You Oughtn't Be in Pictures part 2
Part 1
Tom escorts her to the study. "Sit down."
"Dad what's wrong? Is it Elizabeth?"
"Uh? No she's fine, Abby';s with her." he then tells her about her
car.
"What?" ~Please don't let it be the same person who sent the letter
and made the phone calls.~
He nods. "We are waiting for the police."
"Dad where's Abby?" She asks wanting to talk to her first to see if
they should tell Tom the rest.
"Upstairs with Elizabeth."
"I'll be back in a minute." She tells him before going upstairs.
"What???' he says to himself.
Once she's upstairs Nancy checks to see if Abby is still with Elizabeth.
Abby is still sitting by Elizabeth's bedside.
"Abby, can I talk to you for a minute?" Nancy asks.
"Sure." Abby gets up and walks out into the hallway.
Nancy quietly tells her about the car so no one overhears and that Tom knows
since he's the one who told her. "Should we tell him about the letter
and the phone calls?"
"Do you think they're connected?"
"I don't know, I haven't seen the car yet."
"I'll tell your father."
Nancy nods. "What should I do in the meantime? They called the police."
"You'll have to tell the police, but in private. You should probably also
let Brad know."
"Good idea, how is she doing?"
"I think it's still too early to tell."
"Poor kid, she's worse off than I was." Nancy worries.
"She'll be OK."
"I sure hope so." Nancy says focusing on her sister to quash out the fear
she's starting to feel about the threats.
"Me, too."
"Yeah I know you worry about her. I'm going to see if the police are
here yet."
"Nancy," Abby stops her, "I worry about all of you."
"I know." Nancy answers.
"Go wait for the police. I'll be down in a few minutes to talk to your father,
or if you see him, send him up here."
"Ok." She nods and goes downstairs.
Tom is pacing waiting for the police. ~Whats taking them so long?~ Tom thinks
Abby goes back to check on Elizabeth, who is still asleep.
Abby stays there a minute or two longer and then drifts out, looking for
Tom.
"Dad Abby wants to talk to you," Nancy says.
"Thanks, you ok?"
"I think."
"Just try and relax, everything will be ok."
"I'm trying."
Tom then looks for Abby
Abby is coming down the stairs.
"Hi." he says
"Hi. Can we talk?" Abby says, pointing to the study.
"Sure." he escorts her in the study.
"There's something I haven't been telling you."
"Oh?' he sits down.
"I guess maybe I should have told you before, but I thought it was all under
control, and I didn't want to bother you."
"What?" he asks
Abby tells him all about the harassment Nancy's been living with.
"And you never told me?" he says trying not to yell.
"I told you, I thought it was under control, between Brad and me. I didn't
want you worried over something that you couldn't do anything about, anyway.
I'm sorry."
"If I had kept something like this from you, I would be in the doghouse for
the next century."
"I said I was sorry. I was just trying to protect you."
Tom just shakes his head. "I know." he sighs.
"And now that I saw it wasn't taken care of at all, I'm telling you."
"Yeah, the clean-up crew." he jokes. "Do you have the letters?"
"Upstairs. Guess this house is just full of hiding places."
"I'll need them for the police."
"I'll go get them."
"Ok."
Abby starts to head out and upstairs.
Nancy goes outside to see the car and to see if the police have arrived yet.
"Mary will you go and keep an eye on Elizabeth?" Nancy asks her. "I'll
wait with Tommy."
"Sure." Mary goes inside to sit with Elizabeth while Abby talks to Tom.
Nancy goes to look at the car and returns to Tommy.
"I do not want Nicholas to see that."
"He's asleep and we can cover it up. Theres a tarp in the garage."
"Good, will you help me do that when the police leave?"
"Sure.":
"Thanks."
He hugs her.
She hugs him back. "Thanks I needed that."
"I kinda figured."
She smiles and soon the police arrive.
"It's about time." Tom says.
Nancy and Tommy show them inside after they see the car.
"Sorry it took so long." One of the police officers says to Tom.
"Another donut stop?"
"Ha ha." The older officer says. "Do you have the letters?"
"Abby!!" Tom calls for.
"I'm here, I'm here," Abby mutters, hurrying down the stairs. "Here they
are," she tells Tom, handing him the letters.
Tom hands the officer the letters.
They look them over.
"Sheesh this guy is one wacked..." He stops himself. "Sorry."
Tom sighs. "Now what do we do?"
"There's not much we can do about the letters, we can have a tap put on the
phone, and they really messed up when they vandalised the car. They'll
do a little time if we find out who it was."
"In the meantime...."
He sighs. "I would normally suggest a restraining order but since we don't
know who it is. That can't be done. Right not I suggest not to
let her go anywhere alone."
Tom nods.
"What are the chances that this person is for real?" Nancy asks about the
threats.
The officer shrugs. "There's really no way to tell."
"You can't go to L.A." Tom tells Nancy
"What?!"
"You can't take the chance." Tom says.
"Dad there'll be bodyguards. I'll be fine."
"I don't know." he states.
Nancy looks at Abby hoping she's on her side about this.
Abby doesn't say anything, not wanting to compound her error in not telling
Tom in the first place.
"Dad I can't start living in fear because of this. If I don't go to
LA then whoever is doing this wins."
"Look, we will talk about this in the morning." Tom says.
Nancy sighs but nods in agreement.
Tom shows the officers to the door.
Nancy goes to the kitchen to get something to drink after the officers leave.
"You ok?' Tommy asks.
"No, why do we have to have a father who cares so much?"
"Because we do."
"Yeah, because we do. Maybe if Brad talked to him."
"Give him some time. After all he has had a lot to take in today."
"Yeah with Elizabeth being sick."
"Yeah and you being stalked."
"Neither very good for his ulcer."
"No, things will look different in the morning."
"I sure hope so."
"They will." he says. "I'm going to bed."
"Sleep good I'm going to sit with Elizabeth till Abby gets back to her."
Tommy nods and goes to bed.
Meanwhile Tom goes into his study. Abby follows him in.
"Want a drink?" Tom asks.
"I could use one."
"Name your poison." he says as he gets a scotch for himself.
"Whatever's handiest."
Tom looks "There's some wine left."
"All right."
Tom pours her a glass. "Quite a day." he says as he hands it to her.
"You have a talent for understatement."
"Abby, I understand why you did what you did...but how can I protect our
family if I don't have all the facts?"
"If you had known about the letters, you would have been able to make sure
nothing happened to Nancy's car?"
"No." he admits. "But it made me feel like an outsider."
"I'm sorry. But I wasn't only trying to protect Nancy, I was trying to protect
you."
"I know and I do appreciate that, I dont know may be there wasn;t any right
way or wrong way."
"If it hadn't been for your ulcer I would have told you. I don't enjoy keeping
things from you, you know."
Tom nods. "I know."
"What can you do to protect Nancy, now that you know?"
"Keep her from going to LA for one."
"How is that going to protect her?"
"At least here, I can keep an eye on her.""
"There Brad has hired professionals to do the same job."
"But I'm her father."
"And you're a very good father. But you're not a professional bodyguard."
"So you think she should go?"
"I don't think it will be any more dangerous for her than staying here. It
might drive you crazy, though."
"What her staying or going?"
"Her going. You wouldn't have any control."
"I know..." he sighs
"But she's growing up. You can't always have control in her life anymore,"
Abby says, and starts to rub Tom's shoulders.
"It was so much easier when they were younger."
"I'll bet it was."
Tom starts to yawn.
"Time to get you to bed, mister."
"Huh? I'm alright."
"For a zombie."
"Well you don't look all that chipper yourself."
"Gee, thanks."
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah. I'll try napping a little while I sit with Elizabeth."
"Might as well not fight it."
"And you--you should go to bed."
"Ok, you convinced me."
"I knew I would."
"So sure?"
"I know you."
"Uh huh." he smiles
"I do. I know everything important about you--I think."
"Then theirs no mystery."
"Unless, of course, I don't know as much about you as I think I do. We can
talk about that tomorrow, though."
"OK."
"I'd better get back upstairs."
"Yeah, me too."
"Sleep well. Tomorrow's got to be better."
"Let;s hope."
"It'd have to work pretty hard to be worse."
"I agree."
"Things will look better in the morning."
Tom walks Abby upstairs.
Nancy goes to sit with Elizabeth while Mary goes to bed.
Liz groans but is still sleeping.
"Shh, you're going to be ok." Nancy whispers so she doesn't wake her.
Liz falls back into a deep sleep.
Nancy continues to sit with her and struggles to keep her eyes open.
Tommy sees her. "Shes asleep, go to bed."
"I'll wait till Abby gets back."
"Want me to wait with you?"
"Sure if you don't mind."
"I don't he says."
"Then have a seat."
Tommy sits with her
"We have to do the tarp after Abby gets back."
"Right, I forgot."
"So did I."
Tommy yawns.
"Maybe you're the one who should go to bed." Nancy says answering Tommy's
yawn.
"I will after we get the tarp on."
"Ok." She concedes.
"I'll wake you in the morning," Abby promises Tom when they get upstairs.
"Don't worry about it, just try and get some sleep." He then kisses
her goodnight.
"Good night, Tom."
"Goodnight Abby."
Abby heads off towards Liz's room.
"Abbys here." Tommy whispers.
Nancy wakes up from nodding off for a second. "What?"
"Thanks for sitting with her," Abby whispers to Nancy and Tommy.
"No prob." Tommy says
"You're welcome." Nancy whispers back.
Abby sits down. "You two should get to bed. It's late."
"We will soon." Nancy says.
Abby smiles at them.
"Why not now?"
"No reason. Tommy you ready?"
"Yep."
They go outside to put the tarp on the car.
"Goodnight Nancy." Tommy says as they go back upstairs.
"Goodnight Tommy." She says and goes upstairs to bed.
Before getting into bed Nancy remembers that she wanted to talk to Abby but
was too tired to remember at the time and she remembers that she didn't even
bother saying goodnight to her. "Real good rude girl." She says about
herself and returns to Abby and Elizabeth.
"Nancy, I thought you were going to bed."
"I was but I didn't really mean it when I said *nothing*, I was just
too tired to remember that I wanted to talk to you about something and I
also forgot to say goodnight."
"It's all right," Abby says. "And you should get to sleep. We can talk in
the morning."
"Ok, goodnight Abby, hey Tommy and I covered the car so Nicholas doesn't
see it."
"That was a good idea."
"Thanks I didn't want him to see it, might freak him out."
"You're absolutely right."
She smiles and then says. "Well I'd better get to bed. Did David ever
call to say he got home ok?"
"Not that I know of. But you know David; he hates things like checking in."
"Yeah that's David all right. See you in the morning." Nancy says before
heading off to bed for real.
"Good night."
"Goodnight." She says and goes to bed.
Abby leans back in her chair and closes her eyes.
Elizabeth wakes up. "Abby, go to bed. I'll be fine."
"I can sleep here just as well."
"Then at least take Nancy's bed."
"All right," Abby says. "You know, I haven't shared a room with a woman since
college."
"Is that a good thing or bad thing?"
"I suppose it depends on who you're sharing the room with."
"Oh."
"Husbands are good things," Abby clarifies.
"Like Dad?"
"Yes," Abby smiles, "like your father."
Elizabeth nods and is soon asleep.
Abby sits up and leans against the headboard so even if she naps, she won't
sleep too deeply.
Later Elizabeth wakes herself up by coughing loudly.
Abby is startled awake. "Elizabeth?" She hurries to Elizabeth's side and
helps her sit up.
Tom hears it as well since he had his door open. He grabs his robe
and runs to her room "Is she all right?"
"A cough," Abby says. "Could you get her something to drink?"
"Abby can I speak to you in the hall for a moment?"
"Elizabeth?" Abby checks with her charge.
"I'll be ok." she says.
"I'll be right back," Abby says to Elizabeth and steps out into the hall.
Tom whispers quietly. "I know this is highly unusual, but what if I make
her a hot whiksey toddy?" he says. "It always work with me when I was a kid."
"It might be worth a shot," Abby agrees readily.
Tom nods. "If anything, it'll make her forget her pain."
"Oh, I'm sure your old family remedy will do that."
"Would you like one?"
"No, no, no, that's all right," Abby says quickly. "I'm fine."
"Ok, I'll be back."
"I'll be here," Abby assures him.
Tom goes down and makes the concotion up for Liz.
Abby goes back to Elizabeth. "Your father went downstairs to make you something--old
family remedy."
"Dad cooking?" she asks horrified.
"More like mixing." ~Though the results may not be any better.~
Soon Tom brings up the hot liquid. "Its hot."
~Poor Elizabeth.~
Elizabeth takes the cup and sniffs. "Liquor?"
"Don't all your father's family remedies have it?"
Tom rolls his eyes.
Liz takes a sip. "Wow."
"It helps?"
"I cant tell yet, but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy."
"Well, the warm part sounds good."
She drinks some more and it quiets her cough. She starts to doze.
"How much liquor did you put into that?" Abby asks Tom.
"Enough so it would work."
"That much being?"
"A ounce or maybe a bit more." he says.
Elizabeth starts dozing and giggling.
"A bit more?" Abby sighs. "If she has a hangover in the morning, she's all
yours."
"She'll sleep it off, besides she isn't coughing anymore."
"The ends don't always justify the means."
"Abby, she isn't the first one of my kids I've made this for."
"Fine. I'm not going to argue with you."
Tom sighs ~I was trying to help.~
Elizabeth is soon back to sleep.
"I think I can handle it from here," Abby says. "You ought to go back to
sleep."
"In other words I've done enough for one day." he says and then leaves.
"In other words I could have taken care of Elizabeth myself," Abby mutters
after Tom is gone. "I didn't need Mr. Man of Experience to come in and save
the day."
Tom shuts his door this time.
Abby shuts Elizabeth's door.
Liz curls up and is in a deep sleep.
Abby resumes her semi-recumbent position on Nancy's bed.
Part 3