Forever Love
By
Jan
Chapter 1
Helen
replaced the receiver just as Nikki, now fully dressed, came into the room.
“Your cab will be about twenty minutes.”
Nikki
walked up to her, a sexy smile on her lips and tugged at the tie on Helen’s
robe. The gown came open. She was naked underneath. Nikki looked at her
appreciatively. “So, can you think of anything we can do for twenty minutes?”
she drawled suggestively.
“No,
Nikki, there isn’t time.” Helen retied her robe then placed her hands on
Nikki’s shoulders. “Remember I love you, Nikki,” she said urgently. “Whatever
happens, remember that.” She covered Nikki’s face with burning kisses before
finally claiming her lips.
Nikki’s
arms went around her, returning kiss for kiss.
With
a soft moan Helen drew back and looked into her lover’s eyes. “Oh, Nikki,
please go,” she begged. “Before…”
The
doorbell cut short her sentence.
“That
will be my cab,” Nikki said almost regretfully. She hugged Helen to her. “I’ll
let you have my address when I get settled. I love you, Helen.”
“I
love you too. I don’t think you’ll ever know how much.”
Nikki’s
answer was a sly smirk. “After what happened tonight, I think I do.”
“Nikki!”
Helen clutched at her hand.
The
doorbell rang again.
“I’ve
got to go, darling. I’ll see you soon.” She kissed her lingeringly then made
for the door. She could see figures through the glass panel, more than one and
they obviously weren’t taxi drivers. She turned and saw the distraught look on
Helen’s face.
“Nikki,
I’m sorry.”
“You
called the police!” Nikki accused her in shocked disbelief.
“I
had to, Nikki. This wasn’t the way.” She tried to take Nikki’s hands but she
pulled away.
“You
said you loved me.”
“I
do and that’s why I couldn’t let you go on the run or I would have lost you
forever.”
The
doorbell was now ringing insistently and a fist was hammering on the door.
“Nikki,
I’ve got to let them in!”
“Is
there a back way out?” Nikki demanded looking round her wildly.
“No,
Nikki!” Helen ran swiftly to the door before Nikki had time to move.
A
burley plain clothed police officer held up his warrant card. “Miss Stewart?
I’m Chief Inspector Collins.”
“Come
in, Inspector. This is Miss Wade,” she indicated Nikki who was standing
motionless, her pain-filled eyes never leaving Helen.
He
entered closely followed by two constables, one male and one female.
“Nicola
Wade?”
Nikki
nodded.
The
inspector motioned with his head and the policewoman moved forward and cuffed
Nikki’s hands behind her back.
“Is
there any need for that, Inspector?” Helen remonstrated. “She has given herself
up.” She looked at Nikki warningly, silently begging her not to contradict her
words.
The
policewoman took Nikki’s arm and propelled her towards the door.
“Inspector,
wait. Could I have a minute alone with Miss Wade, please?”
“Alright,
Miss Stewart. We’ll be right outside the door.” The inspector walked out
followed by his officers.
Helen
went up to Nikki and laid her hand on her cheek but she pulled away. “Nikki,
you have to understand. We couldn’t go the run. What sort of life would it have
been for us, always looking over
our
shoulders? We would both have been serving life sentences.”
“Well,
now it’s just me, you selfish cow!” Nikki retorted bitterly. “Did you ever
intend coming with me?”
“Momentarily,
yes,” Helen answered truthfully. “But I’m going to get you out of Larkhall,
Nikki. Legally.”
“Why
don’t you just forget it, Helen?” She kicked the front door and called out.
“Inspector, I’m ready.”
Nikki
sat cross-legged on the floor her back against the bare cell wall. She was back
on the block at Larkhall after being grilled for hours by the police. Who had
helped her escape? Where had she got the nurse’s uniform? No one and I stole it
out of a locker, she repeated over and over again. She kept Helen’s name out
of. Said she’d escaped on a whim, thought better of it and turned herself in to
Miss Stewart.
The
cell door was unlocked and flung open. The bulky shape of Jim Fenner filled the
doorway.
Shit!
Nikki thought to herself, this is all I need. That bastard coming to gloat.
“Well,
Wade.”
“Very
well, Mr Fenner, and thanks for asking,” Nikki replied insolently.
He
came into the cell. “Glad to see you’re back where you belong, Wade,” he
sneered. “What’s wrong? Didn’t the girlfriend welcome you with…open legs?”
Nikki jumped to her feet, her hands clenching into fists. She winced as a
searing pain shot through the wound on her bandaged hand.
“Nikki,
don’t! Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
It was Helen.
Chapter 2
Helen
came into the cell and turned to face Fenner, her back to Nikki. “Fenner, if I
ever witness you harrassing another inmate, I’ll make sure you are the one
spending time behind bars! Do I make myself clear?”
“As
crystal, Helen,” he smirked. “Well, I’ll love you and leave you.” He started to
leave then turned back as if he had just remembered something. “Sorry, Wade,
for bringing back bad memories. Is that what you said just before you left
your…” He looked Helen up and down. “Girlfriend last night?”
Nikki
started forward but Helen held up a restraining hand. “Leave it, Nikki!” She
ordered. She moved closer to Fenner until she was only inches away from his
face. “Why don’t you just fuck off and die, Fenner.”
He
laughed openly in her face and left the cell, tut-tutting to himself.
Helen
turned anxiously to face Nikki. “Are you alright?”
“What
do you think?” she asked bitterly. “Why did you shop me?”
“I
had to, Nikki. If you had escaped to America, I couldn’t have gone with you.”
“Wouldn’t,
you mean.”
“Alright
then. I wouldn’t have gone with you and I would have lost you forever.”
“Well,
guess again, Helen. We’re both still here and you’ve still lost me forever.”
“What
do you mean?”
“If
you think I want to spend the rest of my life with a back-stabbing bitch like
you, then you are very much mistaken!”
Helen
looked at Nikki, the full horror of her words slowly sinking in. “Nikki, you
can’t mean that. Not after all we’ve been through.”
“I
do, Helen. I may have turned your life upside down but you’ve done nothing but
screw my life up since you came into it.” She suddenly looked tired. Defeated.
Tears filled her eyes. “I’ve had enough, Helen. I can’t take anymore.”
“Nikki,
don’t do this to us,” Helen pleaded.
“We’ve
done it to each other.” She turned away forlorn. “Please, Helen, just go.”
Helen
tried to touch her but she shrugged her hand away. “Nikki, please.”
Nikki
whirled round her face contorted in anger. “Alright, Helen. I’ll spell it out
in words of one syllable. Piss off, Helen, you back-stabbing bitch! Piss off
back to Sean or McAllister, they deserve you, I don’t!”
Helen’s
lips pursed angrily. “Alright, Nikki. I may just do that!” she retorted through
gritted teeth.
When
Helen had gone, Nikki sank back down onto the floor into the same position she
had been in before Fenner interrupted her. She laid her head back wearily.
Maybe now she could get on with serving her sentence in peace.
Helen
pushed open the door to her flat. Without Nikki, the light had gone out of her
life. She dropped her bag and coat onto the floor and walked over them. Her
head was a jumble of thoughts, she couldn’t think straight. She switched on the
CD player and put on her favourite Reba McEntire track. It always reminded her
of Nikki when she played it…Forever Love.
The first time I laid my
eyes on you I knew
We’d spend this life
side by side
I still feel the same
though you’re so far away
I swear that you’ll
always be mine
Forever Love
I promise you, someday
we’ll be together
Forever Love
I won’t give up, no
matter what
I’ll be waiting for you
Forever Love
Minutes and hours and
years may go by
But my heart knows
nothing of time
So don’t cry, just keep
me right there in your dreams
And hold onto these
words of mine
Forever Love
I promise you, someday
we’ll be together
Forever Love
I won’t give up, no
matter what
I’ll be waiting for you
Forever
Love is the road to our
destiny
Nothing can change what
is meant to be
Forever Love
I won’t give up, no
matter what
I’ll be waiting for you
Forever Love
I’ll be waiting for you
Forever Love
As
the last chord died away tears were rolling down her cheeks. She switched off
the CD player. Her heart knew nothing of time either and one day she would get
Nikki back.
Continued in
Forever Love II