His Brother's Woman

by BillieK26

As Michael knocked on the door, he heard laughter – Natalie’s. Great, he thought, this is not how I wanted to have this conversation, but it has to be done. I’m not like John; I have to face how my feelings have changed.

Michael leaned against the door frame waiting for his brother to answer the door.

"Michael? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Right now? Natalie and I were about to grab a bite to eat."

"Yeah, right now. It can’t wait."

John frowned at the seriousness of Michael’s tone. "Okay, come on in."

Michael looked at Natalie standing in the doorway of the bathroom obviously waiting to find out why he was there.

"I need to talk to you alone," Michael said in a hushed tone. "Why don’t we go to my place instead?"

John glanced over his shoulder at Natalie and must have understood Michael’s need for privacy.

"Okay," John said to Michael, then turning to Natalie, "I’m going up to Michael’s. I’ll be back soon so we can go to Rodi’s."

"Okay, John."

Michael could tell by the look on her face that she wanted to know, but he knew that she wouldn’t ask. She wouldn’t push John to tell her anything he didn’t want too. She was a complacent girl that took whatever John dished out. That was evident by the fact that she gave John the time of day after he’d told her time and time again that she wasn’t the woman he wanted. Well, the woman he wanted John had decided he couldn’t have and she was alone. That was something Michael wanted to remedy.

"Okay, Mikey. What’s so important you needed to see me alone?"

"I’m going to ask Evangeline out and I wanted to tell you myself."

Michael watched John adopt his poker face and knew that he’d just distanced himself from his feelings – something John was very good at.

"I think it’s great that you and Evangeline are becoming such good friends. I know she’s been dating some, but I’m sure she appreciates you being there for her."

"I don’t mean as friends. John, you know as well as I do, that Evangeline is a beautiful woman inside and out. You couldn’t or wouldn’t make it work with her and I want her. I thought Marcie and I had a chance, but she’s with Hugh and I’m not as upset as I should be for a man who’s supposed to be in love with her. I’m having feelings for Evangeline that I never thought possible. She is so special and I want to hold on to that."

"When did all this happen? Is this your idea of getting me to face my feelings for Evangeline?"

"No. I don’t play those games. You should know that better than anybody."

"Weren’t you trying to get Marcie back?"

"Marcie is happy with Hugh and I’m happiest when I’m with Evangeline. We’ve been spending quite a bit of time together since you two broke up."

"Michael, are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, we were pretty serious."

Michael could see that John didn’t like the thought of him and Evangeline and even though he loved and respected his brother, he didn’t really care whether he liked it or not. You couldn’t help who you fell for and Michael knew if he gave himself half a chance he could fall for Evangeline.

"Yeah, I know, but you’ve moved on with Natalie and I believe I can make Evangeline happy. That’s why I came to you first. I wanted you to know from me and not hear about it around town. Evangeline and I understand each other; we can actually talk to each other. We have fun together. She’s simply amazing. How you could have let her leave you, I’ll never understand, but I count it a blessing for me."

"Well, if you two kids think you can make a go of it, I say best of luck." The frown on John’s face said different, but Michael ignored it.

"I’m not gonna need luck. I’ll have the Angel," Michael said with a smile. He opened the door escorting his brother out of his room, as he went to meet Evangeline for the lunch they’d planned at the Rodi’s.

---------------

"John, what did Michael want to talk to you about?"

John was in no mood to discuss Evangeline with Natalie.

"Natalie, I don’t want to talk about it."

He’d let her get away and he was constantly reminded of it. Evangeline had been out on a few dates; he knew because he kept tabs on her. For a while it had looked like Dr. Jamison would be the new man in her life, but she’d kept it casual. John had wanted her happy, but he didn’t want her with another man. How crazy was that?

"Is everything okay? You seem upset."

Yes, I’m upset; my brother is getting serious about the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I’m just too afraid to talk to her.

"Natalie, I’m not talking about it."

"Okay. Are you ready to go to Rodi’s?"

"Yeah, let’s go."

---------------

Evangeline walked into Rodi’s for her weekly lunch with Michael. She was so glad for her friendship with him. Michael was a man who was in touch with his feelings and not afraid to share them. Evangeline appreciated the trust he placed in her more than anything. Michael had made her breakup with John a lot easier to take. While she still cared for John, she could smile again and mean it. Michael was mostly responsible for that.

"Hi, doc," she said walking across the restaurant to their regular table.

"Hi, yourself." Michael glanced at his watch without looking at her. "You’re late."

"I know. There was a last minute call from a client, but I got here as quickly as I could."

"I guess I’ll forgive you today, but don’t let that happen again," he joked, looking up at her with a smile.

"I’ll remember that doctor." Evangeline kissed him on the cheek before taking her seat. Evangeline picked up her menu and asked, "How’s your day going so far?"

"It’s good," he said, watching at her across the table. "How’s yours?"

"Good, except for the last minute call." She glanced over the menu at Michael and smiled. When she noticed the look on his face, she took pause. "What’s up? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just realized that I want us to see where we can go in a real relationship."

"What?" Evangeline laid the menu down on the table and knew shock covered her face.

"Okay, before you just say no, hear me out. We are great friends and we have a lot of fun together. We understand each other. I want to see if it can grow into something else."

"Michael, I’m not sure we should do this. I mean, John and I were pretty serious and you love Marcie. What would this do to your relationship with John?"

"I know you have reservations. I have reservations, too, but I know I want a chance with you. As for me and John, I told him about this before I got here. I don’t know that he’s really okay with it, but we’re brothers. We’ll be okay."

A waiter walked toward the table, but catching Michael’s eye he turned toward another table.

"What if it doesn’t work Michael?"

"For the past few months, we’ve been spending a lot of time together and when we almost kissed the other night; I knew there was something else there. I want the chance to see where it can go. I think the key to that is to be honest with each other and decide if we want to make it work. If either of us isn’t getting what we want, we have to tell the other."

"Michael, I don’t know. I don’t want to lose you. You are one of my best friends."

"I feel the same way about you. As long as we remember that, we’ll be okay." Michael stretched his hand out to Evangeline and she looked at it for a moment. Evangeline loved Michael as a friend and she trusted him. He was part of the reason she hadn’t dated anyone else seriously. She didn’t have the connection with any of them that she had with Michael. With that I mind, she smiled at him and placed her hand in his.

"Okay, let’s try," Evangeline said. Michael leaned across the table and kissed her right there at the table. The sparks Evangeline felt weren’t expected. She hadn’t felt anything like it since John and this was much better, because she knew where Michael stood. There might actually be a real chance.

When they pulled apart, Evangeline noticed the atmosphere in the room had changed. She and Michael glanced toward the door and there stood John and Natalie. The look on their faces was priceless, but more than anything Evangeline realized she didn’t feel any pain at seeing them. She was getting over John. How amazing was that?

Looking back at Michael, Evangeline smiled and said, "Well, this could get interesting."

"Would you feel better if we went somewhere else?"

"No. They don’t bother me, plus this is our place, too."

Michael smiled in response and squeezed her hand. The waiter arrived to take their order.

When walked away from the table, Evangeline took a deep breath and voiced a concern.

"I know that you say you and Marcie are through, but before we go any further, I’d like to talk to her about this. Marcie and I aren’t best friends, but I do consider her someone special so I want to make sure she knows."

"I don’t have a problem with that. Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, I’m a big girl. I can handle it, but thanks for asking."

With that out of the way, they relaxed into an easy conversation, totally ignoring the looks that were being tossed their way from the table across the restaurant.

---------------

"What’s going on with them?" Natalie asked, her curiosity boiling over. She was so engrossed by Michael and Evangeline that she didn’t see the scowl that took up residence on John’s face.

"I don’t know, Natalie. Why do you care?"

"Well, he’s your brother. Evangeline is probably just trying to get to you through Michael."

"Evangeline would never use someone to get to me. She’s a better woman than that," John said with a stern look on his face.

"That’s right, because she’s so perfect."

"She’s not perfect, but she’s not selfish. That’s just who she is."

"I can’t believe you’re defending her to me."

"Natalie, I’m just telling the truth. I don’t have to defend her, her reputation and her actions do that."

Natalie picked up the menu and didn’t say another word until the waiter came to take their order and for that John was relieved. When he’d put Evangeline in that box he kept closed, he had expected to be able to put her away just like Caitlyn. The problem was Evangeline wasn’t dead and the fact that he saw her regularly didn’t help. Now she was dating – Michael, of all people. And Michael might have a chance of getting all the things John wanted. How was he supposed to handle that?

---------------

"Lunch was special today and so was the other thing," Evangeline said with a grin touching her lips.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, can I get a little more of the other thing?" Michael asked from her side as he stood pulling her chair back from the table.

"Sure." She stood and pressed up on her toes to press a soft kiss against his lips. Her eyes were dancing when she pulled away. "I’ll see you later?"

"You can count on it," Michael said caressing Evangeline’s check with his thumb.

"Oh, I have a meeting at the Love Center later and Marcie will be there. I think I’ll go ahead and talk to her then, since we’ve been seen kissing in public. I feel like I ought to talk to her stat."

"That’s probably a good idea. I like when you use those medical terms, counselor."

"I know," she said, with a wink as she left him standing there in the middle of the diner watching her leave.

Michael knew that he was in for an adventure with a woman like Evangeline. They were so different, yet so much alike. Michael knew from some of his conversations with John that Evangeline liked Modern Dance and Tennis. He almost felt bad about using knowledge he’d learned from his brother to woo Evangeline, but he pushed that aside.

Michael knew from experience what a loving woman Evangeline was. He remembered how she’d always been there for him when he and Marcie broke up, even when he might have pissed her off. Michael was going to use every weapon in his arsenal to break down Evangeline’s defenses and take her heart prisoner – never to be released.

---------------

The meeting felt like it would never end. Evangeline wanted to get her talk with Marcie out of the way. At this point, Evangeline didn’t know how she’d handle Marcie not being okay with her and Michael. She was actually excited about pursuing a relationship with someone who willingly admitted wanting one. Evangeline was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t realize the meeting had ended.

"Hey, Evangeline, what’s with that smile? You look really happy."

"Hey, Marcie. I didn’t realize I was smiling, but I need to talk to you for a minute if that’s okay."

"Sure, I’m not meeting Hugh for another hour so I have time."

"Good, I wanted to talk to you about Michael."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he is. Um, I’m not really sure how to approach this, but here goes. Michael and I have been spending a lot of time together since we broke up with you and John. We really enjoy the time we spend and we’ve decided to see where things can go with us. I wanted to talk to you about it because while we aren’t best friends, I do consider you a good one and I don’t want to hurt you or destroy the friendship we have."

"Evangeline, I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you would come to me about you and Michael."

"Well, I just wanted everything out in the open. I didn’t want you to hear about us from someone else. I treasure your friendship and I know that Michael cares about you. The last thing either of us wants is for you to get hurt."

"You know, if I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were trying to push my buttons. But, I do know you and I really appreciate you being concerned about me. I’m totally fine about you and Michael. I’m really happy with Hugh and I want that for the two of you. Thanks for telling me yourself. I know you’ll take good care of him."

"Absolutely."

The two women shared an understanding smile and Evangeline knew that her time with Michael would be that much more special because they’d taken care of John and Marcie.

---------------

"Evangeline Williamson."

"Hey E. What are you doing tonight?" Evangeline smiled at Michael’s question and bit her bottom lip.

"I don’t know. What am I doing tonight?"

"Dinner at the Palace?" Evangeline could hear the tentativeness in Michael’s voice and found it extremely attractive.

"I’d like that."

"Okay, 7 o’clock at the Palace and don’t be late."

"Yes, sir. I’ll see you later."

"See ya."

"Bye," she whispered to the dial tone at the other end of the phone. Evangeline was actually excited about the evening. This was a feeling she’d been experiencing for a while with Michael and had refused to evaluate.

---------------

Michael placed the phone on the receiver and moved to finish his rounds. As he turned the corner heading to the North wing of the hospital, he ran into Natalie.

"Hey Michael," she said with a smile.

"Hi Natalie, what are you doing here?"

"I actually came by to see you."

"Really? Why? Is something wrong? Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh, I’m fine. I’m just worried about you."

At that, Michael took a speculative stance. Why would Natalie be worried about him?

"Oh, yeah? Why?"

"Well, I saw you and Evangeline earlier and I was just wondering what’s going on."

"John didn’t tell you?" Michael watched the flush cover her face. This was interesting. Maybe everything wasn’t golden in paradise.

"What was there for him to say?"

Michael smiled at the question. She was really fishing. Well, let’s see what she can catch, he thought before answering, "Just the fact that Evangeline and I are seeing each other."

"Michael, are you sure about that? She was so in love with John. I don’t want to see you hurt."

Michael’s eyes narrowed at Natalie’s comment. He knew that this was a fishing expedition and Natalie had no clue what she was about to get.

"Natalie, Evangeline is over John, so don’t worry about me. She’s more than I ever imagined. She’s the smartest, most beautiful and loving woman I know. I want to be a better man with her and she doesn’t even ask me to. I can trust her with anything. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt like this before and we’re going to see where it goes."

As Michael spoke, he saw how Natalie was caught off guard by how he described Evangeline. He watched her eyes widen and knew that she had no idea how a real relationship should work.

"Well, if you’re sure…."

"I am . . . more . . . than sure. She’s amazing and I plan to keep her. So, you don’t have to worry about her coming after John. She has me. Now, I have to finish my rounds. See ya," Michael said walking toward his next patient’s room. Natalie was a piece of work, but Michael felt sorry for her. She would never truly be happy because she always wanted what someone else had.

---------------

Evangeline made her way to Bo’s office to speak about a client that had been picked up earlier. She glanced down at her watch to make sure she was still on schedule. As she rounded the corner, she ran smack dab into John. She dropped her briefcase and he grabbed her arms to keep her from falling. Evangeline didn’t feel that usual sensation from being around John. He bent to retrieve her briefcase and she had to smile. She’d been hell bent on getting over him and she’d made progress.

"I’m sorry for running into you. I’m kind of in a hurry," she said.

"Oh, how are you?"

"I’m fine. How are you?"

"Okay. Michael told me about the two of you," John said with a look of interest. What was he expecting her to say?

"Yeah, he told me."

"Are you sure you know what you’re doing?" John asked the question with more than mere curiosity.

The fact that he asked her the question at all caused her to smile. What had she really seen in him? John was a damaged man who might never get to the root of the poison that slowly killed him. She felt sorry for him. How Michael had turned out so different was beyond her, but she was so glad that she had him. He was a wonderful man and friend who knew what was important. Evangeline had been blessed when she and John broke up. She just hadn’t realized it.

"Actually, I know what I’m doing for the first time in a long time. This makes sense, finally being with someone I want who has made it clear that they want me and only me."

"I just want you to be happy."

"Thanks, I am and I want the same thing for you."

"Thank you," John said reaching out as if to touch her. She backed away from the touch as she noticed Natalie over John’s shoulder.

"If you’ll excuse me, I’m here to see Bo about a case. Have a good life John. I wish you nothing, but the best," Evangeline said as she walked around John and past Natalie.

---------------

"What was that about?"

"Nothing. Evangeline and I ran into each other, literally."

"I just saw something. You still have feelings for her, don’t you?"

"Natalie…"

"No, you do, don’t you? You wished you were with her just now, didn’t you?"

"Evangeline and I are over. We have been for a long time. I’m with you."

"But you want her. You look at her different. I know you love me, but you want her."

"Natalie, I’m not talking about Evangeline to you or anyone else. She has been lost to me for a long time. She’s not in the picture."

"Are you happy?"

"What?"

"Are you happy? I mean, I’m so happy to be with you. Are you?"

"Natalie, I don’t know what happy is."

---------------

"E, sweetie," Michael said from behind Evangeline at the Host stand.

"Hi. You’re late."

"I know. I had an emergency at the hospital and I wasn’t sure that I would make it at all, but we got it all taken care of."

"Well, since you were saving lives, I guess I’ll be understanding," she said with a smirk."

"Thanks for your generosity," he said leaning down to kiss her. He wrapped an arm around her and deepened the kiss, as she pressed her palm against his cheek. Evangeline pulled away as they heard a cough from the host interrupting them to lead them to their table. She blushed as she followed the host with Michael’s hand pressed to her lower back. Evangeline caught her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled at Michael as he held her chair.

"Has any one ever told you you’re gorgeous?" Michael asked as Evangeline tilted her head to the side looking at the menu.

"I don’t think so."

"Well, that’s your new nickname." Evangeline’s smile widened at the comment.

"Thank you."

"I just call ‘em like I see ‘em."

They studied the menus for a few minutes and Evangeline found herself taking long glances at Michael. She finally laid her menu down and placed her arms across it.

"Michael?"

"Yeah," he said laying his menu down as well.

"I’m really glad we’re taking this step."

"Really?"

"Yeah. After your brother, I didn’t think I’d ever want to fall in love again, but now I can see the pot at the end of the rainbow."

"I feel the same way. How’d your talk with Marcie go?"

"I was good. She basically gave us her blessing. She wants us to be happy. She is such a sweetheart."

"Good. All the exes are out of the way."

"Yep, and we’re free to get this show on the road," she teased.

"Do you know how special you are?" Michael asked, taking Evangeline’s hand from the table. As he rubbed his thumb across her palm, he continued, "I watched my brother take your love for granted and I hurt for you. I’m just glad I have a chance to make up for what he did and have a future with you. You are everything I ever wanted. The thing we have to remember is to be honest and open with each other."

"I’ll remember if you will."

"I don’t know how I could forget."

---------------

"Where’s little Robert Thomas McBain?" John asked walking up to the window of the Nursery.

"He’s right there in the middle," said the proud papa who couldn’t take his eyes off the little boy. Michael turned to John with tears in his eyes and a smile so bright it could rival a night at Times Square. "I never knew it would feel like this – being a dad. I’ve got to see my wife."

Michael turned after patting his brother on the back and practically ran down the hall in the direction of the Evangeline’s room.

John stood in the hallway looking at his new nephew and imagined what his life would have been like if he had faced his demons two years prior. That could have been his baby and Evangeline could have been his wife. He’d made a mess of his life, but at least Evangeline was safe and happy. It was amazing to watch her and Michael together. They fit like two peas in a pod.

John envied his brother. He knew he could never have anything like that since Evangeline was taken. John pressed his hand against the glass and made the little boy a promise.

"I’ll always be here for you, Tommy. I let your mom down, but Uncle John will never let you down. I love you little man."

John turned from the window and moved toward the exit. There was nothing left for him to do except feel.