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Chapter One Hundred-Seventeen
Point of View: Kayla



"Hey babe, it's me."

A blind sort of panic set into me. I felt like every part of my body had been turned numb. My hands shook. The phone had clattered to the floor with a brilliant cracking sound and I could hear him calling my name from the ear piece, like a haunting ghost.

I stood up, unsure what else to do, and quickly bolted into the hallway. I turned the direction I'd seen the nurse bring Zoe, though I didn't know any other turns beside that one. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest. I spotted a closed door and swung it open, "Nick?!" I gasped.

An old man and his wife looked up from the cribbage board they were playing with. "Sorry," I apologized. I backed out and closed the door behind me.

I had to tell him. I didn't know how, I didn't know when or why, all I knew was Leon wasn't in the jail anymore. He couldn't call me from jail.

I was running, stumbling. I tripped over my own two feet and crashed into a cleaning cart, sending little bars of soap everywhere on the floor. A janitor came out of a closet a few feet away, and shouted, "Hey!" as I ran off. "Hey get back here and help clean these up!" he called. But i kept going.

I reached the end of the corridor and came to a stop, spinning around on my heels. "NICK!" I yelled, desperate. "NICK!!!!"

A couple heads poked out of rooms as I made my way down the hallway, screaming his name. "Shut up," some old woman called, "Some of us are sick here."

Zoe was suddenly in front of me, coming around the corner from the door of a room, wheeling herself along. She stared at me. "What the hell is the matter with you?" she demanded, shooshing me. "You're in a hospital for Christ's sake, Kayla. I understand you want to see him, but--"

"Leon just called my cell phone," I gasped.

Zoe stared at me in disbelief. "Are you fucking serious?" she asked.

I nodded.

"How the hell did he escape..."

"I don't know," I answered.

Zoe sighed, covering her face with her hands. I looked at the door she'd come out. Zoe looked up at me. "Go on," she said, "You know you want to. Just try not to wake him up, okay? He's in a lot of pain."

I didn't need to be told twice.



I stood next to the bed and rested my hand on his hand and stared at him. It just felt good to be looking at him, to know from more than second hand sources that he was alive and breathing, albeit shallowly, thanks to the morphine drip.

He was shivering. I carefully pulled the blanket up over him to his cheek, being gentle about laying it over the bandages on his back. He sighed contentedly in his sleep and seemed to sink deeper into the bed as he let out the breath.

I wanted to crawl onto the bed beside him and pull his arm around me. I kissed his shoulder softly. "I love you so much," I whispered to him.

I couldn't imagine ever having even wanted to kiss AJ.

Nick's eyes drifted open slowly, and they roved around untl they met mine. Nick smiled softly and his eyes drifted closed again. He moved his head ever so slightly and his mouth moved into a look pucker. I smiled and stood on tippy toes to deliver a kiss to him. Nick emitted a tiny whimper of joy.

"I missed you," I whispered. While I was so close, I kissed his soft cheek.

His mouth moved slowly, groggily, forming the words... I love you.

"I love you."



"I don't want you alone tonight."

Zoe was reprimanding me several hours later. I was getting ready to leave. I pulled my purse onto my arm. "I told you already, I talked to Brian and he's going to pick me up downstairs and I'm staying at his place tonight."

Zoe nodded, "Okay. I don't want you alone for even a millisecond," she instructed. "He's got dogs, right?"

"Yes," I pictured the little white puffballs attached to Leon's leg. It wasn't a very effective image. I didn't share it with Zoe.

"Okay." Zoe seemed content at that. "And he sent security for Nick?"

"Three huge guys from their tour," I confirmed.

Zoe nodded. "Okay."

I smiled, "Don't worry, Auntie Zoe," I said. "Everything's gonna be okay."

She nodded.