Paging Dr. Vulcano

Chapter 11

"Why don't you just take 5 minutes, breathe and let yourself relax. I'll go find Sal and have him come talk to you. You have to tell him what happened." Nicole told Faith. Faith handed her the boys room key and tried to compose herself and wipe away the tears. Meanwhile, Nicole left the room and went to go find Sal.

Nicole knocked on the boys room and used the key to get in. Sal was sitting on the bed with Murr next to him. Sal clearly looked upset and confused, almost like he was ready to cry or had just finished crying. Murr gave Nicole a look to not talk and keep quiet, so she waited and just listened. Sal was unaware that she was there.

"I don't know what I could have done better Murr. We were definitely in the moment and I made sure I read her body language, she was kissing me back and everything and then it was almost like something just..."

"Snapped?" Nicole decided to finish the sentence for Sal. Sal turned around shocked, expecting it to just be him and Murr in the room.

"Yeah kind of. It was like she changed into another person or I did something really wrong. But I don't know what it was!"

"Well that's up to her to tell you. It's also why I'm here. She wanted me to come get you so you two could talk. I will say, she doesn't blame you for what just happened. Go talk to her, I promise you it will be worth it." Nicole said and Sal stood up as he started to leave the room. Sal hugged her as he left.

"Hey, that's mine!" Murr said attempting to provide some levity to the situation.

"Don't worry bud, I don't need two of them, one's enough" Sal said as all three of them laughed. Sal carefully walked into the girls' room and looked around the room for Faith. He could see her out on the balcony. Sal joined her in the cold walking up by her side.

"Hey Love, I don't know exactly what to say, but first off, I'm sorr..." Faith turned to him and put her finger on his lips to stop him from continuing.

"I need to tell you something." Faith said wiping tears away.

"Ok..."

"It's not going to be easy for me to tell you this, I've been dreading this moment since it happened. Just let me get it all out, ok?"

"Alright. I'm listening." Sal reached over to Faith's hand and she startled. Sal moved his hand away before Faith started speaking.

"It's ok, you can put your hand back, I'll probably need it in a minute here when I cry again." Sal moved his hand back onto hers, preparing himself for what was to come.

Faith then proceeded to tell Sal that she had been sexually harassed as a teenager at one of her jobs. She explained to him that two of her coworkers had pushed her up against a storage cabinet and then proceeded to do the unthinkable. She hadn't reported it or told her parents about it, because of the shame she had felt just being 17 at the time. Nicole was the only other person she had ever told. Faith looked over at Sal who had looked away, and she saw a tear fall down his face.

"Hey, you don't need to feel bad. This is my past and it's something I allowed to ruin that moment back there. You, mister are an adorable, caring, and sensitive champion of a man, and you shouldn't feel bad about it at all. You were just loving me a way that was natural. Please don't cry over that or you'll make me cry too." Faith leaned up and wiped the tears from his cheek.

"I don't know how to feel, I hate that you had to go through that, I feel like a failure for that happening to you. AND I want to hurt them for it too." Sal said as he hugged her.

"Well, you can't blame yourself for something you weren't even around for. I love you and I hope it isn't something that hurts us, because I don't see myself with anyone besides my champ." Faith instantly realized that she had fallen head over heels in love with Sal and she had just said those three words to him. She anxiously waited what he would say back to her.

"Wait, that's the second time you've said champ. I wouldn't mind being called Champ" Sal said as he moved her away from the hug and up against the rail very carefully without scaring her. Faith's heart started to drop, without him saying it back to her, as she noticed herself starting to cry from all that she had just confessed and poured out her past. She started to shiver from the cold, standing there in just her night t-shirt and booty shorts that she had changed into. Sal noticed and took off his jacket wrapping it around her. Now cold himself, Faith hugged him to keep him warm as she cried.

"You didn't say it" Faith whispered into his chest as she hugged her hunk of a boyfriend in front of her.

"Hey, I love you too, you're the only girl for me, everyone before you was a mistake. Don't doubt my affection for you, ok?" Sal said as he picked her tear soaked face up to his. "Permission to kiss you?"

"Forever granted Champ" Faith said as Sal kissed her fiercely. They moved back into the room and spent the rest of the night cuddling and watching Home Alone, a favorite of theirs. Little did Faith know as she cuddled into Sal's side and fell asleep for the night, that he had one big plan for the upcoming show.