Chapter fourty six - An End in sight
"Good, I'm glad you’re both here” said Doctor Haming as Victor and Nikki walked into her office.
Nikki said “We got here as soon as we could, what is going on?!” she asked anxiously.
Before Doctor Haming had a chance to answer there was a knock on the door “Come in.”
The door opened and John Silva entered the room.
Victor explained to Doctor Haming “Hmmm, Doctor Haming, meet John Silva, he is my son’s lawyer and had been my attorney for many years”
John shook the Doctor’s hand ‘It’s a pleasure meeting you”.
He turned to Nikki and smiled “Hey Nikki”
Nikki smiled back “Nice seeing you John”
The doctor said “Just as we’re clear on one thing, using anything that is being said in this room is strictly forbidden unless Amy will grant you her approval”
Victor and john exchanged glances and Victor said “That’s fine with me, but you have to tell us what is going on”
Doctor Haming replied quietly “Amy’s memory has returned”
John, updated on currnet events by Victor earlier asked “During the hypnosis session?”
Doctor Haming nodded “Yes, I have to say I was surprised it happened so quickly, I thought it would take more than one session, Amy’s desire to remember was a big factor in that, otherwise it wouldn’t have worked”
Victor took a deep breath “What did she say?”
Doctor Haming smiled at the tense man “It’s good news, Mr. Newman”
Nikki let out a big sigh of relief and dropped to sit on the couch, overwhelmed with emotions “Oh thank god...”
Victor wasn’t reassured just yet “What do you mean it’s good news?”
Doctor Haming said calmly “Amy confirmed what you have told me, that it wasn’t your son who shot Matt Clark”
John asked “How does she knows that? was she there?”
A shaky voice came from the doorway “Yes...”
Everyone turned around, Amy, looking even more fragile than ever before was standing in the door, she walked in slowly, I was there, I remember now”
She looked at John with a shy look and Victor told her gently “Amy, meet John Silva, he is Nick’s lawyer and a good friend of the family, It is important for him to be here, is it okay?”
Amy eyed John suspiciously who smiled at her... and muttered “Yea... I think so...”
Doctor Haming asked with concern “Amy, are you sure you’re up for that?”
Amy nodded “Ah-ha...” She turned to Victor “If it weren’t for you I might not have remembered at all... I owe you the truth, now that I remember it”
Victor smiled softly at the girl “You owe me nothing. Your help for me and my family is much greater than any help I could give you...now, can you tell me who shot Matt? Did you see that person?”
Amy shook her head slowly “No, I didn’t have to”
Nikki looked puzzled and asked her gently “What do you mean honey?”
Amy, her voice shaking, whispered “I didn’t have to see who shot him, because...because...because I did it”
John was taken aback “You shot Matt?”
Amy nodded. Her eyes filling up with tears “I am sorry, I am so sorry... I let Nicholas sit in jail for something he didn’t do, I need to be in there, not him... I’m really sorry, I never meant for that to happen... I’m so sorry...” Her voice broke and she started to cry.
Nikki, sending a helpless look toward Victor moved to sit next to her and put her arm around her shaking body “Amy... why did you shoot Matt? Did he hurt you?”
Amy nodded and swallowed her tears “Yea... Matt hurt me....I didn’t remember that until now, He raped me...”
She sobbed and sank into Nikki’s arms, Nikki wrapped her around the sobbing girl and looked up at Victor with tear filled eyes.
Victor shook his head with disgust, filled with detest toward the man who had ruined so many lives...
Amy tried to overcome her tears “I thought we were just going to talk and instead... I liked him at first, and then I saw how he treated Nick, he treated him like dirt, just because he knew he could never be him, He was popular, even more than Nick was..."
She stopped and then continued...
"...But he was jealouse at Nick because of his money, and because Nick had Sharon...” He started acting so weird, with me, with everyone, so aggressive.... I should have listened to Sharon, she told me he was a creep, I didn’t listen to her, I dated him, I went to his apartment that night, I was mad at her because Nick was in love with her, I thought she was lying...”
Amy continued in a hallow voice “I thought she wanted to mess things up between Matt and me, but she was right all along”
Nikki told her softly “Don’t blame yourself, it wasn’t your fault, no matter what you did, it wasn’t your fault”
John probed gently “Amy, I’m sorry, I know it is difficult for you, and I don’t mean to push, but can you tell me what happened afterwards...”
Amy mumbled “I.... I don’t remember, Matt got up, he was getting dressed, and I remember seeing him gun, I’ve seen it before, I told Matt I didn’t like guns, that he doesn’t need one and should get rid of it, he never listened to me... I saw him standing there...”
Her voice filled with disgust “So smug and pleased with himself, like he was the greatest lover of all times and I enjoyed what he did to me.... I picked the gun up, I aimed, and I shot him...”
She said in am empty voice “I remember him falling, but not much after that”
Victor and Nikki looked at each other sadly... and then looked back at Amy, who continued “The next thing I remember is the women’s shelter... I don’t remember how I got there...”
She sent eyes that were filled with fear toward Victor “Am I going to go to jail?”
Nikki, caressing Amy’s hair asked John quietly “John, surely it would count as self defense, won’t it? Matt was a monster, she should get a reward, not time in prison!”
Victor put a hand on Nikki’s shoulder, trying to calm her down, Nikki took a deep breath and put her hand on his.
John looked from Nikki, to Amy and to the doctor and asked her “You will testify at the trial if we summon you, won’t you?
Doctor Haming nodded, “Of course, Amy was in no frame of mind to be accounted for her actions, I will testify for that”
John turned to Amy “I will represent you, if it come to that, but I think that might not be necessary, Matt Clark was a very sick man, and he raped you as well as Sharon Collins, what you and the doctor has to say will surly convince the judge that you did what you did to defend yourself..."
Victor nodded and turned to Amy and smiled to her warmly “Just know that you’ll never be alone, okay?”
Amy whispered “Thank you, all of you... I really am sorry, please tell Nicholas that”
Nikki told her gently, wiping tears away “Amy, with some luck, he will be home soon and you will be able to talk to him yourself”
Amy shook her head “I don’t think he will want to see me, I’m responsible for all the hell he has been through”
Victor said firmly “Amy, the one person responsible for what had happened to both you and Nicholas is Matt Clark, him and no one else. I am telling you this as a man, that a rape is never the woman’s fault, it’s a terrible, violent act and only cowards force themselves on women like that.”
He set down on the chair in front of the sofa Amy was sitting on and told her “No one is going to hold Nicholas’s arrest against you, I don’t want to see you blaming yourself for something that wasn’t your fault, all that had happened was the mastermind of that sick excuse for a human being he will pay for what he did, to you, to Sharon and to my son, I promise you that”
Amy said weakly “I know I should feel guilty for shooting Matt, but I don’t, I tried to feel guilty... I just can’t...” She looked toward Doctor Haming “Does that makes me a bad person?”
Doctor Haming shook her head “No, Amy, it makes you human, but you need to start letting go for the feelings of hatred, because that won’t make you heal”
John stood up “I’ll get right on having another hearing set for Nicholas”
Victor said pointedly “Make sure it happen soon, John”
John nodded and said “Well, I’m off, then... Doctor Haming, Nikki...”
He turned to Amy “Don’t worry, maybe you won’t even have to testify”
Amy said, hardly audible “Thanks...”
Victor shook John’s hand “Keep me posted John”
John nodded and walked out...
Amy got up and asked “Can I go back to my room now? I’m really tired”
Doctor Haming nodded “Sure, do you want me to take you?”
Amy shook her head “No, that’s okay...”
Nikki gave her a hug and told her “You feel better sweetheart, and don’t worry, okay? We will do everything we can to make sure nothing more will happen to you”
Amy turned to Victor who told her “Nikki’s right, you just concentrate on recovering and I’ll take care of the rest”
Amy tentatively approached Victor and gave him a quick hug and fled from the room.
Victor, touched by her gesture looked after her with concerned look and asked Doctor Haming “Is she going to be alright?”
Doctor Haming replied “It’s hard to say, she had made a lot of progress, I believe she will, she is a strong young woman, time heal a lot... her family presence might help”
Victor sighed “We are trying to locate her parents, I know more or less where her mother might be, but I have a problem reaching her, I should know more in a day or so”
Nikki rolled her eyes “Considering she hasn’t called her daughter in months, I don’t see how much support she can offer, I don’t think they were on good terms...”
Victor wrapped his arms around her from behind “I’m sure she would want to support her daughter, in times like these families pull together, she doesn’t know what happened, she'll show up”
Nikki shook her head skeptically “Well, I hope so, for Amy’s sake”
Nikki leaned her head back against his shoulder for a moment and then turned to him and said “We should go and tell Nicholas...”
Victor asked her “Don’t you think it might be best to tell him after a hearing is set?”
Nikki shook her head “No, he is terribly depressed, he need to hear something positive”
Victor looked at her thoughtfully and said “Yes, you’re right... “
He looked at his watch “It’s not visitation hours just yet...hmmm... lets go tell Victoria, and go to Nicholas later, and we need to tell Sharon”
Nikki nodded and said “That sound like a good idea”
Victor looked at the psychiatrist “We need to get going, to tell our son and daughter the news...”
The psychiatrist nodded and said with a smile “I’m sure he will be thrilled”
Nikki said with a tearful smile “Oh... we all are... I just wish it wasn’t Amy who shot him”
Victor said reassuringly “Nikki, she will be fine, I don’t think how any judge would send her to jail”
Nikki said angrily “I’m just sorry she should have been through it at all...it’s not fair, Matt ruined so many lives...but most of all Amy’s...”
Victor caressed her cheek and wiped her tears away and whispered in her ear “Come, lets go to tell Nicholas the good news”
Nikki nodded and Victor said to the psychiatrist “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for this family, and to apologize, I know I’ve been hard to deal with sometimes, all I said and did was out of concern for my son”
Doctor Haming smiled at him “You *were* pretty unbearable at times, but all is forgotten, and I am glad I could help, and I know you care about Amy, I have never questioned that”
Victor responded “I’m glad to hear that...well, we need to get going, keep me in touch about Amy, okay?”
Doctor Haming nodded “I will... let me know if she needs to testify, I will have to prepare her for that...”
Victor said “I will...”
Nikki said “And again, thank you...”
Victor and Nikki left and the door closed behind them, not saying much of anything the walked down the hall and walked outside the building, it was snowing heavily outside, they stood under the balcony, waiting for the limosine driver Victor's paged...
Victor reached to Nikki's fur coat to adjust it and their eyes locked...
He ran his fingers through his hair and just looked at Nikki, at lost for words for a moment.
Nikki put her hand on her mouth and looked at Victor, letting her feelings show for the first time...she whispered “Can you believe it happened?"
Victor replied "I hasn't sank in yet..."
Nikki tried to express her thoughts in words "In a matter of days... our son could be back home, he
didn’t shoot Matt, we have evidence for that, it’s more than just hope! it’s a reality!...”Victor smiled at her “I know, isn’t it wonderful?”
Nikki shook her head, crying “It is... I can’t believe it, we’re finally in a point we can go to court and actually have something to go on! Nicholas will be free!”
Victor pulled her to him and hugged her tightly, he closed his eyes and tried to control his emotions, he felt like a huge rock just rolled off his heart...he had the evidence he needed to free his son, after months and months of praying for that very moment, it was there, all he needed to do now is to go and get his son back.
Nikki wrapped her hands around him in response, needing to be close to him just as badly as he needed being close to her...
He cupped her face with both of his hands and pulled back to look at her... his eyes searching her face...that moment felt so good, and Nikki was right there...
Nikki, with half a smile asked "What... what's that look all about"
Victor whispered to her "Nothing, you've just..."
Nikki asked "I've just... what?"
Victor said "Made the sun a little bit warmer even in the most cloudy morning, and the moon a little brighter even at the darkest nights in that past month"
Nikki was touched and said softly "I think it's the sweetest things you've ever said to me..."
Victor said seriously "I meant every word of it"
Nikki nodded shakily "I know... but the only way I could ever do anything like what you just described is with you on my side..."
Victor leaned down and kissed her gently, tasting the bitter taste of her running tears on her soft lips...
The limosine pulled up next to them and Victor told her "It's not over yet"
Nikki nodded "I know, but it's going to, It will be over very soon, and this family will be whole again...we will get our son back..."
Victor smiled at her, planted a kiss on her forehead and said "Lets go inside the car... I want to get to the ranch before the blizard start..."
