So apologies for the long wait, and only one chapter today…but it is a long one. Forgive me? Thanks for the super efficient reviewers last time, all within 40 minutes of posting...you are awesome.
Chapter Thirty
Sunday 30th June
The stitching finished they both helped Jack to his feet and laid him on the bed in Nikki's spare room to sleep it off. The room hadn't changed since the last time Harry had been there nearly a year ago. Nikki pulled off Jack's boots and closed the curtains. Harry went back to the kitchen to bring him a glass of water.
"I don't know how he did that?" Harry commented when they had tidied the mess and sat down again. "He didn't make a sound."
"Jack's tough." Nikki agreed.
Harry looked at her to see if he could read an extra meaning into her phrase. She thought Jack was tough, but did that mean she thought he was weak?
"He's been good to me since Leo died," Nikki continued. She paused obviously deep in thought.
"Did YOU ask him to leave the chocolate bars?" she asked suddenly remembering that Harry had done the same thing, years before.
Harry hesitated and then nodded.
"I didn't know what else to do Nikki. You wouldn't return any of my calls. I was worried about you. I knew you wouldn't be eating properly. I am really sorry I didn't make it back for the funeral."
"So you've said," she said more coolly. "If you were leaving anyway, why didn't you just take the time off and screw the consequences?"
Harry thought for a while, she had a good point but he hadn't been sure at that point that he was leaving.
"I wasn't planning on leaving then," he admitted.
"So what changed your mind? You have a falling out with Candy?"
"You could say that…" Harry trailed off.
"I knew there was something there," Nikki crowed.
"Nikki, there was never anything there on my part."
"So there was on hers?" Nikki questioned.
"Candy didn't like people saying no to her, I was just a challenge."
"So she asked and you did turn her down?" Her eyes flashed up to his for an instant then.
Harry nodded. "Candy represented everything that was rotten about the American Dream, the selfishness, the greed, the power lust, the disregard for anything or anyone other than yourself and those in a position to help you. I didn't like it, I didn't like her. It wasn't me Nikki. I didn't fit there. It wasn't my dream."
"But the job was such a good one!"
"A job's a job Nikki, it was just a job it wasn't my life. It wasn't what I wanted my life to be."
"But what actually happened then in the last three and a half weeks?"
"A lot's happened; the whole department got investigated for fraud…"
"Harry!"
"I got disciplined for taking time to help Mrs Finkelstein when she collapsed one Saturday…"
"Harry? Is she alright?" Nikki asked, remembering the old woman with fondness.
"She's fine, just got a bit of sunstroke, it's a long story."
"Oh,"
"And I learned how it felt to be left behind."
"Harry…" this time Nikki's voice was quieter, calmer. "So you've come back?"
Harry shook his head and Nikki felt the tears prickle, the ones that so far she had kept at bay.
"I've not come back, I've moved to England and I'm going to do something new."
"You're what?" Nikki sounded disbelieving now.
"It was Leo's idea really." Harry admitted. He heard Nikki's rough intake of air when he mentioned Leo again. "We have to talk about Leo," Harry insisted.
"I can't Harry," Nikki cried her voice wobbling.
"Then you'll have to listen," he continued calmly. "You are aware than I'm an executor of Leo's will."
She looked up at him, confusion playing across her face. Harry began again. This conversation would have been so much easier had she read the letter first, he'd written everything so carefully.
"After Theresa's death, when you had only just joined the team, Leo made me an executor of his will. We talked about it the last time I spoke to him just before you all went to Afghanistan. I didn't know the contents of the will, but I did know his wishes for his funeral and worked with Francis on the details of the service and burial. I made sure Leo was kept at the Lyell for as long as possible for you and that the undertakers did the best they could for him. The solicitor has since sent me a copy of the will and I have to advise the beneficiaries."
"I know what an executor does," Nikki interrupted brusquely.
"That's what I put in the letter you haven't got yet. Nikki, Leo has left his monetary assets in a trust to benefit disadvantaged students at LSSE, to fund a scholarship programme and some more to other charities, his cousin has a nominal gift but his physical assets, his house, his car, his books, his belongings all those he left to us."
"What do you mean to us?"
"I mean that when probate is granted we will become the joint owners of Leo's house, car and anything else in there."
"We? We will own his house?"
Harry nodded. Nikki pushed her chair back from the table.
"Oh now I get it," she said calmly. "Now I know what this is all about."
"Nikki?" Harry was puzzled. He thought she'd be pleased at the news, she'd seemed much calmer in the last few minutes. Leo's house wasn't massive but its location would mean it would be worth half a million at the very least and probably a lot more. Nikki was looking like he'd just kicked her in the shins. She walked over to him and put her face up close to his.
"So this new venture of yours, you're here to get your hands on my share of the money are you? Buy me out? Expect me to loan you my share until you're on your feet. Or are you just selling your flat and planning on moving straight in to Leo's! Is that why you're here? Is that why you're back? Is that what you found out in the last three and a half weeks? You bastard! I think you'd better go!"
She stood back to allow him access to the door her eyes glowing with rage.
"Nikki, you've got it all wrong," he began.
"Save it… I don't want to hear it. Just get out!"
"Is there a problem?" asked Jack, his tall form appearing in the doorway.
"No, no problem at all. Harry was just leaving weren't you?" Nikki said.
"Erm yes," he stood but he didn't move. He could feel Jack staring at him, bunching and unbunching his injured fists and Nikki glaring at the table.
"I heard you were leaving," Jack growled threateningly.
"Well?" she said.
Harry looked down at the mess of envelopes still over her kitchen table and started pushing them around.
"What is it?" she cried.
"I think you said you had my new bank card?" he replied.
Nikki picked up the pile of mail and thrust it into his hands.
"Go!"
"We do have to talk about this," Harry repeated calmly. He wasn't even close to losing his temper with her. Not this time, all those months of dealing with Candy, he wasn't going to lose it over a little hissy fit like this. "I'm not here to rip you off. I promise." He wanted to touch her hand, make her understand that he wasn't her father or any of the other losers who had ripped her off and lied to her in the past. "Please?"
"Not now though," she replied her voice softening slightly.
Harry looked at his bags in the hallway; he wasn't looking forward to dragging those across town to either his mother's or Leo's.
"Just take what you need and leave the rest in the spare room," Nikki stated exasperatedly. She'd wanted him gone, out of her face, but she couldn't seem even to manage that now. Harry picked up a case and Jack wheeled the other one whilst Nikki paced about her kitchen having second, third and fourth thoughts about what she had just said and done.
"I'll be off too then," Jack said genially from the doorway having reappeared. Harry was close behind with his hand luggage and a smaller rucksack that must have been in one of the cases.
"I'll see you tomorrow Jack," Nikki said.
"Thanks for the help," Jack replied.
"I'll be at my mother's or Leo's," Harry said even though Nikki hadn't asked where he was going. "I have to start to sort through his things. It would be a help if you could pop in after work some days too; it's your stuff as much as mine." Harry suggested.
"You left me on my own at the funeral," Nikki retorted thunderously. "I shouldn't have had to have done that by myself."
"You didn't," Harry answered. "You had Jack, my mother was there and I'd done all the ground work with Francis, the coroner and undertakers. Emptying the house Nikki, it's not a job that should be done alone. Not when it belongs to the two of us."
"Don't you dare tell me what it's like to empty someone's house," she said darkly.
"I'm sorry Nikki," Harry said hastily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just I'm really not looking forward to it and I have no right to get rid of something that is just as much yours as mine."
"I'll see," she said sullenly.
Jack opened the door and let Harry through.
"Bye Nikki, see you tomorrow. Thanks."
"Bye Jack," she replied. She watched them walk down the path, "Oh and Jack?"
"Yes?"
"You're not going to punch Harry in the face the minute I shut this door are you?"
"The face?" Jack questioned innocently. He looked back to see Nikki's hard stare.
"Now why would I do something like that?" Jack asked. "You've only just cleaned up my knuckles."
"Jack!" she called warningly.
"So you just vetoed punching him in the face. Are there other places that are OK?"
"Jack!" she shouted again.
"Spoilsport!" called back Jack.
"Aguafiestas!" muttered Harry with an ironic grin.
"Pardon?" Jack asked. "I can't make an enemy of him," he called back over his shoulder. "You said he did the best stitching, I may need him again."
"I'm all out of suture thread," she shouted down the path.
"I'll get Clarissa to order some for you," he replied cheekily.
Harry didn't turn round but he did smile. She must still care about him a tiny bit despite all she had said today. Turning up out of the blue like that would have been a shock, especially as she had seen that letter about his flat being for sale. It would take a while for anyone to adjust and she hadn't received his letter. It was obvious to him too that she was far from well.
"Thanks for stitching me up Professor." Jack said.
"It's Harry now; just Harry."
"Same time next week then?" Jack asked. "I'll need your number."
Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head and walked off in the direction of the tube. He noticed Jack veer off in the opposite direction, maybe he lived close by, or maybe he was still too drunk to remember the way to the underground station. Harry hoped he wasn't supposed to escort him to the tube, he'd had enough of company for a while and he'd only been back in the country a couple of hours.
