CHAPTER 6

Having arrived home, two days after getting the all clear from Cate, the travellers received a huge welcome from the staff at the house; all of whom were grateful to have had some unexpected time off work, but were nonetheless glad to have the Bailey brothers back safely. Their cook had prepared a lovely meal for them, believing they would all have missed her amazing roast beef and Yorkshire pudding; as well as her homemade apple pie and custard! Of course, they had, but they'd still loved the food they had on Malta; although they didn't dare tell her that!

Even though Nigel enjoyed the fuss that everyone made of him, all he could really think about was going back to America to see Sydney! His love for her was like nothing he'd experienced before, which was obvious to everyone; especially Preston. Therefore, over the days that followed Nigel, with quite a bit of help from Nathan, arranged to ship all of his new books and many of his other personal possessions to Sydney's house, in Boston.

Prior to booking his flight, Preston insisted that Nigel had a proper check-up with his London doctor, as he wanted to ensure that his brother was genuinely fit enough to return to America. Having been given the all clear, and a few rather painful booster injections, Preston reluctantly picked up the phone and rang the airline. Of course, Nigel could have done that himself, however, Preston had many business contacts at Heathrow and Gatwick Airport, which ensured his friends and family not only got a very good deal on first class tickets, but they were also treated like royalty!

For Preston, the day before Nigel was due to fly back to America, was particularly difficult, as there was no way of hiding the fact he would miss him terribly. Nevertheless, he was determined to give Nigel a wonderful going away party, which he secretly organised, in the library, with lots of help from the cook and Mrs Jackson.

Having gathered together as many people as possible who cared about Nigel, or who'd helped him with the terrible things he'd been through in the recent past, Preston sent Sadie, one of the staff, upstairs to Nigel's room, where he was finishing off his packing "Nigel…Preston needs your help with something…can you come downstairs please?" she said, trying to keep a straight face!

"Oh darn it Sadie!….He knows I'm busy!" Nigel replied, immediately looking embarrassed "Oh um….I…I'm…so sorry…that was rude of me….my mind's all over the place….would you tell him I'll be down in a minute, please?"

"I will…no problem Nigel" Sadie said, understanding why he was a little distracted.

Five minutes later he came downstairs, where Preston met him in the hall "Oh I was just coming up to get you Podge…I have an annoying computer problem I need your help with" he said, leading his brother into the library where he kept his laptop.

"Surprise!" everyone shouted, as the two brothers entered the room.

"Oh my God Preston!….You swine!" Nigel squealed, immediately getting quite emotional as his nearest and dearest gathered around to hug and kiss him and wish him good luck for the future.

Several of the staff gave him gifts and pieces of advice which they personally believed the young man needed. Naturally Nigel listened, as he always did, although he realised, by the way they spoke, they still thought of him as a youngster, rather than an adult. Of course, as many of them were quite elderly, and had known him since he was born, it was difficult for them to see him as anything else, especially when he looked so young.

Nathan, of course, being more like a father to Nigel than a former employee, was caring and direct with his advice. He promptly took him into a corner where he, quite carefully, explained how to take care of Sydney's needs, while he was still actually unable to make love! Naturally, that slightly embarrassed Nigel, but he loved and trusted Nathan and remembered how much the older gentleman had loved and respected Peggy, his one true love, who sadly passed away quite some time ago.

Mrs Jackson hugged him for ages as she was terribly upset that he was leaving again. However, she bravely faced the fact and made him promise to e-mail Preston regularly, keep warm and eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables! Nigel, of course, blinked back his tears and assured her that he'd do his best.

Auntie Alice, who was almost as saddened as Mrs Jackson at the thought of Nigel leaving, pulled him close to her and whispered in his ear "darling don't go rushing into things with Sydney, just because you live with her."

"I….I won't Auntie….you don't need to worry" Nigel replied, hugging her tightly.

"No….I suppose I don't really….Sydney's definitely the right girl for you….she's still waiting so patiently for you to recover from those nasty things….it's just that well…..sometimes…..like the time you tried to make love to Sydney at my house….you don't recognise what you're physically or mentally capable of….and, quite honestly, what you're not….your Nana feels the same way as I do about that darling" Alice said, noticing Nigel looked a little surprised by her comments.

It was pretty obvious to him then that Mrs Jackson must have told her about the awkward, and sometimes wonderful, things she'd witnessed between him and Sydney, while they were on holiday. Naturally, he knew that Mrs Jackson wouldn't have divulged personal things about him, or anyone else, without good reason, but as Alice was obviously worried about him, he believed she'd have done, or said, anything to put her friend's mind at rest.

"I….I suppose your right about me….but um….you're right about Sydney too…so try to stop worrying…..she'll recognise when it's right for us to….to um….be a true couple" Nigel said, hoping that would genuinely be the case, as he blushed bright red again.

Realising how important it was, Preston had asked Nigel's therapist, Nancy, to call in, not only to say goodbye; but also to give him any last minute advice she felt he might need. Of course, she was a little unsure if Nigel was actually psychologically ready to make a new life for himself, with Sydney, as she'd not counselled him for a little while. However, even though she noticed he was a little tense, he was otherwise extremely happy, and Preston wasn't actually against him leaving this time either. Therefore, all she could do was warn him, perhaps a little more professionally than everyone else, to take things very slowly and to listen to his head and his heart! Naturally, she gave him her business card to ensure that, if he was feeling unsure of anything, he could call her.

Having gone to bed at 11 p.m. that night, Nigel couldn't sleep; he was far too excited about seeing Sydney again. His mind kept filling with thoughts of her and the wonderful future he was convinced they'd have; even though he was still a bit nervous about it, right now. Thoughts of his 'family' also invaded his mind, which saddened him a little, as he knew he'd miss them dreadfully.

Nathan drove him to the airport early the following morning, as even though his flight wasn't until 9 a.m. he had to check in by 6. Preston, naturally, accompanied him to make sure everything went smoothly and to enable him to personally explain to the check in clerks that he didn't want Nigel being disturbed by other passengers during the flight. Of course, the moment Nigel walked up to the counter the young female clerks recognised him from the newspapers and immediately understood why Preston was requesting this. They were, of course, only too pleased to promise that the handsome young man would be looked after, and that all of his needs would be met, especially when they then noticed that Nigel was on their top priority VIP list!

Before Nigel made his way to Passport Control, Preston hugged him very tightly and looked into his brother's eyes "now you call me the minute you land, alright?….And you um…..won't do anything you um….shouldn't…..will you Nigel?"

"What do you mean by that Preston?" Nigel replied, realising he was being very serious, as he'd called him Nigel; and he was sure he wasn't talking about intimacy problems, like everyone else.

"Oh Nigel….I mean if you start relic hunting again" Preston replied noticing Nigel looked quite bemused "look...I…I don't want to wake up one morning to find I have a brother with a criminal record! Or worse still…one who's in prison!...Please Nigel….just make sure you and Sydney get the proper permits and do nothing illegal….OK?"

"But Pres…you and I discussed all that after we got back from Brazil…and even the Court Judge eventually understood why we broke into Ferreira's house!….I never meant to embarrass you by the things I did on…on hunts…it's just that Syd and I simply had to do ev…everything possible to…to find the relics and…and then prevent them from being stolen from us."

"Podge….I know all that and I know we've talked about it before….but…but that was when you were so sick it looked like you'd never go relic hunting again…now it's different….you're getting better and you're on your way back to America where you're obviously going to try doing it again! Look I know you did all of those things with the best intentions….but…but sometimes you have to think about what's right for you….and….and your family….not just the relic…alright?"

Nigel thought about what his brother had just said for almost a minute before he was ready to respond, but the fact was, he'd felt morally guilty, many times when he'd broken into places, stolen a vehicle, or knocked someone out! It was just that, on those occasions, he felt he had no choice but to do what Sydney asked of him. Afterwards, of course, she'd always been able to persuade him that, as their opponents were criminals, or very corrupt people, the law was on their side.

"Pres….your right, your right….I know that….but actually I talked to Syd about it a while back…and….and she offered to change things a bit to make it less stressful for me….and safer for both of us….but regardless of that….relic hunting's out of the question for me…at least for now….Sydney knows that too."

Preston looked at Nigel fondly "that's good Podge…I'm glad about that….but no matter whether you start it again next week, or a long time in future….before you do decide to go chasing another relic….I want you to bear in mind everything I've said here today….and the other times as well…so do you promise?"

"I promise Pres" Nigel said, giving his brother another hug "Syd will understand."

Preston smiled at Nigel "I really don't think anyone understands you the way she does Podge….even me…..she knows everything that's happened, yet she's stuck by you through thick and thin….and now…my goodness….she seems willing to change something she loves just for you" Preston said, blinking back the tears "I'm going to miss you so much….but I know….even if you do go relic hunting again…being with Sydney is the only way you're ever going to be truly happy and get completely well again."

"Thanks Pres…I'll miss you too….but you have to stop worrying about me so much….you'll make yourself ill…everything's going to be fine" Nigel said, gently letting go of his brother and moving towards Passport Control "bye Pres; I….I love you."

"Bye Podge; love you too" Preston said, looking around to see if anyone was watching him as he wiped his eyes and nose.

Just over seven hours later Nigel arrived in Boston, having consumed three glasses of champagne, and a bottle of beer. He wasn't exactly drunk, but he was a little unsteady on his feet and felt totally exhausted. Of course, as he was a first class passenger, he knew his suitcase would be brought to him in a lounge, which he was so grateful for right then. Thinking he was going to fall asleep at any moment, he was relieved to look up and see a porter coming towards him with his luggage "I thought you might need this young man" the porter said, handing Nigel a bottle of water.

"Oh gosh…..thank you so much…um…sorry I'm a little um….tipsy" Nigel said, looking slightly embarrassed, as he took several gulps from the bottle.

"That's alright son, you're very welcome….with all you've been through of late you deserve to have a drink or two" the porter said, noticing a look of surprise on Nigel's face as he started pushing the cart towards arrivals "I recognise you from the papers son."

"Oh I…um…see" Nigel said, hoping nobody else would recognise him as he held onto the cart. Once they'd reached arrivals he thanked the porter, gave him a generous tip and took out his phone. Intending to call Preston first to say he'd landed safely and then Sydney, he suddenly felt a hard slap on his behind and squealed out in surprise "Hey! What the…..Syd! Oh Syd….wow!….You said you were swamped with work and couldn't come!"

"I know…I just wanted to surprise you!" she said, as she leapt into his arms and they hugged each other tightly. They continued to hug and kiss for at least another minute when, much to their surprise, they noticed a crowd was gathering around them! Realising they had an audience, who seemed excited to see them, Sydney whispered into Nigel's ear "listen to what they're saying."

They both listened, as they continued to hold each other and they clearly heard one person say "Oh how sweet, that reporter was right…..they're definitely in love" and another say "Oh bless them; do you suppose they'll marry; they'll have such beautiful kids?"

Listening to their comments it became quite obvious that they'd both been recognised from a magazine or newspaper article; which naturally made them feel quite awkward. Wondering just exactly what had been written, they smiled at the crowd, took hold of the trolley containing Nigel's luggage, waved and then rushed out to the car park!

"That must have been some article Nige!" Sydney said as she started up the car.

Nigel nodded "I think there must have been more than one by the way they were talking….they were practically marrying us off!" he said, realising that reporters sometimes make things up to attract readers; although on this occasion he secretly felt rather pleased!

"Yes….yes they were, weren't they?" Sydney said, looking at Nigel sexily.

It took about forty minutes to reach Sydney's home, where she happily helped Nigel carry his bags into the house. Even though Nigel had stayed there before, it felt totally different to him this time, as previously he was just Sydney's assistant, who was there to help her grade papers, or help her with other college work. Now, of course, if he felt confident enough, he could actually share her bed and eventually even make love to her!

"Can….can I….m…move into your room Syd?" Nigel asked, smiling nervously as he remembered she'd given him a choice of rooms.

"My goodness….yes…of course you can….if you're sure….we were alright on Malta though….weren't we?….So we should be OK here….don't you think?" Sydney, uncharacteristically, babbled.

Nigel nodded, but suddenly looked a little concerned as he found himself stood in the doorway of her bedroom and reality hit him.

Sydney immediately noticed how he was gazing wide eyed into the room, just like he did on the first day they met, at Trinity "I bought this new bed for us Sweetie….but honestly….you really don't have to sleep here just yet….not if you're not ready" Sydney said, trying hard to sense what Nigel was actually thinking "but obviously…if you do…it'll still be up to you to make the first move….OK?"

"O…um…K…I'm sure I'll be fine in here Syd um….thanks" Nigel replied, blushing a little as he looked at the bed.

"Just drop your bags over there for now then Sweetie" Sydney said, pointing to the corner of the room "why don't you go and have a nice shower and I'll make you something to eat; I think you need to soak up a bit of that alcohol."

"Oh sorry Syd, I did have a bit more than usual" Nigel said, hoping she wasn't annoyed with him "I usually only have wine with dinner these days….well um….I…I guess you know that…but well…Champagne's one of the perks of first class travel."

"Yeah I know…..Preston paid for a first class ticket for me to fly home….that was so nice of him" Sydney said, noticing Nigel was yawning.

"I'll um….just call Preston before I shower…..he'll already be worrying….you know what he's like…..I was going to call him from the airport but um…..someone sort of distracted me" Nigel joked, remembering how she initially got his attention!

"OK Sweetie….give him my love" Sydney said, as she watched Nigel leave the room and thought what a nice behind he had!

Forty minutes later, hoping he was hungry, she called him to come and eat dinner. However, after five minutes, having received no reply, she went to check on him as the food was getting cold and she couldn't hear a sound

"Nigel!...Dinner's ready" she called out again, as she tapped on the bedroom door and entered. Much to her surprise she found him fast asleep on her chaise longue, wearing nothing but his underwear! He must have been totally exhausted because he still had the hairdryer in his hand, although, luckily, it was switched off. Trying not to wake him, she carefully picked it up and noticed then that he'd laid out a beautiful suit on the bed, which he'd, obviously, intended to wear at dinner.

Thinking how handsome he'd look in that, she began to gaze at his almost naked body and considered, if he put on a little more weight, he'd looked even better like that! She stared at him for quite some time, which was pure torture, as what she really wanted to do was wake him up and make love. Of course, she knew that would be wrong, especially when she'd agreed to keep her distance in the bedroom. Realising then that if he woke up while she was still standing there, he'd feel quite awkward; she gently placed a blanket over the top of him and went back to the kitchen to eat dinner alone.

That night, Nigel woke up on the chaise and for a second he had no idea where he was! However, as the moonlight hit Sydney's beautiful face, he remembered and quietly got into bed and curled up next to her.

He led there for a minute or two listening to her breathing and thought how lucky he was that she was so understanding and caring; although in the back of his mind he couldn't help but think if he didn't get over his anxieties pretty soon, she might give up on him!

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