A Helping Hand
- Thread starter SkyGirl5
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SkyGirl5
Cadet
lol you guys its not that i gave you a triple update (you should know by now im not that nice :lol: ) itsthat this site ws down for so long i was continuing to update elsewhere
Chapter 31
Sydney spent the afternoon tending to Michael. She would sit at his bedside and make sure all of the blankets were tucked around him well. She would ask the nurses questions when they came in to check on him, but absolutely nothing changed regarding his condition throughout the afternoon.
Finally, when it was time to pick Grace up from school, Sydney reluctantly left her post at Michael’s bedside. Since that floor’s visiting hours only lasted until six pm, she would not have time to come back after picking Grace up and feeding her dinner, which was just as well. The nurse assured her that Michael’s life was not really in grave danger and Sydney knew the likelihood of Grace being very upset by seeing her father in such a condition was high.
Sydney shuffled her way from the hospital, exhausted and emotionally drained. While her body was physically leaving, her heart stayed behind at its faithful position beside Michael’s bed. She knew then and there she would not get much sleep that night, worrying about the man who had become such a large part of her life in their almost eight months of knowing one another.
“Hi Sydney!” Grace greeted her with her usual chipper smile.
“Hi sweetie, how was your day?” Sydney asked her. She was positively dreading telling Grace about her father. For starters, she was not entirely sure how to tell her, especially since she wanted to do so without causing Grace any undo worry or fear. Secondly, she was afraid that Grace would want to go immediately to see her father, which they could not do both because of hospital policy and Sydney’s judgment.
“Good,” Grace said simply.
“Good,” Sydney repeated. Then, she reached over and took the little girls’ hand. “Sweeite I have to tell you something. You know how your dad wasn’t feeling well? Well, he…he had to go into the hospital so that he could get better,” Sydney told her.
“The hospital?” Grace repeated questioningly. Sydney nodded. “Did they give him medicine there?”
“Yes, they did,” Sydney nodded once more.
“Okay…maybe he’ll feel better and he can eat dinner tonight,” Grace said. For the past few nights, Michael had been spending his time at home in bed and not eating with the rest of the family. Actually, he wasn’t eating much at all.
“No, sweetie, see your dad is still in the hospital; he has to stay there overnight and maybe tomorrow too,” Sydney said. Truthfully, the doctor was uncertain as to when Michael would be able to come home; it all depended on how well he responded to the medications he was receiving.
“But…doesn’t that mean he’s really sick?” Grace asked, her green eyes slowly clouding with fear.
“Well you know he’s been sick for a few days now, honey. He’s just staying at the hospital so the doctors can watch over him and get him any medicine he needs, alright? He’s going to be fine,” Sydney told her with a gentle smile. Of course this was a roundabout answer, but Sydney knew that if she told Grace what the doctor said to her about Michael’s condition, she would only upset her unnecessarily. “C’mon sweetie. Let’s go home and you can make a get well card for your dad. I’ll take it to him after I drop you off at school tomorrow,” Sydney suggested.
“Okay,” Grace smiled at her.
Creating the largest, fanciest get well card imaginable kept Grace’s sprits high all through the evening. As she was getting ready for bed, though, her thoughts turned back to her father. “I’m worried about Daddy,” she told Sydney while getting tucked into bed.
“I know you are honey; I am too, but you know the doctors are with him and they’ll take really good care of him,” Sydney assured her.
“I know, but I wish he was here,” she said sadly.
“So do I, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon. C’mon and try to fall asleep. You want me to rub your back for a few minutes?” she offered with a smile. Grace nodded and rolled over on her stomach to give Sydney access to her back.
Sydney gently danced her fingers across Grace’s spine until she felt that Grace was almost asleep. Then, she pressed a kiss onto her head, whispered an, “I love you,” and then slipped out of the room. She called the hospital to check on Michael, but the nurses informed her he was no different than before. Taking this as a good sign, Sydney decided that a warm bath would be much better than a television show at helping her fall asleep. Besides, the couch would seem very, very empty without Michael’s strong arm around her shoulders.
~*~
After dropping Grace off at school Friday morning, the day after Michael’s hospitalization, Sydney went directly to the hospital. She had called into her office the previous evening to inform them she would not be in until after lunch that day, if she came in at all. There were almost no pressing matters that needed to be dealt with there, at least none more important than being with Michael while he was so ill.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Sydney set off in search of Michael’s doctor, but found she was on rounds. One of the nurses informed her that as soon as the doctor was finished, she would be sent to Michael’s room to speak with Sydney. Sydney thanked her for this and then headed off to see Michael.
When she laid eyes on him for the first time that day, Sydney was happy to see that Michael’s color was improving. He was not as pale and ill looking as he had before; his face was slowly beginning to return to its normal color. She reached out and brushed her fingers against her forehead and found that it was no longer burning hot. These were both very good signs, but she stopped herself from becoming too optimistic at least until she spoke with the doctor.
“Hey Michael, how are you feeling?” she asked rhetorically as she sat down on the bed and slipped her left hand in his. Of course she knew he would not answer, but it felt better to talk to him. “Grace sends her love… she’s worried about you, we both are. She made you this card…its adorable. I know you can’t see it but she drew pictures of all of us- you, me, herself and even Santa. Though Santa looks more like a cow instead of a dog,” she laughed softly. She then took the card from her purse and set it on the table beside Michael’s bed. After this was done, she took his left hand in hers once more.
“Michael listen I… I know we never talked about that night – Valentine’s Day night…and I think we were both scared…scared of what was happening, scared of our feelings. I know I was. I know you-you’re not in a place in your life where you can really have a relationship. I get that, I really do. I mean, I know you Michael. You want to be able to control everything, but you can’t…you want to provide a home for Grace but you can’t right now…but, see, the thing is,” she paused to take a deep breath.
“The thing is I-I love you; I’m in love with you and I don’t know where that leaves us. Obviously we can’t talk about it now because you’re not even awake, which is why I’m saying all this,” she laughed softly, “but I hope…I hope you feel the same and…and that’s why you need to get better. You need to get better so we can figure this out so we can have an ‘us’ because I really, really want that. I want us. I want us,” she repeated softly before brushing a few tears from her cheeks. She did not have a chance to think one more thought, for only a moment later the door swung open and Michael’s doctor walked inside.
“Hi,” Sydney said nervously, wiping the remainder of her tears away quickly.
“Good morning, Ms. Bristow,” the doctor said, smiling softly at her.
“How is he?” she asked immediately, unable to wait any wait any longer and waste time with pointless small talk.
“Well, he hasn’t been on the medication twenty-four hours quite yet, but he’s responding well. His fever has decreased and his lungs sound slightly less congested. He won’t by any means be running any marathons tomorrow, but, given time, he should be just fine,” the doctor told her.
“So, so he’s going to be okay?” Sydney asked, tears flooding down her cheeks once more from pure relief.
“He’s going to be okay,” the doctor smiled at her. “I’d still like to keep him here until he becomes more alert and to make sure he keeps responding to the medicine, but if he does he should be able to go home before the weekend is over. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have other patients to see.”
“Yes of course. Thank you so much,” Sydney smiled and shook the woman’s hand. With another goodbye the doctor left and Sydney sat back down on the bed next to Michael. “You hear that? You’re going to be okay… I just wish you’d wake up so I could tell you that,” she laughed softly. Carefully she leaned over and pressed a long kiss onto his cheekbone. This caused him to stir ever so slightly and Sydney though she heard him mumbling something incoherent, but it only lasted a moment. That was okay, though; she wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter 31
Sydney spent the afternoon tending to Michael. She would sit at his bedside and make sure all of the blankets were tucked around him well. She would ask the nurses questions when they came in to check on him, but absolutely nothing changed regarding his condition throughout the afternoon.
Finally, when it was time to pick Grace up from school, Sydney reluctantly left her post at Michael’s bedside. Since that floor’s visiting hours only lasted until six pm, she would not have time to come back after picking Grace up and feeding her dinner, which was just as well. The nurse assured her that Michael’s life was not really in grave danger and Sydney knew the likelihood of Grace being very upset by seeing her father in such a condition was high.
Sydney shuffled her way from the hospital, exhausted and emotionally drained. While her body was physically leaving, her heart stayed behind at its faithful position beside Michael’s bed. She knew then and there she would not get much sleep that night, worrying about the man who had become such a large part of her life in their almost eight months of knowing one another.
“Hi Sydney!” Grace greeted her with her usual chipper smile.
“Hi sweetie, how was your day?” Sydney asked her. She was positively dreading telling Grace about her father. For starters, she was not entirely sure how to tell her, especially since she wanted to do so without causing Grace any undo worry or fear. Secondly, she was afraid that Grace would want to go immediately to see her father, which they could not do both because of hospital policy and Sydney’s judgment.
“Good,” Grace said simply.
“Good,” Sydney repeated. Then, she reached over and took the little girls’ hand. “Sweeite I have to tell you something. You know how your dad wasn’t feeling well? Well, he…he had to go into the hospital so that he could get better,” Sydney told her.
“The hospital?” Grace repeated questioningly. Sydney nodded. “Did they give him medicine there?”
“Yes, they did,” Sydney nodded once more.
“Okay…maybe he’ll feel better and he can eat dinner tonight,” Grace said. For the past few nights, Michael had been spending his time at home in bed and not eating with the rest of the family. Actually, he wasn’t eating much at all.
“No, sweetie, see your dad is still in the hospital; he has to stay there overnight and maybe tomorrow too,” Sydney said. Truthfully, the doctor was uncertain as to when Michael would be able to come home; it all depended on how well he responded to the medications he was receiving.
“But…doesn’t that mean he’s really sick?” Grace asked, her green eyes slowly clouding with fear.
“Well you know he’s been sick for a few days now, honey. He’s just staying at the hospital so the doctors can watch over him and get him any medicine he needs, alright? He’s going to be fine,” Sydney told her with a gentle smile. Of course this was a roundabout answer, but Sydney knew that if she told Grace what the doctor said to her about Michael’s condition, she would only upset her unnecessarily. “C’mon sweetie. Let’s go home and you can make a get well card for your dad. I’ll take it to him after I drop you off at school tomorrow,” Sydney suggested.
“Okay,” Grace smiled at her.
Creating the largest, fanciest get well card imaginable kept Grace’s sprits high all through the evening. As she was getting ready for bed, though, her thoughts turned back to her father. “I’m worried about Daddy,” she told Sydney while getting tucked into bed.
“I know you are honey; I am too, but you know the doctors are with him and they’ll take really good care of him,” Sydney assured her.
“I know, but I wish he was here,” she said sadly.
“So do I, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon. C’mon and try to fall asleep. You want me to rub your back for a few minutes?” she offered with a smile. Grace nodded and rolled over on her stomach to give Sydney access to her back.
Sydney gently danced her fingers across Grace’s spine until she felt that Grace was almost asleep. Then, she pressed a kiss onto her head, whispered an, “I love you,” and then slipped out of the room. She called the hospital to check on Michael, but the nurses informed her he was no different than before. Taking this as a good sign, Sydney decided that a warm bath would be much better than a television show at helping her fall asleep. Besides, the couch would seem very, very empty without Michael’s strong arm around her shoulders.
~*~
After dropping Grace off at school Friday morning, the day after Michael’s hospitalization, Sydney went directly to the hospital. She had called into her office the previous evening to inform them she would not be in until after lunch that day, if she came in at all. There were almost no pressing matters that needed to be dealt with there, at least none more important than being with Michael while he was so ill.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Sydney set off in search of Michael’s doctor, but found she was on rounds. One of the nurses informed her that as soon as the doctor was finished, she would be sent to Michael’s room to speak with Sydney. Sydney thanked her for this and then headed off to see Michael.
When she laid eyes on him for the first time that day, Sydney was happy to see that Michael’s color was improving. He was not as pale and ill looking as he had before; his face was slowly beginning to return to its normal color. She reached out and brushed her fingers against her forehead and found that it was no longer burning hot. These were both very good signs, but she stopped herself from becoming too optimistic at least until she spoke with the doctor.
“Hey Michael, how are you feeling?” she asked rhetorically as she sat down on the bed and slipped her left hand in his. Of course she knew he would not answer, but it felt better to talk to him. “Grace sends her love… she’s worried about you, we both are. She made you this card…its adorable. I know you can’t see it but she drew pictures of all of us- you, me, herself and even Santa. Though Santa looks more like a cow instead of a dog,” she laughed softly. She then took the card from her purse and set it on the table beside Michael’s bed. After this was done, she took his left hand in hers once more.
“Michael listen I… I know we never talked about that night – Valentine’s Day night…and I think we were both scared…scared of what was happening, scared of our feelings. I know I was. I know you-you’re not in a place in your life where you can really have a relationship. I get that, I really do. I mean, I know you Michael. You want to be able to control everything, but you can’t…you want to provide a home for Grace but you can’t right now…but, see, the thing is,” she paused to take a deep breath.
“The thing is I-I love you; I’m in love with you and I don’t know where that leaves us. Obviously we can’t talk about it now because you’re not even awake, which is why I’m saying all this,” she laughed softly, “but I hope…I hope you feel the same and…and that’s why you need to get better. You need to get better so we can figure this out so we can have an ‘us’ because I really, really want that. I want us. I want us,” she repeated softly before brushing a few tears from her cheeks. She did not have a chance to think one more thought, for only a moment later the door swung open and Michael’s doctor walked inside.
“Hi,” Sydney said nervously, wiping the remainder of her tears away quickly.
“Good morning, Ms. Bristow,” the doctor said, smiling softly at her.
“How is he?” she asked immediately, unable to wait any wait any longer and waste time with pointless small talk.
“Well, he hasn’t been on the medication twenty-four hours quite yet, but he’s responding well. His fever has decreased and his lungs sound slightly less congested. He won’t by any means be running any marathons tomorrow, but, given time, he should be just fine,” the doctor told her.
“So, so he’s going to be okay?” Sydney asked, tears flooding down her cheeks once more from pure relief.
“He’s going to be okay,” the doctor smiled at her. “I’d still like to keep him here until he becomes more alert and to make sure he keeps responding to the medicine, but if he does he should be able to go home before the weekend is over. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have other patients to see.”
“Yes of course. Thank you so much,” Sydney smiled and shook the woman’s hand. With another goodbye the doctor left and Sydney sat back down on the bed next to Michael. “You hear that? You’re going to be okay… I just wish you’d wake up so I could tell you that,” she laughed softly. Carefully she leaned over and pressed a long kiss onto his cheekbone. This caused him to stir ever so slightly and Sydney though she heard him mumbling something incoherent, but it only lasted a moment. That was okay, though; she wasn’t going anywhere.
cookiemonster
Cadet
WOW 
*cookie in seventh heaven*
*cookie in seventh heaven*sparklingrainbow
Cadet
i wish michael had heard all that... i hope michael will wake up soon... 
Spydrummer06
Cadet
I hope Michael heard Syd too.
Great update
Great update
texasalias2004
Cadet
Great update. I am glad that he is okay. I bet Michael heard everything that Sydney said to her. haha
texasalias
texasalias
vaughn4eva24
Cadet
i hope he heard sydneys confession
farliieansds225
Cadet
awww syd!!
i hope michael heard that or she at least tells him soon after he wakes up!!
awesome update
loved it
cant wait for more!
i hope michael heard that or she at least tells him soon after he wakes up!!
awesome update
loved it
cant wait for more!
gtwallichs
Cadet
I love the fact that Sydnes finally got the courage to tell him that she loved him... granted he was unconscious, but at least it is a start.
Excellent as always, Janet.
Excellent as always, Janet.
Syd_Vaughn4ever
Cadet
oh my jesus I could cry with all of these updates. I meant to tell you yesterday, but I can't get into the member section of oi again. I don't know what's wrong with it. But can't wait for more. He was so telling her that he loves her back....I just know it! YAY omgoodness I can't wait for more! I'm happy that he's feeling better though, or well responding to the meds well!
sydneymicheal
Cadet
Great Update...
Here's to hoping he heard her in his sleep...
Here's to hoping he heard her in his sleep...
1hockeynut
Cadet
Excellent chappy. I'm so glad she shared her feelings, even if he was asleep. On another note, I finally checked out your oi sight and read some of your other fics. You are an amazing writer. When I have some free time again (HAHAHAHAHAA...freetime...yeah right), I'll have to go back and read some more. Thanks for archiving your works there.
SkyGirl5
Cadet
Chapter 32
After sitting by Michael’s side for the whole morning, Sydney felt it was alright to leave the hospital and get herself some lunch. While she was out, she reluctantly decided to stop by her office and check out the messages that had been left for her. Unfortunately, she became wrapped up in projects and talking to coworkers, which meant she was there for a few hours, much longer than she anticipated. By the time she left, it was too late for her to go all the way back to the hospital, check on Michael and still make it to Grace’s school on time, so she milled around the city for a while until it was time to pick Grace up.
“Did you see Daddy? Is he doing better?!” Grace asked Sydney immediately upon seeing her.
“I saw him, but he was still sleeping. The doctor said he was doing better, though. We can go see him now if you’d like,” Sydney smiled at her.
“YES! Please!” Grace said excited.
“I thought so,” Sydney smiled at her. “Here I brought you a snack,” she said, handing the little girl a paper bag that contained a small milk carton and a snack-size container of canned fruit as well as a fork to eat it with. Grace ate on the way to the hospital, though she asked Sydney if they were there yet practically every block.
After a fifteen minute drive, they arrived and Grace hopped out of the car, ready to bolt inside. “Hold on there,” Sydney said, reaching out for Grace’s hand. She crouched down so that she was eye level with her before giving further instruction. “Now Grace this is a hospital full of sick people and their loved ones. I want you to hold on to my hand the whole time, okay? You can’t run off and you can’t be too loud, alright?”
“Alright, can we go now?!” she asked impatiently.
“Yes we can go,” Sydney told her. She led the way inside and to the elevator, making sure to hold tightly to Grace’s hand the whole time. When they reached the floor Michael was on, they only had to walk a little while before reaching his door. Once there, Sydney stopped Grace before going inside.
“Now Grace, your daddy is hooked up to machines to make sure he’s doing better. I don’t want you to be scared because they’re not hurting him; they’re helping. He has a tube in his arm giving him medicine and one under his nose giving him oxygen to breathe,” Sydney told her.
“He can’t breathe?!” Grace asked in horror.
“No honey, he can breathe just fine. The hospital does that to everyone; it just helps them get better faster,” Sydney told her.
“Oh,” Grace nodded in understanding.
“Okay, are you ready?” Sydney asked. Grace nodded, though she looked more uncertain than before. Sydney gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before leading the way into Michaels’ room. She kept her eyes trained on Grace’s expression, looking for anything that would indicate fear or distress in the little girl, but she never saw anything of the sort.
“Is he awake?” Grace asked softly.
“No, I don’t think so, but you can still talk to him. Here, why don’t you sit up here and hold his hand so he knows you’re there,” Sydney said as she hoisted Grace up onto the bed and set her down beside Michael’s leg. Grace did as Sydney suggested, taking Michael’s hand before she began to speak.
“Hey Daddy, it’s me, Grace Vaughn. I made you a card and Sydney said she gave it to you…there it is,” she said, pointing to it on the table beside Michael’s bed. “You have to get better soon, okay Daddy? I like hanging out with Sydney, but hanging out with both of you is better.” Then, she was silent for a few minutes before looking up to Sydney and saying, “I dunno what else to say…”
“That’s okay,” Sydney laughed softly. “You can just sit there; it’s nice to just be with him,” Sydney told her. Then she walked around to the opposite side of the bed as Grace and stood up by Michael’s head. Gently, she combed her fingers through his hair, returning it to its perfectly bed-tussled state instead of the rather flat one it was in. As she was doing this, Michael began to stir once more.
“Is he waking up?” Grace asked excitedly, clambering up onto her knees on the bed.
“Don’t jump on the bed Grace; sit nicely,” Sydney warned softly. Reluctantly, Grace sat back down but she began to shake Michael’s hand. This movement stirred him enough so that he became conscious enough to speak…well, mumble.
“Sydney?” he mumbled questioningly.
“I’m right here Michael,” she said softly as she reached down to squeeze his hand. “So is Grace.”
“Grace,” he repeated. Then, slowly, he opened his eyes. He blinked for a few moments, trying to regulate his vision before focusing on the child sitting by his hip. “Grace,” he repeated, his voice softer.
“Hi Daddy,” she said happily.
Slowly, Michael turned his head upwards towards his right and spotted Sydney smiling down at him. “Syd-Sydney,” he croaked. “Where ‘m I?”
“You’re in the hospital Michael,” she told him softly. “You collapsed at work yesterday and they brought you here. You have pneumonia,” she told him.
“Oh,” he exhaled, shutting his eyes once more.
“But you’re going to be okay,” Sydney told him, trying desperately to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t want to cry in front of Grace. “You’re going to be just fine, you just need to rest, however hard that will be for you,” she said, half teasing him. Thankfully this elicited a half smile from him.
“I’ll rest,” Michael told her.
“Good,” Sydney told him. “Then we’ll go and let you rest. We need to get some dinner anyway. We won’t be back, though, because of the visiting hours, but we’ll come back first thing tomorrow morning, alright?” Michael nodded his head, already looking rather tired even though he’d been awake for only a little while.
“Bye Daddy,” Grace said. Then she climbed up over him and gave him a kiss on the chin. “Feel better.”
“Thank you sweetie,” Michael told her.
“Okay Grace, wait by the door for me a second, alright?” Sydney asked her. Grace did as she was told and, once she was as far away as she was going to be, Sydney turned to Michael and lowered her head close to his so that she would whisper. “We’ll be back tomorrow and…and I know you’re not really in a state to talk about anything, but, before I go I just need to tell you that I love you.”
At these words, Michael’s eyes snapped open and he looked up at Sydney almost shocked. His shock disappeared almost immediately, though, as his eyes began to soften. “I love you too,” he whispered to her. A grin crossed Sydney’s face and, more than anything, she wanted to give him a loving kiss to seal their love. Of course, with Michael’s pneumonia this was not the best idea, so she had to settle for a kiss on the cheek and then another one on the forehead.
“We’ll see you tomorrow; get some rest, okay?” she told him. He nodded softly and gave her hand a squeeze before she walked away, took Grace’s hand, and then left giving him a wave over her shoulder.
After sitting by Michael’s side for the whole morning, Sydney felt it was alright to leave the hospital and get herself some lunch. While she was out, she reluctantly decided to stop by her office and check out the messages that had been left for her. Unfortunately, she became wrapped up in projects and talking to coworkers, which meant she was there for a few hours, much longer than she anticipated. By the time she left, it was too late for her to go all the way back to the hospital, check on Michael and still make it to Grace’s school on time, so she milled around the city for a while until it was time to pick Grace up.
“Did you see Daddy? Is he doing better?!” Grace asked Sydney immediately upon seeing her.
“I saw him, but he was still sleeping. The doctor said he was doing better, though. We can go see him now if you’d like,” Sydney smiled at her.
“YES! Please!” Grace said excited.
“I thought so,” Sydney smiled at her. “Here I brought you a snack,” she said, handing the little girl a paper bag that contained a small milk carton and a snack-size container of canned fruit as well as a fork to eat it with. Grace ate on the way to the hospital, though she asked Sydney if they were there yet practically every block.
After a fifteen minute drive, they arrived and Grace hopped out of the car, ready to bolt inside. “Hold on there,” Sydney said, reaching out for Grace’s hand. She crouched down so that she was eye level with her before giving further instruction. “Now Grace this is a hospital full of sick people and their loved ones. I want you to hold on to my hand the whole time, okay? You can’t run off and you can’t be too loud, alright?”
“Alright, can we go now?!” she asked impatiently.
“Yes we can go,” Sydney told her. She led the way inside and to the elevator, making sure to hold tightly to Grace’s hand the whole time. When they reached the floor Michael was on, they only had to walk a little while before reaching his door. Once there, Sydney stopped Grace before going inside.
“Now Grace, your daddy is hooked up to machines to make sure he’s doing better. I don’t want you to be scared because they’re not hurting him; they’re helping. He has a tube in his arm giving him medicine and one under his nose giving him oxygen to breathe,” Sydney told her.
“He can’t breathe?!” Grace asked in horror.
“No honey, he can breathe just fine. The hospital does that to everyone; it just helps them get better faster,” Sydney told her.
“Oh,” Grace nodded in understanding.
“Okay, are you ready?” Sydney asked. Grace nodded, though she looked more uncertain than before. Sydney gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before leading the way into Michaels’ room. She kept her eyes trained on Grace’s expression, looking for anything that would indicate fear or distress in the little girl, but she never saw anything of the sort.
“Is he awake?” Grace asked softly.
“No, I don’t think so, but you can still talk to him. Here, why don’t you sit up here and hold his hand so he knows you’re there,” Sydney said as she hoisted Grace up onto the bed and set her down beside Michael’s leg. Grace did as Sydney suggested, taking Michael’s hand before she began to speak.
“Hey Daddy, it’s me, Grace Vaughn. I made you a card and Sydney said she gave it to you…there it is,” she said, pointing to it on the table beside Michael’s bed. “You have to get better soon, okay Daddy? I like hanging out with Sydney, but hanging out with both of you is better.” Then, she was silent for a few minutes before looking up to Sydney and saying, “I dunno what else to say…”
“That’s okay,” Sydney laughed softly. “You can just sit there; it’s nice to just be with him,” Sydney told her. Then she walked around to the opposite side of the bed as Grace and stood up by Michael’s head. Gently, she combed her fingers through his hair, returning it to its perfectly bed-tussled state instead of the rather flat one it was in. As she was doing this, Michael began to stir once more.
“Is he waking up?” Grace asked excitedly, clambering up onto her knees on the bed.
“Don’t jump on the bed Grace; sit nicely,” Sydney warned softly. Reluctantly, Grace sat back down but she began to shake Michael’s hand. This movement stirred him enough so that he became conscious enough to speak…well, mumble.
“Sydney?” he mumbled questioningly.
“I’m right here Michael,” she said softly as she reached down to squeeze his hand. “So is Grace.”
“Grace,” he repeated. Then, slowly, he opened his eyes. He blinked for a few moments, trying to regulate his vision before focusing on the child sitting by his hip. “Grace,” he repeated, his voice softer.
“Hi Daddy,” she said happily.
Slowly, Michael turned his head upwards towards his right and spotted Sydney smiling down at him. “Syd-Sydney,” he croaked. “Where ‘m I?”
“You’re in the hospital Michael,” she told him softly. “You collapsed at work yesterday and they brought you here. You have pneumonia,” she told him.
“Oh,” he exhaled, shutting his eyes once more.
“But you’re going to be okay,” Sydney told him, trying desperately to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t want to cry in front of Grace. “You’re going to be just fine, you just need to rest, however hard that will be for you,” she said, half teasing him. Thankfully this elicited a half smile from him.
“I’ll rest,” Michael told her.
“Good,” Sydney told him. “Then we’ll go and let you rest. We need to get some dinner anyway. We won’t be back, though, because of the visiting hours, but we’ll come back first thing tomorrow morning, alright?” Michael nodded his head, already looking rather tired even though he’d been awake for only a little while.
“Bye Daddy,” Grace said. Then she climbed up over him and gave him a kiss on the chin. “Feel better.”
“Thank you sweetie,” Michael told her.
“Okay Grace, wait by the door for me a second, alright?” Sydney asked her. Grace did as she was told and, once she was as far away as she was going to be, Sydney turned to Michael and lowered her head close to his so that she would whisper. “We’ll be back tomorrow and…and I know you’re not really in a state to talk about anything, but, before I go I just need to tell you that I love you.”
At these words, Michael’s eyes snapped open and he looked up at Sydney almost shocked. His shock disappeared almost immediately, though, as his eyes began to soften. “I love you too,” he whispered to her. A grin crossed Sydney’s face and, more than anything, she wanted to give him a loving kiss to seal their love. Of course, with Michael’s pneumonia this was not the best idea, so she had to settle for a kiss on the cheek and then another one on the forehead.
“We’ll see you tomorrow; get some rest, okay?” she told him. He nodded softly and gave her hand a squeeze before she walked away, took Grace’s hand, and then left giving him a wave over her shoulder.
cookiemonster
Cadet
And here I was thinking that yesterday's update was pure fluff This sure though beats everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS. Another reason why Sydney couldn't kiss Michael was Grace... otherwise she would have been to Sydney in the car "Sydney, why did you kiss like this?" :blink:
sweet!
This sure though beats everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!PS. Another reason why Sydney couldn't kiss Michael was Grace... otherwise she would have been to Sydney in the car "Sydney, why did you kiss like this?" :blink:
sweet!
Spydrummer06
Cadet
Awww that was so sweet.
Great update
Great update
sparklingrainbow
Cadet
awwww michael's awake!!! and that's just sooo sweet and romantic..
michael's awake!!! and that's just sooo sweet and romantic..