| Subject: Chapter 21 |
Author:
Kate
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 18:50:06 04/01/01 Sun
In reply to:
by Kate
's message, "Things My Mother Taught Me" on 19:49:51 03/29/01 Thu
***************
To know a person, one must live in the same house with him.
The next morning, Sam sat at one of the little umbrelled tables on the patio, sipping his coffee and watching the view.
The sea was flat, calm and an incredible blue. Almost the color of Nikita's eyes, Sam thought, and took another sip of coffee.
From behind him, a voice asked, "May I join you?"
Sam looked up and shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Michael sat down with not only a cup of coffee, but a coffee pot. "I thought you might like some more."
"Thanks."
The two men sat in silence for a few minutes, then Michael said, "Are you still angry?"
"Getting over it."
Michael nodded.
"Is Milla?" Sam asked. "Still angry, I mean."
"Very. Angrier than you."
"Well, essentially you let me and Mum believe one lie: We thought you died. With Milla, you've been telling lie after lie."
"Don't remind me. I'm aware of all my shortcomings."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"You've been with Nikita a long time."
"Yes," Michael said cautiously.
"Are you still finding out things about her?"
Michael's eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"Last night, I learned Sara already knew about Section One. Apparently she's got a cousin or something that was stationed at Section Five. She thought it was peculiar that I didn't know about any of the Sections. She said it was common knowledge where she came from."
"Where does she come from?"
"Manchester. But everyone else in her family works for the government in some fashion. She's the only black sheep of the family."
"Nikita and I were both at Five for awhile."
"Yeah, I remembered you'd said that."
"Where's the cousin now?"
"He's about to retire from the diplomatic corps. I can't remember where he's stationed now. South Africa or someplace. But he didn't have a second family," Sam said, his voice faintly accusatory.
"It makes a difference," Michael said neutrally. He looked at his son: tall, strong features, firm lips pressed together in disapproval. "Knowing about this cousin of Sara's makes this easier for you to accept, doesn't it?"
"I wouldn't say that. But it does lend an incredibly unbelievable story credibility."
Michael sighed and took a folded sheet of paper from his inside breast pocket. "I wish Milla felt the same way. She left a note."
Sam's eyebrows raised and he took the offered paper, scanning it quickly and letting out a low whistle. "Does Nikita know yet?"
"No. She was very upset last night. It took her a long time to get to sleep. I didn't want to wake her this morning."
Sam's eyes narrowed and he nodded to the coffee. "Fortification?"
"I'll need all I can get," Michael said, topping off his cup and Sam's. "She won't be happy about this."
The men were quiet again, watching the unchanging view, then Michael finally said, "I didn't ask you last night, but ... are you planning on telling your mother about this, too?"
"What do you think?"
Michael considered. "Of course, I'd rather you didn't. It will hurt her, and I've never wanted to hurt her. I don't think she'd understand."
"I don't understand," Sam pointed out.
"But Elena's different. She's so ... tender. Fragile. She needs to be protected from things like this. I hope your step-father protects her."
Sam frowned. "Are you talking about Elena, my mother? Or some other Elena I don't know?"
"Your mother, of course."
"Well, my mother doesn't need protecting. She's strong."
"Elena? Strong?"
"Look, I don't remember you very well. And I don't remember Mum well either, from when I was little. All I know is, Mum runs a tight ship. She's a fighter. When my sister was in a car wreck years ago, everyone said she wouldn't walk again but Mum was determined that Indy would not only walk, but dance. And she's pretty good. Not Ballet Academy material, but she's all right. When Andy blew up the kitchen, Mum was the one who got us all out of the house and called the fire department. When Andy or I broke our arms or cut ourselves or whatever, she was always the one who took us to the hospital."
"Elena?"
"Yeah. I'm telling you, people change. Look at you."
Michael considered. "Your step-father, he doesn't help her?"
"It's more accurate to say they help each other. They're an excellent team." Sam frowned, then said evenly, "The only reason I'm not angrier at you than I am is, Mum has a good life. She and Ian have a solid marriage. They're good for each other; they always have been. And I suppose," he added grudgingly, "You did more than a lot of men would have done. The trust fund helped a lot, especially in the early years."
"Nothing I did was right," Michael said slowly, "But ... I tried to do the best I could. Especially for her. And you." After a minute, Michael asked again, "So, will you tell her?"
"I don't know yet."
"How long ... do you think you and Sara can stay?"
"Not much longer. I want to get back to Cairo." Sam hesitated, then said, "It's awkward that Milla's left. I was counting on her helping me."
"Help you do what?"
"It's Sara ... I'm worried about her having the baby in Cairo."
"What could go wrong? You're a doctor, aren't you? Nikita was impressed with your skills."
"It's different when it's your own baby," Sam scowled. "I was hoping Milla would help me talk Sara into going home to England to have the baby."
"Without you?" Michael raised an eyebrow. "Take it from someone who knows: women don't like to have babies by themselves."
"I'd be there for the last bit. I could get time off from work. We've got another doctor coming in from the States in a week or so. I'd need to show him the ropes, but I could be in England for the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy."
"You asked me before whether I still learned things about Nikita," Michael said thoughtfully, turning his coffee cup around. "One thing I learned very early is, if a woman's mind is made up, it's difficult to change it."
"We'll see," Sam sighed and took another drink of coffee before changing the subject. "I'd like to have some of Nikita's blood to send to Andy. He's doing a lot of research with nerve regeneration. Maybe he could help her. He's the top person in his field and if he can't help her, he might know someone who could."
Michael was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "You would do that for us?"
Sam shrugged. "Might as well. I can't promise anything, but Andy could possibly help her."
"The same Andy who blew up the kitchen?"
Sam shrugged again. "Mum wanted to remodel anyway."
***************
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 