True Meaning Of Sacrifice Ch. 04

As they held each other, Mike could feel her trembling. As her sobs became more pronounced he turned her on the couch to face him.

"Mikki, are you OK?"

She couldn't look him in the eyes. "I don't understand how you can even look at me after everything I did."

Mike took a deep breath as the conversation he had been dreading for weeks began. "Mikki, I know you didn't want this. I'm not going to lie to you, it's going to take a long time to get over the fact that you chose this for us instead of trusting me. But I know that you did because you thought you didn't have a choice."

She raised her eyes to meet his, "I would do anything to be able to take it back. I kept thinking I could find a way out. I was so stupid. The way you reacted, I never would have imagined it."

Mike felt himself flush angrily. "Do you mean that you thought I wasn't the kind of man who could handle it?"

Michelle sat up quickly, "No! I didn't mean it that way, I swear. I was so scared, I just didn't know what to do. You were going to be in the hospital for weeks. I promise you I never would have listened to Ryan's threats if you weren't already hurt. They had me convinced that they were so dangerous that neither of us was safe. Once you were better, I wanted to tell you but I was afraid you'd hate me. Please believe me."

Her voice was so sorrowful that Mike drove away his own dark thoughts to comfort her. He stroked her hair and held her to his chest while they talked.

"It's alright, I do. If we're going to try to make this work, the first thing is that you have to see someone. You've been through way too much to try and deal with this on your own. Once we're both sure you're ready, we'll work on us. Is that something you're willing to do?"

Michelle looked away again, "I'll do anything to make this pain go away. I just wish you didn't have to feel it too."

"Mikki, this happened to both of us, we'll face it together. I didn't go through all of this just to lose you now. You need to understand though, no matter why you did it, you lied to me. Even if I can get past the things that happened, I don't know how I'm going to learn to trust you again. I promise that I'll try, but we need to take things slowly. It's going to take a lot of healing for both of us."

They sat in silence for a long time. Michelle knew he was right and it was going to take a long time to make things better. Something was gnawing at the back of her mind, but she couldn't put her finger on what. Finally she realized the one question that hadn't been addressed. Almost dreading the answer, she looked back at her husband.

"Mike, what happened to John, Paul and Bill?"

He smiled slightly and stared into her eyes. "Don't worry about them. Stacy and an old friend helped me out with that one. They're being well cared for until they're ready to see the police..."

~~~~~~~

Three months later, two doctors entered the West Wing of Merci Hospital. Anyone seeing them would have only noticed colleagues in quiet consultation. They came to the security desk and were granted admittance. At the end of the hall, they met a third doctor who greeted them with a smile.

"Pete, it's great to see you again. Who's your friend?"

"Jeff, I'd like you to me Michael. He's not a 'real' doctor," he laughed as he teased the third man. "He's a lab rat researching a paper on the effects of hallucinogenic drugs. He'd like to see the patient in #114."

The psychiatrist looked grimly, "Yes, he's a difficult case. There were three of them who were exposed. They have had round the clock surveillance since they were brought in. Two have been moved to a minimum security facility to continue their recovery, but #114 still hasn't stopped having psychotic episodes. He seems to be getting better, but we just don't know if or when he'll be ready to be moved."

Mike spoke up, "Could I talk to him?"

Steve shrugged his shoulders, "You can talk but I can't promise he'll understand."

When they arrived at the room, Mike entered, taking in all the details quickly. It was little more than a padded cell. The man was in a corner wearing a straight jacket to keep him from causing himself harm. The man seemed lucid but it was difficult to be sure.

"Bill, how are you doing today?"

The patient tilted his head and gave the doctor a strange look. "Don't I know you?"

"Well," Mike began, "We did meet once. I was at the bar the night you and your friends had your breakdowns. It was quite a show. Do you remember what happened?"

Bill closed his eyes a moment, then spoke, "We were supposed to meet that bitch. She didn't show so we sat at the bar drinking. Then everything went blank."

Mike didn't show any emotion as he listened. "Well, from what I understand, you and your friends are in quite a bit of trouble. When you have recovered, there are some police officers that are anxious to talk to you."

That comment obviously registered. Bill looked afraid, "Why would they want to talk to me? I'm just a businessman."

"From what I've heard, you are being modest. Let me tell you the story as I understand it."

When Bill didn't object, Mike continued, "There were nine men who decided to take advantage of a young woman. One of them was unaware of the situation but the other eight took a great deal of pleasure from her pain. Now four of those men are dead."

As he paused, Bill's eyes widened in fear. "You...You are her husband!"

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I was finished. The man who set it up is in jail looking at about 50 years with good behavior. He's turned over evidence and testimony that will make sure you, John and Paul will be right behind him."

"Please, don't hurt me. I just went along with Ryan. I'm sorry," he whined pathetically.

Ignoring his pleas, Mike grabbed him with both hands and pulled his face close. "Guess what? The four that died got off lucky."

"What do you mean?" Bill whispered as tears began rolling down his face.

"The husband has a friend who is doing 15 years for an 'indiscretion'." Mike smiled to himself as he thought of his friend who helped him start his very first band. He was a good guy, but was hopelessly into drugs. He was selling all sorts of things, but the police went after him hard because he had sold several batches of LSD that had been tainted during their processing. After several people had terrible reactions to the drugs he had sold, the police tracked him down. Luckily he hid the remaining stock before he was busted. Luckily for him because the police couldn't nail him for any additional charges. Lucky for Michael because they were exactly what he needed to deal with the remaining conspirators.

"It seems that the young woman has reached a settlement with her company and yours worth about four million dollars to cover her pain and suffering. It turns out her husband is a very vengeful sort of person. He has set up a very large trust in his friend's name. Would you like to guess what it's for?"

Bill's face had lost all color and he appeared to be on the edge of fainting. "Please, I'm begging you, don't..."

"Well it seems that you can get almost anything done in prison for very little money, it's quite economical." Mike chuckled at his own joke. "It's insurance for you and the others. As long as you all stay alive, a portion of the money is paid out every month to some really nasty people my friend is acquainted with. There's some to cover each one of you, so it's in their best interest to keep you protected."

"Why would you do that?" Bill asked fearfully.

"Because you need to remember what you did for the rest of your long, pathetic life. There won't be an easy way out for any of you."

Mike turned and began to walk out. Suddenly he spun back around, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The payment is contingent on all four of you being treated with the same compassion and respect you showed to my wife. They'll be taking special care of you every single day of your long life."

Bill fell back into the wall with a loud thump as the implication became clear. He tried to continue to beg but it just came out as incoherent rambling.

As Mike closed the door behind him he heard an agonized scream and smiled.

"Sounds like he doesn't care for your particular sense of humor," Mike heard behind him.

He turned and saw the man who helped him get into the hospital. Pete wasn't just Michelle's doctor, he was married to her lifelong friend Peg and was someone Mike felt he could trust with part of the secret. "Well, I guess you shouldn't have brought me if you were worried about him getting upset," he said sarcastically.

Now it was Pete's turn to smile, "I'm not worried about that prick, trust me. I still think you were too easy on him. If it was me, I would have sedated him and had some fun with amputation."

"Ouch," Mike said, his hand reflexively moving to his crotch. "You are scary."

As the two began walking toward the exit, the talk turned more serious. "What's going on with you and Michelle. Pam and I haven't heard anything from you two in weeks." His voice took a concerned tone. "How are you doing?"

Mike knew what he was tentatively trying to ask. "We have our good days and our bad days. She's still seeing the trauma specialist, I don't think she's going to be herself for a long time." He got quiet and looked down as they walked.

Pete kept after him, "Yeah, but what about you?"

Mike looked at him thoughtfully. "Good question. I feel a little better right now," he said, glancing back over his shoulder. He tried to be honest, "This thing has been really hard to deal with. Part of me is still angry about her not telling me. Part of me is miserable about what she's been through and just wants to hold her. I miss the old Mikki, she is so dark and hurt right now that everything we do is complicated."

"Have you seen the therapist I recommended?" Pete asked.

"We saw William once, he's a good guy. There just isn't much of a point right now. While Michelle is still in this kind of condition, we can't do anything constructive about us."

"So what, you guys aren't a couple?"

"Like I said, it's complicated. We are together and take care of each other. We've been intimate a few times and it's been good, but there are times when I can't reach her and it's frustrating. Sometimes I need my space and I'm sure that's hard for her. We suddenly have all these boundaries and walk around trying not to upset each other."

Pete looked at him sympathetically, "So you think it might not work out."

"I hope it can, but that's as far as I can go for now. The money helps." Noticing the perplexed look from his friend, he quickly continued. "She can get all the professional help she needs and we'll eventually get counseling for both of us. She'll never be able to get another job like the last one. With the scandal and the lawsuit, no company will hire her for any type of job managing people. If we were struggling financially, I can't imagine how we'd make it."

Mike smiled, "Did Peg tell you we're going to Italy next week?"

"And you're not taking us?" Pete whined jealously.

"Sorry, I swear we are all going to do something when things are better, but this is the conspirator road trip. Mikki and I are going to spend a week on the coast, with nothing but the beach and each other. We're going to try to forget about everything and just be together. Alan and Stacy are meeting us at the end of the week and we're all going to spend a few days in Rome before we head to Paris."

"Ok, I was jealous before, now I just hate you."

As they got in Pete's car, Mike gave him a wink. "I'll tell you a secret if you promise not to say anything to Peg."

"You know I'm too scared of you to piss you off Mike," he joked.

"Alan's going to propose at the top of the Eiffel Tower."

"No shit? After three months, that's fast."

"He knows what he wants. I think he picked that spot because if she says no he's planning to jump." The men shared a laugh. "I think he's planning on a long engagement, but he's so nervous that he doesn't want to get ahead of himself. He's so crazy about her that he just can't make himself wait. I told him how Michelle turned me down the first time, just to mess with him."

Pete shook his head, "You really are a bastard."

~~~~~~~~~~~ Michelle paced nervously, Mike told her that he would be home a half-hour ago. Why he had to go through with this was beyond her. He had already risked so much, she couldn't understand why he wouldn't just let it go. If Bill ever got out of the mental hospital, he'd spend most of his life in jail. Even though the police hadn't bothered them in over a month, she knew they still were suspicious. She couldn't wait to get on the plane, both so they could have a week alone together and so she could finally stop looking over her shoulder.

She heard the car in the driveway and went to the window. Mike seemed to be smiling as he said goodbye to Pete, so she breathed a little easier. She thought about scolding him for not calling, but was so happy that everything was alright that she couldn't feel anything but relieved.

Mike opened the door and saw her standing there, an obvious look of worry on her face. "I left my cell phone at home," he said with some embarrassment. "I'm sorry, we should have stopped and called."

Michelle didn't say anything, but threw herself into his arms. Mike was annoyed with himself for upsetting her. He gently moved her away and tilted her face toward his. "I'm sorry," he said slowly, making sure she understood he was sincere. "I didn't mean to worry you." He kissed her softly, teasing her lips with his own. "It's over now, I promise."

She nodded, feeling lost in his embrace. Michelle always loved the way he held her, but it seemed so much better the last few months. She let her thoughts drift as he slowly stroked her arms and moved his lips to her neck. Mike felt her surrender completely to him as his kissing became more passionate. He picked her up, feeling her head snuggle against his chest and headed toward their bedroom.

As Mike began carrying her up the stairs, he thought, "Today's a good day."