Chapter 3
After
lock-up Helen made her way to the cells. She spotted Dominic McAllister making
his rounds. “I’m just going to check on Nikki Wade, Dom. She had rather an
emotional reunion with her mother this afternoon,” she informed him quietly.
“And with Barbara being in the infirmary, I thought she might need someone to
talk to.”
“Need
any help?” he offered.
“No,
I’ll be alright. You just carry on.”
“See
you later then, Helen.”
“Yeah,
see you.” She stopped outside Nikki’s cell, took a deep breath then unlocked
the door and stepped inside. After removing her key from the lock she closed
the door behind her.
Nikki
was lying on the top bunk reading. “Have you come to tuck me in, Helen?” she
drawled suggestively laying down her book.
Helen
gave an amused chuckle. “No. I think you’re big enough to tuck yourself in.”
“And
ugly enough?” Nikki fished as she swung her long legs from the bunk and dropped
lightly to the floor.
“I
wouldn’t say that,” she answered truthfully.
“Was
that a compliment I heard?” Came the teasing response.
Helen
decided to change the subject before it became any more dangerous. “I just came
to see how you were feeling before I went home.”
“I’m
OK, I think. Thanks for what you did today,” Nikki said sincerely.
“I
know it can’t have been easy for you after so many years but I hope things work
out between the two of you. Your mother seems a nice lady.”
“We’ll
see.”
“Give
her a chance, Nikki. I think she may surprise you.”
“Like
her being chatted up by a dyke, you mean? Who’d have thought it?”
“She
told you, did she?”
“Yeah.
It was a shame it ended so sadly. It could be a lesson to us all, maybe we
should take our chances whilst we have the chance.” She placed her hand under
Helen’s chin and tilted her head back until their eyes met.
“Nikki…”
Helen’s voice was little more than a croak. “I don’t think this is such a good
idea.” And she didn’t because if Nikki kissed her now she knew she didn’t have
the willpower to resist her.
“Can
you think of a better one?”
“Nikki,
I have to go…”
“Don’t
you always, Helen.” She bent her head and gently sought Helen’s lips with her
own.
Helen
moaned softly but as she started to respond Nikki pulled away.
“You’re
right. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.”
“Nikki...”
Helen looked bereft at her apparent rejection.
Nikki
laughed triumphantly as she wrapped her arms around Helen and pulled her hard
against her. As their lips met Helen groaned and ran her hands up Nikki’s back
and into her hair. Nikki kissed her fiercely before drawing back. “God you’re
so beautiful!” she murmured when she saw the look of rapture on Helen’s face.
Helen
forced her eyes open. She didn’t want this moment to end. “So are you,” she
smiled and pulled Nikki’s head down until their lips met again. This time Helen
was the first to pull away. “I really do have to go, Nikki, before Dominic
comes looking for me.”
Nikki
nodded. She placed another lingering kiss on Helen’s lips before releasing her
then turning her back towards the door.
“Why
do you do that? I’ve seen you do it before.”
Nikki
laughed bitterly. “I do it because I can’t bear to see you leave the room and
close the barrier between us.”
“I’m
sorry, I never realised.” She ran her hand gently across Nikki’s back then
quietly left the cell.
For
almost a week Nikki only caught fleeting glimpses of Helen. Night after night
she waited expectantly for her to come to her cell after lock up only to be
disappointed. She knew Helen had to be careful but surely she could have made
the effort especially with Barbara being laid up in the infirmary and they
could have been alone. She even thought about getting into trouble, so she
would have to be hauled in front of the Wing Governor but thought better of it.
Helen certainly wouldn’t be happy to see her then.
She
had sent her mother a visiting order and was nervously waiting in the visitor’s
room for her to arrive. Joan was the last to enter and made her way to the
table where Nikki was sitting.
“Hello,
Nikki.” Joan said shyly as she sat down in the chair opposite Nikki’s.
“Thanks
for coming.”
“I
brought you a few things. I left them with one of the officers.”
“That
was kind of you. Thanks.” She looked around as if searching for something to
say. “How did you get here?“
“I
drove down.”
“So
you learnt to drive after all. You always said you never would after dad had a
go at teaching you.” She looked down at the table. She was remembering things
she hadn’t thought of in years and it hurt like hell.
“My
friend taught me, Pam. She had more patience with me than your father.”
“She
sounds like quite a woman.”
“She
was. You remind me of her in so many ways.”
Nikki
reached out to take her mother’s hand then drew back quickly. “I’m sorry, about
your friend I mean.”
“Thank
you, Nikki. Do you think…?” she stopped as she looked at her daughter. Nikki
wasn’t listening to her. She was staring across the room a faraway expression
on her face. Joan turned slightly to see what she was looking at and saw Helen
Stewart talking to one of the officers. Joan looked at Nikki then at the Wing
Governor and back to Nikki again. She saw Nikki’s face light up as Helen made
her way over to talk to them.
“Hello,
Mrs Wade…Nikki,” Helen greeted them both warmly. Her gaze held Nikki’s just
long enough for Joan to see the look that passed between them, there was
obviously more than just a governor/inmate relationship between them.
“Nice
to see you again, Miss Stewart,” Joan said pleasantly.
“Yes
it is,” Nikki agreed her eyes never leaving Helen’s face.
“I
won’t interrupt.” She laid her hand on Joan Wade’s shoulder. “Call me if you
need anything. See you later, Nikki.”
“Yeah,
see you, miss.” Nikki watched Helen walk across the room greeting some of the
other inmates as she went. Just before she went out of the room Nikki turned
back to her mother.
“Miss
Stewart…Helen, she’s a lovely lady,” Joan said watching Nikki’s face for her
reaction.
“Yes,
she is,” Nikki said softly and blushed under her mother’s careful scrutiny.
They
made small talk until the end of visiting. Before she left Joan laid her hand
gently on Nikki’s folded arms. “May I come and see you again?”
“I’ll
send you another VO,” Nikki promised.
“’Bye,
Nikki.”
“’Bye.”
Nikki watched as her mother left the room before making her way back to her
cell.
A
couple of days later Helen was relaxing at home when the telephone rang. She
ignored it and let the answerphone do its work. She’d had a shit day,
Stubberfield kept calling her to his office for meetings, Fenner was the
sarcastic bastard he always was and she hadn’t seen Nikki either. She was
surprised when the caller announced who it was.
“Miss
Stewart, it’s Joan Wade. Could you call me when you get in, please?”
She
had given Nikki’s mother her home number but she hadn’t really expected her to
use it. She almost fell off the sofa trying to snatch up the receiver before
Joan rang off. “Mrs Wade, I’m here. I was just being too lazy to answer the
phone,” she admitted truthfully.
“Call
me ‘Joan’, please, Miss Stewart,” Joan said pleasantly.
“Alright,
Joan and it’s ‘Helen’. Now, what can I do for you?”
“I’m
sorry to bother you at home but are you doing anything this weekend?”
“I
don’t have anything planned. Why? Is there something wrong?” Her first instinct
was to think something was wrong with Nikki but surely she would have known
before Joan did.
“No,
nothing. I was wondering if you would come and see me. I’m only about an hour’s
drive out of London but you could stay overnight, I have a spare room. If you
want to that is.”
“Joan,
are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”
“I
know I’m being foolish but I just want to talk to you about Nikki. It’s so long
since I was able to talk about her to anyone and you probably know her better
than I do now. I’ll understand if you’d rather not come,” she added quickly.
“Yes,
I’ll come, thank you. Give me the directions.” Joan gave her the directions but
since the answerphone was still running she didn’t bother to write them down,
she could copy them out later. “Right then, I’ll see you about eight on Friday
night. Is that alright?”
“That’s
fine, I’ll have a meal ready and thank you, Helen. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,
Joan.” Helen replaced the receiver, a frown furrowing her lovely brow. “I
wonder what all that was about?” she murmured thoughtfully.