| Forgotten Loves Part Four Previously: Johnny visits Nicci in the hospital Authors notes: none *********** " Squad 51 man down 443 Eastmon 443 Eastmon, between Derailer and Maiden, time out 10:22." " Squad 51, KMG 365." Captain Stanley responded Johnny and Roy got half way to the scene when the dispatcher anounced, Squad 51 cancel." Roy turned off the lights and siren." Good maybe we can go back to the station and work some more on the log book." Roy said taking off his helmet. " Hey Roy, lets go to Rampart and get some supplies." Johnny suggested thinking it would be a good time to visit Nicci. " Okay we're going to have to get them later anyway." Roy agreed ................ Upon entering Roy and Johnny spotted Dixie standing in the hall." Hey Dix." then seeing that she seemed a little shaken Roy asked " Are you alright?" Dixie looked up at Johnny then at Roy with a puzzled look, " Huh, oh yeah it's nothing, You guys need supplies?" She asked " Yeah, Hey Roy you think you can get them? I'm gonna go visit someone." Johnny said turning to leave only to be stopped by Dixie " Johnny there's something you need to know, she's not here anymore." Dixie said looking down at the floor. " She's been released Already, who picked her up?" Johnny asked " No, she wasn't released yet and I don't know who it was, but it was clear she didn't want to go with him. I can't say that I blame her. The guy looked like something from hell. He wore chains and had a lot of tatoos. I could tell he was on drugs. Anyway I don't know who he was but he scared the shit out of me and some of my nurses. In fact at one point we thought he was going to hit her." Dixie explained watching as Johnny's expression changed. With the words that Dixie spoke, Johnny felt as if his world was falling apart all around him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. " Why what happened?" He asked looking down at the ground hopping to hide his fear and worry " Well when she told him she didn't want to go with him he got very angry and violent. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back very hard. He called her terrible names, said that she was nothing but trash and that she wasn't good for nothing but a piece of ass. Then he threatened her, he said that if she didn't go with him he would kill her. You know what, I believe him. I thought for sure he was going to hit her by the way he was waving his fist at her." Dixie explained " Didn't anyone try to stop him from......" Johnny started his fear taking over " Of course we did but it all happened so fast he grabbed her by the arm and ran out the door. By the time I got off the phone with the police they were out the door. Security ran after them but ther were gone before they could catch up to them. Police came and took the report but so far we haven't heard anything. " Johnny you okay?" Roy asked seeing fear sweep across his partners face " Yeah I'm alright." Johnhy lied " Are you sure? You look kind of worried." " Roy, I said I was okay, what more do you want from me." Johnny snapped " Hey I'm sorry, you don't have to bite my head off. I just wanted to know that's all, you seem upset." Roy said in his defence. " Look I'm sorry I snapped, but really I'm okay. Even if I were upset, what the hell would it matter." Johnny said walking out to where the squad was parked. With his anger growing, Johnny stood just outside Rampart. Knowing the danger Nicci was in was tearing him apart. " SON OF A BITCH." He exploded punching a concrete piller just outside the door. Then in a huff he jumped into the squad and slammed the door. " What was that all about?" Brackett asked witnessing Johnny's outburst " I haven't a clue." Roy said .............. Driving back to the station Roy turned to find Johnny starring silently out the side window. Roy could see the anger etched clearly on his partners face. Parking the squad in the bay, Roy turned to face Johnny, " You want to talk about it." Roy said turning off the engine. Johnny looked over at Roy. For a split second he wanted to talk but then not knowing how Roy would react about Nicci he decided against it." No I don't want to talk, I just want to be a lone for awhile okay." Johnny said getting out of the squad. Johnny walked into the locker room and took a seat inside his locker. With tears forming, he closed his eyes taking him back to the memories of her. He remembered her smile and how her eyes captured the soft moon light the first time they made love in the Ramblier. Then taking her picture out of his wallet he held it close. Unable to hold his tears back he cried. For he longed to hold his Nicci one more time. Roy quietly opened the door of the locker room, seeing his partner cry was the last thing he exspected. Roy wanted so much to help his partner with what ever it was that was bothering him. Then thinking that it was best to leave him alone, Roy left shutting the door behind him After some time Johnny walked into the dayroom to find his friends sitting around the table eating a late lunch. " Johnny you feeling better?" Roy asked seeing his partner's face stained with tears " Yeah I'm feeling much better thanks." Johnny lied while slowly sinking into a chair. " Good, I was starting to think you had something against my clam chowder." Stanley said pouring a laddle full in a bowl then sitting it in front of Johnny. Johnny sat there picking at the contents of the bowl in front of him." Gage is there something wrong with the chowder?" Captain Stanley asked " No, I guess I'm just not very hungry." Johnny said excusing himself from the table just as the Klaxons sounded. **** Two weeks later****** Johnny was bound and determined to find Nicci. Every night for the past two weeks he drove up and down the strip searching for her. Even though each night brought him new disappointment he wasn't going to give up. He knew in his heart that he was the only one that could help her get out of the dangerous life she was living. He could not bare the thought of her dying out there alone. Johnny knew he had to do whatever it took to find her before it was to late. " Oh Nicci, where are you?" Johnny said softly to himself while driving down the strip for what seemed to be the hundredth time that evening. He knew she was out here somewhere, maybe hurt or worse. Johnny didn't like where his thoughts were headed but he was certain there was a good chance that at one point he would find her dead. Suddenly his search paid off as he spotted Nicci coming out of a darkened alley followed by a man twice her age. By the was she was dressed it was obvious to Johnny that she was open and ready for business. Johnny quickly brought his Land Rover to a stop, parking it in front of a small group of ladies. Then grabbing an Indian blanket he kept behind the seat, he got out and walked over to Nicci. As he got closer to the group he could hear their conversation. " Yeah fucking ten dollars, that's all the son of a bitch paid me for a piece of ass." Nicci said waving a ten dollar bill in the air. " Shit man I hate those fucking cheap basturds." Another girl said " It's okay, I'll make it up with the next ass hole that comes a long." Nicci said turning around to see Johnny standing behind her. Hanging her head she asked quietly. " What the hell do you think you''re doing here?" Johnny walked up closer then draped the blanket around her shoulders covering her almost fully exposed body from the rest of the world." Nicci come on, I'm here to help you, come with me." Johnny said softly " Johnny I can't go with you not now not ever." Nicci said pulling away. Johnny could see the fear dancing around in her eyes as she looked around nervously. Johnny walked up to her again this time taking her gently by the arms." Nicci is this the kind of life you really want." Johnny spoke softly squinting from the shine of a gold chain she wore around her neck. " Nicci you said you wanted out of this way of life, I'm here to help you get out, if you still want out." " Sure I still want out, but it's not going to happen so why bother trying. You know it's not that simple, I can't just walk away. Knuckles is probably watching me right now and he'd be fucking pissed off if he saw you put that blanket around me. Johnny I don't want to cause you any trouble. Please just go away, you don't belong here." Nicci warned " Nicci I'm not going to just walk away and forget you. I still care about you very much. Just thinking of you dying out here scares the hell out of me. Nicci don't you remember how much I loved you back in Montana." Johnny said not even trying to hide his worry. Wiping her tears away she hung her head." Johnny don't waste your time caring about me, You've got a good life, you don't need me fucking it up for you. Don't you know that girl you knew back in Montana is dead. Now go forget about me please, cause I'm not worth it." She spoke softly then walked back over to her homies. As Johnny stood there her words still echoing in his head. He knew in his heart that if he left her he would never see her again. He couldn't see himself turning his back on her. She needed him to much rather she knew it or not. " Nicci what the fuck are you doing?" Bambi asked grabbing Nicci by the arm " What the hell you think I'm doing? I'm staying." Nicci said jerking her arm from Bambi's grasp " Fine, you have it your way but let me tell you something. You know as well as I do people like us die out here, all alone with no one to even claim our bodies. And you know how many unmarked graves they're are of our friends that died this month alone. Without one single person to even pay their respects. Many of us can only dream of having a Prince Charming come and save us from this fucking hell we live in. This is your chance Nicci, don't turn your back on it. You know you'll never get this chance again. You'll die out here just like me." Bambi said with tears of her own running down her cheeks Over hearing the words that Bambi spoke it was clear to Johnny that each and every girl out there on the streets had their own stories, As he looked around he no longer saw women selling themselves, what he saw was the innocent girls that they used to be, crying out for help that would never come. He didn't know what happened to them but he knew that their pain was real. " I guess you're right, Bambi I want to go, but I'm scared to death that Knuckles will find out. You know how mean he can get." Nicci cried " Nicci it'll be okay, he wont find out. Now go don't keep your Prince Charming waiting." Bambi assured With Bambi's words ringing in her ears, Nicci looked around at the life she was about to leave, She wasn't sure of what tomorrow would bring but it had to be better then anything she had on the strip. With those thoughts Nicci walked back to Johnny with Bambi at her side." Johnny this is Bambi, Bambi this is Johnny." Nicci introduced " Hi Bambi, it's nice to meet you." Johnny said with a smile while greeting her with a hand shake. Nicci looked up at Johnny and began to tremble." Johnny I really do want out and Bambi says that I shouldn't turn my back on my chance. Johnny I'm scared. I don't want anything to happen to you. Knuckles said he would kill anyone who tried to help me. I believe him Johnny cause I think he's done it before." Nicci cried " Nicci as far as Knuckles is concerned, I'll tell him that Johnny here hired you. By the time he knows the truth it'll be to later for him to do anything about it." Bambi assured " Thanks that'll help, Nicci you can stay at my place tonight and then tomorrow I'll put you someplace where Knuckles can't ever hurt you again." Johnny said reaching for her hand Before climbing into the Land Rover, Nicci turned and looked at Bambi. Then taking Bambi in her arms she hugged her friend good bye." Thanks Bambi for helping me, You are a real good friend and I'll never forget you." Bambi pulled away from the embrace and smiled " Hey no prob, just do me a favor, If you see another handsome Prince Charming send him my way." Bambi said fighting her tears. " I will Bambi." Nicci said TBC |