When everyone came home from the hospital, they were shocked to learn that Elaine was still not quite herself and she was very distant from everyone. The doctors had informed everyone not to push her into anything she wasn't ready for.
And one of the things she was not ready for was seeing Micky again. When the guys came over one night for dinner, at least a month after being released from the hospital, Naomi met them at the door to give them a heads-up on the current situation in the apartment.
"I tried to call you before you left your place." Naomi said.
"We went to pickup the food early and Micky wanted to get flowers for Elaine. Why? What's going on?" Mike said.
"Elaine is not very well tonight. She's been yelling and screaming at everyone. Samantha got her to take a sedative to try and relax, but she's still fighting."
"Why is she still this way after a month?" Peter asked.
"The doctor's say she could be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Peter, and until she's able to get through the whole incident at the office, she could be this way for months or even years."
"Well folks, that's my cue to leave." Micky said putting the flowers on the table and heading towards the door.
"You're not going anywhere, shotgun." Mike said pulling his friend's arm.
Louise walked out of the bathroom and went over to Davy and asked, "What did you bring for dinner?"
"Lasagna and pizza." Davy replied.
"Did you bring any wine by chance?" Louise asked.
"No, sorry." Davy replied.
"You don't drink, do you Louise?" Peter asked confused.
"No, we don't. But if she doesn't shut up, I will knock her out myself." Louise replied.
"Naomi, get in here immediately." Elaine shouted.
"That's my cue. Be back soon everyone. Sit at the table and please start eating. Don't wait for us, I don't know how long this will be." Naomi replied.
The guys walked to the table and Louise helped them with the plates. Naomi opened the bedroom door and saw Samantha sitting on the bed next to Elaine. "What on earth is the problem?" Naomi asked.
"Nothing, she's just wanting you in here to sit with her. I'm going to go visit with the guys." Samantha said.
"I want to visit with the guys too. They brought lasagna and pizza for dinner." Naomi said.
Elaine moved to her rocker and covered up with her blankets. She put her head back and started to slowly rock back and forth.
"Good you zone out while we have some peace and quiet," Naomi said closing the door to Elaine's room and breathing a sigh of relief.
Naomi and Samantha joined the gang at the table and started eating. "Thanks for bring dinner guys." Samantha said swallowing down her first bite. "This is delicious."
"We got a call from Jeremy today wondering if we would take the money if he reported to the press about Micky's rescue for him and Elaine." Naomi said.
"Absolutely not!" Micky said. "I did nothing extravagant that none of you wouldn't have done if it were one of us up there."
"Yes you did, shotgun. I wouldn't have braved any of it." Mike said opening up a can of pop and taking a sip.
"What is she doing that's so quiet?" Louise asked.
"She's zoned herself out rocking in the rocking chair." Naomi said. "We can all have peace and quiet finally."
"Praise God!" Louise said lifting her arms in the air blowing the Lord a kiss. "I'm telling you folks, it has not been easy dealing with her."
"I'm sure. If she's anything like Micky is in his dreams, it's not easy for us either." Peter said.
"What was that, Peter? I haven't been argumentative." Micky replied in his defense.
"No, but you scream in your dreams and wake the house up." Peter replied.
"Everyone just calm down. Micky is still dealing with this as well. I'm sure it's not easy for him seeing Elaine falling down those stairs over and over again in his mind."
"Thank you Mike." Micky said taking another piece of lasagna.
"Or carrying down someone he barely knows over his girlfriend." Naomi replied looking at Micky with cold eyes.
Micky put down his silverware and looked at everyone. "Look, by the time it happened, she had already collapsed and started rolling down the stairs. He was going to die too. There was nothing I could do for her, but I could help him."
"You could have chased her down the stairs and caught her." Louise replied taking her food into the livingroom and sitting down.
"I see how this is." Micky said. "You three weren't even there to know what happened or how it happened and you are already blaming me for the entire incident; when, in fact, if it weren't for me, they could have burned alive."
"Shut up Micky," Peter said jabbing Micky in the ribs hard and pointing to the bedroom door.
"Hi Elaine. Please come and have some dinner we brought over for you ladies," Mike said standing up and walking over to greet her. "There's plenty of room."
"No need to change the subject because I'm here. I lived the scene as well." Elaine said walking over and sitting down next to Micky.
"I brought you flowers, Elaine." Micky said gently.
"Thanks, I'll burn them after dinner." Elaine replied.
"They're beautiful Micky. I'll keep them if Elaine doesn't want them." Samantha said. "White roses, which are her absolute favorite, and mine too."
Elaine sat there eating her food and the table went quiet except for when Elaine said, "What cat got your tongues when I walked in the room?" "Maybe I'm Satan in disguise."
"Don't say that, Elaine. That is so not true." Louise said from the livingroom.
Davy looked at Elaine and then asked, "So did Satan have two different colored eyes like you do, or is that still just from the accident?"
Everyone's jaw dropped and Peter smacked Davy's head.
"Sorry just a stupid joke." Davy said.
Elaine looked at Davy and said, "Well, yes, Davy. Satan has two red eyes. However, mine are green and red. Maybe if you knew your Bible you would understand such things. But oops, I'm sorry, you're not a Christian. And if you're stupid enough to say something as you just did, maybe you're stupid enough not to know that my eyes are bloodshot from all the veins that busted when I fell down those stairs. Thank you very much." Elaine took her plate of lasagna and dumped it on Davy's head. "Get out of our apartment, you are never welcomed here again." Elaine took her drink into her bedroom and slammed the door.
The girls just smirked at Davy and Louise said, "Nice going there hon, just upset her even more than she is."
"It was a tiny joke." Davy said.
Micky got another plate of lasagna and another Coca-Cola and took it into Elaine's room. "I made you another plate, Elaine." he said in a gentle tone.
"Thanks," Elaine replied. "Sit it on the table."
"Don't let him get to you, Elaine. He shoots his mouth off when it's not welcomed." Micky said sitting her plate on the table and sitting on her bed.
Elaine was wrapped up in her blankets again rocking back and forth in the rocking chair staring out the window. Micky looked at her and tried to figure out what she was thinking.
"I'm glad you're home from the hospital. I'm doing really good with my asthma." Micky said.
"That's good," Elaine replied. "I'm glad our office is closed for a long time. I don't think I can ever go back there and work again. If I had my way we would move to a one-story building."
"It was certainly tragic at what happened." Micky said.
"Did you have fun?" Elaine asked.
"Have fun when, Elaine?" Micky asked confused.
Elaine turned to face him with one red and one green eye. "When you pushed me into walking down those stairs when I was completely and totally exhausted and you knew it. Plus, I couldn't breathe either."
"None of us could breathe, Elaine. And we had to get out or something worse might have happened." Micky said.
"Micky Dolenz, California's hero saving two people in a blazed building that was exploded by a bomb. Ahhh I can see the headlines now. Elaine Grace Nelson almost died in a building with her extortionist boss, but then saved by America's Sweetheart of the Monkees, Micky Dolenz! Let's give him a round of applause everyone. Woohoo!" Elaine screamed louder than she was talking before.
Samantha opened up the bedroom door and saw Micky on Elaine's bed with his head in his hands. He didn't respond to Elaine. "Micky, please come out and leave her alone to rest. It's time for her to have another sedative to help her to sleep." Samantha replied.
"Drug me up so I can sleep. Uh but why folks? Tell me why I need to be drugged up to sleep? Maybe it's because I'm still falling down 15 freaking flights of stairs while my so-called boyfriend is carrying down jerky boss instead of me!" Elaine said covering up with her blankets and moving her chair in the opposite direction.
Micky wiped the tears from his eyes and peacefully left Elaine's room. Mike met Micky at the door and said, "We should get back too."
"I did what I thought was best at the time," Micky said to everyone in the livingroom.
"We know you did, Micky." Naomi said walking up to him and giving him a hug and kiss. "Thank you for saving them, especially Elaine."
"I do love her." Micky said.
"We know you do, Micky. She's still suffering and she will know your heart was in the right place." Naomi said.
"Thanks for dinner, guys." Samantha said giving them all a hug and kiss. "It was delicious."
"Call us later and tell us how she is." Mike said.
"She'll sleep in a little bit and hopefully she'll be out the entire night." Samantha said.
"When is she going to the counselor?" Micky asked.
"The earliest she could get in will be next Monday night at 7 pm. We're all going with her and you're more than welcomed to go with, Micky. We actually think it would be good for both of you to express your feelings in a neutral environment."
Micky wrote it down in his wallet and said, "I'll think about it."
"That's all we ask." Samantha said giving him another hug. "Get some rest. You're exhausted as well."
The guys all went home and went to sleep. The evening and the heavy food made them all very sleepy very fast.
Samantha brought Elaine another sedative and Elaine took it without problems. She looked at Samantha and said, "Why didn't you stop me?"
"Stop you from what?" Samantha asked.
"From blaming Micky the way I did a little bit ago." Elaine replied.
"Because maybe you need to release your anger, and maybe it will help you to realize that he had nothing but your best interest at heart when he risked his life, as well, to run up those 30 flights of stairs. I call that admiration, Elaine. You didn't see any of us risking our lives to run into a burning building that the police were keeping people back from. Micky broke the barrier and went in following his heart because he loves you. One day you will realize that, Elaine. One day. Goodnight my friend."
"Samantha?" Elaine asked.
"Yes?" Samantha asked turning around to face her friend again.
"Thanks," Elaine replied lifting up her arms to her friend.
"You're welcome, sweetie." Samantha replied giving her friend a hug and kiss. "Get some sleep." Elaine closed her eyes with tears falling out the side of them. She knew her friend Samantha was right.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as Samantha had fallen asleep, her phone rang. "Hello," she picked it up annoyed.
"How is she doing?" she heard a voice ask.
"She's asleep. So should you be as well, Mike." Samantha replied.
"A little easier said than done, Samantha. I was asleep but I just got woke up from Micky screaming, `Elaine. Oh my gosh, Elaine please don't die! Please! I love you, Elaine!' He has these nightmares every night now."
"Did the doctor give him anything to help him sleep?" Samantha asked yawning.
"Yes, but he refuses to take them." Mike replied. "He's afraid if he takes one he might not wake up should an emergency really happen."
"Holy moly, Samantha hang on a minute, I just heard a huge bang." Mike said.
"Okay, Mike." Samantha replied. Mike put down the phone and walked into the livingroom turning on the light. "What is going on out here?" Mike said.
Peter opened up Micky's room door and said, "Micky just smashed his bedroom window trying to get Elaine out of the building."
"What?" Mike asked running into the room where Micky was there with a chair. "Come on Elaine, I'll get you out." Micky said taking his pillow and tossing it out the window.
"Peter go into the kitchen and bring me Micky's pills." Mike said.
"Okay," Peter replied.
"Micky, you're dreaming." Mike said. "Elaine is fine at her house now. Remember?"
"I'm going to rescue her, Mike!" Micky said pushing his blanket over the glass and starting to climb out the window.
Mike caught him and said, "Come here shotgun. You're not going anywhere."
"Elaine, Elaine, I'll help you." Micky cried out pushing Mike off of him or trying to anyway.
Peter brought a glass of water and the pills into the room. Mike took two of them and told Peter. "Lie him down on the bed and sit on him for a minute."
"Okay Mike." Peter said gently pushing his friend on the bed and Mike sat next to Micky and told him, "Drink this water, Micky. Elaine is just fine. You're dreaming." Micky took the water and pills and Peter sat on top of his friend until Micky relaxed.
"What are we going to do about the window, Mike?" Peter asked.
"The girls know a reasonable window person we can call. For tonight, help me to cover it up with a blanket and we'll push a board over it and put his nightstand in front of the board."
"Okay Mike," Peter replied. Davy walked into the room and said, "What is happening?"
"Sit with Micky for a minute until he calms down, Davy. He thought he was saving Elaine by breaking his window." Mike said.
Davy sat on Micky's bed and watched his friend slowly starting to calm down. "His face is returning to a normal color," Davy said. "And his breathing is slowing down."
"The medication is kicking in." Mike said.
"You want me to run the vacuum and get the glass up tonight, Mike?" Peter asked.
"No, just push it under Micky's bed so he won't step on it and we'll get it in the morning. I want him to sleep tonight." Mike said.
Peter did as instructed and then Mike told Davy, "Will you sit with him for a while until he falls asleep?"
"Yes, I will." Davy replied.
"Thanks, shotgun." Mike replied walking out of Micky's room and into his own. He picked up the phone and said, "Samantha, you still there?"
"Yes, what happened?" Samantha asked.
"Micky broke his bedroom window out thinking he was trying to help Elaine escape the fire. I gave him two of his pills and hopefully that will make him sleep."
"He needs to go to these counseling sessions with Elaine, Mike. It's the only way the two will get through this." Samantha said.
"I will keep on him, Samantha. But Micky is very stubborn at times as well, just like Elaine." Mike said.
Mike's bedroom door opened and he said, "Hang on a minute, Samantha."
"Okay," Samantha replied.
"Come in," Mike said.
Davy walked inside and said, "I think the medication has kicked in because he was sitting upright for a while and then all of a sudden he slid under the covers and went immediately to sleep."
"That's good news, Davy. Now you try and rest as well. Thanks for staying with him."
"You're welcome, Mike. Tell Samantha I said hi." Davy replied.
"I will." Mike said blushing as Davy walked out the door closing it behind him.
Mike picked up the phone and said, "Okay, Micky finally fell asleep from the medication kicking in."
"That's good," Samantha said. "I heard Davy say hello. Tell him I said hello tomorrow."
"I will," Mike replied. "Well since Micky's out, I think I'm going to try to sleep as well."
"Yeah, with Elaine out, I think I should rest too. It might be a long day tomorrow."
"We'll stop over in the afternoon tomorrow to check on everyone." Mike said.
"Thanks, we'll be here." Samantha replied. "We don't leave Elaine alone for too long since she's still not all herself yet."
"I don't blame you," Mike replied. "We're going to have to keep Micky under a watchful eye after tonight's episode. Goodnight Samantha."
"Goodnight Mike." Samantha replied and then hung up the phone. She closed her eyes again and then her door opened.
"What is it now?" Samantha asked.
"Um, Samantha." she heard someone say in her doorway.
"Yes, Naomi, what is it?" Samantha asked.
"May I sleep in here with you tonight? I'm really frightened about what happened." Naomi asked.
Samantha smiled at her friend and said, "Okay."
Naomi crawled under Sam's covers with her and they both went to sleep after quietly saying their prayers.
Chapter 1
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