The phone rang shrilly and sounded through the silence of the house. A second later, two sets of feet bounded down the stairs. The man went to his contraption he had set up in the kitchen while she ran to the cordless phone in the living room. He nodded at her and she picked it up, "Hello?"
"May I speak to Isabel Carter please?," The almost mechanical voice asked.
"This is her."
"I am calling to ask if you are satisfied with your current long distance provider because--"
"I'm not interested, thank you.," She replied and hung up.
Harold sighed, "Sorry.."
"I just got my hopes up...for about the fiftieth time."
"Don't give up yet.."
She shook her head, "I'm not..really..it's just..hard not to think that he's not coming back."
"I'll find him, I promise."
She nodded, "I know you will.."
A cry sounded from upstairs, Isabel smiled, "I guess in all of our excitement, we woke him up. Help yourself in the kitchen, I'll be back."
Harold had practically begun to live in the house with Isabel and Tyler for about a week and a half. He had bugged all the phone lines and had even managed to get a bug onto their e-mail system to filter any suspicious material to his laptop. The strange man he had caught following Isabel that one day had, so far, not made another appearance. But that didn't mean he wouldn't, it was just a matter of time.
Nick sat on the small stoop in his cell and looked around. There was no way out. They wouldn't let him out. He hadn't had contact with the outside world in so long, be began to wonder if he ever would again. He picked up the one picture that guy..Parker..had brought that didn't have AJ in it. Isabel was sitting on the sand while Tyler sat in between her legs, playing with the sand that he could reach. There was a small smile on her face and Tyler had been laughing at something. Nick smiled and gently ran a finger over the two of them. For a brief second he could see that their lives were normal...serene and normal. But he could also pick out a sadness in her eyes. God, he missed her so much. It was so hard to think about the two of them though. And he didn't want to think about her...with AJ...not like that anyways. He stuck the picture back in his pocket and pulled his long legs under him. No one had been by to 'check' up on him all day. He was starving and he really, really needed to go to the bathroom. He sighed and looked at the watch on his wrist, 2 o'clock in Orlando. Who knows what time it was whereever he was.
"So he's okay?"
"He's fine.," Dr. Warshcoff said.
"Don't get snappy with me old man."
"Sorry. He's not exactly happy to be here."
"I don't care..he's going to stay there until he realizes that...that that woman is NOT right for him!"
"Okay, okay. I think we should just let him go back to her. He misses his son terribly."
"I don't care.," She responded, "He is not his son."
"I saw the pictures; that kid looks as much as Nickolas as his little brother does."
"Should I get another doctor to handle this?"
"No, no. I'm just saying that I think that that child is his."
"That woman is nothing but a money hungry whore. She won't get away with this."
Dr. Warshcoff sighed, "Ok."
"Call me next week."
"Will do."
He hung up the phone and rubbed his forehead. His conscience was getting the best of him...he knew it. He threw on his white lap coat and went down to the cell where Nick was being held. He unlocked the door, "Get up."
Nick looked up, "Huh?"
"I said get up, now hurry before I change my mind."
Nick stood up and took the coat from the man's hands. "What do you mean, change your mind?"
"You're going home Nickolas."
"I am?!"
"Yes. The police will apprehend the person that put you here; she signed the papers, not you. You are not to contact anyone in your family until told otherwise. Except your wife, of course. Your plane is leaving within the hour, a car will be waiting at both ends. Go home Nickolas."
"Thank you.."
"Go."
The next morning, Isabel, Harold, AJ and Tyler were all downstairs having breakfast together. They were also trying to decide their next move. Harold seemed to think that the guy who had been following Isabel and Tyler around would come back; AJ and Isabel both thought he wouldn't.
The doorbell rang and Isabel got up to get the door. She opened the door and her jaw dropped. It was Nick.
She saw that smile and the dam finally broke; she began to cry as he reached his arms down and hugged her with all his strength. "I have missed you so much.," He whispered over and over again.
"You have no idea how I've missed you!"
She felt Nick stiffen and put her down. She turned to see AJ, holding Tyler behind her. "I should of known.," Nick said, his voice cold.
"What are you talking about?"
"I should..I should of believed them!"
"Nick!"
He pushed her arm off of him, "Don't! How could YOU!?"
"How could I what?!"
AJ handed Tyler to Isabel, "Nick, man, what are you talking about?"
"You and HER! How could you AJ? How long did you wait, a month? A week?"
AJ's eyes widened with realization; Nick thought him and Isabel were together! "Nick, we're not--"
"Don't think I'm stupid AJ, I know how you are!"
"Nick, me and AJ aren't anything. He came over for breakfast this morning with Harold."
"Who the hell is Harold?! A new boyfriend, Isabel?!"
"What?! No! He's a private investigator that me and AJ hired to find YOU! I don't know what happened to my husband, but I want him back!"
Turning around, she stomped up the stairs, the two men watched helplessly. "Nick...man...me and her aren't anything. She's one of my best friends Nick...you know how I am with women, yes, but you also know I wouldn't go after your wife."
Nick sighed and looked down, "I don't know what to think anymore AJ."
AJ sighed and grabbed Nick's arm, "Get your ass in here. Harold can help; he almost knew where you were. You tell us everything that happened, maybe we can find out who did this to you."
Nick sat in the living room of what used to be his home, his head in his hands. AJ was upstairs getting Tyler. Harold was at his office, trying to find any information on Dr. Warshcoff and Parker and who had done this to him. Isabel hadn't come back downstairs; not like he blamed her. He actually had thought that she had moved on to another guy. How could he of thought that for even a second? He was so confused, everything was so weird now. AJ came into the living room then, quietly talking to Tyler who looked up at him like he actually understood what his 'uncle' was saying. Nick smiled, "He's gotten so big."
"Don't I know it; you practically have to brace yourself when you pick him up."
"Can I?"
AJ sat down beside Nick and Tyler sat on his lap. "Nick, dude, he's your kid, not mine."
"Are we so sure about that?," He snapped.
AJ looked at him sharply, "What the hell was that?!"
Nick, again, put his head in his hands, "I don't know! I keep having this thought over and over and over that Tyler isn't mine but then another part of my mind tells me that of course he is."
"He looks exactly like you."
"I know!"
"Did those people..do anything to you?"
"No..they mostly just talked and talked and talked until I threw a fit and then they sedated me."
"Oh."
"Do you think Tyler still knows who I am?"
"I think so."
"Why is he looking at me as if I'm a complete stranger?"
AJ looked down at the baby, who looked up at him questioningly, he smiled and nodded his head a little. Tyler looked at Nick, cocked his head to the side a little and smiled before crawling over to Nick. Nick smiled and picked up Tyler as he reached his lap and kissed the side of his temple. "Every night I dreamt of holding him...all I thought about was Tyler and Isabel...they kept me sane."
"I bet."
"I'm sorry for the strange things I keep saying...I don't mean too..."
"It's okay..it's probably been a rough month and a half."
He nodded, "You have no idea."
"I think you should go talk to Isabel...I gotta get home anyways..."
"Are you sure?"
"Yep..call me tomorrow with whatever Harold had to say?"
"You know I will.."
AJ stood up, kissed the top of Tyler's head, and started for the door. He stopped and turned around, "It's good to have you back, man."
"It's good to be back."
Nick carried the sleeping baby up the stairs and into the master bedroom as quietly as he could. He paused when he saw Isabel sitting on the window seat, staring out the window. She turned when she heard Tyler begin to fuss and got up and took him from Nick. "He was asleep..I guess I woke him up..I'm sorry."
"It's okay..," She said laying him down on the bed inbetween two pillows.
"I'm sorry.," Nick whispered into the darkness.
"Me too Nick."
Nick took a step forward, "Please don't hate me for whatever I said, please don't Isabel. It wasn't my intention to hurt you at all...I thought coming home was best...I'm sorry for everything I said earlier today; that's not me talking...it's whatever those idiots did to me."
He felt her hand touch his face and closed his eyes to just revel in the fact he was actually feeling her again. "I missed you so much Nicky...what did they do to you?"
"They told me I had an addiction and that I needed help. They told me I couldn't have any contact with the outside world....I couldn't of called because you know I would have..."
"What happened when they took you.."
"I was getting ready to go surprise you at my mom's...I got in the car that was waiting for me, no security or anything..I just assumed it was there for me..it was. They took me to a place outside of Ecuador somewhere and kept me in this cell thingie.....over and over they told me I had an addiction. Then this dude named Parker came in and showed me pictures of you and AJ with Tyler and implied that you two had something going on. I threw a fit and bruised myself up pretty good....I kept one picture that was of just you and Tyler in my pocket the whole time."
"That must of been that guy Harold said was following me."
"I guess so.."
She ran her hand over his face, "I know it's stupid but I thought I'd never see you again.."
"I didn't know whether I'd ever get out of there.."
"Nick....I'm sorry.."
"For what Isabel?"
"I don't know...everything that happened to you..."
He hugged her again and kissed her gently, "It feels so good to kiss you again.."
She smiled against his lips, "Yep..sure does."
"He's grown so much baby.."
"I know.."
"He's healthy and everything?"
"He's perfect."
"Good..."
"I'm so glad you're home.."
"Me too Isabel..me too.."
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