| Chapter Seven "Hey Nick, I'm back," Heidi called as she stepped into their room. She had run down to the gift shop for aspirin for her headache. It seemed like lately she had one all the time! "Nick," she called again when she got no response to her first call. Their suite of rooms wasn't all that large, just a living area, a bedroom and a bathroom. From where she stood in the living area, she could see that the bathroom was empty. She crossed quickly to the bedroom and pushed open the door. The bed was unmade; Nick's clothes were strewn across the room as usual, but no Nick. She could feel her panic start to rise as she swept the suite once more, looking for a note. There wasn't one. "Where could he be?" she asked out loud to the empty room as her panic kicked up a notch. "What if...? No! No I can't think like that. Calm, gotta stay calm. Think," she demanded her racing brain. The guys! She flew out the door and went to Kevin's room and knocked on the door. "Oh hey Heidi, what's up?" he asked as he answered the door. "You haven't seen Nick have you?" she asked, trying hard to hide her worry. "No, not since this morning. Is everything okay?" "Yeah, everything�s okay. I'm sure he's just with one of the guys,� she said as she started to move down the hall. "Heidi, wait. What's going on?" Kevin asked, his mind racing with images of the stalker and Nick. "I went to the gift shop for aspirin and he promised he'd stay right here until I got back. Oh God! I shouldn't have left him," she moaned. "We don't know what happened yet Heidi. We just got to stay calm. We'll find him," Kevin assured her. "Hey what's going on?" AJ asked as he stepped into the hall. "We can't find Nick," Kevin stated calmly, hiding his own fear. AJ's eyes flashed between the two other people in the hall and worry shone in his eyes. "Where... Why... I don't" AJ stuttered in disbelief. Nick just wouldn't take off on his own, knowing that there was someone stalking him. Or would he? "Maybe he just needed to get out," he offered, wondering what Nick could possibly be thinking, if that's really what he did. "No! He knows better,� Kevin said, praying he was right. Just then a burst of male laughter drifted out of Brian's room. As a unit, the three moved towards the door. Kevin reached out and knocked, holding his breath, praying Nick was with Brian. "Hey 'cuz, what..." Brian stopped and starred at the three worried faces. "Tell me Nick is here," Heidi said, her voice trembling. "Yeah he's here. What's going on? Oh my Lord; he didn't tell you did he? NICK!" he hollered. "What Rok?" Nick asked as he came to the door. "Did you tell Heidi where you were going?" "Uh... No, I forgot," he admitted sheepishly, his eyes on the floor. When he raised his eyes, it was to see Heidi walking away, her back stiff. "What's up her butt?" he asked. Kevin's hand reached out and smacked Nick on the back of the head. "She was scared to death that something had happened to you. Man Nick, I swear; you need to take all this seriously. You take off and don't let anyone know, you don't leave a note and then you ask what's the matter with her! Jeez!" "Take this seriously! I'm living it, thank you very much. I'm the one he's after, the one he calls and torments, not you. I'm sorry I worried her, you and AJ; all right? I just needed to get out of the room. I didn't think I needed to check in," he raged. Kevin shook his head and said, "Don't you understand Nick, we love you and we don't want to see anything happen to you." "I know," Nick whispered as Kevin ruffled his hair and then pulled him in for a brotherly hug. "Just use your head okay?" Kevin asked. Nick nodded and Kevin left. AJ play punched Nick's arm and walked away. "I really blew it didn't I?" Nick asked Brian. "Nick we all understand how hard this is for you, Heidi especially. But Kev's right, you need to use your head!" "I guess I better go 'kiss-and-make-up' with Heidi," Nick said. "See ya later Rok." "See ya Nick." Nick let himself into his room and blinked until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The door to his room was closed and the blinds at the window were down. "Heidi?" he called softly. "Heidi, where are you?" Nick called again. The sound of a sniffle was heard before the bathroom door opened and closed. "I'm right here Nick. What do you need?" she asked in a very detached tone. "I'm really sorry I didn't leave a note. I didn't think about it. I'm sorry," he repeated. "It's fine Nick. I'm glad you're all right,� she said as she lowered herself to the couch and lay down. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I'm fine. My head just hurts," she answered. "Sit up," he said. "What?" "Sit up," he repeated. Heidi sat up and Nick sat down and then lowered her head to his lap. "Shh! Just close your eyes and rest. I promise not to go anywhere,� he said as his hand stroked through her dark hair. Heidi sighed softly and closed her eyes. His fingers were gently, tenderly tracing over her forehead and over her scalp, relaxing her and easing the pain in her head. When she began to relax, Nick continued to caress her face as he watched her. "I really am sorry Heidi." �I know you are Nick. I know this can�t be easy for you,� she said, her eyes still closed enjoying the touch of his fingers to her brow. �No, its not easy for me, but I�m not helping by being so rude to you either,� he admitted. Heidi smiled wryly and opened her eyes to mere slits, watching him closely. This was the first time that they had actually talked without tearing into each other, and she was wary, just waiting for the sarcasm to return. �You�re right there, but I understand. I�ve always been on the other side of cases like this, you know. The danger has always been directed to my client. I don�t know what it�s like to be in your shoes, to live with the fear and the uncertainty, but I�ve been on enough cases to know that what you�re feeling is normal.� �What got you started in undercover work?� he asked, for the first time really interested in what she had to say. " It started as practical self-defense lessons when I was a kid. It was something my parents thought would be good for me, although I�m sure over the last few years they�ve regretted that decision,� she said with a hint of a smile forming on her lips. �When I was in college, a friend of mine was having trouble with an ex-boyfriend. He threatened her, stalked her and tried to kill her. The night he attacked her, I was in my room. Apparently he didn�t know that and thought he was going to get away with it. When I heard his voice, something came over me and I knew I was her only hope. I called 911 and then crept out of my room. He had her pinned up against the wall with a knife at her throat. All the years of training I had taken, took over and I disabled him, tied him up and waited for the police to arrive. After that, I realized that I was good at what I did, that there was a reason I had taken all those lessons. It became a passion, helping people, protecting them and keeping them safe.� Nick was amazed to say the least, but he felt like she was being to modest in the telling. Somehow he just knew that more happened that night than she had revealed. He began to feel better about having her on his side, guarding his back. They ordered dinner and talked through the evening. They shared stories of their childhood, Nick�s passion for the martial arts and his drawing, and the experiences they both had had traveling the world. At midnight, they said good night and went to their own beds, feeling better about each other than they had since meeting. SNC Index Chapter Eight Home Page |