REAL, michael j. fox

Chapter 21: Victim of Love

Song Selection: If She Knew What She Wants by The Bangles

Tossing up the small stress ball in the scan room, I continued to stare in deep thought over a possible solution. A blockage at his age is slightly unheard of, let alone giving him a pacemaker so young. It was an option, but there had to be something else. "You can't just take an easy way out, Hall. Be creative," I told myself for a moment, standing up to trace the scan along with my finger.

Thinking to myself to a procedure from a research study that would possibly minimize him coming back in for anymore surgeries as opposed to the pace maker caused for me to nod silently to myself in approval. "Now there's-"

"Dr. Hall-" I jumped out of surprise suddenly, turning back to see Jodie immediately regret her decision to find me in here. "Sorry I didn't mean to stop you. If you were concentrating I'll just-"

"Just go ahead, Jodie, I instructed her as I took down the scans again and placed them back into their folder.

She nodded nervously as I moved past her to hand the scans off to her, having her quickly walk alongside me. "There's someone waiting in your office for you again. For lunch?"

"Lunch? Christ what time is it?" I looked to my watch for a second to see it was past 3, realizing I hadn't eaten much of anything unless coffee counted as a proper meal. Realizing I still had patients to check up on I shook my head and pointed to her instructively. "I'll be gone for an hour. Make the usual rounds on the floor and if anything happens in the slightest disturbance with Jayden you page me immediately, understood?"

She nodded, walking away in the opposite direction towards the wing as I continued to my office. Expecting to see Michael seated I groaned deeply, rubbing my eyes for a second out for fatigue. "I'm in dire need of a moment Mikey it's-"

Megan laughed at the sight of me as I looked out to see her standing from her seat. "Sorry to disappoint, sweetheart. Michael's busy on set and he told me to make sure you actually ate something."

I raised a brow to her. "What about you?"

"I got into work at 5? I need the night to myself y'know." I laughed at this as she ruffled the top of my head. "Plus you look sleepy, we'll get a heavy load of sandwiches in you before sending you off back to work, alright? I'll drive." I nodded, leaning on her as she led me out to where she had parked.

Once I had a plate of food set in front of me, I immediately felt the hunger that had been subsided at work return to have me eat in relief. "Didn't know Mike could know you as well as I did."

I wiped my mouth for a second before turning my attention to her. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I don't think I've seen you been with a guy that actually made sure you were taking care of yourself since I've known you. Which, as you and I both know, is quite a bit of time." I smiled at the thought in agreement, still continuing to eat. "I'm thinking he's gonna propose soon."

Nearly choking on my food for a moment, Megan laughed at the sight of me as I tried to compose myself. "God can you please be reasonable for a second. That's jumping to conclusions a bit don't you think?"

"Well then why has he been so headstrong on meeting your parents? On you meeting his parents? C'mon Caitlin, don't be so clueless."

Biting my lip for a moment allowed for me to only continue to dismiss the possibility. "We haven't even moved in yet, y'know."

"You can move in after the engagement. Lots of people do that." She raised a brow to me with a small smirk as she pointed her fork in my direction. "You just don't wanna believe something good can happen to you but it can. You're gonna have to to accept it at some point."

***

I stepped out of my Porsche to Michael's driveway, taking my sunglasses off to see him already pulling opening the grand doors for me up the steps. He pulled me in for a kiss eagerly, to have me laugh at the gesture. "Alright Fox, why so secretive then these days?"

"I have some things I need to tell you is all." I raised a brow to him confused, still following him along inside anyways. Seeing he already had some snacks set out, I took a seat behind the kitchen counter to grab a bag of the chips already open. "I-"

He stopped for a second upon seeing me as I smiled guiltily. "Oh, don't let me stop you." I took out a chip to eat anyways as he laughed at the sight of me. "You were saying?"

Watching him for a second reach into his pocket, I nearly choked on the food in remembrance of what Megan had suggested. Michael looked to me worried immediately to have me turn red in embarrassment. "Cat, you okay?"

I cleared my throat to laugh nervously as I nodded. " 'Course I am! Why wouldn't I be!"

He continued on to take out the key from his pocket to put me at ease for a moment. "So I was making a spare key the other day and it kinda, just, got me to thinking-" Michael tilted up his gaze to me innocently, as if being worried of a response I might give. "And the house is big enough as it is, which got me wondering that maybe you could, y'know, move in with me?"

I blushed for a second at the thought as he waited silently for me to say something in return. "Like together? Here?"

"I mean- that's technically what moving in is, dear."

My mind stupidly ran to myself for a moment, having always had the liberty to be on my own to support myself in what I needed. The idea was romantic and I adored it, but it'd be a complete 180 turn of what I had grown accustomed to.

Michael stepped away from the other side of the counter for a second. "Look, you're out of your element, I'm smart enough to know. But I've got plenty of space here considering the house is already way too big for just me. There's a second closet I've cleared out of anything to make room for you. Plus I've already stocked up on your favourite snacks-"

I stepped up to him immediately to kiss him, having him laugh under his breath at my interruption. "I'm all yours, Mike. Let's do it." His eyes lit up immediately at my words to make my heart melt as he swooped me up in a tight embrace to spin me in his arms as I laughed at the gesture.

Eh, what harm could it do. I've gotta step out of the shell sometime.