VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, [9], 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 20:46:18 01/09/08 Wed
Author: Mary
Author Host/IP: cpe-72-224-142-55.maine.res.rr.com / 72.224.142.55
Subject: Characters & Shadows - Chapter 29
In reply to: Mary 's message, "Characters & Shadows - Cont." on 20:44:05 01/09/08 Wed

Chapter 29

Marco hated every moment of the last few days. He knew that finally this inhumane mission they had him on so very long was potentially going to come to a conclusion, but it was going to be a horrible end. There was no way that any of this would possibly work out well, especially not for Nikita. If he could have just helped her more, but no, instead he had set her up so many years ago for the fall that was about to happen.

He alone, in his naive state, had actually thought that he was saving her. He had been so proud of his accomplishment once he had set her free, until he had realized what <i>they</i> had really wanted. They had arranged it for him to be able to free her from David. They had opened that window of opportunity and he had taken the bait. Once it was in place there was nothing that he was able to do about it but continue to let it play out.

Oh, he could have told Nikita what was really going on. But if he did that she automatically became acceptable collateral. She wouldn’t be needed in the scenario any longer and since he had fallen completely in what he knew was unrequited love for the blond he couldn’t stand the thought of anything possibly happening to her. She became his crusade, his only conscience, the only thing that made him not eat a bullet when he thought about just what his life had become.

The only thing that kept him going at all, other than her, was the fact that David’s organization was finally starting to show some cracks that they had been able to capitalize on. Slowly it was beginning to unravel and soon it would be destroyed. Marco tried to focus on that end game, it was the key to so much work that he had done for so long, but the price that had to be paid for it was huge. He would be putting terrorists out of business around the world that David supplied, guns, drugs, all of it would be stopped. He knew this had to be done, understood the enormity of it.

But it didn’t stop the guilt and the worry that plagued him, each day it grew worse. So when the call came in moments ago that Nikita had been found by Suba he wanted to crawl out of his skin. He had to tell David. He knew that. The next phase was in place and now it was only a matter of time.

*****

Michael finally left the hospital after what seemed like hours of paperwork and delays. Madeline had finally gotten a hold of Paul and had left to update him on the nights events. It had taken Michael quite a while to convince her that he was fine on his own and all that he wanted to do was to find and be with Nikita. At first Madeline had insisted that she would take Michael over to Nikita’s. But that was the last thing that Michael wanted. He needed to go by himself, particularly after the way that he left things between them last night. He needed time with her to make her understand that he wasn’t going anywhere ever again. It didn’t matter what she said or what she did and if he had to break the door down he was getting in that apartment and they were going to talk.

The snow had finally begin to let up some but the winds were still making travel very difficult. It seemed like everything in the city was shut down for the day and that included rehearsals. But the only thing on his mind at the moment was reaching Nikita. She still was not answering any calls that he kept dialing and dialing but to no avail. It didn’t take as long as he thought it might to get to her apartment and as he stood at her door he wondered if she would want to see him at all.

He had walked away last night. Just taken his dinged pride and left her, even knowing that she didn’t feel well and that she really needed him to be there he had still walked away. He shook his head at his stupidity once again and knocked. He waited, he knocked again. He then realized that he hadn’t seen her car downstairs where it had been parked last night when he left. She wouldn’t have gone out in this storm, would she?

He decided to try the knob and to his surprise and a bit of dismay the door was not locked. He made a note to inform her to be more careful, she should keep her doors locked. Mid-morning light filtered into the apartment that felt empty to him. “Nikita? Are you here?”

He scanned the main level of the apartment and her coat was thrown over a chair and then he saw her purse lying on the floor next to the stairs with it’s contents strewn on the floor. He went up the stairs and that’s where he found her lying across the bed in what looked to be a waitresses uniform. Although puzzled by that he was more concerned that she hadn’t awoken when he called. He walked around the bed and lightly shook her shoulder, “Nikita? Nikita? It’s Michael.”

Her slight moan made him feel better that she was at least waking up, he sat down next to her as she rolled over. Her eyes blinked and then she shut them tightly and groaned. Her face was extremely pale except for the red marks marring her cheeks that indicated her fever had returned and possibly with a vengeance. He helped her just lie back on the pillow and then noticed she was starting to shiver. “Michael?” she asked a bit confused. “C-cold,” she told him. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it up over her.

“You are still really sick.” He said with deep concern, hating himself for ever leaving her last night at all.

“No, just tired.” She argued with him as she tried to sit up and then moaned in pain as one hand went to the back of her neck. “Oh god I’m sore, and my head. Michael, it really hurts.”

“Just lay back for a minute. Rest. Let’s see how you are.” He brushed a hand over her forehead and felt the heat that was radiating. She definitely had a fever and it was high.

She laid there for a couple of minutes and just breathed, she was getting terribly nauseous and the idea of throwing up was just a terrible one to her right now. She opened her eyes and in the dim light she could just make out the small bandage on his forehead. She reached out to touch it, “What happened? Are you ok?”

He couldn’t believe that as ill as she was she was still concerned about him. “It’s nothing. A small cut. Don’t worry.”

She closed her eyes and for a moment he thought she went back to sleep until she spoke, “About last night…”

But he quickly hushed her, “Sh, let’s not worry about that right now. I have a friend, a doctor, and I think you need to see him right away.”

But she knew she couldn’t do that. She had no health insurance and she never went to doctor’s anyway. They always asked far too many questions. “No, no doctor. I’ll be fine, I’ve just caught something.”

But he wasn’t buying that. She was quite ill and his concern was growing insurmountably that something could happen to her, and he would not let that happen. “One step at a time. Are you hungry at all?”

Oh he was trying to be sweet but the thought of food just made her feel horrible and as she turned her head at the thought the room began to swim sickeningly and she reached out to him for a balance point. She took a breath, “I don’t feel very good at all.”

“I know. I know,” he held onto her and talked to her very softly as he tried to sooth her to just rest and go back to sleep. Her fever was high as tendrils of hair were damp with sweat and she was shaking.

The last thing she said in a hoarse whisper before sleep overtook her was, “Please don’t leave me.”

That just completely broke Michael’s heart and as he framed her face he told her, “I won’t love. I won’t.”

Once asleep Michael quickly decided what needed to be done, knowing that she needed to be seen he dialed Brian and wasted no time once the paged doctor was on the phone, “Brian, it’s Michael Samuelle. I’ve got a friend who is quite ill and she needs to be seen right away.”

Brian had known Michael since college and he was not one to be an alarmist or to over react to a situation so he took the call seriously, “What’s going on Michael?”

“Fever, pretty high I think. She’s run down, light-headed. I know she’s exhausted.”

“Ok, ok, I can help. Is she conscious?”

“She’s asleep right now.”

“I’m at the hospital now. Can you bring her to the ER?”

*****

Madeline pulled up in front of Paul’s house. She didn’t like to come here, hated it actually. Anytime she stood the possibility of running into Corrine was just unbearable to her but she needed to see Paul and right now this was the only way.

Something was going on and she was going to figure out what it was. She was going to stay at this house until Paul told her what is in god’s name he was doing. She had known something was wrong from the beginning. The way that he took over all the financial transactions of Section One. That just wasn’t him at all. He usually hated that level of detail and pushed it off on he immediately. But not this time.

No he had insisted that he personally had to oversee every detail of the this production to ensure it was a success. Then he had stated that he needed to be present for the casting, another optional activity that he decided he had to be a part of. He selected the venue for the opening. He was taking care of far too much.

Except for the one thing that she really wanted him to take care of – her. Their relationship had been essentially non-existent since the planning started for this production. Prior to that it had been like he couldn’t get enough of her, he spent all of his time with her after the other failed show. He said he needed for support and that he loved her desperately and he would leave Corrine just as soon as financially possible.

But then everything had changed and she barely even who he was anymore.

She rang the bell and waited. Margie, the housekeeper, answered the door. “Miss Madeline, please come in.” She started to take her wet hat and coat, “What are you doing out in this weather? It’s just horrible outside.”

“I need to see Paul. Is he here?”

Margie paused, “He’s here but asked not to be disturbed.”

Madeline sighed, “Of course he did. I need to see him, theater business. Would you let him know I’m here?”

“I’ll try.” She hurried off obviously uncomfortable.

Madeline hated this house, it was monstrous in size and the environment was so cold and depersonalized. Waiting here in the foyer made her feel somehow very sad about having to be here at all. Finally Margie came back and led Madeline to the den where Paul was waiting.

Margie had barely closed the door before Paul growled, “What are you doing here?”

Gathering her pride around her, “I thought you would want to know that Michael was in the ER last night and that Nikita is ill.”

“What happened to Michael?” he asked immediately.

“Minor car accident, skidded off the road, a couple of stitches. He’s fine. He’s much more worried about Nikita.”

Madeline could have sworn she saw his eye twitch at the mention of her name, “What about her?”

“She was not well yesterday. Michael is checking on her now.”

“You could have called me with this. Why are you here?” he asked and not very kindly.

She got right to the point, “I want to know what is going on.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you and something isn’t right. I want to know what it is, and I’m not leaving until I do.”

“This is ridiculous Madeline.”

“This is my future Paul and I’m not moving until I know what is happening with Section One.”

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Forum timezone: GMT-5
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.