ChapterForty Four - The right to be happy
Victor opened the door and he and Nikki walked in, he helped her out of her coat as they both entered the house.
Nikki inhaled deeply on the flowers scent that was everywhere and with a smile commented to Victor, who set down on the couch with a deep sigh, "It's nice to know someone is taking care of the ranch while I'm gone, I wonder if it's Miguel or Victoria"
She turned to Victor and frowned when she noticed the expression on his face, she walked toward him and set down next to him, and asked worriedly "Are you sure you’re feeling okay?"
Victor shrugged it off and smiled to her "Sweetheart, I'm fine, it would just take me a little while to go back to my old self"
Nikki said "I would think so, the accident was yesterday!"
She said pleadingly "Promise me that you won't push yourself too hard, you're already overdoing, you shouldn't be up on your feet this long"
Victor reassured her "Well, I'm off my feet now, so don't worry so much..."
Nikki said, unconvinced "But I do worry, I don't know what I would do if anything ever happens to you... especailly now when everything is such a mess with Nicholas...I just wouldn't be able to deal with it... "
Her voice choked as she tried to control her emotions, she turned her head away but couldn't stop the tears that flowed from her eyes.
Victor reached out to her and gently turned her to him and said with a soft smile "You know what I want most right now?"
Nikki asked him tearfully "What?"
Victor suggested "A kiss"
Nikki couldn't help but laugh through her tears "Oh, a kiss? really?"
Victor told her "Well, that would certainly help, think you can arrange that?"
Nikki smiled softly at him "Yes, I think I can... you just have to come a little closer..."
Victor leaned to her direction "Like that?"
Nikki shook her head "No, closer..."
Victor leaned closer so that their lips almost touched and whispered "Close enough?"
Nikki nodded "Hmmm..." And kissed him softly, teasing his lips with hers, wrapping one arm around his neck...
As the kiss calmed down Nikki leaned her forehead against his and whispered "I know you didn't ask for that kiss because you needed it"
Victor asked "Oh, I didn't?"
Nikki opened her eyes and looked into his "No, you did it because you knew I needed it..." She touched his face with the tips of her fingers "Thank you"
Victor told her softly "You know better then to thank me for that, I love you..."
Nikki whispered "Oh I love you too..."
Victor wrapped his arms around her and she leaned her head on his chest and said "I just can't stop thinking of Amy"
Victor caressed her hair and said, "I think she would be okay, eventually"
Nikki sighed "I wish I had your confidence"
Suddenly they heard steps of someone going down the stairs, they broke their embrace just as Victoria got down stairs.
She called out in surprise as she saw them "Oh, I didn't notice you got home"
Nikki turned to her "We just walked through the door sweetheart"
Victoria asked "So, how did it go?"
Victor said "Well, Doctor Haming is going to try something different"
Vicki asked "Different how?"
Victor said "Hypnosis"
Vicki exclaimed "Oh wow, isn't that a little extreme?"
Nikki said, "Well, she feels this is the only way for Amy to remember what happened the day Matt got
shot in"Vicki inquired "Does Sharon knows something about any of this?"
Victor shook his head "No, Amy was her best friend, I don't want to upset her more than I have to, she is suffering enough as it is, but why do you ask?"
Vicki said "Because she was here earlier, she wanted to know what is going on, she senses there is something we're not telling her, I don't know... she didn't come out and said it, but she talked to
Nicholas and..." Her voice faltered...Nikki, alarmed, asked "And what?"
Vicki reluctantly told them "That he sounded depressed..."
She saw the expression on her mother's face and said quickly "It's just my interpretation to her tone of voice, she didn't tell me that"
Nikki shook her head helplessly "But it make sense... Oh..."
She looked at Victor "I can't stand the thought of him locked away in that horrible place, slowly losing hope"
Victor tried to lift her spirits "With some luck, we would have better news for him today"
Nikki said bitterly "Yes well, we thought that before..."
Victor looked at her with concern but she avoided his look, she brushed a strand of hair away from her face "I think I'm going to shower and change..."...
Vicki and Victor exchanged worried looks and Vicki asked "Don't you want lunch first? Miguel made some baked potatoes, they're great. "
Nikki shook her head and said "No, No... I'm still full from the pancakes you got us for breakfast"
Victor tried to convince her "Sweetheart that was hours ago, you need to eat something"
Nikki said irritably "Dammit, I just said I wasn't hungry, god! All I want is a warm shower and some rest, can you two please just stop this?!"
She got up and stormed up the stairs.
Victor sighed deeply as he looked at her going away, he knew her anger wasn't directed on any of them, but he was concerned about her mood swings, she was either extremely hopeful or extremely hopeless , he hated seeing her so miserable.
Vicki studied him for a moment and then asked "You're worried about mom, aren't you?"
Victor answered thoughtfully "Yes, I am, but I can't blame her for not being hopeful, after everything that happened, it's not easy on her, not having any idea what might happen next"
He turned to Victoria and asked "How are you?"
Victoria smiled weakly “I'm fine"
Victor inquired "How are things with Cole, I know there were problems"
Victoria smiled "Mother is such a blabber mouth"
Victor said "She was concerned about you, and frankly so was I, are things back on track?"
Vicki said in fake cheerfulness "Getting there, we still have things to work out"
Victor eyed his daughter "You don't want to talk about it with me"
Vicki said evasively "No, not really... and beside, mom being involved is more then enough"
Victor asked further "So you have talked about it with your mother?"
Vicki nodded "To some extent"
Victor smiled at her "You know, it means a lot to her that you open up to her like that, you don't do that very often"
Vicki asked him, touched "Did mom say that to you ?
Victor said “Well yes she did, but even if she hadn’t, I would still know how much it pleases her that you confide in her”
He raised his eye brow at his daughter “It would mean a lot to your father, too”
Vicki said with a soft smile “All in due time, and beside...” She flashed a grin “These days, you hear it
all from mother anyway...”
Father and daughter smiled at each other for a moment and Victor hugged his daughter tightly “Just promise me that if there is anything at all I can do, that you tell me about it”
Vicki, teary eyes, nodded “I will, I just don’t want to burden you with my problems right now, you are dealing with enough”
Victor stressed “I always have time for my little girl”
Vicki smiled “That’s good to know...I love you dad”
Victor said “I love you too my sweetheart”
Victor glanced upstairs, wondering if he should go check up on Nikki,
Victoria caught the look...“I know you’re worried about mom, you should go talk to her”
Victor replied “I intend to....hmmm... I forgot to tell you, I am probably staying over, at least for today”
Vicki gaped at him “What, at the ranch?”
Victor nodded “Yes, if there’s news I want to be here with your mother when we get them, if they are good, we will a reason to celebrate...”
Vicki asked “And if they won’t?”
Victor said firmly “I refuse to think that”
Vicki titled her head “I know, but it can happen...” She asked “Are you staying for mom’s sake?”
Victor nodded “That’s part of it, and I don’t want to be alone right now either, I don’t think either of us should, you don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
Victoria smiled “You know I don’t, even when you and mom are not really together, it’s still very important for me that we are still acting like one family, it’s just that...”
Victor asked “That what?”
Vicki said sadly “Too bad that it’s just temporary...” She glanced at her watch and got up sharply “Ohhhh...I have to get back to work, keep me posted, okay?”
Victor nodded “I will...goodbye my sweetheart”
Vicki kissed him on the cheek “Goodbye dad”
Victor looked after her and smiled, he could easily imagine the expression on her face when she finds out the truth... he chuckled at the thought.
He got up heavily from the couch, feeling stiff and sore, he needed a shower and wanted to talk to Nikki, He climbed up the stairs, feeling pain in every step up, he hated this, this was a time he needed his strength most and he was just not himself...
He reached the second floor and headed toward Nikki’s bedroom, the door was ajar and he could hear sounds from the bathroom, so he headed toward the guest room to take his own shower...
He undressed and got into the shower, the hot shower was just what he needed, it helped him to clear his mind from all the problems and heartaches.
He got of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and went to check on Nikki again.
He opened her bedroom door slowly, she was lying in the bed, covered in a blanket.
Her head rested on her hands, her eyes were closed , Victor approached her, unsure if she was asleep, he set next to her in bed and put his hand on her back “Sweetheart, are you asleep?”
Nikki turned to him, he could see she has been crying, her eyes were red and puffy, she said “No, I’m awake, what are you doing here?”
Victor said “I came to check up on you, you weren’t yourself earlier”
Nikki set in the bed and looked at him regretfully “I am really, really sorry, I don’t know what got into me”
Victor said softly “Don't apologize, I understand”
Nikki disagreed “But I should, you were being so wonderful, and sweet....and I was so horrible, you were just concerned about me and I took off at you, and Victoria, there’s no excuse for that, no matter what”
Victor said “Sweetheart I’m not mad, I understand you’re going through a lot, I just wish you would take better care of yourself, I don’t want to pester you about it, we talked about it before, but you’re not sleeping or eating well and it concerns me, I can’t help it”
Nikki nodded and said quietly “I know, I promise I will... it’s just that ever since Nicholas got arrested I just don ‘t have any appetite”
Victor put his hand on her forehead, checking her temperature “Do you think you might be coming down with something?”
Nikki shook her head “No, I don’t think so, why, do I feel hot to you?”
Victor, trying to distract her... and being slightly distracted himself as she wore one of her lingerie “Yes...but it’s nothing unusual”
Nikki smiled at him, he was trying so hard to cheer her up...
Victor was glad to see her smiling, but she still looked so sad inside...
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her on the forehead, and then asked her “How’s your hand?”
Nikki answered “I took one pill earlier, so it’s better, and you?”
Victor told her “Much better now that I see you are alright”
Nikki said tiredly “I just feel so...”
Victor asked her “So what?”
Nikki explained, mouthing the words with an effort “So guilty...that when I’m with you, you make me feel so good, and I... it makes me feel like the worse mother in the world... I feel so happy with what is going on with us, I can’t even tell you how much, and our son is in prison, it’s all happening at the same time and...”
She paused, unable to explain further...
Victor told her “Sweetheart, you are allowed to be happy sometimes, even in light of Nicholas’s arrest, no one is going to condemn you if you smile from time to time, you have to, if you want to stay sane”
Nikki said helplessly “Try to tell that to my conscious... it’s just eating away at me”
Victor put his arms around her, and she enveloped inside his embrace...
When he pulled back he said with a smile “I would suggest I get inside the bed with you, but I have no idea when Victoria would be back from work, I told her I’ll be staying over night”
Nikki asked “So, what did she say about it?”
Victor smiled “She approved...”
Nikki said with a smile “I am not surprised..”
Nikki looked at him lovingly, eyeing him properly for the first time.... noticing how little he was wearing as well..., she touched his side gently, where he was bandaged, and then ran her fingers from his throat down, all the way down to where the white towel was loosely tied....
She said “I really wish you’d stay here..”
Victor said “I know, I want to stay too, but we can’t right now...”
Nikki nodded “That’s okay...like you said, with some luck we get and give good news today”
Victor smiled at her “Now that’s what I want to hear”
Nikki smiled “I am trying”
Victor leaned down and kissed her gently, and when he pulled back he said “If you need me, just come, okay?”
Nikki nodded “Hmmm, but I am okay now...” She grinned “It doesn’t mean I won’t come anyway, though...”
Victor smiled “I might just hold you to it...” He said, and kissed her again as he got up from the bed...
Nikki smiled softly and put her head back on the pillow as she watched him leaving the room.
When Victor returned to peek on her 3 minutes later, she was already sleeping soundly.
