Roll Away Your Stone 7/18
Series: Secret
Story: Roll Away Your Stone
Chapter: Fill This Void
Rating: R
Pairing: Nikki/Nora
Disclaimer: All bow to Nancylee Myatt. I'm mucking about in her sandbox...no harm no foul. Also, thank you Dirk…for uh, ya know, putting up with my sh!t.
A/N: Life got in my beta's way so this chapter hasn't been passed through his hands...EEP! So mistakes are really all my fault. Most of the time their Dirk's but he hasn't touched this so...uh...sorry...again...
Ch.7 - Fill This Void
The small table by the window holds a few bouquets of useless flowers and useless notes. It’d be nice if they meant something, if they did any good, but they sit there and remind me of how utterly fucking useless they are.
How utterly useless I am.
I draw in a breath and shut my eyes against the sight of the flowers and the moonlight peeking through the curtains. My head falls forward and rests against my upturned thumbs. Perched on the edge of the padded chair, I listen.
Beep…hiss…beep…hiss…beep
Heart and I.V. monitors shouldn’t be soothing sounds. They are though. They let me know that at least she’s alive.
She may not be conscious yet…but she’s breathing.
I cling to that.
I have to…the alternative…
I’m not strong enough to handle the alternative.
Finally, I exhale and swallow, trying to get passed the knot that’s taken residence in my chest. Looking up, I take her in, lying barely two feet from me. My eyes travel the same path they have since they moved her in here on Thursday night.
I start at the foot of the bed, finding another small form of comfort in the idea that her feet make the same lumpy pattern under the blanket in a hospital bed as they do at home when she’s sleeping on her back. I trek north; over the swell of her hidden hips, to her right arm, pierced with two separate I.V.’s, one in the back of her hand and the other further up in the crook of arm. I don’t need to turn her hand over and inspect her palm to know that the usually supple skin there is abraded and scabbed.
Up her arm, over her right shoulder and the slender arc of her neck, my eyes scan her relaxed features. Then there is the site that greets me from her hairline at her temple and extending back on her scalp about four inches. A row of angry looking stitches are prominent on the shaved area of her head.
She’s going to be pissed that they shaved her part of her head.
I could care less.
She’s alive.
She could be bald, but as long as she was alive, it wouldn't care. A small chunk of hair is a small price to pay considering…
I tear my eyes away from her right temple and study her left brow, a scratch above her left eyebrow angles towards the bridge of her nose, the wound pattern tells me enough of the story.
She fell on her left side, took the bullet on her right.
Quickly, I shut my eyes against the images that play across my vision. I didn’t need to see to know exactly how it went down.
I can imagine well enough the bounce her head took when she hit the pavement.
When the anger and nausea subside, I continue my appraisal of her.
Hidden underneath the blankets, on her left side, her abdomen is taped and bandaged. Another set of stitches run along the left side of her stomach. There’s another matching set on her back. The doc said it was two bullets, nearly on the same trajectory.
He said it was a through and through.
I can’t figure out if that’s supposed to be comforting or not.
I straighten up and push myself out of the chair. Turning around, I slip on to the bed, careful to not jostle her too much. Covering her hand with my left, I reach out and brush away a lock of hair that swept over her left brow when I sat down.
“Ni…n…Nik,” I croak. I clear my throat and try again, “I, uh, the doc said that I should try and talk. I’m not sure how much good it’s gonna do. I mean everyone and anyone that knows you has been in. Charlie, Dan, Bobby, Georgia, Jesse, Dom, Bennie. Hell, even Sasha from records. She always was sweet on you.”
My eyes blur and her face becomes watery. I swallow passed the wave that constricts my throat and chest, “Your dad’s been here almost as much as me. Darius too. Pat and Chris. We all want you to wake up baby. The docs said that the shot to your head glanced of your skull, a testament to your hard head. There’s swelling though.” I reach out and smooth some of her hair back. “See, it’s like Saturday morning and I’ve been here since Dan broke every traffic code and probably some that don’t even exist yet to get here. “
I try for a laugh, but it doesn’t make it to my lips. I close my eyes briefly, hoping that I can click my heels out of this nightmare. Hoping I’ll wake up and Nikki will be lying next to me, sleeping peacefully.
The beeps don’t let the fantasy live too long.
“Nik, baby, I really need you to wake up.” My chin quivers and I feel the first set of tears for this round slip down my cheeks. “I need to talk to you. To apologize.” I feel them gather at the cleft of my chin and drop on top of our entwined hands. “Please, baby, just lemme see your pretty brown eyes.”
I lean over and kiss her uninjured cheek before I curl into her side.
I feel the bed shift behind me. Involuntarily, a smile creeps across my lips and I push against the body molding to my back. I reach back and pull her closer.
“Nik,” I croak my voice harsh from sleep, “it’s early. Sleep.”
“Oh, Nora,” I hear Jill behind me as she tightens her hold. Her voice a small shock to my sleeping system.
I clamp my eyes shut and breathe in the smell of antiseptic while listening to the sound of the monitors attached to my lover in the bed next to me. I turn around and curl into the waiting arms of my friend.
She gathers me up as I barely manage to keep the tears at bay.
Jill’s hands run up and down my back, kneading away the first layer of knots. I can’t really make out what she’s saying, but just hearing her voice helps. I wrap my arms around her waist and I finally mumble, “When’d you get in?”
She kisses the top of my head and answers, “About a half hour ago. I came straight from the airport.”
I nod and ask, “Annie?”
She sighs and plays with my hair. “Alabama? Oklahoma? She was inflight when I got in. One of their cases broke. A missing person’s that finally pulled some leads.”
I nod. “I’s okay.”
“Yeah, she said you’d understand, but that she’ll try to get here within the next forty-eight hours.” Jill’s ministrations stop as she pulls back to look at me. I watch her eyes scan my face then focus over my shoulder. No doubt looking at Nikki behind me.
“She should keep on the case. We can’t really do anything here,” I mumble.
Jill’s eyes narrow and she asks, “So, what happened?”
“We don’t have all the details. The most we know is that Nikki was the victim of a drive by. Two AK-47’s, she took three shots.” I draw in a much needed breath and exhale. Unfortunately, I still feel like it’s nearly impossible to breathe. “June Lee’s shot to hell. Dan will only tell me that she’s in impound as evidence.” I give a harsh snort, “Like I give a fuck. I just…want…I want Nikki to wake up.”
Jill doesn’t say anything and instead chooses to try and smooth back my hair.
I sniffle and whimper, “I need to apologize.”
This causes her movements to pause. “Why?”
I bury my face in the crook of her neck and mumble, “I told you about Patrick and Chris…”
“Hmm, uh-huh, and if I may interject, I’m so excited we have some gay men in the family. I was hoping Lee would be a switch hitter, but no such luck,” she jokes.
I shake my head. I’m not even going to touch that right now. “I messed up though…”
“How?”
“We, Nikki and me, were fighting. Patrick wants to tell mom and I…”
“You balked and through a fit,” Jill states.
I nod. “I didn’t go home last Wednesday. I stayed at Bobby’s.”
“Nora, honey…” she tries to interrupt me.
I need to get this out. “Just…I know okay. I know. I just need to fix it Jill. I need her to wake up and let me explain…”
“Explain that you’ve been fighting this for years? Explain that, and don’t take this the wrong way sweetie, but you’ve been an absolute fucking tool about this whole thing,” Jill snaps. “Nora, I’ve never pulled any punches with you on this…it’s fucking shitty of you and shitty of her too for going along with it.”
“’Cause coming out for you was so fucking easy?” I snap right back. I want to pull away, but she’s stronger than she looks and keeps me in place.
“Nope. Not even close. But we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you.”
“I…” I pause needing to breathe. “I know, but that’s the thing. That’s what I wanted to apologize for on Thursday, before…” I stop, not really able to say those words yet, “I’m going to tell my mom.”
I feel Jill tense and she hisses, “Not like this Nora.”
“What?” I manage to pull back this time and stare at my friend.
“Not like this.” She points behind me to Nikki and then pokes the same finger in my chest. “That’s a fucking poor damn excuse to come out Nor. She deserves better than that. You deserve better than…”
I let go of my bottom lip that was clamped between my teeth and shut her up, “Do you really think that little of me?”
She glares for a moment before answering, “No, I think that little of the situation.”
Wiping away the remaining tears, I maneuver us so that I’m on my back and she’s resting against me. “I didn’t decide this sitting here with her. I was going to tell her Thursday after I apologized and groveled.”
“Oh,” she breathes.
“I was talking to Dan and then to Patrick. I need to tell her. My mom…I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but…I can’t lose her…I will if I don’t.” I run my free hand through my greasy hair and sigh. “She says that she’ll wait, but…she’s waited too long.”
“Hmm,” Jill hums.
“I can’t lose her, Jill.” I feel the model shift and her bright brown eyes stare down at me.
She nods once and then places a tender kiss on my forehead. “Okay.”
I nod at her and she tucks some hair behind my ear.
“Now, I’m in town until you kick me out. So, remember, when I say this next bit, I love you…but Nora, sweetie, you look like shit.” She smiles at me and sticks her tongue out.
I just shake my head. “I’m not leaving here.”
“I know. Mr. Beaumont and Darius are outside the room trying to let you get some rest. You been scaring your pseudo-father-in-law, Nora Marie. That’s not very nice of you.”
“Well, I’m still not leaving until she wakes up,” my tone not offering any room for argument.
“I know,” she nods. “That’s why I brought you some extra clothes and toiletries. “ She sits up and pushes me off the bed and onto my feet. “You go to the bathroom and get cleaned up. We don’t want our Nikki getting frightened of you when she finally decides to grace us mere mortals with her beautiful voice.”
That actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea so I gather the bag and shuffle towards the bathroom. I hear a mattress creak and I turn around to see Jill sitting on Nikki’s bed smoothing back my lover’s hair. “I…Jill…”
My friend doesn’t bother turning around as she says, “I know, sweetie. I love your stubborn ass too and your welcome. Now go shower.”
I nod and do as am I told.
“Come on slow poke,” Jill chides as she drags me through the lobby of the hospital. “Nikki’s probably back from her tests.”
The bag from the jewelers bangs against my leg as we move quickly to the bank of elevators. Jill stops us short and hits the button to take us up. I shake my head and look her over as she bounces on the balls of her feet. Ripped up jeans, her trusty pair of Doc’s and a t-shirt that reads ‘Lars Frederickson & the Bastards’. Below the bright red lettering is a black and white image of a few tattooed and mohawked men, the center one flips the camera off and in red below him it reads ‘Anti-social’.
I’m really not sure what to do with this woman.
As the elevators slide open two men step off and give Jill and myself a once over. Jill purposefully ignores them and pulls me into the waiting box. She hits the button for the fifth floor and asks, “Can you believe the people at the jewelers? It’s bad business Nor.”
I snicker. “Well if you didn’t look like…”
“You mean if I were dressed nicer?” she retorts.
“Well, yeah,” I answer shifting the weight on me feet. I still can’t believe she got crazy with the manager at Le Cœur’s. How were they supposed to know?
“I call bullshit. Just ‘cause someone looks a certain way, doesn’t mean that they are that way,” she snips playfully.
I shake my head. “I disagree. You’re an exception to that particular rule Jill. Trust me, nine times out of ten, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…”
She waves a hand at me dismissively and rolls her eyes. “It was still rude.”
I shrug. She has a small point. I refuse to tell her that.
The elevator comes to a stop and I’m out of it before the doors are fully open. I really want to see Nikki. She woke up Tuesday morning. A little longer than the doctors were thinking it would take, but still she’s awake.
She’s awake and talking and feeling as good as she can for being shot.
We hang a right and head towards the end of the hall to the private room Arthur arranged for his daughter. The door’s cracked and I see the doctor, Smith or Schmitz or something talking to Nikki and…my brother’s voice carries to us, Patrick.
“So when then?” he asks.
I push the door open and the conversation stops. Nikki beams at me. My own smile no doubt matches hers as I look between the three occupants of the room.
“As I was saying,” the doctor starts in again, “I’m not signing off on her release until we can be sure she’s out of the woods. More than likely she’ll be home by Friday.”
Patrick nods, but Nikki protests, “I’d rather go home now. I feel fine.”
“We’re not risking the infection, detective,” the doc doesn’t budge.
Her mouth opens and I shoot her a look. “She’ll stay,” I interrupt. “At least until we can be sure she’s in the clear.”
Nikki’s mouth gives an audible clack and she glares at me. I barely shake my head, but she gets the message. We also haven’t had much of a chance to really talk. Once she woke up and the news hit the station, there’s been a steady stream of cops and friends moving in and out of here.
“I’ll schedule another MRI and CT for tomorrow, Ms. Beaumont and then we’ll discuss discharging you to the care of your…” he looks at Patrick, me and Jill before saying, “…husband and friends.”
My eyes narrow as I look at my brother, but his eyes are big and round at the doctor’s assumption. I swallow and shut my eyes as I take one giant step forward, “That’s my brother and my partner.” My eyes pop open and the doctor looks a little confused. I clarify much to everyone’s shock, “Det. Beaumont is my girlfriend, not my brother’s wife.”
“Oh,” the doctor shakes his head, “I’m sorry for the assumption.” He looks between Nikki and I and finally shrugs. “Well then, we’ll have your…partner home with you before the week’s end. We just want…”
“I understand. We’d rather be safe,” I tell him, but stare my lover down.
“Excellent. I’ll leave you four alone. I’ve rounds, but don’t hesitate to page the nurse if you need to.” He offers nothing more as he bustles out of the door.
“You,” Jill doesn’t give any of us a chance to regroup as she slips her arm through Patrick’s, “Must be Nora’s brother.” She gives him one of her dazzling smiles and Patrick looks a little taken aback. “Come with me, we,” she wags a finger between the two of them, “Need to talk. Nora’s been so demanding of my time since I’ve gotten in that we haven’t had a chance to talk.”
I watch as Patrick shoots me a worried look over his shoulder before being dragged out of the room. The door clicks shut leaving Nikki and I alone since she woke up yesterday. She’s either been asleep or out or there have been other’s with us.
I can’t help the shy smile that comes over me as I look into her bright brown eyes. I really never thought I’d be this happy to just be able to see them.
“You’re girlfriend, eh?” she teases me.
I manage a blush and stammer, “I didn’t…I just couldn’t…” I stop trying to actually explain the acute embarrassment coursing through me and instead shut my mouth. Sometimes it’s better to just shut up.
“Hi,” she quietly says after a beat and pats the empty space on the bed next to her.
“Hey,” I say as I sit down and place the bag at her feet. Now that we’re alone…finally…words seem…
“What’s in the bag?” she asks as she adjusts to sit up a little higher in the bed.
I swallow. “Uh, yo…a present. For you.” I lick my lips.
“You really think a pretty piece of jewelry is going to fix this?” she says coolly.
I shake my head. “It’s a start.” I look her over, literally it feels like I drink and breathe her in. I lick my lips and find the words, “Not even close, Nikki. It’s a start for, as Jill said, apologizing for acting like a complete fucking tool over the past few years.”
She reaches out and takes my hand, encouraging the words that pour from my lips. “You deserved better than what I’ve been. I’ve been an asshole and you’re right, I was…I am scared. Petrified actually, but…Thursday, before I knew you were hurt…that’s important that you know…I came to this before…” I falter and pick the bedspread with my free hand. “I called Patrick and told him that we’re going to tell mom together. I just…I need you well enough to hold me together through it.”
A smile breaks across her face and I manage to smile back. She gives me a slight nod before pulling me closer. I finish off the minute distance and press our lips together. The tears on our cheeks mingle, but they’re ignored.
I pull away and rest my forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, Nikki.”
“Shh, sugga,” she whispers against my lips. “I love you, Nora.”
“I love you too,” I whisper back.
She smiles again and says, “What the hell am I gonna do about my hair?”
Next>>>
Story: Roll Away Your Stone
Chapter: Fill This Void
Rating: R
Pairing: Nikki/Nora
Disclaimer: All bow to Nancylee Myatt. I'm mucking about in her sandbox...no harm no foul. Also, thank you Dirk…for uh, ya know, putting up with my sh!t.
A/N: Life got in my beta's way so this chapter hasn't been passed through his hands...EEP! So mistakes are really all my fault. Most of the time their Dirk's but he hasn't touched this so...uh...sorry...again...
Ch.7 - Fill This Void
The small table by the window holds a few bouquets of useless flowers and useless notes. It’d be nice if they meant something, if they did any good, but they sit there and remind me of how utterly fucking useless they are.
How utterly useless I am.
I draw in a breath and shut my eyes against the sight of the flowers and the moonlight peeking through the curtains. My head falls forward and rests against my upturned thumbs. Perched on the edge of the padded chair, I listen.
Beep…hiss…beep…hiss…beep
Heart and I.V. monitors shouldn’t be soothing sounds. They are though. They let me know that at least she’s alive.
She may not be conscious yet…but she’s breathing.
I cling to that.
I have to…the alternative…
I’m not strong enough to handle the alternative.
Finally, I exhale and swallow, trying to get passed the knot that’s taken residence in my chest. Looking up, I take her in, lying barely two feet from me. My eyes travel the same path they have since they moved her in here on Thursday night.
I start at the foot of the bed, finding another small form of comfort in the idea that her feet make the same lumpy pattern under the blanket in a hospital bed as they do at home when she’s sleeping on her back. I trek north; over the swell of her hidden hips, to her right arm, pierced with two separate I.V.’s, one in the back of her hand and the other further up in the crook of arm. I don’t need to turn her hand over and inspect her palm to know that the usually supple skin there is abraded and scabbed.
Up her arm, over her right shoulder and the slender arc of her neck, my eyes scan her relaxed features. Then there is the site that greets me from her hairline at her temple and extending back on her scalp about four inches. A row of angry looking stitches are prominent on the shaved area of her head.
She’s going to be pissed that they shaved her part of her head.
I could care less.
She’s alive.
She could be bald, but as long as she was alive, it wouldn't care. A small chunk of hair is a small price to pay considering…
I tear my eyes away from her right temple and study her left brow, a scratch above her left eyebrow angles towards the bridge of her nose, the wound pattern tells me enough of the story.
She fell on her left side, took the bullet on her right.
Quickly, I shut my eyes against the images that play across my vision. I didn’t need to see to know exactly how it went down.
I can imagine well enough the bounce her head took when she hit the pavement.
When the anger and nausea subside, I continue my appraisal of her.
Hidden underneath the blankets, on her left side, her abdomen is taped and bandaged. Another set of stitches run along the left side of her stomach. There’s another matching set on her back. The doc said it was two bullets, nearly on the same trajectory.
He said it was a through and through.
I can’t figure out if that’s supposed to be comforting or not.
I straighten up and push myself out of the chair. Turning around, I slip on to the bed, careful to not jostle her too much. Covering her hand with my left, I reach out and brush away a lock of hair that swept over her left brow when I sat down.
“Ni…n…Nik,” I croak. I clear my throat and try again, “I, uh, the doc said that I should try and talk. I’m not sure how much good it’s gonna do. I mean everyone and anyone that knows you has been in. Charlie, Dan, Bobby, Georgia, Jesse, Dom, Bennie. Hell, even Sasha from records. She always was sweet on you.”
My eyes blur and her face becomes watery. I swallow passed the wave that constricts my throat and chest, “Your dad’s been here almost as much as me. Darius too. Pat and Chris. We all want you to wake up baby. The docs said that the shot to your head glanced of your skull, a testament to your hard head. There’s swelling though.” I reach out and smooth some of her hair back. “See, it’s like Saturday morning and I’ve been here since Dan broke every traffic code and probably some that don’t even exist yet to get here. “
I try for a laugh, but it doesn’t make it to my lips. I close my eyes briefly, hoping that I can click my heels out of this nightmare. Hoping I’ll wake up and Nikki will be lying next to me, sleeping peacefully.
The beeps don’t let the fantasy live too long.
“Nik, baby, I really need you to wake up.” My chin quivers and I feel the first set of tears for this round slip down my cheeks. “I need to talk to you. To apologize.” I feel them gather at the cleft of my chin and drop on top of our entwined hands. “Please, baby, just lemme see your pretty brown eyes.”
I lean over and kiss her uninjured cheek before I curl into her side.
I feel the bed shift behind me. Involuntarily, a smile creeps across my lips and I push against the body molding to my back. I reach back and pull her closer.
“Nik,” I croak my voice harsh from sleep, “it’s early. Sleep.”
“Oh, Nora,” I hear Jill behind me as she tightens her hold. Her voice a small shock to my sleeping system.
I clamp my eyes shut and breathe in the smell of antiseptic while listening to the sound of the monitors attached to my lover in the bed next to me. I turn around and curl into the waiting arms of my friend.
She gathers me up as I barely manage to keep the tears at bay.
Jill’s hands run up and down my back, kneading away the first layer of knots. I can’t really make out what she’s saying, but just hearing her voice helps. I wrap my arms around her waist and I finally mumble, “When’d you get in?”
She kisses the top of my head and answers, “About a half hour ago. I came straight from the airport.”
I nod and ask, “Annie?”
She sighs and plays with my hair. “Alabama? Oklahoma? She was inflight when I got in. One of their cases broke. A missing person’s that finally pulled some leads.”
I nod. “I’s okay.”
“Yeah, she said you’d understand, but that she’ll try to get here within the next forty-eight hours.” Jill’s ministrations stop as she pulls back to look at me. I watch her eyes scan my face then focus over my shoulder. No doubt looking at Nikki behind me.
“She should keep on the case. We can’t really do anything here,” I mumble.
Jill’s eyes narrow and she asks, “So, what happened?”
“We don’t have all the details. The most we know is that Nikki was the victim of a drive by. Two AK-47’s, she took three shots.” I draw in a much needed breath and exhale. Unfortunately, I still feel like it’s nearly impossible to breathe. “June Lee’s shot to hell. Dan will only tell me that she’s in impound as evidence.” I give a harsh snort, “Like I give a fuck. I just…want…I want Nikki to wake up.”
Jill doesn’t say anything and instead chooses to try and smooth back my hair.
I sniffle and whimper, “I need to apologize.”
This causes her movements to pause. “Why?”
I bury my face in the crook of her neck and mumble, “I told you about Patrick and Chris…”
“Hmm, uh-huh, and if I may interject, I’m so excited we have some gay men in the family. I was hoping Lee would be a switch hitter, but no such luck,” she jokes.
I shake my head. I’m not even going to touch that right now. “I messed up though…”
“How?”
“We, Nikki and me, were fighting. Patrick wants to tell mom and I…”
“You balked and through a fit,” Jill states.
I nod. “I didn’t go home last Wednesday. I stayed at Bobby’s.”
“Nora, honey…” she tries to interrupt me.
I need to get this out. “Just…I know okay. I know. I just need to fix it Jill. I need her to wake up and let me explain…”
“Explain that you’ve been fighting this for years? Explain that, and don’t take this the wrong way sweetie, but you’ve been an absolute fucking tool about this whole thing,” Jill snaps. “Nora, I’ve never pulled any punches with you on this…it’s fucking shitty of you and shitty of her too for going along with it.”
“’Cause coming out for you was so fucking easy?” I snap right back. I want to pull away, but she’s stronger than she looks and keeps me in place.
“Nope. Not even close. But we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you.”
“I…” I pause needing to breathe. “I know, but that’s the thing. That’s what I wanted to apologize for on Thursday, before…” I stop, not really able to say those words yet, “I’m going to tell my mom.”
I feel Jill tense and she hisses, “Not like this Nora.”
“What?” I manage to pull back this time and stare at my friend.
“Not like this.” She points behind me to Nikki and then pokes the same finger in my chest. “That’s a fucking poor damn excuse to come out Nor. She deserves better than that. You deserve better than…”
I let go of my bottom lip that was clamped between my teeth and shut her up, “Do you really think that little of me?”
She glares for a moment before answering, “No, I think that little of the situation.”
Wiping away the remaining tears, I maneuver us so that I’m on my back and she’s resting against me. “I didn’t decide this sitting here with her. I was going to tell her Thursday after I apologized and groveled.”
“Oh,” she breathes.
“I was talking to Dan and then to Patrick. I need to tell her. My mom…I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but…I can’t lose her…I will if I don’t.” I run my free hand through my greasy hair and sigh. “She says that she’ll wait, but…she’s waited too long.”
“Hmm,” Jill hums.
“I can’t lose her, Jill.” I feel the model shift and her bright brown eyes stare down at me.
She nods once and then places a tender kiss on my forehead. “Okay.”
I nod at her and she tucks some hair behind my ear.
“Now, I’m in town until you kick me out. So, remember, when I say this next bit, I love you…but Nora, sweetie, you look like shit.” She smiles at me and sticks her tongue out.
I just shake my head. “I’m not leaving here.”
“I know. Mr. Beaumont and Darius are outside the room trying to let you get some rest. You been scaring your pseudo-father-in-law, Nora Marie. That’s not very nice of you.”
“Well, I’m still not leaving until she wakes up,” my tone not offering any room for argument.
“I know,” she nods. “That’s why I brought you some extra clothes and toiletries. “ She sits up and pushes me off the bed and onto my feet. “You go to the bathroom and get cleaned up. We don’t want our Nikki getting frightened of you when she finally decides to grace us mere mortals with her beautiful voice.”
That actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea so I gather the bag and shuffle towards the bathroom. I hear a mattress creak and I turn around to see Jill sitting on Nikki’s bed smoothing back my lover’s hair. “I…Jill…”
My friend doesn’t bother turning around as she says, “I know, sweetie. I love your stubborn ass too and your welcome. Now go shower.”
I nod and do as am I told.
“Come on slow poke,” Jill chides as she drags me through the lobby of the hospital. “Nikki’s probably back from her tests.”
The bag from the jewelers bangs against my leg as we move quickly to the bank of elevators. Jill stops us short and hits the button to take us up. I shake my head and look her over as she bounces on the balls of her feet. Ripped up jeans, her trusty pair of Doc’s and a t-shirt that reads ‘Lars Frederickson & the Bastards’. Below the bright red lettering is a black and white image of a few tattooed and mohawked men, the center one flips the camera off and in red below him it reads ‘Anti-social’.
I’m really not sure what to do with this woman.
As the elevators slide open two men step off and give Jill and myself a once over. Jill purposefully ignores them and pulls me into the waiting box. She hits the button for the fifth floor and asks, “Can you believe the people at the jewelers? It’s bad business Nor.”
I snicker. “Well if you didn’t look like…”
“You mean if I were dressed nicer?” she retorts.
“Well, yeah,” I answer shifting the weight on me feet. I still can’t believe she got crazy with the manager at Le Cœur’s. How were they supposed to know?
“I call bullshit. Just ‘cause someone looks a certain way, doesn’t mean that they are that way,” she snips playfully.
I shake my head. “I disagree. You’re an exception to that particular rule Jill. Trust me, nine times out of ten, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…”
She waves a hand at me dismissively and rolls her eyes. “It was still rude.”
I shrug. She has a small point. I refuse to tell her that.
The elevator comes to a stop and I’m out of it before the doors are fully open. I really want to see Nikki. She woke up Tuesday morning. A little longer than the doctors were thinking it would take, but still she’s awake.
She’s awake and talking and feeling as good as she can for being shot.
We hang a right and head towards the end of the hall to the private room Arthur arranged for his daughter. The door’s cracked and I see the doctor, Smith or Schmitz or something talking to Nikki and…my brother’s voice carries to us, Patrick.
“So when then?” he asks.
I push the door open and the conversation stops. Nikki beams at me. My own smile no doubt matches hers as I look between the three occupants of the room.
“As I was saying,” the doctor starts in again, “I’m not signing off on her release until we can be sure she’s out of the woods. More than likely she’ll be home by Friday.”
Patrick nods, but Nikki protests, “I’d rather go home now. I feel fine.”
“We’re not risking the infection, detective,” the doc doesn’t budge.
Her mouth opens and I shoot her a look. “She’ll stay,” I interrupt. “At least until we can be sure she’s in the clear.”
Nikki’s mouth gives an audible clack and she glares at me. I barely shake my head, but she gets the message. We also haven’t had much of a chance to really talk. Once she woke up and the news hit the station, there’s been a steady stream of cops and friends moving in and out of here.
“I’ll schedule another MRI and CT for tomorrow, Ms. Beaumont and then we’ll discuss discharging you to the care of your…” he looks at Patrick, me and Jill before saying, “…husband and friends.”
My eyes narrow as I look at my brother, but his eyes are big and round at the doctor’s assumption. I swallow and shut my eyes as I take one giant step forward, “That’s my brother and my partner.” My eyes pop open and the doctor looks a little confused. I clarify much to everyone’s shock, “Det. Beaumont is my girlfriend, not my brother’s wife.”
“Oh,” the doctor shakes his head, “I’m sorry for the assumption.” He looks between Nikki and I and finally shrugs. “Well then, we’ll have your…partner home with you before the week’s end. We just want…”
“I understand. We’d rather be safe,” I tell him, but stare my lover down.
“Excellent. I’ll leave you four alone. I’ve rounds, but don’t hesitate to page the nurse if you need to.” He offers nothing more as he bustles out of the door.
“You,” Jill doesn’t give any of us a chance to regroup as she slips her arm through Patrick’s, “Must be Nora’s brother.” She gives him one of her dazzling smiles and Patrick looks a little taken aback. “Come with me, we,” she wags a finger between the two of them, “Need to talk. Nora’s been so demanding of my time since I’ve gotten in that we haven’t had a chance to talk.”
I watch as Patrick shoots me a worried look over his shoulder before being dragged out of the room. The door clicks shut leaving Nikki and I alone since she woke up yesterday. She’s either been asleep or out or there have been other’s with us.
I can’t help the shy smile that comes over me as I look into her bright brown eyes. I really never thought I’d be this happy to just be able to see them.
“You’re girlfriend, eh?” she teases me.
I manage a blush and stammer, “I didn’t…I just couldn’t…” I stop trying to actually explain the acute embarrassment coursing through me and instead shut my mouth. Sometimes it’s better to just shut up.
“Hi,” she quietly says after a beat and pats the empty space on the bed next to her.
“Hey,” I say as I sit down and place the bag at her feet. Now that we’re alone…finally…words seem…
“What’s in the bag?” she asks as she adjusts to sit up a little higher in the bed.
I swallow. “Uh, yo…a present. For you.” I lick my lips.
“You really think a pretty piece of jewelry is going to fix this?” she says coolly.
I shake my head. “It’s a start.” I look her over, literally it feels like I drink and breathe her in. I lick my lips and find the words, “Not even close, Nikki. It’s a start for, as Jill said, apologizing for acting like a complete fucking tool over the past few years.”
She reaches out and takes my hand, encouraging the words that pour from my lips. “You deserved better than what I’ve been. I’ve been an asshole and you’re right, I was…I am scared. Petrified actually, but…Thursday, before I knew you were hurt…that’s important that you know…I came to this before…” I falter and pick the bedspread with my free hand. “I called Patrick and told him that we’re going to tell mom together. I just…I need you well enough to hold me together through it.”
A smile breaks across her face and I manage to smile back. She gives me a slight nod before pulling me closer. I finish off the minute distance and press our lips together. The tears on our cheeks mingle, but they’re ignored.
I pull away and rest my forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, Nikki.”
“Shh, sugga,” she whispers against my lips. “I love you, Nora.”
“I love you too,” I whisper back.
She smiles again and says, “What the hell am I gonna do about my hair?”
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