Becca was silent for the longest time. As Nick drove home toward Orlando, she stared out the window into the darkness, her face occasionally lighted by the headlights of a passing car. Nick glanced her way, taking his eyes off the road only long enough to try and read her thoughts.
"That was really strange."
"What was strange?" Nick asked.
"That whole thing with Howie and Sarah."
"How so?"
"After all that happened to Sarah tonight, you'd think Howie would have
been a lot more upset than he was."
"You heard him, Bec, they talked about it before we got there. And you know
Sarah doesn't like to worry you."
"Still…"
"Bec, let it go. They've been through a lot already in their relationship
and they just know how to handle this kind of stuff."
"This kind of stuff ?! Nick, he could have killed her tonight!"
"Baby, I know that and so does Howie. He's going to have security on her
from now on, Russell can't hurt her anymore." He drove on a bit further in
silence. "I just think it's great the way they can be so up front with each
other, you know? They tell each other everything. Kinda like us." He
glanced her way and grinned. They'd been engaged all of two and a half weeks now
and he still couldn't quite believe it.
Becca was silent as she looked at the road ahead.
"Right, Bec?"
"Nick…"
Something in her tone set off warning bells in his head. "Talk to me,
Becca, you're scaring me."
"I saw him, Nick," she whispered.
There was no doubt in his mind who she was talking about and his hands gripped the steering wheel even tighter. "When?" he asked, his voice low and tightly controlled.
"Nick-"
"When?" he asked once more, his voice louder.
"Please, Nick."
"Tell me 'when'."
Becca suddenly realized that the car was slowing and her heart was pounding.
She'd never seen this side of Nick before.
Nick pulled over to the side of the road, parked the car and got out, slamming
the door as hard as he could.
Becca sat in stunned silence. Should she stay here? Should she go to him? Her
heart won out, and she quietly got out, closing her door gently. Nick was pacing
in the headlights, his hands clenched tightly into fists. She left him alone,
waiting for a good time to speak up and when it looked as if he wasn't about to
calm down, she approached him. Becca laid her hand on his arm, flinching when he
stiffened and pulled away.
Nick was furious as he turned on Becca. "Tell me what happened. When did
you see him? What did he say? Did he try to hurt you?"
"Nick, please-"
"Becca!" Nick took her shoulders in his hands, and in his blind rage
he shook her.
Gasping, Becca paled and cried out. "OW! Nick, stop!"
A bucket of cold water would not have had any greater effect. Afraid he was
going to be ill, Nick released her and stumbled to the guardrail in the dark.
"Fuck," he muttered.
Becca was crying quietly as she walked up behind him.
"It was Christmas Eve, Nick," she began to explain. "He just
showed up and was there before I even knew it. You know how I am when I'm
getting ready for a program," she rambled, "I was sorting my music and
thinking about everything and he was just *there*, and I had to talk to him, but
I was scared, you know?"
Nick turned as she tried to talk to him and he watched her try to hold herself
together.
"And then he tried to apologize to me but I wouldn't let him." She
began to cry openly. "I told him to get out. God, Nick I tried to throw him
out of a church and that's just so wrong. I didn’t mean it, and I'm really
sorry I didn’t tell you-"
"Shit." He took her in his arms, his anger gone as quickly as it had
come. "I'm sorry Bec. Don't cry, damn I'm sorry." He held her close as
she shivered in the cool January air.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I forgot," she sniffled.
"You forgot? Bec, how can you forget something like that?"
"Because," she whispered. "It was Christmas Eve, Nick, remember?
I was a little busy getting engaged."
He had the grace to look embarrassed. *God, Carter, you're such a fuck-up.*
"Bec, he's part of your past. He's gone now, ok? You're with me and I don't ever want to hear his name again."
Getting back into the car, they headed on toward Orlando, and Nick had no idea
that his words would soon return to haunt him.