| Title: For the sake of love Part: Part Twenty nine By: Spanky Content Warning: Adult language, and content. Previously: Nicci decides to keep her baby Authors Notes: The next morning. After a rather busy night at the station and two hours overtime, Roy was finally able to sit down in his favorite chair. As he sat there he thought about his future, not just his own but the future of his family too. " Hi Roy, how was your shift?" Joanne asked seeing that her husband was in deep thought " Oh it was okay, it was a little busy but not to bad." He said "Where is everyone?" "Oh well Jenny's over at Nancy's and Chris is at soft ball practice and Betty came over and wanted to talk to Nicci it sounded rather important so she took Nicci out to lunch." She said " Oh okay, " He said satisfied with Jo's answer." Hey Jo, you have any plans later after supper? I think that since Nicci's decided to have her baby, we need to hold a family meeting to discuss the future of this family" " Well I was planning on going over to Mrs. Henderson's but I can postpone the visit. After all having a baby around here again is going to mean a lot of changes. I think those changes need to be addressed." She said giving her husband her full support. Then watching as he desprately tried to cover his yawn with his up reached hand she urged." Roy why dont you go lay down for a while and get some rest." Taking his wife's advise Roy leaned in kissing her on the forehead." Jo, I dont think I would have made it if it wasn't for you. You dont know how much I need you in my corner." " Shhhh... She hushed." This is where I belong, I love you so much and there is no place that I'd rather be then in your corner." She finished." Now you go get some sleep." As Roy comfortably layed in his bed, his mind traveled back to his life in the past. It was clear to him that he never hated anyone until that day he caught Roger with his hands on Nicci. Is this what hate feels like? is this what hate does? he wondered as he drifted off in peaceful slumber. ........Eight hours later.......... Opening his eyes to the hushed clatter of supper dishes Roy glanced at the small alarm clock. Deciding it was time to get up, he grabbed a pair of shorts and walked into the hall. Stopping just inside the doorway he spied on Joanne as she bent over in front of the open cupboard door. Walking up behind he took her hips in hand " Hi Jo." He greeted pushing his middle into her back side. " Now look here Roy, if you start doing that I wont get supper finished." She warned " Oh that's okay. I'll give the kids twenty and send them down the street to the Wing Ding Palace." He said continuing his action " Yeah and what about you and I?" She asked " Oh I got what I want right here." He flirted while giving her back side with a couple of suductive slaps. Whitout warning as Jenny entered the room" Daddy daddy......" She squealed killing the mood Backing up from his hold on his wife Roy blushed " Hey Sweat Pea, what have you been up to today?" He asked sitting at the table " Nothing." She said climbing on her fathers lap. Then seeing her mother's reddened face she turned to Roy and asked." Did I interupt something again." Using her innocent little girl voice. " I uh..... well...... what do you mean?" Roy stuttered as he noticed Nicci walking through the front door. As he studied her it was clear that she had been crying. With the warning flags going up he looked down at Jenny he said." Hey Sweet Pea, why dont you go wash up for dinner." As soon as Jenny was out of the room Roy got to his feet and walked over to Nicci." Nicci you want to talk about it? What did your mother have to talk to you about?" He wanted to know seeing the fresh hurt her in her eyes. As her mothers words penatrated her mind she for a moment looked down towards the floor then back up at Joanne first then her dad. With tears she spoke " Dad, she doesn't want me anymore." She caved her body now shaking Just as the door bell rang Leaving the room to get the door Joanne was greeted by Johnny." Hey Jo, what's up." " Shhhhh." Come on in." She whispered shutting the door then walking back into the kitchen with Johnny at her side. Taking her in his arms Roy held her tight." Shhhhh it's okay Nicci." He soothed feeling her body tremble under his grasp as he looked up at his partner." Hi Junior." He greeted over Nicci's whimpers. Feeling her shakes lesson he pulled away from her then pulling out a chair he spoke using a conforting fatherly voice." Nicci have a seat and tell me and Jo what happened." Seeing Johnny standing there looked towards the floor " Did I come at a bad time, I can leave." Johnny said unsure of himself Picking her head up she once again looked at Johnny and whispered " No, you dont have to go." as she took her seat. As she sat there Roy watched her as she began to fidet with the place mate in front of her. Then watching as she reached up wiping uneffectively at the tears that flowed down her cheek landing on the table he said soothingly " Nicci tell me what happened." Using a small voice she spoke." Just what I said dad, mom doesn't want me anymore. " She said in tears."She doesn't want to be a grandma and she's moving back to Mississippi. Mom says that because of me Roger's in jail. She's right I should have never told. But then there was Jenny and......" She sobbed bringing her hand up she tried desprately to cover up the hurt she felt inside, despite the fact she was loosing the battle against her trembles. Hearing Nicci's words Roy could feel the pain that her mothers words had caused. And even though his words could never take them away. He could only hope that the good Lord would give him the right words to make them less hurtful. " Nicci, I want you to listen to me. It took a lot courage for you to decide to have your baby, and I am so very proud of you. Raising a child is very challenging but at same time it the most rewarding thing a person can do." Roy stopped Then laying his loving hand on her arm he continued." As for Jenny, Nicci you saved your little sister for a horable thing. It's a small person that will knowingly hurt a innocent child that cant fight back. What he did was so very wrong, That's why he's in jail, you didn't put him there he did it to himself. " Roy finished. Then reaching up he ran his finger across Nicci's face to catch a tear. " Nicci, You wasn't the only one that created this baby and you shouldn't be the only one to raise it financially. Now I need to ask you a couple questions, I need for you to be completely honest with me." Roy started again." Nicci, I need to know if Roger was the only man you were with." With the nod of her head he asked." Are you sure? What about the day you went into the van with a boy at school?" Looking at her dad for a moment Nicci wondered how he knew about that, but deciding it didn't matter she spoke." Dad I went into that van to get high. You know, do some acid, smoke grass and he was sniffing cocaine. We did kind of mess around, but we didn't do anything."She said in hopes that Roy believed her. " Okay." Roy said." We'll go ahead and get blood tests on the baby and Roger so that there isn't a shadow of a dout who the father is." Roy said. " Now I need to know about your mother. Are you one hundred percent sure that she knew what Roger was doing?" Thinking back, Nicci could still here those words that her mother spoke years ago as if they were just said yesturday. Dropping her eyes to the table she whispered." Yeah, she knew, she knew everything." Then going back she revealed a portion of her past to her father, Joanne and Johnny." I remember one Sunday night, I was about six and I was taking a bath for school the next morning. I guess mom didn't think I could handle taking a bath by myself because she sent Roger in the bathroom to wash me up. He had me stand up and as he was washing me he let go of the wash clothe but he continued to touch me. He forced my legs open dad, And then mom walked in. She stood there watching but she didn't do anything to stop him. Then she left and shut the door behind her." Nicci stopped hanging her head in tears as her memories came rushing to her. For a moment Roy scanned the room. He watched as Johnny sat leaning his chin in his hand. For the first time Johnny was speechless hearing Nicci's memories as they came back to her. Looking up he noticed the steady flow of tears excaping Joanne's eyes. Then looking back down at Nicci, seeing her body tremble he felt a bolt of anger towards Betty. " Nicci I want you to listen." He started. " What Roger did was very sick, but I think whats worse is that your mother knew what was happening and yet she didn't do anything to stop what was happening. And in my book that makes her just as guilty as him." Looking at her father, Nicci asked." Dad what are you saying?" " I'm saying that she should be sitting where Roger is, and she will. Tomorrow we're going to find a lawyer one that will handle both a heafty law suit as well as bringing charges against her." Roy concluded with purpose. .......... After supper Roy walked down the hall tapping on both Jenny's and Chris's bedroom door." Chris, Jenny, come on we're having a family meeting." With in a few minutes the DeSoto family sat around the living room. " You two come here." He said to both Jenny and Chris. Looking at each other confussion hit them. As for Chris he was scared that his dad found out about the other day. With that thought Chris spoke." Dad it wasn't my fault, Bobby said I couldn't hit the tree in front of Mr. Woodmans house. How was I surpose to know I would break his window." " Window? I didn't know about the window." Roy said with the look of surprise " You didn't?" Chris asked thinking that he just gotten himself into trouble " No I didn't, but I do now." Roy said." We'll discuss that later young man." Then turning his attention back to the meeting Roy began with Joanne sitting next to him." We need to talk about something that is very important that will effect all of us as a family. First I need to tell you why me and your mother didn't tell you sooner. You see me and your mother thought it was best not to. I guess we were trying in our own way to protect you from something you two might not be old enough to fully understand. But now things have changed and now I feel that you two need to know the truth." He stopped and looked at Nicci before continuing." There is some changes that are going to take place in this family. For starters there is going to be a new baby." With his words both Jenny and Chris looked at their mother. Seeing this Joanne spoke." No I'm not going to have a baby." She assured as her eyes traveled towards Nicci Following her mother's eye movements Jenny asked hopeful. " Are you going to have a baby?" Sparing Nicci Roy spoke." Yes Jenny, Nicci is going to have a baby." With his words Jenny shot over to Nicci." Oh goody I cant wait , when? how?" She asked excitedly " Jenny please let your father speak." Joanne admonished As soon as Jenny calmed down Roy began again." As I was saying Nicci is going to have a bady, we wont know when until she goes see Dr. Brackett. Now here is what I've decided." Roy said taking his place as the head of the house hold." Since Nicci is to young to go out on her own she will remain under this house hold. I figure she can live down stairs since it has basically everything a small apartment would have. However we will need to have a door leading outside because of the fire safty code. Also we should move the pantry over by the wash area and then fix the pantry up for the nurcery. I feel its best this way because if there was ever a problem I and your mother will be able to help." He stopped and then looking at Nicci he continued." Nicci do you remember at the station when you said you wanted to start doing things right? I need to know what do you think is the right thing to do? not just for you but for your un born child." For a moment Nicci sat and thought about her father's question. She wasn't to sure as to what the right thing was, but she knew that regardless she had to start thinking about her future and the future of her baby. Then thinking back to the words Roy spoke about education she said." I dont know what the right thing is dad but you said that if I wanted a future I needed to get an education so guess I gotta go back to school." With her words Roy filled with pride and with a smile he said." Yes, your right you do need that education.Once you get that education you can do anything you want to do." " Your father's right, and I'll be more then happy to care for the baby when your in school." Jo offered " Now that that's taken care of, we need to discuss the finances." He started." Raising a baby is very expencive and that means were going to have to tighten our belts. Nicci if you are willing to devote all your free time to studies. I am willing to help with support at least until things are settled in court." Shortly after the meeting came to a close and the younger DeSoto children scurried to their rooms. While Roy made his way to Chris's room to talk about the window, Joanne and Nicci went into the kitchen. Over a glass of ice tea they started to talk. After a while Roy made his way in joining his wife and daughter. " Well I guess I'm going down stairs." Nicci said getting to her feet." Jo, thanks for the talk." She smiled as she disappeared down the stairs. " Any time, Nicci." Joanne smiled. Feeling a sence of happiness she looked at Roy." Roy you've got yourself one terrific kid there." " Of Course , she's a DeSoto." He smiled back. TBC |