ChapterForty Two - Meeting Amy...
"Nikki?”
“Hmmm... what?”
“Are you okay?”
Victor was looking at Nikki with a concerned look as they were sitting in the limo, heading toward the clinic.
Ever since they left the hospital she had been very quiet and subdued, she seemed a million miles away.
Nikki, hearing the concerned note in his voice leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled softly “Yea, I’m fine”
Victor asked her “Then why are you being so quiet? You took the medication, does your hand still hurt”
Nikki shook her head “No, not much...” she admitted reluctantly “I’m glad I took the medication, I feel so much better”
Victor smiled and kissed her head “I had a feeling you would...”
Nikki glanced up at him and said “Well, both you and doctor Cameron were very convincing...” she asked him with a slight frown “What about you?”
Victor said “I won’t be going jogging anytime soon”
Nikki said pointedly “You better not, the doctor said you shouldn’t over due”
Victor told her reassuringly “I remember what the doctor said”
Nikki said with a smile “ I just thought I should remind you, in case you’ve... forgotten”
Victor smiled softly at her and said “You haven’t answered my question, why were you being so quiet?”
Nikki answered with a sigh “I just have to wonder what we will find out when we get to the clinic, and in what condition Amy would be...”
Victor sighed and said “I know, I keep thinking about it...how much damage or progress the encounter with Matt Clark had caused”
Nikki said “Well, there’s no point of us torturing ourselves...we’re nearly there, we will find out soon enough...”
10 minutes later, Victor and Nikki entered the building and Victor knocked on Doctor Haming’s office door
“Come in”
Nikki and Victor walked in, Doctor Haming got up immediately and walked toward them “Mr Newman!”
Victor said “Good morning Doctor”
Doctor Haming smiled a cordial smile “It’s good to see you, I’ve heard about the accident and have been extremely concerned”
Victor smiled and said “Well, we have been lucky, Dr. Deborah Haming, I don’t think you’ve met my former wife, Nicholas’s mother, Nikki Abbot”
Nikki shook her hand and said “It’s nice to have finally met you, I heard a lot about you”
Doctor Haming smiled “Likewise, I’m just sorry it couldn’t be under better circumstances”
Nikki said sadly “Yes, so do I”
Victor asked her “How is Amy, I’ve been extremely concerned?”
Doctor Haming frowned at him “I’m sorry to say that Mr Newman, but you should have thought about it before you let her come face to face with Matt Clark, I went along with it because I thought they would not cross paths!”
Victor sighed “Trust me Doctor, no one regret it more then I do”
Nikki looked on at the scene worriedly as the Doctor went on “You gave me your word nothing like that happen, and I took it, I truly thought you only had Amy’s best interest at heart, and you would not let your desire to free your son cloud your sense of judgment, frankly, I am now wondering if I should let you see Amy at all!”
Victor argued “Doctor Haming, I do have Amy Wilson's best interests at mind, I’ve agonized about what happened, Matt Clark showed up unexpectedly, I am just very, very concerned for my son, more then ever now”
Doctor Haming shook her head “Nevertheless, my first commitment is for my patient, and I can not allow myself to consider anyone else’s motives before my patient’s”
Victor was about to say something but Nikki interfered “Doctor Haming, how IS Amy?”
Doctor Haming was silent, sighed and said “I’m not really sure”
Victor asked her harshly “What do you mean, You’re not really sure!?”
Nikki put a hand on Victor’s arm to calm him down and Doctor Haming said “Well, she’s been very quiet and withdrawn ever since her encounter with Matt, and *I* don’t want to push her that much, not now anyway”
Victor asked worriedly “So, are you saying that there had been a relapse in her condition?”
Doctor Haming shook her head slowly “No, I haven’t said that”
Nikki asked her, a note of impatience in her voice “Then what ARE you saying, Doctor?”
Doctor Haming looked at them and her gaze soften “Look, I understand how you both are feeling, I do, but I just can’t pressure her, it would be a risk for her health, she has got to remember on her own”
Victor sighed and walked away in frustration, he sat down and shook his head and looked at the doctor and asked “Did she say anything at all?”
Doctor Haming said “Well, I was on my way to another session with her just now, hopefully it would be more productive”
Victor looked at the Doctor and said softly “Doctor Haming, I want you to know how much I appreciate what you are doing, and believe me that the last thing I would ever want to do it to hurt Amy.
I agonize over her condition every day, but I have a son that is locked away for a crime he didn’t commit, and he was told yesterday that we died in the accident by one of his inmates! All I want to do it to get him out of there, and if that desire makes me sound insensitive to Amy’s condition it is the last of my intentions, I truly wants what is best for her”Nikki got tears in her eyes as she listened to him and felt she would do anything in the world, just to have her son home...
Doctor Haming looked at them sadly and said to Victor “I believe you, but I’m the professional, and we need to do this my way, otherwise Amy might be pushed into an emotional corner she would never get out of”
Victor nodded and looked at Nikki who returned his sad look, wiping her tears.
Nikki turned back to look at the Doctor and asked her “Do you think I can see Amy?”
Doctor Haming asked her in a puzzled expression “Have you met before?”
Nikki nodded “Oh yes, she dated my son and came to the ranch a number of times” she smiled and shrugged “She taught me to needle-point...”
She frowned sadly “She is a sweet girl, so kind and nice, it breaks my heart to think about the state she is in right now”Doctor Haming said “Well, I think that would be alright, as long as you won’t push her with questions”
Nikki nodded “I understand, I won’t”
The Doctor looked from Nikki to Victor “But I can’t let both of you see her at the same, it would be too stressing for her”
Victor sighed and said “I need to exchange a few more words with you, doctor and then I need to call the office anyway”
Doctor Haming nodded “Very well, hmmm...”
She looked at her watch “Well, Amy’s room is at the end of the hall, you can come in and I will see her in a few moments”
Nikki nodded and looked at Victor, a bit uncertainly and said “Well, I’ll see you in a few moments...” She was about to walk out the door when Victor walked to her and put her hand on her shoulders and said quietly “Sweetheart, Just be ready to see a very different person then the girl you knew, okay?”
Nikki nodded silently “I know...”
She smiled at him “Maybe she’ll remember something, it can’t hurt”
Victor kissed her on the cheek and sighed “I hope so”...
Nikki left, Victor turned to Doctor Haming and said to her “They got along well, maybe she will open up to her”
Doctor Haming nodded “Well, she’s a none threatening figure from her past, it may jog her memory...”
Nikki opened the door to Amy’s room slightly and looked inside, Amy was curled on the bed, staring into space.
Looking at the beautiful, fragile 18 years old girl, not much younger then her own daughter looking so lost broke Nikki’s heart, she approached the bed cautiously and called out Amy’s name softly “Amy?”
Amy jumped, startled and gave Nikki a look of terror, not saying a word.
Nikki stepped back and said quietly “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you...can.. can I come in?”
Amy looked at her for the longest moment and nodded yes, looking at Nikki with a look of confused curiosity...
Nikki approached the bed quietly and set on the far edge of it, she smiled at Amy softly “Do you remember me?”
Amy frowned at her and shook her head, tears rising in her eyes “I’m... I’m no...I’m not sure....I don’t... remember a lot of things”
Nikki smiled at her, trying to control her own tears “I know you don’t, That’s okay...we’ve only met for a few times, at my home, the ranch... remember?”
Amy looked around in a frightened confusion “The Ranch...The ranch? Where... Where Nick...Nicholas lives?”
Nikki said softly “Ah ha, yes, that’s true...”
Amy sent a direct look at her, trying to remember “You’re, You’re Nicholas’s mom?”
Nikki smiled at her “Yes, I am, I’m happy you remember me”
Amy, looking a bit more relaxed now that she remembered said “Yes, I remember you.... Mrs.. Mrs. Abbot, right?”
Nikki nodded “Yea, that’s right, I’m glad to see you, how do you feel?”
Amy shivered and seemed to shrink in her place “don’t know...weird...I just wish I could feel better, remember the things I...I forgot...”
Nikki said reassuringly “I know you don’t, but that’s why you’re here, so you can remember...”
Amy said slowly “Yes... remember... what happened, with Nicholas and... and...”
Nikki, a little overly anxious said “Matt?”
Amy jumped back as if bitten by a snake, Nikki looked at her with pity and regret and sent a hand to smooth over her hair “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to scare you”
Amy said nothing and looked away, but didn’t move away from Nikki’s reach, Nikki was encouraged by it so she didn’t take her hand away...
Amy looked at her other arm, that was back in the sling and asked “What....happened to your hand?”
Nikki smiled at her “Oh that, I was in a car accident yesterday...’
Amy looked up cautiously to her “Oh, I’m sorry...”
Nikki said “That’s okay...it was not a bad one, you know, I got you something...”
Amy looked up at her and smiled for the first time “For me?”
Nikki nodded “Aha... I have it right here...”
She pulled her purse out and took out needle point patterns out of it, she smiled at her “You used to like it, remember?”
Amy nodded wordlessly and took it away from her, looking from the needlepoint pattern to Nikki “Tha..thank you...”
Nikki smiled “You welcome, you can do them later, if you feel like it”
Amy made a sudden gesture with her hand and knocked Nikki’s purse down to the floor, before Nikki had a chance to say anything she leaned down to pick it up, and Nikki’s pictures fell from her purse...
Amy quickly apologized “Oh, I’m sorry...”
Amy leaned down and picked the picture book up... and froze, it was open on a picture of smiling Nikki and Nicholas, her hands were shaking as she slowly picked it up...
Nikki looked at her worriedly as Amy stared at the picture and looked up at Nikki “It’s a nice picture”
Nikki smiled at her tearfully “Yes, it is... one of my favorites...”
Amy, noticing her tears asked her “Why are you crying?”
Nikki asked her “Amy, you and Mr. Newman talked about Nicholas, right?”
Amy nodded quietly and Nikki asked “Did he tell you where Nicholas is?”
Amy frowned and looked at Nikki with a frightened confusion “I... I don’t know... I... I don’t remember...what he said...”
Nikki said softly “Amy, Nicholas is in prison”
Amy looked at her in confusion “Oh...Why?”
For a second Nikki froze, not knowing what to say, and then she just said it “For shooting Matt Clark”
It was like as if someone spilled cold water on Amy as she jumped back to the other side of the bed, pulled the teddy bear into her arms and started to shake she shook her head and mumbled “Matt.... I don’t want to talk about Matt!!”
Nikki, on the verge of crying asked her, pleading for an answer “Why don’t you?”
Amy blurted “Because I can’t!! I don’t know why I can’t I just... “
She shivered and shook her head violently and looked at Nikki with tearful eyes “I’m sorry! I know everyone wants answer, you and doctor Haming and Mr Newman and I want...” She cried “I want to give them to you, I just don’t remember! I don’t remember I don’t remember...”She started to sob and Nikki, sad and heart broken put her arms around her small figure “I know, that’s okay Honey... I’m sorry, I know you’re hurting, I didn’t mean to cause you pain”
Amy sobbed on Nikki’s shoulder “It’s just hurts so much whenever I try to remember Matt, and Nicholas... and I don’t know why, don’t know why...”
Nikki was filled with regret and fear, for Nicholas and for the girl she was holding in her arms, she caressed her hair and asked her “What can I do to make you feel better? I want to help”
Amy mumbled “I don’t think I can feel better, everyone is trying to help me feel better and I just don’t, I don’t...And I miss my mother, and... and Mr Newman told me you can’t find her and I really miss her”
Nikki smiled at her “I know you do, and we’re trying to find her, she is on vacation and doesn’t know what had happened to you, I’m sure she would be here in an instant if she had known”
Amy whispered “I hope so, my mom and I, we haven’t been getting along...I’m not sure she would come”
Nikki said to her “I know she would have, now I don’t know your mother, but I have had problems with my oldest daughter too over the years, and some of them were serious problems, but I know I would be there for her if she needed me, and I’m sure that had your mother known the truth, she would be here for you”
Amy cried “I’m just so confused...”
Nikki tried to comfort her “I know you are, and that’s okay, you’ve been through a lot, but it’s important that you try to remember, not just for your own peace of mind but for the well being of others as well...”
Amy looked at her tearfully and said quietly “I’m really tired... I think I need to rest a little bit”
Nikki nodded “Sure, I understand...I know it’s hard for you... I’ll go now...Amy, I just want you to know that you are not alone, and there are a lot of people who wants to help you”
Amy nodded and said “I know...Mrs. Abbot?”
Nikki asked her with a soft smile “What?”
Amy said “Thanks, sometimes I feel like nobody cares...”
Nikki caressed her cheek “We all care Amy, we all care...I’ll come back, okay?”
Amy nodded and lied back on the bed, closing her eyes.... Nikki looked at her sadly and walked out the door.
