| Subject: Priority Mail 154 |
Author:
Nikita507
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Date Posted: Monday, January 31, 10:48:32pm
In reply to:
Nikita507
's message, "Priority Mail 148+" on Thursday, January 27, 08:17:10pm
Whitney clicked the mouse and nodded her head. “This is an interesting picture…”
Nikita looked over and saw the picture of Mick that she had got by accident. She rubbed her hands together and nodded her head. Whitney looked out to the room where Michael was and then back to the photos. “Why don’t you show me your favorite one?”
Nikita looked at the computer and started to scroll through the pictures. Although the time between this time and when she had seen Whitney had been stressful, once Nikita had woken up from the drug-induced slumber, she went right back to taking photographs, but she had avoided some topics – bruises and Mick.
Nikita had yet to talk to Mick. She didn’t know what to say and she didn’t know where to start. It was clear that he was confused too and he was staying in the house out of fear of what would happen to him if he left.
But it wasn’t like Nikita was talking much at all.
Michael had been able to coax a word or two, but after that first talk, Nikita had found it easier to stay mute and take things as they happened then trying to speak what her mind was conflicted with. Although her mind didn’t seem as conflict as it was before, her fears were that things would get bad again if she started to talk more.
Nikita moved through the pictures and stopped. She had just gotten this one last night when she had walked the hallway knowing that Michael was spending time with Adam. The door had been left open and Nikita squatted and to look in. She had the camera and she got the moment of Michael and Adam laughing at each other on the bed. Nikita didn’t know what was so funny, but she knew that she didn’t know the last time she made either of those men smile like that.
Or if she had ever made them smile like that.
Nikita pulled away and turned her to glance out at Michael. He seemed to sense that she was looking at him and he looked right at her. Nikita turned and nodded her head up and down as she pointed to the picture.
“So this is Adam,” Whitney whispered as she zoomed into the picture and then pulled it back. “I like how the door frame is blurred in it. That takes a lot of skill so I don’t think this is just a lucky shot.”
Nikita blinked as she found her attention to the picture again. It was Michael’s family and she wasn’t sure how she fit in – if she fit in at all.
“It takes a lot of love for a picture like this to read as well as it does,” Whitney commented as she looked at Nikita and then closed the lid of the computer. “I went through a time like this… when things were so overwhelming that I didn’t know how to talk about them.”
Nikita jerked her head. She licked her lips and tried to tell Whitney that she was fine, but the words didn’t come forth. She blinked back tears and picked up her camera. Whitney placed her hand on top of the camera and looked at Nikita. “Taking pictures allowed me to find a way to explain what was going on. I think your favorite picture explains a lot.”
Nikita jerked and Whitney watched the question form in Nikita’s eyes. “It tells me that you caught a moment between father and son… two people that you would give your life up for… but you aren’t sure if you belong inside of that room… That’s why the door is in the frame.”
With a blink of her eyes, Nikita hide the tears, but Whitney saw it. She cleared her throat. “So… I’m thinking that since it is Thanksgiving this week… you should focus on taking pictures of things that you are grateful for… and not just the physical items… but try to find a way to photograph those other things that you are thankful for that aren’t a physical item.”
The movement outside changed and Nikita jerked as she saw Davenport standing there. She clenched the camera and Whitney touched her hand. “And next time… why don’t we invite Michael in here? It helps to share with more than just me.”
Nikita shrugged her shoulders as she stood up. She quickly scampered from the room and Whitney wasn’t sure if Nikita was going to do as she was asked to do. But that wasn’t Whitney’s focus much longer because Davenport entered and closed the room. “You have to keep her on as a student. She has been going through things right now and she might not be the best… but I think she really wants to learn more about photography and she needs this, Whitney.”
“Buddha, I’m going to keep her on as a student because she is good,” Whitney chuckled as she pulled out the memory card and extended her hand to Davenport. “Can you make sure that Buffy gets that back?”
“You call her Buffy?” Davenport shook his head. “She has to hate that.”
“I didn’t use it today because I can sense that something is wrong,” Whitney rolled her eyes. “I might be an older woman, Buddha, but I am still kicking and I still can tell when someone needs the kid glove treatment. She looked like a wounded animal so cracking a joke with the name Buffy would have only led to her leaving.”
“Whitney… I’m serious… This isn’t a game. If you are just doing this to be nice because of what happened between us…”
“You, Buddha, weren’t gifted in photography. You forced it but you were willing to force it because you wanted to do something that was so far away from what you were good at… I never said anything… but I’m telling you now, because she is good.”
“Two lessons…”
“Instincts…” Whitney shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe she’ll let you look at her pictures and you can tell me that I’m right. You seem to need that.”
Before Davenport could do anything, he rubbed his forehead and looked outside to only find something that made his head throb even more. He didn’t know how Ellie had managed to follow him, but he could see Ellie in the room out there and he settled in the chair that Nikita had just been in. “Oh dear…”
“You don’t look good,” Whitney reached out to the face that seemed to pale and how the lines of stress seemed to grow deeper on Davenport’s face. He shoved the memory card into his shirt pocket and took a couple moments to rub his forehead. “A headache.”
“Have you seen anyone for them? You are having them more frequently…”
“I haven’t seen you in months, Whitney…”
“I know people,” Whitney cracked a smile as she shrugged her shoulders and stood up. “What is going on out there?”
“Something I have to take care of,” Davenport stood back up as he looked as Michael stood there with Nikita at his side, staring at Ellie as if she was threatening to hurt them. Michael knew that he did what he had to do and Ellie simply wasn’t there. Davenport had set this in motion and now he was going to have to defuse the situation.
“Maybe you shouldn’t go out there. You don’t look so good, Davenport,” Whitney spoke as she looked at him. Davenport couldn’t recall when Whitney had called him by his real name. He rubbed his hands as he frowned. “I don’t have much a choice.”
“You can pick to take care of yourself,” Whitney offered, but she knew Davenport well enough. Once he made a decision, he didn’t change his mind.
“Nikita doesn’t need to deal with this right now… and I owe her a lot.”
“What can you owe her for?”
“My life,” Davenport rasped as he rubbed his arms and swallowed hard again. “Several times over.”
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