By
Jan
Chapter 2
Nikki
was washing the breakfast dishes when Donald, Helen’s father, came into the kitchen
scratching his thick mop of grey hair.
“’Morning,
Nikki. You’re up early,” he greeted her pleasantly. “Has Helen gone to work?”
“She
has.”
There
must have been something in the tone of her voice because he looked at her
keenly. “Problems?”
She
shrugged. “None that spending more time together can’t solve.”
“If
I’m in the way…” Donald began.
“Honestly,
Don, you’re not,” she reassured him. “We’ll be alright when she finishes at
Larkhall.” She dried her hands and flicked on the kettle switch. “Do you want
any breakfast?”
“Not
yet. I’ll have a shower if I may.”
“Go
ahead. Helen and I are going out for a meal tonight so I thought I’d have a
couple of hours at the club this morning,” she informed him. “Can I get you
anything in?”
“I’ll
be fine. You two enjoy yourselves.” He started to walk out of the kitchen then
turned round. “Helen is the most loyal and loving person I know. Just give her
a little time, Nikki. She’s worth waiting for.”
She
smiled and nodded. “Yes, I know.”
“Come
in,” Helen called out after hearing the knock on her office door and she smiled
pleasantly as Alex Gilbert, the prison doctor, poked his head in.
“Hi.
Just wondered if you fancied grabbing a sandwich at lunchtime,” he asked
hopefully.
She
grimaced. “I’ve got a few things on today so I don’t know if I’ll even get time
for lunch.”
He
stood with his hands in his trouser pockets, rocking backwards and forwards on
his heels.
“Something
wrong?”
“No,
it’s OK. See you later.”
“Alex,
I’m not so pushed I haven’t time to listen if you want to talk.”
“No,
honestly. It’s OK.” He gave a forced smile then went out of the office leaving
Helen frowning after him.
The
phone rang and Alex was forgotten as she picked up the receiver hoping to hear
Nikki at the other end of the line but it was Karen Betts, the governor of
G-Wing.
“Hi,
Helen. I’ve just had a very strange phone call about Nikki.”
“Nikki?”
Helen repeated. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s
wrong,” Karen reassured her. “Someone was trying to contact her and they…”
“They?”
Helen interrupted sharply.
“Well,
‘she.’ She wanted to know if we had a contact address for Nikki.”
“Did
you tell her?”
“I
didn’t think it was my business to tell her,” Karen replied pointedly. “Anyway,
she could have been a journalist wanting a story.”
“Do
you think she was?”
“No,”
she hesitated slightly before replying. “Because just before she rang off, she
told me she was Nikki’s sister!”
Helen
unlocked the front door pensively, wondering how Nikki would take the news she
had to impart. “Nikki, are you here, sweetheart?” she called out as she closed
the door behind her.
“In
here, babe,” Nikki’s voice reached her from the living room.
She
dropped her bag and went through to the other room where she found Nikki
sitting on the settee reading the evening paper.
Nikki
folded the paper and tossed it onto the coffee table then held out her hand. As
Helen’s fingers found hers, she pulled her down onto the settee and drew her
into a gentle kiss.
Helen
sighed happily as they move apart. “Can we talk?” she said huskily.
“Again?”
Nikki asked with a smile.
“It’s
important, Nikki,” she replied seriously.
“Fire
away then.”
“Karen
had a phone call today from someone…” she hesitated, unsure of what to say. “From
someone claiming to be your sister.”
Nikki
laughed incredulously. “I haven’t got a sister.”
“I
know but why would she say she was?”
“Dunno.”
She shrugged. “Publicity seeking maybe.”
“But
surely…”
“Let
it go, Helen! I haven’t got a sister!” she snapped, her face contorting in pain
and anger. A stray tear rolled down her cheek.
“Sweetheart,
what’s wrong?” Helen asked with concern.
“She’s
not my sister, Helen,” she said in a choked voice.
Helen
laid her hand against Nikki’s cheek and wiped the tears away with her thumb.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get upset.”
Nikki
appeared not to have heard her as she cleared her throat and started speaking
softly; her hand gripped Helen’s tightly. “I went back. On my eighteenth
birthday I went back to see if I could make it up with them. I waited for ages
outside the house trying to pluck up courage then mum came out. She was
carrying a child. She looked so radiant, so happy. The way I remember she used
to look with my brother and me.” She turned and looked at Helen, her brown eyes
filled with pain. “Don’t you see? They never came looking for me when I left
home. They didn’t have to, they’d replaced me with her!”
Helen
put her arms around her lover compassionately as her body shook with choking
sobs. She couldn’t bear to see Nikki hurting. She held her until she drew away
and wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands.
“Didn’t
you say something about taking me out to dinner?” Nikki demanded, forcing a
laugh.
“My
treat, wherever you want to go,” Helen replied, trying to lighten the mood.
“Italian,”
came the decisive response.
“Italian
it is then. I’ll ring Luigi’s and book a table.” She placed her hand on Nikki’s
cheek. “You’re free now, Nikki. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to
do or see anyone you don’t want to see.”
“Just
you and me, eh babe?”
Helen
smiled and nodded. “Just you and me, sweetheart.” She leant in and kissed Nikki’s
mouth. They had waited so long to be together, nothing and no one was coming
between them.