Having the two wonderful ladies move in had been such a blessing in disguise.  What started out as doubt and uncertainty turned quickly to a family of sorts.  Fran has practically taken over the all the functions of running a house, which if it were up to Michael he would live out of his entertainment room letting the rest of the house to whatever fate dictated.  How he had lived without Fran in the past he will never know.  Alliana had come so far in such a short time.  Now having one of the best websites in the area thanks to the great work she had done.  He liked to think of himself as understanding technology but what she did with the site was stunning.<br/><br/>His practice had flourished over the months the word of mouth is a powerful thing.  Most his patients simply want someone that cares.  With more patients his trips to the hospital are much less than they were in the past. Missing those refreshing breaks to simply walk through and talk to people but his skills was needed elsewhere.  With a successful practice his influence in the community was also growing.  More than once he had to make an excuse or another to not attend some event.  The invitations were coming more frequently.  The only one accepted was to his mentors party, that was more uncomfortable than one could imagine.  That night was utter torture, in his eyes Alliana was absolutely beautiful that night.  That night he realized his feelings for her were more than a curiosity or a figment of just being alone.  He confided in no one nor would he ever act on those feelings risking her trust in him.<br/><br/>After that night, Michael attempted to meet someone and it was an utter disaster.  The entire night was torture, the food and conversation were excellent but his mind continually drifted.  His date for the evening was simply unable to engage his attention for more than a few minutes.  His thoughts would continually drift to some moment when Alliana made a joke and her eyes would light up at his discomfort.  For a month or so after that there was an awkwardness around that house that he simply could not place but he knew it was there and that bothered him greatly.<br/><br/>The bite of loneliness had its teeth fully secure in him.  However most of the time it was tempered some by having the company of both Alliana and Fran for company.  It was the worse at night lying in bed alone, not able to roll-over and hold someone tight.  A couple drinks at night in private helped to forget.   He felt uncomfortable drinking so frequently around anyone lest they begin to question.  A little gin would at least allow him to sleep.  At first he would lye at night and stare for hours at the ceiling holding himself.  His mind unable to let her go, her eyes the way they sparkled every time she would tease him over one thing or another.<br/><br/>The improvements have been nothing but stellar, her job brought an excitement to the house.  Her need to do it on her own was so rewarding.  Improvements were made everyday, and the tutor was a good man.  Michael would leave the house on some errand whenever he was around.  Seeing her laugh and sing with Tonio was difficult but the progress was unmistakable.  It was simply better for him to not be there.<br/>