Chapter 35
"Dad?" Nic called walking into the house.
"In the kitchen." he told her.
She walked through carrying Angel in the car seat and a couple of carrier bags in the other hand.
"Hello." She said to him and lifted the car seat onto the table.
He walked over and looked at the sleeping baby.
"Where's Ella?" she asked.
"In the nursery unpacking things. I'm giving her some time alone." Roman said softly.
"Is she ok?" Nic asked quickly.
"Not really." He confessed. "Did you get them?" he asked.
Nic nodded looking sad.
"Nic please." He said. "I know this is horrible but I need you to hang in there. Ella needs us to be strong." He murmured.
"How are you doing?" Nic said trying to distract herself.
"I'm fine." He said.
He looked up and saw Ella coming towards them.
"Hey." He called to her. "Did we forget anything?" he asked.
"Just the nanny." She told him. "Hello Nic."
"Hello Step-mama." Nic said looked at her dad. He nodded to her.
Nic turned and handed the carrier bags to Ella.
"Dad suggested that you may like these. He thought you might feel a bit more comfortable in them." Nic told her.
Ella took the bags with a puzzled look at him.
She opened up the first one and saw pale blue material. She took them out and saw they were satin pyjamas. There were several pairs in different colours and also a matching robe.
She looked at him with tears in her eyes before opening up the other bag which contained long sleeved night-dresses.
"Thank you." She told him. "And you Nic."
She walked over to Roman and kissed him.
"How did you know?" she asked him.
He smiled.
"You wore hospital scrubs and not the fetching little gown they give you. I figured that you were more comfortable being covered up." He murmured.
She gave him a hug and another kiss before turning to Nic.
"Would you like to see the nursery?" she asked her.
Nic nodded and handed Angel over to her Dad before following Ella up the stairs.
"Ella its lovely. " Nic commented.
She walked around touching the items on the changing table then watched as Ella opened the wardrobe and showed all the clothes on tiny hangers and the basket of soft toys in the bottom. She'd added a hanging canvas shelf unit and tucked inside were blankets and towels and extra nappies.
"When are you bringing them home?" Nic asked picking up a teddy bear and stroking it.
Ella knelt down next to her.
"It isn't your fault Nic." She told her.
Nic started crying.
"I was going to follow you but Angel started crying." She told her. "And if I'd told him what Gardy did to me before maybe it would have been different." She added with a sob.
Ella took her into her arms.
"And maybe if I'd told your Dad what Gardy did to me years ago it would have been different." She told her.
"Years?" Nic questioned.
Ella nodded.
She pressed a kiss to Nic's head and with a shaking voice told her about Gardy trying to attack her before and her brother stopping him.
"Oh Ella!" Nic cried and pulled her into her arms. "You don't blame yourself do you?" she asked.
"No. Mostly not." She admitted. "But sometimes I think I could have done something different." Ella confessed. "I should have fought harder or screamed."
"He had a knife and he was cutting you. How could you have stopped him?" Nic asked her.
"I don't know but there must have been some way. " Ella said becoming distressed. "I should have stopped him."
"Ella." Nic said. "How?"
"I don't know. I should have screamed more. I could have fought him." she muttered rubbing her hands together agitatedly.
"You'd just had the babies where you'd nearly died. How could you fight him you were barely out of hospital." Nic told her.
"But I should have done Nic." She said. "I can't get clean." She cried. "I shower and shower and I don't feel clean." She moaned, the sound of which was unearthly.
Nic looked up and saw her Dad in the hallway. She nodded and he walked in.
"El." He said.
She looked up at him her eyes unfocused.
"I have to tell Mike what happened. How am I going to tell him?" she cried. "How can I tell him something like this."
Roman sat down next to them.
"El." He said again.
She blinked.
"My beautiful El." He said softly.
She looked at him without seeing him.
"I'm right here El." He murmured.
She blinked again.
"Roman?" she said.
"Yes. El." he said to her.
"I'm sorry." She told him. "I'm sorry" she said again.
"Ella." He said.
She flinched at the name but finally focused on him.
"Why are you sorry El?" he asked.
"Because I let him …" she broke off.
"Ella." He said again and saw the impact of the name on her. He glanced at Nic and saw she was crying. Focusing back on Ella he reached out and took hold of her hand. She tried to pull away.
"You are not dirty El, you are beautiful. You couldn't fight him any harder than you did. This is not your fault." He told her. "I'll tell you that a hundred times a day if I have to, You are beautiful El and I love you."
She blinked again and looked at him then over at Nic.
"I'm sorry." She told them, "I'm trying to be strong but this hurts."
Roman leant forward and kissed her.
"You are strong El, but you don't have to be strong for us. We love you." He told her softly. He held open his arms and pulled her into them feeling a sob go through her. After a time he put his hand in his pocket he pulled out the jewellery box he'd bought earlier at the same time the jeweller mended the chain on the dog tags.
"El." He said.
She pulled away and looked at him wiping tears from her face.
"I promised you a diamond ring and I never got a chance to get it for you. Well here you are." He handed it to her.
She opened the box and saw a platinum ring with five diamonds in.
"It's an eternity ring." He told her. "Because that is how long I am going to love you." He promised.
She gasped and felt herself welling up with tears all over again, this time she knew they were happy tears.
"Roman." She gasped.
He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger.
"You don't think what has happened to you will change my love for you do you?" he asked.
"What if I can't…" she started to ask.
He smiled.
"I hope you aren't worried are you? We have always been passionate and I expect we'll find that again. If not I am more than happy just to hold you." He told her.
She smiled slowly.
"Fine. I guess you are stuck with me then." she told him.
Nic looked at Ella.
"Step-mama?" she asked.
Ella looked over at her.
"I'm ok." she said softly.
"You sure?" she asked.
Ella nodded.
"Great now let me look at that ring." She ordered.
Ella laughed and held her hand out.
Nic looked down seeing the Claddagh ring on her third finger as well as Ella's wedding ring and now the additional diamond ring.
"It's beautiful" Nic told her.
"Uh huh! Why do you sound shocked?" Roman asked his daughter.
"Because I always figured you were clueless. You never bought her an engagement ring." Nic told him.
Ella laughed.
"Twice." She told her. "He never bought me an engagement ring twice!"
Nic looked at them.
Roman chuckled.
"Come on." He said to them.
He stood up and put his hand down to help Ella up. Then did the same with Nic.
He walked slowly downstairs and into the lounge checking on Angel who was still asleep.