A/N: Thanks for the reviews. My laptop problems are re-occurring so i'm getting this chapter up while i still can. All errors are my own as always. This is Bobby and Janette, Lily and Nicky. Please read and review, all are gratefully accepted. Goes away and bashes laptop
Thirty-Five:
The phone call wasn't entirely unexpected. Lily wanted to see Nicky again and Janette had called to request that it happen if Nicky was agreeable to it. When he had mentioned Lily's name to him, he'd seen the interest spark in his eyes and that had made him take notice. He wondered at how a little girl of no more than four years old could make the kind of connection with him that he had wanted. It was curious but Nicky was open to the idea of seeing Lily again, which was another revelation in itself.
The apartment was enormous; three times the size of his own place. He had visited places like this in the line of work but never in these circumstances.
He glanced at his son who held his backpack close to his chest and stared about his surroundings with wide brown eyes. Bobby had sat with him earlier in the day and explained that he would be seeing Lily and in turn would be seeing his mother again. He had paused and waited for the fuss to begin but so far, he hadn't said a word except to agree to see Lily. Now they were in the elevator, gliding to the top floor.
As the door slipped open, Bobby lifted his head and saw Janette already waiting there, holding onto Lily's hand. Both of them smiled as they exited and walked towards them.
"You made it" Janette smiled into Bobby's eyes and then looked towards Nicky who was staring up at the high ornate ceiling in what looked like amazement.
"Yeah" Bobby replied and resisted the urge to grab his son and do an about turn.
The place was huge and offered panoramic views of the city. Bobby stood beside the window and stared out across the vista, hazy from the seemingly never-ending heat. He looked up at the blue sky. They needed some rain. He turned his head when he heard footsteps on the hardwood floor and saw Janette approaching him.
"Lily is showing Nicky her bedroom" she informed him and he could just nod. Nicky had gone with Lily so willingly that Bobby had felt a moment of panic.
"You can go check on him if you want" Janette added as if sensing his worry. An embarrassed smile flitted across his face.
"Come on" she urged.
"How are you doing?" Bobby asked as they headed towards Lily's bedroom. Janette looked at him.
"I think we're doing okay…Lily has had some nightmares but we were told to expect them, but she's been in a good mood since she found out you were visiting. Nicky has been all that she's talked about" she admitted.
"Do they know who he is…the other kids?" Janette nodded.
"Eliz…Nicole…kind of let the cat out of the bag. We were going to tell them…just when we were ready" Bobby just nodded. They paused outside of a white painted door. Bobby saw the little girl's name painted on the wood in ornate gold painted script. He could hear her constant chattering but couldn't hear his son's response. He looked at Janette.
It was a typical little girl's bedroom and as the only daughter, she had been indulged in. Bobby paused when he saw Nicky lying on the bed, flat on his back and he was staring up at the canopy, his wrists twitching and twirling. Lily lay beside him, also staring up and she was chattering to him. Nicky seemed to be fine with this closeness though he doubted he was listening to a word she said. He bit back against the urge to smile.
"Are we comfortable?" Janette enquired in a teasing voice that made Bobby as well as Lily look at her. Lily sat up and smiled at her mother.
"Nicky likes my bed," she told them both. Bobby carefully ventured into the pink and white room
"So I can see" he walked around to his son's side and saw how his wrists paused in their movement and he snuck a sideways glance at his dad.
"Bed pretty" he informed him. Bobby had to admit that he had a point there, it was a very pretty little girl's bed and the sight of his tall son lying amidst the pink and the frills and other such accoutrements was a sight to behold. He glanced at Lily, who was watching her brother with a smile on her face.
"I hope this is okay Lily." He mentioned and watched as she nodded. He looked back at Nicky to see his wrists doing their familiar twirling. He hadn't seen such serenity in his son in…ever.
"How's Nicky's babysitter?" Janette enquired as they walked towards her state of the art kitchen.
"Kate…ummm..." he just shook his head.
"Is she okay?"
"She was hurt…Nicole hurt her, she's having…trouble coping with it," he admitted.
"I'm sorry…I feel so responsible" her voice tailed off. Instead she opened a cupboard and took out a couple of cups.
"It wasn't your fault…"Bobby began. Janette looked at him from over her shoulder.
"Isn't it? I hired that woman to be my children's nanny. She listened to me complain about you not allowing me access to Nicky. She took him and hurt your babysitter because of me"
"Listen…she already knew about Nicky, she bided her time and waited for the perfect opportunity. She planned it…she was…very…clever" And because of her cunning, the person he cared about the most after his son, was in pain and suffering.
"You should be going back to work very soon, right?" Janette commented. Bobby nodded, suddenly very tired.
"And you'll need someone to watch Nicky until he goes back to school" He looked at her.
"It's way too soon for that…"
"But he's comfortable here…"
"No, he's comfortable with Lily. It's been eight years Janette, he's bigger, more volatile…there have been far too many changes to his routine as it is"
"You really think that it's such a bad idea?"
"Last month I was asking you to back off…"
"But you're here…"
"Because you said Lily wanted to see Nicky and he likes her" he took another deep breath.
"I don't want to argue with you…again over this. I'll organise something with Nicky's care, we can work out some kind of…access that's acceptable to Nicky and take it from there" he softened his voice. There was a short but heavy silence.
""Well…I suppose that could work…at least you're considering access now" she eventually muttered.
"What happened…it made me realise that…maybe Nicky could benefit from spending time with his…brothers…and his sister" he admitted uncomfortably.
"I'm not the bad guy here Bobby…I know it was wrong to do what I did…but I really want to make it up to Nicky…and I want to help you" she poured coffee into the cups and carried them towards him. He accepted the cup she handed to him.
"And I appreciate it" he took a sip.
"Don't you want a little bit of your life back Bobby?" she asked him quietly. His look was suspicious.
"To have some time to yourself? Go on a date, sleep in, go to the movies or what about some time just for you?"
"Nicky is my life" he reminded her stiffly.
"And maybe that's the problem. You deserve more" Bobby just shrugged.
"He's my son too Bobby, whatever you think of me or what I did" she continued. He sighed heavily.
"Let me think about it"
The coffee shop was busy. Jane Green's eyes searched the myriad of faces, looking for one in particular. She found her at a small table at the back of the shop, nursing a single cup of something. She kept her head down and showed absolutely no interest in what was going on around her.
"Kate?" her head shot up and Jane's eyes widened in surprise. She hardly recognised the woman who sat in front of her. She was a pale shadow, almost a wraith. Slowly Jane sank down into the chair opposite her
"Kate?" she whispered in shock. Briefly their eyes held, before Kate looked away, nervously tucking a lock of untidy blonde hair behind an ear.
"What's happened?" Jane asked.
"Uh…just…something" she replied in a quiet voice.
"Such as?" Again Kate looked at her. Jane saw how her eyes then darted around the interior. She shrugged quickly, almost restlessly.
"Something" she hedged.
"Kate…whatever has happened…and it obviously has…maybe I can help?" She then watched as Kate pulled a long white envelope out of her bag and then slipped it across the table towards her. Jane picked it up and looked at it in puzzlement.
"What's this?" She raised her eyes and looked at her. Kate's hands were clenched into tight fists on the table in front of her.
"I have to get away. I don't think I'll be back in time for the start of the new school year so that's my letter of resignation" This time Jane's mouth dropped open in utter shock.
tbc...when my laptop allows...