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Michelle was stunned. Surely he wasn't serious, she thought but the look on Danny's face showed her he was very serious.
Michelle looked at the choices put in front of her. In order to get Danny to believe she hadn't deserted him in his time of need, she would have to move back with him as his wife. He hadn't filed the annullment papers he had insisted she sign three years ago. Why???? They were still married. He had had more than three years to file the papers, yet he had not. Again, she asked herself Why??? She would think about that later.
Her only other option was to refuse him, insist he file the papers to dissolve their marraige and make him hate her forever. If she didn't comply with his request, he would continue to believe that she had coldly refused to come to him when he needed her.
Michelle cursed Pilar for putting her in such a predicament. She still wasn't too thrilled with Rick either, but at least he hadn't had evil intentions the way that Pilar had.
She weighed her decision heavily. She needed time to think about this but the look on his face assured her that asking for more time would be unwelcome. Danny had been through more than she could ever imagine. He had felt abandoned by his own wife and here she was comtemplating asking for time so she could wiggle out of this. She felt terrible.
"Danny" she started "I don't know how to answer that right now. Can't you see what a difficult decision this is? It's a no win situtation" she explained.
"I don't see the problem Michelle" he said. "If , as you say, you were completely unaware of my injuries, and you want me to believe you, the answer should be obvious. However, if you are having trouble granting my request, the I must assume that you weren't sincere in your efforts to convince me of your innocence" he said.
"Danny, that's not fair" she lamented. "You are making me prove to you that I am telling you the truth"
"Well Michelle" he said as he brought her up from her knees to look at him straight in the face. "Isn't that just what you pledged to do?" he said throwing her words back at her.
"As I recall, your words were you would do anything to convince me you were telling the truth" he sneered. "So, convince me"
Michelle felt his anger wash over her completely. This was so unfair.
"Danny, this is despicable" she cried.
Danny's eye turned menacing as he turned it on her. "I warned you that I could be cruel. Now what is it going to be? Are you willing be my wife again, for real this time" he emphasized "or are you going to desert me yet again and confirm what I already know?"
"There is no other way to convince you I didn't know you were hurt?" she asked with a pleading voice. Danny curled up his lip and shook his head no.
"I know" she stammered. "You could talk to Rick, or Abby. They both confessed to me why they didn't tell me about your accident, you could talk to them.........."
"No Michelle, This doesn't involve them. You are accusing my sister of something very serious and if you want me to even entertain the idea that she might had lied to me, then you are going to have to be willing to show me some good faith. Come back to me, Michelle, and I will consider what you have told me" he said.
Michelle thought she was going to be ill. This was truly a devil's bargain. Was she willing to sell her soul so that Danny could make peace with his?
Danny saw Michelle's struggle. It wasn't fair to do this to her, but he wasn't convinced totally that she hadn't known. Somewhere inside he believed her, but he needed to be totally sure.
"Oh come on MIchelle," he said in an ammused tone that he hoped disguised his pain. "I promise to turn off the ights before we make love".
He thought her indecision was because of his appearance. How could she tell him that he had never looked more attractive to her, that his scars didn't matter. She watched as his hand absently fingered the jagged scar on his neck. He had suffered so much the last three years. She hadn't caused it, but maybe she could help relieve it a little.
She shocked them both by telling him yes.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Danny was shocked to the core. He would never have believed in a million years that she would have said yes.
Now what was he going to do? He had baited her because he selfishly wanted her to feel a little of his pain. He had wanted her to feel shame for deserting him although he wasn't sure now that she had. Yet she was willing to live with him as his wife to convince him otherwise. To lie down with a scarred, crippled, shell of a man to prove her sincerity.
For one bried moment, he considered letting her out fo the agreement. He was really starting to believe that she was innocent of all the things he had accused her of. She had tried to tell him last night that she hadn't known but he wouldn't listen. He had walked out. He couldn't let her out of it though. He loved her so much and had suffered so long without her. He was willing to take her however he could get her and if it meant using a little guilt and treachery, then so be it.
"Okay, Michelle," he began. " You will move back with me at the house. Don't worry, mother isn't there anymore so you shouldn't have any of the problems that you had before. You will be my wife Michelle. In every sense of the word" he said the words slowly so she wouldnt misunderstand their meaning. "You will have your meals with me and we will share the same bed and everything will be just as it should have been three years ago. You will continue to go to school and do your residency and that alone will be the only excuse I will accept for your not being with me. I will support you one hundred percent in your career. We will discuss children at a later date" he said.
"You have two days Michelle to get everything in order at home and at the hospital and then I expect to see you at home, our home" he added and then told her she was free to go. "Don't forget Michelle, two more days and then I am going to have what I should have had three years ago."
Michelle turned and ran from his office.
Danny watched her leave. He walked over to his desk and plopped in his chair. He reached into the bottom drawer and grabbed the bottle. What the hell was he going to do now? He had only meant to intimidate her a little. He didn't now how he was going to do this. He had meant to scare her a little and then he had gotten completely carried away, issuing orders like a drill sargeant. In two days, Michelle would be his wife again. She knew he expected her to let him make love to her and she hadn't so much as flinched at the crude way he had described the way it would be between them.
He hated what he had just done, but he knew now that he couldn't ever live without her. He had suffered without her and he wasn't just thinking about his scars. He would take her anyway he could get her and he wasn't about to let his one shot at happiness fly out the window. Besides, she owed him and she could pay him back by being his wife. He knew his body was still capable of feeling arousal, since he woke up every morning tenting the sheets wanting Michelle. No, he knew he was capable of performing the act but he didn't know if he could expose himself to her like that. His scars were his greatest shame and he would not be able to handle it if they repulsed her.
He poured some of the alcohol into the glass and took a long swallow. He called home and told Sarah to prepare his and Michelles old bedroom. In two days Michelle was coming home.
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