Attachments (PG. pairing) by Greer Watson (1/9)
Title: Attachments (1/9)
Author: Greer Watson
Beta-Reader: twilight2000
Recipient: celli
Prompt: Nick/Nat, modern-day love letters
Rating: PG
Word Count: +61K
Summary: Natalie's perspective....
Notes & Acknowledgements
The prompt is “modern-day love letters”; and I do hope celli feels that this fits the bill. At any rate, it's “modern” temporally (not to mention the occasional involvement of a computer or two), “love” in spots, and “letters” occasionally.
I would like to thank Nancy A. Taylor for converting this story from WordPerfect 5.1, the wordprocessing software in which I wrote it, to Microsoft Word, which is the software used by my beta-reader, twilight2000.
Additional notes will be found after the end of the story.
Disclaimer
This story is written as a homage to the television series, Forever Knight (created by James D. Parriott and Barney Cohen), which is owned by Sony/Tristar.
ATTACHMENTS
by Greer Watson
Reese,
I just got this from Artie in Ident. I think you’d better have a look at it. Basically, it’s stuff they found in Natalie’s apartment. They’re still working their way through that loft of Nick’s.
McCabe
==================================
1. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.APR 14
Oh, my God! I can't believe it, I just can't believe it-except that I know I wasn't dreaming. It's just so-God, I don't know what it's so. Unbelievable, except that I saw it with my own eyes.Him. Saw him with my own eyes.I can't write it down. It's just too weird.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
2. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.APR 22
Well, it's got to be true. I saw him on the street. He walked past, all innocent-obviously hoping I wouldn't recognize him. (I did, of course.) We talked for quite a while.It's going to be a fascinating research project, even though obviously not something I'll ever be able to publish. I mean, who'd believe me?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
3. Print-out of deleted WordPerfect 5.1 Document KNIGHT.001, recovered from the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Coroners Building
26 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ont.
M7A 2G9
26 April 1990
Mr. Nicholas Knight
101 Gateway Lane
Toronto, Ont.
M4M 2G7
Dear Mr. Knight,
As you have not yet called to make an appointment, I thought perhaps I should write. (Yes, I found your address. One of the advantages of having connections with the police department.)
I think it would be best if we schedule a complete physical--just as if I were your regular doctor. That will provide me with base level data from which it will be possible to tell if future treatments are proving effective. In any case, there is so much that I do not yet know about your condition that I need a full exam.
Do get in touch. I'm sure I'll be able help.
Yours truly,
Natalie Lambert, M.D.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
4. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.MAY 3
He's a fascinating subject-not to mention a handsome man. (Not that that's relevant, of course. Doctor & patient, doctor & patient.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
5. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.MAY 17
How can I reconcile this man with the bloodsucking killer of folk tale? This is hardly Dracula I'm treating!
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
6. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.MAY 18
I just read what I wrote yesterday. Of course, Dracula was just as much fiction as a character in one of Emily Weiss's novels. There are some ways in which Mr. Knight's condition accords with tradition. His diet, most obviously-also, he sees in the dark. Then there's that hypnosis he tried on me.On the other hand, it's hard to imagine him digging himself out of a grave. For that matter, it's hard to see how every victim can resurrect-the world would soon be overrun. I can only imagine that his kind do not normally kill when they feed.The Masai tap their cattle for blood, don't they? (Cattle. What a nasty image!)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
7. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.MAY 20
Mr. Knight does not like the fact that I keep records of my findings. I pointed out that my memory is as fallible as anyone else's. I will require the current readings in the future so that I can make comparisons once I start actual treatment. Well, he did get the point in the end. So we've worked out a compromise. The notebook is locked securely in my desk at work (that being where I'm seeing him and doing the tests). I was doing that anyway, of course, but I didn't say so.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
8. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUN 7
How are humans “converted”? This is critical. I obviously need to understand how the process works before I can possibly find a way to reverse it. Clearly I need to get Mr. Knight to talk about the birds and the bees.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
9. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUN 16
I can't seem to get Mr. Knight to open up about himself. Admittedly, a family history is probably irrelevant, but I do think it would help if he explained how he became the way he is. Is this a sensitive area? Perhaps he was attacked in some way? (On the other hand, he also won't talk about the family he must have had before.I must maintain a professional distance. It is essential that he see me as a doctor seeking medical information, not prying into private, personal things.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
10. Printout of deleted WordPerfect 5.1 Document KNIGHT.003, recovered from the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Coroners Building
26 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ont.
M7A 2G9
11 July 1990
Mr. Nicholas Knight
101 Gateway Lane
Toronto, Ont.
M4M 2G7
Dear Mr. Knight,
Since I'm on the day shift at the moment, we seem to be missing one another. Still, I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to be leaving messages like that last one. “Dr. Lambert, I’ll be late for my appointment with you. As you know, I need to come round after sunset.” Of course, you prudently did not state the reason for the appointment; but it does raise questions in a way it wouldn’t if I were simply your GP. There are always people in and around--my lab assistant, Grace, in particular. If I'm out, she sometimes checks to see if anything's urgent.
I think I'd better give you my other phone number, 555-2269. It's one of those cellular phones, so you can reach me any time, anywhere.
Yours sincerely,
Natalie Lambert, M.D.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
11. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUL 19
Still no progress getting Mr. Knight to open up about his past. I wonder if I'm taking the wrong approach? Perhaps he'll let more slip if I sort of ease up to the subject in the course of a friendly conversation?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
12. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUL 28
Discussions with Mr. Knight still circle the personal, but he is starting to chat readily about other topics.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
13. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 3
At last! According to Mr. Knight Nick the process of turning a human into one of his kind starts by draining the blood, which is then partly replaced by an infusion of donor blood. Apparently, simple draining is insufficient to start the process. (As I thought.)He also admitted that he had “successfully brought someone across” once or twice. This, of course, indirectly answers another question. If the process involves only partial draining, then clearly his kind-and, in particular, Nick-must be capable of exercising restraint. (So much for the bloodthirsty monsters of legend.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
14. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 4
Open mouth, insert spout off inaccurate assumptions. Mr. Knight was seriously alarmed when I started to discuss the things he'd told me yesterday.A few home truths, I guess. (And the moral is not to theorize ahead of your data.) The question is-what do I do now?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
15. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 5
I’m still stunned by what I heard yesterday. Not that it’s inconsistent with legend, of course, just hard to relate to the man I’ve met. Sinking your teeth into a bloody steak is one thingYou can't really expect someone to starve, I suppose, the survival instinct being what it is. On the other hand, I work for the Coroners Office. I don't know, this is complicated. What should I do? (Though how you bring someone to justice after a century or more-!
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
16. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 7
Mr. Knight tried to call again today.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
17. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 9
Still trying to wrap my brain around it all-but Mr. Knight does say that he hasn't done it for a century or so. Which would correlate, more or less, with the discovery of a method to preserve blood. (I remember those boring lectures in the History of Medicine!) The time line makes sense. Also, of course, he says he drinks animal blood now (cow).
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
18. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 12
I wonder if, during this conversion process, the donor (parent?) actually infects the victim child (?) (I don’t know the words to describe the relationship.)I have blood samples, I must examine them more closely. If Mr. K Nick is actually suffering from a disease, then a medical approach is definitely appropriate. I think this is highly significant.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
19. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 13
All right, once upon a time, long long ago. But-he doesn't now. That's the important thing. He doesn't now, and he won't ever again.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
20. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. AUG 20
Another month, another physical-but this time I went round to Nick's place and gave it to him there.It's a loft in this building that looks like an old converted warehouse. Huge. Basically one big room with sections. There's a lot of art on the walls. I'm no expert, but it looks like fairly competent amateur stuff. I think he did it himself (which is a side of him I never even suspected).The loft even has a kitchen, though I suppose it came with the place. He has a shelf of saucepans, and there's a pot on the counter with all the usual utensils in it. It looks incredibly normal, and I bet he never uses any of them. Like those old mansions where they bought books by the yard.I looked in the fridge. Bottles. Just bottles.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
21. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. AUG 24
I keep thinking about Nick's diet. It's one thing to be told about it, it's another thing to actually see it myself.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
22. Printout of deleted WordPerfect 5.1 Document KNIGHT.004, recovered from the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Coroners Building
26 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ont.
M7A 2G9
Sept 29, 1990
Mr. Nicholas Knight
101 Gateway Lane
Toronto, Ont.
M4M 2G7
Dear Nick,
We need to talk, and I keep missing you. Would you please "book a doctor's appointment" (so to speak), for at least an hour. I think I know the tack we should take in working on a cure.
Yours sincerely,
(Natalie Lambert, M.D.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
23. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 3
God, how'd he do it? I mean, I was telling him that part of the cure has to be psychologically returning to mortality. (Keeping himself apart from normal people can't possibly be good for him.) So off he goes and gets a job. Which is good. But a cop??????Why do I have this sneaky feeling that he tried that hypnosis thing he did on me, only this time it worked? And what about the physical, and all the documents, and-Oh, what does it matter? He's done it somehow. Homicide, too. We'll be seeing a lot of each other on the job now, I guess. Which is probably the point.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
24. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.OCT 17
The mail today included a thing from my dear old alma mater. Apparently, we’ve got up to the eighth (!) anniversary class reunion. Well, I didn’t go for the fifth (or the sixth, or the seventh) so I don’t think I’ll go this time, either. Let’s face it, we’re scattered across Canada, except for those who headed for the $$$$ to the south. I haven’t seen most of my old friends in years.It must be like this for Nick, I guess. Except that, if he runs into someone, they obviously won’t have changed much.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
25. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 13
Odd to see Nick in my office and not be running tests on him.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
26. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 20
After I gave Nick his monthly physical, we sat and talked. He's actually bought a jar of coffee for me (no sugar, alas), so it was all quite comfortable, just like two friends chatting away. Still nothing about his early days, but he dropped the odd name here and there that suggests a much longer history than I had thought. I wonder how old he really is? I seem to recall he once mentioned “centuries”, but that seemed so unlikely that I sort of put it down to hyperbole.I avoided the whole eating thing this time deliberately, in order to keep everything very non-confrontational. His place is quite revealing, really. If I'm right about the artwork (and the easel and paints suggest I am), then he really did do most (all?) himself. Given the common subject matter, it all augurs well for his motivation in working towards a cure. If he's having some problems with this current approach-well, a few setbacks are only to be expected.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
27. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. NOV 19
Nick keeps making such a big production out of eating a little raw meat! Honestly, if he can drink animal blood, he should be able to digest flesh as well. (You'd think I'd suggested he try human flesh instead of-well, steak tartare without the tartare, basically.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
28. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. NOV 22
A whole forkful of food! Wow! (No, I shouldn't be sarcastic, it's a good step. Of course, he didn't keep it down for more than five minutes-if he thought I didn't hear the sounds from the bathroom, he's wrong.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
29. Printout of WordPerfect 5.1 Document RICHIE.46 in subdirectory RLAMBERT on the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Dear Richie,
anything for Sydney
the latest Emily Weiss
a scarf to go with my new coat (you'd better ask Sara about this one!)
jump start thingie for the car
green candles, to make the place look Christmassy. Not red, they'll clash with the walls
Sure, tickets to Nutcracker sound great. Amy will love it--and her Auntie Nattie will love it, too. Remember going when we were kids? (Okay, I was the one who decided to be a ballerina. Boy was that a long time ago!)
By the way, you need to send me your list, especially whatever Amy wants. You know how fast the stores sell out of whatever the latest fad toy this year is.
Tell Sara that she didn't see me with a handsome blond guy last week. Anyway, either it wasn't me, or I wasn't on a date. You know my schedule--especially now I'm back on nights. I haven't had a date in months.
Love,
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
30. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JAN 4
I wonder what Nick did for Christmas? He doesn't have any family that I know of.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
31. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JAN 18
Richie mentioned his latest case today-at least until Sara shut him up because Amy was in the room.It's one of Nick's cases. I remember how thrilled he was when he made the arrest.I said I knew him. Of course, I've met pretty well everyone in Homicide-Richie knows that.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
32. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JAN 20
Another evening at Nick's. This is starting to get almost a habit! Not that I've got much else to do on my days off nights off. (Night shifts do play havoc with a woman's social life!) Tonight, we got talking about movies. Of course, he remembers the early days of silent films. He had some fascinating stories. (I wonder how old he is? I'm beginning to think it may indeed be centuries.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
33. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JAN 28
There was a call on my answering machine when I got in. (Well, several. But there was one about the class reunion. Why they think calling in person will be more likely to get me to go, I don't know.Should I ask Nick what he thinks? I’m going over there tomorrow.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
34. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. FEB 14
VALENTINE'S DAY
Valentine's Day on my own again. I've got three bodies lined up for tonight. Not too many red roses there, just red red blood. (Well OK I think one's an overdose, but one's a traffic accident, came in just before I went off last night. Unless Jim did it this morning.)I promised Nick I'd do his homicide case myself. Honestly, he acts as though I'm the only pathologist in Toronto.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
35. Printout of deleted WordPerfect 5.1 Document KNIGHT.008, recovered from the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Coroners Building
26 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ont.
M7A 2G9
15 Feb 1991
Nick Knight
101 Gateway Lane
Toronto, Ont.
M4M 2G7
Dear Nick,
Thank you for the brooch, which you will find in the box. Please do not take this as criticism of the design or colour, or anything like that. It's an absolutely gorgeous thing. But it is totally inappropriate.This is maybe some sort of outdated chivalry thing. I do appreciate that you must still be heavily influenced by the many years--centuries even--that you have lived. The relationship between men and women was different back then.You aren't supposed to give your doctor presents. Maybe some little thing that doesn't cost much would be all right. Some friend-type present, but not jewellery.Sorry to be so formal, writing you like this, but I figure it's better. You can be very persuasive sometimes.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
36. Printout of WordPerfect 5.1 Document RICHIE.49 in subdirectory RLAMBERT on the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Mar 20th,
Dear Sara,
I got your message--and now I'm off to work, and you're probably heading for bed. As you probably can guess, I just changed shifts again.Thank you for the invitation. As you say, on my own I'm not likely to fix a traditional Easter dinner for myself. I'll certainly try to make it--and if I can't, I'll call in plenty of time. One thing about roast lamb, there'll be leftovers anyway, so if I can't make it, it won't spoil the meal.I'll be sure to pick up an Easter egg for Amy. Can you give me some idea what you're getting her? I don't want to get the same thing.No, I won't be bringing a date. Night shifts don't make it easy to meet guys--well, not unless they're cops! I guess I do meet quite a lot of them in my line, but mostly they're married, you know. There's this funny guy, Schanke in Homicide--what his wife sees in him, I don't know. But he talks about her all the time. You see what I mean? "All the good ones are taken" as they say. Well, not that I envy Myra, exactly. Schanke's not my type.So I can hear you ask, what is my type. Tall dark and handsome? Mmmm..... No I think I go more for blond, actually. Not that that'll surprise you!Now, all I need is to find a man who's better looking than my brother. Or Dad, for that matter--he used to be blond, too, Richie takes after him.Anyway, there's no handsome blond who's going to bring me over to Easter dinner at your house. So just set a place for one.
Love,
P.S. By the way, is Nana coming?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
37. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.APR 5
I sent off the registration today. Okay, okay, I admit it, I caved in. I’m going to the reunion. There probably won’t be anyone there I know, of course, but…I’m going. I’m going, already! The registration’s in the mail now, so I’ll have to go. What’s next, for God’s sake-leaving the university a donation in my will? (They’d love that, naturally.)Talking of donations, Nick mentioned in passing a whopping huge sum of money that he gave to cancer research. (Is he doing his taxes?) I realize a place like his must set him back a bit-they probably don’t realize at the precinct, but I suspect he owns the whole building, I never see anyone else there.He must have a small fortune tucked away somewhere. In a Swiss Bank account probably.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
38. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUN 1
As reunions go, not so bad I suppose. Actually, more familiar faces turned out than I thought. Some from out of town-but it turns out that Laura Haynes has moved back from Chicago to open her own practice (we must stay in touch!), and Cal Tucker’s working at Toronto Mercy Hospital, of all places! (I had no idea, and they send bodies all the time.) He seems successful, quite a high flyer. Not that that’s unexpected. He always was the guy with the golden hands.There was the guff about the “dear old days” that I was expecting, of course. I wonder if Nick gets that when he runs into people he knew…so very many years ago? It must happen to him all the time. Do they also spend hours filling everyone in on their lives?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
39. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JUN 8
a little bit of this, a little bit of that!
I keep juggling ingredients, but I do think this will be a better approach.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
40. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JUN 16
By George, I think I've got it! I'll try it out on Nick tomorrow.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
41. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. AUG 25
Oh, God that man can be frustrating! Why doesn't he just follow the diet?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
42. Printout of WordPerfect 5.1 Document NANA.14 in subdirectory PERSLETT on the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Sept. 16, 1991
Mrs. Natalya Lambert,
63 Verney Street,
Guelph, Ontario
N1H 1N5
Dear Nana Tash,
I'm sorry to hear that you aren't feeling well. Of course, I would love to find time to come and visit you. Unfortunately, right now we're simply swamped with work. There's no possible way I can find time to take a few days off. (No, I'm not seeing anyone. There's no time for that, either.)Richie's been talking about having you come up to Toronto for the Thanksgiving weekend. If I don't have to work that night, I'll be going over for dinner, so we'll meet then.I hope your stomach problems get better soon.
Love,
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
43. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 4
THANKSGIVING DAY
I am never, I mean never going to sit through another meal like that ever again in my life! Richie can talk all he likes about her being our grandmother, and an old lady, and all that guff. Maybe he even buys it-though I bet a lot of it's for Sara's benefit.If he plans to have her come for Christmas, I'm going to work double shifts, I swear it. (I wonder what Nick is doing for Christmas?)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
44. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 12
A week in the country is exactly what I needed. The trees are so lovely at this time of year. I just wish that I could have come here with someone, everyone else seems to be couples.I think tomorrow I'll pick up some of the prettiest leaves before I drive home-just to remind Nick what he's missing as a night owl.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
45. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. NOV 7
I've been wearing a poppy all week. Stonetree's been wearing a poppy all week. The whole damn precinct's been-You'd think the damned guy would pick up on it, wouldn't you? Nick is sometimes a purblind idiot the last person to pick things up. Adaptability is survival trait for every other living organism! (And yes, Nick is most definitely alive by any definition I believe in.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
46. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. NOV 10
Amy insisted on reciting all of “In Flanders Field” to me. Apparently, she has to know it for school tomorrow. Ah, the annual Remembrance Day ritual, it still goes on. Colouring poppies in class (stay within the lines!), the minute of silence that goes on forever-I remember it well.Nick still hasn’t put a poppy in his lapel. I think basically he just doesn’t pick up hints very well.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
47. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. DEC 13
The concert, the food..... Oh, my! I could get used to this. To “thank me for all I've done for him”, indeed! Over and above, Nick, over and above-but it was a lovely evening.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Continue to Part Two
Author: Greer Watson
Beta-Reader: twilight2000
Recipient: celli
Prompt: Nick/Nat, modern-day love letters
Rating: PG
Word Count: +61K
Summary: Natalie's perspective....
Notes & Acknowledgements
The prompt is “modern-day love letters”; and I do hope celli feels that this fits the bill. At any rate, it's “modern” temporally (not to mention the occasional involvement of a computer or two), “love” in spots, and “letters” occasionally.
I would like to thank Nancy A. Taylor for converting this story from WordPerfect 5.1, the wordprocessing software in which I wrote it, to Microsoft Word, which is the software used by my beta-reader, twilight2000.
Additional notes will be found after the end of the story.
Disclaimer
This story is written as a homage to the television series, Forever Knight (created by James D. Parriott and Barney Cohen), which is owned by Sony/Tristar.
ATTACHMENTS
by Greer Watson
Reese,
I just got this from Artie in Ident. I think you’d better have a look at it. Basically, it’s stuff they found in Natalie’s apartment. They’re still working their way through that loft of Nick’s.
McCabe
==================================
1. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.APR 14
Oh, my God! I can't believe it, I just can't believe it-except that I know I wasn't dreaming. It's just so-God, I don't know what it's so. Unbelievable, except that I saw it with my own eyes.Him. Saw him with my own eyes.I can't write it down. It's just too weird.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
2. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.APR 22
Well, it's got to be true. I saw him on the street. He walked past, all innocent-obviously hoping I wouldn't recognize him. (I did, of course.) We talked for quite a while.It's going to be a fascinating research project, even though obviously not something I'll ever be able to publish. I mean, who'd believe me?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
3. Print-out of deleted WordPerfect 5.1 Document KNIGHT.001, recovered from the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Coroners Building
26 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ont.
M7A 2G9
26 April 1990
Mr. Nicholas Knight
101 Gateway Lane
Toronto, Ont.
M4M 2G7
Dear Mr. Knight,
As you have not yet called to make an appointment, I thought perhaps I should write. (Yes, I found your address. One of the advantages of having connections with the police department.)
I think it would be best if we schedule a complete physical--just as if I were your regular doctor. That will provide me with base level data from which it will be possible to tell if future treatments are proving effective. In any case, there is so much that I do not yet know about your condition that I need a full exam.
Do get in touch. I'm sure I'll be able help.
Yours truly,
Natalie Lambert, M.D.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
4. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.MAY 3
He's a fascinating subject-not to mention a handsome man. (Not that that's relevant, of course. Doctor & patient, doctor & patient.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
5. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.MAY 17
How can I reconcile this man with the bloodsucking killer of folk tale? This is hardly Dracula I'm treating!
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
6. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.MAY 18
I just read what I wrote yesterday. Of course, Dracula was just as much fiction as a character in one of Emily Weiss's novels. There are some ways in which Mr. Knight's condition accords with tradition. His diet, most obviously-also, he sees in the dark. Then there's that hypnosis he tried on me.On the other hand, it's hard to imagine him digging himself out of a grave. For that matter, it's hard to see how every victim can resurrect-the world would soon be overrun. I can only imagine that his kind do not normally kill when they feed.The Masai tap their cattle for blood, don't they? (Cattle. What a nasty image!)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
7. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.MAY 20
Mr. Knight does not like the fact that I keep records of my findings. I pointed out that my memory is as fallible as anyone else's. I will require the current readings in the future so that I can make comparisons once I start actual treatment. Well, he did get the point in the end. So we've worked out a compromise. The notebook is locked securely in my desk at work (that being where I'm seeing him and doing the tests). I was doing that anyway, of course, but I didn't say so.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
8. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUN 7
How are humans “converted”? This is critical. I obviously need to understand how the process works before I can possibly find a way to reverse it. Clearly I need to get Mr. Knight to talk about the birds and the bees.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
9. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUN 16
I can't seem to get Mr. Knight to open up about himself. Admittedly, a family history is probably irrelevant, but I do think it would help if he explained how he became the way he is. Is this a sensitive area? Perhaps he was attacked in some way? (On the other hand, he also won't talk about the family he must have had before.I must maintain a professional distance. It is essential that he see me as a doctor seeking medical information, not prying into private, personal things.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
10. Printout of deleted WordPerfect 5.1 Document KNIGHT.003, recovered from the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Coroners Building
26 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ont.
M7A 2G9
11 July 1990
Mr. Nicholas Knight
101 Gateway Lane
Toronto, Ont.
M4M 2G7
Dear Mr. Knight,
Since I'm on the day shift at the moment, we seem to be missing one another. Still, I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to be leaving messages like that last one. “Dr. Lambert, I’ll be late for my appointment with you. As you know, I need to come round after sunset.” Of course, you prudently did not state the reason for the appointment; but it does raise questions in a way it wouldn’t if I were simply your GP. There are always people in and around--my lab assistant, Grace, in particular. If I'm out, she sometimes checks to see if anything's urgent.
I think I'd better give you my other phone number, 555-2269. It's one of those cellular phones, so you can reach me any time, anywhere.
Yours sincerely,
Natalie Lambert, M.D.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
11. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUL 19
Still no progress getting Mr. Knight to open up about his past. I wonder if I'm taking the wrong approach? Perhaps he'll let more slip if I sort of ease up to the subject in the course of a friendly conversation?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
12. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUL 28
Discussions with Mr. Knight still circle the personal, but he is starting to chat readily about other topics.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
13. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 3
At last! According to Mr. Knight Nick the process of turning a human into one of his kind starts by draining the blood, which is then partly replaced by an infusion of donor blood. Apparently, simple draining is insufficient to start the process. (As I thought.)He also admitted that he had “successfully brought someone across” once or twice. This, of course, indirectly answers another question. If the process involves only partial draining, then clearly his kind-and, in particular, Nick-must be capable of exercising restraint. (So much for the bloodthirsty monsters of legend.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
14. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 4
Open mouth, insert spout off inaccurate assumptions. Mr. Knight was seriously alarmed when I started to discuss the things he'd told me yesterday.A few home truths, I guess. (And the moral is not to theorize ahead of your data.) The question is-what do I do now?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
15. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 5
I’m still stunned by what I heard yesterday. Not that it’s inconsistent with legend, of course, just hard to relate to the man I’ve met. Sinking your teeth into a bloody steak is one thingYou can't really expect someone to starve, I suppose, the survival instinct being what it is. On the other hand, I work for the Coroners Office. I don't know, this is complicated. What should I do? (Though how you bring someone to justice after a century or more-!
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
16. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 7
Mr. Knight tried to call again today.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
17. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 9
Still trying to wrap my brain around it all-but Mr. Knight does say that he hasn't done it for a century or so. Which would correlate, more or less, with the discovery of a method to preserve blood. (I remember those boring lectures in the History of Medicine!) The time line makes sense. Also, of course, he says he drinks animal blood now (cow).
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
18. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 12
I wonder if, during this conversion process, the donor (parent?) actually infects the victim child (?) (I don’t know the words to describe the relationship.)I have blood samples, I must examine them more closely. If Mr. K Nick is actually suffering from a disease, then a medical approach is definitely appropriate. I think this is highly significant.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
19. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.AUG 13
All right, once upon a time, long long ago. But-he doesn't now. That's the important thing. He doesn't now, and he won't ever again.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
20. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. AUG 20
Another month, another physical-but this time I went round to Nick's place and gave it to him there.It's a loft in this building that looks like an old converted warehouse. Huge. Basically one big room with sections. There's a lot of art on the walls. I'm no expert, but it looks like fairly competent amateur stuff. I think he did it himself (which is a side of him I never even suspected).The loft even has a kitchen, though I suppose it came with the place. He has a shelf of saucepans, and there's a pot on the counter with all the usual utensils in it. It looks incredibly normal, and I bet he never uses any of them. Like those old mansions where they bought books by the yard.I looked in the fridge. Bottles. Just bottles.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
21. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. AUG 24
I keep thinking about Nick's diet. It's one thing to be told about it, it's another thing to actually see it myself.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
22. Printout of deleted WordPerfect 5.1 Document KNIGHT.004, recovered from the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Coroners Building
26 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ont.
M7A 2G9
Sept 29, 1990
Mr. Nicholas Knight
101 Gateway Lane
Toronto, Ont.
M4M 2G7
Dear Nick,
We need to talk, and I keep missing you. Would you please "book a doctor's appointment" (so to speak), for at least an hour. I think I know the tack we should take in working on a cure.
Yours sincerely,
(Natalie Lambert, M.D.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
23. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 3
God, how'd he do it? I mean, I was telling him that part of the cure has to be psychologically returning to mortality. (Keeping himself apart from normal people can't possibly be good for him.) So off he goes and gets a job. Which is good. But a cop??????Why do I have this sneaky feeling that he tried that hypnosis thing he did on me, only this time it worked? And what about the physical, and all the documents, and-Oh, what does it matter? He's done it somehow. Homicide, too. We'll be seeing a lot of each other on the job now, I guess. Which is probably the point.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
24. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.OCT 17
The mail today included a thing from my dear old alma mater. Apparently, we’ve got up to the eighth (!) anniversary class reunion. Well, I didn’t go for the fifth (or the sixth, or the seventh) so I don’t think I’ll go this time, either. Let’s face it, we’re scattered across Canada, except for those who headed for the $$$$ to the south. I haven’t seen most of my old friends in years.It must be like this for Nick, I guess. Except that, if he runs into someone, they obviously won’t have changed much.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
25. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 13
Odd to see Nick in my office and not be running tests on him.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
26. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 20
After I gave Nick his monthly physical, we sat and talked. He's actually bought a jar of coffee for me (no sugar, alas), so it was all quite comfortable, just like two friends chatting away. Still nothing about his early days, but he dropped the odd name here and there that suggests a much longer history than I had thought. I wonder how old he really is? I seem to recall he once mentioned “centuries”, but that seemed so unlikely that I sort of put it down to hyperbole.I avoided the whole eating thing this time deliberately, in order to keep everything very non-confrontational. His place is quite revealing, really. If I'm right about the artwork (and the easel and paints suggest I am), then he really did do most (all?) himself. Given the common subject matter, it all augurs well for his motivation in working towards a cure. If he's having some problems with this current approach-well, a few setbacks are only to be expected.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
27. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. NOV 19
Nick keeps making such a big production out of eating a little raw meat! Honestly, if he can drink animal blood, he should be able to digest flesh as well. (You'd think I'd suggested he try human flesh instead of-well, steak tartare without the tartare, basically.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
28. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. NOV 22
A whole forkful of food! Wow! (No, I shouldn't be sarcastic, it's a good step. Of course, he didn't keep it down for more than five minutes-if he thought I didn't hear the sounds from the bathroom, he's wrong.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
29. Printout of WordPerfect 5.1 Document RICHIE.46 in subdirectory RLAMBERT on the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Dear Richie,
anything for Sydney
the latest Emily Weiss
a scarf to go with my new coat (you'd better ask Sara about this one!)
jump start thingie for the car
green candles, to make the place look Christmassy. Not red, they'll clash with the walls
Sure, tickets to Nutcracker sound great. Amy will love it--and her Auntie Nattie will love it, too. Remember going when we were kids? (Okay, I was the one who decided to be a ballerina. Boy was that a long time ago!)
By the way, you need to send me your list, especially whatever Amy wants. You know how fast the stores sell out of whatever the latest fad toy this year is.
Tell Sara that she didn't see me with a handsome blond guy last week. Anyway, either it wasn't me, or I wasn't on a date. You know my schedule--especially now I'm back on nights. I haven't had a date in months.
Love,
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
30. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JAN 4
I wonder what Nick did for Christmas? He doesn't have any family that I know of.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
31. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JAN 18
Richie mentioned his latest case today-at least until Sara shut him up because Amy was in the room.It's one of Nick's cases. I remember how thrilled he was when he made the arrest.I said I knew him. Of course, I've met pretty well everyone in Homicide-Richie knows that.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
32. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JAN 20
Another evening at Nick's. This is starting to get almost a habit! Not that I've got much else to do on my days off nights off. (Night shifts do play havoc with a woman's social life!) Tonight, we got talking about movies. Of course, he remembers the early days of silent films. He had some fascinating stories. (I wonder how old he is? I'm beginning to think it may indeed be centuries.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
33. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JAN 28
There was a call on my answering machine when I got in. (Well, several. But there was one about the class reunion. Why they think calling in person will be more likely to get me to go, I don't know.Should I ask Nick what he thinks? I’m going over there tomorrow.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
34. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. FEB 14
VALENTINE'S DAY
Valentine's Day on my own again. I've got three bodies lined up for tonight. Not too many red roses there, just red red blood. (Well OK I think one's an overdose, but one's a traffic accident, came in just before I went off last night. Unless Jim did it this morning.)I promised Nick I'd do his homicide case myself. Honestly, he acts as though I'm the only pathologist in Toronto.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
35. Printout of deleted WordPerfect 5.1 Document KNIGHT.008, recovered from the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Coroners Building
26 Grenville Street
Toronto, Ont.
M7A 2G9
15 Feb 1991
Nick Knight
101 Gateway Lane
Toronto, Ont.
M4M 2G7
Dear Nick,
Thank you for the brooch, which you will find in the box. Please do not take this as criticism of the design or colour, or anything like that. It's an absolutely gorgeous thing. But it is totally inappropriate.This is maybe some sort of outdated chivalry thing. I do appreciate that you must still be heavily influenced by the many years--centuries even--that you have lived. The relationship between men and women was different back then.You aren't supposed to give your doctor presents. Maybe some little thing that doesn't cost much would be all right. Some friend-type present, but not jewellery.Sorry to be so formal, writing you like this, but I figure it's better. You can be very persuasive sometimes.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
36. Printout of WordPerfect 5.1 Document RICHIE.49 in subdirectory RLAMBERT on the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Mar 20th,
Dear Sara,
I got your message--and now I'm off to work, and you're probably heading for bed. As you probably can guess, I just changed shifts again.Thank you for the invitation. As you say, on my own I'm not likely to fix a traditional Easter dinner for myself. I'll certainly try to make it--and if I can't, I'll call in plenty of time. One thing about roast lamb, there'll be leftovers anyway, so if I can't make it, it won't spoil the meal.I'll be sure to pick up an Easter egg for Amy. Can you give me some idea what you're getting her? I don't want to get the same thing.No, I won't be bringing a date. Night shifts don't make it easy to meet guys--well, not unless they're cops! I guess I do meet quite a lot of them in my line, but mostly they're married, you know. There's this funny guy, Schanke in Homicide--what his wife sees in him, I don't know. But he talks about her all the time. You see what I mean? "All the good ones are taken" as they say. Well, not that I envy Myra, exactly. Schanke's not my type.So I can hear you ask, what is my type. Tall dark and handsome? Mmmm..... No I think I go more for blond, actually. Not that that'll surprise you!Now, all I need is to find a man who's better looking than my brother. Or Dad, for that matter--he used to be blond, too, Richie takes after him.Anyway, there's no handsome blond who's going to bring me over to Easter dinner at your house. So just set a place for one.
Love,
P.S. By the way, is Nana coming?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
37. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.APR 5
I sent off the registration today. Okay, okay, I admit it, I caved in. I’m going to the reunion. There probably won’t be anyone there I know, of course, but…I’m going. I’m going, already! The registration’s in the mail now, so I’ll have to go. What’s next, for God’s sake-leaving the university a donation in my will? (They’d love that, naturally.)Talking of donations, Nick mentioned in passing a whopping huge sum of money that he gave to cancer research. (Is he doing his taxes?) I realize a place like his must set him back a bit-they probably don’t realize at the precinct, but I suspect he owns the whole building, I never see anyone else there.He must have a small fortune tucked away somewhere. In a Swiss Bank account probably.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
38. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996.JUN 1
As reunions go, not so bad I suppose. Actually, more familiar faces turned out than I thought. Some from out of town-but it turns out that Laura Haynes has moved back from Chicago to open her own practice (we must stay in touch!), and Cal Tucker’s working at Toronto Mercy Hospital, of all places! (I had no idea, and they send bodies all the time.) He seems successful, quite a high flyer. Not that that’s unexpected. He always was the guy with the golden hands.There was the guff about the “dear old days” that I was expecting, of course. I wonder if Nick gets that when he runs into people he knew…so very many years ago? It must happen to him all the time. Do they also spend hours filling everyone in on their lives?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
39. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JUN 8
a little bit of this, a little bit of that!
I keep juggling ingredients, but I do think this will be a better approach.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
40. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. JUN 16
By George, I think I've got it! I'll try it out on Nick tomorrow.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
41. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. AUG 25
Oh, God that man can be frustrating! Why doesn't he just follow the diet?
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
42. Printout of WordPerfect 5.1 Document NANA.14 in subdirectory PERSLETT on the personal laptop computer owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert.
Sept. 16, 1991
Mrs. Natalya Lambert,
63 Verney Street,
Guelph, Ontario
N1H 1N5
Dear Nana Tash,
I'm sorry to hear that you aren't feeling well. Of course, I would love to find time to come and visit you. Unfortunately, right now we're simply swamped with work. There's no possible way I can find time to take a few days off. (No, I'm not seeing anyone. There's no time for that, either.)Richie's been talking about having you come up to Toronto for the Thanksgiving weekend. If I don't have to work that night, I'll be going over for dinner, so we'll meet then.I hope your stomach problems get better soon.
Love,
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
43. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 4
THANKSGIVING DAY
I am never, I mean never going to sit through another meal like that ever again in my life! Richie can talk all he likes about her being our grandmother, and an old lady, and all that guff. Maybe he even buys it-though I bet a lot of it's for Sara's benefit.If he plans to have her come for Christmas, I'm going to work double shifts, I swear it. (I wonder what Nick is doing for Christmas?)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
44. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. OCT 12
A week in the country is exactly what I needed. The trees are so lovely at this time of year. I just wish that I could have come here with someone, everyone else seems to be couples.I think tomorrow I'll pick up some of the prettiest leaves before I drive home-just to remind Nick what he's missing as a night owl.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
45. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. NOV 7
I've been wearing a poppy all week. Stonetree's been wearing a poppy all week. The whole damn precinct's been-You'd think the damned guy would pick up on it, wouldn't you? Nick is sometimes a purblind idiot the last person to pick things up. Adaptability is survival trait for every other living organism! (And yes, Nick is most definitely alive by any definition I believe in.)
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
46. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. NOV 10
Amy insisted on reciting all of “In Flanders Field” to me. Apparently, she has to know it for school tomorrow. Ah, the annual Remembrance Day ritual, it still goes on. Colouring poppies in class (stay within the lines!), the minute of silence that goes on forever-I remember it well.Nick still hasn’t put a poppy in his lapel. I think basically he just doesn’t pick up hints very well.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
47. Photocopy of page from personal diary owned by Dr. Natalie Lambert, removed from Apartment #218 at 36 Maitland Street in Toronto Ontario on 18 May 1996. DEC 13
The concert, the food..... Oh, my! I could get used to this. To “thank me for all I've done for him”, indeed! Over and above, Nick, over and above-but it was a lovely evening.
>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Continue to Part Two