Trust in Me

Looking in from the doorway of the hospital room, Jack watched his wife as she slept. With his arms crossed over his chest, he didn't know what he would do. The loss of the baby that he had just found out about and the fact that his wife was trying to push him away was not how things were supposed to be. They should be on their way home, celebrating the life that they had created, not mourning the loss. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jack turned and looked into the eyes of the one person he believed could get through his wife's stubborn head.

Walking back into the hallway, Jack made sure the door shut so that Michelle wouldn't be disturbed by the talking. “She blames everything on herself.”

“What happened?”

“A guy hit the back of my SUV,” Jack said as he ran his hand through his blonde hair. “Chelle was driving. When we left practice, she told me that she was pregnant. We were happy and then we got here for her to get checked out for sure and someone hit our car. She blacked out and lost the baby.”

“Go get something to eat,” he said. “I'll deal with her and don't worry, she's not gonna leave you.”

Nodding his head, Jack left to the cafeteria to eat something. Taking a deep breath, he knew he would need strength when dealing with Michelle. She was family, but she was also very hard headed when she didn't want to hear anything else. Pushing a chair closer to where she laying in the hospital bed, he sat down and looked at her. She looked so helpless in the hospital bed. It broke his heart knowing that she was hurting and there was nothing he could do to help ease the pain.

“Hey little girl.”

Opening her eyes, Michelle looked at the face of her cousin, before looking away. Pulling the sheet up over her head, she knew he was still there, but now she could pretend that he wasn't and that he hadn't seen her like this. She had a feeling that Jack had called him when he wasn't getting through to her.

“Michelle...the blanket thing doesn't work....so please don't act like I'm not here.”

“What do you want?” Michelle asked as she pulled the blanket down from over her head. “And why are you even here?”

“I know you hurt,” Dustin started. “I'm family and so I'm seeing if there is anything I can do for you.”

“Go back to your family,” Michelle told him. “You don't need to be here.”

“Why should I leave?” he questioned her. “So you can act cold and bitchy to the man that loves you endlessly? He would do anything for you and you won't even talk to him in full sentences.”

“Doesn't matter.”

“Do you blame him?” he asked. Michelle's eyes met his for the first time since he came into the room. “Do you blame Jack for what happened?”

“No,” Michelle said as she felt the tears come to her eyes. “How can you even ask me that? I was the one that was pregnant. I'm the one that lost his baby. I destroyed the family that we were about to start. Don't you get it, Dustin? This is all my fault.”

Getting out of his chair, he sat on the bed and scooped her into his arms. “I'm sorry. I really am, but he's hurting too and you can't just push him away. Especially not now.”

“It hurts too much. I lost our baby and I don't know how to tell everyone.”

“You don't need to be worried about that right now,” he told her soothingly. “I love you, but you can't take the weight of the world onto your shoulders. You just need time with your husband and the two of you need to heal.”

“I'm supposed to be released in a day or so,” Michelle said. “There is a bassinet in my bedroom at the house. The receipt is on the kitchen table.”

“I'll take care of it,” Dustin told her. “You don't have to worry about anything. I have your back.”

“I wanna go home.”

“I know you do, but for now you just need to rest up so that you can leave as soon as they say you can.”

“Does everyone know?” she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

“The people that matter know, yes,” Dustin said. “What matters right now is that you and Jack can always try again. This wasn't your fault. All it was, was an accident.”

“I-”

“You couldn't do anything about it and that's the end of that,” Dustin told her. “Right now you just need to let your husband know that you love him and that you and him will move on from this. You have him worried sick.”

“All I wanted was to-”

“You want your baby,” Dustin said. “But since you can't have that, your husband needs you. I told you not to fall in love with him.”

“You actually said it was better to fall in love with Jack then some of the other guys on the team,” Michelle said. “And if I remember correctly you said at least Jack was on the Kings so you could keep an eye on us.”

“Hey, you could have fallen for Parise or someone from team USA,” Dustin laughed. “It would be hard to get after someone if you were on the east coast.”

Hearing the door open, Dustin looked at who entered ready to ask them to leave when he saw it was Jack. “I'm gonna go and take care of some of that stuff for you.”

“Thanks for coming by.” Jack said as he passed him.

Dustin patted his back as if to tell him that everything would be okay.

Michelle watched as Dustin left her room and then her eyes went to her husband, the man that she had taken vows with. For better and for worse. Well this was definitely a for worse part of their lives, that much she was sure.

“You look tired.”

“Exhausted,” Jack told her as he sat on the bed next to her, mindful of the wires and cords and took her hand in his. “But there was no way that I was going to let you be here by yourself.”

“Thank you,” Michelle said looking into his eyes. “But can we leave soon? I don't wanna be here and I know you don't, I just need out of this place. I wanna go home.”

“We will soon,” Jack said. “But for tonight you are stuck with me as your roommate.”

“Are you-”

“I'm not leaving you here,” he told her. “No chance in hell.”

After what felt like an eternity, Michelle was released from the hospital and Jack was with her to take her back home. And just like her cousin had said, he had taken care of everything, including taking all the kids stuff out of the house that she had bought the day she told Jack she was pregnant. Barney was no where in sight so she assumed that Dustin had taken him to his place or even to Jonathan Quick's.

“You okay?” Jack asked, placing his hand on her back as she placed her purse on the island in the kitchen.

“Yeah,” Michelle said nodding her head. “I guess I thought when we came home something would be different, but nothing is different.”

“We are,” Jack said as he put his arms around her shoulders. “We are different, but we can adjust and eventually move on from this.”

Nodding her head, she turned and wrapped her arms around his middle. “I'm sorry that I tried to shut you out and push you away. I don't want you to leave me. Not ever.”

“I have no plans to leave you,” Jack whispered into her ear. “I love you too much.”

“I love you too.”

Leaning down, he placed his lips softly upon hers. “How about you and me lay down for awhile and then maybe we can have some people over?”

“Would it be bad if I say yes to the nap and no to the people?”

“You don't wanna see anyone?” Jack asked.

“Not yet,” Michelle said honestly. “I think that I need some alone time. Just time for us to heal so that we can move on from this and eventually try again.”

“We will have a family, Michelle,” Jack told her. “I promise you.”

Nodding her head, Michelle let go of her husband and headed for the stairs that led to the upstairs where their bed was located. “Hey, Jack?”

“Yeah?” he asked walking out and following her. “What's up?”

“Where is Barney at?”

“Quick has him. Madison is having a blast with him.”

“Do you think they could keep him for a few more days?”

“I don't think they'd mind one bit,” Jack told her honestly and followed her up the stairs and into the bedroom. “Do you want me to take the guest room?”

Turning and looking at him with a confused expression on her face, she shook her head. “I only sleep well when you are next to me.”

Smiling a true smile for the first time since before the accident, Jack laid down next to her on his side of the bed.

Three months passed since Michelle's miscarriage. The support of the members of the Los Angeles Kings players and organization meant a lot to them. The boys had just gotten back from a three game roadtrip and were to set to play against the St. Louis Blues. David Backes had been one of Jack's teammates in the winter Olympics, but he had sent them flowers and his condolences when he had heard about what happened. Although Michelle had never met David, she thought it had been a sweet gesture of him.

“What's going on with you?”

Glancing over at her cousin's wife, Michelle just shrugged. Readjusting Mason who was in her lap she looked back at Nicole. “What do you mean?”

“You just seem different,” Nicole said. “Like you are being extra careful about something.”

“When did you notice this?” Michelle laughed as she watched Mason point out his where his Daddy and Uncle Jack were on the ice.

“The other day when we went to dinner,” Nicole said. “You just seem different lately.”

“Jack and I have been so good lately and it reminds me how I almost all of that when I lost the baby,” Michelle admitted. “We actually made a pretty big decision.”

“Please tell me you aren't giving up on the whole idea of kids,” Nicole said. “You are a natural. Just look at you with these three.”

“We aren't giving up on the idea,” she said as she ran a hand through Mason's hair. “We have decided that we are gonna start to try again.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Michelle admitted. “I didn't realize that maybe I am ready for that next step in my life. And Jack is all for it.”

“What made you realize you are ready?”

“Losing the baby did,” Michelle said with nothing but honesty in her voice. “I didn't realize how how much I really wanted it, but now after everything we've gone through and what not. We've grown and I think we are both ready.”

“You realize Dustin never got rid of that stuff, right?”

Michelle let out a small laugh. “I figured that much. Especially when I checked our bank account.”

“He figured when you were ready, he'd give the stuff back to you.”

“That's Dustin for you.”

“We are both just glad that you are doing better now.”

“Thanks Nicole.”

“That is what family is for.”