A Helping Hand

Author: Janet (SkyGirl5)

Genre: S/V, AU

Summary: A car accident that could have taken a tragic turn but thankfully did not introduces Sydney Bristow to Michael Vaughn and his daughter, Grace. Little does Sydney know at that point that the Vaughn family is the most unusual one she will ever meet. At first, she is sympathetic due to the accident her drive caused, but then, when she learns of their tragic situation, she feels compelled to help in any way she can. The only problem is, Michael just might be too stubborn for his own good. [38]

Disclaimer: Sydney, Vaughn, etc are properties of JJ Abrams and ABC.

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Chapters 1-10 // Chapters 11 - 20 // Chapters 21-30 // Chapters 31-38 + Epilogue

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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 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.



Chapter 33

Friday night when Sydney went to bed, she was happier than she had ever been in her entire life. Of course, she was still concerned about Michael’s health, but she knew he would get better; it would only take a little time. Then, hopefully once he was better, the two of them could begin their lives together.

When she awoke Saturday morning she was feeling similar elation. As a matter of fact, she seriously suspected that she would continue to be that happy for as long as she could foresee from that point forward.

After showering and dressing, she awoke Grace slightly earlier than usual so that they could get to the hospital to see Michael. Surprisingly, Grace wasn’t moody at all despite loosing out on some precious sleep, knowing that she was going to visit her father. “Can we bring Santa with us?” she asked hopefully over breakfast.

“No I don’t think so sweetie,” Sydney laughed softly. “The hospital wouldn’t like that very much. Your dad will just have to wait until he’s home to see Santa.”

“Alright,” Grace sighed sadly. Sydney couldn’t help but smile at this.

Just as visiting hours in the hospital began, Sydney and Grace arrived. They went directly up to Michael’s room and, much to their extreme happiness, found that he was not only awake, but alert, sitting up and watching television. When they walked in, he looked over and smiled at them. “Hey guys,” he said.

“Daddy!” grace shouted as she ran over and jumped up on the bed beside him.

“Look who’s awake,” Sydney smiled at him. “How are ya feeling?”

“Like I’ve got pneumonia,” he said with a slight cough. “No, seriously, I’m feeling better.”

“Glad to hear it,” she said as she walked over and kissed his forehead softly. “Have you talked to the doctor yet today?” Michael shook his head and told her that the doctor was supposed to be in shortly. While they waited they bounced around some television channels and Grace reminded Michael about her card. As Michael looked at it, Grace told him all about the things she had drawn for him, which was amusing for all of them.

When the doctor came in, she checked up on all of Michael’s vital signs. Because of the almost two days of medication, his temperature had fallen a few degrees and was almost back to normal. Also, his chest was much clearer than before, though he was still coughing regularly. After a thorough checkup, the doctor announced that as long as Michael promised to stay in bed at all times and take his medication, he would be released that evening. Of course Michael agreed to this, which made Sydney and Grace very happy.

Sydney and Grace stayed by Michael’s bedside until it was lunchtime. At that point, they said temporary goodbyes but promised to be back by four when, hopefully, they would be able to take Michael with them. They went home and, after getting lunch, Sydney sat with Grace as she did her homework. Grace finished all her homework but a collage she was supposed to make that represented her life. She wanted to work on it with her father when he came home, but Sydney told her that even though Michael was coming home, he still needed his rest. Grace, of course, was not happy with this, but Sydney left her little choice.

After spending an impatient afternoon at home, Sydney and Grace returned to the hospital, where Michael was being prepared to be released. Sydney brought some of Michael’s clothes along with her (since all he arrived at the hospital in were his work coveralls and he certainly could not leave in a hospital gown) and waited with Grace in the hallway while he changed.

“Daddy, why are you in a wheelchair? Did the nee-mona make you not walk?” Grace asked, mispronouncing the name of her father’s illness as they walked (or in Michael’s case, wheeled) towards the elevator.

“No honey, I can walk, but the hospital makes everyone ride out in a wheelchair,” he told her.

“Oh…why?” Grace asked.

“It’s just one of their rules, sweetie,” Sydney told her simply.

Once they were outside the hospital, Sydney assisted Michael out of the wheelchair and into their car even though he insisted he could do it himself. On the way home, they stopped at pharmacy to fill Michael’s medication prescriptions and then at a pizzeria to pick up some dinner. Once they arrived at Sydney’s she helped him from the car once more and put a firm arm around his back to help him upstairs, since he was still rather weak.

“Syd I’m fine,” Michael insisted.

“No, you’re not. You’ve got pneumonia and the last thing we need is you falling down the stairs,” she insisted. He grumbled slightly, which made him cough and Sydney gave him a glare indicating that he was sick and he did not need to cross her. After that, Michael stayed quiet for the remainder of their stair ascent.

“So can I get you anything? Water? Juice? Crackers? Soup?” Sydney listed once Michael was safely tucked into his bed.

“Maybe some water and soup…but sit down first,” he said, pointing to the space in bed beside him. Sydney climbed up on the bed and tucked her legs underneath her so that she was facing him. Michael reached out and took her hands and they exchanged slightly nervous smiles. “About what you said in the hospital…,” Michael began nervously.

“I meant what I said. I love you…I’ve loved you for a while now,” she admitted as she blushed ever so slightly. “I know what you said after Valentine’s Day and I understand it I really do but…I want to be with you now and I don’t want to wait any longer.”

Michael smiled broadly. “I happen to agree on both accounts. I’ve loved you for a while too and I don’t want to wait either. Being sick made me realize that I shouldn’t hold out on the important things because if I wait too long, they might be gone,” he said. Sydney grinned at him and began leaning her face closer to hers, but he leaned back as far as he could. “Syd I’m sick,” he mumbled with his lips closed as tightly as possible yet still allowing him to speak.

“I’ll risk it,” she said before kissing his lips quickly. Then she moved to his cheek, which she gave a much longer kiss before nuzzling her forehead against his. “I can’t wait until you’re better.”

“Me too,” he croaked out before a coughing spell hit him. Sydney quickly left the room and returned a moment later with his water and medication. Then she disappeared once more for a longer time before returning with some chicken soup for him to try and eat.

“Eat this and try to get some rest, okay?” Sydney instructed. Michael nodded and began to sip at his soup gingerly. “Alright, I’ll be up in a little while to check on you, after Grace and I have eaten.”

“’kay,” Michael called after her as she left.

~*~

“I’m glad Daddy’s back,” Grace said to Sydney that night as she was going to sleep.

“Me too,” Sydney smiled at her. “Goodnight little one,” she said, kissing Grace’s forehead. Then, Sydney left Grace’s room and crossed the hall to check on Michael. She found that, thankfully, he was resting peacefully.

As quietly as possible, she cleaned up his soup bowl and took it downstairs. Then, after checking on Santa, she returned upstairs and to her own bedroom to get ready for bed herself. While approaching her own bed that evening, a thought crossed her mind and, instead of climbing beneath the covers, she slipped out of her room and down the hall to Michael’s. At that moment, she was not concerned about catching any germs from him; all she wanted was to sleep beside the man she loved, so she crawled beneath the covers and curled up in a little ball beside him before falling asleep.



Chapter 34

For the next week, Michael continued to recuperate from his pneumonia. Though he was very weak the first few days, he grew progressively stronger and, by Friday night, he was able to eat dinner with Grace and Sydney and even spend the evening downstairs on the couch with them. By that point, his fever was completely gone and his coughing had lessened significantly.

“Daddy, Sydney’s birthday is on Sunday. Are you gonna come with us when we go celebrate?” Grace asked her father Friday evening as they watched television.

“Where are you going to celebrate?” Michael asked his daughter before glancing to Sydney, who was sitting on the other side of Grace.

“Sydney wants to go to the zoo,” Grace told him.

“I’ve gone every year on my birthday ever since I was really young – like five or six. It’s tradition,” she said with a simple shrug.

“So are you gonna come!?” Grace asked.

“I’d love to come, but we’ll have to see sweetie,” Michael told her.

“You don’t want your dad to get sick again,” Sydney warned Grace. “How about we just wait until next weekend to go; I’m sure he can come with us then.”

“But then it won’t be your birthday!” Grace exclaimed with concern.

Sydney smiled and stroked Grace’s hair gently. “That’s okay; it doesn’t matter if we go exactly on my birthday. I don’t mind.”

“Alright it’s your birthday,” Grace said with a shrug in a tone that indicated she did not understand why Sydney changed her plans. Sydney laughed softly before brushing a kiss onto Grace’s head and settling back to watch the rest of the movie on the screen in front of them.

Later that evening, Grace was beginning to drift off to sleep in front of the TV. Sydney roused her enough for her to half walk, half be carried by Sydney as they made their way upstairs. She stood by as Grace sleepily brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas. Then, she tucked the little girl in with a kiss on her forehead.

As Sydney was going downstairs, she noticed the light was on in Michael’s bedroom and figured that he was going to bed as well since, due to his illness, he still required much more sleep than usual. She went downstairs, retrieved her coat and Santa’s leash, before taking the little pup (who really wasn’t so little any more) out for her nightly walk. When Sydney returned, she was surprised to find Michael waiting in the kitchen for her.

“I thought you went to bed,” she said, crouching down to release Santa from her collar.

Michael shook his head. “I just spend the past fifteen minutes repeatedly washing my mouth out with mouthwash,” he told her.

Sydney cringed and exclaimed with obvious sarcasm, “Fun!”

“It really wasn’t,” he laughed softly.

“Why’d ya do that?” she questioned.

He smiled simply. “So I could do this,” he said. Then he walked over to her, cupped her face with his hands and pulled her into a searing-yet-minty kiss.

A minute later when they broke, Sydney let out a soft giggle of happiness. “So was the mouthwash worth it?”

“Definitely,” Michael breathed before kissing her once more. Then he pulled back, attempting to get a hold of his physical restraint. “I don’t want to contaminate you too much,” he said with a nervous smile.

“Michael you’ve been on medication for over a week; I really don’t think you’re that contagious anymore,” Sydney told him.

“I might not be contagious if we’re just sitting in the same room, but somehow I think exchanging saliva might increase the odds of contamination,” he said while giving her a look.

“Good point,” she laughed softly. “Guess I’ll just have to settle for a hug then,” she sighed before wrapping her arms around his waist and tucking her chin against his shoulder.

Michael pulled her body tightly to his and kissed her shoulder gently before whispering, “Love you.” Upon hearing this, Sydney clung to him a little tighter as chills flooded down her spine from pure happiness.

“C’mon, come to bed with me,” she said, pulling back from the hug and taking his hand.

“Oh wait, wait, wait,” Michael pulled back on her hand to keep her standing in the same position. “We need to talk about…ground rules here.”

“Ground rules?” Sydney questioned.

“Well, I mean…if we’re going to be in a relationship and still live together, things could be…tricky,” he said, lacking a better word to describe the situation.

“Afraid you won’t be able to keep yourself in check?” Sydney asked with a coy smile.

Michael laughed softly. “Not exactly. I mean, right now I’m a little too sick to…you know, jump you. Plus I’d cough on you and that wouldn’t be good,” he cringed slightly. Sydney shook her head, cringing as well. “I just mean…well…,” he let his voice drift off, unsure of how to formulate his thoughts.

Sydney squeezed his hand gently and smiled up at him as she looked into his eyes. “I know it’s been a long time for you – a long time – so if you want to…you know, jump me that’s okay. More than okay, actually” she assured him.

He laughed softly. “You know, Valentine’s Day wasn’t that long ago incase you’ve forgotten.”

“Oh I could never forget. I was simply referring to the fact that…well, once in six years isn’t a lot. You’ve got some catching up to do,” she pointed out with a grin.

Michael laughed harder that time, which resulted in him coughing for a few moments. Once he regained his composure he said, “Yeah I guess I do, but I’d like to take it slow for a little while, considering how long it’s been since I was actually in a relationship.”

“That’s perfectly fine with me,” she assured him, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t come and sleep beside me, especially since you’re too sick to be frisky. C’mon, please? It can be my birthday present,” she smiled innocently and batted her eyelashes at him.

“Well I guess I can’t say no to that,” Michael sighed. Sydney grinned and gave an excited little jump of happiness, before dragging Michael up stairs. He briefly disappeared into his own room and returned with his supplies: his box of tissues, medicine and cough drops. Then, looking down at the items in his arms he sighed, “I’m going to contaminate you.”

“You’re really not; its fine,” Sydney guaranteed him.

“Alright, but if you get sick it’s your own fault then,” he said. Once his things were arranged on the nightstand, he slipped in bed beside Sydney, though he tried to stay as far away from her as possible. Of course, Sydney quickly remedied this by moving closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder.

“G’night,” she sighed contentedly.

“Night,” Michael repeated before kissing her head gently and then settling back against his pillow to get some rest.



Chapter 35

The next morning when Michael awoke, Sydney was still sleeping peacefully, her body curled around his. Feeling a coughing spell coming on, Michael slipped from the bed as quickly yet carefully as possible before slipping into the bathroom, where his coughs would be muffled. Upon returning to the bedroom he found that Sydney was beginning to stir. “Sorry,” he croaked.

“’sokay. I was half awake anyway,” she mumbled before yawning. Then she gestured for Michael to return to bed and he did as she asked. “Did you sleep well?”

“Pretty well,” he nodded. “You?”

“Good. I love sleeping beside you,” she smiled at him.

He laughed softly and smiled as well. “Me too,” he said. Then he groaned slightly and rolled onto his back. “Ugh, what day is it? I feel like I’ve been absent from the real world forever…”

“Well its Saturday and you’ve been absent from the real world for about a week and a half,” she told him seriously.

“A week and a half out of work… I’m sure they’ve fired me by now,” he sighed sadly.

Sydney was silent for a moment before responding. “Well…I can make sure they don’t if you really want to keep your job,” she said. He glanced over at her, curiously. “It’s just…this illness should be a wake up call for you. I mean, you don’t have to constantly think about making money to find a place for you and Grace. You’re not leaving now, are you?” she asked in an almost dangerous tone. Michael smiled softly and shook his head. “Exactly. So do what you want, Michael. You hate being a janitor, I know you do. What do you want to do with your life? What do you really want?” she asked.

He was silent for a few minutes as he stared up at the canopy top of her bed. Then, suddenly, he rolled over onto his side so he could look her in the eye. “When I was younger…I always wanted to open my own bakery. I loved making cookies and cakes and pies; its fun to me.”

“Then do that,” Sydney encouraged. He shook his head looking rather embarrassed. “Yes! Do that. Michael you’d be so good at that. You have such a talent – everything you make is amazing! I’d go there every day to buy cookies.”

“You wouldn’t,” he laughed.

“I so totally would!” she assured him. “Go on; do it.”

“Syd I can’t. I don’t even want to think about how much money it would take to open my own bakery. Not to mention the business skills that I don’t have. Plus… I think I’d like to go to a culinary school to learn some more tricks of the trade, so to speak.”

“So do that then,” Sydney told him. “I’m sure there’s a school that starts this summer. You can enroll in that…and then maybe once you graduate you could find a job working as an assistant chef until you feel comfortable branching off on your own. Then, I’ll give you the money to start your bakery and I’ll do the business stuff for it – lord knows I know how to do that,” she said with a slight eye roll.

Michael could not help but laugh softly at this, yet he was utterly amazed by the faith she had in him. “I dunno yet…,” he said cautiously. Truthfully, he was not sure he was brave enough to start completely over career-wise at the age of thirty and a half.

“Promise me you’ll think about it?” Sydney asked.

“Promise,” Michael confirmed with a nod. They lay in silence for a few moments before Michael looked over at her once more. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Always,” she smiled.

“Well…the truth is I had enough money for Grace and I to move out back in February. I even looked at some places, too, but, in the end I just…couldn’t. Is that alright?” he asked cautiously.

“More than alright,” she beamed. Michael making the decision to stay there with her when he could have moved out meant more than Sydney could ever express. They had come so far from the time when he made accepting a meal from her seem as though it was supreme torture. His desire to be there only reaffirmed the love and trust they had with each other, at least it did in Sydney’s mind. “What made you stay, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Grace,” he said simply. “It’s been so hard for me – us. She doesn’t have a female role model in her life and I was concerned how that would affect her. But here…she has you and she loves you and I knew that if we left she would be incredibly upset…I would be too,” he said honestly. Unable to express quite how much that meant to her in words, Sydney leaned over and gave Michael a very long kiss.

When they broke their kiss, Michael couldn’t help but laugh softly. “You’re going to catch my pneumonia,” he told her seriously.

“Eh,” Sydney shrugged. “A least I’ll go to the doctor,” she said pointedly. Michael blushed slightly. “See, you need to listen to me the next time.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “I guess I should get up though…Grace’ll be up soon.”

“Yep and Santa needs walked…oh wait – are we going to tell Grace? I mean…she’ll see us kissing and wonder what’s going on,” Sydney said rather nervously, not looking forward to the first time that happened.

“Well, I don’t know what your plans are but I actually wasn’t planning on scarring my daughter by making out with you in front of her,” Michael said very seriously.

Sydney laughed. “I wasn’t planning on licking you in front of her Michael, but…you know, a quick kiss is obviously something we haven’t done before. We’ve hardly even hugged in front of her!”

“Yeah that’s a good point,” Michael sighed. “Alright we’ll tell her at breakfast,” he determined. Then, they parted so that they could get ready for the day before Grace awoke.

Fifteen minutes later, Michael met Sydney in the kitchen, where she was putting on a pot of coffee for herself. He walked up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist, giving her a hug from behind. She let out a soft giggle and turned her head back to give him a kiss on the chin. “I’m gonna take Santa out; I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“’Kay,” he said through a yawn. After sipping on some coffee, Michael went upstairs to wake Grace. He was not looking forward to the conversation they were going to have regarding Sydney, not that he thought she would be strictly against a relationship between the two of them; that wasn’t the problem. He merely was unsure of what to say and afraid of some questions that might be asked on Grace’s part.

“Are you feeling better Daddy?” she asked.

“I’m feeling much better, sweetie; thanks for asking,” he smiled down at her. The two of them descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen, where Michael retrieved a bowl and some cereal for Grace to eat. Then, he grabbed a banana for himself and sat down beside her. “Grace, honey I need to talk to you about something.”

“What?” Grace asked.

“Well, um, you see…Sydney and I – we’re going to be in a relationship now. You know, like, dating…do you know what I mean?” he asked, cringing inwardly at his inability to explain things. Grace nodded and he continued, “Is that alright?”

Before Grace could answer, Sydney returned to the kitchen with Santa on her leash. Noticing the serious talk going on between father and daughter, she hovered by Santa’s food bowl, which was on the other side of the kitchen from them.

“Yeah I guess,” Grace said in a rather lack-luster way.

Concerned, Michael’s brow furrowed. “Did you not want me to be in a relationship with Sydney?” He had not expected that sort of response and was thus unprepared of how to react to it.

“No, that’s okay. I was just gonna ask for it for my birthday…now I don’t know what to ask for!” she exclaimed as though it was actually a difficult problem.

At this comment, Michael and Sydney both laughed. “You were going to ask for it for your birthday!?” Michael asked her. She nodded with a grin. “You silly girl – you can’t do that!”

“Why not? It woulda been a great present!” she told him.

“Well now you can have something better,” Sydney told her.

“Well I already got a puppy…and now this…what else is there?” Grace asked seriously.

Sydney could hardly believe this response until she remembered that with Michael and Grace’s dire financial status, she probably did not receive much in the way of nonessential items for her birthday the previous summer. “Well I dunno…but you’ve still got some time to think about it, okay?” Sydney told her.

“Okay…but its gonna be tough!” Grace exclaimed. Then, Sydney and Michael laughed once more.



Chapter 36

For the next few weeks, things went absolutely perfect for Sydney and Michael. Michael was getting better and better each day and soon his pneumonia was almost entirely gone; all he was left with was an occasional cough, which was fading by the day. Once kissing Michael no longer came with risk of contamination (in Michael’s words), Sydney and Michael had difficulty keeping themselves separated from one another. Unfortunately, due to this fact, they were caught kissing by Grace many times, the first of which was very awkward for all parties involved.

It was just a normal Wednesday afternoon for their almost-family. The trio was taking a look at an educational special on TV for Grace. Of course, Grace was the least interested of all of them, so she slipped off to go and focus her attention on Santa. Noticing that she was gone, Michael decided to liven up the situation by focusing his attention on Sydney’s lips.

As the kissing duo became enthralled with each other, they forgot about the pair of curious seven-year-old eyes in the room. It was not until they had been kissing for quite some time when they noticed Grace standing across from them, Santa in her arms. “How do you breathe like that?!” she asked with utmost curiosity.

Sydney blushed furiously and decided to stay silent while Michael fielded that question. “Well, um…we breathe,” Michael managed though he too was blushing.

“That’s weird,” Grace said simply. Then she walked back into the kitchen with Santa without another word.

Once she was gone, Sydney and Michael looked at each other nervously and exchanged soft laughs. “Somehow, I think I’m glad she has that opinion. Hopefully she’ll keep it for the next twenty years,” Michael grumbled.

Sydney laughed loudly. “Oh you wish. I can’t wait to see how you handle Grace’s first date-”

“Shhhhh!” Michael cut her off before she even finished the last word. “That will never happen. She won’t date; she’ll reverse growth and stay an infant forever.”

Sydney laughed once more. “You go ahead and think that,” she said with a very patronizing pat of Michael’s cheek.

Despite some awkward moments with Grace observing his kissing activities with Sydney, Michael was happier than he had ever been. Taking Sydney’s advice, he decided to quit his job as a janitor in pursuit of things he actually enjoyed. Though he hated to admit it, Sydney had finally wore down his pride enough so that he was willing to accept her financial help while he did a little soul-searching.

He never had been happy as a janitor or as a construction worker, which was his previous job. One thing he truly wanted to do was somehow work in the food industry, but with Grace to support it was just too much of a risk; he needed a steady income, not something he might be successful at on a whim. But with Sydney taking care of their support (temporarily), he could afford to go to cooking school and at least check out that career path. There would always be another janitorial or construction position if need be. He had hope, though, that he would be able to succeed in the food industry and then be making money to support Grace once more. He knew he would never be able to pull in a salary even half of what Sydney made (which he could only guess was in the mid-six figure range if not higher), but that was something he would just have to live with.

While still recovering fully, he browsed the internet for culinary schools in New York City. Of course, there were many of those, but he was looking for ones specializing in pastries and deserts, and also those that would be having sessions starting in the early summer. After a significant amount of searching and research, Michael chose the school he wished to enroll in and, luckily, he had enough money to pay for the summer’s tuition, which meant he did not need to worry about leaning on Sydney, at least not for that.

April slowly faded into May and Michael found himself growing increasingly bored during the days. Suddenly he wished he had not quit his janitorial job simply because he was going stir-crazy without any work to do. His classes did not start until the last week in May, which left him plenty of time to do…well, nothing. He did begin taking Grace to and from school every day, though. To take up time, he would walk to her school; it was far, but not that far, and walking ate up a good hour of his time.

As the school year was drawing to a close, Grace became increasingly more excited about that summer, which she insisted would be the best ever. Michael and Sydney heartily agreed on this point. It was going to be the best summer for all of them, especially since they could spend it together.

One evening during the middle of May, Grace was getting ready for bed while Sydney waited to tuck her in. “My friend from school -- Hannah – she told me today that she’s gonna have a baby brother soon,” Grace told her as she pulled on her lemon yellow colored pajamas that were covered in daises.

“Oh yeah? Well that’ll be nice for Hannah,” Sydney smiled at her.

“Yeah, I hope I get a baby brother someday…or maybe a sister,” Grace said before clambering up onto her bed and pulling back the covers, sending a few stuffed animals sprawling out of the way.

“Yeah? You’d like a little sibling?” Sydney asked.

“Oh yeah, not too many though. My friend Kate has three older brothers and one younger sister – that’s too many,” Grace grimaced.

“I agree,” Sydney grimaced as well.

“Do you wanna have kids Sydney?” Grace asked.

“Yep,” Sydney nodded as she began to rearrange the stuffed animals and pull the covers up around Grace.

“You gonna have them with my Dad?” she asked.

Sydney smiled softly as she sat down on the edge of the bed. “Well I don’t know…maybe. We’ll have to see.”

“I think you should…’cause then you’d be my mom too, right?” Grace asked through a yawn.

“Yeah, I would,” Sydney said softly. She already felt so much like a mother to Grace, even if they were technically united as a family she could not see very much changing; she already loved Grace more than anything.

“I’d like that; you’d be a good mom,” Grace told her.

“Thank you sweetie,” Sydney said, fighting the tears that were beginning to pool in her eyes. “Goodnight; sleep well now,” She said before kissing Grace’s forehead gently.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Michael was standing outside Grace’s bedroom door and had heard their entire conversation. A smile across his face, he hurried downstairs so that he would not be caught eavesdropping by Sydney. He plopped himself down on the couch only a minute before Sydney walked into the kitchen and called out to him that she was taking Santa for her walk.

While she was gone, Michael thought about what his daughter had said. She whole-heartedly approved of Sydney as a motherly figure. Of course, this was far from surprising, but it was very comforting to hear Grace admit it aloud. As a parent, one did what they thought was right, but it was always nice to have confirmation that one’s actions had been the right thing to do.

“You know, walking Santa is much nicer now that it’s warm outside,” Sydney laughed softly when she returned to the couch and sat beside Michael.

“Yeah,” he smiled at her.

“What’s with you? You look…I dunno,” she gave him a questioning look with a furrowed brow.

“Nothing’s wrong, I’m just happy,” he said simply. Then, he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her body right up against his. She let out a soft giggle as they began to kiss. Immediately, Sydney noticed that this kiss was much different than all the others. Pulling back, she gave him a questioning look.

“Well, um,” he croaked nervously. “I was thinking that maybe we could, um…”

“Speed things up a little?” Sydney offered.

“Yeah, that’s it,” he laughed softly before kissing her once more. After a moment’s kissing, Sydney broke their kiss once more. Instead of giving him a questioning look, though, she smiled, took his hand and led him through the kitchen and into the foyer.

Once upstairs and safely behind Sydney’s bedroom door, they resumed their kisses. Sydney noticed that that time, Michael seemed to be much more hesitant about initiating the removal of their clothes. Of course, this really wasn’t a fair comparison since the previous time they had both been very eager, but it still made her wonder. “What’s the matter?” she asked breathlessly.

“Nothing…I’m just…well, I guess I’m a little nervous,” he admitted shyly.

“Why? We have before…”

“I know, but this time it’s not just…it means something – not that last time didn’t mean anything but…but this is going to continue to mean something…I’m not making any sense…I’m crazy,” he laughed slightly, feeling embarrassed and yet thankful that the room was dark, so she could not see his blushing.

“No, you are making sense. I guess that makes me just as crazy as you,” she laughed softly.

“I guess so,” he laughed as well.

Sydney momentarily stepped away from him to switch on the lamp by her bedside on its lowest setting. Then, she returned to Michael’s arms, locked hers around his neck and looked him directly in the eye. “I love you,” she said softly.

“I love you,” he repeated before bringing his lips down to hers.



Chapter 37

The next morning when Michael opened his eyes, he was met by the beautiful sight of Sydney asleep beside him. Her hair was half covering her eyes and she was snoring softly, obviously deep in slumber. Michael gently brushed her hair back from her face and admired her lovingly. That was until he noticed a most unfortunate sight.

Standing at the end of Sydney’s oversized bed was Grace, her chin resting on the fluffy white comforter, watching the two adults sleep. Michael broke into a cold sweat as he horrifically realized that he had forgotten to put his boxers back on before falling asleep; they were beside the bed on the floor along with all of Sydney’s undergarments. Swallowing hard with horror, he tightly pulled the blanket up to his chin before hissing, “What are you doing?” to his daughter.

She shrugged and whispered to him, “I woke up and I was hungry so I came to find you.”

“Well go downstairs and wait for me; I’ll be right there,” he said to her. Grace nodded with a smile and ran out of the bedroom. Once she was gone, Michael flopped back against his pillow and sighed heavily with relief. He definitely needed to have a serious talk with his daughter about the appropriateness of barging into people’s bedrooms unannounced. This was both common courtesy and a way to keep her from seeing something very scarring – for both of them.

After pulling on his clothes, Michael left Sydney still asleep in bed and went down to have a talk with his daughter that he was not looking forward to at all. He found Grace seated at the kitchen table looking hungrily towards the refrigerator. “Can we have pancakes?” she asked as soon as he appeared.

“Sure honey,” he said before walking over to the refrigerator to pull out the necessary ingredients.

“Daddy can I ask you a question?” Grace asked. Michael nodded encouragingly, though he somewhat dreaded whatever her little mind would come up with. “How comes you sleep in the same bed as Sydney?”

“Well, for the same reason married people sleep in the same bed as each other. It’s nice to sleep beside the person you love so that you can feel close to them and be with them when they’re most vulnerable,” he explained.

“Don’t you kick each other?” she asked curiously.

Michael laughed softly. “No, not usually. But Grace, you know you can’t just walk into Sydney’s bedroom if the door is closed. From now on you have to knock and wait for one of us to respond – unless it’s an emergency.”

“What’s an emergency?” she asked.

“Well, if there’s a fire or the alarm system goes off,” he told her.

“Okay…but how comes you come in my room when the door’s closed and you don’t knock?” she asked.

“Well, because I’m your dad and as much as you don’t like to hear it, you’re still young. When you get older, I’ll make sure to knock. People’s bedrooms are their private, personal areas, so that’s why it’s always courteous to knock,” he explained. He was desperately tiring to convey the importance of knocking to her without stating the true reasoning which was, of course, that sometimes parents “hugged” each other in private and did not wish to be disturbed during those times.

“Okay…are you gonna sleep in Sydney’s room every night now?” she asked.

“I’m not sure yet…why?” he asked.

“Well I gotta know where to find you incase there’s an emergency!” Grace exclaimed exasperatedly.

Michael laughed softly at this. “I’ll tell ya what. If you come out of your room and my bedroom door is open that means I’m with Sydney, but if it’s closed I’m not. Easy enough?”

“Yep,” she smiled.

“Good,” he smiled back before focusing his attention on their pancakes.

Just as the pancakes were finishing cooking, Sydney appeared in the kitchen clad in her ivory robe looking very sleepy. “Mm smells good,” she commented as she walked around behind Michael and put her arms around his waist. “Thanks for making breakfast,” she smiled at him.

“Of course. I gotta practice for school next week,” he smiled back at her.

“You guys are gross,” Grace commented at the adult’s gooey-eyed expressions. Both Michael and Sydney laughed softly at this before joining Grace at the table.

Half way through their meal, Grace set down her fork and looked curiously up at her father. “I gots another question. You said that people who love each other sleep in the same bed – I get that, but why do ya gotta sleep without your pajamas? Is that a rule or somethin’?”

At this, Sydney choked painfully on her cup of coffee and Michael felt his face growing very hot. “N-no,” Michael croaked. “It’s not a rule it…it was just rather warm last night,” he mumbled weakly.

“Oh. Sam says his parents hug each other without clothes on. Do you do that too?” she asked curiously.

Sydney whimpered inwardly as she felt the extreme urge to crawl under the table. As she did this, Michael shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat loudly. “Well, um…some parents do that, but you know Sam really shouldn’t talk about that because it’s private,” he told her.

“Okay, I’ll tell him that next time he talks ‘bout it,” Grace said before continuing to eat her pancakes. Once she was finished, she slid off of her seat and bounced into the other room to play with Santa (since she was house trained, she was no longer gated into the kitchen area and had taken up residence on one of the chairs in the family room). After she was gone, Michael slammed his head down on the kitchen table and moaned slightly.

To this, Sydney laughed. “OH it wasn’t that bad…”

“That bad?! That bad?!!?” he hissed. “Were you listening to the conversation.”

“Could have been worse,” she shrugged simply. “She could have asked what you were doing ‘hugging’ me without clothes on,” she pointed out.

“Oh god,” Michael moaned with horror. Sydney giggled softly. “That was not good…we can definitely never let her see us ‘hugging,’” he said with air quotes.

“My bedroom door locks,” she suggested.

“Good plan. I already told her that she had to knock before coming in, so that will just add to the security system,” Michael said.

They were silent for a few more moments before Sydney burst out giggling. When Michael gave her a curious look she explained, “Oh I’m just picturing you having the birds and the bees talk with her; its funny.”

“Um, excuse me, no I will not be having that with her. What do you think school’s for?” he said seriously.

“They don’t explain everything. Plus, she might have more personal questions that school can’t answer,” Sydney said.

Michael was silent for a moment before saying, “Okay…what do you think you’re for?”

Sydney laughed softly. “I see…that’s the only reason you want me, isn’t it? So you don’t have to have scarring conversations about periods and tampons and bras?”

After visibly shivering, Michael said, “Well yes…but for other reasons, too.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” she questioned with a grin.

“Like this,” he said before pulling her into a sweet kiss.



Chapter 38

For the next few months, things went perfectly. Of course, the changes in the daily lives of Sydney, Michael and Grace had not been too dramatic, but the little changes made everything all that more perfect.

Sydney and Michael shared a bed nightly and, most thankfully, Grace had not appeared in their room unannounced again. Both enjoyed the intimate closeness bed sharing brought them and only had a few bed sharing related tiffs, which was very good for both. One such tiff was due to the fact that Michael refused to move his clothing and other assorted belongings into Sydney’s bedroom. In his mind, this still technically meant they were living apart (even if it was just by that tiny technicality), which was better for Grace, or so he believed. Sydney found this logic ridiculous, but she knew his stubbornness all too well to argue with it.

Michael’s culinary school classes began at the end of May and he was shocked to find how very school-like they were. Originally, he just thought he would be going to class, cooking a dish, and then going home. This, however, could not have been further from the truth. Of course this was part of his education there, but his classes also involved lectures, text books and exams with culinary terms. This was a bit of a shock for him since he had been out of school for over twelve years, but he managed to get back into the swing of things rather quickly.

Despite the original frustration of studying for tests once more, Michael quickly grew to love his culinary classes. They were expanding his knowledge on a subject he already loved, and, in his mind, no wrong could come from that. However, he quickly realized he had a lot to learn, especially when his first creation earned him a rather painful ‘D’. Despite this less than stellar grade, Michael’s sprits weren’t lessened; it only made him want to work harder to succeed the next time around.

With the onset of summer came the end of school for Grace. This, of course, caused a tiny problem in their household; without Grace spending her days at school, she needed someplace else to go. Luckily, her school was organized with a handful of other schools that provided day camps for working parents just like Michael and Sydney. Though she was unsure of the idea of camp at first, Grace quickly grew to love her time there, especially since many of her friends from first grade were there too.

By the middle of the summer, Michael was one hundred percent positive that Sydney was the woman he was meant to spend his life with. True, their class and cultural backgrounds were worlds apart, but he no longer saw that as an issue between them. He completely accepted the fact that in their marriage, Sydney would be the main bread winner, so to speak. And, obviously, Sydney had no problem with their differences in financial status, which further reaffirmed that he should not either. He was definitely ready for marriage and for Sydney to be the woman he married.

In his life a little more than eight years earlier, he had proposed to another woman: Marie, Grace’s mother. Of course, this proposal was the result of Marie informing him that she was pregnant with a pregnancy that was not planned. Had it not happened, Michael could not honestly say he saw himself marrying Marie otherwise. However, it did happen and he was fully prepared to do the right thing at the time, even if it ended in divorce later on. With Sydney, though, he saw no such gloomy future plans. He only saw them growing together with their family until they were old and grey.

With the decision to propose to Sydney, or anyone for that matter, came the need for the proper words to say and the proper ring to bestow upon the loved individual. However, in Michael’s case, the latter could never be. All his money was tied up in his schooling and, even if he could have scraped together a few hundred dollars to buy something, he knew it would appear absurd when compared to the other gems Sydney already owned and wore. Since he had nothing physical (at least not in the way of jewelry) to give her, he needed to come up with the absolute perfect words to say and, after a few days of thinking, he finally thought up the perfect thing.

Before proposing to Sydney, Michael needed to get the approval of Grace. Of course, he far from thought she would be opposed to their union, but it was simply something he had to do. The only problem was that Grace, being only an almost-eight-year-old child, was not the best secret-keeper in the world, meaning he had to wait until almost the last minute to discuss it with her. Luckily, the incentive that she was actually going to be used in his proposal helped to keep her mouth shut until the big event arrived.

It was a Saturday afternoon when Sydney returned from walking Santa that Michael sat her down on the couch and pulled Grace into his lap before beginning his well-practiced words. “Sydney I know it hasn’t been quite a year since we’ve met and only a few months since we’ve been officially together, but that doesn’t matter. In the past nine months you’ve taken me from the darkest, worst time in my life to the absolute best just by being in my life. You helped me – Grace and I – without us ever asking for help. In fact, you continued to help even when I begged you not to,” he said with a soft laugh. “You took us into your home, into your heart with no questions asked, and that alone will make me love you forever.

“I know I don’t have much to offer by way of physical things. I can’t give you a big house, or fancy jewels…in fact, the only fancy thing I can give you is a really good dessert,” he laughed once more, “but I can give you all the love I’ve got. We both can so…will you marry us?” he asked, putting his arm around Grace’s waist.

“Say yes!” Grace chimed in immediately.

Sydney laughed softly at this too as she brushed away the single tear that was burning a line down her cheek. She was so touched by the things he had said, she could hardly form words. Luckily, she only had to form one. “Yes, yes of course,” she sniffed before pulling them both into a hug. She kissed each their cheeks in turn before nuzzling her face into Michael’s neck and clinging to him tightly.

“Oh I love you both so much,” Sydney said, kissing them each one more time.

“I love you too…but can I go play with Santa now?” Grace asked.

“Of course, go ahead,” Sydney laughed softly. Grace hopped down from Michael’s lap and rushed into the kitchen, leaving the newly engaged duo free to kiss each other without risking scarring her.

“Oh and just so you know, really good deserts are so much better than fancy jewels,” Sydney informed Michael with a smile.

“Good to know,” he laughed before pulling her into a passionate kiss. When they broke a few minutes later, Sydney locked her arms around Michael’s waist and hugged him tightly, never feeling happier to be in his arms. “So, um,” Michael began rather nervously. “I can’t give you a ring bu-”

“Oh Michael, I don’t care about that,” she said, sitting up straight and looking him into the eye. “A ring means nothing when compared to you being my husband.”

Michael smiled softly. “Well, I’m glad to hear you say that, but I still wanted to give you a little something,” he paused to reach down and grab the item he’d tucked under the coffee table a few minutes earlier. When he pulled out the rectangular brown box, he slid it onto her lap with a smile.

“What’s this?” she asked with confusion.

“Probably the only thing I have that’s valuable. It’s all my top secret recipes that I’ve modified to perfection…okay, so maybe they’re not top secret – but I wouldn’t share them with just anyone,” he winked.

Sydney smiled down at the box in her lap. So it wasn’t a thousand dollar diamond ring, but it meant a lot to Michael, which meant it was invaluable to her. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

After sharing another kiss, Sydney settled back into Michael’s arms, wanting nothing more than to be close to him at that moment. They sat there contentedly, Michael stroking Sydney’s arm lightly, for a few minutes before Sydney finally brought up a subject that crossed into her mind frequently over the previous months, including right then. “Hey Michael…do you ever wonder what would have happened to you and Grace if my driver hadn’t almost run into you that day?”

Michael sighed heavily; he had indeed wondered that same thought various nights when he was laying in the guest bedroom instead of a cold, filthy cot in a homeless shelter. “I don’t even want to think about it. Honestly, I don’t think we’d be here… I don’t know what would have happened to us but… I just can’t think about it,” he said, shaking his head slightly.

Sydney completely understood. She feared that the worst might have happened to him and Grace; worse than she could have ever possibly comprehended. But there was no use dwelling on it; they were all going to be just fine, together.

After another few moments of silence Michael said, “Oh there’s one more thing – I almost forgot. I’ve talked with Grace and, if you want, she’ll start calling you ‘Mom.’”

With this touching gesture, another solid lump formed in Sydney’s throat and she leaned forward to give Michael a long kiss. “I’d love that,” she said softly to him. Of course, those three words could never be enough to represent the emotions she felt; that gift to her was better than all the diamonds in the entire world.



Epilogue

“Moooooom! Billy threw up everywhere!” eleven-year-old Grace groaned with disgust as she walked into her parent’s bedroom. She, of course, was referring to her younger brother, William (fondly known as Billy), who was three months old.

“What?! Oh no!” Sydney groaned. She quickly grabbed her robe and tied it around her fancy gown, so that when she picked up her son he would not ruin something very expensive. Then, she rushed from the room.

That particular evening, she and her husband were preparing to attend a fancy charity gala. Of course, they had attended many such events (much to Michael’s displeasure) over their four year marriage, but this one was particularly stressful since it meant Sydney would be leaving her precious child for the first time since his birth. She had left him before, but only for a short while – a half an hour at most – and, even in those times, he stayed with his father. That night, however, both Sydney and Michael would be going out, leaving Billy in the care of a babysitter. Albeit, this babysitter was a very qualified one (it was Sydney’s own mother), but still, she worried.

“Billy, honey, what are you doing spitting up when Mommy and Daddy have to leave?” she cooed at her child as she lifted him up from his crib. Once he was in her arms and gurgling she found that Grace’s announcement had been quite and exaggeration. Billy had only spit up a minimal amount onto himself, so minimal his clothes did not even need to be changed.

“Grace, this does not constitute as throwing up everywhere,” Sydney called out to her with a slightly annoyed groan.

“It does when I’m holdin’ him!” Grace insisted with a grimace. Sydney sighed and shook her head slightly. While Grace was practically ecstatic about having a little sibling when Michael and Sydney announced their pregnancy, this joy quickly wore off shortly after Billy’s birth. Apparently, Grace had a (in her words) low gross tolerance, which meant spit-ups and diaper changes sent her running with horror in the opposite direction.

“Your sister loves you, she really does,” Sydney assured her child before pressing a kiss onto his forehead. Of course, this left a lip-shaped lipstick mark that caused Sydney to laugh softly. She grabbed baby wipe from the nearby changing table and washed Billy’s head free of the lipstick.

“Syd,” Michael said in a warning tone as he appeared in the nursery doorway.

“I know; I have to go,” Sydney sighed, hugging her son tighter. “But you know…I could just stay.”

“Nope, you’re going. It’s going to be fine,” Michael assured her. He pulled Billy from his wife’s arms (though she was very reluctant to let go), pressed a kiss onto his head and then set him back down in his crib. Sydney whimpered slightly as Michael pulled her out of the room, but Michael gave her a reassuring hug. “It’s only a few hours,” he reminded her.

“But what if he forgets me!?” she asked tearfully.

“Not possible,” Michael said with a slight laugh. “C’mon. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back.”

“Oh, that’s true,” she said rather hopefully. “Plus it’ll be fun; I haven’t heard you critique desserts in a while,” she smiled at him.

“True,” he laughed softly. Upon graduating from culinary school, Michael received a job working as a pastry chef in a fancy hotel. He used this position to advance his talents until, finally, the previous year he was able to open a small bakery of his own. It wasn’t much, but since it had been his dream for so long, it meant the world to him.

“Alright, alright I’m ready,” Sydney sighed after a few more moments of primping in front of the mirror.

“Then let’s go beautiful,” Michael smiled at her. Then, he took her hand, kissed her cheek and led her down the stairs.

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