Chapter 22 Nick

Nick was nearly nauseated with sorrow as he watched the light fade from Juliette's eyes. True he didn't love her, but he had in his former life and as twisted as Juliette had become, he believed she had loved him. He reached over and closed her eyes for the last time as someone opened the front door. It was Trubel and she holding his crossbow. She stopped in her tracks.

"I think she came here so I would kill her. When I couldn't do it at first, she almost killed me," Nick finally choked out.

Looking back and forth between Juliette's body and him, Trubel said, "She probably would have." Then with a sudden fear in her eyes, Trubel stressed, "Nick they're coming. I've been part of an organization to keep a Wesen civil war from happening and those I report to are on their way. Agent Chavez is part of it." That was all Trubel got out before several figures dressed in all black busted into his house from both entrances. They grabbed Trubel and him as Trubel yelled, "No, what are you doing? Don't hurt him." Someone put a cloth, soaked in a solution of some sort, over his nose and mouth then Nick's vision closed to blackness.

Waking on his floor, Nick realized it was morning. His night had been filled with drug induced nightmares of his mother's head floating and multiplying all over the house, then having to kill Juliette over again. His mouth was pasty and his eyes were very dry. It must have been a side effect of whatever drug they used to put him out, Nick thought. Trubel?! It came back to him in a rush. Juliette's body was where she fell, minus Trubel's machete, but his mother's head was gone. What the hell?! Nick scoured the house for Trubel or any clue as to what had happened. After losing his mother and having to take Juliette's life, Nick could not lose Trubel as well. She was like family to him, at least what family he could remember. He had to find this Agent Chavez and he had to report Juliette's death to the captain. Maybe he should call Hank. At that moment his phone rang. Speaking of Hank, he thought looking at the screen.

Later that day, Nick shoved Agent Chavez into the spice shop. Nick was in hot water with the captain, put on leave for confronting Chavez in her office, and kidnapping a federal agent could end his career landing him in jail, but Nick was not going to lose Trubel. It was bad enough he had to explain that he killed Juliette to Renard. At least Sean understood what Juliette had been like at the end. He coordinated with Wu, Hank, and Nick to find a credible story. It may have been self defense, but no one would ever buy that a police detective could be in mortal danger from his veterinarian girlfriend. With signs of a struggle evident, they all settled on Juliette interrupted a robbery that turned violent and the perpetrator killed her. They had removed several items from Nick's home to support that story.

As Nick stood in front of Chavez, he was tired and strained. All he had done and lied about was eating at him, yet should Nick have let Juliette kill him with a son on the way and Adalind under his protection, not to mention Trubel needed him right now. No, Nick had too many people he cared about depending on him to treat his own life so cheap. Now was the time for answers, but Chavez wasn't budging. All she would say was that her life didn't matter and there was too much at stake. Nick was frustrated and Trubel could be running out of time. Just then, his phone rang. "It's Bud," he told those in the room. "I got to take this." Answering he asked, "Bud, everything okay?"

"No, no Adalind, Adalind went into labor. She's having your baby," Bud responded anxiously. Nick's heart began to race with anticipation.

"Where are you?" Nick asked.

"St. Joe's. You got to be here," Bud returned while Nick could hear Adalind groaning through the phone. "Oh, oh, Nick it's happening. Hurry up," Bud stressed.

"On my way," he finished with Bud then turned to everyone else saying, "Adalind's in labor. I've got to go."

"Don't worry about her," Monroe said looking at Chavez. "She's not going anywhere."

"Nick, I'm going with you," Rosalee stated following him up the stairs.

Nick drove faster than was probably safe, alarmed that something might go wrong before he could get there. Arriving on the maternity floor, they met Bud at the nurse's station and someone ushered him into the delivery room. Adalind was bent in two moaning with her effort, then she laid back to catch her breath. That's when she saw him. "Nick, you're here," she managed between pains. Was it his imagination or did she seem desperately relieved to have him there? Nick rushed to her side as she clutched his arm with her next contraction. He brushed some of her hair away from her flushed face and held her hand as the doctor at the end of the bed told her to push. Another person in scrubs reported something to the doctor as an alarm went off. Adalind gripped his hand fiercely and took a deep breath saying, "It's coming again."

"No, no. Don't push," the doctor ordered as the nurse reported something with more concern.

"What's wrong?" Nick inquired with a knot in his stomach.

"We've lost the baby's heart beat," the physician supplied, then barked at the nurse, "Get her on her side, now."

Adalind pleaded with fear in her eyes, "What's happening?"

"I don't know," he responded looking at the doctor then back at her face.

"Something's stressing the baby. We need to do an emergency C-section," explained the doctor as they began wheeling Adalind away. No, Nick thought, I don't want to leave her side.

"Can I go with her?" he asked another nurse.

"Normally, yes, but we don't have time for you to dress in scrubs. We'll come get you as soon as they're finished, okay" said the nurse reassuringly. Rosalee walked up and put her hand on his arm.

"I'm sure they will both be fine," she told him in her soothing voice.

He ran his hand across his face as he restlessly paced the room feeing helpless to do anything. Nick didn't really believe in a God, but it couldn't hurt to try. Please bring them both back to me safe and I will do everything I can to make them happy. Adalind would know how much she already meant to him, Nick vowed to himself. The next fifteen minutes felt like an eternity, when he finally growled, "Where the hell are they?"