Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Sixteen:
"I Knew You Were Trouble, pt. 3: Vision or Death?"
Going against Dr. Merar's advice to rest and take it easy, Stefania showed up to Barkley Ranch and informed everyone on how worried she was about Nick. She talked about her fears of her angry father getting to Nick and Nick not wanting anything to do with her since he had not checked in with her like he promised. Victoria, Jarrod, and Heath reassured her that Nick does indeed care about her before informing her that he wanted what her father wanted...revenge. This exacerbated Stefania's fright as she knew her father sent her uncle Paulie and his (Carmine's) friends after Seth McMahon and his gang plus Nick. She started crying and said if anything happened to Nick, she would never forgive herself. Prior to that, Victoria voiced an idea of inviting the Mangano family over to Barkley Ranch for a dinner or something in order to show them, mainly Carmine, that not all white people are the same; bigots. Understandably, Stefania was not enthusiastic about it due to the fact that her brother Vincent, her cousin Italia, Paulie, and Carmine were very pig headed. Afterwards, Stefania, Jarrod, and Victoria each rode off in pursuit of Nick. Meanwhile, Nick's interrogation turned to torture when Massimo sliced his arm before participating in nearly drowning him with the help of Paulie. Then, they took turns beating the ever living daylights out of him. Nick tried to fight them off as he usually did when people roughed him up, but since he hadn't eaten for a long time, exhaustion and dizziness started to take over. As fate would have it, Paulie, Massimo, and the others started arguing with each other which bought Nick some time to find his clothes and escape. Nick had been running when a gunshot rang out and he fell to the ground. The questions that remain are as follows: Was Nick shot? Who fired the shot? Will he regain consciousness and manage to get to Stockton or will Paulie, Massimo, or possibly Carmine find him and take him off somewhere? Will Stefania, Victoria, and Jarrod find him? What's happening? Stay tuned and find out!
Author's Note: I do NOT own The Big Valley or its characters. I ONLY own this fic and the characters of: Stefania Mangano, Carmine Mangano Sr, Carmine's friends, Paulie Mangano, Leonard Barkley, Seth & his gang, and the Mangano family. This is the third to however many parts in this second multi parter saga. You get the idea by now and also, this one may be a brief chapter. However, we shall see :D
(Flashback to part 15)
"Alright. I'm going for Nick. You're welcome to seguimi (follow me)." Stefania climbed into the wagon.
"Stefania, you're-" Jarrod cut her off.
"I know, Jarrod. I should be resting. It is Dr. Merar's orders, but I cannot rest knowing that my-I mean knowing that Nick is in danger. I simply can't, Jarrod. Now, I must go. Arrivederci." Stefania waved "Goodbye" to Jarrod and everyone before tapping the horses, "Giddyup. Giddyup."
Victoria and everyone else watched in total silence as Stefania rode off, before Jarrod got mounted on his horse and followed her.
"I hope they're careful." Audra stood next to her mother.
"Oh, they will be." Victoria walked back into the barn and came out with her wagon and horse.
"Mother, you're-" Heath was cut off.
"Yes, Heath, I am. Like I did with your father that many years ago when he went off to search for Nick, I'm going to do it again." Victoria climbed into her wagon, "I shall return and so should Nick. I hope."
"Be careful, mother." Heath told her.
"I will. I promise." Victoria leaned down and gave him a kiss on the head before riding off.
"I guess we should get back inside before Eugene starts to wonder where everybody went." Heath turned to Audra.
Audra didn't say anything and just nodded before going back inside, Heath following suit.
*Back with Nick*
Massimo and Paulie continued to take turns dunking Nick into the trough before finally stopping and switching to taking turns tossing him to the ground & beating the ever living daylights out of him. At first, Nick fought back with everything he had, but after a while, he started to grow exhausted due to the pain and lack of energy which was a result of no food.
"Looks like pretty boy can't take it anymore." Massimo chuckled.
"Oh, that's a shame considering on how hard he was fighting us beforehand." Paulie smirked and shook his head before turning to Nick, "You know something, Signor McMahon, if you had enough brains and sense, you would fess up by now and tell us where the others are hiding. You know, make it easy for yourself, but you choose not to. Why?"
"Yeah, pretty boy. You don't have to take all of this. You're much too good looking and nice a guy to let yourself be in your position now. Much too good looking and nice." Massimo got down beside Nick and stroked his face in a very creepy way.
"Massimo, seriously?" Arturo asked, clearly weirded out by what he was doing.
"What, Arturo? I'm not allowed to look at spine fecimens I mean fine specimens? You see what you did? You messed me up!" Massimo turned to Arturo and gave him a look.
"You're really handsy, Massimo. Really handsy." Enzo cringed.
"I'm not handsy! I'm affectionate and it's in our culture to be affection, is it not?" Massimo stood up and walked over to the two men.
Pretty soon, overlapping arguing ensued both in the English and Italian languages. Vito, Paulie, and Luca would join the argument. Seeing this, Nick stood up and after spotting an opened door behind him, he slowly and very quietly made his way to the door and then outside. He started to search around for his clothes and after a few seconds, he found them, put them on as best as he could, and made a run for it despite the fact that he was feeling very weak and dizzy plus being in a lot of pain as a result of being tossed to the ground and beaten many times.
After a getting a few miles away from what appeared to be an abandoned barn on an abandoned derelict ranch, Nick stopped running due to the dizziness going in overdrive and really starting to take its toll on him. As he looked around, it felt as if his head was spinning while everything around him was in slow motion. He knew he had to keep going and try to get into Stockton or Massimo, Paulie, and their friends would catch up to him and take him back, but he didn't think he had enough energy to keep going.
*Nick's POV*
'Oh man! I gotta keep going! I can't give up now. I can't.'
I lean against a tree due to the dizziness coming back.
'I don't know if I can, though. My head feels like a windmill on a windy day and I'm starting to feel like I could throw up despite the fact that I haven't eaten and there wouldn't be anything in there for me to throw up.'
I groan and put my forehead against my arm.
'Come on, Nick. Be a man! You're a Barkley for crying out loud! You went through an entire war and your father could go days without eating while working. What's wrong with you?! Get it together!'
I lift my forehead off of my arm and look around.
'Come on, Nick. Move your feet and get going! Come on now!'
I start to walk only to stop when my head felt like a windmill on a windy day and put my hand on my forehead. I let out a breathy sigh.
'Cut the horsing around! Get going, Nick!'
*Outside of Nick's mind*
Nick managed to muster up enough strength to keep on running. As he was running, he could hear the sound of hoof beats following him. Not knowing whether it was Paulie, Massimo, or one of their friends or somebody coming to rescue him, he decided to stay by himself and keep going. After all, every man for himself, right?
"Gotta keep going. Gotta keep going. Feet...don't...fail...me...now." Nick quietly said to himself as he kept running.
Then, before the blink of an eye...it happened! A gunshot rang out and Nick fell to the ground.
(Now)
The sound of footsteps could be heard approaching plus one could swear they heard the sound of a heartbeat in their ears. The next thing that happened was that a pair of legs could be seen standing over the unconscious Nick.
*Approximately two hours later*
Nick regained consciousness and looked around to see that he was in a beautiful bedroom in a nice comfortable bed. As he sat up, he looked into a nearby mirror and saw that he was in a nice and clean night shirt, his hair was neatly combed, and he was no longer wet from being dunked in the trough. After getting another good look at himself and the atmosphere around him, everything looked picture perfect yet there was something off. Completely off about everything.
*Nick's POV*
'There's something off about everything. Just off. I mean how could I go from practically being tortured to a degree to running like the devil was on my tail to waking up all dry, in a dry night shirt, and in a comfortable bed? How can all of that happen within...oh, who keeps track of anything anymore?'
I look back over at the mirror and see something I hadn't noticed before.
'Is that what I think it is?'
I see that I have a bandage around my head.
'Oh no! I was shot in the head! I was shot...in the...head!'
I lay against the head board and try to process it all.
'I was shot. I was running for my life and I got-I got shot. Who on Earth would've shot me?'
I start to think about it and a few people come to my mind.
'Considering what's happened to Stefania, a few people come to my mind almost immediately. Paulie Mangano, her uncle, Dodie Gunderson, the one who r*ped her, one of Mangano's friends, and...of course...Carmine Mangano himself.'
I nod and sigh.
'Considering that I failed to protect Stefania, I probably deserved it. Well, everything that has happened to me. Yeah, I deserve it. I deserve it! I had it coming!'
I get a weird look on my face.
'Wait a minute! No, I don't! Scratch all of that...please. I didn't r*pe Stefania, I am not friends with McMahon and his gang, I am not McMahon himself nor would I ever ever pretend to be, I didn't attack Stefania, and I'm not the typical white man Carmine Mangano thinks I am! I'm not!'
I shake my head.
'I'm...NOT! I'm not! In fact, I want what Carmine wants...to make Leonard, Seth McMahon, and the others pay dearly for what happened to her and I won't stop until I do and until I get Carmine to hopefully join forces with me.'
I remember how stubborn Stefania's father can be and scratch the back of my head.
'Then again, that man is just as stubborn as father was or worse. So, getting him to see that I am not the man he wants and to join me will be one difficult task to tackle, but I'll burn that bridge when I cross it. Right now, I need to figure out what in the damn hell is going on and why everything seems so perfect yet so off. Those other plans can wait.'
I nod again.
'Yeah, those plans can wait...but not for long.'
I hear footsteps approaching the door.
'Okay...this is it. The big reveal.'
*Outside of Nick's mind*
The door opened and in came...Tom Barkley. Nick's eyes got big, because this only meant one thing and one thing alone. He was either dreaming, having a vision, or...deceased. As he continued to lay there and look as if somebody got him from behind, Tom smiled and sat on the bed.
"Nicky, you're awake." Tom happily exclaimed before engulfing his son in a loving hug.
Nick didn't say anything or even move a muscle due to shock and absolute horror.
"My Nicky. My boy." Tom held Nick close to him and rubbed his back with both hands.
"Father...I'm-" Nick was cut off.
"Shhhh. Don't use up your energy, son. Besides, you don't have much to use up anyways. You need to eat." Tom kissed his son on the head.
"Father, I couldn't eat. Not after...Not after...what happened." Nick barely managed to get all of that out.
"Nick, what happened wasn't your fault. You've got to believe that." Tom gently pulled out of the embrace and cupped Nick's face with one hand.
"I can't. I just...can't. I promised to protect her and I failed. I failed her just like I failed you." Nick shook his head.
"Nick, you failed nobody. You need to stop beating yourself up on what happened to Stefania and me. You cannot stop the inevitable. Some things are beyond your control. You didn't know she was going to be r*ped and nobody ever thought I was going to be murdered in cold blood...especially by a friend turned enemy. Patrick "Pat" Hyatt. Just like how Jarrod didn't ever think Cass Hyatt would murder Beth while aiming for him. Some things just happen for reasons we will never know or fully understand. However, it is all a part of life, son. Good things happen when we most or least expect them and the same applies to the bad things that happen. It's all life and there's nothing we can do about it no matter how hard we try." Tom took a deep breath after explaining all of that.
"None of that should make sense to me, but...in a way...as I process it...it is all starting to make sense. However, I still feel awful for your murder and Stefania being r*ped, but a fat lot of good that's going to do for her or me, because...I'm dead." Nick cringed after saying the last part.
"Nick, you're-" Tom was cut off.
"I'm dead. Dead at the hands of either Paule Mangano, Dodie Gunderson, one of Carmine's friends, or even Carmine himself." Nick rubbed the sides of his head with his fingers.
"Nick, you're n-" Tom was cut off, again.
"I hope Carmine or whoever is satisfied. However, what will this do to mother, Jarrod, Audra, Heath, Eugene, or...Stefania?" Nick sighed.
"Nick, you're no-Oh, you'll realize in a while. Right now, you need to eat." Tom clearly wanted to tell Nick something, but decided it would be best for him to find out for himself.
"Father, I couldn't eat. Besides, why do I need to eat? What good does food do me now?" Nick couldn't believe his father would even think of eating at a time like this.
"Nick, you need your strength." Tom told him.
"Strength for what? What good will strength do me?" Nick raised an eyebrow.
"Nick, you need strength. Trust me." Tom told him before opening the door.
"Here you go, Nick." Beth walked in with a tray full of food plus a cup of coffee, a glass, and a bottle of whiskey & set it down on Nick's lap.
"B-Beth? Jarrod's Beth?" Nick was completely dumbfounded.
"That's right. How is Jarrod doing by the way?" Beth smiled.
"He's doing better since Cass Hyatt got a life sentence, but...he still thinks about you, Beth." Nick told her before staring down at his tray.
"I'm glad. I was afraid that he would forget about me after a while. I mean we only married after a whirlwind romance, but we didn't get to enjoy each other and the perks of marriage." Beth sighed sadly as the memories of her short time with Jarrod started to play out in her mind.
"Beth, he loved you. He really...really did. He misses you terribly just like how we all miss father whom I'm sure you have gotten acquainted with since your untimely departure." Nick poured himself a glass of whiskey and stared at it.
"We sure have and let me just say that if I were alive when Jarrod married her, I would've been proud to call her my daughter-in-law just like how I would've loved Stefania, Nick." Tom put his arm around Beth.
"Thank you, Mr. Barkley. Nick, your father is a wonderful and charming man." Beth hugged Tom.
"He sure is." Nick sighed and got a solemn look on his face, "Why? Why did you two have to be killed? Why did I have to join you?"
"Nick, there's bad people in the world and like I heard your father say, there are some things that you cannot control. As my aunt once told me, it was somebody else's time to go, not yours and in the case of your father and me...well, it was just our time." Beth said in a gentle way.
"It still isn't fair." Nick shook his head, "And it still isn't right."
"Nothing is fair, son. Nothing is fair." Tom put his hand on Nick's shoulder.
"You can say that again. Just like it isn't fair to Stefania, mother, Jarrod, Heath, Audra, and Eugene that I'm...gone." Nick grabbed his fork and moved the food around with it.
"Nick, you need your food. It won't go away no matter how much you move it around on your plate. Plus, like your mother and I taught you kids, never let good food go to waste." Tom waved his finger in a parent-like way.
"But what good will it-" Nick was cut off.
"You need your energy." Beth told him before leaving the room.
"Energy for-" Nick was cut off, again.
"Be a good boy and eat it all up. I'll be back for the tray." Tom ruffled his hair and left the room a few seconds after Beth did.
Nick stared at the door for a few minutes before turning his attention back to the plate. He couldn't make sense of what all was happening or why it was happening.
*Nick's POV*
'What in the world is happening and why? Why is it happening?'
I continue to stare at my plate.
'Why would I need food? Why do I need strength? I'm dead! I'm obviously dead, because father and Beth are with me. That's all there is to it.'
I think about mother, Jarrod, Heath, Audra, Eugene, and Stefania & sigh sadly.
'What are they going to do now? Who's going to run the ranch? How will they move forward? No, scratch that. How will Stefania move forward? Mother, Jarrod, Heath, Audra, and Eugene have experienced tragic losses and well...they go through the mourning period then go on with life, but Stefania...Stefania already lost her cousin Dominique and blames herself. What will happen with her once she finds out I'm gone?'
I put my head in my hands.
'I can't even begin to think about it. I can't!'
I groan.
'I don't understand anything anymore!'
*Outside of Nick's mind*
Nick lifted his head from his hands, picked his fork back up, and continued to move the food around on the plate. He just couldn't even think about eating let alone bring himself to do as so much as to take a bite for two reasons; One, he figured that since he was possibly deceased, there was no reason for him to build up his energy. What would he build it up for anyways? The way things seemed to look, he wasn't going to do any more ranch duties, horseback riding, playing poker, taking Stefania on any dates, checking up on her, getting his planned revenge, or protecting his family/snapping a few bones when the time called for it & two, the food looked anything, but appetizing. It was safe to say that nobody would even consider feeding it to a dog.
After a while, Nick's stomach did start to rumble a little bit and despite the fact that he couldn't bring himself to touch the food, Nick ended up deciding that for what it could've been worth and so his father & his sister-in-law would get off their "you need your strength" kick to start eating, albeit very reluctantly. He had to admit one thing: the food may have not looked appetizing by appearance, but by taste standards, it was still delicious.
*15 minutes later*
Nick had managed to finish up his food and was in the process of getting his usual outfit on when Tom came in through the door.
"Nicky!" Tom folded his arms.
"Father, I'm going to-" Nick was cut off.
"You're up and about! Thank heavens!" Tom was smiling and almost had tears in his eyes.
"Then again, what's the point?" Nick took off his black pants and white button up shirt, tossed them aside, and put his night shirt back on.
"Nick, what are you doing?" Tom asked.
"What does it look like? I'm putting my night shirt back on. I mean what's the point in getting in my usual uniform? What's the point?" Nick sat back down on the bed.
"But Nick, you need to get up and be active." Tom told him.
"Why? I have no use to be active anymore. After all, I'm dead and dead people do not need to be active. They simply don't. All they do is roam around the after life. That's all and haunt houses. I cannot forget that." Nick put his hands behind his head and laid against the pillow.
"Nick, you need to get up. You have to get up and go!" Tom insisted.
"I don't have or need to go anywhere. I'm fine where I am." Nick shook his head.
"But Nick-" Tom was cut off.
"Where would I go? Where...would...I..go?" Nick asked.
"You need to go, Nick." Tom insisted once more.
"Father, you seem to be in a hurry to get rid of me. Okay, I'll go wherever, but first thing's first, we need to talk." Nick sat up on his head and made a spot for Tom to sit down.
"Okay, son but we may not have enough time to cover everything." Tom sat down on the bed.
"What do you mean? We have loads of time. Eternity is timeless. There's no time or limit." Nick told him.
"That's true, but-" Tom was interrupted.
"Oh...Oh, I get it. I...get...it." Nick started to put two and two together or so it seemed.
"You do?" Tom asked.
"I have to go before Saint Peter and go over everything I did in life before I get my permanent stay here or go straight to the depths of hell in order to redeem myself of any wrongdoing before I get to come here. I completely forgot that, that's how it went." Nick nodded.
"No, Nick. That's...not...it." Tom shook his head.
"It's not? I thought we were taught that and that, that's how it-I'm confused." Nick sported a confused look on his face.
"Oh no, that's how it goes according to the bible, but-" Tom was interrupted, again.
"But what?" Nick asked before scratching the back of his head and putting his index finger on his lower lip, thinking about something, and getting bug eyed, "Father...you don't mean...you don't...don't...mean-"
"I don't mean what?" Tom asked.
"No, father. You can't mean it! You simply can't!" Nick looked away from Tom.
"What, Nick?" Tom asked, again.
"You can't mean that I'm going straight to hell! I tried my best to be perfect in life!" Nick's voice sounded like it was going to break.
"Now Nick, whatever made you come up with that?" Tom put a hand on his son's shoulder.
"The look on your face and well...everything that has happened." Nick laid back down and put his face into his pillow.
"What do you mean?" Tom asked.
"Father, think about it. Really think about it. I failed to protect Stefania from being attacked & r*ped, I failed to save you the night you were murdered, I almost choked Heath out during the time I was engaged to Hester, I went after that Layle Johnson, who was a married woman, I made the mistake of not getting a bill of sale for that cow Heath and I got from McGowan who then accused us of stealing it which resulted in us being sent to that prison, Heath almost died as a result the horrible treatment he got in that prison, what I said to you when we were feuding before you were killed, and just being a problem child at times!" Nick sounded like he was going to cry.
Instead of saying anything, Tom remained silent and let everything Nick said sink in and process. It shattered his heart hearing Nick say all of that and practically punish himself for all of that. He knew half of it was guilt and the other half was anger.
*Tom's POV*
'Poor Nick. I had no idea. No idea that he held that much guilt and anger inside of himself.'
I roll my eyes and shake my head after hearing myself say all of that.
'Well, of course, I didn't. I've been gone for many years, so how would I know? What a dumb thing to say! Anyways, that is besides the point. The point is Nick has been harboring guilt and anger for a long long long time. I'm surprised that he hasn't told Victoria or Jarrod or anybody.'
I think about that and come to a conclusion.
'I'll bet he has been covering it all up with his tough exterior and a smile. In fact, I know he has, because I did the same thing when I was alive.'
I cringe at that last part.
'Augh! I'm still getting used to saying that after all of these years.'
I look down at Nick and hear him quietly crying into his pillow.
'Oh, Nicky. Don't cry, because whenever you did that...I did that.'
I inhale and try to hold back any tears that threaten to spill.
'I can do this. I can...do...this. Be strong, Tom. Be strong. After all, he's not a little boy anymore.'
I gently lift Nick up from his pillow, embrace him in a hug, and rub his back while shushing him.
'There, there, Nicky. Let it all out. I'm here.'
*Outside of Tom's mind*
Tom held the crying Nick close to him and tried to comfort him as best as he could. He offered no words of comfort as he felt it would be insincere and he knew that words wouldn't erase the guilt and self anger Nick had been harboring for years. Words would possibly add more to the pain which was the last thing Tom would ever want to do to Nick, Victoria or any of his children, even Heath, had he lived long enough to have met and gotten to know him.
"Nick, I...I...I really hate to break it to you, but you really must go." Tom spoke up after another long moment of silence.
"No, father. I-I can't go. Besides, I have nowhere else to go." Nick sniffled.
"Nick, you need to g-" Tom was interrupted, again.
"Father, I have nowhere to go. I mean I'm dead, so why would I need to go any place when I'm where I should be?" Nick tightened his part of the hug.
"I understand, but Nick, you need to go. You just need to go." Tom persisted.
"Go where? I have nowhere to go! Don't you get it! Then again, when you were alive, you were always in a hurry to leave! Always!" Nick stood up from his bed, walked over to a window, and turned his back to Tom.
"Nick, you know I had to be away on cattle drives plus business trips. You know that." Tom stood up and walked over to Nick.
"I know, but you always seemed to be in a hurry. Like you are now. I tell you I want to go over some things, but it's as if you don't wanna listen." Nick still had his back turned to his father.
Tom took another moment to absorb Nick's words and sported a look of remorse on his face.
"I mean you're in a hurry for me to go off somewhere. Didn't you hear me when I said that I blame myself for not being able to stop your murder, not protecting Stefania, nearly choking Heath out, and being a troublesome kid at times while growing up among other things plus how awful I feel about that feud we had prior to your murder? Did you not hear me say that?" Nick turned around to face Tom and put his hands on his hips.
"Yes, I heard you, Nick and quite frankly, it breaks my heart that you have been bottling it up and hiding it with your tough exterior and smile. However, I told you that my murder was beyond your control. You had no way of knowing I was going to be shot in cold blood nor did you have any way of preventing it. It's just one of those tragedies that happens. Does it make it right? Absolutely not, but it's just one of those things unfortunately. I thought I made this clear to you already." Tom got closer to Nick.
"You did. Everybody has, but it doesn't change the way I feel. It just doesn't. I live with that guilt and the "shoulda woulda coulda" routine. I know I shouldn't, but I...watched you...I watched you...I watched you die in my arms..." Nick paused as fresh tears rolled down his cheeks, "I watched you take your last breath and die right in my arms. I can't ever let go of that. Ever. Nobody should have to watch their loved one or even a close friend die right there in front of their eyes. It's one thing when it is somebody in the military and on the battlefield, but when it's somebody near and dear to you...it hits harder. Harder than you ever imagined."
"Son, I know watching me pass away is something you'll never forget, but you need to realize that it was not your fault. You're not to blame for me dying." Tom shook his head.
"I know, I know, but you wouldn't have died if I went with you to Barkley Mine!" Nick pounded his fist on the wall.
"Nick, you know I told you not to go with me. You knew the rule I had for all of us. One Barkley goes up there. One!" Tom held up one finger.
"I know that, but it wouldn't have hurt to break that rule just for one time. It wouldn't have hurt, but no, you disregarded all of our concerns and went by yourself. Lord knows why." Nick slightly raised his voice.
"Because I wanted to see what was going on up there and find out who was responsible for the trouble making and the murder of Septimus Clayton and Dr. Millard Drysdale! That's all I was doing!" Tom also raised his voice a bit.
"I know, father. We all know. We all knew you were hurting and were not in the right state of mind, but it wouldn't have hurt you to let one of us go with you. I mean Clayton and Drysdale were two of the toughest men alive, yet they got killed by Pat Hyatt, the same man who killed you. Would it have hurt you to listen to each of our concerns then let one of us go with you?" Nick was almost nose-to-nose with his father.
"Nick, I didn't need anybody babysitting me. Besides, Septimus and Millard were two of my best friends from childhood and I wanted to avenge them in a way." Tom told him.
"Nobody was trying to babysit you. You were just being too stubborn and stupid to listen to our concerns!" Nick threw his arms up.
"You're calling me stubborn and stupid?" Tom folded his arms.
"No, I'm not calling you that. I'm saying that you were being that way plus pig headed." Nick told him.
"You and everyone else can call it what you like, but I call it trying to right a wrong." Tom sounded a bit terse.
"Well, you sure did a fine job at doing that. You got killed while doing what you intended to do." Nick shook his head.
"I know. However, that's all a part of the game. When you go out on a mission, you're always faced with the possibility of never coming home. I didn't intend on getting killed. It just happened and at the hands of somebody who tried to kill you after the accidental death of his own son at your hands." Tom pointed out.
"Do you have to remind me of John Hyatt's death? That one still haunts me." Nick replied.
"Well, his death is the reason Pat tried to kill you and why I went after him. After your mother stopped me, our family and the Hyatts began feuding over everything and what drew the line was Pat losing to me in a poker game. He was always known to be a bitter loser about everything ranging from his divorce to his father's farm. Then again, he was a terrible spender. The point is he took things too far and it cost three lives. It could've cost more had you and Jarrod plus your mother went with or without me to Barkley Mine. I didn't want any of you getting hurt or killed. I just didn't. I'd rather take it for the team than get people hurt or killed." Tom explained.
"You could've had Fred and a posse go with you up there." Nick told him.
"And cost them their lives? No dice. You shouldn't forget that Pat Hyatt could take a whole mob of people out singlehandedly. He was that good of a shot. However, that's nowhere near the point. My point is that I first wanted to avenge my friends by confronting Pat and hopefully putting an end to our feud before turning him over to Fred, even if I had to hog tie him in order to bring him back to Stockton. I reached for my gun belt and went to take it off when he fired the fatal shot. I wasn't even trying to shoot at him, but he figured I was and decided that I was better off dead. When he saw it was me he shot, he jumped for joy then everything went black for a bit. Then, you must've arrived to the scene and we know the rest." Tom took a deep breath after recounting what happened the night he was killed.
"I didn't come quick enough, though! I didn't! Had I gone with you, you'd still be alive!" Nick insisted.
"Nick, we would've both been killed. There was no way you or anybody could've stopped it. You need to accept it." Tom grabbed Nick's wrists.
"I know, I know. Everybody has said the same thing, but I'll always have that hanging over my head even for all of eternity! Plus, maybe it wouldn't have changed a thing, but...I just feel so bad that we weren't getting along prior to your murder." Nick wiped away fresh tears and sniffled, "I just feel so bad, father! I feel so bad for what I said to you and it has haunted me that I never got a chance to say how sorry I am and to bury the hatchet."
"Nick-" Tom was interrupted for the umpteenth time.
"Father, I am so so sorry for what I said to you and that we parted on bad terms. I am so sorry!" Nick hugged his father again and sobbed into his shoulder, "I hope you have found it within yourself from beyond the grave to forgive me."
Tom remained silent and held onto Nick, gently shushing him again and rubbing his back with one hand & the back of his head with the other.
"I hope you forgive me for that and all the times we had rough patches." Nick sniffed.
To Be Continued...
Nick: I hope you forgive me, father. I really hope you do.
Jarrod: Nick, where are you?
Stefania: Nick!
Nick: No need to look for me, I'm-
Tom: Wait until the next chapter!
Carmine: R&R, people! R&R!