Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, LA Medical Center ~

September 6

11:34 AM

Oni opened her eyes slowly and it took her some time to focus. A rhythmic beeping sound was soothing and alarming at the same time. She observed that she is in an unfamiliar room and then her gaze met Michael\'s.

The moment Michael saw that she is awake, he moved from the chair and sat on the edge of her bed.

Oni smiled, happy that horrible flashes from her mind are just a bad dream. And they must be a dream because if they are not, she would be in pain, tied up to a chair.

A second later Oni observed that Michael\'s face is bruised up and that his gaze is full of worry and deep sadness.

Oni realized that the beeping is coming from the heart rate monitor and that she is in the hospital bed. She was not sure what to think about jumbled images and the current situation, but she acknowledged that there is a possibility that she is not in pain because she is under some medication. It took her a few seconds to recognize that her whole body is numb.

Panic swelled inside Oni as she saw that Michael\'s hands are bandaged, and he is wearing a hospital gown.

"What happened?", Oni asked.

Michael stared at Oni and he didn\'t know how to respond. Or to be more accurate, he didn\'t know where to start.

He didn\'t leave Oni\'s side since she came out of the surgery. JoAnna told him that it will be a few hours since she gave extra anesthetic to Oni.

JoAnna wanted Oni to rest longer because she knew that Oni will be upset when she wakes up. Just by the injuries alone, JoAnna knew that Oni went through a traumatic experience.

While sitting here, Michael imagined that Oni will accuse him that it\'s all his fault, or maybe she will tell him that she does not want to see him again, or throw a huge fit, or refuse to talk to him completely... and part of him hoped that she will forgive him because her love and understanding are endless. And he thought that he is ready to face her, but now that she is looking at him with eyes full of concern and asking for answers, he is finding it difficult to talk.

"I messed up.", Michael said after a long silence which was interrupted only by the rhythmical beeping of the heart rate monitor. "You got hurt because of me."

Oni took a deep breath and then another one, and her mind cleared up. She remembered the terrace of the café in Frankfurt and her following after Michael and her being tied up to a chair and that woman and… Her heart shook because she thought that she will never see Michael again, but he is here, so that is OK. They made it out. Somehow.

Oni lifted her left hand and saw that it\'s bandaged and in a cast and… tears started rolling down her cheeks.

She was shocked by the realization that the images from her mind are not from a dream. She was in hell. It was her personal hell where she faced the possibility of not seeing Michael again; there was a woman-demon (aka Jesse) who wanted to use her to get to Michael and she was tortured and based on Michael\'s appearance, he was tortured as well. There is a dose of relief that it\'s over and they are back together, alive, and so many emotions surged within her that the only thing she could do was to cry.

"I am sorry. I lost the ring…", Oni sobbed.

She was not sure why she said that. Yes, she is sorry that she lost the ring, but she is also glad that he is by her side. Shouldn\'t that be more important? But somehow, the ring which she picked, and they engraved letters \'M\' and \'O\'

on the inside, was very important.

Michael was stunned. After everything, she is apologizing for losing the ring.

He lifted his right hand with an intention to wipe her tears away but stopped halfway when he realized that his hand is in the cast. He used his left hand which is wrapped in gauze to the point that it looks like he is wearing a big white mitten, but it\'s better than the cast.

"You didn\'t lose it. It\'s with me.", he tried to comfort her.

Oni observed his hand which reached for her cheeks repeatedly and she knew that he is touching her, but she barely felt it. That confirmed that she is under heavy painkillers. Her gaze fell on his arms. When he lifted his left arm, the sleeve of the hospital gown slid higher, revealing that the bandage is going all the way up to his elbows.

"What happened with your arms?", Oni asked in a shaky voice. "Are you in pain?"

Michael lowered his head and took a deep breath while trying to suppress the tears which pooled in his eyes. Instead of worrying about herself, she is concerned about the ring and about him.

He remembered how he struggled to break free from the leather straps which were cutting into his forearms, but the painful memory was the image of Oni being tortured on the screen in front of him… and the most agonizing is the fact that the woman he loves was suffering, yet he was unable to do anything about it. That feeling of helplessness was unbearable. And it still is.

With every passing second, his heart ached more, forcing him to bend deeper, like a wilting flower.

Michael jolted when he felt Oni\'s hand patting his head gently. Is she comforting him?

"Don\'t blame yourself.", Oni spoke softly. "I remember that you didn\'t want to go on a mission at all. I insisted that we should get to the bottom of it so that you can get your answers. And it was my decision to go after you. Every mission has a risk, and until now we were lucky. Actually, we are lucky now as well because we are alive, and together."

Michael listened to Oni\'s calm voice which was soothing his aching soul and he was confident that he does not deserve her.

As much as he hates to admit it, Jesse was right. He was gullible, and he was deceived and used, and he made so many bad decisions in his past that he can\'t remember them all. And it all culminated in Oni being tortured. An innocent teenager who has nothing to do with his mistakes ended up paying for them.

Oni is the bright star in his dark life; he was enjoying her light and no matter how many times he told himself that she is too good for him, and that if he loves her he should stay away, he couldn\'t make himself do so.

He was stupid and she got hurt and... she is comforting him.

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