| Subject: Chapter 237 - Part 2 (end of chapter 237) |
Author:
KatherineG.
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Date Posted: Monday, April 17, 07:01:06am
In reply to:
Katherine Gilbert
's message, "Dreams in the Dark (chapters 221--?)" on Monday, February 13, 07:24:07am
This was what they believed, at least, until the phone rang, slightly startling them, as they pulled back again. The look he gave her was adoring--but both of them knew the truth. As much as they would dearly love to ignore it, their world was far too tentative to disregard whomever this might be.
He left her there, then, answering it--but his look soon soured, the slight terror in his eyes--and she couldn't help remembering the last time they had visited this place. Then, the call had announced the arrival of Chuck, coming to demand Michael's support for the son he had created. Now, the news looked even more dire, her husband's eyes dark; she could only guess from what she heard. "Yes. . . Thank you. . . Send it up." But anything which caused him to look like this was unlikely to be good news.
He didn't leave her wondering for long, clearly not wishing her to worry any more than necessary; his hand touched her arm, as he broke it to her slowly. "There's a telegram for us." She felt herself shuddering, not really wanting to know. Even if she had received few of them in her life, it took very little knowledge of movies to know that they rarely contained good news.
It was with this interruption that all thoughts of anything more intimate died for the night--the reality of their lives crashing back in on them. Besides, one fear reigned highest. They had just decided to name their child after her grandmother. If the telegram brought the news of death they so often did . . .
They sat there together on the couch of their suite, holding hands, as they waited in silence--the call bringing back to them a fear they had repressed. Perhaps Adrian's recent, semi-betrayal had made her forget, but the woman *was* dying; Nikita's heart froze, the sadness churning. It just wouldn't be fair if she couldn't live to see the one member of her family who had been created in love.
It only took about a minute for the bellboy to arrive with the telegram, their hotel far too expensive to allow for shoddier service, but every second ticked by in an eternity of fear. When the boy finally arrived, the knock seemed very loud, Nikita jumping slightly--although this was exactly what she had been waiting for; she let her husband answer, watched him tip the child in silence. Then, to both her relief and desperate fear, he came back to her, before he opened it, allowing both of them to read it together. Whatever her terrors, it was probably better than being left in the dark.
Its message, as with most telegrams, was brief. It went:
Michael, (stop)
Arrangements made. (stop)
Date is December 31st. (stop)
Will discuss details when you return. (stop)
A. (stop)
It took both of them a small eternity, before they could react--the memo short but full of terrible information. While Adrian, at least, was well, her role in the current debacle which was threatening to destroy them was made clear once more--Michael's coming induction into the military, his abandonment of Nikita and his child, now officially less than three weeks away. It brought tears to the woman's eyes almost instantly, reality sinking in like a bullet; he could only hold her close, hoping to God that they both had the strength to survive it, trying to see some way through--the truth so painful. A moment ago, they had been a couple together for good, the future only a vague, distant threat; now, they knew a date. His arm tightened around her. It was just impossible not to see it as a death sentence.
This fear rang through them both, as they sat there in silence, shivering with this reality late into the night. The only reason they survived was each other, was the love they shared--but that only made the prospects worse. Soon, they would be parted, would have no one to hold. And then they would have to find some way back to each other on their own.
Extra note: Unless I'm mistaken, "Adrienne," or its variations, was not yet a popular or well-known female name in these times--"Adrian" generally a man's name. Still, as usually happens, once a name starts to become seen as a "girl's name," it loses all popularity with the parents of boys. Look at the arc of names such as "Shirley" or "Lynn"--both generally men's names, in the time of this story, Shirley Temple a notable exception (and probably the beginning of its death as a name for boys). Michael and Nikita, therefore, have no idea that their child's potential name might seem a little odd or vaguely feminine in the years to come (and my apologies if there are any men out there named "Adrian," or families of these men, whom I might have offended).
[End of Part 237]
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