Thanks so much again for all the reviews, they're all awesome and very positive so cheers, I don't actually have time to do individual thank yous in this one but I will next time! Cheers again, enjoy……K
Ch 28
"Hi." Abby said rounding the stairs to her apartment followed by Maggie, seeing Nick sitting on the floor outside his door bouncing a ball against the opposite wall monotonously, the sounds of 'the red hot chilli peppers' drifting from inside, "What's going on?" She frowned as a crash emanated from inside his apartment and she went to look round the door.
"She's smashing stuff." Nick replied, not taking his eyes off the ball.
"What?" Abby frowned again looking down at him.
"She saw me smash a bottle earlier and I figured that sine it made me feel better I'd give her a shot at it." He explained still not looking up. "I gave her all the plastic stuff so she's not going to hurt herself." He explained.
"So she's just smashing your apartment." Abby said shaking her head.
"She's four, she can't express this yet, I figured that letting her throw stuff was better than sending her to bed to cry herself to sleep." He finished throwing the ball aggressively down to the end of the corridor and watched it bounce erratically before finally looking up at her.
"Jesus what happened?" She asked as she crouched down to him seeing a large purple bruise covering his left cheekbone, tenderly she began to examine it.
"Jasper lost his temper, unfortunately I was in the way." Nick shrugged a half smile, pushing himself up from the floor, bringing Abby with him.
"And he hit you?" Abby asked semi shocked looking from his eyes to his cheek and back. Nick nodded, raising his eyebrows in ascent sighing audibly.
"Can't say I blame him really, if it was her I'd be lashing out at everything in sight." He admitted indicating inside his apartment with his head.
"You need to put ice on that." Abby told him, swinging back into doctor mode still looking into his eyes.
"I'll do it just now." He replied looking back, and then over to Maggie. "Sorry, hi, we didn't meet yet, I'm Nick." He extended his hand polite as ever.
"Sorry, this is my Mom, Maggie." Abby said shifting around.
"Hi." Nick smiled slightly.
"Hi, nice to meet you." Maggie replied, remembering him from the hospital that morning. Suddenly a smash emanated from inside Nick's apartment, all three of them instantly snapped their necks around.
"That didn't sound like plastic did it?" Nick half observed, half questioned looking worriedly at Abby as they started into the apartment. The three of them assembled just inside the doorway and observed the scene that greeted them; Imogen was standing in sock clad feet in the middle of the room, surrounded by an array of Tupperware and shards of brown glass and spilled beer, her cheeks damp, her eyes red. She was looking around her, a small cut on the back of one of her hands, a trail of blood making its way towards her fingers, her face was like thunder as she bent to pick up her next weapon, she chose a box and standing back up hurled it at the wooden floor with all her strength, it clattered satisfactorily to the ground, bursting open, the lid skidding across the floor. She stood there, her eyes fixed on the lid of the box as a fresh batch of tears sprung into her eyes, Nick made his way towards her, leaving Abby and Maggie by the doorway, deciding that there had probably been enough throwing of things for the time being, Imogen looked up at him, defiance in her eyes as she diverted her gaze to pick up yet another box.
"Hey enough now." Nick said quietly but sternly.
"No." Imogen shouted throwing the box at him, his reactions were quick enough to catch it as he reached her.
"That's enough now." He told her bending towards her, about to pick her up, out of the sea of glass around her.
"No." She cried as she wriggled to get away from his grip, hitting any part of him she could find. She continued to hit him as he overpowered her and picked her out of the glass. "No, Daddy, no." She choked through the sobs now shaking her body continuing to hit him as he carried her over towards the couch, mindful of the slippery, glass covered floor. She caught him on his bruised cheek and he winced practically dropping her as she continued to struggle and he tried to defend himself from her flying fists and feet, eventually she wriggled free and bolted towards the door, he started after her, towards Maggie and Abby. Automatically Abby bent down towards her as she headed in their direction, Imogen was at top speed when she met Abby at the door and was no more willing to have her try and stop her than she was her father, she struggled again as Abby grabbed her arm an slipped through Abby's grip with more ease and headed out into the hall.
"Imogen." Nick yelled warningly as she disappeared through the door, Abby started after her followed by Nick as Maggie stood somewhat bewildered by the whole situation. Imogen was still running down the corridor when she was met by a man making his way up the stairs. The man picked her up as she ran straight into his arms, she'd seemingly run out of energy as she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed uncontrollably into his collar. Abby looked on as Nick sighed, running one hand through his hair, dropping it to rest on his hip as he watched his daughter with this man. The man looked up at Nick, a warm smile on his face as he whispered to the little girl and made his way towards them.
"Hey Eddie." Nick smiled at him as he arrived beside them outside the door.
"Alright lad." Eddie smiled by way of hello as he handed Imogen back to Nick, this time she didn't struggle but held tightly onto him, her head laid on his shoulder her sobs reduced to sniffles as she looked at Abby with wide eyes.
"I hurt my hand." She whispered to Abby, as Abby ran her hand through Imogen's dark hair nodding.
"Should we go and fix it up?" Abby asked her quietly, Imogen nodded against Nick's shoulder before reaching over to switch herself into Abby's arms.
"What happened to your face lad?" Ed asked as Imogen wiggled from Nick to Abby, and they headed back into the apartment. "Jasper do it?" He questioned, guessing correctly, Nick nodded a resigned smile on his face. "Told you, you needed to react quicker." Ed smiled at him.
"I know, I know." Nick nodded, smiling back, "You want a beer?" Nick offered turning to follow the path Imogen and Abby had taken a moment before.
"Scotch would hit the spot." Ed nodded.
"I'll see what I can come up with." Nick told him congenially, laughing slightly as Eddie patted his back. They entered to find Maggie picking boxes up from the floor and piling them on the kitchen table and Abby gently wiping Imogen's hand with an antiseptic wipe as she sat on the work top before putting a plaster over the relatively minor cut.
"Eddie this is Maggie." Nick indicated Maggie as she finished tidying the Tupperware.
"Alright." Ed nodded holding out his hand, shaking hers as Abby picked Imogen off the worktop, she immediately made her way silently to Ed who picked her up automatically.
"And Abby." Nick added as he made his way past her, reaching for the broom, Abby and Ed exchanged brief greetings as Ed sat down at the kitchen table with Imogen in his lap, lolling against his chest. Nick swept up the remaining mess, thanking Maggie for her help, assuring her that she didn't have to and apologising for his daughters behavior previously, and headed for his drinks cabinet from which he pulled a bottle of whisky which he place in front of Eddie along with a glass.
"Maggie can I get you something to drink?" Nick asked turning towards her. "Tea, coffee, soda, something stronger?" He offered.
"Soda would be great thank you." Maggie smiled at him. He pulled a soda from the fridge, pouring it into a glass for Maggie, handing it to her and reached back into the fridge for a beer for himself, he offered one to Abby who denied, pulling out a soda for herself.
"You get Jas back to the hospital?" Nick asked taking a seat next to Abby at the table, stretching his arm out behind her.
"Aye." Ed nodded pouring a generous measure of scotch into his glass.
"Birdie still there?" Nick asked.
"Nah, she's gone to their house, said she'd head over in a bit." Ed said sighing after a long sip, settling back into his chair.
"You staying there?" Nick continued peppering him with questions.
"The Doc gave her the keys, the place was a bloody mess when I got there." Eddie offered.
"It's always a mess." Nick told him.
"Not like this lad, chairs upended, shit all over the place, looked like a bloody hurricane had blown through when I got there this afternoon." Ed said settling both his arms around Imogen. Nick frowned not quite understanding. "In the time between you leaving and me turning up he'd wrecked the place, put his hand through the TV and then smashed it into the wall, he was a mess by the time I got there." Ed said reaching for his drink again.
"He smashed their house?" Maggie asked looking to Ed who nodded as if it was an every day occurrence, in his life it almost was, he'd seen his bar wrecked enough times.
"Is he okay?" Abby asked frowning.
"Aye, he's broken his hand, they got the doc to come and fix him up, bloody good job you'd already left, recon you'd have more than a slap to the face if you'd stayed, what with your bollox reactions " Ed chuckled nodding in Nick's direction. They sat in silence for a minute contemplating what Ed had said; Maggie was the first to speak.
"He doesn't seem like the violent type." She had concern etched in her forehead as she spoke, the others looked at her as she said it.
"He's not. He's not." Nick shook his head noting Maggie's sceptical reaction.
"He's smashed their house and hit you, and he was very aggressive at the hospital this morning, that doesn't bode well for a non-violent person." Maggie pointed out.
"Come on, she wasn't exactly passive this morning." Abby said a slight frown on her face as she looked at Maggie. "She wasn't." Abby shook her head as Maggie continued to look unconvinced.
"I've seen him hit one person before today, I don't think that his response to this is all that unreasonable." Nick told her.
"Yes, but right now he's alone with Amelia." Maggie pointed out.
"He's not going to do anything to Amelia." Nick shook his head presumptuously.
"How do you know that?" Maggie countered.
"He won't." Nick said decisively, knowing that Amelia and Jasper were absolutely fine in each other's company.
"Besides she's got one helluva right hook, he'd be in more trouble than she would if they came to blows." Eddie shook his head, smiling slightly, sighing, Abby and Maggie both looked over at him slightly perplexed by his comment, Eddie seemed oblivious to their reactions as he chuckled and looked at Nick continuing. "You remember that one?" He asked. Nick nodded, looking down at his beer, smiling slightly at the memory as Eddie continued, not really explaining it, just voicing his memory. "Never seen no one jump the bar that quick before, just fucking flew over it you remember, before any of us even saw." Eddie shook his head, smiling.
"Yeah, she didn't hang about." Nick nodded laughing lightly.
"Fucking nailed him, he never even saw her coming." Eddie shook his head.
"Why." Abby shook her head, looking from Nick to Ed. Nick sighed looking over at her before starting.
"There were a bunch of guys in the bar, they'd been pretty obnoxious all night, someone had already had a word with them, she never told us what she'd seen but she was pretty incensed by it obviously." Nick said, adding, "It was a very long time ago." Reassuringly. "Never seen her do it since, but it was impressive, the guy must have been three times her size at least." Nick nodded.
"So she's more likely to hit him than he is her is that the point of this." Maggie said irritated.
"No one's going to be hitting anyone." Nick shook his head.
"Well someone's been hitting someone." Abby said sarcastically looking obviously at Nick's face, getting up, fetching a bag of ice from his freezer, pushing it playfully against his cheek, he winced slightly pulling back taking over its administration.
"That was a one off." Nick assured her, placing the bag over his slightly swollen cheek. "He apologised right after." He said shooting a mock pained look at Abby.
"Still do you not think that one of us should be there?" Maggie asked ignoring the playful shenanigans on the other side of the table as Abby and Nick smiled at each other.
"No, they'll do alright on their own for a while." Eddie nodded knowingly, adding, "Bird said the doc had a barny with Jasper, is that right?" He said looking between them, Nick nodded.
" 'The doc's' Amelia." He explained to Abby and Maggie.
"Bird said she ain't never seen the two of 'um going for it like that before." He paused, shifting in his seat, adjusting Imogen on his lap before continuing. "They're both bloody terrified, that's the sum of it, neither of them can do a fucking thing so..." Ed shrugged in a meagre attempt to explain Jasper's behavior. They were interrupted by a knock at the door, Nick pulled himself up, as Eddie added, "That'll be Birdie."
Nick headed back through his apartment followed by Birdie who sighed sitting down at the kitchen table with the others.
"Birdie…" Nick said, before he could finish his question she replied.
"Vodka please darlin'." He supplied the drink with lightning speed and Maggie spoke again.
"How were they when you left? How was Lauren?" She questioned, genuine concern on her face, as Birdie dropped her bag on the floor.
"Well, they're talking again, both of 'um looked a bit better, as stupid as it sounds I think him buggering up his hand was a good thing, at least she could fix that, made her feel a bit less redundant I think, Lauren's the same." Birdie told her taking a long draft of her iced drink.
"At least that's something." Abby noted wearily pulling another soda from the fridge
"How's the house?" Nick asked.
"They're going to need a new TV and I need to get the number of a glazier off you, buy a couple of lamps and they'll be back in the game. You're a bloody idiot for leaving him on his own." Birdie she looked at him shaking her head.
"Yeah, well I figured bringing him to the school with me to pick her up would have been the more idiotic option." He replied raising his eyebrows stretching his legs out under the table.
"Alright, alright." Birdie conceded, agreeing that that probably wouldn't have gone down well. "How's this one doing anyway?" She asked indicating Imogen, looking at Nick.
"I induced a tantrum earlier, she's miserable but she'll be ok." Nick said a smile in his eyes as he looked at his daughter.
"Miss your best friend hunh sweetheart?" Birdie said running her hand down Imogen's spine, soliciting a little sleepy nod from her, and a request to be switched into Birdie's arms. Abby and Nick looked on sadly as Birdie continued to talk to Imogen, as she settled herself in her lap, she was clearly in a deep four year old depression where she didn't understand where her friend was, why she wasn't at school, why she couldn't come and play, why she wasn't aloud to see her. Nick looked over at Abby and spoke quietly.
"You think she'd be better if I took her to see Lauren?" He questioned a frown on his face, Abby looked over at him, scanning his face. "Maybe she'd understand it then." He shook his head, bemused.
"I don't think she needs to see her covered in tubes and on a vent." Abby shook her head.
"But maybe she'd get it more then, wouldn't be quite as angry about everything." His face held a perplexed questioning expression.
"Yeah but it could just upset her more, besides, I'm not sure parading her in front of Amelia and Jasper is a good idea at the moment." Abby said, pouting slightly, as Nick inclined his head, agreeing slightly. "I don't think that they'd let her in there at the moment anyway, Lauren's immune system is pretty compromised, and she might still be infectious, leave it a while." She nodded at him assuredly.
"Come on then you." Birdie said, talking to Imogen standing up as she did, hoisting her light body further onto her hip. "Say g'night to your Dad." She added as she leaned Imogen towards Nick, Nick kissed the top of her head and Birdie swept her away for a bedtime story.
A few minutes later Birdie returned minus Imogen, and sighing she sat back down in her chair reaching for her drink again.
"She asleep?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, out like a light." Birdie nodded looking at him, a smile in her eyes. "She's getting big, I remember when you could pick her up in one hand." Birdie smiled at him.
"Yeah." Nick nodded, sighing, raising his eyebrows, and stretching his body out in the chair, letting his hands rest on the back of his head, his elbows splayed.
"I hear that the two of 'um are getting themselves into trouble now." Birdie smiled at Nick.
"Yeah." Nick nodded again, his eyes twinkling. "Jasper tell you?" he asked his lips forming a small smile.
"Amelia did, sounds like they're turning into their parents before their time to me." Birdie smiled.
"Christ no, they're far more original than we ever were." Nick laughed as the phone began to ring in the background; he didn't move which Abby had discovered was his general reaction to the phone.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" Maggie questioned looking at Nick.
"He never answers the phone." Abby imparted.
"Could that not be Amelia or Jasper?" Birdie asked.
"No, they'd call my cell, or your cell right?" He said looking over at Abby.
"Probably yeah." She agreed
"Nick, pick up the fucking phone." Amelia's voice echoed through the apartment proving him wrong, all five of them sat up in their seats instantly. "Nick." Amelia said angrily as he bounded towards it, reaching it, almost pulling the entire fixture off the wall.
"What's wrong?" Nick's voice echoed through the room, he hadn't flicked the switch so the conversation was audible to everyone.
"I've called the house, I've called Abby's no one's anywhere." Amelia said obviously irate and upset.
"Yeah, everyone's here, what's wrong?" He asked, running his hand through his hair.
"Is Birdie there?" She asked Nick, asked them all.
"Yeah" Nick said, "Hold on, she's just coming." He said holding the phone out for Birdie who was standing up.
"No, no that's fine." Amelia said, composing herself, Nick frowned, putting the phone back to his ear pointlessly.
"Meals what's going on?" He asked.
"Um, yeah, listen, Lauren's triggering the vent and Jasper's disappeared." She said wearily.
"Lauren's awake?" Nick asked, a resolute relief sweeping his body.
"No, she's not woken up but she's making signs that she's breathing for herself, which is a step in the right direction." Amelia said an element of relief in her voice as well.
"So she's getting better?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, maybe, yeah, I think she is, they're leaving her on the vent for the rest of the night, only time will tell I guess." Amelia sighed into the phone.
"Good." Nick nodded.
"Yeah, listen has Jasper called you or…" She asked.
"No, I haven't heard from him what happened?" Nick asked frowning again.
"I don't know Nick, he said he was going to get coffee like three hours ago and he's not come back, and he's not in the hospital as far as I can tell." She sighed.
"Does he know about Lauren?" Nick asked, concern and confusion apparent in his voice.
"No, he buggered off before that." Amelia sighed.
"What do you need me to do?" Nick asked, clearly ready to do anything to make sure Amelia was okay.
"Can you get someone to stay with Immo or get someone else to just go and check places, my guess is that he's wasted in some bar somewhere, but check the house, or I don't know…" She trailed off.
"Absolutely." Nick nodded into the phone.
"Listen if you find him tell him that Lauren's breathing and that he needs to get back here before she wakes up." Amelia said calmly.
"Amelia do you need someone to come down there?" Nick asked still frowning.
"No, I need you to find Jasper and tell him that he needs to come down here now, and that he's a dickhead." Amelia sighed.
"Ok, but Birdie and your mother are making faces at me like they're about to head out the door." Nick told her glancing slightly perplexed between Maggie and Birdie who were both now standing gathering their belongings.
"No, Nick please, I don't want anyone else down here, tell them that it's fine." She said a begging edge to her voice.
"You're sure you're alright?" He frowned.
"Yeah, never better." She said sarcastically, pausing she added, "Listen Nick, I know I told him that I didn't need him earlier, but I do, if he wants to fuck off now then I can deal with it but tell him that he needs to tell me himself because he looks like a coward at the moment and I know he's not." Amelia said sighing again, falling suddenly silent.
"Meals I'll find him." Nick said conveying far more conviction than he felt.
"Thanks Nick." Amelia said genuinely.
"Not a problem." Nick smiled down the line as she hung up. The silence in the room was palpable as the dial tone sounded before Nick replaced the receiver.
"Bird can you?" Nick asked gesturing towards Imogen's room.
"Yeah, but you promise me you find him, and get his ass back there." Birdie said sternly, Nick nodded obediently.
"I'll come with you." Abby said decisively, again he nodded. Abby conferred briefly with Maggie, giving her the keys to her apartment, they both made for the door and headed out of the building towards Nick's car leaving Maggie, Birdie, Ed and Imogen behind them to begin their search.
There we go, tell me how you think it's going xx