| Subject: Chapters 3 & 4 |
Author:
Jaron
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Date Posted: 09:45:26 12/21/01 Fri
In reply to:
Jaron
's message, "The Green-Eyed Monster" on 09:13:01 12/21/01 Fri
The Green-Eyed Monster
Chapter 3
The sleepover was a bittersweet event. It marked Nikita’s last night in my
home. The next day, she was scheduled to return to the Section. Her leg
was healed and I could think of no medical reason to keep her any longer.
Madeline had already called to ask about Nikita’s progress and I knew that
she was expecting me to okay Nikita’s release. There was nothing more I
could do. I knew that Nikita and Michael would have liked to spend the time
left together, but they had both promised Rene a sleepover and they would
not go back on their word.
So it was that on my way to bed that night, I heard Nikita’s raucous
laughter, accompanied by Rene’s giggles coming from Michael’s room. They
had carried the TV/VCR combo from Rene’s room into Michael’s larger room.
I imagined them all piled on the bed, eating popcorn and enjoying the movie
that Rene had picked out. It wasn’t hard to imagine Nikita and Rene laughing
together, but I wondered what Michael was doing in there with the two of
them. I soon had my answer as I heard another outloud laugh join the other
two voices, and I knew that I had just heard something that I had not heard
in a very long time. I heard Michael’s laughter. It was a sound I had not
heard in over four years, not since before Simone had died. I blinked the
tears back, realizing that once again, Michael was with the two people he
loved most in the world. And tomorrow, he would lose one of them back to
Section.
But, tonight was theirs and I wished them a good evening before going to my
room to read.
Nikita told me the next morning that she had learned something interesting
about Michael that night. Actually, it was Rene’s discovery. The three of
them were laying on the bed when Michael had carefully stretched, favoring
his still tightly bound ribs. He sat up and leaned down to pull his shoes off,
when his gasp of pain caught Rene’s attention.
“Let me do that, Daddy,” Rene said as he scrambled down the length of the
bed on his hands and knees, to pull off his father’s shoes and socks. In the
process of pulling off Michael’s socks, his fingers brushed the bottom of
Michael’s foot. Rene grinned as he saw the involuntary flinch of his father’s
foot away from his fingers. Rene glanced over at Nikita to see that she had
observed the movement. She grinned back at Rene and dove for Michael’s
legs and held them down.
Michael, uncharacteristically for him, yelled, “NO!!” as he saw their
intentions. He tried unsuccessfully to pull his feet away from his attackers,
but Nikita held him down while Rene giggled and tickled his father’s feet,
sending Michael into gales of gasping laughter.
“Rene! Stop that! Listen to me. I’m your father. Stop it, I say. Merde!
Nikita, please!” he laughed harder, struggling to draw his feet away from
Rene and Nikita. “OWWWW! Stop it!!” He wrapped his free arm around his
mid-section and tried to hold it tightly. His other arm was still trapped in its
cast. “NOOO!” Michael howled. “You’re hurting me! OWWWWW!”
Rene looked up at Michael’s face horrified that he might have hurt his
father. He stopped his tickling and tried to pull Nikita from his father’s
legs. “Let him go, Nikita. We are hurting Daddy!” he shouted.
Nikita looked up at Michael and let go of his legs. Breathlessly, because she
had been laughing as hard as Rene and Michael, she gasped, “Michael! Are
you okay? I’m sorry! Are you all right?” Now it was Nikita’s turn to look
worried.
“I’m fine.” he said, trying to wipe the tears of laughter from his eyes. “but
it worked, didn’t it?” and ducked as two fluffy pillows came flying toward
his head.
Soon, all was forgiven, and the three of them had settled down to watch the
movie. After a while, it got very quiet and Nikita looked down at Rene, who
was fast asleep. She shifted her eyes from Rene to his father.
“I think he has given up on the movie,” she whispered to Michael.
Michael smiled down at his son. “Yes, I guess so,” and he lifted his hand to
draw two fingers across Nikita’s lips. “I’m sorry we didn’t have more time
alone.,” he said wistfully.
“It’s okay,” she said in response. “After all, I am getting to spend time with
my two favorite men. You know I love this little guy.” She gazed into
Michael’s eyes. “And his Daddy is not so bad himself. I love him too.” She
leaned over to kiss the top of Rene’s head, her nose wrinkling at his little
boy scent. Then she stretched a bit further to plant a tender kiss on Rene’s
Daddy’s lips.
Fingers entwined and resting on Rene’s back, Michael and Nikita closed their
eyes and drifted off to sleep themselves.
Later on that night, I walked quietly to the door of Michael’s room. It was
1:00 in the morning. The TV was still on, displaying the blue screen that
showed that the videocassette had finished, so when I opened the door, the
soft light from the TV screen lit my way to the bed where Rene lay sleeping
snuggled into the cocoon formed by Nikita and Michael. I touched Nikita on
the shoulder and put my hand over her mouth. She awoke quickly and stared
up at me.
“Let me take Rene to his bed. You and Michael need the time alone.” She
smiled and carefully moved so that I could scoop Rene from his nesting place
between the two of them. Michael’s eyes flashed open and tightened his
embrace on Rene until he saw me. Understanding dawned in his eyes and he
let Rene go so I could pick him up.
As I turned away from the bed, Nikita had already returned to the bed and
Michael. I put Rene to bed in his room, and he slept on undisturbed. I would
think later of what to tell him when he woke up without his father and
Nikita. Or, I smiled, maybe I would let Michael handle that little discussion.
Another lesson in Fatherhood 101 wouldn’t hurt him.
Silently, I went back to Michael’s room and pulled the door closed. As I did
reached around and pushed in the lock on the doorknob to give them privacy,
I heard Nikita’s low, throaty laugh of pleasure and the rustle of crisp
sheets. I envied the closeness between her and Michael, but I was glad for
them. These moments would be hard to come by in the future.
The Green-Eyed Monster
Chapter 4
And so, Nikita left us to go back to the Section. Walter came after her on
his Harley and we had a chance to talk while Nikita and Michael said their
good-byes in his room. Carson had come to my house to see Nikita off as
well and now, he and Rene were out in the front yard talking about soccer,
while waiting for the inevitable parting about to take place. No one was
happy on this day. No one, except for Walter.
“I’ve met someone, Gracie. She’s great! Her name is Belinda, and Gracie, I
love her. I’m sorry, Gracie. You will always be special to me, too.” he said
this as he kissed me on the cheek.
“What do you have to be sorry about? I am so happy for you Walter. But
what about the Section rules on relationships? How.....” I was concerned for
him, for them both.
“Well, I’m not exactly a field operative anymore. What could it hurt?
Belinda and I decided to grab all the time we have. Who knows what will
happen tomorrow?” I squeezed his hand and told him to be happy, just a bit
envious of all the love and commitment flowing around me at the moment. A
movement caught my eye and I watched as Michael led Nikita by the hand
down the front stairs and over to Walter’s Harley. They had eyes only for
each other, not noticing that everyone else’s eyes were on them.
Rene ran over and hugged Nikita, and as she bent down to hug Rene back, she
whispered something in his ear. He laughed and nodded, agreeing to
whatever she asked of him. After hugs to me and Carson, who sat in the sun
in his wheelchair, Nikita and Michael leaned on the Harley, deep in
conversation. I knew that Michael was exacting a promise from Nikita to be
careful until he could return to her. I saw her nod and kiss him, before she
called to Walter.
“Okay, Walter, let’s get this show on the road!” she called out as she swung
her leg over the Harley, settling herself behind Walter’s seat and pulling
the helmet onto her head. She extended her hand to Michael and he held
her hand until the motion of the Harley pulled it from his grasp. Rene
walked up to his father and put his arms around his waist, “She told me to
take care of you and to give you a tickle for her if you start feeling sad. Is
that okay with you, Daddy?”
Michael sighed and knelt down to hug Rene. “That is just fine with me,”
Michael whispered, blinking back tears and burying his face in Rene’s neck.
“But it won’t be the same, without Nikita here to hold me down, will it?” I
watched as Rene shook his head and saw a glistening tear slide down his
cheek.
I found myself standing behind Carson’s wheelchair, with my hands resting
on his strong shoulders. He looked up at me and put his hand on mine. “Is it
okay if I envy Michael his son? That little guy is the closest I’ll ever get to
having a son of my own. What shade of green am I, anyway?” He chuckled
and squeezed my hand.
I answered him, “You are about the same shade of green as me. I think we
are all suffering from one kind of envy or another today.” Now was as good a
time as any to talk to him about my plans for his future. “Come with me, we
need to talk.”
Within a few days, Carson had moved into the room next to Rene’s and
across the hall from Michael. I often watched as the three of them talked
and laughed together over the next few weeks, growing ever more
comfortable with each other.
Michael had his laptop computer with him and he kept track of Nikita’s
missions. From the little that he told me, Operations also had him profiling
missions from our home. I knew that he wasn’t getting enough rest between
his physical therapy sessions, his worry for Nikita and the profiling. I was
due at Section soon for my first report to Madeline on the status of the
rehab center, and I had resolved to confront her about Michael’s continued
responsibilities, even while he was supposed to be recovering from serious
injuries. He wouldn’t like my interference, but he could just get over it. I
laughed. I was aware of his familiarity with that phrase from my talks with
Nikita. We would see how he liked being on the receiving end of that
comment.
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