| Subject: The Outside Operative 28 |
Author:
Nikita507
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Date Posted: Friday, October 18, 08:19:21pm
In reply to:
Nikita507
's message, "The Outside Operative 28+" on Friday, October 18, 08:14:15pm
Nikita knew that it wasn’t cold outside, but she shivered as the car cut thru the trees that were just barely starting to change colors. It was as they left the hospital that Nikita realized that she lost a whole season. She had also tried not to sleep in the car, but her eyes had won quickly until she started to get a chill.
The car started to take a long arching turn and Nikita glanced in the mirror on the door and frowned as she saw the line of cars behind them on a very empty back road. “How many cars are following us?”
“We have a small caravan,” Michael chuckled but Nikita frowned. The operative in her didn’t like to be followed. Then Nikita herself didn’t like the thought of so many people being around while she wasn’t 100%. It had been a difficult week since Michael told her of the plans to get her out of the hospital and she didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. All of those cars equaled being a burden in her mind.
“All of them in case I forget something? Like I forget that I’m supposed to be out in the middle of the woods?” Nikita snipped and Michael paused to wait, knowing that it was best not to instantly respond. “Some are just following us out to see where we are. They won’t be staying with us at all times.”
“Who is staying?”
“More than you are going to like,” admitted Michael as he shifted slightly as he knew that the farm house was coming up soon. Nikita was staring out her window so she didn’t notice the small house that they were passing that was on Michael’s side. Soon, Walter would be living there, but there were some plumbing problems to be solved first so he was amongst those staying at the main house, to start.
It wasn’t just because of Nikita’s health.
“Dr. Marlow is coming… Walter, Birkoff… Davenport…” Michael started to list those that were in the cars and SUVs behind their large Envoy.
“Stop,” Nikita wearily rasped and Michael almost slammed on the brakes until he realized that she wanted him to stop talking. “Tell me who isn’t going to be there.”
“That list is long too, Kita,” Michael pointed out. “There are lots of people who aren’t going to be here… Madeline… Paul…”
“Stop,” Nikita groaned and Michael cleared his
throat. “Sorry… I take it that you aren’t in the mood for humor… that changes from hour to hour.”
“Maybe I forgot what humor was when I woke up this time,” Nikita sarcastically stated as she tried to push her body up and ended up groaning in pain. Michael didn’t say anything as he knew not to push Nikita right now. He remained quiet for a bit as they started up the small roll of a hill that would then show the house. “Since Adrian and Mick didn’t get along about the house… Adrian won’t be here… and Mick is only staying until the work is complete. He is handling the contractors.”
It was then that the car started to shift and Nikita turned her head forward to see the large farmhouse that was out in the middle of the break of the woods. Nikita sighed and then cleared her throat. “There isn’t a moat. Adrian probably wants one.”
It was almost humorous, but Nikita’s voice was so dull as she said it that Michael knew that there was more to what she was saying. Adrian might have been the one sort of constant that Nikita had on the outside while he was on the inside. They weren’t close and there were times that Adrian overstepped with Nikita that Michael was surprised that Nikita didn’t fully go into hiding from the woman. But this was a reaction due to the fact that Adrian refused to see Nikita thus far, even when Michael had pleaded with Adrian to try to get Nikita to stay in the hospital just a few more days to be sure that she was strong enough.
“Mick had veto power,” Michael explained as he turned in towards the house. “I think he was right.”
“It is big enough for the circus of people behind us,” Nikita rubbed her hands as she chewed on her lip slightly.
Michael knew that in those moments that Nikita started to worry about being out of the hospital. He soon got to the end of the driveway, but he swung onto the grass and pulled the car closer to the porch. “What are you doing?”
“We were going to make this change either way,” Michael lied as he parked the car and dared anyone behind him to correct him in front of Nikita for this decision. “And Adrian was going to come out and make dinner until she had a fight with Mick about your bedroom.”
“My bedroom?”
Michael nodded his head as he slipped out of the vehicle and got to the door before Nikita could manage to open it. She was so weak and Michael swallowed back those fears. “That was part of the fight… Mick corrected her and said that it was going to be our bedroom.”
“Part?”
“She was trying to make the sitting room in the back the bedroom,” Michael replied as he pulled Nikita to a standing position. He waited for her to balance as it took some time. He knew not to walk too far away from her and also knew that she was not going to go up the stairs on her own to the porch. “We have the master upstairs.”
“And it has a bathroom attached?”
“Remodeled,” Michael announced as he nodded his head. It was a big improvement mostly because the original attached bathroom didn’t have much room and with Nikita needing help, it needed more room. But it needed modernization also. “A bathtub.”
Nikita slightly grinned with the thought. She had been hoping for a bath. She just wanted to soak. She caught Michael’s eyes and took a step and felt his arms around her. “Stiff.”
“It’s big enough for both of us,” Michael whispered into her ear as the other started to jump out of their cars, the noise level doubling and tripling quickly.
Mick walked close to the couple and smiled. “I have to thank whoever taught boy wonder how to drive… because he was almost good enough to trust, although I wish I had a second seat belt… but I was able to read some texts that I got, which is good because now we don’t have to worry about dinner.”
Michael started to move with Nikita and knew that it wasn’t ideal. She really needed to think about when she was taking steps, but that wasn’t going to happen right now. There was too much stimulation and it was better to get her settled either on the porch or inside before worrying about other things. Too much was happening.
“So, Little Mrs. Maria Maycup… I love her name… she is a great cook. She cooks for everyone in town and somehow always knows when someone needs that extra casserole because their kids were sick all day… and she said that she brought over two large stock pots of chili for us… and that it’s ok that we use the instant rice because the chili is what matters…. And the guys who were working on the roof on the porches brought over some cases of pop and they said we can use it…” Mick started to rattle out as he pulled out a ring of keys while jogging up the stairs. “Things aren’t all the way done… but enough… and I heard that we have some of those famous pecan pies that Mr. McAlliley makes in the kitchen too… but no one better eat them until we have the chili first.”
“I don’t know if chili is the best meal for Nikita on her first day out of the hospital,” Marlow protested as she followed Mick and started to outline the reasons why something else should be planned on, but that wasn’t going to happen. Michael could hear Nikita’s stomach growling for the chili.
“Yo, Michael… you were to talk to Mick about my house… it looks like they haven’t touched it while we drove back… I believe the two of you promised me that it would be in good shape and it still looks like a squatting place for those elves from middle earth,” Walter complained as he stood in front of Michael and Michael cleared his throat as he didn’t to stop with Nikita in his arms. She was hobbled and it was clear that the long drive had been rough. “Later, Walter.”
“Later it is going to be snowing!” Walter huffed and Michael shook his head and then looked at Nikita, afraid that she was going to be crying. Instead, she was smiling and even chuckling. “You are happy about this madness? They couldn’t even let me get you up onto the porch…. Or even to see the inside of the house.”
Nikita had to stop moving before she nodded her head up and down. She squeezed Michael’s forearm and sighed. “Because they were nothing like this in the hospital. They were shells of themselves… too quiet… and I need this…”
“I am hooked up to the backup to the backup to the backup satellite… I love it out here!” Birkoff dashed up the stairs with his tablet in his hands.
Nikita squeezed Michael’s arm again. “I love it… but I don’t think I can walk anymore, Michael.”
With those words, Michael swept her up in his arms. He knew that she had a lot of worries, but this was a starting point. He could only hope that things would positively build from here.
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