Chapter 23
When
Karen entered the room the following morning she found them asleep in each
other’s arms. She smiled and shook her head before tiptoeing out again and closing
the door. Outside the door she knocked loudly. “I’ll be back in five minutes,”
she called out.
Helen
woke with a start. “Shit!” she groaned. “Nikki, quick get your clothes on
before Karen comes back!”
As
she started to get out of bed Helen grabbed hold of her. “Aren’t you going to
give me a kiss? This is our first morning after the night before, after all.”
Nikki
bent down and kissed her lingeringly then drew back and looked at her lovingly.
“Are you sure that was your first time?”
Helen
nodded. “The first but I certainly hope not the last. Now, much as I hate to
say it, put your trousers on.”
When
Karen returned a few minutes later Nikki was sitting on the edge of the bed
holding Helen’s hand.
“Any
problems?” she asked with a smile.
“None
at all, Karen. She was as good as gold,” Helen answered then looked down at the
bedclothes trying to stop a huge grin from forming. “Like putty in my hands.”
Barbara
looked at Nikki sadly. “So this is it then. I’ll miss you, Nikki.”
“I’ll
miss you too,” Nikki said truthfully. “It makes you think, doesn’t it? If I
hadn’t come in here I’d never have met you or the Julies’s and, God forbid, I
wouldn’t have met Helen either.”
“One
way or another, you and Helen would have met. You are two people who were always
meant to be together,” Barbara smiled knowingly.
“You
and your fate,” Nikki teased.
“I’m
glad you and I met, Nikki. Thanks for all you’ve done for me,” Barbara answered
earnestly.
“Keep
in touch. Come and see me and Helen when you get out.”
“Isn’t
there some rule about prison officers and ex-offenders mixing?”
“Helen’s
talking about chucking it all up. She wants to try and keep people out of
prison, instead of locking them up when they get there.”
“Well,
I’m sure she’ll make a success of whatever she does.” Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Well, you’d better go. Will Helen be waiting for you?”
“I
hope so.” She reached out and drew Barbara to her in a bear hug. “Thanks for
keeping me sane, Babs, when everything when everything went wrong with me and
Helen.”
“What’s
up, Wade? Can’t bear to tear yerself away?” Dockley spoke from the doorway.
Nikki
raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak.
“Allow
me, Nikki,” Barbara said with a smile. “Piss off, Dockley!”
“Barbara!”
Nikki chuckled as Shell flounced off. “I seem to have taught you too well.
You’ll be OK, love.”
“Yes,
I will, thanks to you. Now, I think a few more people would like to say
‘goodbye’ to you.”
She
grimaced. “You mean I’ve got to run the gauntlet down the wing.”
“’Fraid
so. You’ve made quite a few friends in here, Nikki. They want to wish you
well.”
She
picked up her bag of belongings. “Well, here goes.” As she went out of her cell
- and for the second time since she’d bbeen on G-Wing - she was met with
cheering and wolf-whistles. She brushed a tear from her eye and went down the
steps. It was obvious everyone knew about her and Helen by the good-natured
shouts of ‘give our love to Miss Stewart’. She smiled happily as the two
Julie’s accosted her.
“Look
after yourself, Nik,” they said in unison.
“You
two look after each other.” She hugged them both to her. “Keep an eye on Babs
for me.”
“We
will, Nikki,” they assured her.
Jim
Fenner was standing at the end of the wing, his face like thunder. Even his ugly
mug couldn’t wipe the smile from Nikki’s lips. She walked up to him. “I won’t
say it’s been nice, Mr Fenner, because it hasn’t.”
“Just
once, Wade, I’d have liked to wipe that smirk from your clock!” he hissed.
“When
I think about what I’ll be going home to from now on and all you’ve got
is…Dockley. Not a chance, Fenner, not a chance.” She smiled insolently at him
then with a final wave to Barbara and the two Julie’s left G-Wing for good!
Karen
saw her out to the gate where Nikki turned and held out her hand. “Thanks for
everything, Miss Betts. I think you know what I mean.”
“Thanks
for what you did, Nikki.” Karen shook
her hand warmly. “Take care.”
Nikki
went out of the gate and saw with disappointment that Helen hadn’t come to meet
her. She laughed bitterly to herself and decided to walk to the bus stop just
as a red Peugeot screeched to a halt beside her and Helen bailed out.
“Shit!
Nikki, I’m sorry,” she apologised profusely. “I couldn’t find my car keys.”
“You’re
here now and that’s all that matters.” Nikki dropped her bag of belongings and
slid her arms around Helen’s waist. She looked at Helen questioningly.
“What’s
the matter?”
“I’m
just waiting for you to tell me we have to be careful,” she replied
sarcastically.
“Ah,
but we don’t any more,” Helen smiled sexily, placed her arms around Nikki’s
neck and drew her head down for a lingering kiss.
“Do
you fancy coming back to my place?” Nikki drawled when they drew apart.
Helen
nodded then opened the car boot for Nikki to stow her belongings.
“What’s
that?” Nikki indicated the bulging suitcase already in the boot.
“Just
some of my things. Wherever you’re going to be for the next week, I’ll have to
be there. I made you a promise. Remember?” She raised suggestive eyebrows.
Nikki
pretended to pout. “Is that all I get, one week?”
“Well,
I suppose we could give it fifty years and see where it goes from there.” She
closed the boot with a slam and turned into Nikki’s waiting arms for another
lingering kiss.
They
drew apart shakily. “Nikki, about your mother,” Helen began hesitantly. “She’d
really like to see you.”
“I
know. We’ll go and see her,” she promised. “But right now I want to take you
home and prove to you how much I do love you.”
“What
are we waiting for then?” Helen demanded as she reached up and kissed a smiling
Nikki before scurrying round to the driver’s side. “Do you want to drive?” she
asked over the top of the car.
Nikki
shook her head. “No, if I drive I’ll have to keep my eyes on the road all the
way home and I just want to look at you.”
Helen
smiled happily then slid into her seat.
Dominic
McAllister was watching the scene from one of the windows. Nikki Wade sure is a
lucky bitch he thought to himself, his hopes of ever getting together with
Helen Stewart finally dashed. Still there was always Di Barker. He was sure
she’d been giving him the come on, so maybe things weren’t all bad!
THE END