Always Pt. 01

Knowing he'd lose any argument with her, Mike went inside to tell his parents what was happening. He saw the look of fear on his mom's face, and saw resolution on his father's.

He ran upstairs to his room to pack clothes in a backpack, enough for three days. He figured he get a hotel room near the hospital and use their amenities for soap and shampoo.

Hurrying down the stairs, Cassie was already there, waiting. He gave his mother a hug goodbye, and she held him for a moment longer.

"Drive safely, Mike. You have plenty of time to get there before their visiting hours. We don't want another accident to deal with, ok? And here, take this for the drive. Some coffee, sandwiches, and snacks for both of you. And when you get there, give Tiffany a kiss from us. Ok?"

"Ok, mom. Thanks. And yes, I'll be careful."

As he and Cassie headed toward his rental car, his dad came outside with them.

"Cass, a moment alone please?

"Mike, I know what you're thinking - how can this be happening again? I'm only going to tell you two things. First, have faith. Faith that everything will work out. Faith that Tiffany will be fine. Faith that the two of you will have a long life together. And don't look at me like that. I see how your face lights up every time her name is mentioned. We haven't seen you this happy in years. We know how much you love Tiffany. Get there and tell her again. Ok?"

"Ok. But what's the second thing?"

"Take my Tahoe. It's not nearly as gas efficient as your car, but it's much more comfortable for a long trip. And here's some money for gas and whatever. Be safe, and bring your love home safe as well."

Hugging his son, Scott whispered 'mom and I love you.'

Driving to Daytona Beach was long and tedious, but having Cassie as his companion made the trip bearable. Along the way they talked about her job, his school, relationships, family, and more. They stopped several times to stretch their legs and refuel, and arrived in Daytona by early morning. Knowing the visiting hours didn't start until nine they found a nearby restaurant for breakfast, and shortly after nine, Mike and Cassie found the floor where Tiffany's room was.

As they entered the waiting area, Amanda and the other girls looked up to see Mike and Cassie entering. Running to him, Amanda was already apologizing for what happened.

"I'm so, so sorry for what happened, Mike. It was our fault that this all happened."

Mike pushed away from Amanda angrily, and looked her in the eye.

"No. Don't say that, Amanda. None of this is your fault. The fault lies with the bastards who did this to you. This is not your fault, ok? Now, tell me what happened."

Taking a deep breath, Amanda began the story. They had gone to a party, and made a pact to stay together, no matter what. And that's how the night went - dancing with each other, snacking on food, drinking a little, and having a great time. Then, as they were dancing together again, some guys made their way onto the floor and began dancing with the group. Suddenly, each guy and each girl had a shot in their hand and they tossed it back; then, each guy began dancing with one girl, grinding into her.

"The next thing we knew, we all woke up in some cheesy motel room, naked. Our clothes were scattered around the room, and we were all covered with dried semen. Once we realized what had happened, Tiffany told us not to shower or else we would wash away all the evidence. Our purses weren't there, so we had no money, no cell phones, and no identification. Tiffany went down to the front desk, and it was luckily staffed by an older woman who was horrified at our story. She called the cops and they were there within minutes.

"Lucky for us, the cops who showed up were women who listened to our story and believed us. They took us to the hospital, where they did rape tests - and all of us had been raped. We were all able to get the 'morning after' pill, so at least we had that peace of mind. They then drove us to the club from the night before, and amazingly, they had found our purses and were keeping them safe. They also said they had CCTV, and were happy to supply the police with copies.

"The cops took us back to our condo where we immediately took showers to wash the stink of the night off. We went out to eat, but Tiffany said she was tired and just wanted to sleep, so the rest of us went. When we came back, she was still sleeping, so we left her alone. Several hours later I went into her room, and she was still sleeping. But then I saw the package of sleeping pills laying on the floor, and I knew what she had done - taken the full box.

"I yelled for someone to call 911, and I tried to find a pulse - which I did, but it was very faint. The EMTs came, hooked her up to some IVs and brought her here. The doctor said she was found in time, pumped her stomach and now she is sleeping. But here's the thing, Mike. She won't wake up. The nurses are worried, but the doctor won't tell us anything."

By now, Amanda was in tears, and Mike nearly was.

"Why didn't you call me instead of Peter?"

"When the nurses looked at her phone, the first listing they saw was 'ICE Peter', so that's why. We didn't know who they called."

Amanda pulled Mike in for a hug and whispered in his ear 'Mike, I'm scared'.

Just then, the doctor, along with a nurse, entered the waiting room. Mike rose to greet them.

"Doctor, I'm Mike Wilson, Tiffany's boyfriend. How is she doing?"

As Mike stepped away with the doctor, Amanda and the others starting glaring at Cassie.

"Ok, ladies. Put the daggers away. I'm Mike's cousin and drove with him all night to get here. So lighten up, please."

Hearing who she was put them all at ease, and they all began to talk about what happened. Meanwhile, Mike was walking down the corridor to Tiffany's room with the doctor. He explained that she will be fine - physically - but will need to talk to a mental health professional about the entire ordeal.

"The only thing I'm worried about is that she isn't waking up. By now, all the drugs should be out of her system. Maybe knowing you're here will help."

Entering her room, Mike almost burst into tears. There was his love, hooked up to several machines and IVs, looking pale and gaunt. He pulled a chair over to sit next to her bed, took her hand in his, and was surprised at how cold it felt. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, and began talking to his sleeping girlfriend. Unbeknownst to him, Cassie was standing in the doorway, listening and watching her cousin.

"Oh Tiffany. I'm so sorry, baby. I know you feel like this is all your fault, but it's not - the fault lies with those that hurt you. I love you, Tiffany, and I need you in my life. You've made me feel things I never thought I'd feel again after Beth died. I always thought she'd be my one and only, but you've shown me that a love like that can come into your life again. And it has - with you. Most people don't get a chance to love someone like that once, and now I've been lucky enough to find love twice. Please, baby, come back to me. Open your eyes, and let me love you the way you deserve to be loved for the rest of your life."

Mike hesitated, his voice catching in his throat and his eyes welling with tears.

"Beth, Grace, and David died all alone, without me being there. Without knowing how much I loved them. Without knowing how much I was going to miss them. Without me. Please come back to me, Tiffany. Let me hold you, kiss you, love you - I need you, sweetheart, by my side, making my life whole again.

"Tiffany, please don't die on me. I don't know what I'd do without you. Open your eyes, Tiffany, and tell me you love me."

The room was quiet for a moment until Mike heard Cassie softly crying in the doorway.

"I sure hope I find someone to love me like you love Tiffany. That was beautiful, Mike. Tiffany is a lucky girl."

Cassie crossed the room to give her cousin a hug. Unseen by them, Tiffany took that moment to open her eyes. Softly, she began to speak.

"I leave you alone for two minutes, and now I find you in the arms of another woman."

Mike and Cassie both gasped, and Mike leaned over the bed to hug Tiffany as she began to cry as she awoke and realized what had happened to her.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Mike, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. It's all my fault, Mike. I feel so stupid, so fucking stupid."

"No, Tiffany, it's not your fault. Don't ever let me hear you say that again. You did nothing wrong - the fault lies with the assholes who did this to you. Ok?"

"Do you still love me after all this? Can you love me now that I'm damaged goods again? I heard your voice but didn't know what you were saying. But I heard you and wanted to get back to you, hoping you still loved me. Do you, Mike? Do you still love me?"

"Oh yes, Tiffany. More than ever, I love you. Always. I love you now and forever, ok? And don't forget that."

Mike held Tiffany until she stopped crying, whispering to her that he loved her, no matter what. Just then the doctor stopped in to check on Tiffany. When he finished, he asked Mike to join him outside. As he stepped away, Tiffany looked scared.

"Don't worry, Tiffany. I'll stay with you and talk. That way we can get to know each other."

"I take it you're Cassie? Mike told me a lot about you."

"Yeah, that's me. Our mothers are sisters, and we grew up about two blocks from each other. Even though he's several years older than me, he always found time to spend it with me. And I have to admit, growing up, I had the biggest crush on Mike. He was very patient with me, letting me hang out with him and his friends. We were really close until he left for college.

"I was 12 and the teen-age hormones were just starting to kick in. When he met Beth, I hated her - she was taking Mike away from me. And for the next couple of years, I was a real bitch to everyone, especially Mike and Beth. I was livid when she got pregnant and Mike dropped out of school to marry her. I knew she had trapped him and didn't really love him at all. Finally my mom sat my bitchy teen ass down and read me the riot act, telling me that if I didn't change my ways, Mike would never want to see me again. And then she hit the nail on the head.

"You know you can never marry him. You're first cousins, and it's illegal in most states. He has a wife, and soon will have a baby with her. So quit your bitchy ways and act like the adult you want us to treat you like."

"That really hit home with me. The thought of never seeing him again horrified me, and I finally realized I needed to change and grow up. But it took me another six months to actually reach out to him. By then Grace was born, and when I took my first look at her, I fell in love with her. I apologized to Beth first, and then Mike. Then I asked if I could hold the baby, and I knew then I would never act anything but nice to them again. I even started babysitting once in a while to give them some time alone.

"But that's not all. When Mike dropped out of school, he got a factory job, purposely working the second shift so he could take care of Grace during the day while Beth finished school and began to teach. It was really difficult, because they saw so little of each other. But he knew it was something he needed to do for his family.

"Not long before David was born, he went on the day shift so he and Beth could start having time together. And as precious as Grace was, David was a doll. He looked like Mike, and acted like him in so many ways. They were such a beautiful family, Tiffany."

"What happened after the accident? Mike's told me some, but not a lot of details."

"It was horrible. Mike cut himself off from everyone. For months nobody saw him. His and Beth's parents brought him groceries, but he wouldn't let anyone in the house. After about six months, I got fed up and went over to see him. And when I walked in the house I almost puked. There were dirty dishes and garbage everywhere, and it looked like the house had never been cleaned. I found Mike passed out on the couch with several bottles of Jack around him. I thought he was dead, but he was only passed out drunk. I called his mom and dad and filled them in on what I was seeing. It took them an hour to get to the house, and his mom almost started crying. It was then we decided to get him into rehab, where he spent months drying out and dealing with the death of his family. And as far as I know, he hasn't had a drink since.

"Once out of rehab he moved back with his parents while he figured out what he was going to do. He already knew he couldn't stay here, so when he said he was going to take off, see the country, and ended up in Washington, nobody was too surprised. He felt he had to get as far away as possible. And then he met you, Tiffany. I haven't seen Mike this happy in years, since before the accident. You're good for him, and I think he is probably good for you as well."

Cassie sat closer to Tiffany, almost whispering by now.

"Don't let him go, Tiffany. He's a good man in all respects. You might think that after this he won't want you, but you'd be wrong. All the way down here, every time our conversation went to you, his face lit up. He loves you, Tiffany, no matter what. Don't lose him over this. Please. Mike is my best friend, and has been for many years. And if there were anyway for it to work, I would've jumped his bones years ago."

That brought a smile to Tiffany's face as she began to laugh with Cassie.

"Thanks for telling me this, Cassie. I can see how much you care for him, and I promise I won't let him go. I love him too much to do that."

The two shared another hug as Mike and the doctor came back into the room.

"Telling her my deepest secrets, Cass?"

"No, just the embarrassing ones."

"Great. Thanks."

Mike moved a chair next to Cassie's and took Tiffany's hand again.

"The doctor wants to do some more tests, and he wants you to visit with a counselor this afternoon. Don't look at me like that - they won't let you out of here until you do. So take the time to speak with someone who knows what to do. In the meantime, Cassie and I will check into our rooms at the hotel. I need to shower and change clothes, and I suspect Cassie wants the same. We'll grab a bite to eat and come back later, and stay with you until they kick us out. So play nice and cooperate with everyone, and the doctor said they will let you out tomorrow. So we'll see you in a little while, ok?"

"Ok. I figured someone would want to talk to me about what I did, and I promise to be a good girl and cooperate...because I really want out. Give me a kiss, and I'll see you later."

Kissing Mike and hugging Cassie, Tiffany waved goodbye. Shortly after they left, several nurses came in to draw blood and do several other tests. Once they were finished, someone else entered her room.

"Tiffany? Hello. My name is Emily Ross. May I come in?"

"Sure. Have a seat. So are you the hospital shrink here to talk with me?"

"You're partly correct. I'm here to talk with you, but I'm not a shrink - only a trauma counselor. I've read what happened, but would you mind telling me why you're here?"

"If it helps to get me out of here quicker, absolutely. But I need to tell you that I have a therapist back home I've seen for a number of years, and I know I'll need to talk to her about all this as well. So what do you want to know?"

"Mainly why you took the overdose. I realize you went through a traumatic experience, but you reacted in an extreme manner."

From there, Tiffany began to talk, feeling more and more at ease with Emily. She spoke about why she had been seeing a therapist in the past, meeting Mike, her problems with her parents, her troubled early years and what happened with her friend Pam, and finally the attack. By now she was getting emotional, so she took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I've read so many stories when after something like this happens, the significant other of the victim can't deal with what happened, and they leave because they feel like they are dealing with a broken person, damaged goods - whatever you want to call it. I love Mike, and if he left me, I don't know what I would do. I can't think of a life without him, and if I can't have him, then I don't want anyone. I know that's probably taking the cause to the excessive, but that's what I felt. I know now I was wrong - Mike loves me and he's not going anywhere without me. But before - I wasn't thinking straight. Does any of this make sense to you?"

"This all makes sense to me, Tiffany. But the important thing is, does it makes sense to you? And more importantly, what are you going to do about it?"

Tiffany was quiet for a long time, pondering her response. Emily made it all so clear to her, and deep down, she knew what she wanted to do.

"I want to go home with Mike and love him - always. I want to put this out of my mind and concentrate on my boyfriend, our relationship, our future together, and finishing school. I want to make my brother proud of me for what I've become. He was supportive of me for years while I treated him like shit, something he didn't deserve. I want to prove to my family I've changed, and if they can't deal with the new me, then fuck them. I want to live a life filled with love and friends. I want to live a life with Mike, giving him all the love he deserves. I want to live a life making Pam proud of me. Is that asking too much?"

"Not at all. You want what everyone wants, and you're clear about it. And after our talk, I have no compunctions about signing your release. But I want to be perfectly clear on something - you need to talk with Mike about your feelings, and you need to talk to your therapist as well. Ok?"

Agreeing, Tiffany thanked Emily for listening, and before she left, gave her a hug.

"Thank you, Emily, for listening to me. I really do feel better now."

Sometime later, Mike came back feeling refreshed after his shower and a change of clothes.

"Hey, you're back. Where's Cassie?"

"She decided to stay at the hotel and get some work done. Her job enables her to work online if she wants, so she's catching up. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I talked with a trauma counselor for most of the afternoon, and feel better about everything. She said she would sign my release, so it looks like I'll be dismissed tomorrow. One of the nurses said it would probably be late morning or early afternoon before everything was done, so we can leave then. I've already talked to Amanda to let her know too."

"Good. Cassie and I can stop at the condo tomorrow morning and get your things before we come here. Is there something specific you want to wear in the car?"

"No, just a t-shirt and either shorts or jeans."

"We'll pack something for you in the morning. And I'll let Cassie decide on what else she thinks you will want to use before we go. You know how bad I am with those things."

"Also, do we have to do the whole drive at one time? I don't think I'm ready for nine hours in a car yet. Is there someplace we can spend the night along the way?"

"I'll find something about five hours out, ok? We can stop, have dinner, and spend the night, and then finish the drive the next day."

So that was the plan. Mike stayed with Tiffany until they kicked him out, and he and Cassie were back by ten the next morning. Cassie packed a small bag for Tiffany with some clothes, makeup, and underwear, so she would feel comfortable in the car ride home.

Right around noon, the doctor came in, along with several nurses and Emily. After giving her one final going over, the doctor dismissed Tiffany and wished her good luck. The nurses gave her one final hug, and Emily slipped her business card into Tiffany's hand.

"If you ever feel like talking, feel free to give me a call. I hope you and Mike have a great life together."