Chapter three
He wanted to stay by his daughter's side all night, but around 3 am Derek felt a little anxious. I can't believe I acted like this, he thought. I'm supposed to be the model for restraint behavior. I can't remember ever being so emotional before. He felt he has to get out of Abi's room, so he went over to Nick's room and knocked on the door.
The ex seal whose sleep was light got up immediately to open the door. "Is everything ok Derek?" he asked.
"Yes, fine, but do you mind if I take you up on your offer to watch over Abi?"
"No problem". The young man put a robe around him, picked up his gun from the dresser and headed over to the young precept's room. He looked behind him and saw Derek quickly get into his room and shut the door behind him.
Nick sat down on the chair next to Abi's bed thinking about how strange this night has been. He suddenly heard her moving in bed crying in her sleep.
"No. Leave me alone. Mother, help me please, make them go away".
Nick got up, moved closer to the bed and put his hand on Abi's head. She was burning. He wondered if maybe he should call Derek or Rachel, but then he saw Abi's eyes stair right into his.
"No need to call either of them," she said.
Nick looked confused, but then he remembered her ability to read minds.
She sat up in bed and looked at him. Then she pointed at the dresser and told him "I have some aspirin top drawer, will you get me some please?"
He gave her the 2 pills and she swallowed them with some water she always kept by her bed. He looked at her and asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Thanks Nick. You've been kind enough already, you should probably get back to bed and get some sleep."
"Doubt that" he said. "Derek asked to keep an eye on you, so here I'll stay". He winked at her and continued "As we guys say beware the raft of Derek."
She smiled at his remark. He sat down on the bed next to her, put his hand on her forehead and it seems the fever was breaking down. She took his hand in hers and pulled him closer. She kissed him on his cheek and said, "You are a very nice and kind man Nick Boyle, thank you."
Nick seemed to be feeling uncomfortable by Abi's action. She felt his embarrassment so she then asked him "Do you enjoy working for the legacy?"
He straitened up and said, "Enjoy. Well, that's not exactly what I'd call this job, it actually freaks me out sometimes, but at this point of my life, I can't see myself do anything else."
"Actually," she said, "I never figured I'd end up doing this as well. I was gonna continue my military career, but then strange things started to happen, and when Sloan came with the idea for a house here I decided to leave the army and do what I've always done."
"Strange things? What kind of strange things?" asked Nick.
"Well, at first there were my mothers visits in my dreams, then when I'm awake. For a while I thought I was going crazy. Then recently there were these random "accidents" things falling all over the place, emotional problems with every person who worked here. Besides the old staff members, the ones who were working here while my parents were still alive, I can't find anyone who'd be willing to work here. And now after David's murder, although the police don't wanna call it that, they say his death was accidental, well I felt it's time to bring reinforcement so I called Derek."
"Yesterday, you were calling him father and now you call him Derek, why is that?"
"Well, I had a father. The man who raised me, he was my daddy, I came into this house when I was 3 years old and he just took me in as if I was his own flesh and blood. They both did."
"Both?" wandered Nick.
"Oh sorry, of course you don't know, actually I don't think I ever told Derek about that. Yes both he and his son. My stepbrother, Joshua. He was my brother and my best friend, but he left the day after my mother died."
"Why would he do that?" wondered Nick.
"Well, something happened the night our mother died, and he was gone the next day, no word, nothing. He just left. I haven't seen him since then."
"What happened, you wanna talk about it?" asked Nick.
"Actually, I'd rather not, I can't."
Nick smiled at her gently for a minute then he said much to her surprise "Your involve with him, with your step brother."
Abi looked at him amazed for a moment then she said "You are not only a kind and sweet man, you are also very intuitive."
"Thanks."
"Those are one of the qualities Derek seems to admire about you."
"He does, how do you know?"
"Well, I figured that from his email and letters, I know he doesn't like to show his emotions but he really cares about you all, very much."
"We know that," said Nick. "I know it's hard for him after all he's been through, we all know, so we learned to accept Derek for who he is."
Suddenly there was a loud sound of banging inside the walls. Nick picked up his gun, got off the bed and looked around to see what was causing this noise.
To his surprise he saw Abi sitting in bed laughing.
"Abi, why are you laughing?"
"Sorry Nick, couldn't help myself, you looked so serious and worried. It's really nothing, that's just the old plumbing acting up, no ghosts or demons."
"Ah, I see." He put his gun on the dresser and set down on the bed again. A strange feeling came over him, he suddenly felt he could trust this young woman with everything, including his life. He never felt like this with any other woman, except maybe Julia. He laid down next to her and rapped one arm around her shoulders so her head was resting on his chest.
"You didn't answer me." He said.
"About what?"
"My question, you are involve with Joshua, aren't you?
"I'm not sure anymore" she said. I was but now, I can't tell How I'll feel if he shows up here again.
"So, tell me what happened" requested Nick.
"Our parent's knew we love each other, but they both asked us to wait with our feelings, you know, go out with others and experience life so we can be sure it's true love and not just foolish childhood infatuation. So we did. But the night mother died I was devastated, I needed comfort, and that night he held me in his arms, one thing led to another and, well, we made love that night."
"So why would that make him leave you?"
"I don't know, I never slept with a guy before, so I have no idea. And then in the morning he was gone."
"You were a virgin that night." Said Nick. Have you considered that perhaps that's why he left, to give you a chance to experience life as your parents wanted?"
"I thought about it, but I've been out with guys and, call me old fashioned, but I can not sleep with someone I'm not involve with, I thought he'd be happy to be the first, I guess I was wrong" she said.
There was a moment of silence and then Nick felt her hot tears on his chest. He just pulled her closer to him and after a little while they fell asleep in each other's arms.