FF_2/20/2009
Remember My Name
"Yeah, well, the next thing I know there are plans flyin' around for John Banks, one of the instructors, to join the recruiters in Dallas. They asked what school Nick was in and had me write a letter to Nick about what was goin' on with me. John left right after graduation."
"He got back a month later. I got called in from trainin' with my team to meet with the same five officers. When John started talkin' about his trip, he got angry. He had no problem getting' included on the trip to Nick's school. But that was apparently the only easy part. Nick 'resisted' meetin' with him alone. It took a lot of convincin' to get Nick to meet with him. All the recruiters met with the students individually. But Nick was bein' stubborn." He mock glared at Nick.
"Yeah, yeah," Nick grumbled. "Knowin' my history y'all woulda killed me if I agreed to meet with a stranger who said he had important information that I just had to hear. Someone who said, 'trust me' and I was just supposed to do that? Ri-ight!" He looked up at his family and friends, lips twitching.
Billy rolled his eyes. "You only invoke that when it works in your favor." He rolled his eyes again at his brother.
Nick appreciated Billy's efforts to lighten things up, but he didn't want to get too far from the story. "I was scared," he admitted quietly. "I didn't know who to trust. And Johnny didn't want to use your name until we were alone because he didn't know if the Judge had any spies there."
"So what happened when you finally agreed to talk with him?" Brass asked quietly.
"He reached for my shoulder, to reassure me, I think, and I took a step backwards. Then I saw him take something out of his pocket and push it at me. I gasped and cowered backward. I thought for a moment he was gonna hit me." Nick sighed. "I felt really stupid when I realized he was just tryin' to give me a letter."
"Johnny just stood there, holdin' the letter out. He'd frozen when I gasped. I reached forward tentatively and took the letter. I nearly dropped it when I recognized Billy's handwritin'. I asked him if he knew Billy and he admitted he did. He told me Billy'd become a Navy SEAL. He asked how I was doin' – how everythin' was at home. I didn't know how to answer him. So I mumbled that I was fine, but I couldn't look at him."
Nick sighed, remembering. "Johnny was so patient. He didn't push. He just sat down in the chair furthest from me and told me to go ahead and read my letter. So I did. Then he told me I could write back to Billy. I didn't know what to say. I didn't trust Johnny, not yet. And yet, he had brought me Billy's letter. I guess I was afraid of a trap. So I scribbled a quick letter." Nick was suddenly interrupted by Billy's loud laughter.
"A quick letter?" Billy asked. "It was four sentences!" He looked around at the others. "It was so Nick, too. It went: 'I'm fine. I'm so sorry. I love you. Be careful. Love, Nick.'" He locked glances with Nick. "I was never so glad to get a letter in my life," he said softly. He tried to blink back the tears in his eyes. "I was so glad you didn't hate me for abandonin' you."
"You didn't abandon me; you were taken away from me." Nick's voice was just as soft. "Anyway, the SEALs kind of adopted me. There was always at least one around. They passed letters back and forth, gave me advice, and taught me a lot. When I got into high school, they started workin' out at a local gym and invited out teams to work out with 'em. It was around that time that the Judge stopped hittin' me." Nick met Billy's eyes again. "He still found ways to keep Billy and I from seein' each other, though."
"He just didn't know we had this whole other way of communicatin'," Billy agreed. "As long as Nick was livin' at home, we thought it best to stay away from each other. But we always kept in touch."
Megan was watching Nick closely. There'd been a lot of good communication. It did Nick a lot of good to remember those who cared about him. With the news of his birth parents, maybe he could move past the pain of his legal parents' abuse. But it had been a lot of talking and Megan could see the exhaustion on Nick's face.
"Ok, guys, I think it's time for Nick to rest," Megan spoke softly but authoritatively.
They all began moving toward the door. Billy reached out and squeezed Nick's hand once quickly, then winked as he left. Nick smiled. Then he looked at Brass. He was finding it hard to keep his eyes open.
"Than's Jim," he whispered as they fluttered closed. Brass rested his hand on Nick's head for a moment, then left with the others.
Nick slept peacefully through the night except for a few restless dreams. He woke once to eat – broth and jello, but he went right back to sleep.
A/N: I know you all hate the short chapters, but I'm scrambling to keep ahead of you! So hopefully this will keep the story moving, but I can still stay in front.