Part Thirteen.
Nicollette screamed, thinking she or Dom had been shot. Then she realized she wasn't shot. She raced to Dom, kneeling by him.
"Dom!" she cried.
"Nicki?" he asked, opening his eyes.
"Are you okay?"
"Are you?"
"I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm fine. Tripped over that root," he pointed to a root of the tree sticking out of the ground. "Shot . . ." he glanced at the tree, a man stood there, leaning against the trunk, clutching his gut.
"Go," he said to them. "Get out of here. Hurry!"
Dom stood, grabbed Nicollette's hand and ran. They ran for a good twenty minutes. They stopped at a small park, and sat on the swings.
"We made it," Nicollette breathed.
"Yeah, we made it."
"I thought you'd been shot. You fell . . ."
"I thought you'd been shot," Dom remarked.
"Nope." He leaned toward her, and kissed her softly.
"I gotta tell you something," he smoothed her hair back and looked into her eyes. She looked back at him, waiting for his remark.
"Yeah?" Nicollette asked after a moment. "What is it?"
"I . . . I . . ." he started, looking around. "Should call Brian," he pointed at a pay phone.
"Call Brian."
"Yeah, I'll be back in a minute. Keep an eye out for Douglass."
"Okay."
Nicollette walked Dom walk away. She knew he was going to tell her something else, but had probably chickened out. There was no way he could look that serious and look at her like he did and just want to tell her that. No way.
Nicollette watched him put money in the phone and dial the number. He spoke for a few moments, and then he nodded and hung up. He cautiously looked around. He started back across the playground of the park to return to Nicollette's side.
Dom had been so close to telling her that he loved her. To telling her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That was a shock. He'd never thought of marriage. But the thought of Nicollette with someone else, the thought of not being with her was enough to make him want to elope with her.
Dom watched Nicollette as he walked toward her. He knew if he didn't tell her, he was going to regret it. But the time wasn't right. Brian would be picking them up soon. Dom didn't know how he'd react to Nicollette being with him. Dom remembered how he'd reacted when he found out Brian and Mia were together. He could've handled it better.
Brian hung up the phone, and turned back to his small audience.
"Who was it?" Mia asked.
"Dom," Brian remarked, looking from Mia to Leon to Vince.
"Well, let's get going!" Vince said, standing.
"Dom said only me. And Mia. You two stay here."
"No way!" Vince objected.
"Dom's orders, you follow them," Mia snapped. "Let's go, Brian."
Brian and Mia walked out of the house, and got into the unmarked cop car and started for where they were supposed to meet Dom.
"What did he say?" Mia asked after a few moments.
"He said to come pick him up."
"What about your sister?"
"Dom said he wouldn't leave without her, so I assume she's with him."
"What if she's not?"
"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead. She better be with him."
Nicollette looked at Dom with a small smile.
"I wanna thank you," she said quietly. "If you haven't come, I would still be in there. I would still be prisoner. I would still be miserable. You saved me."
"Well . . ."
"I know Brian made you come. I know he blackmailed you into it. But still, it is because of you that I'm still not in there."
"Not really. You're smart, you could've found a way out."
"Not without you."
"Nicki . . ."
"I want you to know that. And that I won't regret what we did. When I go back home tomorrow, back to my boring life, I'm not going to regret you. Or forget you."
"Me neither," Dom replied quietly. He kissed her passionately.
Brian turned a corner to find Dominic sitting on a swinging bench with Nicollette at his side.
He stopped the car and he and Mia both raced to them.
"Dom!" Mia called.
"Nicki!" Brian called to his sister.
Nicollette saw Brian and a girl she assumed was Mia, Dom's sister. She looked at Dom and a tear slid down her cheek. It was over. All that was left was memories of them. Memories of what they had been. Memories of the dreams they could have been. She stood and held her arms out to Brian who rushed into them.
"You're okay." He repeated that a few times.
"Yeah, just peachy," she said.
Dom walked to the car with Mia. Nicollette walked with Brian. When they reached the car, Brian drove, Dom and Nicollette sat in the back and Mia sat up front by Brian.
The car pulled to a stop in front of Dominic's house. Brian and Mia got out, so Dom and Nicollette could get out of the 2-door car.
"I'm going to miss you," Nicollette replied before getting out and rushing after Brian and Mia.
"Me too, baby. Me too," he whispered.
