Finally!! A new chapter. Sorry for the delay in posting.
CHAPTER 13
Two weeks passed by quickly.
Nick was moving forward
remarkably well, all things considered. He was attending his
counselling sessions regularly and was ticking all the boxed
necessary to get him back to work as soon as possible. He was still
requiring sedation to help him sleep at night sans nightmares, and he
was becoming less dependant on the anti-anxiety medication during the
day. There were still moments when his hands would start shaking and
the anxiety would increase as he tried to control the trembling, but
it was resolving more quickly than in the first few days post
abduction.
His mother was close by with steadying hands which
would envelope his clutched ones and hold them until the shakes
subsided, or gently rub his back until the panic was controlled. As
humiliating as it was to have to go through the rebuilding of his
life so publicly, Nick was more grateful than he could ever put into
words for his Moms support.
But, finally, the time came for her
to return home to Texas. It was just over three weeks since his
rescue and Jillian could not delay her court commitments any longer.
She remained desperately worried about her youngest child, but he
steadfastly refused to burden her any more by going back to Texas -
even temporarily.
Nick had been preparing himself mentally for
his mothers departure for several days but, when the taxi arrived to
take her to the airport, he found he had to fight back tears as he
hugged her farewell - clinging to her and whispering a quiet 'thank
you' before promising to head back home more often. Jillian had
elected to take a taxi despite Catherine's offer to drive her,
suspecting Nick might need her company once she had left.
Catherine
stayed with Nick all afternoon - chatting about the 'real' world
outside of Nicks townhouse and sitting through 'Meet the Fockers' -
which made him laugh for the first time since he was abducted.
Catherine watched the smile lines on his face return and some of the
weariness disappear. She smiled and brought her arm up to gently rub
at his bicep, relieved at the glimpses of the 'old Nick' shining
through.
When the movie credits finally rolled, Catherine got up
and headed to the kitchen to make them both some dinner. She was
surprised when Nick appeared.
"You don't have to do this,
Cath. I can just order some take out."
Catherine rolled her
eyes as she tended the pan of spaghetti sauce.
"Its not a
problem, Nick. Besides, I promised your Mom that I'd take good care
of you - that means making sure you eat well. Take out is not eating
well, Nicky."
Nick ducked his head but didn't respond.
Catherine shot him a sideways look when he remained quiet. Nicks head
was still cast downwards, his hands clutched together tightly and his
eyes squeezed shut. Dropping the stirrer against the side of the pan,
Catherine went quickly to his side and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Sweetie." she said quietly, bending her head to
try and make eye contact, "Are you OK?"
She could feel
a light tremor running through his body.
"Nicky, you need to
sit down."
Catherine was concerned. He had been perfectly
fine only twenty minutes ago, laughing along with the movie.
Nicks
head started shaking from side to side as he mumbled out his reply.
" 'm fine, 'm 'K."
He raised his head as he spoke
and Catherine felt the shaking subside just as quickly as it had
started. Just as suddenly, a light sheen of perspiration broke out
over his face and he brought up an arm to swipe it away.
He
choked out a humourless chuckle and met Catherine's eyes. She noticed
the weariness was back with a vengeance.
"It's alright,
Cath. Just the goddamn anxiety attacks. Been livin' with 'em a lot
lately."
His chuckle caught in his throat and his eyes
glinted with pent up emotion. He took some steadying breaths,
crossing his arms tightly against his chest, and closed his eyes once
more to anchor him.
Catherine sighed with helplessness.
"Oh,
Sweetie, come here." she said in almost a whisper as she
tightened her hold on his shoulder and drew him into an embrace. As
she held him tightly she could feel the remnants of the tremors deep
within him.
Finally his arms unfolded and came around Catherine's
shoulders to reciprocate the embrace as his breathing returned to
normal and the tension ebbed away.
"Thanks, Cath." he
murmured, his head still burrowed against her.
Catherine squeezed
him tightly, a hand cupped at the back of his head, before answering.
"You're welcome, Nick."
They pulled away and Nick
ducked his head slightly in embarrassment.
Catherine turned back
to the spaghetti sauce, giving him some space and pretending not to
notice.
"Are you still going to see Kelly Gordan next week?"
She hadn't intended to ask the question. It had just slipped out.
Nick folded his arms again and flicked a sidewards glance at
Catherine's back. He was sick of everyone asking him about it.
Questioning his ability to make his own decisions.
"Yes."
The answer was short and firm - there would be no discussion, no
talking him out of it.
Catherine nodded and turned to face him
again.
"I'm glad Grissom's going with you." she said,
meeting his eyes. "I appreciate you feel you have to do this,
Nick. Just...take care of yourself, OK?"
Nick smiled at her
- a forced smile which didn't quite make it to his eyes.
"I'll
be OK, Cath. I need to do this. I'm doing this for me. No-one else."
Catherine maintained the eye contact for a moment longer, seeing
the determination within.
"OK." she said
She turned
back to the pot of boiling water and added the spaghetti.
"And,
Cath?" he said.
"Mmm?" she answered
"I'm
glad Gris is coming too."
Catherine turned and smiled at him
- a genuine smile full of warmth and maternal affection.
He
smiled back - a genuine smile this time too - and turned to set up
his dining room table for dinner.
A very quick chapter this time. I'll try and get some time to finish this story up over the next couple of weeks. Thanks for reading and please review.
