Authors note: Nicolai Kuryakin was introduced in "The Final Farewell". The youngest son of Nicki and Dimitri, he had a rough start to life. His Grandfather Napoleon ("Grandpa Nappy") remembers how difficult it was for his little sister Victoria. But as the UNCLE maxim goes "Never give up"
March 3, 1988
Illya Kuryakin sat quietly on the small couch holding the sleeping boy in his arms. Three years old. My god where did the time go, he thought to himself. It seemed like only last week he was holding Dimitri like this and now he was holding his grand-child. He reached up and brushed the light brown hair back from Alex's forehead and gave him a soft kiss. The child stirred but remained asleep.
Napoleon stopped pacing the room long enough to look out through the window at the heavy snowfall. He felt a knot in his stomach and started to move again. He walked over to Kuryakin and looked down at the small boy. Solo sat down.
"He's getting big," Napoleon said, "I guess that's from my side…"
Illya nodded.
"The brains he gets from my side.." he said trying to draw a smile.
Solo never changed his expression. He looked back at the door across the room. There was a noise in the hallway. Jessica and Lisa came into the small waiting room carrying a tray of hot coffee and a carton of milk for Alex. Jess took her grand-son and gently woke him.
"Did the doctor bring me a new brother yet?" the boy asked sleepily.
Jessica sat him up on her lap and opened the milk carton. He took it, yawned and took a drink. She pressed her face to the top of his head.
"Not yet sweetheart," she whispered softly.
Dimitri held tight to Nicki's hand. His other hand tenderly rested on top of her head. She was in extreme pain. He looked down at the doctor and saw the man's expression change.
Before the young father had a chance to ask, he was quickly whisked out of the room into the waiting room with the parents. He tried to push his way back in.
"Wait a minute," Dimitri shouted, "What's going on?...Nicki?...Nicki sweetheart…I love you…"
Napoleon ran over and took the boy by the shoulders. Illya was right beside him. They tried to see in the small window, but a curtain had been pulled around the bed. They could hear Nicki crying, calling for Dimitri and her daddy.
Alex jumped down and ran to his Poppa. Dimitri picked his son up and held him tight, burying his face in the boy's tiny shoulder. He felt the child's arm tighten around him. Illya hugged them both and led them back to the tiny sofa. Jessica lifted her hand and placed it softly against her son's cheek.
Napoleon felt his knees give. He felt sick to his stomach. His Nicki. His precious little girl. What was happening? He looked over as he felt Lisa's hand on his arm. He turned, tears flowing down his cheeks and held her. Then he felt another pair of strong arms around him.
"I just got the page," Jack said, "What's going on?"
Lisa looked at him.
"We don't know…They just pushed Dimitri out of the room, no explanation. No-one has come out to tell us anything," she said.
Jack gave his dad a reassuring rub on the shoulder and went into the tiny room. They could hear him talking. Lisa could see him through the window as he disappeared around curtain. A few tense moments passed and Jack came back out. Everyone looked at him. He led his mother and dad over and had them sit down.
The young doctor looked at the faces in front of him. He saw little Alex's lip tremble. Jack knelt down and the small boy went to him holding him tight.
"First..Nicki is fine...She is out right now, probably the best thing at the moment," Jack said. He took a deep breath. "The baby has been taken to ICU…."
A collective gasp rose from the adults. Alex looked at him.
"What happened?" Napoleon said slowly, the words catching in his throat.
"He has severe Meconium Aspiration Syndrome…."
"He?" Dimitri said.
Jack smiled and nodded.
"There was a leak in the Amniotic sac, and he ingested some of the contaminated fluid. They cleared his throat, but a few other….complications have set in…" Jack said.
Nicki's doctor came out. Alex went back to Illya and climbed on his lap. Everyone stood up as the man came over.
"They are taking Nicolette to her room…You can go see her in about a half hour," the doctor said, "She is quite an amazing young lady…I know that Doctor Solo has told you what happened. Right now, the baby is in ICU on a ventilator. He is being treated for a pneumothorax. That's a collapsed lung."
As if Napoleon and Illya weren't familiar with that term.
"And he also has a severe blood infection…We are doing everything possible….But I think you should be prepared…..This kind of infection can cause developmental abnormalities….As well as…"
Napoleon cried out in anguish. His precious grand-child. Thoughts of his sister raced through his mind as he tried to grip what the doctor had just said. Jack grabbed his trembling father and held him as tight as he could. His hand pressed against the back of Napoleon's head holding him steady.
"Dimitri, I'll meet you in the room in a few minutes," the doctor said, "I need you to fill out some forms, name etcetera. Nicki is in room four seventeen just up the hallway. Again, I can't tell you how sorry I am." He turned and went back into the delivery room.
Dimitri met the doctor in the room with Nicki. She was crying. Her handsome husband held her hand tightly as they gave the information needed to the nurse.
"How about his middle name?" the woman said trying to comfort the parents.
Dimitri and Nicki looked at each other. He carefully pressed her face against his shoulder.
"No middle name," he said, "Just Nicolai….Nicolai Kuryakin….my baby…." His eyes began to fill with tears. "My sweet precious baby…"
He grabbed Nicki holding her tight as they both wept.
"I want to see him.." Nicki said her voice breaking, "I want to see him…Please…"
The door opened slowly and another nurse looked into the room.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kuryakin, your families are here to see you," the woman said.
The doctor stood up. He walked over to the distressed young couple and put his hand on Dimitri's shoulder.
"See your families first. As soon as things quiet down then you can go and see him."
Everyone came into the room. Except for Napoleon and Jack. Lisa went to the other side of her daughter's bed and sat down. Nicki felt her soft fingers against her face.
"Where's daddy?" she asked.
"He's in the hallway with Jack, sweetheart," Lisa said, "He will be here in a minute…"
The woman leaned over and kissed the young mother's forehead. She laid her cheek against her head and stroked her hair.
Jack led Napoleon down to the ICU ward. They stopped outside the door looking through the small window. They could see the doctors and nurses working franticly with the tiny form. Solo felt his heart stop when he got a full look at the baby.
So tiny. So many tubes and wires you could hardly see any baby at all. And what you could see, was a strange blue-green color. Tiny limbs jumped and twitched. Little Nicolai was struggling for every breath he took.
"Maybe you should go see Nicki," Jack said, pulling his dad back from the window.
Napoleon stood outside Nicki's door and tried to steel himself. He walked in and saw his daughter lying in the bed, her face red and tear streaked. She reached out her hand to him.
"Daddy…" she cried.
Napoleon went to her and held his sweet Nicki in his arms.
"He's going to be alright, Nicolette," Napoleon said, "You had a rough start too remember? And you turned out perfect."
Lisa smiled at him. She reached over a brushed his silver streaked forelock back. She could see the pain in his eyes. Pain he was trying desperately to hide from his child.
The doctor came back in the room.
"She really needs to rest," he said, "You can all come back tomorrow….."
Napoleon continued to hold her hand. Jack was leaning against the wall. He suddenly stood up as Napoleon rose to his feet, towering over the other doctor. He stepped over and moved between his dad and the other physician.
"Dad, take it easy.."
Napoleon looked at him. He felt something tug at the back of his coat. Looking back he saw Nicki's eyes staring up at him. Once again she was his precious little girl. Wanting, needing her daddy's comforting touch, warm voice and strong arms. He sat back down next to her.
"It's alright daddy," she said weakly, "You and mom should go home…Dimitri will be here. Please.."
Dimitri looked at their son. Which family would he go with? Illya looked at Jessica. She could tell by the look in his eyes what he was thinking.
"If this was headquarters we would all already have a group room ready and waiting.
The nurse walked down the dimly lit corridor. As she passed the Neo-Natal ICU her attention was drawn to movement inside the room. She walked over and looked through the tiny screened window.
Little Nicolas lay still in the incubator. His tiny arms and legs would twitch violently then relax. His tiny chest rose and fell slowly and in uneven measures as he struggled for each breath. The machines around him hummed and flashed. Clean fluid dripped from one tube, another drained away the infected. The nurse felt a tear on her cheek. Such a sweet little boy. She turned away and wiped her eyes, then looked again.
She was startled to see another figure in the room. The woman watched as the child pulled a chair up next to the incubator. She found herself unable to move and watched the little girl climb up in the chair. The child laid her face carefully against the plastic shell. Her hand slipped into the protective sleeve and her fingers reached for the baby. The nurse saw her gently stoke the baby's arm, then his soft blond hair. She smiled as she looked at him, slowly turning her head from side to side. Her smile was enchanting as was the small wisp of black hair that flopped over on her forehead.
The nurse couldn't take her eyes off the beautiful scene playing out before her. Her tears flowed. The woman looked away and once again wiped her eyes. She turned back to window. She felt her heart pound.
The little girl was gone. Nicolas lay asleep in his shelter.
His sleep much easier.
Six years later….
It was just another day for the loving mother.
Since his birth, he had been sick. The infection had caused damage to different parts of his tiny body. He was six years old, but actually smaller then his three year old sister. He had developed his motor skills late and had, since the moment of his birth, been deaf. But despite deficiencies in some area's he had developed into a strong, loving child, learning sign language with an uncanny ease.
No one had ever given up on him. No matter how bad things got, Nicki drew on her own experiences to help pull the family through. And her father was a true blessing. He knew what she was going to face raising a child like Nicolas. He had seen it firsthand. And he was there for every triumph and every defeat.
Nicolai squirmed in his mother's arms. He didn't like the doctor; always poking and prodding, making him hurt with sharp needles and pointed instruments. And this time he was sick from the anesthetic they had given him earlier in the morning.
He remembered going to sleep but when he woke it wasn't like waking from a nap. He felt dizzy, his mouth was dry, and his little ears were sore and felt like they were on fire. He quietly cried trying to hide his face inside the safety of his mother's arms.
Nicki held him tight, her face lay against his soft blond hair and her soft hand gently stroked his back and head. She rocked back and forth, her eyes moving from her baby to the door. She saw it open slowly and a familiar looked inside.
"Hi daddy," she said as Napoleon made his way thru the door, "I'm glad you could make it."
Nicki pulled the child back a bit and gently took his chin with her hand. Her other wiped the tears from his face and she motioned for him to look behind. When the little boy saw his Grandfather he cheered right up and reached out for Napoleon. The elder man took him and gave him a firm loving hug.
"Where's the doctor?" Napoleon asked sitting down next to his weary daughter.
"He was trying to put them in when Nicolas accidently kicked him," she said her face blushing.
Napoleon made a small laugh.
"Serves him right for trying to hurt my baby," he tightened his grip around the child.
The doctor hobbled back into the room. He shook his head when he saw Solo.
"I see the Calvary has arrived," he said walking towards them.
"Got you good, did he doc?" Napoleon said smiling.
Nicki gave her father a friendly slap on the arm. The doctor merely gave him a sarcastic smile.
"The thigh caught most of it," he said uncovering a small rolling table, "Are you going to be able to hold him steady?"
Napoleon dropped one eyebrow. Thirty some odd years of fighting THRUSH certainly he could hold his grand-son steady. He sat the child back on his knees and smiled at him.
I am here, Napoleon signed, the doctor is going to put these little things on your ears to help you.
Nicolai leaned forward pressing his forehead against Napoleon's chest. He sniffled a few times, and then held onto his grandfathers strong arms.
There was a bit of a struggle. Some tears were shed, but Napoleon was sure the child hadn't seen them. His firm hand held the side of Nicolas' face as the doctor worked getting the delicate instrument in place. One down, they switched sides and he inserted the other tiny aid.
Nicolai reached up and tried to pull the aid from his ear. He was crying and reached out for his mother. Father and daughter held the child as the doctor worked to get it back in the child's ear.
He made a few adjustments to the small implant. Then he carefully began to pack it off with cotton.
"There," the doctor said.
Nicolai suddenly jumped and clutched his mother tightly around the neck. She looked at the doctor then turned the child's face to her.
"Nicolai," she said slowly.
The boy looked at her. His tiny hand reached up and touched her mouth. Nicki kissed his fingers then she felt his small hand tap her lips. She smiled and took his hand.
"Nicolai," she said again
He jumped in her arms. The boy's eyes widen and he gave her mouth another soft pat. She laughed and he jumped again. He was both scared and surprised. Tears ran down Nicki's cheeks.
He reached for his grandfather. Napoleon was smiling so hard he looked as if his face might burst. He felt the tiny fingers press to his mouth.
"Nicolai…..Nicolai," he said over and over.
The baby moved his mouth as if trying to imitate him. He looked at his mother. Nicki held his fingers against her lips and said his name softly again. His tiny mouth continued to move with no sounds. The child laid his head on her shoulder, his fingers against her lips.
"He can hear me," she cried, "He can really hear me.." She kissed her child as she cried.
The doctor smiled and nodded.
Napoleon bit his trembling lip. He took the child's hand placing it against his lips.
"I love you Nicolas," he said slowly as he signed it also.
Nicolas pulled his sleeve and Napoleon felt the tiny hand take his. The boy put his grandfather's fingers against his own lips. Solo felt them move though no sound came out.
But Napoleon heard him.
Loud and clear.