Something About You – Part 12 by ShellyLynn

Republisher’s Note: Things don’t go the way Danny thinks they will when he confronts Michelle.

Author’s Note: Well, to celebrate the last day of classes, I found time to write. Ill have to get back to studying for finals soon, but I wanted to take some time tonight to write. I hope you enjoy. I know this isnt exactly what you were expecting. Bear with me, I have my reasons. 

Danny sat through his classes the next day, his head full of all the things he wanted to say to Michelle. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t need her help, that he didn’t want her pity. The truth was, he had no idea how he was going to be able to pay that bill and she actually saved him a lot of trouble. He wanted to tell her to stay away from him, that she was more aggravation than she was worth, but the truth was, he couldn’t get her off his mind.

When his class finally ended, he grabbed his books and began making the long trek to her apartment. No matter how he felt about her, he didn’t want her thinking she could buy him or his forgiveness. He was still angry about what happened the previous night. Michelle’s friend Stacey had endangered the most important thing in the world to him and he couldn’t get the thoughts of a terrified, sick Mikey out of his mind. He was going to make sure she knew that her money meant nothing to him and he would be grateful if she just treated him like friend, instead of some charity case she was undertaking.

The more he thought about what transpired, the angrier he got. She hadn’t even asked if he would accept her help. Instead, she had done something that affected his life without giving him a choice in the matter, for the second time in one day. As he knocked on her door, he finally worked up the nerve to tell her exactly how he felt. I won’t change my mind, no matter how beautiful she looks.

When she answered the door, what he saw wasn’t at all what he expected. Her hair was frizzy and pulled back in a messy ponytail. She was wearing a Springfield University sweatshirt and her plaid flannel pants were wrinkled and hung loosely about her waist. She had tear tracks down her cheeks and no make up on. She was the picture of misery.

At the sight of her, all Danny’s plans went up in smoke. His only thought was to comfort her. He stepped inside the doorway and pulled her into his arms. As soon as she felt his strength envelop her, she broke down, sobbing hysterically in his protective embrace. He led her to her couch and sat down, never breaking their connection as she continued to cry against his chest.

When she finally began to calm down, she pulled away and wiped her face with her shirtsleeve. “I’m sorry,” she said, turning away from him and breaking the physical contact. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“Obviously something has you very upset. Please tell me what it is. I want to help,” he says, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder.

“There isn’t anything you can do,” she replies, not shrinking from his soothing touch. “There isn’t anything anyone can do.”

“Please tell me,” he pleads, turning her to face him. “Let me do something.”

“It’s my mom,” she whispers.

“Your mom?” Danny questions, taking her hands in his and laying them on his lap. He placed two fingers under her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. “What about your mom?” he asked softly.

“She has Alzheimer’s disease. I mean, she has been sick for a long time,” she explains. “But we have been able to go visit her and she could talk and move around. Sometimes it was almost like she was back to normal,” she says, her voice drifting off.

Danny nods his head, urging her to continue. “She has been such a wonderful mother,” she continues wistfully. “We used to bake cookies together and talk about the future, about my wedding,” she smiles slightly. “I never thought there was a chance she wouldn’t be there to see it.”

“What happened, Michelle?” Danny prodded gently.

“The doctor called a little while ago. It seems like she’s taken a turn for the worse,” she says, her eyes far off. “He doesn’t think it will be much longer now….” she chokes out as she begins to cry again. “She was fine last time I saw her,” she manages. “I need her so much. Why is she going to leave me now?”

“Shhh,” Danny whispers, pulling her up against his chest. “It’s going to be okay.”

His head was swimming. He knew exactly how she felt. He had lost both his parents and he knew the kind of pain that caused. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, brushing the hair with his fingers as he held her. Despite the situation, he couldn’t help but marvel at how good she felt in his arms.

“What am I supposed to do? How do I deal with this?” she cries, looking up at him with swollen eyes. “How am I going to go on by myself?”

“You aren’t by yourself,” he answers easily. “You have your father and your friends…”

“I have you?” she says, questioningly. “You aren’t going to leave me too, are you?”

“No…no,” he answers instinctively, wanting to soothe her pain. How was it that at the sight of this girl he barely knew in tears, he felt his heart breaking too? Has she really gotten that far under my skin already?

“Maybe you should go see her?” he suggested.

“I can’t ,”she says, curling up into a ball. “I can’t see her like that. It;s too hard.”

“I’ll come with you,” he suggests, not really sure where his words are coming from. Had he really been furious with her less than an hour ago?

“You would do that?” she asks hopefully.

“After what you’ve done for me, its the least I can do. I just need to find a sitter for Mikey,” he says, racking his brain for choices and deciding he would just see if the sitter that was there now would stay longer.

“You could bring him with us. I’m sure my mother would love him. She loves kids. She always talked about being a grandmother…..” she can’t finish as her tears spill forth again.

“If you think she’d like that its okay. I’ll have to see if he’s feeling up to going out. He still felt pretty miserable this morning,” he tells her.

“Okay,” she agrees. “I need to take a shower,” she says, suddenly realizing how she looks. “Will you wait?”

“Of course,” he says, “Can I use your phone and call home?”

“Sure, it’s over there,” she points out as she leaves the room. Once safely inside the bathroom she looks in the mirror. Oh my God. I can’t believe I let him see me like this, she scolds herself. And on top of that, I acted like a baby, crying all over him.

But he didn’t leave. He stayed and took care of you, even after last night.

She stepped into the shower and grabbed the shampoo bottle. I’m going to be okay. I have to be strong for mom. I can’t let her see me so upset.

Danny couldn’t believe how quickly his feelings had done a 180. He went from angry and frustrated to caring and comforting in less than a minute. He couldn’t help but question his feelings for her. I haven’t had many friends, he reasoned. Or is it more than that?

He shook his head to rid those thoughts. They are just friends and that’s the way he wants it. Yeah right.

********************

“Are you ready to go?” she asks twenty minutes later as she emerges from her room.

“Yeah,” he answers simply. “You look like you feel better.”

“Yeah,” she says nervously, looking down at her jeans and sweater. “I’m just not sure if I’ll be able to handle it if she’s having a bad day.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” she smiles slightly, trying to pass on his confidence in her. “Can I ask you one question?”

“Sure,” she says automatically.

“Is there a reason why your apartment seem so empty?”

“Stacey moved out this morning,” she says matter-of-factly.

“What?” he asks, stunned. “Why?”

“We had a difference of opinion and decided it would be best if we weren’t living together any more,” she states as she grabs her jacket.

“Does this have anything to do with last night?” he asks, feeling terrible about causing a rift between the two friends.

“We just had some very different views about some things. It’s not your fault,” she says. “Let’s get going. Visiting hours don’t go very late.”

“Okay,” Danny agrees, not believing her, but not wanting to push her about it. “Let’s go get Mikey.”

Tags: Danny Santos, GL, Guiding Light, Manny Fanfic, Manny fanfiction, Michelle Bauer, Something About You