| Heather was on her way home when she got her first page. She�d turned it on vibrate while he was recording and hadn�t to turn it back to beep. She�d thrown it in her bag and forgotten about it until she got home. Her hand was still sore, but she wouldn�t let Nick know that. She got out of the car and headed into the house. She was greeted by the dog and picked him up kissing the top of his head. � Al least you�re happy to see me,� She whispered. She walked farther into he house and sat her purse down. � Where�s Nick Orbi?� She asked playfully. � Hmm? Or am I going to have to page him,� She joked. Nick stood in the kitchen doorway, holding the knife in his hand. He watched her play with the dog for a few minutes, never making a sound. He held on tightly to the wooden handle, waiting for her to notice him. � I paged you,� He said finally, getting her attention. Heather looked at him, the smile she had disappearing when she saw the weapon he held. � And you didn�t answer,� She sat Orbi down on the ground and watched him scamper away before looking back at Nick. � I never got any page,� � Don�t lie to me,� He said. � I-I�m not lying.� She stammered. � Check for yourself,� Nick stared at her for a few minutes before turning and going back into the kitchen. Heather gave a sigh of relief and followed him slowly into the kitchen. � Was there something you wanted?� She asked. � Yeah,� He replied, returning to the carrots he�d been chopping. � I wanted you to make a run to the store. I didn�t have enough onions,� � I�m sorry,� � Shut up Heather. I don�t want to talk to you right now,� He snapped, chopping the carrots dangerously close to his fingers. Heather backed away from him and turned, exiting the kitchen. ~ Heather lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling. Nick was in the guestroom again tonight. The tension between them was becoming unbearable, and Heather didn�t know what to do to break it down. Even the dong could tell something wasn�t right. Earlier that day, Heather and Nick were in the middle of another useless argument when Orbi began to bark loudly. Both Nick and Heather stopped and looked down at the dog, who was like a small child pleading for it parents to stop fighting. Heather laughed at the situation while Nick just walked away; but they stopped arguing. Orbi, now rested at the foot of Heather�s bed. � I think it�s time to give up, dog,� She yawned. � Daddy doesn�t love us anymore,� She whispered, allowing herself to be lost in sleep. Nick stood above her watching her sleep peacefully. Why couldn�t she hurt the way he did? Why was everything so easy for her? Why. Why. Why. She didn�t see how hard he worked to turn his life around. She wasn�t there for all the therapy sessions and all the �workshops�. Everyday was a struggle now. It was always something. If she didn�t wear her hair down, or if she picked a shirt he didn�t like�. He was tempted. He loved her; that was obvious. But the need to control her began to heavily outweigh that love. And he was scared. The last person he�d want to hurt was Heather, but he couldn�t stop himself. Picking fights was frequent now, and Nick was always the instigator. He hadn�t hit her since the first argument, but he knew if he didn�t do something soon, that would change. He reached into his pocket and with a trembling hand pulled out the revolver, quickly aiming it at her. She yawned, and stirred a bit, but soon settled back into a blissful sleep. � All it would take would be one,� He thought. � And she�d be gone�. Just like Brian,� Tears were quickly formed in his eyes and he dropped the gun on the floor. Nick quickly followed, himself collapsing to the floor taken over by his sobs. � This is not what I wanted,� He whispered. � You did this� You did. I was fine before I met you and now everything�s happening again. I fought so hard� so hard. I wanted to be somebody you could love and all I�ve done is make it worse�. Well I know now what I have to do,� He sighed, wiping his eyes. He grabbed the gun and stood, quietly leaving Heather�s room. He grabbed his car keys and bolted out the door. Ring. Ring. Ring. Heather reached over and picked up the phone. � Hello?� She mumbled. � Ms. Perkins?� � Yes,� � Ms. Perkins, I�m Rebecca Moore from Cedars Sinai Medical Hospital. I�m sorry to have to tell you this, but we have a Mr. Carter here-� � What?� She asked sitting up. � What�s wrong?� � Ms. Perkins. Mr. Carter was in a serious car accident,� Chapter Sixteen |