[FIC] - Unexpected Kindess - F - (2 Parts)

[Guest Eventide]

Things have been so crazy lately, what with a couple of family crises and school ending, so I haven't had a chance to spend much time here lately. I hope to be back to enjoy all you sweet folks now that I've actually got some free time!

This little story of mine is shorter than my others, but it still is long enough for two parts. I don't want people to be bogged down with ten pages worth of text all at one time. It deals with Michael and Angel ten years after my other two stories take place. For those who have read them and know what life was like for these two at that time, you'll notice an incredible difference. I tried to give a brief explanation of how they got from being in the Mafia and having no real home or money to a much more extravigant life style. Hopefully no one will be too confused.

Once again, any sort of feedback or constructive critism is very welcome! I still desire to become a better writer, even when it comes to doing these little side fictions. Thanks to all who have encouraged me thus far! It helps keep me going!

Unexpected Kindness

The first thing Michael saw upon entering the kitchen at 6:00 in the morning was, as usual, his daughter. He smiled as he walked up behind her and kissed her on the head. “Buon giorno,” he greeted. Without waiting for a reply, he continued speaking as he rummaged around for a cereal bowl, “Was I dreaming or did you have a rough night? I thought I heard you coughing a lot.”

It always concerned him when she coughed through the night. With the reliever she’d been on for the past year, her asthma hadn’t been as bad. She shouldn’t have been coughing as often as he thought he’d heard her.

Angel sniffed and took a sip of coffee. “Yeah,” she admitted, “I was. I’m sorry if I kept you awake.”

At the sound of her voice, Michael frowned. “You sound like you’re starting to lose your voice.” He went over to the table at sat down. His anxiety increased as he looked at her. She was pale, her eyes gave away her fatigue, and her breathing was loud.

Just as Angel was about to respond, the urge to sneeze overtook her. She covered her face and turned away. “Heshoo!”

“Salute,” Michael responded. She seemed sick. He was going to ask her if she felt all right when she turned away again.

“Heshoo! Heshoo! Scusi,” she sniffled, rubbing at her nose.

“Salute!” Michael repeated. “Are you all right, gattina?”

Angel coughed before answering, “Yeah, it’s just a cold.”

Michael reached across the table and laid his hand on her forehead. She felt slightly warmer than usual. “Should you stay home from school?”

“I’ll be fine. I shouldn’t miss school and I promised Camilla I’d go with her to Tony’s birthday party.”

“Oh?” Michael raised a dark eyebrow. “Is this the Tony she’s had a crush on for the past six months, since last May?”

Sniffing, Angel nodded. “She doesn’t want to go by herself, so I agreed to go. And before you ask,” she added, seeing the look on his face, “it will be a perfectly legal party. You know that Camilla has good sense, and neither of us would go to a party, not matter how wonderful the boy apparently is,” she smiled, “if it was going to be unsafe.”

“Promise not to stay out long. I want you home by seven so you can to your homework and go to bed early.”

“Tutto bene,” Angel agreed.

Michael wasn’t thrilled with her going to school and then a party when she was sick, but he trusted her. And Camilla always looked out for Angel, so if something happened, she would be perfectly capable of dealing with it.

*****

Angel coughed and laid her head on her arms. She did not feel good. Her head throbbed, her throat was sore, her chest was tight and she kept coughing, and her nose was runny and itchy, something that was a sure sign that she was sick. She had awful allergies, but it was almost always in the lungs. The nose came into play only when she was sick, and that made it much more sensitive, so some of the things that she was more allergic to made her sneeze when they usually wouldn’t have.

“Hey, Angelface,” came the deep, taunting voice of the football team’s best receiver, Matthew Robbins, who also happened to be Camilla’s cousin.

Reluctantly she raised her head. “Hi,” she sniffed and coughed hard into her sleeve.

Matt frowned. “You okay?” Even though she was pale and tired-looking, somehow she managed to still look gorgeous. He’d been smitten with her from the first time he’d seen her a little over a month ago.

Surprised by his question, Angel wasn’t quite sure what to say. Usually he teased and embarrassed her. Hardly ever was he truly nice. “What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly. She really didn’t want to say anything that he could twist. She felt sick enough that, if he went over the top with his taunts, she might cry, and that would just give him something more to harass her about.

“You don’t look like you feel very good,” he clarified.

“It’s only a cold,” she shrugged. She had to sneeze again, but didn’t really want to. He’d probably figure out a way to give her a hard time about that.

“Bummer.”

At that moment, Zach, Matt’s best friend, Camilla, and several other people from the football team along with their girlfriends showed up.

“Happy birthday,” Angel smiled at Tony.

“Thanks!” he returned the smile.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Camilla asked, her expression motherly as she sat by the younger girl. She was two years older than Angel, but only a grade ahead since Angel had skipped second grade. Camilla was the same age as Matt, both juniors while Angel was a sophomore.

“Surviving,” sighed Angel, fighting against the itch that was making it’s way through her nose.

“Are you sure you’re going to be up for this afternoon?” Camilla asked, feeling Angel’s forehead.

Angel nodded. “Absolutely! We are going to that party, cold or no cold.”

“And you know to tell me if you get sick enough that you can’t breathe and I’ll take you home,” reminded Camilla. She’d witnessed several of Angel’s asthma attacks over the ten years that they’d known each other. They scared her and she did her best to help her friend avoid them.

“So, Angel, are you coming to Tony’s party?” asked Matt with a sly grin.

Rubbing at her nose, Angel nodded.

“Is Michael all right with it?” he pressed. He had only met Michael once, but he’d seen him several times. Matt wasn’t exactly sure of what Michael’s relationship with Angel was. The guy seemed to be in his mid-twenties, and he hung out with Angel a lot. According to most of Angel’s friends, and Angel herself, Michael was one slick dude. And quite honestly, Matt felt threatened by the smart, rich, good-looking guy that seemed to hold such a revered position in Angel’s life.

Angel was once again startled by his question, only this time it was typically snide. “Um, yes, he’s all right with it. I just have to be home by seven,” she answered cautiously.

“Seven?” laughed Jackson, another friend of Matt’s. “Are you serious? Don’t tell me you’ll actually be home by then.”

“She will,” Camilla said coldly.

“Why would you listen to that guy anyway?” pressed Matt. It wasn’t like Michael was her father or anything.

“Just leave her alone!” snapped Camilla. She knew that a lot of people didn’t know that Michael was Angel’s dad. Angel often called him ‘Michael,’ and most of the time they acted more like siblings than father and daughter. People just assumed they were friends or siblings or cousins. To Angel, her relationship with Michael was normal so she was somewhat oblivious to what other people assumed, and Camilla had never made a big deal out of how odd it really was.

“Th...heh...thanks,” Angel muttered, realizing that there was no way she could hold back the sneeze. “Hah...heh...” She quickly covered her face with her hands. “Heshoo!”

“Bless you,” the words came from both Camilla and Jessie, Jackson’s girlfriend.

Angel sniffed. “Grazie.”

“Speaking Italian again, Romano?” Zack smirked.

Too busy coughing, Angel didn’t answer.

“Do you speak Italian with Michael?” Matt asked, smirking too. “I’ll bet he’s even cooler when he speaks the mother tongue.”

“Leave Angel alone!” Camilla said angrily.

“Yeah, Robbins, let the poor kid be,” said Tony, not finding his football buddies amusing. “It’s obvious she’s not feeling well. Can’t you cut her some slack?”

This shut the rest of the guys up. Tony was the captain of the team. If he didn’t think something was cool, then it wasn’t.

“Thank you,” mouthed Angel, looking gratefully at Tony.

He nodded, smiling at her.

“Isn’t he wonderful?” murmured Camilla dreamily in Angel’s ear.

*****

Coughing roughly into her sleeve, Angel wished that she could go home. The cold medicine she had taken before school had long since worn off. As the afternoon had gone on, she’d felt worse. But she couldn’t go home. She had promised, and she was already in Matt’s car with Zack and Camilla.

“Sheesh, you do cough a lot,” Matt observed, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. He sounded more callus than he felt. In reality her constant coughing worried him. She seemed too small for such a violent action and it obviously wore her out.

Angel looked down at her lap, knowing how irritating her coughing had to be to listen to. Camilla and Michael were used to it, but to others it had to be annoying. “I’m sorry...”

“Don’t listen to him,” said Camilla, glaring at the back of Matt’s head. “With your asthma, you can’t help it.”

“Asthma, huh? Too bad.” Zach didn’t seem to be very sorry at all.

Sniffing, Angel leaned her head against the window. It was four, so she only had to last three more hours. Then she could go home, do homework, and sleep before having to go back to school.

“The party’s at Kate’s, right?” Matt asked Camilla.

“Yeah, ‘cause Tony’s parents are out of town,” Camilla explained.

Zach shook his head sadly. “I still say we should have it there. Kate’s parents are prudes!”

“Stop complaining, Hinkley,” scowled Camilla. Most of Matt’s friends were jerks and she couldn’t stand them. Tony was one of the few she could.

Quickly Angel brought her hands to her face. “Heshoo! Heshoo!”

“Bless you!” Camilla looked at Angel. “Are you absolutely positive you’re okay with going?”

Angel nodded. She didn’t feel like going, but she was okay with it because Camilla was her best friend.

“Of course she is. Stop fussing like a mother hen,” snapped Matt.

“Is Michael in surgery today?” Camilla asked Angel. If he wasn’t going to be home, Camilla planned to stay with Angel until he got back.

“Um, he had one this afternoon, but he’ll be done with it soon. I think it was just fixing up a bad break that got infected.”

“He’s a surgeon?” Matt asked, not able to keep the shock out of his voice. From what he’d seen of the guy, he was carefree, liked to drive his Jaguar, and took up Angel’s time. He’d just assumed the money came from his parents, not from an actual job.

Angel sniffled. “Yeah, Michael’s a pediatric surgeon. He operates mostly on babies and kids up to twelve. He’s very good at it,” she smiled, proud of her father’s gift. His intelligence, dedication, and a natural talent had got him through medical school in seven years. He’d been in practice for three years and become very respected in his field. After he’d been freed from the Mafia ten years before, he’d been sent to college and med school by the Agapé Design. Friends of theirs, James and Max, belonged to it and had helped get Michael out of the mob and into school.

Ever since then, he and Angel had been able to make it on their own. Michael was very good with money and, once he’d actually had a little to spare, he’d invested it. The stock had done incredibly well about a year later and he’d found himself with more money than he knew what to do with. He kept a practice at a regular hospital and did that two days a week. The rest of the time devoted to a free clinic. He wanted less fortunate people, particularly kids and teenagers, to have a chance to get help. It was something he wished he’d had for Angel when she was sick as a baby and toddler, and yearned to do that for others who were in the same sort of predicament.

“Impressive,” Zach said with approval.

“Who would have guessed that Michael actually did something serious,” Matt added.

Camilla watched as Angel deflated. “Matt, just shut up,” she snarled. “He’s just jealous that Michael’s managed to do so well when he can barely pass chemistry.”

“Hardly,” Matt retorted. That was a lie. He wasn’t exactly jealous of Michael’s specific job, just that Michael could do something like save children’s lives. It gave him more points up on Matt. He was sure that, whether Michael was a cousin, brother or ‘special friend,’ helping kids was worth quite a lot in the sight of sweet, shy Angel.

TO BE CONTINUED

[Oolia]

Very good story so far !! Can't wait for the rest (I'm hoping for some nice romantic "taking care of that poor girl" kind of thing )

Keep up the good work !

[Guest Eventide]

Coughing roughly into her sleeve, Angel wished that she could go home. The cold medicine she had taken before school had long since worn off. As the afternoon had gone on, she’d felt worse. But she couldn’t go home. She had promised, and she was already in Matt’s car with Zack and Camilla.

“Sheesh, you do cough a lot,” Matt observed, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. He sounded more callus than he felt. In reality her constant coughing worried him. She seemed too small for such a violent action and it obviously wore her out.

Angel looked down at her lap, knowing how irritating her coughing had to be to listen to. Camilla and Michael were used to it, but to others it had to be annoying. “I’m sorry...”

“Don’t listen to him,” said Camilla, glaring at the back of Matt’s head. “With your asthma, you can’t help it.”

“Asthma, huh? Too bad.” Zach didn’t seem to be very sorry at all.

Sniffing, Angel leaned her head against the window. It was four, so she only had to last three more hours. Then she could go home, do homework, and sleep before having to go back to school.

“The party’s at Kate’s, right?” Matt asked Camilla.

“Yeah, ‘cause Tony’s parents are out of town,” Camilla explained.

Zach shook his head sadly. “I still say we should have it there. Kate’s parents are prudes!”

“Stop complaining, Hinkley,” scowled Camilla. Most of Matt’s friends were jerks and she couldn’t stand them. Tony was one of the few she could.

Quickly Angel brought her hands to her face. “Heshoo! Heshoo!”

“Bless you!” Camilla looked at Angel. “Are you absolutely positive you’re okay with going?”

Angel nodded. She didn’t feel like going, but she was okay with it because Camilla was her best friend.

“Of course she is. Stop fussing like a mother hen,” snapped Matt.

“Is Michael in surgery today?” Camilla asked Angel. If he wasn’t going to be home, Camilla planned to stay with Angel until he got back.

“Um, he had one this afternoon, but he’ll be done with it soon. I think it was just fixing up a bad break that got infected.”

“He’s a surgeon?” Matt asked, not able to keep the shock out of his voice. From what he’d seen of the guy, he was carefree, liked to drive his Jaguar, and took up Angel’s time. He’d just assumed the money came from his parents, not from an actual job.

Angel sniffled. “Yeah, Michael’s a pediatric surgeon. He operates mostly on babies and kids up to twelve. He’s very good at it,” she smiled, proud of her father’s gift. His intelligence, dedication, and a natural talent had got him through medical school in seven years. He’d been in practice for three years and become very respected in his field. After he’d been freed from the Mafia ten years before, he’d been sent to college and med school by the Agapé Design. Friends of theirs, James and Max, belonged to it and had helped get Michael out of the mob and into school.

Ever since then, he and Angel had been able to make it on their own. Michael was very good with money and, once he’d actually had a little to spare, he’d invested it. The stock had done incredibly well about a year later and he’d found himself with more money than he knew what to do with. He kept a practice at a regular hospital and did that two days a week. The rest of the time devoted to a free clinic. He wanted less fortunate people, particularly kids and teenagers, to have a chance to get help. It was something he wished he’d had for Angel when she was sick as a baby and toddler, and yearned to do that for others who were in the same sort of predicament.

“Impressive,” Zach said with approval.

“Who would have guessed that Michael actually did something serious,” Matt added.

Camilla watched as Angel deflated. “Matt, just shut up,” she snarled. “He’s just jealous that Michael’s managed to do so well when he can barely pass chemistry.”

“Hardly,” Matt retorted. That was a lie. He wasn’t exactly jealous of Michael’s specific job, just that Michael could do something like save children’s lives. It gave him more points up on Matt. He was sure that, whether Michael was a cousin, brother or ‘special friend,’ helping kids was worth quite a lot in the sight of sweet, shy Angel.

*****

The neat home of Kate Thompson was soon to be far less neat. At least, that’s what Angel suspected as she entered the house. At least thirty people were already there, most of them juniors and seniors. She felt slightly out of place as she trailed behind Camilla, Matt and Zach. Kate greeted them enthusiastically and directed them to a room where the gifts were to be put.

Thankfully Angel had remembered that and she dug the package out of her backpack. It was a small painting she had done of Tony’s favorite spot, a tree by the creek that started about a mile from Angel’s house and went through her back yard. She’d been up to that spot with Tony, Camilla and Matt once before and remembered him commenting about how much time he spent studying and thinking there. That memory had given her the idea for her present.

The tension in Angel’s chest was rapidly increasing and she guessed it was because of how many people were at the party. She hated being in crowds of people that she was sort of acquainted with, but didn’t know well enough to feel comfortable. She coughed and crossed her arms, unsure of what to do. Camilla seemed to have been dragged off, Tony was probably being bombarded somewhere, and no one that she’d seen so far particularly cared for her.

As she walked out of the room into another, she felt a familiar sensation enter her nose. She decided to ignore the tickle and look for someone who looked as lost as she felt. In the far right corner of the family room, she saw a senior that she’d seen around but never actually met. He looked like he didn’t have anyone to talk to, so she plucked up the courage to go and talked to him.

“Hi,” he smiled when he saw her walk up to him.

“Hello,” she returned the smile.

“You look pretty uncomfortable too,” he observed. “I’m Derrick Clapton.”

“Angel Romano,” Angel returned, fighting both her shyness and the tickle that was slowly working it’s way down her nose.

Derrick rolled his eyes as he watched a couple flirting with each other. “People don’t come here to celebrate Tony’s birthday, they come to check each other out.”

“Are you a friend of Tony’s?”

“I do the sports column for the school newspaper. Tony and I have become pretty good friends in the last couple of years. You?”

Angel shrugged. “He’s a very sweet person. I’m mostly here because my friend didn’t want to come alone.” She was starting to have more trouble breathing and it was difficult to keep the labor out of her voice.

Matt walked into the family room. He hadn’t seen Angel in a few minutes and wondered where she’d gotten off to. He’d seen Camilla with a couple other people in the kitchen, but Angel hadn’t been with her. His eyes narrowed as his eyes picked her out among the crowd. She was talking to a medium-built, not too bad looking guy on the other side of the room. Both were smiling.

Not only was Angel’s nose beginning to burn, but her chest and eyes were also. She wished she felt free to cough, but people would just look at her strangely. “Do you want to be...heh,” she sniffed, fighting against the sneeze that wanted out of her, “a reporter?”

Derrick shook his head. “No, it’s just a hobby. I’d like to major in advertising actually. I know you as the artist,” he smiled, pronouncing artist like ‘artiste’ as the French do. “You do beautiful work.”

Angel rubbed at her nose and sniffled. “Thank you.” The urge to sneeze was losing hold as her lungs screamed at her. The rate of her breathing was increasing and she really needed to cough.

“Hi, Angelface,” Matt said with a smile, barging his way into the conversation. He suddenly recognized the boy as Derrick Clapton, the sports columnist for the newspaper. He didn’t particularly like the guy.

“Hello,” Derrick said coolly. He did not care for Matt either, finding him arrogant, mean and immature.

“Hi...” Angel was wondering what Matt was doing when she realized that the itch had returned with such intensity that she couldn’t stop it. She covered her nose and mouth. “Heshoo! Heshoo! Heshoo!”

“Bless you!” Derrick said in surprise.

It wasn’t through with her. “Heh...huh...I’m...huh-huh...Heshoo! Heshoo! Heshoo! Huh...sorry! Huh...huh...ha...He-he-heshoo!”

“Bless you again!” exclaimed Derrick. “Are you all right?”

She coughed deep, throaty coughs into her sleeve and gasped for breath as she finished.

“Come on, you should sit down.” Derrick led Angel to the study where no one else was.

Matt followed, feeling both worried and ticked that Derrick seemed to have stepped in first. He decided to take action and grabbed a soda from the icebox in the kitchen. He opened it and handed it to her. Without looking at it, she drank a little.

“I’b sorry,” Angel sniffed, sounding stuffy. “Ahhh...huh...” she rubbed at her nose furiously. “I’b dot quite sure whad’s goig od.” She sniffed again. “Are dere ady tissues?”

“I’ll go find some,” Matt offered and left. He found a box in the bathroom and returned with it. His stomach clenched when he saw Angel was coughing harshly again. When she finished, she was obviously having trouble breathing. He handed her the box.

“Dadk you,” she wheezed. She brought a tissue to her face. “Heshoo! Huh...ehh...hah...Heshoo! Heshoo! Heh-heshoo!” She blew her nose, but that didn’t help much. Her eyes were still burning and her chest was tighter than ever.

“Are you sick?” Derrick asked, thinking she should go home.

“She has a cold,” replied Matt. But he’d never seen such a sudden onset of symptoms before.

“Do, well yes, bud,” she paused to cough again, “somedig else is wrog.” She knew she was having some sort of allergy attack but didn’t know what was causing it. The constant sneezing was a result of the cold and an allergy combined, and the asthma attack was aggravated by her cold but not caused by it. There were a few things that would be strong enough to have her sneezing like she was, mostly certain kinds of animal hair, a few pollens, strong perfumes or chemicals, but it would be hard to pinpoint something specific at this party.

“You should go home,” Derrick said anxiously. Angel’s breathing was rapid, her eyes were puffy, she was flushed, and it was obvious she was miserable.

“I...huh...ca...Heshoo! I cad’t...ha-ha-heh...Cabilla...Heshoo! Heshoo!” She continued to sneeze and with each sneeze she got stuffier and had a harder time breathing.

“Never mind Camilla. She’ll be fine, and she would hate you to be this sick!” Matt said forcefully.

A meow came from the doorway and a cat strolled in. It went instantly to Angel and rubbed against her legs. This was the source of her problems. Instantly her lungs seized up and she wheezed worse than ever. “Cads...heh...heshoo!”

Derrick grabbed the cat and threw it out the door, shutting it out. “Are you allergic to cats?” he asked quickly.

Angel nodded. She couldn’t say anything. She hadn’t brought her reliever with her and she really needed it.

“Damn!” Derrick swore. “Kate’s family has three cats and they’re allowed anywhere in the house.”

“I...deed,” she gasped, “to go...huh...heh...hobe. Heshoo! Heshoo!”

Matt nodded. “Okay, I’ll get your backpack.”

“And I’ll take you to my car,” Derrick added.

The first instinct in Matt’s head was to tell Derrick that he would drive Angel home, but Angel’s health wasn’t worth a fight. He would just tag along. He found Angel’s backpack and then Tony. “Derrick and I are taking Angel home.”

“Is she feeling worse?” Tony asked, concerned.

“It turns out that she’s really allergic to cats or something. She can’t breathe, she can’t stop sneezing, and it’s really bad.”

Tony nodded seriously. “Okay. I’ll tell Camilla next time I see her.”

Matt hurried out to the car and into the backseat with Angel. “Drive,” he told Derrick shortly and Derrick obeyed. He gave him quick directions and then turned his attention to Angel. Her asthmatic breathing scared him. He had no idea what to say to comfort her.

“Huh...heshoo!” Angel sniffed, rubbing at her nose. “I’b sorry...” She coughed deeply again.

“Don’t worry about it,” Matt and Derrick said in unison.

“I dever...heh...” Angel sniffled again. “I did’d bead...heshoo!” she sneezed yet again into her hands. “I did’d bead do ruid your afterdoods,” she sighed, tired and weak from exertion and lack of air.

Matt shook his head. “It’s all right,” he said quietly. “It’s not your fault.

*****

Michael was in the family room with a book when he heard the front door open. He glanced at his watch. It wasn’t quite five yet. He hadn’t expected Angel to be back for a while. “In here, gattina,” he called.

There were more than one set of footsteps and two of Angel’s small, feminine “Heshoo!”s came from just outside the doorway.

“Salute,” he said, not looking at the room’s entrance as he finished the paragraph he was reading. But the moment the sound of her quick, desperate breathing reached his ears, he was attentive. He stared for a second at his daughter, who was in the midst of an allergy attack.

Without paying attention to the two boys next to her, Michael was up and had led Angel to the couch. Then he was out of the room in a flash, returning in equal time with a small basket. He opened her puffer and gave it to her before crouching down. “Tu sei tutto bene,” he murmured over and over as she took the medicine.

Matt and Derrick watched anxiously as Angel’s breathing slowly got better. After several long minutes, Michael quickly examined her. When he had finished, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and continued talking to her in Italian. She finally nodded when he was done speaking and left the room, managing a grateful smile for Matt and Derrick.

Just as Matt was wondering how Michael could be so calm, Michael sat silently on the couch with his face in his hands. A moment later he ran his hands though his thick black hair and looked at the young men before him. “Please, sit down,” he sighed. “I’m sorry for being rude, but I expect you probably understand that Angel needed my immediate attention.”

“Absolutely,” Derrick nodded as he and Matt took chairs opposite Michael.

Michael looked at Matt and Derrick intently. “I recognize you. You’re Matt, Camilla’s cousin. I’ve seen you at the high school and you came here once so Angel could help you with a paper or something. But you,” he pointed at Derrick, “I do not know.”

“Derrick,” smiled Derrick. He had taken an instant liking to Michael.

“I’m Michael,” Michael returned the smile. “So now I’ve had you sit down, there have been the introductions, what else?” he muttered. “Explaining the Italian. When Angel’s upset or scared, speaking straight Italian has always calmed her. I wasn’t attempting to block you two out of the conversation. I was telling her she would be all right and then I had her go take a shower. Once her medicine’s begun working, a shower clears her out.”

“Makes sense,” Derrick nodded.

“I assume you two were at the party. Do either of you know what set her off?”

“I think so,” began Derrick. “The place where the party was—”

Matt didn’t want to hear a long explanation. “Cats.”

Michael nodded, a dark smile on his lips. “Sí, cats will do it. Angel has awful asthma! Even with the strong medications she takes, she still can’t escape without three and six attacks a year. Cats are one of the worst allergens for her.”

“She got bad really fast, we were only there for about twenty minutes,” Matt mused.

“Believe it or not, that attack was fairly moderate. She’s had much worse. There have been a few times where her lungs have closed and shots of adrenaline are the only thing that can bring her around. But I would agree that she does get bad very quickly. Of course, the fact that she woke up with a cold doesn’t help.”

“May we stay until Angel comes down?” Derrick asked. He figured Matt would probably want to make sure Angel was all right as well.

Michael nodded. “Of course. I’m not sure how long she’ll be though.”

“We’ll wait,” Matt said shortly.

*****

Derrick glanced at Matt. Michael had just left the room to do something, and he had a few questions that Matt might be able to answer. “Is Michael Angel’s brother?”

Matt shrugged. “Brother, cousin, really close friend, maybe even more than a friend. I don’t really know.”

“They don’t really look related. He’s definitely Italian-American, but the only things that could mark Angel Italian are her dark eyes and the fact she speaks the language.”

“I think her dad’s part Italian or something.”

“Where is her dad anyway? Or her mom?” Derrick hadn’t seen anyone else in the Mediterranean-style villa.

Matt shrugged again. “I’ve heard her talk about her dad sometimes, but he must work a lot or something. She never talks about a mom.”

Derrick and Matt were beginning to trust each other a little more. The need to band together to help Angel had given them a common interest. Neither was particularly fond of the other still, but the dislike wasn’t as strong.

Just then Angel walked in. She looked a little better than before. Her breathing seemed fairly close to normal, she was pale rather than flushed, and the slight swelling of her eyes seemed to be going away. “Hi,” she sniffed.

“Hey,” Derrick said warmly.

“Hi.” Matt was relieved that she seemed better. “How are you feeling.”

Angel rubbed at her nose, which was still somewhat itchy but not nearly as congested. “Um, okay,” she said, embarrassed. “I’m sorry that I went all Darth Vader on you!” She sat down and coughed.

“It’s not your fault!” Derrick said earnestly. “It was just kind of scary.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Angel sighed. “It is scar—” She quickly covered her face and sneezed, “Heshoo!”

“Bless you,” Matt said automatically. He wasn’t quite sure how to act. He didn’t want to admit that he too had been freaked out by the incident. “You’re all right though?”

Michael returned as Matt asked the question. “She will be in a few days. Her allergies are always more hyper after an attack like that. It’ll take longer because she’s sick.” He sat next to Angel and pulled her close so she could rest against him.

“Thank you for helping me,” Angel smiled. “It was very nice of you both!”

“I’m just glad you weren’t off by yourself!” Derrick said, his tone relieved.

“No problem,” Matt said, faking the indifference in his voice. Why couldn’t he just be nice? Something about her made him feel like he was losing his cool and he didn’t like that feeling, so he had to work harder at it. Besides, didn’t all guys that liked a girl give them a hard time?

Michael smiled at them as they stood up. “Yes, thank you. I really, really appreciate you bringing her home! If Angel had stayed there much longer, she would have had to go to the hospital.”

“We can see ourselves out,” Matt said as he left the room.

“I hope you feel better!” Derrick waved as he walked out.

*****

Angel pondered the day as she lay in bed. She marveled at the kindness Derrick and Matt, especially Matt, had shown her. She’d never met Derrick before, but he’d helped her all the same. Matt, who never had seemed to like her, had taken care of her as well. It touched her and proved once more that kindness could come from the most unexpected places.

The End

[And Beat Him When He Sneezes]

Excellent story. Poor Angel. But it was very touching.

[shy guy]

A beautifully written story; you really are a very talented young writer. I haven't read the earlier stories in the series, but you did a really good job of explaining the characters and context without disrupting the flow of the current story. I hope you're planning on continuing the series, because you've certainly left me wondering how the emergent triangle between Angel, Matt and Derrick will develop. In the meantime, I'm hoping I can find the first two stories on the board.

Keep up the good work!

s.g.

[Guest Eventide]

Shy guy (and others),

Thank you so much for your encouraging words! I am planning to continue the series, I love the characters and it's fun to see where they go in the sick/allergy setting (since they go along with an original story that I've written/am writing on my own).

I have thus far written two stories that come before this one. The first one, "Agapé", takes place ten years before "Unexpected Kindness," when Michael was still in the Mafia and Angel was four. A little side note though, it is male (Michael). The links for the three parts are:

http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/forums/in...=ST&f=2&t=16157

http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/forums/in...=ST&f=2&t=16217

http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/forums/in...=ST&f=2&t=16311

The second story does not have Michael or Angel in it, it deals with James and Max (characters that were major in "Agapé" but only mentioned briefly in "Unexpected Kindness). It's a female story (Max). It takes place about a year after "Agapé." The links for the two parts for "What Are Friends For" are:

http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/forums/in...=ST&f=2&t=16704

http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/forums/in...=ST&f=2&t=16794

I hope this helps! Thank you again for your feedback!

-Eventide