The Right Girl 53
The next morning, Nadine decided to stop by Kelly's for her very last cup of coffee. She realized not too long ago that she was hopelessly addicted, and had determined to quit immediately, cold turkey, just to see if she could do it. She would be quitting immediately after this one last cup.
And a good thing, too. She'd spent most of the night tossing and turning, and barely got an hour's worth of fitful sleep. Her thoughts and her dreams had been occupied by the events of the day before. The kidnapping, the shooting on the docks, finding Johnny bloodied and barely conscious in his apartment, and receiving the note stating that he was gone. She hated it, but she had become one of those girls that she had always mocked: the kind that couldn't stop thinking about a certain boy and wondering what it was that made him leave.
He said that things were up in the air. If things were up in the air, why leave abruptly? His reasons had to pertain to her, they just had to. Things had been different between them since he kissed her at her apartment and then again at his, and neither one could pretend otherwise anymore.
She would need a considerable jolt if she was going to forget all those ugly, doubting thoughts and get through her shift at the hospital today. Maybe Leyla would be available to put on a puppet show. Talking in an obnoxious, nasally British accent always served to distract her from whatever was going on in her life at the time.
"Here you are, honey," Mike smiled, handing her a cup of coffee and a raspberry tart. "On the house."
Nadine smiled. "Thanks bunches. Have a great day."
"You, too."
"You little bitch."
Nadine had just taken a bite of her tart and turned around, her teeth still in the gooey jam and sugar-rolled dough, to find Lulu Spencer standing in the doorway of the diner and glaring daggers at her. She sputtered, making a horribly unlady-like sound right into the raspberry jam, and Lulu stomped over toward her.
"You two-faced little skank, I bet you're real happy now-"
Corwin stepped in front of her and barred Nadine from Lulu's path, reaching for her elbow and pulling her alongside him. He made sure that Lulu couldn't get close as he ushered Nadine quickly out of the restaurant, not letting her stop and take notice of how many people were staring.
But Nadine felt their eyes on her anyway and cringed, trying to shake off the dirty feeling. Lulu had obviously heard that Johnny left town and since they probably didn't part on good terms, she was going to blame her for that. Why was it that girls always blamed the chick their guy was allegedly cheating on them with instead of blaming the guy?
She shuddered again and looked down at her raspberry tart. She didn't want it anymore, but Mike had been so nice that she figured she'd better. Plus, there were starving kids in the world.
She took a big bite of the tart and looked up at her guard, speaking around it. "Well, here we go. Work, sweet work."
By now, the entire hospital was abuzz about Jake's kidnapping and the shoot-out that Johnny Zacchara had successfully diffused. Nikolas Cassidine was the only person that didn't interrogate her about it.
"So what has you so dejected today?"
She tucked the blanket in around his feet and shrugged with a sad smile. "Nothing in particular."
"Nadine."
"It's just…" She tucked her bangs back, out of her face. "It's been a weird couple of days. Everything with – with…"
Nadine lowered her voice. "With the shooting, and taking care of Johnny, and then Elizabeth and Jake going missing…"
She shook her head. "It's been a really weird couple of days. And Johnny left town yesterday, so…"
"He left town?" Nikolas apparently hadn't heard this; surprising, since Amy Vining was making the rounds. "What for? Did he come talk to you?"
Nadine shook her head sadly. "Nope. He just disappeared. Well, he did write me a letter. And give me a key to his place. But honestly, still, what a-"
"Well, I don't know." The prince shrugged. "If he gave you a key to his place…I think that's his way of making up for it. So are you, ahem, are you two an item now?"
"You mean are we a two-straws-in-a-milkshake kind of couple?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "No. I don't know what we are. He's just…gone."
"Well-"
But Nadine was in no mood to hear Nikolas analyze her stupid boy problems. Or more like her 'stupid boy' problems. She didn't even hear him when he tried to speak up and instead turned for the door.
"I got a few rounds to make," was all he heard her say over her shoulder. "I'll see you in a bit."
The first thing she did when she arrived back at her place was to check her answering machine. It was clean. No one had called, no one sent her a text or an email or anything. Nadine sighed and dropped her bag on the floor, not at all liking how disappointed she felt, as if she expected Johnny to call her.
But the sad part was that she had. She wanted to hear his voice, to hear that he was okay, to hear that he was good.
Truth be told, she just wanted to be with him, to get some kind of sign that things were okay with them and that even if they couldn't move on to being something more, they could always be friends. Nadine valued his friendship more than she could say, and the thought of not having that anymore didn't sit well with her.
One of her super's cats – probably the poor little guy that got stuck playing Mariah Carey's character when the psycho put on a kitty production of 'Glitter' – was clawing at her door, wanting to be let in where it was safe and Mariah-Carey-free. Nadine ignored the sound and shuffled off toward her bedroom, too tired to make dinner.
Thankfully, lunch had been a big affair. A bigger affair than she had planned. She had been sitting in the cafeteria with her salad and a medical journal, reading the same page over and over because she just couldn't keep the words straight, when Leyla, Regina, and Kelly ambushed her. They had enough food on their lunch trays for an army, including a vast assortment of cookies and cupcakes, the likes of which could only be found in the hospital. They'd done a fabulous job of cheering her up, and Nadine had hopped around for the rest of her shift.
But now the long day was over, and she was tired and bored and listless, hoping for a little something to surprise her, awaken her, move her.
Instead, the only thing on her answering machine was a lonely beep, and the only thing outside her door was a psychologically traumatized cat.
Nadine adjusted her hold on the box of brownies and looked up at Corwin as he ushered her into his car. "Next stop, Harborview Towers."
He arched a brow at her. "You do realize that the Giambetti brothers are trained to shoot me, sight-unseen, right?"
Nadine rolled her eyes. "Aw, Care Bear, they're not going to shoot you."
"I really hate you."
"Just a little?"
"Just a lot."
Despite his grumblings and misgivings, Corwin drove her the short distance over to Harborview Tower and even endured being frisked and temporarily relieved of his weapon. He mouthed 'you owe me' to Nadine as she flashed him a guilty look and stepped up to knock on the door of Penthouse 4.
Max gave her a look – not a malicious one, just one she had no idea how to interpret – and brushed her gently aside. He knocked once and then stuck his head in. "Boss. Miss Nadine Crowell here to see the family."
"You sound just like Reivers."
He frowned at her. "Who?"
"Never mind," Nadine got out sheepishly. "You wouldn't believe me even I told you."
He held the door open for her and let her pass, and Corwin stayed out in the hall. Nadine cleared her throat delicately and stepped into the living room, her grip on her box of brownies tightening. But her anxiety was ill-founded, and Elizabeth smiled as soon as she looked up and saw her.
"Hey, you!" She was seated on the couch with Cameron half in her lap so she couldn't get up that well, but she wrapped her arms around Nadine when the younger nurse stooped to hug her. She had moved her boys into Harborview Towers with Jason for the time being, according to the gossip around town, and looked settled. "How are you?"
"Good," Nadine shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I should be asking you that. How's…everything?"
"Good," Elizabeth replied honestly. "It's been…a crazy few days."
"I can imagine," she murmured, smiling down at Cameron. "Hey, Cammy, look what I brought for you. Brownies! You like brownies, right?"
He nodded eagerly. "Mommy makes really good brownies, but Jason says he doesn't have the stuff to make them here. He doesn't make brownies or cookies. He says he just eats Mommy's."
Nadine looked over across the room where Jason Morgan was comfortably seated half on top of the pool table with little Jake in his arms. The baby was fussing and Jason was getting him settled.
"Can I have one, Mommy?"
"Just one," she relented, and Nadine opened the box and passed him one on a napkin. "Otherwise you'll spoil your appetite. You wanna go eat that in the kitchen?"
He nodded and scampered off past Jason, and Nadine smiled. Elizabeth cleared her throat and hesitantly reached out, touching her hand and drawing her attention back.
"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something and I meant to call you, but things have kind of been crazy…"
Nadine nodded as her friend gestured around her. "No, don't worry, I totally get it. I would have stopped by a lot sooner, but I figured I'd give you guys some time, and I…I didn't really know how much you wanted to see me, all things considered."
Elizabeth looked at her warmly. "Look, it's very clear to me that you had some hand in me and Jake getting away from Claudia Zacchara unharmed. She kidnapped him first from the hospital, then me, and obviously she planned to use us to teach Sonny and Jason a lesson. Johnny put a stop to that, and I know that he couldn't have found out on his own."
She cleared her throat, unable to hide a little smirk. "Especially because he was supposed to be dead."
Nadine pressed her lips together but they curved up anyway. "Yeah, funny how that worked out."
Elizabeth laughed. "I know that you were the one that got to him and helped get us out of that situation. I can't thank you enough for what you did."
She shook her head. "You don't have to. I didn't really do anything, I just told him what I knew as soon as I found out – that his sister took you and Jake. Everything else, he did on his own. I didn't even find out about it until after the fact. There's – There's a lot of good in Johnny that few people realize is there. More importantly, I think he's finally starting to realize it."
"Have you talked to him since all this happened?"
"I saw him at the hospital right after you and Jake were brought in," she admitted. "He was trying not to be seen by Sonny or the cops, but he wanted to make sure that you and Jake were okay, that you didn't get hurt."
The corner of Elizabeth's mouth curved up. "Tell him that I think that was very nice of him. His concern means a lot, all things considered. He didn't have to do any of what he did, but that didn't stop him. Please let him know how much Jason and I appreciate it."
Nadine sighed raggedly. "Well, I don't know if I can do that."
Her brows furrowed. "Why not?"
"Because he left town."
Elizabeth blinked. "Johnny?"
"Yeah."
"He left town?"
"Yeah."
"Just recently?"
"Just two or so days ago," Nadine shrugged. "I got a letter from him telling me he had to go, and I haven't heard from him or Claudia since. All he said was that he wanted me to be careful and stay safe, and that his family was around to protect me. That's all."
Elizabeth was starting to smirk. "Okay, just so I have this straight…after a major incident, he got word to you and told you that he was leaving town. All of it was very abrupt."
She nodded. "Yeah."
"And he told you not to worry and that he was sorry."
"Yeah."
"And he worried about your safety but had measures in place to make sure you weren't used as a target or in danger in any way because of what he does for a living."
Nadine was confused as to where this was going, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah."
Elizabeth smiled and eyed Jason, who was now giving Jake his bottle, and batted her lashes at him. "Any words of wisdom?"
He rolled his eyes, looking sheepish, and cleared his throat awkwardly as Elizabeth grinned. "…He'll be back before long."
"Miss Crowell."
She had just stepped into the lobby at General Hospital, keys, sweater, and purse in hand, more than ready to go home, when Nadine found herself staring up at a tall man dressed in a dark gray suit.
"Santa Claus, I presume."
He offered her what barely passed as a smile and handed her a small box. "For you, Miss. Have a good evening."
Corwin walked with her toward the door after the man moved off, and wisely moved a few paces away once they were outside, giving her a minute to find out what the gift was. Nadine opened up the box and found a clear plastic bag filled with toasted bread, along with the customary note.
She held it in her hands for a few seconds before her curiosity got the absolute best of her and she ripped the envelope open with her nail, pulling out the folded cardstock and seeing his familiar block print.
If Nadine were honest with herself, she'd admit that what she hoped for was a long letter explaining why Johnny left and what this meant and where they stood with each other. Admittedly, that sort of conversation was best had face to face, but he wasn't around so a letter would have been the next best thing to, say, a phone call and one step above an email and several steps above a text message. But she was disappointed when she read through the short note.
Heard the weather would be nice in Port Charles tonight. Thought you might enjoy spending it in the park with our ducks.
JZ.
Nadine snorted, and had half a mind to just dump the whole thing in the garbage can next to her. The nerve of that boy, sending her a note about ducks after everything that had happened. She would have disposed of the whole thing but then, thinking better of it, dropped the bag of toasted bread on the sidewalk. Corwin watched with equal parts curiosity and wariness as she stomped on it, crushing the bread to bits.
Satisfied, Nadine opened the bag and sprinkled the crumbs onto the grass a short distance away from the doors. The birds could have at it. Her work done, she tossed the box and the bag in the trash but for reasons entirely beyond herself, slipped the note into her pocket.
