck like the albatross that she was.
"What did you need to see me about? What was so urgent that it couldn't wait?" she asked haughtily.
"I didn't get the book" he confessed.
"What?" she shrieked and Dietz heard her shrilly voice echoing throughout the parking garage.
"I got held up okay? I was on my way to meet my contact when I saw an accident and stopped to help. You did know that Danny's wife was involved in an accident today didn't you?" he asked.
"Yes, yes, I heard it while I was at Millineum" she said with a bored tone. "You found her?"
"Yes, I stayed until Danny and the ambulances came. I went to the hospital and noticed you weren't there. Why?" he asked.
"Someone had to come home and take care of things. Danny was there and Michelle was going to be fine. The bu........." she stopped herself in midsentence.
"The what Pilar? The bullet? How did you know there was a bullet? Danny doesn't even know yet. Dear God! It was you! You shot at Michelle. Why in God's name did you do that?" he asked.
Pilar gave him no answer and jerked her car in reverse and sped out of the parking garage with Dietz left staring at the tire marks on the concrete made by her hasty getaway.
Great, now what the hell was he going to do?