Michael lay vanquished, a hapless victim of two bloodthirsty marauders. It had been a particularly gruesome battle; Michael had fought long and hard, only to be overcome by the two villains. They showed no mercy. In the end they stood over the fallen hero, weapons aloft, and roared their victory.
Nikita found them like that. Michael was laid out on the floor while Christophe and Nicolas crowed over him in triumph.
Christophe was so excited by his victory that he stumbled and fell on his well-padded diapered bottom. When he spotted his mother he scrambled to his feet, bouncing up and down on tiptoes causing his black pirate's hat to fall down over one eye at a rakish angle. He pointed a dimpled finger at his father and said, "Me and Nicky is pirates and wes made papa walk the p'ank."
"We made him take us to his treasure." Nicolas added, a devilish glint in his eye.
"Well, don't forget mommy when you guys become rich and famous," Nikita said with a chuckle as Michael winked at her from the floor.
"I'm meeting Carla at Tribbianca's for lunch," she told him as she reached into the closet for her jacket. "I should be back in a few hours."
Michael heaved himself to his feet with a miniature pirate hoisted under each arm. "To the victors goes the spoils, so we'll be heading off in search of...", he trailed of as if uncertain.
"Pizza!" "Hamburgers and ice-cream," the boys piped in.
A smiling Michael leaned down and kissed Nikita, "What they said."
Kissing each of her boys in turn, she opened the kitchen door and stepped into the garage. Waving from the car Nikita backed out of the garage and hit the button to close the door behind her.
Carla thanked the waiter as he cleared their plates away. As he took the rose lined path toward the stone foot bridge leading back to the main restaurant, Carla looked across the table at Nikita with a slightly worried smile.
"You're looking a little flushed. Are we feeling guilty about putting a skid mark on our platinum card?" Carla teased.
"Hum?"
Seeing that her friend was a million miles away, Carla leaned across the table, waving her hand in front of Nikita's face, "Helloooo? Earth to Nikita, come in Nikita."
"Oh, sorry Carla, I guess I'm a little spacey today. What were you saying?"
"Are you okay Nikita?" Carla was growing concerned.
Shaking her head in denial, Nikita assured her friend, "I'm fine Carla, just a headache and the baby is really active today, I'm feeling a little run down. I think I'll take a raincheck on that movie and head home."
"Alright. Are you okay to drive? I can..."
"No, no, I'm good. I'll call you after I take a nap. Michael and the boys are out, it'll give me a chance for some uninterrupted rest."
"Well, if you're sure?"
"I am." Getting up the friends hugged and set off arm and arm toward the main restaurant.
Nikita and Carla stood in the foyer of the restaurant waiting for the valet to bring their cars around when Nikita's abdomen tightened with what she assumed was a Braxton-Hick contraction; she had been having them all day yesterday and throughout the morning. Breathing deeply through it, waiting for it to pass, Nikita glanced down when she felt something wet her skirt and realized with amazing calm that her water had just broken.
"Humm, Carla, my water just broke. I need to get to the hospital," she announced trying to say calm in spite of the fear clawing at her. "The hospital Carla," she repeated in a near scream when her friend just looked at her blankly.
"But...but...but you're not due for a couple more months yet...you...you can't be in labour!"
"Yes, I am aware of that! Carla! Snap out of it, I'm going to need you to help me here. I need to get to my doctor; it's too early. Please do not flake on me now!"
Carla immediately pulled herself together and in the ensuing moments, she notified Dr. McNeily's office, arranged for the restaurant to have Nikita's car delivered to her house, got Nikita into her low slung two-seater and took off for the hospital. With no success in tracking Michael down, she left messages with everyone she could think of in case they encountered him at some point.
Susan McNeily and two nurses met the car at the emergency entrance with a wheelchair and whisked Nikita off to the maternity ward.
Helping Nikita onto the examining table as two nurses began to prep her for an exam, Susan McNeily asked, "How far apart are the contractions?"
"Four, maybe five minutes," came the hissed whisper as another contraction seized Nikita's body. No sooner had it passed then immediately on it's heels did a weird feeling wash over her.
"Susan, I feel strange...," She felt weak and drained, tears bleared her vision. Through a haze of confusion and fear she fought off the faintness threatening to engulf her. From what seemed like a far way off Nikita could hear Susan assuring her that everything was under control.
Suddenly Nikita's body arched and her muscles locked, then she immediately began to jerk violently, tossing her head about as if she were a rag doll. Ordering the nurses to assist her with transferring Nikita onto a gurney, and commanding another who just entered the room to call ahead to have an operating room readied. Susan pushed the dread for her friend aside, wrapping her professionalism and skill around her like a cloak, she bent over her patient and went to work trying to save both the lives of Nikita and her much wanted daughter.
As the gurney slammed through the operating room doors, Nikita whispered Michael's name over and over as tears fell unceasingly.