ChapterForty Five - At last, news.
“Riiiinnnnnngggggggg”
“Riiiinnnnnngggggggg”
“Riiiinnnnnngggggggg”
The loud ring of the phone woke Victor up from sleep.
He was in bed, reading a 70 pages report Jack had someone drop off for him, when he reached page 25 he had fallen into troubled sleep where dreams of his son haunted him.
A quick glance to his watch as he reached to the phone told him it was already after 8 PM, he answered...
“Hello?”
“Mr Newman, This is Doctor Haming”
Victor set up quickly, much more alert “Yes Doctor”
Doctor Haming said “I think it would be best if you care here right away”
Victor asked “What happened?”
Doctor Haming, visibly anxious, said, “My Hypnosis session with Amy had just ended”
Victor asked “And?”
Doctor Haming sighed and said “What she said was stunning, to say the least”
Victor, getting frustrated, asked “What DID she say, is it good news?”
Doctor Haming said “I don’t want to tell you over the phone”
Victor sighed and said “I’ll be there as soon as I can... Doctor...”
Doctor Haming asked “What?”
Victor asked hopefully “Just tell me if your news are good”
Doctor Haming replied, her tone uncommitted “Get here and I’ll tell you everything”
She hung up, Victor stared at the phone, baffled and worried, not really knowing what to think.
He dressed quickly and went to Nikki’s room, she was still sound asleep, cuddled inside the blankets.
He set down next to her, softly kissed her lips and called out her name quietly “Nikki...”
Nikki let out a moan and rolled over to the other side of the bed, Victor smiled, she was always so hard to wake up “Sweetheart, wake up”
Nikki, waking up from deep sleep, a sleep that can only be a result of exhaustion of both body and spirit, slowly turned to him “Hmmm... Victor?”
Victor caressed her cheek “Yes, I’m sorry I’ve woken you up, I know how tired you are, but I have news...”
Nikki, still dazed, asked “News, what sort of news?
Victor told her “About Amy”
Nikki set up as her eyes opened in fear, she whispered “Good news? Oh Victor, please tell me it’s good news”
Victor said “I don’t know my darling, the psychiatrist wouldn’t tell me, she asked that we get there as soon as possible”
Nikki, upset, asked “You didn’t ask?!”
Victor said “She was reluctant to tell me over the phone, come on, get dressed so we *would* know as soon as possible”
Nikki was about to get out of bed when Victor stopped her and said “Wait a second...”
Nikki turned to him, her face strained “What?”
Victor held her face with his warm hands, and told her “Just know that whatever happens, whatever she will say to us, good or bad, we will survive, and so will our son”
Tears rolled on her cheeks as she asked “You don’t think it’s good news, do you? You think that she would tell us that Amy can’t remember and never will, or that she just doesn’t know what happened and that it was all for nothing!”
Victor said “I didn’t sat that and we would know soon enough, but even if it is bad news... I’m not going to give up, We *will* get him out of there, no matter what obstacles would stand in my way to achieve that”
Nikki whispered “I know you mean that, if anyone can do that... it is you”
Victor tried to reassure her “First of all lets hear what she has to say, it is very possible her news are good!”
Nikki said “Okay, I’ll get ready...”
Victor said “I need to call John Silva and Christine Blair, so get downstairs after getting dressed, okay?”
Nikki nodded and Victor caressed her cheek and walked out of the room.
He began walking down the stairs when Nikki emerged out of the bedroom, her body wrapped in a sheet “Victor” She sounded distressed.
Victor turned to her with a questioning look in his eyes....
Nikki paused and then said “You’re going to have to help me with getting dressed, again”
Victor smiled warmly at her, climbed up the stairs and planted a kiss on her lips as he reached her “Well that’s very good”
Nikki frowned at him and he added “You know it’s more of a pleasure than a duty”
Nikki was less amused “For you maybe, I just hate feeling so helpless, but I can’t left my arm high enough to put this damn sweater on”
Victor said reassuringly “And nor should you, you need to let it heal properly.... and in a few days your hand would hurt a lot less and then you won’t need me to get dressed or undressed...” He added “At least, not because you won’t be able to do it yourself”
Nikki rolled her eyes good naturally “That’s very funny Victor”
She vented as she turned her back to him “I managed to pull the nightgown off, but I still need help with putting that on...”
She handed him the White sweater and let the sheet slide to the floor, and couldn’t suppers the little grin as she heard him let out an audible gasp... she couldn’t dent that she enjoyed knowing what the sight of her can still do to him...
Victor helped her to slide her hand into the sweater, trying to cause the least discomfort.
He then wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, kissed her neck and whispered in her ear “I think I like it better when you need my help undressing you”
Nikki turned around and said “You and me both....”
She tried to sound playful, but something was missing from her voice, and Victor noticed.
He asked in concern “Did I hurt you?”
Nikki shook her head quickly “No, no... not at all...”
She smiled to him and touched his cheek with the tip of her fingers “You can be the most gentle man in the world when you put your mind to it, especailly with me... “
Victor asked “Then what is it?”
Nikki said slowly “I am so, so scared... if it’s bad news I don’t want to hear them, I really don’t”
She lowered her gaze, she didn’t want him to see the fear in her eyes.
Victor lifted her chin up to look at him “Sweetheart, we’re going to have to deal with whatever the psychiatrist has to say”
Nikki nodded, “I know, I just...even clinging to little hope is better then not having ANY hope”
Victor wrapped his arms around her and said, “If you don’t want to come with me you don’t have to”
Nikki looked at him, considering it for a moment but shook her head “No, No... its not the answer, and beside, I don’t want you to go through that alone”
Victor looked into her eyes and said firmly “Don’t go on my account, I promise to call and to let you know what is going on”
Nikki stirred uncomfortably, torn “No, we should do it together, I want to go with you... please...don’t suggest it again, because I would lose what little courage I’ve got left...”
Victor hugged her and whispered in her ear “I won’t, I’m very glad you’re coming with me”
Nikki asked desperately “I just want the nightmare to be over, I want our lives back, is it too much to ask?!”
Victor said sadly “No, it’s not too much to ask...” He took a deep breath “Okay... I’ll go and make this call, you finish getting ready and meet me downstairs, okay?”
Nikki nodded and tried to smile at him, they pulled away from each other, and Victor headed downstairs.
Nikki sank onto the bed, praying to go everything would be all right...
A few moments later Nikki climbed down the stairs, Victor was waiting at the door for her, handing her mug of hot black coffee and a sandwich.
Nikki’s stomach was tied in a tight knot and eating was the last thing on her mind, she glanced up at him and saw his look daring her to refuse, she knew better…“Thanks...”
Victor helped her into her coat as it was snowing heavily outside.
Both of them got into the limousine and the chauffeur took off.
As the strong Aroma of coffee spread inside the limousine, Nikki, her hunger sense stimulated, finished the coffee in two gulps and begun eating her sandwich.
Victor looked at her approvingly and said pointedly “So you *were* hungry”
Nikki said “I got hungry, the coffee smells so wonderful…Did you eat?”
Victor nodded “While I was waiting for you”
Nikki looked at Victor as she put the food on the little trey and smiled “You look much better, did you sleep well?”
Victor sighed, “More or less… you on the other hand, fell sleep before your head hit the pillow”
Nikki admitted, “I *was* tired I have to admit…” She smiled “I hope you didn’t wait up for me to join you”
Victor chuckled “After seeing how fast you fell asleep? I knew you wouldn’t wake up, you could have slept till morning… you know, it was actually a good thing you didn’t stop by”
Nikki asked “Why?”
Victor said with a smile “Because Victoria showed up”
Nikki’s eyes opened wide “Are you serious? To check up on us?”
Victor nodded “To check which bed I was sleeping in, I think. Our daughter doesn’t seem to be trusting us at all, not that I can blame her, given the circumstances ”
Nikki shook her head in disbelief “She’s unbelievable! Did you talk to her?”
Victor said “No I didn’t, she saw I wasn’t in our room, so she didn’t get into the room I was in, I think she didn’t want to disturb me, in case I was asleep”
Nikki broke into a smile “Did you hear what you just said?”Victor looked at her, puzzled “What did I say?”
Nikki smiled “You said our room…”
Victor paused and then said “That’s probably because I still think of it as our room, of the ranch as my home… I never truly stopped”
Nikki smiled “Oh yes, I know… I recall myself asking you to return the key, and somehow… you always managed to walk in the next day, using that very key…”
Victor reminisced “Yes, I remember us fighting about it…”
Nikki argued “It wasn’t really fighting….it was more like… a friendly banter”
Victor snorted “That’s not the way I remember it”
Nikki shrugged and smiled “Oh… why pick on small details?”
Victor laughed and pulled her closer “You have a very selective memory”
Nikki looked him in the eyes and said seriously “We’ve been through so much in our mutual life together, when we first met you were my mentor, then we became lovers, We shared a daughter but didn’t even know about it, we got married, we got divorced, I gave birth to second child, we are actually divorced longer than we had been married”
Victor looked at her somberly as she continued talking…
”We both married other people, at times we were at the brink of getting back together, at other times – we couldn’t have been more apart. We said hurtful things to each other and we said …the sweetest words of love…. “
Victor sent a hand to caresses her cheek and then held her face in his warm hands.
Nikki whispered “I remember the fights Victor, at times all too well. But altogether, When I look back all I seem to remember is how much I love you, and how happy I am that you have touched my life” She finished the sentence in a choked voice.
Victor looked deeply into her eyes and then hugged her tightly “So am I, sometimes I think of how empty my life would have been if I hadn’t listened to Douglas that day”
Nikki smiled through her tears “And gone to see me?”
Victor smiled in reminiscing “You made my heart stop when I saw you up on that stage”
Nikki smiled “Good, that was certainly the intention”
Victor leaned his forehead against her “I don’t think you know just how happy I am with the way things are finally working out for us, I love you”
Nikki whispered back “So am I, I love you so much…”
Victor added “And hopefully, things would work out for our son as well”
Nikki said, shaking her head “I’m so scared, It has to be good news Victor, it just has to...”
They held each other tightly as the car made a full stop, They got out of the car and walked toward the gate of the institution, Nikki sent her hand to ring the doorbell, but it was shaking too hard and she had to pause and take a deep breath before pushing the bell.
Victor noticed how badly her hand was shaking and took her hand in his, their fingers entwined as they walked in.
