Chapter 4 of "The Call"
Disclaimer: I'll give them back after I play with them.....I swear.
This is from Garret's POV, later the same morning, at the ME's office.
((except for one spot from Nigel's POV.))
"Lily, is Nigel here?" I wearily rubbed the back of my neck.
"Let me check for you Dr. Macy..." She flipped through the pages on the sign in sheet. "...This says he isn't, but would you like me to check his office?"
"No, I'll do it myself, thanks." I turned, and walked down the hall, then opened the door of his office. He was asleep, his head resting on his desk. He had a slip of paper under his hand. I looked at it, it read: "First International Bank, Boston, MA, S.D.B. # 317" ("I didn't think Nigel had an account in Boston...I thought all his accounts were in England...") I heard him waking up, so I left. I had a side trip to go on...
~~Nigel~~
I woke up, and it took me a minute to remember where I was. Lily walked by, then, upon seeing me awake, came back. "Nige, you talk to Dr. Macy?"
"No. Why Love?"
"He was just here...he came in to see you. I figured he talked to you..."
"Not unless I was talking in my sleep he didn't..." I picked up the phone and punched in his cell number.
"This is Garret."
"Hey Garret, it's Nigel."
"Hey Nigel. Listen, I need to talk to you. Can you meet me somewhere?"
"Sure mate. Name the place."
"First International Bank. On Williamson. Meet me out front ok?"
I paused. I wanted to meet somewhere else, but he sounded desperate. "Alright mate. I'll be there in a little bit."
"Nigel, come now. Please."
"Alright. I'm on my way."
I hung up, then jumped up out of my chair. I grabbed my coat, then jogged down the hall. "I'll be back Love...and hold that lift!" I winked at Lily, then shot in between the closing doors of the elevator.
~~Garret~~
"Damn, its cold out here..." I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets and walked around in circles. The snow had been shoveled off the sidewalk, but a new layer had already fallen. I waited for about ten minutes, then I saw Nigel's truck coming around the corner. He parked in the bank lot, then climbed out.
"You could have picked a colder place to meet you know mate..."
"Cold keeps our minds fresh."
"You got any new news about Abby?"
"Yeah...they want me to consider pulling the life support on her."
His face dropped in shock. "No, you can't do that...she's gonna get better."
"Nigel, there's no chance." I realized it now. "I've lost her." We stood in silence for a minute, then he glanced at me.
"If you do...you'll never know for sure..."
He walked over a kicked a chunk of ice and sent it shattering into the street, then he sat on the curb, ignoring the fact that it was covered in snow. He was mumbling to himself.
"Nigel, what's wrong?"
"Garret, I can't deal with losing another sister..."
"Another sister?" Now I was completely confused. "Nigel...you don't have a sister..."
He looked up at me. "I did." He stood, then looked at the door to the bank. "I'll show you..."
-----later, in the bank.-----
I didn't know what to expect. He was talking to the bank manager about accessing his safe-deposit box. He motioned me to follow him into the back. The manager went into the vault and came out with a box. He set it on the table in front of us, then walked off.
"Open it." Nigel pushed the box towards me.
I did, and all that was in it were three envelopes. The first one had a bunch of old pictures inside. "Nigel, is this you?" I pointed to a tall, dark haired boy sitting under a tree.
"Yeah, that's me...and that's Tess..." He pointed to a girl in another photo, running across a bridge, holding a handful of flowers.
I leafed through the rest of the pictures, and then opened the next envelope. Several yellowed newspaper clippings fell onto the table. I picked one up. I told of a child, involved in an accident where a car hit her on her way home from school. The driver of the car had been drunk. Now I realized why Nigel had been taking Abby's accident so personal.
"Pretty horrible stuff...you know, people have more choices than to poke a bloody stick at and they choose the bad one." He sighed deeply. "I've never told anyone else besides my friends back home..."
"Why isn't this in your psych evaluation?" It wasn't like Nigel to keep things to himself.
He shrugged. I opened the next envelope. It contained a page torn out of a notebook, covered in a child's scrawled handwriting.
"I wrote that the night she died...it's like a letter to her."
I read it silently.
Hey baby girl -
I hope you're not hurting' anymore...seeing you all bandaged up in the clinic was hard for me. You looked so helpless just lying there. You just wouldn't give up your fight. I wouldn't let you. You wouldn't know it, but I was praying for you to not give up. You were so brave, letting them take all those damn bloody tests. I never would have. You never wanted to give up, even though your little body did. I know you were holding on for me. You didn't have to. I wasn't ready to let you go yet. You were only six. We had so much more left to do together. I had to teach you how to ride, fight, swim, swing, read, write...how to do everything. Don't worry - I'm not mad at you for giving up. You needed to. You always did what you wanted...and that's what was so great about you. I remember, how you were always happy outside...you loved snow the most. Remember that time we went up to the shores in Edinburgh? You were trying to make "snow" angels in the sand. You'll be my little angel sister forever. I know you won't read this, but I never really was mad at you when you touched my tapes, or my books, when you dunked my trousers in mud, or even when you drew all over my walls with those bloody crayons you got for Christmas. I'm going to have mum put 'Blue Kitty' in with you in your coffin, and I'm gonna keep 'Pink Kitty' so I can always have something you loved, and you can always have something I loved. You loved them because they were different...which was such a beautiful thing in itself. Be safe...I'll see you when it's my time to be with you again. I'll never forget you Love...I love you Tess. I always have and I always will, so help me God.
-Nigel
p.s. I miss you already.
I sat in shock. I could feel tears stinging in the back of my eyes. I noticed that several parts of the letter were smudged, probably from tears. I couldn't believe a young boy could write something so deep. "Do your parents know you wrote this Nige?"
"No...they were too busy crying. I walked out of that damn clinic, sat outside, and wrote it. My dad didn't talk to me for a week, until we had buried her."
"Did you...did you pull the life support off her?"
He shook his head. "She was never on it. She was doing fine, then she dove downhill that night...I prayed, begged, even ordered her to keep fighting. She hung on for me. After a while, I finally realized she wanted to give up."
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I guess it figured it out. She wanted to let go, and I had to let her go myself. I told her I was ready, and that she could give up if she wanted to."
"Did she?"
"Yeah...two hours later, she just stopped breathing...it was like she went to sleep..." He sunk down in his chair. "God I miss her..."
"Why isn't this in your file again?"
"I dunno mate. I guess it's because my dad refused to acknowledge it happened at all...mum was in denial for years...I didn't bring it up...ever.
He put the things back in the box, then took it back to the manager. I stood and followed him. "How old were you?"
"Twelve. She was six."
Abby was seventeen, and lying in a hospital bed a half mile away, with little hope of recovering, and I couldn't bring myself to let her go. Nigel was twelve, and he had realized that he had to. I had to talk to Maggie first, but, it now seemed like the best thing to do. I had to, for her sake.
"Come on Nige. Let's go."
We walked out together, and climbed into his truck.
"Where to, mate?"
"Back to the hospital. I need to call Maggie first though."
I dialed her number. ("Please...pick up the phone...")
"Hello?"
"Hey Maggie. It's me. Listen, I need you to come down to the hospital right away...I need to talk to you."
"Alright. I'll be there in a moment."
"Bye." I hung up, then slipped my cell in my pocket. Nigel was driving silently, staring straight ahead. His eyes were watering, but I knew he was trying not to cry in front of me. "Nigel...thank you. You showed me today that sometimes, we have to give up stuff in order for those we love to gain things."
He nodded, and we continued to drive.
((end))
"Lily, is Nigel here?" I wearily rubbed the back of my neck.
"Let me check for you Dr. Macy..." She flipped through the pages on the sign in sheet. "...This says he isn't, but would you like me to check his office?"
"No, I'll do it myself, thanks." I turned, and walked down the hall, then opened the door of his office. He was asleep, his head resting on his desk. He had a slip of paper under his hand. I looked at it, it read: "First International Bank, Boston, MA, S.D.B. # 317" ("I didn't think Nigel had an account in Boston...I thought all his accounts were in England...") I heard him waking up, so I left. I had a side trip to go on...
~~Nigel~~
I woke up, and it took me a minute to remember where I was. Lily walked by, then, upon seeing me awake, came back. "Nige, you talk to Dr. Macy?"
"No. Why Love?"
"He was just here...he came in to see you. I figured he talked to you..."
"Not unless I was talking in my sleep he didn't..." I picked up the phone and punched in his cell number.
"This is Garret."
"Hey Garret, it's Nigel."
"Hey Nigel. Listen, I need to talk to you. Can you meet me somewhere?"
"Sure mate. Name the place."
"First International Bank. On Williamson. Meet me out front ok?"
I paused. I wanted to meet somewhere else, but he sounded desperate. "Alright mate. I'll be there in a little bit."
"Nigel, come now. Please."
"Alright. I'm on my way."
I hung up, then jumped up out of my chair. I grabbed my coat, then jogged down the hall. "I'll be back Love...and hold that lift!" I winked at Lily, then shot in between the closing doors of the elevator.
~~Garret~~
"Damn, its cold out here..." I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets and walked around in circles. The snow had been shoveled off the sidewalk, but a new layer had already fallen. I waited for about ten minutes, then I saw Nigel's truck coming around the corner. He parked in the bank lot, then climbed out.
"You could have picked a colder place to meet you know mate..."
"Cold keeps our minds fresh."
"You got any new news about Abby?"
"Yeah...they want me to consider pulling the life support on her."
His face dropped in shock. "No, you can't do that...she's gonna get better."
"Nigel, there's no chance." I realized it now. "I've lost her." We stood in silence for a minute, then he glanced at me.
"If you do...you'll never know for sure..."
He walked over a kicked a chunk of ice and sent it shattering into the street, then he sat on the curb, ignoring the fact that it was covered in snow. He was mumbling to himself.
"Nigel, what's wrong?"
"Garret, I can't deal with losing another sister..."
"Another sister?" Now I was completely confused. "Nigel...you don't have a sister..."
He looked up at me. "I did." He stood, then looked at the door to the bank. "I'll show you..."
-----later, in the bank.-----
I didn't know what to expect. He was talking to the bank manager about accessing his safe-deposit box. He motioned me to follow him into the back. The manager went into the vault and came out with a box. He set it on the table in front of us, then walked off.
"Open it." Nigel pushed the box towards me.
I did, and all that was in it were three envelopes. The first one had a bunch of old pictures inside. "Nigel, is this you?" I pointed to a tall, dark haired boy sitting under a tree.
"Yeah, that's me...and that's Tess..." He pointed to a girl in another photo, running across a bridge, holding a handful of flowers.
I leafed through the rest of the pictures, and then opened the next envelope. Several yellowed newspaper clippings fell onto the table. I picked one up. I told of a child, involved in an accident where a car hit her on her way home from school. The driver of the car had been drunk. Now I realized why Nigel had been taking Abby's accident so personal.
"Pretty horrible stuff...you know, people have more choices than to poke a bloody stick at and they choose the bad one." He sighed deeply. "I've never told anyone else besides my friends back home..."
"Why isn't this in your psych evaluation?" It wasn't like Nigel to keep things to himself.
He shrugged. I opened the next envelope. It contained a page torn out of a notebook, covered in a child's scrawled handwriting.
"I wrote that the night she died...it's like a letter to her."
I read it silently.
Hey baby girl -
I hope you're not hurting' anymore...seeing you all bandaged up in the clinic was hard for me. You looked so helpless just lying there. You just wouldn't give up your fight. I wouldn't let you. You wouldn't know it, but I was praying for you to not give up. You were so brave, letting them take all those damn bloody tests. I never would have. You never wanted to give up, even though your little body did. I know you were holding on for me. You didn't have to. I wasn't ready to let you go yet. You were only six. We had so much more left to do together. I had to teach you how to ride, fight, swim, swing, read, write...how to do everything. Don't worry - I'm not mad at you for giving up. You needed to. You always did what you wanted...and that's what was so great about you. I remember, how you were always happy outside...you loved snow the most. Remember that time we went up to the shores in Edinburgh? You were trying to make "snow" angels in the sand. You'll be my little angel sister forever. I know you won't read this, but I never really was mad at you when you touched my tapes, or my books, when you dunked my trousers in mud, or even when you drew all over my walls with those bloody crayons you got for Christmas. I'm going to have mum put 'Blue Kitty' in with you in your coffin, and I'm gonna keep 'Pink Kitty' so I can always have something you loved, and you can always have something I loved. You loved them because they were different...which was such a beautiful thing in itself. Be safe...I'll see you when it's my time to be with you again. I'll never forget you Love...I love you Tess. I always have and I always will, so help me God.
-Nigel
p.s. I miss you already.
I sat in shock. I could feel tears stinging in the back of my eyes. I noticed that several parts of the letter were smudged, probably from tears. I couldn't believe a young boy could write something so deep. "Do your parents know you wrote this Nige?"
"No...they were too busy crying. I walked out of that damn clinic, sat outside, and wrote it. My dad didn't talk to me for a week, until we had buried her."
"Did you...did you pull the life support off her?"
He shook his head. "She was never on it. She was doing fine, then she dove downhill that night...I prayed, begged, even ordered her to keep fighting. She hung on for me. After a while, I finally realized she wanted to give up."
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I guess it figured it out. She wanted to let go, and I had to let her go myself. I told her I was ready, and that she could give up if she wanted to."
"Did she?"
"Yeah...two hours later, she just stopped breathing...it was like she went to sleep..." He sunk down in his chair. "God I miss her..."
"Why isn't this in your file again?"
"I dunno mate. I guess it's because my dad refused to acknowledge it happened at all...mum was in denial for years...I didn't bring it up...ever.
He put the things back in the box, then took it back to the manager. I stood and followed him. "How old were you?"
"Twelve. She was six."
Abby was seventeen, and lying in a hospital bed a half mile away, with little hope of recovering, and I couldn't bring myself to let her go. Nigel was twelve, and he had realized that he had to. I had to talk to Maggie first, but, it now seemed like the best thing to do. I had to, for her sake.
"Come on Nige. Let's go."
We walked out together, and climbed into his truck.
"Where to, mate?"
"Back to the hospital. I need to call Maggie first though."
I dialed her number. ("Please...pick up the phone...")
"Hello?"
"Hey Maggie. It's me. Listen, I need you to come down to the hospital right away...I need to talk to you."
"Alright. I'll be there in a moment."
"Bye." I hung up, then slipped my cell in my pocket. Nigel was driving silently, staring straight ahead. His eyes were watering, but I knew he was trying not to cry in front of me. "Nigel...thank you. You showed me today that sometimes, we have to give up stuff in order for those we love to gain things."
He nodded, and we continued to drive.
((end))
