Disclaimer: Nope, these characters aren’t mine!!

This is another short little fic! It is the follow-up to "The Sister I Wished For"

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The setting is Cedars Hospital, the day after Abby’s surgery. Michelle and Rick are there with her. Danny drops by to check on Abby, and steal a few moments with Michelle.

Abby was sitting up in her bed, having breakfast. Rick and Michelle were amazed at how good she felt, considering she’d undergone surgery the previous day. Both of them were there, in Abby’s room, when the door opened, and Danny looked in. Michelle thought her face would crack from the huge smile that spread across her face. Abby noticed the happiness in Michelle’s eyes.

"I hope I’m not interrupting," Danny said to Abby. "I wanted to come by and see how you were doing."

"Actually," Rick started to make an excuse. He would always be overprotective where Michelle was concerned. But Abby didn’t give him a chance to talk.

"Don’t be silly, Danny. Come in."

Danny stepped in the door. Michelle sat motionless, taking in the sight of the man she loved. He wasn’t dressed in his usual big-bad-Santos-guy solid black clothing. Instead he wore jeans, with a just-right fit, and a black sport jacket worn over a white tee shirt.

"How is it that every time I see you, you are even more beautiful than before," Michelle thought to herself. "Just when I think I can’t love you any deeper, I fall again."

Danny took a seat next to Michelle, and rested his hand on her knee. Abby noticed how natural that action was for him, and thought to herself, "You truly love, Michelle. I know you do." She looked at Rick with a look that pleaded, "Let them have this moment," and Rick complied. They sat quietly for a moment while Danny and Michelle exchanged "hellos" and "how are yous".

After their brief exchange, Danny looked at Abby and said, "You look great, Abby."

"Well, thank you," Abby replied. "And thank you for coming by to see me. I know that you have a lot on your mind right now."

"That’s true, but I knew how concerned Michelle was for you, and I wanted to show my support. I think you’ve taken a very brave step."

After a few more moments of chit-chat, Danny said that he must be going. Abby again thanked him for his visit, and he and Michelle stepped outside into the hallway. Danny put his arms around her waist and held her gently.

"I’m so glad you came," Michelle said.

They stood there for a few moments more, enjoying this short time that they were together. Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Rick’s beeper paged him, and Abby was formulating a plan.

As Rick left the room, Abby stood and walked to the door. "Michelle," she said, "when you and Danny are finished talking, would you mind going down to the lobby and finding me some magazines to read. I’m going to go crazy if I have to sit in that room and stare at the walls all day."

"Of course, Abby," Michelle said.

"I really must be going, anyway," Danny said as he kissed her on the forehead.

Michelle turned and walked down the hallway. Danny turned the other direction, headed for the elevator. Abby stopped him.

"Danny, if you have a few more minutes, I’d really like to talk to you alone."

The two of them stepped back into the hospital room. Danny spoke first.

"Look, I know that you and Rick have been very concerned for Michelle, and I want you to know that I’ll do everything in my power to protect her. I know that’s not going to change your opinion of me, but I hope you believe me."

"Danny, I didn’t bring you in here to reprimand you. I know that you want to protect Michelle, and contrary to what you think, I don’t have a terrible opinion of you."

"You don’t?" Danny asked, almost unbelievingly.

"No, I don’t. I could never think badly about anyone that Michelle loves."

Danny couldn’t help but smile at her compassion. And hearing her say the Michelle loves him - well, if Abby said it, then it must be true.

"I want to tell you a story about my life, Danny. A story that I think might have some bearing on the position you’re in right now."

Abby sat down on her bed, and Danny sat in a chair.

"I don’t know if Michelle ever told you, but I did not grow up here in Springfield. I was raised in an Amish community not far from here. I lost my hearing when I was 6 years old, and my parents did not want me to learn sign language. They said that my deafness was the life that God had chosen for me, and that I must accept it. So I did. I accepted what my life was, and I learned how to function. Several years ago, there was a medical emergency in our community, and a medical helicopter from this hospital flew in to help us. I was standing there when it landed, and a man stepped off. I assumed he was a doctor because he was in a really big hurry and he was carrying a medical bag. I had no idea who he was, but something deep inside me knew that my life would never be the same. That man was Rick. He and I got acquainted and he wanted to bring me here, so that I could learn to sign. My parents objected, but I was an adult so they didn’t stand in my way. I couldn’t speak then, so I really had no good way of communicating. So, it was here, in this hospital, that I learned sign language, and learned to speak again. And it was during that time, that I fell in love with Rick. At first I denied it, because I knew there was no way for us to be together - our worlds were just too different. I even made plans to go back. But the closer I got to the day I was supposed to go home, the more my heart broke. You see, I had seen this life, and I didn’t want to leave it. People in this life had so many choices - their lives were theirs to mold and create. The life I had know didn’t offer very many choices or opportunities."

Danny sat, breathless as Abby described perfectly the way he felt.

"I wanted to learn to drive a car. I wanted to go to football games. I wanted to go to school and have a job that I chose for myself, not one that was chosen for me."

Danny wondered if she could read his mind any more effectively than she was at that moment. Abby continued.

"But even all those wonderful things would not have been enough to pull me away from my family. When I weighed the pros and cons, and thought about all the differences in these two lives, I would’ve been able leave them behind, for the sake of my family. But there was one thing I couldn’t live without - Rick’s love. If I had returned to that life, I would’ve been miserable for the rest of my life, because I would’ve had to live without Rick’s love. It’s a decision I’ve never regretted. I know that you love Michelle, Danny."

"It’s just not that simple," Danny protested.

"But it can be, if you’ll let it. I look at people in this world today, and I feel sorry for them. They are so busy in this rat-race, going from this meeting to that appointment, belonging to the right groups, and having the right friends. They’ve totally lost sight of what’s important. The only thing that really and truly matters in this world, is love."

Danny had no response. He could not think of an argument.

"When you think about all the things in your life, Danny, what one thing can you not live without?"

Danny looked at her, tears welling in his eyes.

"Michelle’s love?" Abby asked.

Danny nodded as the tears began to flow.

She stood up and hugged him. "Go and do what you have to do, Danny. But let this love be your ultimate goal. You will never regret it."

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