GLIMPSES OF THE FUTURE
Note: Another big chapter. Reviews and feedback is always appreciated. Just a few chapters left!
Gynecologist's office- Los Angeles
It's been four months since we last left Tom and Nadia Falk in San Felipe on their wedding day. They're back in their meager apartment in LA, but they won't be there for much longer.
After about a month of haggling, Tom was able to buy that four bedroom house on the coast of San Felipe for $185,000. He thinks he got hosed a little bit on the price, but when he asked Nadia if there were any other houses she liked, her silence and death stare at him told him no. So, he swallowed his pride and bought the house.
And now that the fidecomiso, or the escrow process for buying a coastal home in Mexico, has finally completed, all that's left is putting the pen to paper when Tom and Nadia move two weeks from now, taking possession of the keys, and the exchange of money. That last part will take place in a few days.
Tom and Nadia have started some light packing of their belongings. Tom still hasn't decided what he wants to do when he gets down there: San Felipe PD investigations or Mexican bounty hunting. He recently confirmed with both San Felipe Assistant Police Chief Jaime Molina and his ex-Anti Cartel partner Freddie Torres that both job offers are still on the table.
Speaking of Mike Walcott, he still hasn't left the CIA, partly because he's not entirely sure what he wants to do now that his relationship with Karen Falk, Tom's sister, appears to be going very well. All Mike is certain of is that he's leaving Baltimore, and he's trying to get Karen to warm up to the idea of moving to New Mexico so he can be a bounty hunter in Mexico with Freddie and maybe Tom. She's still on the fence, however.
Tom's left arm, which conveniently was a non-issue on their wedding day, has been very bothersome lately. His ailment affects his entire arm right down to the fingers and has not gotten any better since he first noticed it during the wedding vacation in San Felipe. In fact, it has actually just grown worse. 80% of the time now, it hurts in varying degrees. Tom's gotten used to most of the pain, but sometimes, usually once a day, it hurts more than he can handle.
Tom has tried to hide it, mostly out of pride, but Nadia noticed him laboring one day and finally convinced him to have a doctor look at it the other day. They await the results of an MRI and bone scan, but early indications are there's something really afoul going on with the bones in Tom's left arm. No other part of his body hurts, and it doesn't hurt any worse if he lifts something or puts any weight on it. Tom wonders if this is a Project Alloy complication. Still, nothing is certain yet.
Nadia, meanwhile, is showing the world she's pregnant, as she's put on a few pounds since we last saw her and her belly has started to grow. She's on her 20th week of pregnancy, and the effects of pregnancy are starting to affect her a bit. Her appetite has completely exploded, although she is still eating healthy for the most part...save for the occasional junk food binge. She's also having to wear slightly bigger clothes, but hasn't graduated to full-on paternity clothes...yet. In her spare time, she goes on walks and has started doing yoga after Sydney Bristow recommended it.
Tom has been the doting husband that he vowed he'd be when he learned Nadia was pregnant. In fact, his protectiveness over Nadia often forces the two to get into bickering matches. Tom doesn't want Nadia to exert herself needlessly, and this frustrates her. She's always been active and she doesn't enjoy feeling like someone's burden to carry. Tom insists she's not a burden, but has learned to just let Nadia go get a bottle of water on her own if she wants.
Speaking of Nadia's mood, she was very crabby for about a month as her body continued to undergo changes from the pregnancy. Sometimes she'd snap at Tom for doing things that normally wouldn't bug her much, if at all. She'd always apologize to him later, though. By now, Tom's learned to take her mood swings with a grain of salt.
Thankfully, for the both of them, Nadia's mood has been outstanding for the past week. Her hair looks fuller and shinier and her skin even looks like it's glowing. Again, those are normal things during pregnancy, but they're things that give Nadia some encouragement after a harrowing month or so.
Tom is actually liking the changes that Nadia is going through. In addition to Nadia's shampoo commercial-quality hair, he's noticed Nadia's...um, chest has started to grow a bit and he thinks she looks good with her new curves, although Nadia's not the biggest fan of her growing belly and often questions Tom on whether he's just trying to make her feel good. Tom insists he's not.
Tom and Nadia are both relieved they'll be moving in to their new house soon. Not just because of the fact that they both know the move will symbolically start their next chapter in their lives, but also because their apartment has become a repository for Sydney's discarded baby stuff and space has become an issue.
Sydney has been extremely helpful during Nadia's pregnancy, frequently checking up on her and offering up clothes and other things that she no longer needs as her baby Isabelle grows. Nadia has also appreciated Sydney's advice very much. So has Tom, as he's learning how to best take care of Nadia through some of the things Sydney is saying.
And now, we rejoin Tom and Nadia in the gynecologist's office. Nadia is in a hospital gown and in the process of getting an ultrasound while Tom is off to her right. They both are looking on at the screen with great hope.
The ultrasound technician moves her wand around on Nadia's belly, which is coated in petroleum jelly. Finally, she stops when she sees the baby.
When the legs, arms and head appear on the screen, Tom and Nadia's eyes both widen a bit. The technician says "There's your baby!" Tom and Nadia both look at each other with smiles, then back at the screen as the technician examines the image some more and gets some readings.
After a bit, the technician says "Looks like your child is doing just fine...everything looks normal! It's about the size of a banana now, which is just perfect for this stage!" The technician then turns away from her laptop screen and looks at Tom and Nadia. "Would you two like to know the sex?"
Tom raises his eyebrows and says "You know already?" The technician smiles and says "I'm 99.9% sure of what it is."
Tom turns down to Nadia and asks "Do you want to know or do you want it to be a surprise?" Nadia replies "What do you think?" Tom cautiously replies "Well, I'd like to know now, but it's up to you." Nadia smiles and turns to the technician. "Ok, what is it?"
The technician smiles wide and says "It's a girl."
Tom and Nadia both gasp and form excited and happy looks on their faces. Nadia exclaims "I'm going to have a girl!" Tom puts his arm around Nadia and gives her a kiss on the cheek and says "I know it's what you were hoping for. I'm happy for you."
The technician says "I'll go print up a picture for you. Congratulations!" Tom and Nadia both say "Thanks!" The technician then walks out of the room.
The first thing Tom does after the tech leaves the room is say "My mother's hunch was right...she thought you were carrying her granddaughter." Nadia looks up at Tom and curiously asks "Are you sure it was a hunch?"
Tom looks at her strangely and asks "What do you mean?" Nadia replies "Well, this wouldn't be the first time she's fibbed to you. Maybe she knew more than she was letting on."
Tom thinks about that for a bit, then just shrugs it off and says "Who knows..." Tom looks back down at Nadia and says "What matters is we're going to raise a little girl!" Nadia sighs as she holds Tom's hand and says "I know you were hoping for Tom Junior..."
Tom shakes his head and says "So what? Boy...girl...it's still our child! And now that we know what it is...we can start thinking about names!" Nadia smiles wide and says "Plus, I'll know to paint her nursery pink when we move in to our house! And Sydney's been dying to know what it is so she can give us Isabelle's baby clothes that she's outgrown!"
Tom kisses Nadia's hand and says "I'm happy we're having a girl. I can already imagine you and our girl doing girlie things together." Nadia giggles and says "Yeah, I've already been daydreaming about that! Playing dress up, showing her how to put on makeup...now I really can't wait to welcome our child into the world! Only another four months!"
The technician walks back in and hands Nadia the ultrasound picture. Tom and Nadia look at it and smile. This is the first picture they have of their girl with arms, legs, and a head. The technician says "You can get dressed now and after that, you're free to go!" The technician walks out.
Tom follows her, but before he leaves, he stops at the door and asks "Is Sydney off work? She'll probably want to see that." Nadia grins and says "Yeah, in fact, she's waiting for us! We'll go there when we leave!"
Tom smiles and says "Ok, mommy!" Nadia laughs and asks "Why do you always call me that? I'm your wife, not your mom!" Tom, still smiling, replies "I just want you to get used to being called mommy! You're going to be called that a lot in the coming years!" Nadia playfully shoos him away as she stands up and says "Oh, just go, you fool! I'll meet you in the waiting room in a bit!" Tom laughs a bit as he closes the door and heads to the waiting room while Nadia gets dressed.
Tom and Nadia's apartment
It's nighttime and Nadia sits on the edge of their bed, already dressed in her nightgown and looking at the assortment of baby clothes that Sydney was kind enough to donate to them today, now that they know they're having a girl.
Tom walks into the bedroom and Nadia holds up a small pink one-piece outfit with the word "Diva" spelled out in little sparkles. With a smile, she says "Isn't this so cute?" Tom rolls his eyes and says "We're going to give our little girl an inflated ego right off the bat, I see..."
Nadia ignores Tom's comment as she puts down the outfit and says "Our baby is going to be so better dressed than I was when I grew up in the orphanage. Our clothing was so generic...it's amazing the options she will have..." Tom snickers a bit as he takes off his shirt and says "Yeah, I'm sure you just dreamed of wearing a pink onesie that told the world that you were an egomaniac!"
Nadia dismissively says "Come on, it's all in fun! Besides, being a diva doesn't mean you just have an inflated opinion of yourself. Divas are also talented singers!" Tom laughs a bit and says "That's one way of looking at it...maybe we should get our kid into singing classes."
Nadia shrugs and says "I can teach her myself..." Tom sits down next to her and says "I'm sure you can, but it's hard to sing in a choir all by yourself!"
Nadia's face brightens up and says "Yeah, and just think of all the friends she's going to have when she joins the choir! And all the sleepovers we'll host..." Tom looks down at the floor and sighs. "Yeah, a bunch of little girls running and screaming around the house...oh joy..."
Nadia rubs Tom's back and says "Oh, it won't be so bad!" Tom looks back up at Nadia and smiles. "We've both been through worse."
Nadia then realizes something and says "Hey, maybe I can get get involved in choir, too. I'm sure the Mission San Felipe has an adult choir!" Tom smirks and says "You want to get the golden pipes going again, babe?"
Nadia laughs and says "Yes! Plus, me and our girl can practice singing together. It'll be nice to be involved in something our child is doing." Tom puts his arm around Nadia and says "I think that's a great idea, Nadia. Now come on, let's get ready for bed. I'm sure you're wanting a backrub right about now." Nadia smiles and, as she leans in for a kiss, says "You read my mind!" Nadia then gives Tom a peck on the lips and gets up to put away the clothes.
Tom crawls into bed on the right side and, not too long after, Nadia joins him on the left. She leans on her side and faces away from Tom. He lifts up the back of her gown so he can start the backrub.
After a few seconds of massaging, Nadia closes her eyes and cracks a relaxed smile looks like she's really enjoying the massage Tom is giving her. In a deep, relaxed voice, she asks "This feels soooo good...why didn't you ever massage me before I was pregnant?" Tom, still massaging Nadia's mid-back, replies "You never asked!"
Nadia then playfully asks "Why do I have to ask? You could have offered out of the kindness of your heart..." Tom cuts her off and says "You never had back pain before, so I figured you were satisfied."
Nadia, still in a very relaxed mood, replies "I wish I had asked now...you do such a good job!" Tom smiles and gives Nadia a kiss on her back and says "I'm not going to half-ass a massage for my beautiful, pregnant wife. Besides, I figure if you're relaxed, that can only help our baby girl."
As Tom continues the massage, Nadia says "I'm so glad we're going to give our child every opportunity to have a happy childhood. What I'd give to have the kind of life she'll have when I was growing up." Tom replies "I know what you mean. In fact, I'm almost jealous! It was a real burden on my grandparents to raise me, Eddie, and Karen at their old age. My grandpa Ed even had to get out of retirement and go back to work for a few years at the factory just to provide for us."
Nadia then says "I know that's why you wanted so badly to be at this point. And we'll give her a good life with the money you have." Tom then moves his massaging hands back up to Nadia's upper back and, as he does, says "I wasn't driven to save up my legit salary and skim money from cartel raids just for our kid, Nadia. I wanted to be able to take care of the woman I love as well. You're as much of a part of my dream as our child, and you deserve the best environment possible to raise our child, too." Nadia closes her eyes and smiles wide. "I'm glad to be a part of that dream."
After a few more minutes of massaging, Nadia calmly says "Ok, I'm good now." Tom asks "Are you sure? I can keep going..." Nadia shakes her head and says "No, you've done plenty. I feel great now!"
Tom stops the massage and lies down on his side facing Nadia. Nadia slowly and carefully rolls over and lies on her side to face Tom. Nadia quickly gives Tom a peck on the lips and says "Thanks for the massage. Your fingers are magic!" Tom smiles back and says "Thanks for liking it!"
Nadia giggles a bit, then seriously says "Ok, I was thinking about names for our baby...and as I was thinking, there was only one name that seemed appropriate." Tom leans up on his right hand and inquisitively asks "What did you have in mind?"
Nadia simply replies "Mary." Tom forms a look of surprise and says "Really? You want to name our girl after my mom?"
Nadia rubs Tom's shoulder a bit and says "It'd be the best way we could honor her. I have nothing but the highest respect for your mother for all she's done for us, and I know you love her, too. I think she'd appreciate the gesture as well." Tom replies "I'm touched you would consider that."
Tom looks away and ponders Nadia's name choice. It's a pretty good idea. As he thinks about how Mary and Nadia would go together, the gears in his mind start to turn. He starts going back and forth: "Nadia, Mary. Mary, Nadia. Mar...ia. Maria!" His eyes bug out as he connects those final dots.
Tom looks back at Nadia and excitedly asks "What about Maria?" Nadia thinks for a bit, then asks "Why Maria?"
Tom smiles and says "Because, it'd be the best way to honor my favorite two women! Maria would combine the 'Mar-' in Mary and the '-ia' in your name. Mary...Nadia...Maria! Plus, since our girl is going to grow up in Mexico, she'd fit in having a name that's popular down there." Nadia thinks about it for a bit, then gives Tom a confident smile and says "I like it, let's go with that!"
Tom then sits upright it bed and lies back down on his left side and positions himself so his head is next to Nadia's belly. Tom rubs Nadia's belly a bit and talks to it like he's talking to the baby. "Hey, did you hear that? You have a name now! You're Maria Falk!" Nadia giggles at Tom conversing with her belly and says "I think she'll like it!"
Tom looks back up at Nadia and asks "What about a middle name?" Nadia says "Hmm...what do you think?"
Tom replies "Well, I know it's popular for girls to take their mother's maiden name as their middle." Nadia shakes her head. "Santos meant nothing to me. I don't want that for Maria's middle name."
Tom and Nadia both rack their brains a bit, trying to think of a middle name. Tom then asks "How about...Maria Sydney Falk?" Nadia, a little astonished, replies "You want to use my sister's name as her middle name?"
Tom shrugs and says "Why not? Look at what Sydney has done for the both of us. I don't need to remind you of the role she has in your life, and me and her became close when she kept checking up on me in prison. I think this would be a great way to honor her!" Nadia then shakes her head and says "I know my sister. She'll probably think the gesture is too extreme."
Tom sighs and says "You know, you're probably right. She's too modest." Nadia thinks for a bit, then a light bulb goes off in her head. "What was your grandmother's name again?" Tom quickly replies "Which?" Nadia replies "The one that helped raise you." Tom says "Violet."
Nadia then thinks for a bit, then says "Maria Violet...I like that! What do you think?" Tom swishes 'Maria Violet' in his head for a bit, then nods assuringly. "Yeah, it does have a good ring to it, actually. Maria Violet Falk it is, then?" Nadia smiles wide and says "Yeah!"
Tom turns back to Nadia's belly and, as he caresses it some more, says "Maria Violet Falk...what do you think about..." Tom gasps and opens his eyes in shock as as he feels something on Nadia's belly. He looks back at Nadia and says "Did you feel that?" Nadia, now looking a little curious, says "I thought I felt a tickle just..."
Nadia then gasps when she feels something again. She realizes what it is and excitedly says "Maria's moving!" Tom happily laughs a bit as he grabs Nadia's right hand and places it on her belly. Together, they feel the flutters and vibrations coming from Nadia's belly, signifying that Maria is indeed moving.
As the good vibrations continue, Nadia happily laughs and says "This is amazing! I can finally feel our baby moving!" Tom laughs as well and says "I guess all we had to do is give her a name!"
Nadia quickly sits up and looks down at her belly. As she caresses her belly and feels a few more flutters, she feels almost euphoric over Maria's movements. In a calm, loving tone, she says "That's right, you've gotten so big, I can feel you move now, Maria! Mommy loves you!" Tom gives Nadia's belly a kiss and says "And your daddy loves you, too!"
Tom then sits up and gives Nadia a hug. Nadia, still feeling giddy, says "I've looked forward to the day I could feel my baby! This is so great!" Tom gives Nadia a kiss on the cheek and says "What a day! We find out we're having girl, we gave her a name, and we felt her move for the first..."
Tom suddenly releases the hug and quickly grabs his left arm in pain. Coming out of nowhere, very sharp pains shoot down his left arm, causing him to growl and grimace painfully. As he's hunched over, trying to deal with the pain, Nadia's face turns worried and says "Oh no...how bad is it this time?" Tom, through his gritting teeth, says "BAD!"
Tom turns away from Nadia and hangs his feet over the bed and hunches over some more. His breaths are deep and quick as the pain continues. Nadia looks distraught over Tom's agony and says "And you were doing so good today with that..." Tom, frustrated from the pain, replies "And of all the times it flares up, it's when we're enjoying our baby's development! Dammit!"
After a few seconds, Tom starts to relax a bit as the shooting pains slowly come to stop, like the end of a horrible carnival ride. Nadia scoots over to Tom and puts her arm around him to try to comfort him. While she does, she asks "Tom, I don't understand...why won't you take anything for the pain?" Tom, still breathing heavily from his bout with pain, looks up at her with a determined look. "Because I can handle it. This is something that's not going to kill me, therefore I don't need pills."
As Nadia continues to show concern over her husband, Tom moves his left fingers around to try to get rid of the temporary numbness that developed with this latest bout. He finally lets out a deep breath and relaxes, then says "Ok, it's over. Let's go to bed." Nadia nods as she crawls over to her side of the bed and lies down on her side, facing Tom as he lies on his side and faces her back.
Tom's face looks a little rankled from his latest bout with pain. Nadia puts her right hand on Tom's face and says "I really wish you would take something for the pain...it bothers me seeing you hurt so much! Why won't you take any prescriptions?" Tom snaps back "Because I didn't need prescriptions when I recovered from Project Alloy and I don't need them now!"
Nadia recoils her hand and says "Please don't yell at me, I just care about you." Tom relaxes and solemnly says "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled like that." Tom, seeing as Nadia's a little hurt now, takes a deep breath and says "Nadia...do you really want to know why I don't take painkillers?" Nadia opens her eyes and insistently says "Yes! Please tell me! It kills me to see you go through this every day!"
Tom thinks about how he's going to word this, then finally says "My father had an addictive personality. And I inherited that same glitch from him. When I was drinking myself into oblivion when you went in a coma, my mom felt the only way I could survive was throwing me in prison...an environment where alcohol wouldn't be accessible. I can handle alcohol if it's socially, but I always feel like I'm walking a tightrope." Nadia puts her hand on Tom's shoulder and says "Tom, I'm here for you, you know that! If you ever need help..."
Tom shakes his head and says "That shouldn't be your job. You have enough on your plate carrying our child than to be babysitting a potential addict. I don't take painkillers because I'm afraid of them, Nadia. I'm afraid I'll become addicted to them." Nadia then says "But, you've never really been addicted to anything! How do you know..."
Tom closes his eyes and forms a look of remorse. Yes, he has been addicted to something. And he just remembered that he hasn't told Nadia about another dark part of his past. Nadia, now noticing Tom's trepidation, asks "Tom, what is it?"
With his eyes still closed, he remorsefully says "In 1993, I was addicted to heroin." This surprises Nadia a lot. She leans her head up off the pillow and says "What? You never told me about this!"
Tom opens his eyes and says "I never told you because I was too ashamed to say it, and quite frankly it's something I prefer to simply forget. But, I don't want you to think your husband is this weak, fragile man." Nadia, still somewhat surprised about this news, asks "You're not! But why did you get addicted to heroin?"
Tom sighs and says "I was given my first lead assignment in the Anti-Cartel: set up this Los Angeles gang on major drug charges. Twice a week, I'd meet with this gang, posing as a supplier, and I would supply them with heroin. We had to keep the deals going over a long period of time for us to nail them on some stiff federal charges. We wanted to cripple these guys. The operation lasted six months, and the deals always went down as planned."
Tom then shakes his head in dismay and says "What the Anti-Cartel didn't know was that this gang forced me to test the supply in front of them to make sure it wasn't spiked or anything. At first, it wasn't so bad, I could tolerate it. But, as time went on...I went further and further down the rabbit hole. I'd last until our meet-up days, but soon, I needed my fix more frequently. Soon, it became daily. Soon after that, it became twice daily. I would literally count down the minutes and even seconds until I could be freed from work so I could get my heroin fix." Nadia, now troubled over what she's hearing, shakes her head and asks "Why didn't you ever tell anyone at work about your addiction?"
Tom replies "Because I didn't want to fail my first assignment. Had my superiors known what was happening with me, they would have pulled the plug on the whole thing, and I was afraid I'd be left with egg on my face. Anyway...one day, Mike came over to my place and we were gonna go out and do something with our girlfriends that night. However, I had lost my keys. He helped me look for them...and when he looked underneath our bed, he found a box that I kept my heroin and needles in. I had kept my addiction a secret from everyone up until that point. When Mike found out, he was troubled. When I told him why I was an addict, Mike threatened to rat me out to my bosses. Thankfully, by then, we had done enough deals to easily nail this gang on some stiff charges. It wasn't the full monty that we wanted, but enough to satisfy Eduardo Munoz. So, the next day, I suggested that we go ahead and bust these guys. The day after that, we did, and long sentences were handed out later. The mission was a success...but I was still a wreck. Me and Mike met privately with Eduardo and we all agreed that it'd be best if I check myself into outpatient rehab and kept my problem on the down-low from everyone else. The next few months were some of the scariest months of my life...fighting the urges...wishing I could die if I didn't get my fix..."
Nadia then puts her hand on Tom's shoulder and says "Tom...I'm so sorry I kept pestering you about painkillers. I had no idea..." Tom puts his hand on Nadia's side and says "It's ok, Nadia. You didn't know. But, now you know why I'm so afraid of pills. I don't ever want to go down that rabbit hole again."
Tom then slides his hand down Nadia's side and starts caressing her belly. "I'm so happy Maria is going to have you for her mother. She's going to have your strength..." Nadia squeezes Tom's shoulder and insistently says "She's going to have OUR strength!" Tom looks back up at Nadia and says "No. You're the strong and balanced one among us. There's so many things I admire about you, Nadia, but your strength ranks right up there at the top."
Nadia sighs, then says "I appreciate you saying that...but you're selling yourself short if you think you're weak. We both have our faults, and one of the biggest reasons we have each other is so we can lean on one another in our times of weakness. Tom, please, PLEASE, get some pain medication for your arm! I hate seeing you suffer needlessly! And listen, I'll make sure you don't abuse whatever you take. It won't take more than a few seconds out of my day to make sure of that. Caring about you is never a burden for me. I love you, and as much as you like seeing me smile, I like seeing you smile, too!"
Tom cracks a small smile, which causes Nadia to giggle a bit and say "Come on! I know there's a bigger one in there!" Tom then laughs and smiles wide, much to Nadia's delight. As she laughs, she says "There it is!"
Tom leans in and gives Nadia a kiss. After a few seconds, they release. Tom rubs Nadia's shoulder a bit and says "I'll talk to my doctor tomorrow and see if he can prescribe me anything." Nadia, now completely relieved, says "Thank you."
Tom then looks back down at Nadia's belly again. "You know, since we're talking about each other's faults...you do realize that Maria's going to be one feisty kid, right?" Nadia asks "Why do you say that?"
Tom looks back up at Nadia. "Come on! Me and you were hellraisers growing up! We were always angry..." Nadia puts her hand over Tom's mouth and says "Stop. We were angry because we had good reasons to be angry. We both wanted our parents in our lives, and because they weren't, we grew up in less than ideal situations. But Maria is going to grow up in a happy, loving home and will be in a perfect position to succeed in life. Me and you have no reason to be angry anymore, which tells me we weren't born to be angry at life. Maria won't either."
Tom smiles and says "You're right. In two weeks, when we move into our home, our biggest worry will be what's for dinner!" Nadia laughs and says "And when the sunrise and sunsets will be! I can't wait until we finally go home!"
Tom then leans in and says "If we both go to sleep right now, then we'll be home that much quicker!" Nadia looks at him funny and asks "You don't want sex?" Tom blankly replies "Do you?" Nadia sighs and says "You're right, we should get some sleep." Tom grumbles "Dammit..." Nadia lightly giggles and says "I'm sorry...but I am a little tired." Tom smiles and says "I understand. I love you, beautiful." Nadia smiles back and says "I love you, handsome!"
Tom and Nadia give each other a long kiss, and then, when they release, Tom asks "Do you think we should find new nicknames besides 'beautiful' and 'handsome'?" Nadia immediately replies "No! Your nickname is perfect!" Tom gives Nadia a flattered smile and says "And yours is still perfect for you."
They give each other another peck on the lips, then turn over to turn out their bedside lights. They turn back to face each other and each whisper "Good night" at the same time, followed by some laughing over their perfect timing before they close their eyes and go to sleep.
San Felipe...?
Tom finds himself sitting in his car. It's parked in the driveway of their home in San Felipe. Tom looks outside and sees it's a bright, sunny day. Tom immediately notices it's not so hot outside...must be winter time.
Tom looks over to the right seat and sees a couple stacks of Mexican pesos. On top of the pesos is a Mexican government letter. Tom picks up the letter and sees it's a letter congratulating him, Freddie Torres, and Mike Walcott on apprehending Gustavo Diaz, a man that was wanted on a $1 million Mexican peso bounty on a laundry list of rape charges.
Tom looks at the stack of money and starts counting the stacks. There's 6 $50,000 peso stacks, followed by a lone smaller stack. Tom thumbs through that stack and counts $33,333 in Mexican pesos. His share was an equal third of the 1 million peso bounty.
Tom smiles wide. $333,333 in Mexican pesos is about the equivalent of almost $25,000 in US dollars. "That's much of Maria's college education right there on my seat" Tom thinks.
Tom grabs an empty bag from the back seat and fills it up with the bounty money. How he knew that bag would be there...who knows. This is his dream after all. He then steps out of the car and walks up to the front porch.
Nadia's standing on the porch and smiles wide when she sees him. She's still got her long, flowing black hair and we see it blowing in the wind along with her light green summer dress that she's wearing. We immediately see she's no longer pregnant and back in her normal, great shape.
Tom walks up to the porch and Nadia walks over and gives him a kiss that lasts for a few seconds. After she's done, she says "Welcome back, handsome!" Tom smiles and says "Glad to be back, beautiful."
Nadia looks inside and says "I have a surprise for you!" Tom rolls his eyes and says "What is with you and surprises?"
Nadia just ignores him as she giggles and walks in the front door. Tom follows her in.
Tom stands in their living room. From around the corner, we hear a little girl yell "DADDY! DADDY! DADDY!" followed by the sound of feet running down the hallway.
And then...Tom lays his eyes on his daughter Maria as she rounds the corner and scampers towards him. Tom smiles wide as gets on one knee and lets a beaming Maria dive into him for a hug. They both embrace each other tightly, both happy to see each other and both not wanting to let the other go.
Maria is about 4, maybe 5 years old and is dressed in a pretty white dress. Before Maria dove into his arms, Tom noticed she looked all dolled up. Her long black hair was all styled, with two butterfly barrettes on the top of her head. She also had put on makeup and lipstick.
In short, Maria looks adorably perfect.
Tom releases the hug and leans back so he can look at Maria's dark blue eyes. He sees that Maria has taken after Nadia mostly, but she did inherit Tom's eyes and eye shape. He also notices a pair of tiny diamond earrings on Maria's ears. Tom, as he admires his daughter, exclaims "Look at you! You're so beautiful!" Maria shakes her head and says "Nooooo! Mommy says I'm gorgeous!"
Tom laughs and says "You're pretty, you're beautiful, you're gorgeous, you're all those things! You did this all by yourself?" Maria giggles and says "Nuh-uh! Mommy helped me!"
Tom looks up at Nadia, who's now standing behind Maria. Nadia smiles wide and says "She wanted to look special for when you got back!" Tom looks back down at Maria and says "Well, you and your mommy did a great job. Now, what do we tell her?" Maria turns around and says "Thank you, mommy!" Nadia warmly smiles and says "You're welcome, Maria!"
Maria then turns back to Tom, who's still on one knee so he can look her eye-to-eye. With noticeable sadness in her voice, she asks "I missed you, daddy. Where did you go?" Tom gives Maria a moved smile and says "I was going after a really bad man."
Maria quickly asks "Did you get him?" Tom smiles wide and says "I got him! He won't hurt anyone no more." Maria looks down and, despite still feeling sad, says "That's good..."
Maria then slowly leans in and gives her father another hug. As she holds on to him like she's never going to let him go, she sadly says "I wish you didn't have to go away..." Tom calmly says "I wasn't gone that long..." Nadia corrects him. "You were gone for two weeks."
Tom flashes her a surprised look as he keeps hugging Maria. He mouths "Two weeks?" in shock. Nadia nods and, in a calming voice, says "You had some trouble finding this bad man. You didn't expect to be gone so long."
Maria releases the hug and, as she looks intently in Tom's eyes, says "You said you'd be right back!" Tom now looks troubled and says "I'm sorry...things didn't go the way your daddy planned! I missed you so much, too! But your daddy had to finish what he started!" Maria just hangs her head and looks dejected.
Tom, noticing Maria still feels bad about him being away, gently puts his hands on her shoulders. With a strong hint of sadness in his voice, he says "Do you know why I go away to catch bad guys?" Maria, still looking down at the ground, wonderingly asks "Why?" Tom replies "So you can feel safe when you're tucked into bed at night. And other little girls can feel safe when they go to sleep, too!"
Maria still looks down and asks "Why do YOU have to do it? Why can't someone else do it?" Tom insistently, but calmly says "Maria, look at me." Maria looks up at Tom's eyes. Tom smiles wide and calmly says "Because they're not as good as your daddy is at catching bad guys."
Maria insistently says "But...but you could get hurt!" Tom shakes his head and confidently says "I'm bulletproof. No one can hurt your daddy." Maria cautiously cracks a smile and, her mood improving after what Tom just told her, asks "You promise?" Tom kisses Maria on her forehead and says "I promise, sweetheart. I'll always come home."
Maria smiles wider and, now reassured, gives Tom a hug around his neck and gives him a kiss on the cheek, accentuating it with a "MWAH!" Tom laughs as he hugs Maria back and says "Why thank you, Maria!" Maria, still clutching at Tom's neck, says "I love you, daddy!" Tom rubs Maria's back and says "I love you too, Maria."
Nadia, who looks touched seeing her husband and daughter interacting, asks Maria "Hey, why don't you tell daddy what you learned in school!" Maria releases the hug, steps back and, in surprisingly good Spanish, says "Hola, me llama María! ¿Como te llamas? (Hello, my name is Maria! What is your name?)" Tom laughs and replies "Me llamo Tom! Mucho gusto! (My name is Tom! Pleased to meet you!)" Maria giggles, apparently understanding Tom's Spanish.
Tom looks up at Nadia and asks "They're teaching her Spanish already?" Nadia nods and says "Yeah, kids can learn second languages easier when they're her age. We knew she'd have to learn it eventually considering it's the native language here!" Maria then says "My teacher says...I'll meet new friends because I will understand them now!"
Tom smiles as he looks back at Maria and says "Of course they will! Plus, you'll be so smart, too!" Maria excitedly says "Daddy, I made something for you at school!" Before Tom can ask what she did, Maria runs off towards her bedroom. Tom looks at Nadia as he stands up and asks "Ok, what did our daughter do?" Nadia smiles and says "She made you a little picture. She's so proud of it!"
Nadia then looks down at the bag next to Tom's legs and asks "How much is in there?" Tom smirks and says "$333,333 in Mexican pesos. Gustavo Diaz was worth a cool million to the Mexican government." Nadia picks up the bag and, with a smile, says "I'll go put it in the safe!"
Tom then grabs Nadia's arm and stops Nadia from turning down the hallway. Seeing as he's dreaming, he feels the need to ask "Nadia, am I going away on jobs too much?" Nadia shakes her head. "No. You only do a couple jobs a year. Normally, they don't take this long. This guy ran you three all over Mexico."
Tom sighs and asks "Maria was crushed that I was gone so long." Nadia gives him a reassuring smile and says "It's ok, she seems to understand." Tom, with noticeable doubt in his voice, asks "Did I make the right choice taking this job over the San Felipe PD job?"
Before Nadia can answer, Maria comes running back down the hallway with a picture. With a large smile, she hands Tom the picture. We see it's a crayon drawing with Tom, Nadia, and Maria standing in on a beach holding hands. We also see Sydney, Vaughn, and Isabelle (who by now isn't a baby anymore) standing to their right as well. For a girl her age, it's a surprisingly good drawing.
Tom smiles as he looks back at Maria and says "This is great, Maria! Good job!" Maria tells him "My teacher...Miss Cortez...told us to draw whatever we wanted. Soooo, I drew my family!" Tom rubs Maria on the shoulder and says "Well, you made a great choice. Let's go put this on the fridge! Auntie Sydney, Uncle Michael, and your cousin Isabelle will like to see it when they come down!" Maria proudly says "Ok!"
Tom then lifts up Maria and lets her sit on her right arm. She wraps her left arm around Tom's neck for support as they walk down the hallway. Nadia, meanwhile, already had walked away with the bounty money.
Tom walks up to the fridge and tells Maria "Go pick a magnet!" Maria reaches over and picks a soccer ball magnet from the fridge. Tom sets the picture on the fridge and says "Ok, slap the magnet on!" Maria takes that literally and forcefully slaps the magnet on the picture. Tom steps back and admires the picture with Maria, then says "There, now everyone will see what a great artist you are!" Maria lets out a flattered giggle and blushes a little bit.
Nadia walks back from the hallway and notices the picture on the fridge. "Hey, that picture looks good there!" Maria proudly says "I know mommy! Everyone can see it now!" Nadia walks up and gives Maria a kiss on the cheek as Tom holds her. She then gives Tom a quick kiss on the lips and says "I'll get dinner going." Tom and Maria both smile and say "Ok" at the same time. Tom and Maria look at each other and laugh at their timing, as does Nadia, since saying things at the same time is normally her and her husband's trademark.
As Nadia walks away to start dinner, Tom squats down and sets Maria down. Instead of walking away, Maria turns to Tom and gives him another hug around his neck. Happily, she says "I'm glad your home, daddy!" Tom smiles wide and says "I'm glad I'm home too, Maria."
Tom and Nadia's apartment
Tom wakes up with a giant smile on his face. He's now on his side, facing the other way from where Nadia would be. It's now 7:30 in the morning, and Tom is in bed alone.
Thinking she's next to him, Tom sleepily says "Hey Nadia, I had the best dream just now..." Tom rolls over and looks surprised to see Nadia isn't there. Tom, a little concerned, quickly throws the covers off of him and walks out of bed. She's usually not up this early.
He walks out to the living room and sees Nadia humming a pleasant song while getting breakfast going. She's still in her nightgown and looks like she just woke up recently herself. Tom notices that Nadia seems really in to whatever song she's humming and just has a pleasant demeanor this morning. He smiles at Nadia's pleasant mood and recalls how far she's come along since they met in APO. He likes seeing Nadia without her having a worry in the world.
Tom, as he stretches, says "Good morning!" Nadia stops humming as she looks over at him and, with a wide smile, says "Good morning!"
Tom finishes stretching and walks over to the kitchen to join Nadia. As he does, Nadia merrily says "You looked like you were enjoying yourself when I woke up. You had the biggest smile on your face..." Tom chuckles a bit and says "I just had the best dream ever!"
Nadia curiously asks "Was I in it?" Tom gives Nadia a kiss on the cheek and says "Of course! But, you weren't the star of my dream." Nadia rolls her eyes and sarcastically says "You were, I take it."
Tom smiles as he puts his arms around Nadia and places his hands on her pregnant belly. "No, our daughter was." Nadia looks back and looks intrigued now. "Really?" Tom nods and says "Yeah. You should have seen Maria, she was a little angel!"
Nadia goes back to focusing on the eggs she's cooking and asks "So, what did she look like?" Tom rocks Nadia side to side in his arms and says "Well, you helped her put on this beautiful white dress...she had her long, black hair all done nice..." Nadia raises her eyebrows and says "She has black hair...I was guessing he'd be a blonde like her dad!"
Tom stops the rocking and responds "She took mostly after you, but she had my eyes." Nadia turns around to face Tom and says "You mean, those pretty dark blue eyes of yours?" Tom cracks a flattered smile and says "Yeah, she took the best features of us both." Nadia says "But you said she only took your eyes." Tom smirks and says "Exactly." Nadia, getting that he was giving her a compliment, laughs a bit and gives Tom a kiss on the lips. When she's done, she says "Even your dreams are sweet!"
Tom then walks over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup of coffee. Nadia, meanwhile goes back to fixing breakfast.
As Tom pours a cup, he asks "How did you sleep, babe?" Nadia shrugs and says "Fine." Tom looks over at her as he sets the coffee pot back on the burner and asks "Did our daughter wake you with her moving around?"
Nadia smiles as she flips an egg and says "No. But, I just felt her a little while ago. We must have made her really giddy last night, she hasn't moved like that since then." Tom stands there and admires her for a bit. Nadia notices the silence and looks over and notices Tom just gazing at her. Nadia asks "Is everything alright?" Tom shakes his head and says "Everything's perfect. It's amazing how, even bright and early in the morning, you still look so radiant."
Nadia gives him a flattered smile and says "Starting with the compliments a little early today?" Tom shrugs and says "Why not? Besides, I was always told growing up to tell the truth to the people you care about."
Nadia smiles wide as she goes back to her breakfast. As she does, she says "I knew when I was told I was pregnant that you'd be a good partner during my term. But, I was wrong." Tom, a little concerned, asks "How so?" Nadia turns to Tom and sincerely says "You've been amazing. I know I was rough on you for a while there, but you've been so good to me. You're making this pregnancy so easy to handle...just like you make life easy to handle. You don't know how much I appreciate your help."
Tom gives Nadia a touched smile, then mockingly says "Starting with the compliments a little early today?" Nadia laughs and says "Hey, what's that old saying? It takes two to tango!"
Tom walks up behind Nadia and gives her a kiss on the neck. "I'm glad you're my tango partner in life. And don't worry about wondering if I appreciate your thanks. It's the little things you do every day that remind me of that." Nadia turns and says "Speaking of little things, you have to call the doctor today."
Tom's enthusiasm gets sucked out of him as he walks away from Nadia towards the living room. He merely says "Fine" as he walks towards the couch. Nadia worriedly says "Tom, don't make this difficult. Needing help for your pain isn't weakness."
Tom flops down on the couch and flatly says "I know, I'll get it done, don't worry." Nadia then says "Look, I'll hold on to the pills and give them to you as you need them." Tom rolls his eyes and says "Nadia, that really isn't necessary!" Nadia sighs and says "I'm just trying to help..."
Tom cracks a small, calming smile and says "I know you are. It's just...that's a little extreme. I probably made too much out of it last night, like I do a lot of things. Besides, I know you won't let me do anything stupid when I get the pills. I'll be fine." Nadia cracks a small smile herself and says "Ok. But, let's keep them in the bathroom so we both know where they are."
Nadia then scoops up the finished eggs and sets them on the plates next to buttered-up toast. She then walks out with the plates and hands Tom his plate. As Nadia sits down next to him, Tom looks at the plate, then at Nadia and says "Looks good, babe. As usual!" Nadia smiles and says "Thanks. I know you're probably getting tired of eggs by now, but the protein and choline in them will help the baby."
Tom looks at Nadia funny and asks "What's choline?" Nadia replies "I read about it online a while ago. Choline supposedly helps improve a baby's memory if you eat eggs a lot during pregnancy."
Tom laughs and says "How appropriate we're talking about Maria's memory! In my dream, she was 4, maybe 5 years old and was already speaking English and Spanish!" Nadia takes a bite of her breakfast, then asks "What else was in your dream?"
Tom replies "Well, in addition to Maria looking like an angel, she was also upset I was gone so long." Nadia asks "Why were you gone?"
Tom takes a bite of his breakfast, then says "Well, apparently, I had trouble locating this serial rapist that me, Freddie, and Mike were trying to track down for a 1-million peso bounty. I was gone for two weeks." Nadia nods and says "So, you were a bounty hunter in your dream."
Tom sighs and says "Yeah. And that's something else we need to talk about. I'm still torn on what I want to do when we get to San Felipe. Being a part-time investigator with the San Felipe PD means I'll be home every night and there'd be less risk on my life, but it's not very lucrative or exciting. Bounty hunting will force me away from home for stretches of time..." Nadia quickly says "But, you'd still be home a lot."
Tom looks over at Nadia and defeatedly asks "Nadia, what should I do?" Nadia looks over at him surprised and asks "Why are you asking me? I told you I'd be fine with whatever you chose."
Tom says "I know...it's just I'm trying to do right for our kid and you. My heart wants me to bounty hunt, but at the same time, while it's more lucrative, it's also riskier." Nadia smiles suddenly and says "Ok, do you want to know what I think?" Tom replies "Yes, please."
Nadia looks back at Tom after swallowing a bite of toast and says "This isn't the first dream you've had where you were bounty hunting. However, all of this time, you have yet to dream of yourself being a police investigator. You know what that tells me?" Tom sees where she's going and replies "I want to be a bounty hunter. I know! But Nadia..."
Nadia holds up her hand and says "Listen, I think you want to be a bounty hunter because you know it's what you'd be best at. You said it yourself, you did a lot of glorified bounty hunting in the Anti-Cartel. Besides, investigations at a sleepy Mexican town would bore you to death! I know you, Tom, you need to be active...and bounty hunting would be right up your alley." Tom sighs and says "But I don't want to leave you a widow with our child to raise."
Nadia shakes her head and says "I'm not worried about that. You'd be so good at it and I know you'll handle yourself out there well. Plus, you'll have a chance to work with friends. So you want my advice? Here it is: Go be a bounty hunter with Mike and Freddie." Tom, not entirely convinced yet, asks "Are you sure?"
Nadia smirks and says "I'm positive. In fact, I'm not even going to give you a choice anymore! If you take the police job, I'll be very disappointed in you. You'll be taking the easy way out, and that's not the man I married! There, now I DARE you to take the bounty hunting job!"
Tom laughs and gives Nadia a kiss on the cheek. "Ok, you twisted my arm. Bounty hunting it is." Nadia smile and says "Good! Now you have something else to do today...give your friend Freddie a call..."
Tom says "Well, I'm not going to start right away. I'll wait for Maria to be born first...and that's not negotiable." Nadia gives Tom a defiant smirk, then says "Ok, fine! Besides, we'll be busy unpacking and settling in to our house in the coming months. You'll be busy enough."
Tom smiles and takes another bite of his breakfast. He looks over at Nadia and says "Great job on breakfast, babe." Nadia smiles and says "No problem. Oh, speaking of breakfast, we're meeting Sydney and Vaughn tomorrow morning at Kitchen 24."
Tom raises his eyebrows and says "And what brought this about?" Nadia shrugs and says "Sydney wanted to do it. She likes that diner, too." Tom nods and says "And finally, I'll get to try those danishes that Vaughn raves about."
The two would spend the rest of the day relaxing, packing, and dreaming of the future.
San Felipe...?
Tom finds himself in another dream, just like the night before. He's at his house in San Felipe, lying in bed and looking up at the tan ceiling. Tom looks right and sees Nadia's not in bed. He then looks left and sees it's 10:34 in the morning on his alarm clock, and the sun is shining brightly through the windows.
Tom raises his eyebrows and says "Wow, I overslept!" He scrambles out of their king sized-bed and puts a bathrobe on. He figures since Maria's here, walking around in his white tank top and boxer shorts is a little indecent.
Tom walks down the hallway and looks in the first bedroom. He sees it's their guest bedroom and looks untouched.
He then looks at the second bedroom and sees Maria's room is nice and tidy. There's also no one in there either.
Finally, he checks the third bedroom and sees their office. Again, things look tidy in there.
Tom keeps walking down the hallway and turns the corner to the left into the kitchen. There's no signs that anyone has even been there...except for a couple dishes in the sink.
Now, Tom is a little worried. Where is Nadia and Maria?
Tom walks over to the living room and looks out at the sea. His fears are relieved when he sees Nadia and young Maria frolicking on the shore. Maria's in a one-piece swimsuit and is still about the same age she was in Tom's first dream, 4 or 5 years old. She also still looks the same from the dream as well, minus the formal dressing up. Nadia, meanwhile, is wearing a white tank top and short khaki shorts and looks like she's having fun chasing Maria around.
Tom opens the patio door and walks out towards them on the patio. Maria spots him first and excitedly says "Good morning, daddy!" Tom waves and says "Good morning, ladies!" Nadia looks up at him and waves, then goes back to chasing Maria around.
It's a pleasant morning. The sun shines bright, the sea waves look inviting, and the two women in his life are having a good time.
Everything's perfect.
Tom walks back inside to get himself a cup of coffee. He walks to the counter and grabs the coffee pot and a coffee cup and starts pouring his coffee.
Unfortunately for Tom, he overfills the cup and burns his left hand. Tom yelps in pain and holds his hand to his body. After the pain subsides a bit, he looks down...
...and sees his hand is gone.
Oddly, there's no blood...his arm just ends at his wrist in a nub. Tom looks spooked as he yells "Where the hell did my hand go?" Just as he says that, Nadia and Maria walk back in from outside. Tom quickly puts his arm behind his back as they walk in, trying to hide his arm from their sight.
Nadia looks at Tom and says "Oh, your breakfast is in the fridge!" Tom nods and turns and opens the fridge. On the top level of the fridge, he spots his sausage biscuit and toast...along with a hand.
Tom smiles and says "Ah, there's my hand!" As Maria runs down the hallway to get dressed, Nadia says "Oh no, that's not yours. You cut that hand off of someone in 1996 when you avenged Matt Aguero's death."
Tom looks at her all disturbed, then looks back in the fridge and now sees it's littered with nothing but arms, legs, hands and blood.
Tom, now distressed at the gore he's looking at, shakes his head and asks "What the hell is all of this?" Nadia casually replies "Oh, those were from your rampage, too." Tom looks back at the limbs and shakes his head, remembering that's from a part of his past that he's buried. He's not that man anymore.
Tom slams the fridge shut and says "I'll just have coffee, thank you." Nadia smiles and, not bothered at all by the cut off limbs in the fridge, says "That's fine. I figured you still haven't gotten your appetite back from the surgery."
Tom asks "What surgery?" Nadia replies "They had to amputate your left hand a week ago." Tom, now completely confused, asks "What? Why?" Nadia replies "Complications from Project Alloy."
Tom rolls his eyes as he grabs his cup of coffee and walks to the kitchen table. "So, I guess that means my bounty hunting career is over." Nadia reassuringly says "You did good for a few years, we're all set financially. Oh, and we don't discuss Project Alloy around Maria. She's not supposed to know anything about that or Rambaldi. We're normal parents to her, let's keep it that way."
As he absorbs all of that, Tom sits down at the kitchen table as Maria comes running back out in a pink short-sleeve shirt and jean shorts. She sits to the right of Tom and asks "Daddy, why did you sleep so late?" Tom thinks for an answer, but is cut off by Nadia when she says "He's still recovering from surgery! Daddy can sleep as much as he want."
Tom appears to buy that and nods at Maria. "Your daddy needs rest to get strong again!" Maria smiles and says "Ok! I missed you at breakfast!" She then grabs a pad of paper on the table and starts drawing on it. Nadia joins them both at the table when she sits to the left of Tom.
Tom takes a sip of coffee and looks out at the sea. "Nice day today, huh?" Nadia says "Yeah, it is."
Tom looks back at Maria...and sees that, all of the sudden, she's aged a couple of years. She now looks taller and about 9 now. She still has long, black hair and is wearing an enlarged version of the pink shirt and jean shorts she wore before.
Tom takes a moment to process this sudden change and says "Hey...you sure have grown!" Maria smiles and says "Thanks dad!" Tom immediately notices her voice sounds less like an infant and more like a girl her age.
Tom looks over at Nadia and sees she generally looks the same, except her hair is short, like it was when she was a teenager. Tom asks "What did you do to your hair?" Nadia looks at him alarmed and says "What? Is something wrong with it?" Tom perplexedly says "No...it's just...shorter." Nadia smiles and says "I had it cut a while ago, you fool! Don't act surprised!"
Tom smiles and says "Uh...I knew that." He then goes to reach over and pat Nadia on the hand...except he now realizes he has no left arm.
A now-frightened Tom yells "WHERE'S MY ARM?" This causes Maria and Nadia to both jump a bit. Maria says "Daddy, the surgery!" Tom looks at her and asks "What surgery?" Nadia says "They had to amputate your arm as well. You know...the complications?"
Tom shakes his head and says "So I don't have a left arm now?" Nadia shakes her head and says "They tried to save it, but it was deteriorating too fast." Tom sighs and puts his head in the only hand he has left. Maria says "It's ok, dad. You still have the other one!"
Tom chuckles a bit and sarcastically says "Gee, thanks!" Maria giggles and says "You're welcome!" She then goes back to her math homework, which has apparently replaced whatever she was drawing as a younger girl before.
Tom goes to take a drink of his coffee, but Nadia says "Oh, that's a few years old. I'll get you another cup." Tom says "Oh, no, I'll get it. I still have my legs at least." Tom goes to stand up...but crashes to the ground instead.
Now facedown on the ground, he looks down at his legs...and sees he now has no legs.
After a bit, two sets of hands grab him and set him up on a wheelchair. Tom looks up and sees those two sets of hands were Nadia's and Maria's...only, they're now a lot older. Nadia is now in her 40's and has a few wrinkles on her face. Maria, meanwhile, is about 18 and looks like she's turned out to be a beautiful young woman. And she's still in the pink shirt and jean shorts.
Maria concernedly asks "Are you alright, dad?" Tom immediately notices Maria's deeper timber and says "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm...still getting used to not having legs." Nadia shakes her head and says "You're crazy! You had your legs amputated two years ago!"
Tom now looks dismayed and says "Let me guess...complications?" Nadia nods and simply replies "Yeah." Maria laughs a bit and says "I'm just happy you didn't do that before Pablo got here."
Tom questioningly asks "Who's Pablo?" Maria and Nadia both laugh at that, thinking he's being silly. Finally, Maria says "Pablo is my boyfriend! He's taking me out sailing today, you knew this!" Nadia starts rubbing Tom's forehead and says "You didn't take a blow to the head, did you?"
Tom closes his eyes and continues to process what's going on. In a matter of a minute or two, he's aged 13 or 14 years, has lost all of his limbs except his right arm, and now looks like a blathering fool in front of Nadia and Maria.
He starts shaking his head quickly. He wants out of this nightmare.
But, instead of escaping, he falls forward out of his wheelchair and slams his head on the side of the table. He immediately goes unconscious.
The next thing he sees is his eyes opening. Nadia's standing over him, looking like she always has. However, her neck is all bloody. Before he can ask about that, Nadia asks "Are you alright?" Tom leans up and sees he has his left arm and legs back. In his confusion, he says "I guess I am!"
Tom gets up to his feet and looks around. He's still in his house in San Felipe in the kitchen. He immediately notices Maria isn't there anymore. Tom looks back at Nadia and sees the bloody neck again. He frantically says "Oh my god! Nadia, what happened to your neck?" Nadia sadly says "Sit down with me."
Tom sits on his kitchen chair while Nadia takes a seat to his right.
Nadia calmly says "Tom, your time is coming." Tom looks at her confused and says "My time? Wait, where's Maria?"
Nadia shakes her head and says "She didn't make it." Tom frantically asks "What do you mean? She was just here..."
Nadia sullenly says "Tom, Maria's dead. And so am I." Tom shakes his head in disbelief and says "No...Nadia, what happened?"
Nadia replies "This is our destiny. And it's coming to the time where you have to fulfill your destiny." Tom asks "What destiny?"
Nadia blankly replies "You know what destiny I'm talking about." Tom leans back and thinks for a bit. Then, not wanting to believe what he just thought, asks "The ultimate prophecy?"
Nadia says "Yes. Your time is coming." Tom shakes his head and says "No it's not! We're going to live a long and happy life in San Felipe with our daughter! My mother says the ultimate prophecy is irrelevant..."
Nadia meekly says "No. You can't fight fate. Your time is coming." Tom angrily says "Please stop saying my time is coming!" Nadia insistently replies "But it is!" Tom snaps back "No it's not!" Nadia shakes her head and says "You have to kill them all!" Tom quickly asks "Kill who?"
Nadia stands up and almost towers over Tom. As blood continues to drip from a gash in her neck, she hauntingly starts chanting "Your time is coming...your time is coming...your time is coming...your time is coming..."
Tom closes his eyes and starts shaking his head rapidly again to try to get out of his dream. After a few seconds, he feels himself being pulled from the dream, and just before he wakes up, he hears Nadia's haunting words one more time:
"Your time is coming. You have to kill them all."
END OF CHAPTER