Chapter 10

"Nikolas!" Emily screamed, running frantically towards the source of the explosion. She felt Lucky grab her from behind, trying to stop her, but she shrugged out of his grasp and continued on. It wasn't until both Lucky and Jason caught up with her and took hold of her arms that she was finally restrained.

"Emily, calm down," Jason implored. "You have to think about this rationally."

"Let me go!" Emily cried, struggling against his hold on her. "I have to get to him, Jase. He's in trouble and he needs me!"

"Em, you're not going to be doing him any favors by just charging in there after him," Jason reasoned. "If anything, it's going to put you in danger, which is the last thing Nikolas would want." He gently cajoled her into his embrace. "Come on, let's just take a breath and then figure out where to go from here."

Emily closed her eyes as she fought to regain her composure and halt the flow of tears. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "You're right," she acknowledged quietly. She turned to Lucky. "Is there anything you can do?"

Lucky nodded and squeezed her hand sympathetically. "Let me talk to the fire marshal and see if we can send a team in there to look for him."

Emily smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Glancing around, Lucky spotted the fire marshal talking to Mac and flagged him down. "Listen, there's a PCPD detective still somewhere on the docks," he explained. "Is there any way we could send a team in there to look for him?"

The fire marshal shook his head. "I'm sorry, but the structural integrity of the site has been compromised. I can't in good faith send people back in there. There's nothing I can do."

"Don't tell me that!" Emily replied, her eyes flashing and fierce. "Don't say there's nothing you can do! My fiancé is trapped somewhere in there because he was helping you save lives. You can't just ignore the fact that he is still in there, possibly injured!"

"My hands are tied," the fire marshal said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "Any further searches will have to wait until the pier is determined to be safe. I'm sorry." He turned and walked away.

Emily sighed in frustration as she ran a hand through her hair, trying to figure out what to do. She noticed that Lucky, Liz, Jason, and Courtney were all staring at her in surprise. "What?" she questioned.

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Your fiancé?" she repeated. "You and Nikolas are engaged?"

Emily grinned sheepishly. She hadn't even notice that she had referred to Nikolas as her fiancé; the words had just come out of her mouth naturally, as if they were always meant to be read. And in all the confusion, she had completely forgotten that Lucky, Liz, Jason, and Courtney didn't know. "Yes," she replied. "He proposed when we were in Philadelphia over the weekend. We were going to tell you tonight, but things happened and … well, here we are." She laughed humorlessly.

Despite the circumstances, everyone still congratulated Emily. Liz and Courtney eagerly offered her their best wishes and told her how thrilled they were for her. Lucky happily embraced his oldest friend, telling her that there was no way Nikolas would not return to her.

Jason was the last to congratulate his sister. "I'm really happy for you, Emily," he said sincerely. "All I want is for you to be happy, and I know that Nikolas makes you that way. You deserve all the best, and I'm proud of you."

Emily nodded and even managed a smile at her brother's words, tears pooling in her eyes. "Thanks, Jase," she whispered. "That means a lot." She turned away, her mind flooded with memories of the night Nikolas proposed to her; the way he'd looked up at her as he asked her to agree to become his wife, the way he'd made love to her that night and how loved she had felt in that moment. Her hand covered her mouth as a sob threatened to escape. Her eyes remained locked on the burning docks, the same thought running through her mind over and over. Come back to me, Nikolas. Please come back to me.

As Nikolas slowly came to, he began to cautiously move his arms and legs, testing for any damage or broken bones. Sensing none, he pushed himself up to a kneeling position. Something warm and sticky was dripping into his eyes from his forehead, and when his fingers gently probed the area, they came away glistening with blood from a deep gash. Nikolas began coughing, the acrid smoke clogging his lungs and making his eyes burn. Looking around and surveying the surroundings, the only thought in Nikolas's mind was getting out of the docks and back to Emily.

He checked on the woman whose body he had covered with his own during the explosion. Her breathing was shallow, but her pulse was steady and she was still alive. Nikolas redoubled his efforts to extricate her from under the desk, knowing time was of the essence. He finally unearthed the frame of the desk and quickly lifted it off her. With care, he picked the woman up in his arms. She moaned as he did so but did not regain consciousness.

Nikolas knew he couldn't afford to be rescued. Another collapse could occur at any time, and the woman needed to get medical attention. More than that, he needed to keep his promise to Emily. He had to return to her. Getting his bearings, Nikolas began maneuvering back the way he came. Back through the rubble. Back to Emily.

Emily was wearing a hole in the ground with her pacing. She had to keep moving, afraid that if she stopped she would break down. And so she went, back and forth, her eyes never leaving the place where images became lost in the smoke. Lucky and Jason had tried to get her to wait with them over by the ambulances, but she refused. It was from that smoke that she knew Nikolas would return to her. He had promised her he would, and the Cassadine Prince never broke a promise. He had promised to marry her, and he would. He had pledged his heart to her forever, and Emily knew he would never break that vow either. She ran her fingers absently over the bracelet on her left wrist, the symbol of Nikolas's eternal love, and her mind wandered back to earlier that evening, when Nikolas had helped place it around her wrist.

Flashback

"Need some help with that?" Nikolas asked with a smile as he entered her bedroom to see her struggling to close the clasp on the bracelet using only one hand.

"Please," Emily requested in slight frustration as she held her hand out to Nikolas. "I just can't get the thing to close."

He chuckled as he easily liked the ends of the bracelet together. "It's easier with two hands," he observed. Holding her wrist lightly, he bent down and tenderly kissed the skin on the inside of Emily's wrist, feeling her pulse beneath his lips. "Your skin is so soft," he murmured, trailing kisses up her arm to her neck.

Emily shivered at his touch, turning her face slightly to meet his, a smile playing with her lips. "Thank you."

He kissed her gently, one hand at her waist, the other at the base of her neck. "I love you so much," he whispered against her lips. "I don't know what I would do without you."

She pulled back slightly, her brown eyes meeting his, love and sincerity mirrored in both pairs. "Don't worry," she replied softly, leaning in to kiss him again. "You'll never have to find out."

End Flashback

Emily wanted to both laugh and cry at the irony of the situation. She never would have thought that the night would end up like this, with her wondering what she would do without Nikolas. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling unshed tears burning her eyelids as she fought to keep questions and thoughts she didn't want to contemplate out of her mind. What would she do if Nikolas didn't make it back to her? How would she go on living life if he wasn't there to share that life with her? How would she live never again feeling his arms around her, holding her close, keeping her safe? What if she never again experienced his lips and body pressed against hers, never again looked into his eyes and saw love reflected back, never again heard the sincerity in his voice when he told her he loved her? What if she never got to call him her husband, never got to hear him call her his wife?

Emily shook her head violently, as if doing so would physically remove those treacherous thoughts from her mind. She could feel tears sliding silently down her cheeks but made no move to wipe them away, her body numb, her stomach a painful knot of fear. Her breath came in hitching gasps as she tried to forestall the emotional collapse she knew was coming. She was just about to lose control when, like a gift from God, she heard a voice call out.

"Help! I need help over here!"

Emily's eyes snapped open at the sound of Nikolas's voice, watching as he emerged from the smoke carrying the limp form of a woman in his arms. She stood frozen, almost paralyzed with relief, as she observed paramedics rushing toward him and laying the woman he was holding on a stretcher so they could begin to care for her. Finally snapping out of her momentary stupor, Emily began running in his direction, calling out his name.

Nikolas heard her voice and turned to see her coming at him. He took off toward her, meeting her halfway and pulling her into a fierce embrace. Emily clung to him as if her were the only solid thing in the universe, her tears soaking his shirt as she released all her pent up fear and anxiety into his shoulder. Nikolas buried his face into her hair as he ran his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her. "It's okay, baby," he whispered. "I'm here. I'm here." He held her, the rest of the world fading away.

Emily pulled away slightly, her cheeks shining with tears. Nikolas automatically cupped her face in his hands, brushing the moisture away with his thumbs. "You came back to me," she observed tearfully, her eyes locked on his.

The corners of Nikolas's mouth turned up ever so slightly. "I promised you I would," he replied simply, causing more tears to seep from Emily's eyes. Unmindful of the soot covering him or the stale smell of smoke on his clothes, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him fervently as the tears continued to fall. Nikolas deepened the kiss, one of his hands stroking her hair, until a violent coughing fit forced him to pull away.

Emily looked at him in concern, the sight of the spasms wracking his body bringing her back from her state of relief and reminding her that Nikolas needed medical attention too. For the first time she truly noticed the cut on his forehead and the blood running down his cheek, having been too overjoyed at seeing him alive to notice. "Oh my God, Nikolas," she gasped, her arms wrapping around him protectively. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Nikolas insisted, trying to wave away her concern, but another coughing spell proved otherwise.

"Come on," Emily said firmly, leading him towards the medical area. "You need to get looked at." She guided him over to a gurney and had him sit as she attempted to focus on the medical task at hand rather than on how close she came to losing him. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled with exam gloves so she could examine the cut on his face.

Nikolas noticed her trembling and gently captured her hands in his own, holding them securely and pulling her to him. "Come here," he coaxed softly. "It's okay. You can relax, baby."

Emily nodded, giving him a watery smile. "I know. I was just … so scared," she confessed. "I didn't know where you were, what had happened to you." She paused. "What did happen?"

He sighed. "I found the woman trapped under some rubble and was trying to get her out when the roof collapsed. I got knocked unconscious, and when I woke up, all I could think of was getting her out and then getting back to you." He gently touched her cheek with his hand, wiping away the tears there. "I couldn't break a promise to you," he whispered.

At that moment, Lucky and Liz came running over to them. "Nikolas, thank God you're all right!" Liz exclaimed as she and Lucky embraced him. "We were so worried."

"I'm okay," Nikolas assured them. "Just a little banged up." He looked back at Emily in concern. "Did Jason make it out?"

Emily nodded, a smile claiming her face. "Yes he did, and he told me how you saved his life. He and Courtney are at GH right now getting examined."

"Which is where you should be, too," Lucky chimed in. "Let's go." The Four Musketeers walked over to the ambulance and Nikolas climbed in, Emily right behind him. "We'll see you at the hospital," Lucky said, and Nikolas nodded in reply as the door shut and the ambulance drove away.

"Are you sure he doesn't need to stay overnight for observation?" Emily asked her mother an hour later as they stood in an exam cubicle. "Just to be safe?" She glanced at Nikolas as he sat on the examination table.

Monica shook her head. "Nikolas is in good health. Other than some smoke inhalation and that cut on his head, he's fine to be released. We stitched his wound and gave him oxygen, so he's good to go."

"You're not trying to get rid of me, are you, Em?" Nikolas teased as he took another deep breath from the oxygen mask in his hand.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Monica replied with a smile. "I'll be right back with your discharge papers so both you and Emily can go home and get some well-deserved rest." She turned and left the room.

Nikolas reached out and took Emily in his arms, turning her to face him as his eyes examined her. "Your mother is right," he said. "You look exhausted." His fingers brushed the dark circles under her eyes.

Emily sighed. "I am," she admitted, dropping her forehead to his. "I'm also still on emotion overload. I'm going to be a complete mess later, just so you're forewarned. I just want to make sure you're okay. That's why I think you should stay overnight."

He looked into her eyes. "And leave you all alone when you're an emotional wreck? I don't think so. I'm fine," he promised, a smile coming to his face. "Besides," he added with a twinkle in his eye, "my fiancée is a doctor. She'll take good care of me."

She raised her eyebrow at him. "A doctor? Really? How impressive. I bet she's really amazing," Emily commented.

Nikolas nodded. "She is. She's also really stubborn. And brilliant. And gorgeous. And loving …" his voice trailed off as his lips met hers in a sweet kiss.

A slight cough from the doorway ended their embrace. "Here are your papers," Monica said, handing them to Nikolas. "And I saw Mac in the hallway. He wants me to tell you that you have tomorrow off from work. And," she added, "so do you, Em. So go on, get out of here and relax." She turned to go when Nikolas called her name.

"Yes?" she replied, looking back at him.

"How's the woman doing? The one I brought out with me?"

"She's stable," Monica answered. "She has a concussion and lacerations and bruising, but no broken bones or internal injuries. She should make a full recovery."

"What's her name?" Nikolas asked. "I just want to check in on her tomorrow, see if she can tell us anything about the explosion or what might have caused it."

"Um…" Monica paused, searching her memory. "Mary," she said after a moment. "Mary Bishop."