Chapter Text
He only noticed you the first time because you were brought in with Dr. Loomis. You looked small and scared, wearing a knitted sweater that was several sizes too big for you. It had belonged to Loomis, but he had given it to you on the car ride over.
Michael watched you silently as Loomis helped you check in. Loomis rarely showed such interest in normal patients, so Michael vaguely wondered exactly what it was about you that made you so special.
Two nurses took you away, leaving Loomis by the front desk, watching you go.
Michael went back to looking at the wall, what interest he had leaving him. His appointment with Loomis was coming up soon, and he would have to endure being talked at for an hour.
Over time, Michael noticed you around the ward. When he was allowed to be around other patients, you were there, still wearing the sweater that was too big for you. You would look around nervously when you were alone, but usually Loomis was with you, talking with you.
Your eyes never fell on Michael, but he was always watching you. You never noticed his stare, but Loomis did.
He tried not to show any signs that he knew that Michael was watching the two of you. Loomis tried to observe subtly, noticing how, for the first time since he had met him, Michael’s eyes seemed to actually focus and see something. And not just something, but you, his own granddaughter.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom.” You said, standing.
Loomis snapped back to attention, realizing that he had completely spaced out on whatever it was you had been talking about. “Oh, alright. I’ll be here.”
You nodded, standing and walking to the bathroom.
Michael saw you walking over. The restrooms where right behind him, putting him right if your path.
He moved subtly, so slowly that not even Loomis’ observant gaze could see what he was doing. Michael moved his foot as you walked past, tripping you.
You yelped in surprise, falling as your foot suddenly hit something. You braced yourself for impact when a pair of strong hands shot out grabbing you and pulling you to safety.
“Oh, my god, thank-.” You began thanking your savior, when there was a sudden commotion all around you, making the words die on your lips.
Your grandpa, every nurse in the room, and even some of the patients were staring at you with wide eyes. The nurses had their hands out, shouting things that you couldn’t understand because you were too confused to absorb what it was they were saying.
Loomis walked closer, his hands out, talking past you, to whoever was holding you.
Their arms tightened around you, the arms were strong, you could feel it by how their muscles flexed around you. Their grip around you didn’t hurt, but from how everyone was reacting, you began to feel scared.
Turning, you looked at your savior/assailant to see a handsome face glaring at your grandfather.
As you calmed, your hearing starting coming back into focus.
“Michael, Michael, let her go. Don’t do this, don’t hurt her.” Loomis said as sternly as he could manage, but his voice shook slightly, giving away how fearful he was.
The nurses were saying similar things, all of them looking as if they too were scared but trying to hide it.
You looked back at Michael, starting to shake.
“M-Michael?” You said as he arms tightened around you once again.
He looked down at you, his expression unchanging. He nodded slightly at you.
You would have followed up with something, but you truly didn’t have anything else to say. You didn’t know what to say, you barely knew what was going on. But everyone was acting like you were in danger, so you figured that you must be in danger.
“Michael, put her down, now.” Loomis commanded, buying time while one of the nurses pulled out a taser behind Michael. It would hurt you too, but that was better than you dying here.
Michael looked at you, his eyes moving up and down your body, making you feel tiny. He reached up his hand, and all hell broke loose.
Loomis cried out and dove for you, the nurses all scrambled to try and hold Michael down, the one holding the taser dropping the weapon in the commotion. You squeezed your eyes shut, bracing yourself for anything, when you felt a slight tug on your collar.
You opened your eyes to see Michael holding up a string that had been hanging off your collar. He let you go, and you scrambled away as the nurses stilled, no longer on the defense. Loomis pulled you into his arms, your grandfather staring in shock at Michael.
Michael held up the string for a moment before letting it drop to the floor.
The room went silent as Michael went back to staring at the wall. Even the patients were still.
“Um.” You broke the silence, everyone turning to look at you. “I still have to go to the bathroom.”
“Right.” Loomis nodded slightly, looking back at Michael, who had gone back to looking completely dead-eyed. “Right. Walk around him and go.”
You nodded, walking past Michael to the restroom.
Loomis stared down Michael, and Michael looked back at him.
“What was that, Michael?” Loomis said lowly, signaling to the nurses to take Michael to his room.
It was only a moment, a flash of an emotion. A smirk on Michael’s lips that lasted less than a second as the nurses grabbed his arms, taking him to his room.
Michael was interested in you. Loomis bit the inside of his lip in frustration. The one sign of anything in Michael’s mind in years, and it had to be you.
God damn it.