Chapter Thirty Five - Dangerous lies
Nicholas Newman was just back from his laundry duty and re-entered his cell, Rocko, a big guy from Warton’s gang was lying on the bed in his cell, looking at some playboy magazine, he didn’t lift his head as Nicholas entered the cell.
Nicholas slumped on his bed and took his shoes off, he was feeling so alone, “I’m 19 and a day, and this is what my life going to look like for the next god knows how many years...” he thought.
He leaned against the pillow and thought that at least things can not get any worse.
Al , the most tattooed guy in Block D entered Nick’s cell and winked at Rocko, nodding at oblivious Nick’s direction... Rocko jumped off the bed with an audible clank and stepped outside.
Nick was just glad they didn’t bother him, Al and Rocko were as malicious as Warton could be.
Rocko returned a minute later with a weird expression on his face “Hey Newman..”
Nick didn’t answer him as he continued reading his book “Yo Newman, I’m talking to you!”
Nicholas looked up and said tiredly “What do you want?”
Rocko commented “You look bit too cool, too calm”
Nick asked “What’s that suppose to mean”
Rocko said “You know, your old man and lady”
Nicholas was surprised and asked “My parents? What about them”
Rocko gave out a disbelief snort “You wanna tell me you haven’t heard?”
Nick asked him, alarmed, getting up “Heard what?”
Rocko inhaled and exhaled loudly, looking at Nikki “Guess money aint’ gonna save you from everything ha...?”
Nicholas spat “What the fuck are you talking about?!!”
Rocko raised his hands in a defensive gesture “Hey... now, Language, Language, Newman, I bet that is not what Mommy taught you at home...You know, I saw your mom, in the picture of your family you have in your trunk, good looking lady, what a waste”
Nicholas, getting worried grabbed him by the color “Okay, either you tell me right now what you’re babbling about, or I will beat it out of you!”
Rocko looked calmly into his face and spraying him with spit said “Fine, ya go ahead and touch me, you’ll be where your folks are right now, the morgue!”
Nicholas released him sharply and stared and him, wide eyes, and let out a question “What did you just say?”
Rocko said in a drawl “Ya really didn’t know did you? Well, here goes... ’n hour ago, on the radio, broke it with a bulletin, ‘pparently your folks had some kind of freak accident, ran into each other, word is, it was a nasty accident, and they got themselves killed”
Nicholas paled as he shook his head “Na, na... you’re lying to me, that’s a damn lie!”
Rocko shrugged “Don’t believe me?, ask Fisco, you know, that guard, he ‘eard it, heard it all man... As I said, ‘t was on the news, big shot like your old man killed, it reaches the news. Funny, ain’t it? When *my* old man crocked, there was not even a single line about it in the papers, much less the news, but of course, my dad was a falling down ol’ drunk that lived on the streets from the time I was 5..”
Nicholas didn’t hear him, his world became very quite, aside a strong buzzing in his ears.
Rocko, the jail, everything seemed very far as they only thing in his mind was his parents, he walked in the room like a madman, his hand hitting hard on the side of the bed, he didn’t even notice “No... no... no... oh no...”
He felt very cold, he was so beyond shocked he couldn’t even speak, he didn’t want to believe that... no... he wouldn’t believe that, sinking sensation hits the pit of his stomach he suddenly yelled
“Guard!!!!!” He raced outside to the ally, his cell was open as it was the free hour “Guard!!!!”
Fisco, the guard arrives, looking upset when he sees Nicholas “What?” Nicholas asks, panting, his voice hoarse “My parents, were they in an accident??”
John Fisco, having heard about the accident nods slowly “Yea, that’s what I heard” Nicholas shakes his head in denial. “Ah ah.. no, it just can’t happen...it can’t”
He was fully aware that everyone are looking at him which made him forcibly swallow the lump in his throat as he blinked on his tears, he felt like his world had just crumbled around him and there was no hope... for anything.
He mumbled “I need a phone call!”
The guard looked at him with compassion and nodded silently, putting a hand on his back he led him through a few door to a nearby office, he unlocked the door and patted on Nicholas’s back, as he stood there, numb....
The guard pointed toward a phone “You make your call sonny, I’ll be right outside, just call me when you’re finished”.
The moment the door closed behind him Nicholas he sank into the chair, burying his face in his hands and letting an anguished cry escape his lips, the pain was almost unbearable, he didn’t really believe it till he heard the guard confirm about the accident... *he* wouldn’t lie to him.
His face crumbled as he fought the urge to scream, his parents... he just couldn’t believe it “No, not my parents, please god no...no, anything... anything but that” he cried out, tears streaming on his cheeks.
His parents.
It just wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair, wasn’t fair... wasn’t fair...They were too young to die.
He thought of his father, they became so close the last few years, just like Nicholas always dreamt about...they became friends and Nicholas often confided him in him.
“ And mom... god...” Through tears he remembered her name was still off the visitors list the last time she came... “I intended to put you on my visitors list, I did.... oh mom, I swear.... I did... I didn’t know you were coming, if I knew I would let you see me, and now I would never get the chance.. I'm sorry... so sorry...” he cried quietly.
He had never felt more guilty about anything in his life, she wanted to see him so badly and he couldn’t let her... and now...
He buried his face in his hands, not really knowing what to do as he felt very alone...
Victor put his hand around Nikki’s shoulder as she buried her face in her hands, Nikki looked up at him and took his hand with her as they looked at each other, not really knowing what to say.
Vicki silently looking at them, from across the room, and was suddenly almost jealous, with everything that was going on - at least her parents had each other, divorced or not, they found so much comfort in each other, her husband didn’t even look for her, she doubted if he even knew what had happened... She muttered to her parents “I’m going to wash my face... And walked outside.
Victor and Nikki looked at her, Victor asked Nikki “Are you worried about her as I am”
Nikki, standing up nodded “Yea, I am, and you didn’t see her when I came in Victor, she looked so lost and hysterical... it took me a long while to calm her down”
Victor said thoughtfully “But, it’s only normal, I think. she was scared”
Nikki shook her head “Yes, but she didn’t know what had happened to us, and just...assumed the worst...I don’t know if I need to try to understand what is going with her now... or wait till she come to me..”
Suddenly Cole burst through the door, he breath a huge sigh of relief as he saw Victor and Nikki, who turned to him.
“Oh man, I went over to memorial’s and they told me you two checked out..I was really glad to know it wasn’t a metaphor ” He said, approaching them with a smile.
Nikki commented “I was discharged, he left on his own” and sent a worried glance toward Victor, as he was gripping the arm of the chair hard, with a pained expression on his face, she knew he was in pain just from looking at him but knew better than to say anything.
Cole said “Well, I’m relieved to see you are both among the living...”
Victor smiled “Thank you Cole, so are we...”
He looked around and asked them “Where is Vicki? I kind of thought she would be here with you”
Victor said “She went out to wash her face...but I am not sure she would be right back”
Nikki added “Cole, you should really try to talk to her, she is very vulnerable right now and I’m really worried about her...”
Cole nodded silently and said “You’re right, I’ll go find her...”
Victor called after him “Cole...”Nikki shook her head no to Victor’s direction.
Cole turned around but Victor said “Never mind...”
Victor looked at Nikki and asked her “Why did you stop me from asking him about what is going on between them?”
Nikki replied “Because now is not the time, let him speak to her, he might help...”
Victor was about to say something when he winced noticeably as the wrong movement caused him an excruciating pain.
Nikki looked at him worriedly, her left hand in a tight fist covering her mouth. Victor noticed that and told her with a strained smile "Don't look so worried.."
Nikki sent her hand and slide it very gently on his ribs and asked him “If it hurt this bad why did you leave the hospital?”
Victor, taking a deep breath commented “It wasn’t this painful when I left... they gave me something for the pain but whatever it was it’s fading away”
Nikki looked at him with deep concern “I don’t like it, I think we should head back there...”
Victor shook his head “No, the last thing I need is the hospital, I have to find out where things stand with Amy, I tried to call the doctor but she doesn’t answer...”
Nikki nodded “Fine, but just humor me and sit down, okay?”
Victor nodded and slowly sank into a chair, grunting as he eased himself onto the chair and muttered “Damn” he took a deep breath and leaned back.
Nikki felt so guilty when she looked at him, the accident was her own fault, and now he was injured...
Victor is always so strong, she never handled well seeing him in pain, and knowing she was responsible for the accident made it even harder.
She turned away from him, tears falling on her face...
Cole found him wife standing in her office, she was sitting in her chair, her hand on the back of her neck, trying to give her tight muscles a massage...He noticed she was distressed immediately and asked “Vicki, what’s wrong?”
Vicki snorted and asked him painfully “How can you even ask me that, I just been through one of the most, if not the most frightening experience in my life and you ask me what’s wrong? Where the hell were you?”
Cole was taken aback and apologized “I’m sorry Vicki, I was in the library making resear...”
Vicki completed the sentence for him “research, I know, I know.... all for your damn book without even a thought to your wife”
Cole said “Vicki, I didn’t know!”
Vicki said “And that suppose to make up for it?!” she snapped “At least Ryan was there to help me through it when I found out my parents were nearly killed”
Cole turned angry “Vicki, there is no need for that and I just saw Victor and Nikki and they looked okay to me”
Vicki screamed “I didn’t know that did I?!, you don’t know what it was like for me, to hear that on the radio and to find out that my parents were in a car accident, if I lost them - I would have no one!”
Cole’s expression grew sadder “You’ll have me Victoria, me... your husband, or don’t I count?”
Vicki whispered tearfully “Sometimes I wonder if I do have you, or if I wake up one day and you’ll be gone...”
Cole approached her slowly “I don’t want to be gone Vicki, but you’re pushing me away...”
Vicki shook her head “No, I’m not... I was sick the other day, and it took you forever to figure that out, you were too busy in your book to see you wife wasn’t feeling well”
Cole looked at her “I’m sorry Victoria, I am.. maybe you’re right, maybe I should have been more attentive”
Vicki cried “I need you so much right now, and you are not here, or you’re here in body but not in spirit...”
Cole wrapped her in his arms as she sobbed on his shoulder, hugging him tightly.
