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Date Posted: 18:22:20 03/17/08 Mon
Author: Mary
Author Host/IP: cpe-69-135-186-204.woh.res.rr.com / 69.135.186.204
Subject: Characters & Shadows - Chapter 44.
In reply to: Mary 's message, "Characters & Shadows - Cont." on 19:35:52 03/09/08 Sun

Chapter 44

Nikita awoke slowly and realized before she ever really opened her eyes that she felt much better than the last time she tried to wake up. She opened her eyes and moaned slightly as the light was pretty bright.

“Hey there Sugar. You ok?”

Nikita looked over to the concerned face of Walter, “Yeah…I’m ok.” She was trying to get her bearings. “Where’s Michael?”

“Down the hall asleep I hope. We practically had to drag him out of this room earlier. He only left once I promised to watch over you for him.”

She blinked and tried to sit up some and was pleased to not feel as horrible as she remembered feeling the last time she tried to do that.

“How long have I been here?”

“A little over three days, you’ve done some serious sleeping for a while now.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know all the details, but you were pretty sick. You probably ought to talk to the doc about that.”

Her thoughts were getting clearer and suddenly she began to really think about her situation at the moment. If she had been here for that long then the production was halted, she had probably lost her job at the diner and she had no health insurance. How was she ever going to pay for any of this? And she probably would lose her apartment at this rate. And since Michael wasn’t here he must have found out how she was trying to hide her job and now he was gone. She couldn’t stay here. She never should have been here in the first place. Panic began to build and she pushed the blanket down and began to move but was pulled back by the IV in her hand.

Walter was immediately alarmed as she stared, grew quiet, and then it seemed as if she was going to get up, “Hey hold on now. You aren’t going anywhere. Be careful with that.” He told her as she started to pull at the tape that covered the IV line almost frantic in her actions.

“Leave me alone. Please, I have to go.” She told him as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

“Nikita? What are you doing?”

She heard his voice so warm and rich and comforting that she just wanted him to keep talking. Was Michael really here? Was he really standing right there in the doorway? She just stared at him and he continued into the room his concern mounting as he neared her.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and ever so gently laid her back down and pulled the blankets back up over her, “Calm down. Now what is the problem?”

Her tears continued, “I can’t stay here.”

Michael was growing more concerned for her as she seemed so stricken in her fear at the moment and he just wanted her to be calm and rest, “Why do you think that?”

She wouldn’t answer him, just turned her head away and continued to cry. “Nikita you have to calm down and talk to me.”

“No.”

In another circumstance he would have almost smiled at that belligerent attitude that made up the unique character that was Nikita. But not at this moment, instead he gently turned her face back toward him and looked directly into her eyes and there he saw the worry and the fear and the shame that she was trying to hide. Then he knew what was wrong and what he needed to do. “You have a lot running through that pretty little head of yours right now don’t you?” He softly asked her never breaking the eye contact that was so important.

“I bet you are thinking about the days you have been here, that the show is halted and you may have lost your job – oh, correct that – both jobs. So you might lose the apartment and on top of that you have no idea how you can pay for being here.”

He let that soak in for a moment and then asked her, “Am I anywhere close?”

She just nodded her head in agreement actually unable to speak over the lump in her throat.

Michael sighed and stroked her brow with his thumb. With every bit of emotion and love that he had for her he told her, “You have to trust me on this Nikita. I know that it isn’t easy for you to trust and I understand now why that is, better than I ever did. But everything is going to be fine. I am right here, Walter is here, Madeline…and we are all here for you. We will not let anything bad happen to you.”

She was listening, he could tell. There was still doubt in her eyes and he imagined that it was going to take a long time for her to really be able to trust anyone. But he did know that he was making progress with her right now and that helped him to relax a little. He leaned in a kissed her forehead and her cheek, “Now, tell me. How are you really feeling this morning?”

She was much calmer and with a small smirk she told him, “I feel a lot better than I did the last time I woke up.”

Michael smiled at that, “Are you hungry at all?”

She furrowed her brow at the question, “Not really.”

“You’re going to need to eat. You were skinny enough before this happened.” Walter chimed into the conversation trying to lighten things up a bit. Michael jumped just a little at Walter’s words, he forgot that he was still in the room.

Michael smiled at her, “Walter’s right. Hey would you go check with the powers that be and see if they ordered anything for her?” Michael asked of Walter.

The older man knew that he was being asked to leave them alone, but he didn’t mind. They needed time alone. “Yeah, sure. And then this old man could use a little sleep too.”

“Walter,” Michel called. “Thank you.”

Walter shook him off and left the two of them alone.

Michael reached out and took her as gently as possible in his arms and just held her. “God I was so scared I was going to lose you.” He whispered as he held her.

She pulled back a little, “You act like I was dying.”

At his quiet and the look of pure pain that flashed in his eyes she was stunned, “Michael? Tell me. What’s going on? Am I all right?”

There was a slight note of almost panic in her voice as she asked and he felt terrible for scaring her, “You are fine….now. Really.”

“Now?”

He sighed but told her the truth, “We were very worried. They diagnosed you with meningitis. Your condition got bad so fast. You were very ill and not responding to treatment.”

“Meningitis? Isn’t that contagious? Should you be in this room? What about Walter…”

“It’s fine. It’s fine. What you had was not contagious.” Then he softly added, “It was only harmful to you.”

“But I’m ok now. I feel a lot better. A little tired, but….”

“You are much better. According to Brian you will need a lot of rest to fully recover, but you will be fine. Now, we really should see about getting you something to eat.” Michael rose to go check.

Nikita listened but there was too much that he wasn’t saying and she knew it. Something more was definitely going on and she wanted to know what it was.

“What aren’t you telling me Michael? What else is going on?”

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