With her heart racing in her chest, Nicole fixed the heavy coat on her shoulders as her eyes were frantically darting from behind her thick sunglasses from the door to the windows she made sure to sit far away from.
Nobody had really been paying much attention to her when she came in, but she still had the feeling she was being watched as if she were some criminal on the run.
She was on the run, but she wasn't the criminal here.
She checked the time on her busted up phone, the screen cracked even more and could barely read the time but let out a sigh all the same to try and calm her nerves. She'd only been there less than ten minutes and he promised he'd meet her in twenty, she still had time for him to show up and prayed that he did.
Keeping herself occupied she pulled the small compact from her purse, dabbing a bit more powder on her face to hide the bruising and cuts. Her entire face felt heavy with how much makeup she had slapped onto it before leaving the house, knowing it wouldn't fool him, but it kept other people from staring too long.
The little bell going off as the door opened and the winter air swept into the cozy and warm café, her heart beat harder in her chest as she caught sight of him walking in and doing one look around before their eyes met behind their sunglasses. Unlike her though, the moment he stepped further in and towards her, he was taking his off before he even sat in the chair across from her.
Hooking the earpiece through the top of his jacket, Kai eased himself down as his eyes danced over her nervous face let out a small sigh of his own as his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.
He already had a feeling this wasn't going to be a simple talk and catch up for old times' sake meeting, not after that message he got the night before, but he hadn't expected the severity of it when he noticed the marks on her face under her makeup and the fact she was still wearing her sunglasses in doors.
"Nicole..." He started in a gentle but firm tone as he could, folding his hands on the top of the table between them.
"What happened?"
Her lower lip wobbled as she tried to find the words for him. What had happened? One minute she was by the stove cooking dinner, and the next she was on the kitchen floor. Johnny laying into her, practically foaming at the mouth over what?
Some of his words had been spewed incoherently during his lashing out on her. He always smelled of booze so she wasn't sure if he'd already started drinking that day and could have blamed that. Liquor just flowed through his veins now. Couldn't have a single day without it.
She couldn't argue and say he hadn't always been like that though because he had. They'd gotten together in the first place through their party lifestyles, it was the main thing they had in common. Due to that she was used to defending his behavior, had been doing it for years, but there was no defending this. Not anymore.
"I can't do this anymore Kai..." She forced out, voice cracking on her. "He held a gun to my head last night..."
Kai's stomach clenched as his body tensed, staring at her as if she'd gone and grown three heads suddenly. Mind racing and trying to visualize it while at the same time not wanting to see it either or even believe it.
"What?" He finally managed to get out, his hands clenching over the top of the table while his back tensed even harder.
Could Johnny really have done that though? Did he even own a gun?! If he did, it probably wasn't registered, nor did he have a license for it.
"Why? What happened?" He questioned again, needing more information to get a better understanding of what he'd just walked into.
With a sniff she opened her mouth only to close it again, rising her shoulders before letting them fall again. Now that he was here, crimson eyes fixated on nothing but her, she wasn't sure she wanted to even tell him now.
She was scared, and she needed help. Had known this for a while. But she didn't want to have to drag Kai into it, though unbeknownst to him he was already involved.
"He'd just come home and started demanding that I tell him everything…" She started to explain, reaching for a napkin, and blotting her nose.
"I had no idea what he was talking about, he may have been drunk… I'm not sure… But he was adamant that me and you had been talking behind his back. I don't know why, or where he got this idea from..." She sobbed out.
"I'm so sorry Kai for bothering you with all this… You really don't need it, but I don't know who else to talk to..."
Kai sat there like he was made of stone, his stomach churning violently. Johnny had only thought they were talking because of what he had said to him a few days back in the office, had always known Johnny was jealous and suspicious of the two of them since at one point Nicole had been after him and settled for Johnny in the end.
Somehow, in a weird and twisted up mess, this was his fault.
"You don't have to apologize, for anything. I'd rather you come to me than me having to go to your funeral because of him." He spoke softly to her, not needing her breaking down any more than she currently was. He wasn't the best at comforting people even on his best of days.
"But I don't know what to tell you, or to really do here. The decision has to be yours, on what it is you want. Press charges, divorce, whatever it is you want I'll do my best to help you out though." He offered, needing to get the guilt weighing him down off his shoulders.
A tear ran down her cheek which she caught with the napkin. "I-I don't know Kai… He needs help... I love him but.." She continued to sniffle, shifting up her sunglasses just enough to dry her eyes somewhat.
"Like you said, he'll end up killing me if I stay any longer... I need help getting away from him."
"If I do this, get you away from him then that's it. If you go back to him then there is nothing else I can do for you. So is this actually something you want to do?" He asked firmly, though wanted to smack himself for what he'd said.
It wasn't a matter of something she wanted to do, this was something she needed to do. But he knew how hard it was to get out of a relationship, good or bad, and the tug to always turn around and go back would always be there and he had no real way of cutting that tie for her, she had to do it herself.
She nodded to him, another painful lump sitting in her throat. She knew he viewed her as a broken record. She'd lost count of the amount of times she'd said she was done also. But it wasn't just herself she had to think about now...
"No… I know… And I know I've said it to you a million times before, Kai, but I really am done this time… I can't live in fear anymore... All the stress and the anxiety…" She paused, pressing her lips together for a moment as another tear fell down her cheek.
"The stress isn't going to be good for the baby..."
"Baby?" Kai breathed back in a shaky whisper; eyes wide as that violent churning in his stomach made him want to puke.
His fists clenched tighter against the top of the table, his muscles tensing to the point they hurt.
"Does he know?" He asked in a low growling rumble that shook his chest.
She simply shook her head in response, bringing her head down low and let it hang like a scolded child. She hadn't dared to tell him. Wouldn't have even known how to announce it.
The night she'd found out herself was the same night Kai had brought him home when he was off his face on whatever and reeked of booze and cheap perfume. She hadn't been sure if she wanted to have a child with such a man, but she had longed to be a mother.
Kai took in a breath to try and steady himself, letting the anger simmer and bubble on low for a minute as he shifted in his chair like his ass itched.
"Let me see." He spoke in a gentler tone, though there was still some bite to it as he gestured at her glasses.
Her painted lips parted to object but closed again before fair slender hands hesitantly reached up to her face. Slowly pulling them down, her gaze stayed low in shame to reveal her left eye barely open with the amount of swelling.
"Jesus, Niki..." Kai breathed as he took in the damage, though knew there was more being hidden under her clothes and makeup.
"C'mon, let's go." He motioned for her to put them back on, mind made up and slipped out of his chair.
She quickly shoved them back onto her face and looked up to him, reluctantly easing out of her own chair.
"W-Where are we going?"
"Get you looked at." Kai stated matter of factly, slipping his own sunglasses back over his face.
Leading her out of the cafe and across the street to where he'd parked his car, he let her in the passenger side before coming back around and quickly getting in the driver's seat.
"Don't worry, I'll take you to someone I trust. That way you don't have to do anything until you're ready, but you need to get checked out." He informed as he kicked the car on, the engine roaring to life and the heater kicking on to warm them up after their brief chilly walk.
"Thank you..." She sighed out, feeling the safest she'd been for the longest time though still couldn't help but feel her doing this was setting Kai up for his own bout of problems.
If Johnny found any of this out, like he'd said, he'd put a bullet in both of them.
"So how have you been?" She then asked with a turn of her head, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.
"Well... Been better..." Kai answered out in his own sigh, trying his best to relax as he kept his focus on the road as he drove them through the heavy afternoon traffic.
He really didn't want to unload out on her, not when she was beaten all to hell and back, and pregnant. She was right, stress wasn't good for the baby and he didn't want to add onto it.
Painting on a smile he turned to her briefly, "Which house do you want? Have the one in North Port, or the one over in Citrus. You'll be safe at either one."
"Either or, honestly, I don't mind, I'm grateful either way." She replied before redirecting, "If you ever need an ear Kai, I'm always here to listen. Hell, you've dealt with our bullshit long enough it would be the least I could do."
Kai nodded, focusing back on the road for a minute in silence as he mulled it over some in his noisy head. What could he really tell her that wouldn't upset her more?
"Think Citrus would be better, has a room on the main floor so you don't have to worry about the stairs when you start getting... More pregnant..." He settled on, not sure if saying 'bigger' would have upset her.
"And it's got the indoor pool, can use it now while it's still cold out. And gated, and four hours away." He listed off like a nervous salesman trying to put the place up on the market to her.
"Sounds wonderful.. Thank you.." She sent him, letting him avoid her offering completely and gazed out of the passenger window.
She wouldn't pry further. If he wanted to tell her anything he would but Kai always had been one to keep himself to himself. Whilst he and Johnny had many similarities growing up they were also quite different; especially as the two had grown older.
Kai had matured a lot, mellowed a hell of a lot, whereas Johnny was still that 17 year old boy high on life and everything else.
With the car going silent and they edged closer and closer to the clinic he was taking her to, Kai occasionally glanced in her direction before his eyes snapped back to the road and miles of cars they were stuck behind.
Only down fall of living in a large city was the traffic, and the sooner they got to the other side of town the better.
"Um..." He cleared his throat, the silence getting too thick even for him.
He didn't have to tell her all the negatives about his life, since they were mainly her negatives as well, but there really wasn't much going on in his life aside from work and more work.
"Hired a new bartender a few days ago." He spat out, surprised himself he'd even thought of bringing up Ray into conversation with her.
"Oh? Did the redhead leave?" She queried turning her head to look at him. She had only frequented Kai and Johnny's establishment a hand full of times when they first opened, until Johnny forbid her from going.
She had a good idea as to why seeing the way he'd ogled one of the girls with pink hair but played dumb with it all.
"Huh? Oh, no. Tala is still there. Had to fire Hiro, broke the house rule and all, but got this new kid a few days ago to replace him. Names Ray, new in town." He continued to spew, only to stop himself before he said too much.
Why was he even talking about him to her?!
"Ah I see, and how is he doing? What do you think of him?" She continued to ask, enjoying the pleasant conversation between them.
"Um..." He stuttered out, telling himself to button his trap and just go back to the silence. "I don't know..." He admitted finally, worrying his bottom lip between his top teeth a little.
"Tala says he's doing fine though, isn't his first time behind a bar."
"Well that's good. It'll be hard I suppose for you to get a good feel for people with you being so busy doing other things." She comforted turning to the window again.
Whilst her eyes were in a pretty bad way it was hard to ignore the fact that he looked absolutely exhausted. Dark circles under his eyes, he'd always been fair toned, but his skin lacked the glow she remembered him having in their teens.
"Hopefully, he'll get a chance to impress you soon... It's still early days after all."
"Yeah..." Kai breathed, glad to be done with the conversation it seemed for the time being as the car got quiet between them again.
The noise in his head on the other hand continued to buzz around, almost louder than before without it dying down any.
Hadn't Ray already impressed him, though? Sure, he kept puffing his chest at him and getting defiant like he were some teenager, but Kai couldn't really blame him for it when he'd been the one to be one way and then another with him; and over Johnny too.
No matter which way he looked, Johnny seemed to be at the core of everyone's problems, while Kai was left with trying to pick up the broken pieces he kept scattering about him in his wake.
Tala tolerated him, but even Kai knew he was getting to the end of his own rope with it and he'd been there the longest out of all his employees aside from Ming-Ming.
Ray on the other hand, he'd only been there a few days and probably had a really bad sour taste in his mouth since his first night there.
Their little talk, before Johnny had rudely interrupted them, seemed to have been a good step to washing that taste out of Ray's mouth, but Kai wasn't going to hold out hope that it wasn't going to come back. Johnny always did something to cause another mess for him to clean up, but just how short of a rope did Ray have here?
Tala had learned to shrug it off, go with the flow, but again Kai knew he was getting tired of it just like he was getting tired of it himself.
His hands were tied though, as he saw it, there was no real way out of the mess he'd made in even doing this with Johnny to start with. And now, he'd just added to his pile with the woman sitting beside him.
Pulling up to the doctor's office Kai parked up the car and eased himself out before assisting Nicole out of her side. A slight flutter arose in her chest at the chivalry.
"Will you come in with me?" She asked almost childlike. She knew she was a grown woman, but she really did not want to do any of this alone.
"Yeah." He nodded back, shutting the car door behind her and led her to the frosted over doors and made sure neither of them slipped on the ice along the sidewalk.
With her arm linked into his she took a breath of his cologne and dreamily exhaled. Was still wearing the same she noted. He always did smell as good as he looked.
Contrary to what Johnny believed she didn't see Kai all that often anymore, but whenever she did the thought always crossed her mind of how her life would have panned out if she had become Mrs. Hiwatari instead. Though, as she'd come to find out. She wasn't exactly his type.
With him pushing open the door she followed in after him and took in the clinic. Was a usual doctor's office. Immaculately clean. Neutral colors throughout.
She stood by his side, following his lead as he stepped to the front reception desk and spoke to the older lady behind it. Getting a clipboard passed over to him from the receptionist, who had been eyeing Nicole subtly through the entire exchange, Kai tugged her gently over to the corner of the waiting room and eased them both down in the stiff and uncomfortable chairs.
"Pretty sure you've done these before, but leave your address and insurance blank, I'll fill those in." He informed as he passed the clipboard over to her, putting his arms around his chest as he leaned back into the chair with his form rigid and straight as if he were on high alert now.
Even if they were next city over, away from Johnny possibly seeing them, his nerves had yet to settle because in the grand scheme of things they weren't really that far enough away from him. Nor did Kai know just how many sleazy 'friends' Johnny had that could potentially see them and rat them out these days.
She nodded to him and gazed down at the clipboard, crossing one leg over the other to rest it on her thigh. Quickly she filled it out, too on complete edge and shifting her glasses back on the bridge of her nose every so often as it slipped.
After a few minutes, she flipped the page over and back again to double check she'd answered everything before holding it out to him.
Taking it back, he went through and filled put his own information. His insurance that would cover the costs, the house in Citrus where she would be living for however long she needed to and put himself down as the emergency contact number.
Taking it all back to the receptionist, and a few more quiet words back and forth with the woman, he was settling back down beside Nicole in his chair.
"Said it'll only be a few minutes, they bumped us up to get in sooner." He whispered to her, being mindful of the other's that had arrived before them.
She sent him a nod of acknowledgment, sinking a little lower in her seat feeling guilty now at jumping the queue. But they needed to be quick with this and get out of here.
After a few more minutes of tense and uncomfortable silence, they were finally called to the back. As they rose and headed for the door, the front door to the clinic opened and blue eyes and blonde hair stepped through only to pause slightly as his blue eyes locked onto the back of familiar dark hair that didn't match the front.
Though what caught him off guard more was the person Kai was leading through the back door, hand on the small of her back and gently easing her through the door as the nurse held it open for them with a smile on her face.
He recognized that jacket too, Johnny had bought it for her last Christmas. Was Prada, not many around even in a big bustling city.
With the door to the back hall closing behind them, Enrique was snapped out of his dumbfound staring. A small smirk curling up his lips as he sauntered over to the receptionist and collected his own clipboard.
The damn itch between his legs had come back, but that wasn't all that important now as he sat in a chair and pulled out his phone with the smirk reaching his ears as he hit the call button and put it to the side of his head.
"Hey Johnny. Guess what."
"If you could remove your jacket please, and just sit here for me. Just gonna take your blood pressure and temperature." The nurse instructed as she led the clearly nervous woman and man down the hall to a small room, the door closing behind them.
Kai went to another chair to sit, taking Nicole's jacket as she shed it off her arms before sitting on the bed where the paper liner crinkled under her weight as she shifted on top of it.
The nurse went to work around the two in the small enclosure, grabbing the trolley with the machine attached to it and wrapped the cuff around Nicole's upper arm.
"This is your first time here, correct?" The nurse asked as she pushed some buttons, inflating the cuff around Nicole's arm and went to grab the thermometer.
"Y-Yes." She timidly replied with a nod to her, her gaze down on the cuff getting incredibly tight around her arm, shifting slightly as it became painful for a split second before instantly deflating.
"Just hold this for me." The nurse said, shoving the end of the thermometer at Nicole's mouth till she took it from her.
Grabbing her clipboard she jotted down the numbers that appeared up in the screen, taking the thermometer from Nicole once it was done and sat down at the little desk in the corner of the room.
"What brings you in here today?" The nurse asked, though her attention was on her laptop as she started a file up for her.
"Uhm, well.. I'm pregnant.." She announced, that being the first time, other than to Kai, that she'd admitted to it out loud.
"And.. I should probably get this looked at too.." Reaching up to her glasses, she pulled them down off her face and folded them setting them down on her lap.
The nurse gave a curious look, a gasp shooting out of her and covered her mouth. "Okay... Anything else that may need to be looked at?" She asked, trying to be professional about it all and not throw the other woman into a panic.
Nicole nodded, her fair fingers lifting to the buttons on her blouse before pausing, eyes darting towards Kai.
"S-Sorry.. Could you.. Turn around?" She sheepishly asked.
"I can uh.. Just leave." Kai said, putting her jacket down and leaving the room quickly.
The nurse watched him with a hawk like gaze, turning back to Nicole. "Would you like us to call the police? We have resources to help you."
"No! No, no please, don't do that, it's not necessary." She blurted out turning to her with fear, "That would just make things so much worse.."
Her eyes started to water. She knew she was still trying to protect Johnny deep down, knew the police should have been the first number she called. But she didn't..
The nurse chewed the inside of her cheek, passing the box of tissues over to her quietly.
"Okay, just deep breaths for me sweetheart." She cooed, making more notes on her laptop, and figured now it was time to get down to business.
After a brief rundown on Nicole's history, when her last menstrual cycle was to determine how far along she was and concluding she was thirteen weeks, the kind nurse gathered up the rest of her notes and excused herself to grab the doctor.
"You can go back in now." She directed at Kai still standing out in the hall, narrowing her eyes at him angrily as they passed each other in the doorway.
Kai noticed the look, frowning slightly as he wandered back into the room where Nicole was sitting and waiting looking more nervous than when he had left her.
"You okay?" He asked as he settled back into his chair.
Looking to him she forced a smile and sent him a nod, though it was written all over her face how uncomfortable she was. She didn't know how to feel. Entering the second trimester should feel a joy to all mothers, and she was pleased, she just wished it was all happening under different circumstances.
"I'm over the first hurdle.." She sent him a smile again though her lower lip wobbled. The scrunched up tissue in her hands making its way to her nose again.
Kai nodded back, not really sure what to say to her as she cried. His attention more focused on the handprints and bruises that had blossomed over now exposed arms and neck without the sweater she had been in, now left to sit there in a small tank undershirt.
His fingers curled into his jeans, grinding his teeth as his back tensed again. He was going to kill Johnny for this, and not even bat an eye doing it. As if she'd read his mind Nicole lowered the tissue back to her lap and sniffled.
"Please don't do anything to him.."
"Why?" Kai's voiced seeped out in an angry hiss, "After what he did to you, what he could have done to the baby."
"I know.." She sighed out, "Just promise me you won't, Kai.. He needs help more than anything.."
Kai's teeth ground together harder, nearly chipping a tooth. His head jerked away from looking at her, he couldn't right now without blowing another head gasket.
"Just why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you wait this long to tell me, and don't say this is the first time it's happened!" He snapped, trying to be mindful of where they were.
"I.. I thought things would get better.." She confessed, avoiding from looking at him also now as the wave of embarrassment washed over her.
"It wasn't always this bad.. Had only started when.." Her voice then trailed off, unsure if she'd said too much now.
"When?!" Kai pressed in another angry hiss.
"A-After I miscarried..." She sank within herself both from the topic and the way he was clearly getting frustrated with her.
"I don't know if you knew but I was actually pregnant when we got married.. But I lost it two weeks after.. Was the only reason we got married in the first place.. Because of the baby.."
Kai's body froze, a terrible cold chill running down his spine. They'd only been married three years, three years this had been going on?!
When did that equate to things never being this bad?! Was Johnny responsible for her losing the first one too?!
"Are you stupid, Niki!? He could have killed you! I don't care if it was never this bad! It didn't just happen overnight! I would have helped you sooner if you just talked to me!" He snapped, unable to take it anymore.
They weren't close, but she was still family to him. Had known each other for a long time, cared about her. And still felt guilty as all hell that he let this happen to her.
The door then swung back open and in returned the nurse from before and an older male presumably the doctor.
"Sir can you step outside for a moment please?" Her tone was firm as she look to him with narrowed eyes having heard his raised voice from out in the hall.
"We won't be long."
Kai growled under his breath, shoving himself out of the chair and storming out of the small room and down the hall. Nearly ripping the door off its hinges as he stormed back into the waiting room.
"Fancy seeing you here.."
Kai stopped mid-stomp, brow raising as he turned to the familiar voice that made his neck crack slightly as he turned for his eyes to clash with blue eyes.
"It's a doctor's office, nothing fancy about it." He responded dryly.
Enrique chuckled. "Pleasant as always.." Asshole. "What brings you to this neck of the woods then?"
Kai's brow rose higher at the question, what did it matter what he was doing here? Was a damn free country after all.
"Same thing every other sick person does in a doctor's office, get their temperature checked and some Tylenol slapped in their hand."
"Oh, is Nicole sick?" He sent back with false concern.
Kai's face remained neutral, his already burning stomach twisting in knots. Enrique saw them, of course he had because today couldn't have possibly gotten any worse than it already was.
"Dunno, haven't seen her in weeks. She here?" He shrugged his shoulders back.
It was then that Enrique's name was called to go through to one of the rooms.
"You should keep out of what doesn't concern you Kai.." He warned, easing out of his seat. "La famiglia è tutto.. And she is not your family.." With that he walked from him and head to the room he'd been called from.
Kai snorted at the back of his head, and that was exactly why he was doing this for her. Because family is everything to him, such a shame Johnny didn't think the same.
He let himself out of the clinic, going to his car and driving it two blocks away before parking it and pulling out his phone.
[When you leave, go left from the door, and come down two blocks to the TJ Maxx parking lot. I'll pick you up there.] He typed out to Nicole, setting his phone on his lap, and running a hand down his tired face with a long drawn out sigh.
He couldn't keep doing this. He wasn't a superhero for heaven's sake! He was tired, worn out, stressed beyond belief about a multitude of things. So why, why did he put his foot in another mess that wasn't his to clean?!
The horn blaring shocked himself, his fist coming up off the horn and up to hide his face at the angry glares from the people he had scared walking by.
"Perfect..." He grumbled, sinking further down in his leather seat as if he weren't there.
After around fifteen minutes or so his car door opened, and Nicole slipped into the passenger seat.
"What happened? Why did you have to move the car?" She asked him in a pant and riddled with nerves. Was Johnny here? Had he seen them?
"Enrique was there..." Kai answered in a sigh, he'd been doing that the entire time but still didn't feel any better.
"It's fine, it's going to be fine... Right?" He asked, looking to her and down at her stomach. Please, please let everything be fine.
She reached over and took a hold of his hand, squeezing it gently. "From now on.. Yes.. It will be, thanks to you."
Kai's lips twitched in a watery smile, not even realizing how badly he needed to hear that right now.
"Anything you need, just tell me and it's yours. Okay?" He squeezed her hand back.
There wasn't a way to undo what Johnny had done to her, but he had a chance to make it right and he intended to make it right. Squeezing her hand one more time, he turned back in his seat and eased the car out of the parking lot.
"So, how far along are you anyways?" He asked in a lighter tone.
"Thirteen weeks she said.. So I'm due in the spring.. Aw a little spring baby.." She gushed, staring down at her stomach.
"Oh my gosh you'd never believe.." She started to chuckle out, recalling the scene from earlier. "You'd never believe why she'd asked you to leave."
"I think I know..." Kai grumbled back, "Thought I was the abuser, right?"
"Ha, yeahhh.." She awkwardly laughed out, noticing that Kai didn't seem to find it funny in the slightest. "I corrected her though.. Obviously.. Told her you were family."
Kai only nodded back to her. He was a lot of things, but an abuser wasn't one of them even if his temper was atrocious.
"Hungry?"
She nodded to him. "I could eat." She replied with a smile.