Beautiful Stranger Ch. 07

My hand trembled as I lifted it in front of me, pausing briefly before ringing the doorbell.  When nothing happened, I stepped to the side and tried my hardest to look through the window.  But of course the blinds were pulled together.  Not wasting any more time, I raised my hand again, this time knocking as hard as I could. 

The more I thought about what I was doing here the louder I knocked.  Someone had to be here.  I could see a car parked in the garage.  And if no one answered I wasn't sure if I'd get the nerve to try again. 

In my panic, I decided to ring the doorbell again.  And then again, until someone was sure to answer the door.  I was just about to press down the doorbell again when the door flew open and in front of me stood a half naked Michael.  And to make matters worse, he was dripping wet.

I watched as his features softened from the hard angry planes they had been just seconds after opening the door.  Now instead, was a confused expression on his face. 

"Isabelle."

What I would have given to have heard him say my name.  Instead I held up my hands and began signing.  "Sorry to come by without calling, but..."  I broke off, trying not to roll my eyes at the lame joke I had just made.

To my surprise, he smiled.  "Um...can I come in?"

Nodding his head, he moved to the side allowing me to walk into the living room.  The room was small but very comfortable at the same time.  Not a lot of pictures littered the wall but it was obvious that he had decorated.  Definitely not bad for a guy.

As I walked towards his couch, I stopped and turned to face him, but my eyes refused to meet his.  It wasn't until I mustered up the courage to glance his way that I noticed he had only a towel wrapped around his body.  And the way the beads of water slowly ran down his chest were making it harder for me to breath. 

Shit.  Am I blushing?  My hands touched my cheeks as I watched him walk towards me, stopping only a few inches from me.  I could feel the heat radiating from his body and for a second I could see myself reaching out to touch him. 

A blur passed by my face causing me to blink.  Looking up at him, I realized for the first time that I had been staring at his chest.   A nervous smile was all I could manage as I turned my head.

Again his hand passed in front of my face.

"Izzie."

This time I was forced to look at him, but when my eyes met his green orbs it felt as if my lungs had stopped working.

"What are you doing here?  How did you know where I lived?" he signed. 

"Um...Stephen.  I hope you don't mind," I signed brokenly taking a few steps away from him.

He shook his head before I had finished, walking slowly towards me like a lion stalking its prey.  I realized too late that he was backing me into a corner until my feet hit the back of his couch and I lost my balance, landing soundly on my butt. 

The smile on his face showed that he thought my attempt at escape was funny.  "So you said you could read lips," he asked as he leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of me.

I nodded mutely at him, nibbling lightly on my bottom lip.  And before I could say anything I felt his lips against mine and all I could think was this must be Heaven.

A moan escaped, but from whom wasn't clear.  It was then that I realized this wasn't what I had come here for.  My hands pushed at his chest trying to stop his assault on my lips, but once they collided with the hard planes of his chest I was a goner. 

Within seconds I was being pulled to my feet, turned, and walked backwards.  A little laugh left me when we almost tripped over a couple of items that hadn't known to get out of our way.

When we finally stopped moving, I opened my eyes only to notice that I was standing in what appeared to be a bedroom.  His bedroom.

My eyes met his and I couldn't help but gasp.  The look in his eyes was that of pure lust and something else that made a shiver course down my spine.  The dull ache between my legs was now a painful throbbing sensation as I watched him move mere inches away from my lips again.

The anticipation from that one pause in time was enough to drive me mad.  And without realizing it, I closed the remaining distance between us, crashing my lips onto his.

Within seconds my sundress was being pulled over my head and tossed behind him.  Callused hands moved to my breast, weighing each one as his thumbs slowly brushed against my nipples.  Gently squeezing them in the palm of his hands.  My eyes closed at the sensation, when it was replaced by the flick of his tongue to each rosebud. 

A moan escaped my lips as I writhed against his mouth, wanting him to continue on his assault.  When his hand slid down my stomach, my body automatically arched towards his touch.  Almost begging him to continue.  And continue he did. 

A cry left my mouth when his fingers lightly flicked at my clit.  The sensation was like nothing I had ever felt before.  It was that thought that made me realize that it actually was something I had never felt before. 

And just like that, for the first time since I had met Michael Saunders, I remembered that I was still a virgin.  And here I was about to do something I couldn't take back, with someone I couldn't even remember.

I quickly pulled away from him, looking at him through hooded eyes.  The expression on his face was that of lust and confusion.  My eyes shifted to the left as I tried to avoid his gaze, while I leaned down and quickly threw on the dress he had taken off of me in our lust fueled haze. 

Quietly, I chastised myself for being so foolish.  I didn't even know him.  The feel of his hands on my arms stopped me from moving further.  As I turned towards him I watched his eyes darken, and his mouth open slightly.

****

"Izzie?"

I blinked my eyes a couple of times, before I looked back at his hands.  They were still on either side of me, and I was still placed firmly on his couch.  His eyes pleaded with me to say something.  Anything.  But I couldn't do it.  Had I just been day dreaming about him in the process of making love to me?

"What'd you say?"  I signed, trying my hardest not to blush. 

"I asked if you could read lips," he repeated. 

I moved my hands slower than normal as I told him, "Oh...yes.  I'm still learning but I'm not so bad at it."

"I can see that," he laughed.  "Izzie, there's so much I want to tell you."

"Why do you call me Izzie?" I finally blurted out.  The vibrations of the words leaving my mouth felt strange.  I wasn't used to actually talking and when I did, it always left an odd tingle in my mouth.

"You still sound the same," he smiled.

Ignoring his statement, I lifted my hands and repeated the question, adding in that only Aidan called my Izzie. 

At the mention of Aidan's name I saw his smile falter slightly before he plastered it back on his face.  "Because it's what I always called you."

"Always?"

"When we were kids," he nodded. 

Then with his hands still in front of him, he signed, "You always called me Michael.  Unless something was wrong.  Then you called me Mikey."

"I see," I signed.

"You always said that.  And then you'd say--"

"Why do people say that?  Of course I see...but what," I finished.

"Yeah," he laughed.

It was then that music began playing in my head.  The voice accompanying it was very mellow and sounded like velvet wrapping around my heartstrings.  A boy, a little younger than the man standing in front of me sat on a stool singing softly.  His hands strumming at the strings slowly as he looked up and caught the attention of his audience.

Me?

Was he singing to me?

I could feel my hand being tugged as I walked behind him.  We stopped in front of the couch, when he pushed me down lightly.  I plopped down on the sofa and frowned.  I could hear the music in my head.  I could even see his mouth moving, but I wanted to hear the words.

"You sing," I said.  It wasn't a question, more than it was a statement.

"I do," he signed back.

"And you sang to me?"

Raising an eyebrow he smiled and signed, "Are you asking or telling me?"

"Fuck.  I don't know."

It was then that I looked up into those emerald gems he called eyes.  Every time I looked into them I was a goner.  But to make matters worse, he had to smile too.  His dimples accentuating just how beautiful he was. 

"You hate me," I signed, trying to distract my thoughts back to the matter at home.  I had remembered him and his hatred of me.  No matter what his eyes said now, there was a time in our lives when he couldn't stand to look at me.

It was then that he frowned.  "Where did you get that idea?"

"You."

"Sure, I was an ass when I first saw you.  And the second time.  But it wasn't hate."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

A few seconds after the statement was made, he realized what she had meant.  She had remembered their last conversation.  The one where he had told her how he couldn't possibly love her.  It was the conversation where he had blamed her for the death of his father. 

And also for the absence of his presence when both is parents had died.  Even though he hadn't really meant the words, obviously it was strong enough for her to remember them first over every other memory she could have had.

"I don't---"

"You do," I interrupted.  "But I also remember how you were before you hated me.  How you looked at me with warmth and caring," I signed. 

"I still care about you, Izzie.  In fact, I lo--"

Holding up my hand, I tried my hardest to smile.  "Let's not try to dig salt out of old wounds.  It was a mistake for me to come here in the first place.  Just forget I was here."

"Izz--"

"I -I got to go," I signed quickly turning and finally doing what I had fantasized about earlier.  Leaving.

****

My feet felt like lead as I rushed towards the door.  I had to get out of here.  I had to get away from him.  The sound of my breathing thundered in my head and for a second I felt I would pass out.  What the hell had I been thinking?  One moment we're talking and the next I'm daydreaming about practically mauling him in his house.  Letting him touch me in a way no one else ever had. 

I don't even know him.  Sure, I remembered something about him.  Something that made me want to go to him and make everything better.  But most of all, I remembered that he hated me.  Even if it was years ago, there was definitely a barrier between us that he wasn't ready to let go of yet. 

That's not exactly a sign to throw myself at him.  It was bad enough that he thought I was someone I obviously wasn't.  Not anymore.  Now he was going to think I was a slut too.

The cold metal of the door knob shocked my hand as I reached for it.  All I needed to do was twist my hand ever so gently and it would be open, and I would be free of this living nightmare.  But before I could test my theory, I could feel callused hands sliding over mine.  Effectively preventing me from my escape.

My eyes closed instantly at the feel of his hands on top of mine.  His thumb slowly moving over my hand as he waited for me to turn around.  But that was impossible for me to do, because fear was now creeping up my spine.  Instead my eyes stayed glued to our hands.  Locked tightly around the door knob.  The felling I got as I watched the contrast in our skin tones and the gentle way he touched me made me want to run away even more.

It wasn't until I was facing him that I realized he had been tugging on me to turn towards him.  The look on his face broke my heart.  It was as if his entire world had been engulfed in a ball of fire and he didn't know how to put it out.

"I'm sorry."

The words spilled from my lips before I could stop them.  "Don't be," he signed.

"I can't--"

"You can't what? Tell me? You can Izzie. You can tell me anything."

Those words sparked something within me.  Had he spoken those words to me before? 

"What did you just say," I signed.

"Fuck.  Sorry."  Lifting his hands up he signed the words, "You can't what? Tell me? You can Izzie. You can tell me anything."

The images of a younger version of him flashed in my head.  And I couldn't help but smile at the shirt he was wearing.  It had a picture of a band on it and the words 'Who Knew?' below it. 

"Why are you smiling?"

"Am I?"  I asked as my hands went to my cheeks. 

"Yes.”

Clearing my throat I tried to plaster a serious look on my face.  "As I was saying before...I can't do this," I signed, motioning between the two of us.  "I can't be whoever you think I am.  Whoever I was."

I watched as his hands moved from my arms to gently touch my face.  The frown that I had seen earlier quickly marring it.  I had finally caused him enough pain to make him forget me.  He just needed a moment to let it sink in.  But just as fast as the frown had appeared it was gone and a smile was once again in its place. 

Slowly his hands moved in front of my face and I watched as he signed, "I thought I already told you once Izzie."

"What?"

"You're my everything."  And with that being out in the open he grabbed my and pulled me against his naked body.  The bulge below his waist, poking against my skin was enough to make my skin flush. 

Twisting out of his hold, I backed away from him without saying a word.  Then with a shake of my head I turned and flung the door open running from his house.  Images of a half naked Michael still fresh in my head.

Maybe being his everything wouldn't be such a bad thing, I thought as I pictured him pulling my body against the wet planes of his chest.

****

Before he could stop her from leaving, he heard the loud bang of his door slamming shut.  He really needed to talk to her about how she was supposed to exit a room.  He wasn't sure his doors could take much more of her abuse.

It was then that Michael laughed to himself.  She still ran when she got overwhelmed with her emotions.  The last time she had run from him was when he had told her he was in love with her.  So even if she hadn't stayed long enough for him to express his feelings for her, she had just confirmed what he had hoped.  The old feelings she had for him were still there.  It was just a matter of breaking down this hard shell she had built around herself.

If he was honest with himself, he was probably to blame for most of it.  Though she didn't remember everything about him, subconsciously she had cataloged everything he had said to her.  Now that it was starting to come back to her, he was going to have to make sure that the good memories outshined the bad.

No matter how horrible the bad were, he still had to try.

A chill spread through the room, and it was then that Michael realized he was only wearing a towel.  He let out a small chuckle as he walked back towards his bedroom.  He'd just have to pay her a visit later on.  No matter what her guard dog Thomas thought about it, he was going to have that talk with her. 

Passing by the kitchen counter, he grabbed his phone and pressed the number three button.  After a few rings, the person on the other end picked up, but they didn't say anything.

"I need a favor."

"I told you no more favors....not after last time.  I almost got arrested, dude."

A smile crossed his face as he remembered the incident in question.  "It's nothing like that.  It has to do with Isabelle."

There was a long pause before the person on the other end let out a ragged breath.  "You sure about this?"

"What do you think?"

A light chuckle floated towards him, "Fine.  What do you need?  Just know if it has to do with computers or paperwork the deal is off."

"Nothing like that.  I just need you to grab a few things for me and meet me at my villa."

The sound of paper crinkling could be heard before the man on the other end finally cleared his throat.  "Go."

Michael rattled off a list of items he would need for his attempt to woo Izzie.  It was a sure fire way to make her remember something.  Even if it was something small.  Finally finished with his list, the man on the other end repeated the list and jotted down the location. 

"You sure you can get all that?"

A scoff was his only response.  And with that the line went silent.  Taking the phone from his ear, he saw that his friend had hung up on him.  The smile on his face made it evident that he was going to get what he needed and have it before sundown. 

Michael was determined to make amends for everything.  And if it was the last thing he did, he'd make sure she loved him again.  Even if it took his last breath.

****

I was sure that I had slammed his door.  I hadn’t meant to, but I was too flustered to think of closing it properly behind me.  The best alternative was to just fling it shut to ensure that he wasn’t going to follow me.  Of course, it was shortly after that I remembered he was half naked, and probably would have had to get dressed before trying to come after me.

No matter.  It was too big a risk to take.

This distance to my car seemed astronomical.  When had his driveway gotten so long?  I spared one glace behind me to find that my earlier assumption had been correct.  He wasn’t following me.  Although if I was being honest with myself, part of me was kind of sad he wasn’t.  And then there was the rational part of me, jumping for joy. 

The truth was that I couldn’t handle another encounter with him this soon.  Not after the close call I could have had.  If there was one thing I was quickly learning, it was that I had to reinforce the wall I had built around my heart.  I couldn’t afford to have it come crumbling down. 

I reached my car, quickly unlocking the driver door and climbing inside.  The slight vibration of my phone made me stop.  Lifting my butt up, I reached beneath me to find that I was sitting on my cell phone.  How did it get there?

New message.

I had a new text and I couldn’t fight the smile on my face when I saw who it was from.  Pressing the ok button, I read the message and began to chuckle to myself.  Aidan had just asked me if I was okay or if I had finally succumbed to the manly wiles of Michael.

Taking a second to think about what I would type, I decided to go with the simple, straight forward answer.

No.

Within seconds of pressing send, I received a frown and the question, “Why?”

Instantly my eyes closed and I thought back at how close Michael had been to me when we last spoke.  How his skin radiated heat even as his body slowly dripped water down his toned body.  Why was indeed a valid question, it was just one that I couldn’t answer in a text message.  Or at all at the moment.

“I will be there in a bit,” I text back.

“K.”

And closing my phone, I looked up to see the shadow of a man looking out at me.  I tried my best to not make eye contact but it was hard.  It was as if he were trying to lure me back into his trap.  I mean his house. 

Not this time.  After fumbling slightly with my keys, I inserted one into the ignition and started up my car.  I needed to get to Aidan.

I needed to talk to him more than ever.

****

The drive to Aidan’s house seemed longer than normal.  It probably had something to do with the man I had left only moments ago.  It seemed almost impossible to get him out of my thoughts.  Each time I told myself that I did the right thing by leaving, his face would flash in front of me.  I turned my car left onto a long windy drive, stopping my car directly in front of Aidan’s garage.  Once again, I shook my head. 

My distraction definitely had something to do with the man I had just left moments ago.  He was swarming throughout my head, refusing to leave.

“Typical Michael.”

The instant the words left my mouth I felt my nose wrinkle.  How would I know if it was typical of him?

<i>Because, you know him.</i>

“Not after just one flash of a memory,” I spoke to my subconscious.  But then there was this tugging in my heart, and this pulling at my soul every time I thought about him.  And it was even worse when he was near.

I stared blankly out the window at the drops of rain pounding at my window.  It had all started with a flash of lightning.  I’m not sure why, but I missed the sound of thunder.  Another flash of lightning lit up the sky before effectively disappearing from sight. 

It hadn’t been ten minutes ago that the sky had been bright blue with nice fluffy white clouds floating airily towards nothing.  And within seconds its blue haven was now an ashen haze of smoke overhead, the occasional flash of lightning now accompanying it.  Now the storm was in full swing and the only thing in my head was Michael. 

And for some odd reason—the universe.

It was actual pounding that brought me out of my trance.  The feeling of my car shaking slightly caused me to shake as well.  Turning my head I looked directly at a smiling Aidan.  His index finger pointed to me and then down towards my handle.  And without waiting for me to open the door, I felt the shaking again as he tried to open my locked door. 

I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face, as I watched his soaked appearance outside my car.  “Open the garage,” I signed.

He briefly paused, and then shook his head.  “Get out,” he mouthed.

“In this weather?” I signed back at him.  He was crazy.  Especially when I knew all he had to do was go back inside and open his damn garage door.

“What’s wrong with this weather,” he finally signed to me.  “It’s perfect.”

And to prove his point, he closed his eyes and looked up.  Of course it was perfect for him.  He was nothing but a big kid at heart.  All cushion and no tough exterior.  It was then that I saw Michael do the same thing.  He looked much younger and his eyes were closed, head pointed up to the sky.  I waited a brief second smiling up at him before I did the same thing. 

The rain wasn’t harsh or demanding.  It simply glided over my skin, washing away any fear I felt of being here alone with him.  Bringing my head down, I blinked the water from my eyes only to see the most beautiful green eyes staring at me.

“Did you know that rain cleanses everything it touches.  It’s a sign of starting fresh.”

Giving me that half smile that I had come to love he leaned down and stopped inches from my face, “And what about the thunder and lightning?”

The feeling of my car swaying slightly brought me out of my reverie.  I watched as he removed his hands from above my window.  Probably on the top of my car moving it slightly.

“Umbrella?”  I signed to him.

Again I got the shake of his head for an answer.  Knowing I was losing a battle that I really should be winning, I took a deep breath and pushed open my door.  Large drops of water instantly met me as I placed one, then the other foot on the ground.

“That’s my girl,” he signed, smiling at me.

I tried to run at that moment, to get away from the rain.  I didn’t want to slowly drown, but for the second time today strong arms kept me in place.  “You’re always running from things, Izzie,” masculine hands signed against my skin.

Turning in his embrace, I looked up at him and the face I saw wasn’t Aidan’s.  It was Michael’s.  Those emerald green eyes were quietly boring into me.

“What?”

Holding his hands in front of me, he signed, “You’re always running from things.  Stay and just enjoy life for a moment.”

“I enjoy life.” I defended.

“No, you don’t.  And why are you looking at me like that?”

“What?” 

Closing my eyes for a second, I opened them to find that it was Aidan standing in front of me.  “Aidan—“

His fingers pressed against my lips lightly, shutting me up.  There was something in his eyes that looked different.  I searched for what seemed like hours before he removed his finger and grabbed my hand.  I was still confused as to what was happening, but he just led me away from my car and the rest of the way towards his door. 

When we stopped in front of his door, he spun me around three times and then dipped me.  The move was so quick that I didn’t have time to process what was happening.  All there was to do was enjoy what was happening at that moment.  It made me feel like a kid without a care in the world.  Something I hadn’t experienced in who knew when.

Once he brought me back up, he gently kissed my forehead and smiled at me.  “Now we can go in,” he signed to me.

I smiled up at him as he held out his hand.  He was indeed my family.  This only proved that to me more than ever.  I needed him more than I had needed anyone besides Thomas in awhile.  He was someone who kept me grounded.

Once inside, the smell of something sweet hit my nose.  It smelled like apples and cinnamon.  My eyes shifted towards him, and he smiled knowingly.  Apple pie was my favorite.  And his was absolutely divine.  My hand slipped out of his as I walked towards his enormous kitchen.  The smell only pulled me closer to my destination, where I immediately stopped.

In front of me, sitting at the kitchen counter was Thomas.  Why was Thomas here?

“Aidan called me,” he signed.  “And before you ask…no you didn’t say anything out loud.  I just know you that well.”

Again my eyes met Aidan’s and for the first time I noticed that he wasn’t looking at me directly.

“Sorry Izzie,” he whispered even though he knew she couldn’t hear him. 

Movement from the corner of my eye had me turning to see who was there.  It was Stephen and the doctor I had met at Aidan’s house a few weeks prior.  Why was he here?  Turning to them all, I asked the same question.  When none of them answered me, I turned to the man to my left and spoke to him in what I hoped was a calm and even voice.

“What are you here for?”

Lifting his hands, he pointed a single finger at me.  Confusion marred my features.  “Me?”

His head nodded at me and then he lifted his hands and began to speak to me.  “Don’t you think you’ve waited long enough Isabelle?  We’ve already told you that you are the perfect candidate.  You could have your hearing back in a matter of weeks.  Why won’t you let your friends and family help you?”

Turning towards the rest of the group, I tried my best to range their reaction to what they thought I would do.  Everyone but Thomas looked at me with hope.  Instead Thomas looked at me with determination.  He wasn’t going to let me suffer through this any longer, and his expression told me that.

“What do I need to do?  I asked, probably louder than before, as I turned my head to look at him.

I watched as the man before me took a step forward, holding out his hand to me.  “Come with me…now.”

“What?”

“Don’t be afraid.  But we’ve already set aside an appointment for you to have surgery first thing in the morning.  We just need you to stay overnight for some tests and then to prep you.”

“WHAT!”

“It was just in case you said yes.  No one is forcing you to do anything.  Just take my hand if you want your life changed drastically—forever.”

Once again my eyes sought the comfort of the men in my life; I had come to think of all of them as my family.  Turning my attention back to the doctor in front of me, I took a small step forward and reached for his hand.

The heat from his grip made me whimper slightly.  There was a pounding in my chest that was sure to be my heart, but only it was too fast.  Too much like a hammer against my ribs, threatening to break free. 

My clothes still clung to my body as the water slowly seeped into every pore or my skin.  Sparing one more glance behind me, I watched with some trepidation as Thomas, Aidan, and Stephen urged me silently to go with him.

And that’s exactly what I did.

****

Michael sat on the porch of his villa, waiting for word on the night.  He had it all planned out.  He would wait for her arrival inside, and then shower her with his affection.  Not the way he would a man in love with a woman, but the way he did when they were kids.  He’d show her why they had been best friends. 

Everything she loved had been ordered, even her favorite movie.  By the end of the night, he hoped she would at least trust him enough to get to know him.  That was all he could ask for at the moment.  He sure as hell couldn’t ask for her love. 

But if earlier in the day was any indication, he knew that it wouldn’t be long before he had it.  She had wanted him.   Of that he was sure.  She had looked at him with as much desire as he had looked at her with. 

It was a new look for her.  The last time he had seen her, she was this thin eighteen year old kid who he considered his family.  Well, thin was a bit of an exaggeration.  She was curvy to say the least.  Very curvy.  But now she was a woman who could hold her own and wasn’t afraid to call him out on his bullshit.  He found that he liked that about her. 

He liked that she wasn’t going to back down to him.  It was extremely sexy.

The sound of thunder echoed in the background, soon followed by an electric blue flash of light.  Izzie had always liked storms.  Mostly because she said the rain cleansed everything it touched.  When he had asked her about the thunder and the lightning, and she had simply looked up at him and smiled.

“The thunder is the universe talking to us.  It’s letting us know that it is blessing us with an offering.  The rain.”

“And the lightning?”

“That one’s easy.  The lightning is illuminating the way for those who have lost their way.  After all the nose that Thunder makes someone’s bound to go off the beaten path."

As she told him her theory, he watched her smile light up her face.  It was one of those rare moments he had thought of pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless.  But for a fifteen year old it was much harder than he had thought.  Not because rejection was something he feared.

Rejection from Isabelle however was.

Another crash of thunder snapped him out of his thoughts.  His eyes shifted down to his watch.  The digital reading told him it was almost eight thirty.  If all went well, Izzie should be pulling up any minute. 

But when another thirty minutes elapsed, Michael began to worry.  Reaching for his cell phone, he pressed the number four on his speed dial.  The phone rang once before he heard the gruff sound of someone’s voice on the other end.

“I was just about to call you.”

“Were you Phillip?  And why was that?”

“To tell you that I couldn’t find her—“

“What?”

“Before you get too worried let me finish.  I couldn’t find her—at first.  That’s what took me so long to try getting in contact with you.  She’s a tricky one to track down.  But it turns out that one of her friends intercepted her on the way home.  Someone named Aidan Wolfe.  Apparently they set up some kind of intervention for her.”

At the sound of that name, Michael felt his blood begin to boil.  This man was beginning to be a thorn in his side.  “Where is she now?”

“Remember when I told you not to get too worried—“

“Phillip!”

“She’s in the hospital.  She’s getting—hello? Michael!  Hello?”  When there was no response he pulled the phone away from his ear to find a blank screen.  “Damn it.”

At the mention of the word hospital, Michael had immediately hung up.  He had to get to the hospital.  Time stood still as he rushed to his car and started the engine. 

<i>What if she had been in some kind of an accident? </i>

 <i>No.  He said Aidan Wolfe had gotten to her.</i> 

Even when he thought his name he wanted to punch the guy in the face.

<i>What if they had forced her to do something she didn’t want to do?</i>

The glare of oncoming lights caught him off guard, reminding him to focus on the road.  It wouldn’t do him any good if he landed himself in the hospital. 

Ten minutes later Michael was parking his car outside the emergency room.  He knew he wasn’t supposed to but to him this was an emergency.  Once he had the car parked, he ran at full speed through the white halls, stopping directly in front of the information counter.  He paused for a brief second to take a deep breath.

“Isabelle…Jones,” he gasped.

“I’m sorry, sir?”

“I’m looking for Isabelle Jones,” he repeated.

“One moment,” she smiled and began typing away at the keyboard in front of her.  “And you are sir?”

“Her boyfriend,” he stated without hesitating.

“Of course.  She’s on the third floor right now.  Room 351.”

“Thank you!” he yelled as he ran towards the elevator down the hall.  The elevator ride up felt like an eternity, and when it opened up it took everything in him to not run down the hall calling her name.

As he stepped onto the floor, he looked to his left.  Screaming out her name wouldn’t be necessary after all, because sitting in the lobby area was Thomas and Aidan.  Anger rose at the sight of Aidan sitting there as if he belonged.  Didn’t he know that Isabelle was his?

Neither person lifted their head at the sound of the elevator doors closing.  It wasn’t until Michael’s shadow loomed over them both did they look up.  “Where’s Izzie,” he demanded.

“How’d you know Izzie was here?”  Aidan countered. 

“Stop calling her that.  She is not your Izzie.”

Quickly standing, Aidan let him know that she wasn’t his either.  The tension in the air was strong enough to be cut with a knife.  Both men stood inches away from the other, neither wanting to be the first one to back down.

“I know she’s your girlfriend now.  But I love her and I can’t lose her again.  I’ll fight for her.  Literally.”  Then taking a deep breath he continued, “If I have to I will literally fight for her.”

The smile on Aidan’s face only fueled his anger and he found himself taking another step towards him.  “For the love of god, put it away.  Both of you,” Thomas groaned.

This made Michael turn to look at him.  “I’m not Izzie’s boyfriend.  I’m just her friend,” Aidan almost laughed.  When Michael turned back to look at him he saw the amusement written all over her face. 

“If you knew anything, you’d see the way she looked at you when you were at her place.  It isn’t the same way she looks at me.  Not even close.”

Pausing for a second he looked up at Michael and said, “Maybe you should tell her how you feel instead of challenging me to fight.  Knowing Izzie, she’d be pissed you thought of taking her from me.  Especially, since she isn’t an object that can be taken away from someone.”

At those words, Michael knew he was right.  She wasn’t an object.  She was a person and was more than capable of making her own decisions.

“Fuck.  You’re right.”  His hand brushed through his locks of blonde hair before he looked at the two men in front of him and asked, “Why is she here?”

Michael sat down and listened carefully as they told him the entire story.  How Thomas had come to meet her.  How Aidan had bumped into her at the grocery store.  Even how she had been remembering snippets of her life, minus some details that they figured Isabelle wanted to tell him herself.

“And that’s the entire story.  Well for the most part.”

“Wow.”

“Wow indeed Michael.”

Scratching the back of his head, he looked down the hall and sighed.  “So I guess we’re just waiting for her to come back from her tests, huh.”

“Yeah.”

Two hours passed, but there was no sign of Isabelle.  It was as if time ticked on slowly, and decided that it wasn’t time for her to resurface. 

“How long does it take for tests?”  Michael groaned, pacing back and forward.

“Let’s just go ask the nurse over there,” Aidan pointed.

As they all approached the nurses’ station to find out what was going on, they noticed that the woman behind the desk wasn’t paying attention to them.  Instead she watched the television that was hidden in the corner of her small cubicle.

“Excuse me—Brenda,” Thomas paused.  “We were wondering if there was any news on our friend.  Isabelle Jones.”

A smile sigh left her mouth as she looked down and typed a few keys.  The sound of a low beep could be heard and then looking up she said, “Miss Jones has been in surgery for the past three and a half hours.”

“WHAT!” they all yelled.

“How is that possible?” Michael demanded.

“She’s not supposed to be in surgery until seven,” Aidan interjected.

Holding her hands up, the nurse told them to calm down.  “Calm down,” Thomas growled.  “How are we supposed to do that?”

“By letting me explain,” a deep voice spoke from behind them. 

All heads turned to find a man standing there in blue scrubs.  His hands looked as if they had just been washed and he smelled of disinfectant and soap.  “Thanks for your help, Brenda.”

“No problem, Dr. Jenkins.”

“How about you guys follow me,” he said motioning to them all. 

“What happened to my colleague,” Aidan asked first.

“He’s with Miss Jones right now.  He asked me to come up and talk to you.  Although he said there would only be two of you.  You must be Stephen,” he asked looking at Michael.

“No.  I’m not,” was his only response.

“Then you must be Michael,” he stated.

“How would you know that,” Michael asked taking a step towards the doctor.

“We’ll get to that in a minute,” Thomas interrupted.  “Is Isabelle okay?”

“Yes.  She’s doing great.  There was an opening this afternoon for her surgery.  And well, we had to act fast if we wanted the room for it.  Miss Jones agreed and thought it was best to not tell you anything.  We had to respect her wishes.”

“Patient/Doctor Confidentiality, right?” Aidan spat.

“Exactly,” Dr. Jenkins said with a small smirk on his face.  “She’s sleeping now, but before she went to sleep she did ask for someone named Michael.”

“That’s me!”

Dr. Jenkins eyes immediately went to the man who had introduced himself earlier as Michael.  “I’m sorry.  That’s me,” he said quieter.

“I figured that out when you said your name was Michael earlier.  It actually saves me the trouble of trying to track you down.”

Looking at the group as a whole, he smiled.  “The Cochlear implant was a success everyone.  We should know something once the swelling goes down in about two weeks.  It all depends on how well she heals.  But it looks very promising.

“When can we see her?”

“You can see her now if you want.  But only one at a time, then once we move her to a room all of you can see her at the same time.  We’d just like to keep her calm and the less people who see her the more likely it is that she remain that way.”

“Understood,” Aidan said quickly.

Raising his hand, Michael asked the question he was sure everyone wanted to know, “When can she go home?”

“We’ll have to keep her overnight for observations.  So seeing as it is now twelve fifteen, I’d say we’ll keep her until later on tonight and see how it goes from there.”

Once the doctor left everyone turned to Michael.  “Well what are you waiting for?  Go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Go before we change our minds.  Besides you heard the doctor.  She asked for you.  Not us,” Thomas frowned.

With a nod of his head, Michael began to walk in the direction of where Isabelle was supposed to be resting.  But before he could make it to the elevator he paused and turned to look at both Aidan and Thomas.  “Thank you.”

And then he walked into the elevator and watched as the doors closed.  He just hoped she wanted to see him after all.

****

I blinked my eyes slowly, trying to rid myself of the sleep I felt.  My head hurt, but it was worth it.  As I lifted my hands to my head, I felt the gauze that covered both my ears.  It was odd to have something covering them.  Not that I needed them to actually hear anything. 

It had already been explained to me that it would be several weeks before the actual device could be hooked up to my implants.  Now my only issue was waiting patiently for that to happen. 

What were a few more weeks of waiting?  I’d already been waiting over five years.  Movement caught my eye as I looked up and saw a sleeping Michael sitting beside my bed.  His head was nestled against a pillow and his mouth was open slightly. 

He had come.

A smile covered my face as I watched him.  He’d come.

As if it were a scene from a movie, he began to blink his eyes.  Waking up just in time to see me staring at him with a goofy smile on my face. 

And what was even better.  He smiled back at me.

“Hi,” he signed.

“Hi.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Like someone drilled a hole in my head,” I joked.

But Michael didn’t smile.  Instead he looked away from me.  “What if something had went wrong, Izzie?  I would have never been able to tell you—“

“Tell me now,” I said out loud. 

It was then that his eyes shifted towards me and he lifted himself from his chair.  A single tear slid down his cheek and he rushed to wipe it away.  The beating of my heart was almost unbearable as I waited for him to say the words I’d dreamed about.

“I—,”

“Yes,” I signed leaning forward a little.

“Isabelle Jones—I love you.  I’ve never stopped.  And even if you never remember that, I can’t go on with it buried in my heart.  Not anymore.  I plan on proving that to you.  If you’ll let me.”

A smile was the only thing I could manage.  “We’ll take it slow,” I signed taking one of his hands in mine.

Leaning closer to me he kissed my cheek.  “I’d like that,” he signed once he had pulled himself away from me.

“I’d like that too,” I whispered as my head hit the pillow and sleep came over me.  Images of a younger version of the two of us drifted through my head.