Sins of our fathers - Chapter 14 - Brother's Keeper - Part 1
Title: Sins of our Fathers
Characters: Michael Scofield, Sara Tancredi, Lincoln Burrows, LJ Burrows, Frank Tancredi, Bruce Bennet, OC
Pairing: Michael/Sara
Word Count: approx. 2600 words
Rating: R for some language
Chapter: 17
Genre: Romance, Family, General, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, AU
Summary: A year since Sara's trial for aiding and abbeting, going differently than in canon. Frank Tancredi didn't die at the hands of the company. Although Sara, Michael, Lincoln and LJ have a content and happy life, there is one thing troubling their existence - the broken relationship between a father with his estranged daughter. Will Michael find a way to save what's left of their relationship?
A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the amazing fic author vaughnsrobe, whose own stories (especially one gorgeous WIP *wink*) keeps me inspired to write my own stories. Thank you!
Chapter 14 (Part 1) - Brother's keeper
It was still really early in the morning when Michael was awoken from his sleep by strange sounds coming from somewhere within the apartment. His eyes snapped open, the red light on the alarm clock showing it was shortly after 6 am. Instinctively reaching next to him, his arm was met by still warm yet empty sheets. Listening closely, he could identify the sounds coming from the bathroom, the retching telling him Sara was clearly sick.
Groggily, Michael sat up on the bed before he made his way towards the bathroom. By the time he reached the room, Sara was already flushing the toilet and when he finally pushed the door open, she was half-way through brushing her teeth.
He stood in the doorway for a moment, silently observing her, contemplating what to do next. After another moment, Sara's eyes wandered up and upon meeting his in the mirror, she jumped a little, startled by his presence.
"Sorry," Michael quickly said, finally closing the space between them, his hands coming to cup her shoulders. "Didn't mean to scare you." She merely shook her head. Finished with her teeth, she put away her toothbrush and wiped her mouth in her favorite terry towel.
It were strange, these tiny, casual things that were able to give her so much comfort. She met his eyes again in the mirror. "It's okay."
"Are you sick?"
She just shrugged indifferently, and the simple careless gesture sent a huge stab of pain through Michael's chest. He knew that if not for him and his condition - this sentence - that was still invisibly hanging over their heads, she might of have smiled, her shrug playful and happy, with an expression saying: "Hey, what can you do, morning sickness is part of the deal, right?" Now however, it seemed she merely viewed this as another inconvenience to their lives.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked, turning to face him. Her eyes were clouded, guarded. It broke his heart to see the shield rise between them.
He shook his head.
"Liar," she accused, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth nevertheless. It sent a wave of relief through him and he returned the grin tenfold.
He crossed the space between them, enveloping her into his arms. She sunk against him, her arms coming to squeeze the back of his shirt. The moment was a heavy one. If felt like they were constantly saying goodbye to each other.
The thought sent Michael reeling. If this is how it was going to be for them from now on, he might as well have taken the shortcut to his grave, declining any treatment whatsoever. If he truly thought it were a better solution for Sara at this point, he would have done it without the beat of an eye. But he knew she wanted, needed, him as much alive as he wanted to be able to see their child being born.
Still holding one another, he lowered his head, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her head before whispering into her ear; "I'm going to call Doctor Hawkins' office today to schedule my first round of radio and chemo." Her small arms tightened around him, pulling him even closer to her. "And then I though we could go out for a walk in the park, grab some breakfast and coffee on our way…tea for you," he stopped with a small smile then continued, "How does that sound to you?"
He could feel her nod tightly against his neck before the moisture of her tears touched his skin.
"Sara," he croaked her name sadly, but before he could say anything further, she silenced him with a quiet and slightly
chocked-up, "Don't."
~~~ooOoo~~~
Two hours later, they were nearly prepared to dart out of the apartment for an early walk, deciding the call to Doctor Hawking could wait once after they returned, when the phone rang.
Michael, already half through the door, stopped to wait when Sara signaled she would take the call. Glancing at Michael with a smile, she grabbed the receiver.
"Hello?" After a beat, "No, this is his…girlfriend. How can we help you?"
Michael watched her as her features suddenly changed. Listening with utmost care, her expression changed first from surprise to confusion. Michael made his way back into the room, closing the door behind him, stepping close to Sara. He tried to signal her, his eyes as well as mouth silently asking her who she was talking to, but she didn't seem to notice him.
After what seemed like an eternity for Michael, she gave a few affirmative answers and a "Yes, 3 pm, we'll be there." She hung-up the phone and held Michael's gaze in shock. Then her legs broke under her and her bottom hit their sofa, her face full of bewilderment.
"What? Sara, what?" Michael asked while sitting down right next to her. Without answering, her hands came up to cover her face.
"What happened? Sara." called Michael louder. He was starting to get worried.
"My…my father…" Sara stuttered out at last. "He just arranged your operation…"
Finally, her hands fell off her face, her eyes shimmering bright with moisture and something Michael was afraid never to see in them ever again, hope.
"He…he called in personally this morning, asking for their best surgeon and soonest time available to perform the operation…" she still spoke with unmasked haze.
"When?" he asked as a surge of uneasiness passed through him.
"Today," she replied, her expression suddenly changing, matching his, her eyes filling with fright.
~~~ooOoo~~~
"When did Lincoln say they'd be here?" asked Michael for the sixth time in the past twenty minutes. Sara gave a small sigh but answered him even for the sixth time with patience.
"He said they'd be here at one, he's picking up LJ from school right now, so they should be here shortly."
Michael merely nodded, his expression one of nervous anticipation.
They were in the hospital, Michael already changed into the thin uncomfortable hospital gown, sitting on his bed. He was fiddling with his fingers, gazing at them as if there was nothing more fascinating in the whole wide world.
Half an hour ago, they had finally been left alone by the nurses and Doctor Hawkins, who explained in great detail for nearly two hours the proceedings of Michael's oncoming operation. The specifics left Michael feeling a little queasy.
He was not the only one. Sara's hand closed over his scalp, now shaved completely clean, her mouth coming to rest against his temple protectively, leaving a trace of small kisses.
"You can still reconsider…" she told him quietly. "You don't have to do this, you know…if you don't want to." Her voice shook a little. She looked down at him, bringing his face upward to look at her.
"And don't do it for my sake either." She whispered, her eyes shimmering. "It's your life Michael, your decision. I love you no matter what." Her eyes were now piercing his and Michael knew she was being deadly honest. She was giving him the choice to back away.
He looked down between them, taking her hands into his. He brought them to his face, resting his forehead against them before giving them a light kiss, his eyes finally coming to rest on her face.
"Thank you," he said simply, the couple knowing these two words carried far more intent and meaning than just a simple gesture of gratitude. "But I am sure about this." His clear blue eyes were boring deeply into hers. He needed her to understand, needed to take away her uncertainty, the feeling of responsibility he knew she secretly harbored.
"This is my only chance at a real life with you," his hand and eyes then traveled down, caressing her stomach lovingly.
"And you," he added with a soft smile.
Her heart was breaking, but she willed the big lump forming in her throat away. His eyes came up once again, meeting hers.
"And I promise you Sara, I will do absolutely anything in my power to stay with you." A silent tear glided down her cheek, her fingers digging into his palms painfully. "But I need you to do something for me…" Michael continued in a fierce whisper and her heart nearly broke all over again at the sound of his familiar words, his tone as intense and as desperate as back then.
"If something happens," she was openly weeping now, her eyes closed and head partially averted from him, "I want you to have no regrets, no guilt. I just want you, I need you, to be happy…for you, for our child. So you can tell him each day, how lucky they are, and how greatly loved."
~~~ooOoo~~~
Lincoln came twenty minutes later, LJ in his tow. It was nearly time, the hospital staff now regularly filtering in and out of the room, disrupting the last minutes of privacy for the young couple.
Spotting his brother in the hospital bed, his girlfriend holding his hand quietly, instantly sent Lincoln down a memory lane he hoped never to walk again. Stopping in the doorway, he squeezed his eyes for a moment, taking a huge breath.
He could do this.
"Hey Michael."
~~~ooOoo~~~
Engaging in a short light conversation with his nephew mostly about school, Michael then looked at Lincoln. The two brothers silently communicated with each other in a way that always sent Sara into astonishment about the depth of a sibling bond. It was quite obvious to her that Michael wanted to have a private conversation with his brother, the same way he had with her, but she couldn't bring herself to leave his side, a strange twitch of desperate jealousy in her chest.
She didn't own him, didn't have the right to claim him…no more than Lincoln or LJ that was, still she couldn't bring herself to do willingly what she knew Michael wanted, and probably needed, her to do.
Biting her inner cheek, she finally cursed her selfishness and making a quick decision took LJ by his shoulders, directing him towards the door and offering to buy him a soda, finally leaving the two brothers alone.
~~~ooOoo~~~
"Linc, I need you to do something for me," uttered Michael quietly, yet his firm stare into his brother's eyes underlined the seriousness of his request.
"I know…" replied Lincoln with a sigh, knowing what was most likely to come out of his brother's mouth next.
The two of them didn't mince words, didn't beat around the bush. They never did. The only time they weren't honest with each other put their relationship, their very lives, to the hardest test imaginable.
So the moment Lincoln entered his little brother's hospital room, he knew what Michael would ask of him. And Lincoln also knew without a doubt, what his answer would be.
"Look Linc, I know Sara looks tough, she likes to appear so. But on the inside, she is really vuln-"
"Michael, I know," Interrupted Lincoln, a slight trace of frustration entering his voice despite his efforts to stay calm. He could only imagine how hard this had to be for his brother, and he surely didn't want to make it any harder on him. It was just far more difficult than he imagined, to hear those words leave Michael's lips, a plea to the older sibling to take care of his family once he wouldn't be there. If he wouldn't be there, Lincoln corrected his own thought quickly then continued, "And I swear to you, if something happens, she and the baby will never miss anything in their life, I will make sure of that. Not a single thing," Lincoln paused shortly, "…but you." he added, his eyes oddly glistering.
Michael felt silent, giving a small nod in return.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
An uncomfortable silence fell between the brothers, neither knowing what to say, how far to go without saying out loud too much, yet saying everything they wanted to not have any regrets later.
"Listen, Michael," Lincoln started, his voice gruff and deep, "I owe you everything-"
Michael opened his mouth to stop him yet Lincoln raised his hand, asking his brother to let him finish.
"No! I really gotta say this, so please, let me do so, just this once."
Michael gave a small nod, waiting for Linc to continue. The older man cleared his throat, his eyes roaming the walls. "I know I am the older brother, and it should have been my job to take care of you and watch over you and make sure you don't get into trouble, not the other way around. And still, it's been you who has saved my ass when it's been on the line and gave me another chance, not just on life, but on the relationship with my son. And for that, I'll be forever grateful. I know you want to disagree with me, the person you are, you're probably thinking that you owed me in the first place, for the debt I made in order to provide you with a better future. But I know I haven't always been the best brother, especially when we were growing up. And I want you to know that every single thing you didn't receive from me in the past, I plan to repay tenfold now. If not to you, then to Sara and your child, and I swear Michael, I won't let you down this time nor ever again."
When he finished, Michael's eyes were glazed over, and so were Lincoln's. Both were able only to stare back at each other, keeping quiet.
Then, Linc cleared his throat once again, taking a huge breath, a deep sigh leaving his lips. He closed the space between them, giving a kiss to Michael's cheek, then hovered closed to his ear, whispering; "I know you can do it, little brother, so just hang in there, okay? There will be one hell of a special woman waiting for you when you wake up, so don't screw it up. Now, I know you want to spend the remaining time before they take you to the OR with her - and don't disagree with me, I know you do, despite the fact that you would never have the heart to openly admit it just to spare mine and LJ's feelings, but let me tell you one thing - we are completely okay with it. I fully understand you and I wouldn't want you to have it any other way. So I am gonna leave you now, go find Sara and give you two the privacy you two need and deserve."
With that, he withdrew and made his way to the door where he turned for one last time, his hand coming to rest on the door. "I'll see you on the other side," he said confidently, his lips curled into a small smile. "We will be here the whole time, waiting. I'll take care of your girl for you and I'll make damn sure that the first thing you'll see once you wake up will be her."
With that, he left the room, leaving a very moved and suddenly extremely lonely-feeling Michael behind.
TBC
AN - Next chapter - the operation. Cross fingers for Michael, God knows he will need all the support he can get. Also, cross fingers and pray for ME to find the time to write, lolz.
In addition, click the little button at the bottom of the page and leave your thoughts behind. You surely understand I don't want you guys to wander around with them still in your head!