Chapter 15
Helen
applied her make-up carefully, trying to disguise the dark patches under her
eyes the result of too many late nights, courtesy of a certain Miss Wade. Nikki
had been out of Larkhall for almost a week and in that time her sleep pattern
had gone haywire. Only this morning, Nikki had got out of bed at three-thirty
and announced she was going for a walk. She had moaned and groaned but was
loathe to let Nikki roam the streets on her own at night, so she had gone with
her. For the time being, however, neither of them had anything to get up for in
the morning – she had taken a week’s leave before she started serving her
notice – so she was happy to indulge her lover’s little idiosyncrasies. She
smiled. Anyway, the passionate lovemaking on their return had more than made up
for her disturbed sleep.
She
glanced at her wristwatch. Where the hell was Nikki? She had arranged with
Trisha to throw a surprise party at the club she and Nikki jointly owned.
Unfortunately, Nikki had decided to go to the club to see Trisha and, short of
confessing all, she had let her go then hurriedly telephoned to warn of her
impending arrival. She had said she was only going to be a couple of hours but
that was five hours ago.
Nikki
had borrowed her mobile and taken it with her so at seven-thirty she rang the
number. “Where are you?” she said irritably before Nikki could speak. “The taxi
will be here in half an hour.”
“Sorry,
babe,” Nikki answered brightly. “Something urgent has cropped up and I’ve got
to give it my undivided attention.”
“Oh,
I’m sorry if I’m distracting you!” Helen snapped.
“With
you looking like that,” she drawled. “I’d have to have water in my veins not to
be distracted.”
Helen
looked at the phone then spun round. Nikki was peering in at the window, her
mobile pressed against her ear.
“You
bitch!” Helen laughed and, tossing the cordless phone onto the sofa went and
opened the door for her.
As she closed the door again Nikki’s arms
went around her. “You look gorgeous,” she said approvingly, nuzzling Helen’s
neck. “Sorry I’m late. I’ve been talking to Trish about selling her my half of
the club.”
Helen
looked at her in surprise. “Selling up? Is that what you really want?”
“I
dunno. It was just a thought. We’ll talk about it later. Now, are you going to
come and wash my back?” She looked at Helen and raised suggestive eyebrows.
“No
time. You should have come home earlier. I’ve laid your clothes out, so go and
get ready!” she ordered impatiently then to soften her words, reached up and
gave her a lingering kiss.
Nikki
looked at Helen in surprise when the taxi pulled up outside the club. “What’s
going on? Why have we come here?”
Helen
suppressed a smile. “I just thought I’d like to see your place of work for a change. Come on humour me. I may even let
you have a dance.”
“Well,
you know me,” she grinned. “Any excuse to get my arms around you.”
As
they went into the bar, there was a chorus of ‘surprise’ from the massed
throng. Helen looked at Nikki lovingly and saw her face was flushed with
embarrassment. “You blush beautifully, my darling,” she said softly.
Nikki
looked around at the balloons and banners proclaiming ‘welcome home, Nikki’.
“Was this your idea?”
Helen
nodded. “Well, mine and Trisha’s.”
“Plotting
against me, eh?” she admonished her with a smile. “Just wait until I get you
home.”
“Hiya,
babe,” Trisha came up to her and put her arms around her. “You gave us a
headache turning up this afternoon like you did. We had to rush around like
idiots after you’d gone home.”
“Sorry,
Trish,” Nikki replied, disentangling herself from her ex-girlfriend’s arms. She
grabbed hold of Helen’s hand and hung onto it possessively.
“I’ve
got another surprise for you,” Helen smirked. “Look behind you.”
Nikki
gave her a suspicious look before turning round. “Tommo!” she cried delightedly
when she saw her friend standing there. She reached out and hugged her. “What
are you doing here? I didn’t think you were getting out until next week.”
“Hiya,
Nikki,” Tommo grinned. “I’ve been a good girl so I got out yesterday. When I
rang to let you know, Miss Stewart wanted to surprise you and invited me
along.”
“This
is great! I can’t believe it!” Nikki gushed. “How’s Barbara?”
“She
OK. She sends her love and says she’ll see you in a few months.”
Nikki
placed an arm around Helen’s shoulders and the other around Tommo and hugged
both women to her. “When Barbara gets out, we three are going to give her one hell
of a ‘welcome home’ party,” she promised.
“Am
I included?” a voice spoke behind them.
“If
that’s my favourite legal lady,” Nikki said teasingly. “You are definitely
included.” She drew Claire into the circle, placing an affectionate arm around
her shoulders. “Tommo, this is the other lady I owe my freedom to…Claire.
Claire…Tommo,” she introduced them.
“Hello…Tommo,”
Claire held out her hand.
“It’s
‘Catherine’, actually. Pleased to meet you,” Tommo said softly as she took
Claire’s hand.
“Right
then. I think I’d better mingle,” Nikki declared. She looked at Helen, her eyes
shining with love. “Come with me?” Helen smiled at her and nodded. As Nikki
passed Tommo she nudged her with her elbow. “It’s ‘Catherine’, actually,” she
quietly mimicked against Tommo’s ear.
“Piss
off, Wade!” Came the good-natured retort.
After
an hour of ‘mingling’ with Helen, meeting old friends she hadn’t seen since
she’d been in Larkhall, she was standing alone, her partner having gone to the
ladies.
“Hello,
Nikki. How are you?”
She
turned and came face-to-face with a smiling Karen Betts. “Miss Betts, this is a
pleasant surprise. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Please,
call me ‘Karen’ now,” she replied. “Helen invited me, so I thought I’d come
along. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No,
of course not,” she replied quickly. “Can I get you another drink?”
She
handed Nikki her empty glass. “Thanks. White wine, please.”
“Be
right back.” As she stood at the bar waiting for the drinks to be brought, a
pair of hands slid round her waist and she felt someone planting kisses in the
middle of her back. “Helen, I hope that’s you.”
“It
had better be or were you expecting someone else?” she said with mock severity.
Nikki
turned round to face her, surprised at her public display of affection. “I
think you’re a little bit tiddly, Miss Stewart.”
“No,
Miss Wade, I’m just intoxicated by your presence.” She slid her arms around
Nikki’s neck. “Do you know how much I love you?” she asked huskily.
“I
have a pretty good idea,” Nikki smiled.
“So
have I,” Helen leered. “Why don’t we go home and I will kiss every inch, nay
every millimetre, of your beautiful body.”
Nikki
dropped a kiss on her upturned mouth. “Much as I would like to take you up on
your offer, we can’t leave the party just yet.”
“Nikki!”
Helen wailed as her lover turned and picked up her drinks and strolled off.
“Later,
babe!” she threw over her shoulder.
Nikki
ran her fingers sensuously down Helen’s back as she stood behind her waiting
for her to unlock the front door.
“Don’t!”
Helen muttered and flung open the door.
Nikki
frowned at the rebuff, as she locked and bolted the door behind them. She went
into the living room where Helen was taking off her jacket. “Have I done
something wrong?”
“You
tell me!” Helen retorted.
“No,
you tell me!” she snapped. “Because if I have, I sure as hell don’t know about
it!”
Helen
looked at her, her eyes blazing angrily. “I suppose you think you’re clever
having all the women drooling over you!” she exclaimed.
Nikki
laughed incredulously. “Helen, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Karen…Claire…Catherine,
they were hanging onto your every word.”
“We
were just talking, enjoying ourselves.”
“Well
you certainly were. Lapping up all the attention!” Helen said accusingly. “And
Trisha was all over you.”
“Exactly!
Trisha was all over me. I didn’t
encourage her.”
“You
weren’t exactly fighting her off either. What are you doing, Nikki? Keeping
your options open?”
Nikki’s
eyes flashed angrily and she gave a bitter laugh. “I suggest you leave it
there, Helen,” she told her coldly. “Before one of us says something we’ll
regret. You’re not the bloody Wing Governor anymore!”
“Oh,
that’s it, throw that in my face!” Helen retorted. “Just admit it. You were
flirting with them.”
“I
was not flirting with anyone but is it my fault every woman finds me
irresistible?” she grimaced as her attempt at flippancy fell flat on its face,
judging by the glower she was still getting from Helen. “I love you and only
you,” she said sincerely. “I am not…repeat not…interested in Trisha and I can
assure you, if I wanted Karen Betts I would have had her by now, prison or no
prison. It didn’t stop me hitting on you, did it? As for Claire and Tommo, just
grow up will you. They went home together.” She could almost have kicked
herself as she said the words. Claire should be the one who told Helen, not her
but the fiery Scot seemed not to notice as she continued to glare. “I’m going to
bed. Since I’m in the doghouse, do you want me to sleep in the spare room?”
“You
can sleep where you bloody well please!”
Long
after she had heard Helen go into their bedroom, she lay staring up at the
ceiling, her hands clasped behind her head.
Suddenly
the door opened and Helen stood there wearing just a T-shirt. She walked slowly
over to the bed. “Nikki,” she said softly.
“What?”
Nikki retorted, her eyes never leaving the ceiling.
“Will
you come and get into our bed?”
“No,
Helen, I won’t.” Came the obstinate reply. “If you want to make up you can get
into this bed with me.”
“But
it’s uncomfortable.”
“Take
it or leave it.”
“Sod
you then!” She turned to leave then with a deep groan, threw back the covers and
got into bed. She put her hand on Nikki’s arm, only to be shrugged off. “Nikki, the things I said, I’m really
sorry,” she said remorsefully.
Nikki
turned her head and glared at her. “It took me long enough to get you. Do you
think I would jeopardise that by trying to get off with another woman?”
“I
know I’m just a jealous bitch but it’s only because I’m so much in love with
you.”
“Say
that again!” Nikki ordered.
Helen
smiled. “Which part? The ‘I’m a jealous bitch’ part or the ‘I’m so much in love
with you’ part?”
Without
warning Nikki rolled on top of her and pinned her hands above her head. “What
are you going to do now?”
“Submit,”
Helen giggled.
“I
think you made me an offer I can’t refuse earlier. Remember?”
“In
a minute, I want to ask you something.” She smiled up at Nikki, her eyes
shining. “You said something about Claire and Tommo having gone home together.
What did you mean?”
“Nothing,”
Nikki replied innocently. “I just meant Claire had given Tommo a lift home.”
“Liar!
Claire was too drunk to drive,” she exclaimed, then rolled Nikki onto her back
and straddled her hips. “Now, tell me the truth or you really will be sleeping
on your own.” Nikki shook her head. “Very well,” Helen continued. “Keep your
secrets.” She climbed from the bed and started out of the room.
Nikki
jumped out of bed and ran after her. She grabbed her round the waist – Helen
emitted a loud scream – and carried her bodily into their bedroom, where she
dropped her onto the bed and flopped on top of her. “You were saying?”
“About
Claire and Catherine,” Helen persisted. “Are you telling me what I think you’re
telling me?”
“I’m
not telling you anything, darlin’.”
“Alright
then. I’ll ask Claire.” She picked up the telephone and dialled Claire’s
number.
Nikki
grabbed the receiver from her and slammed it down onto its rest. “You can’t
ring her now. She might be busy.”
“Nikki,
it is four-fifteen, what could Claire possibly be doing a this time of night?”
She smirked. “Unless, of course, she didn’t go home alone.”
“Sneaky,
very sneaky,” Nikki conceded. “Now, since you have to go to work the day after
tomorrow, I suggest you start making good your promise to me…every millimetre,
remember!”
On
Monday morning, Helen dropped a kiss on her sleeping lover’s lips and reluctantly
left for Larkhall. After a cup of coffee, she decided to go and see Barbara
Hunt and let her know how Nikki was doing. As she walked down G-Wing, she
looked around her. It seemed strange to be here and not see Nikki. She tapped
on Barbara’s cell door and went inside.
“Miss
Stewart! It’s lovely to see you,” Barbara greeted her warmly. “How’s Nikki?”
“That’s
why I’m here. I thought you’d like to know how she was.” Helen smiled. “We had
a surprise party for her on Saturday. I don’t think I have to tell you how
embarrassed she was.”
“I
can imagine,” Barbara laughed. “She never did like to be the centre of
attention. How are the two of you getting on? Had your first row yet?”
Helen
grimaced. “Funny you should say that.”
Barbara
looked at her apologetically. “Sorry, I meant it as a joke. I thought you’d put
all the arguments behind you.”
“So
did I but this time it was my fault,” she admitted shame-faced. “I accused
Nikki of flirting with every woman she came in contact with at the party,
including Trisha. We made up afterwards.” And how, she thought to herself. “But
I don’t know what got into me. I’ve never been the jealous type before.”
“Maybe
you’ve never felt so strongly about anyone before. I know Nikki hasn’t.”
Barbara touched her hand reassuringly. “She once told me that you filled her
heart like no woman had ever done before and if she hadn’t found you she would
have searched her whole life until she did. Do those sound like the words of
someone who would stray at the first opportunity?”
“No,
I don’t think they do.” Helen smiled at her tearfully. “Thanks, Barbara.”
“Don’t
worry, Helen. It’s bound to be difficult at first. This is all new to you but
remember, Nikki loves you and will always be there for you.”
Helen
nodded. “I know she will. I’d better go. I have a lifers’ meeting in a few
minutes.” She turned to leave, then turned back and gave the older woman a hug.
“That’s from Nikki and me. See you later.”
After
the lifers’ meeting, she made her way back to her office. The telephone was
ringing as she opened the door and she hurried and snatched up the receiver.
“Helen Stewart.”
“Makes
a change for you to be behind bars and me sitting at home,” a teasing voice
replied.
She
smiled when she recognised the voice. “You got up eventually, did you,
lazybones?”
“Come
home,” Nikki pleaded. “I’m missing you,”
“I
can’t. I’m too busy,” Helen replied regretfully, then added as an afterthought.
“I’m missing you, as well.”
“Then
come home, woman!”
She
laughed happily. “I really can’t. Gotta go. See you later. Love you.”
“Yeah,
me too.”
She
sat with the receiver in her hand, smiling to herself, until a knock on the
door brought her down to earth. She hastily replaced the receiver and called,
“Come in.”
The
door opened and Alex Gilbert entered. “Thought I’d come and see how you were,”
he said pleasantly. “Did you enjoy your week’s leave?”
“I
most certainly did,” she replied with a grin. “How are things with you?”
“Yeah,
great.” He sat down in a chair opposite her. “In fact, they’re better than
great. I’ve been offered a job in Canada.”
“Canada!”
she echoed. “Are you going to take it?”
He
nodded. “I think so. It’s too good an opportunity to miss and I have nothing to
keep me here, so why not?”
“Well,
I wish you all the luck in the world, Alex,” she replied sincerely. “You were a
good friend when I needed one.”
“Being
your friend wasn’t hard, Helen,” he said softly, a wistful look in his eye.
“Right, I’d better make myself scarce. How about meeting up for a drink before
I leave?” He grinned suddenly. “You can bring Nikki.”
“I
might just do that,” she replied, raising mischievous eyebrows.
He
got up to leave and opened the door just as Karen held up her hand to knock. “Looks
like you’ve got another visitor, Helen.” He allowed Karen to enter before going
out and closing the door.
“Don’t
tell me you’re off to Canada as well?” Helen quipped.
Karen
looked at her with a frown. “Sorry.”
Helen
shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. What can I do for you?”
“Just
fancied a natter,” she replied as she sank down onto the chair Alex had
vacated. “I enjoyed the party the other night. Thank you very much. I never
realised what the two of you had until I saw you together.”
“Maybe
now you can see why I’m prepared to give up everything for her.”
“Yes,
I think I can. Anyway, It’ll be your leaving do next.”
Helen
grimaced. “Not if I can help it. I doubt if anyone would come anyway. They’ll
all be glad to see the back of me.”
“I
don’t think so. You’ve still got friends here, you know, Helen.”
“Maybe,
but I won’t be sorry to leave.” She stood up abruptly. “Karen, will you excuse
me. I’m going home.” She smiled. “Do you know? It’s the first time in ages my flat
has felt like a home and it’s where I want to be.”
She hurried up the steps to the front
door, her hands fumbling with the keys and let herself into the flat, calling
out Nikki’s name as she slammed the door behind her. She gave a groan of disappointment
when there was no response to her call. Nikki must have gone out!
She
wandered around the flat, searching for signs of her lover, wishing Nikki
weren’t so tidy. Fear clutched at her heart. Supposing Nikki had gone? After
her jealous utterances of the other night, who could blame her? She ran to the
bedroom and yanked open the wardrobe door, breathing a sigh of relief when she
saw Nikki’s clothes were still there. A noise from outside attracted her
attention. She looked through the window and to her relief saw Nikki in the
small back garden cutting the grass. After watching her for several moments,
she hurried outside.
Nikki
glanced up and saw her coming down the garden. Her face broke into a delighted
smile as she switched off the mower. “What are you doing here? I thought you
were busy.”
Helen
walked up to her and cupped her face, then kissed her hard on the lips.
“What
was that for?” Nikki asked as they drew apart.
“You,”
Helen said softly, running tender fingers down Nikki’s cheek. “You’re gorgeous.
I’m totally in love with you and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Nikki
looked at her, then laughed out loud. “Well, I can,” she replied, taking
Helen’s hand. They walked back to the house, fingers linked.
“You
really must learn to lock your door, Helen,” a male voice called from the
kitchen doorway.
Helen’s
head shot up in alarm. “Oh, Christ! No!” she muttered.
“What’s
wrong, Helen? Who is it?” Nikki asked curiously.
“Shit,
Nikki!” she said harshly. “It’s my dad!