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Nick sighed and tried to shake his uneasiness. Picking up the telephone, he dialed Elisabeth’s cell phone and waited for her to answer.

“Hello?” she sounded upset.

“Hey,” Nick said softly. “Are you okay?”

“Nick,” Elisabeth’s said quietly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired, I suppose.”

“I was just wondering if you would like to have lunch with me here. Since our romantic night was ruined and well, just to take your mind off of everything. That mostly,” he asked.

Elisabeth smiled slightly to herself. “That would be nice. I’ll be there in about an hour. Is that okay?”

“Perfect,” his smile could be heard through the phone.

***

After lunch, Nick and Elisabeth sat cuddled on the couch; Elisabeth had her head on his chest and his arms were around her waist. Nick listened to her breathing as it became steady and even. She was asleep. Damn it, he thought when he heard someone knock on the door. Carefully, he moved from beneath Elisabeth and made sure he didn’t wake her up. Opening the door, he found Joylyn on the other side.

“What are you doing here?” he asked surprised.

“Can we talk, Nick?” Joylyn asked and stepped past Nick.

“Yeah, but keep it down, okay? Elisabeth is asleep,” he said and motioned for her to follow him to the kitchen.

Joylyn rolled her eyes but followed anyway. “Well, I won’t keep you long.”

“What’s up?” he looked at her. She looked angry. “You want something to drink or anything?”

“No, I don't want anything to drink. Look, Nick I don't know if you care or not, but I thought you should know that I went with Dee-Dee to the clinic in Wilmington today. They did a blood test and it came back positive.”

“So?”

“So, I thought that you should know since it's your baby.”

“I told her that baby isn’t mine,” he began to protest, but Joylyn held up her hand.

“Listen…Dee is my best friend, okay? She told me that you are the only guy she has been with; why is that so hard to believe? Not every woman is a fucking whore, Nick. Anyway, I just thought I would come by and deliver the news so you would know for sure one way or another.”

“If she's so sure it's mine why didn't she come and deliver the news her damn self.”

“Because, she isn't sure if she is going to keep it or not you stupid son of a bitch.”

Nick watched, somewhat dumbfounded as Joylyn turned to leave.

But before she was out of the room, she turned back staring at Nick with questioning brown eyes. “Hey, can I ask you one thing?” When Nick shrugged, she placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side. “If you weren't with what's-her-name, do you think that you and Dee-Dee could have ever worked things out?”

Jamming his hands into his pockets, Nick shrugged again before nodding slightly. “Maybe…If Elisabeth hadn’t come into my life. But she did and I love her, so I guess we’ll never know.”

Joylyn just nodded and turned to the door. Nick sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table and placed his head on the table...what am I gonna do?

***

Elisabeth felt Nick trying not to wake her up as he moved so he could answer the door. Not wanting to let him know he had been unsuccessful, she stayed on the couch and tried to drift back off. It was no use…she wasn’t that tired anyway. Rolling onto her side, she listened as Nick greeted the visitor.

“What are you doing here?” he asked surprised.

“Can we talk, Nick?” Joylyn asked and stepped past Nick.

“Yeah, but keep it down, okay? Elisabeth is asleep,” he said and motioned for her to follow him to the kitchen.

Joylyn rolled her eyes but followed anyway. “Well, I won’t keep you long.”

“What’s up?” he looked at her. She looked angry. “You want something to drink or anything?”

“No, I don't want anything to drink. Look, Nick I don't know if you care or not but I thought you should know that I went with Dee-Dee to the clinic in Wilmington today. They did a blood test and it came back positive.”

“So?”

“So, I thought that you should know since it's your baby.”

“I told her that baby isn’t mine,” he began to protest, but Joylyn held up her hand.

“Listen…Dee is my best friend, okay? She told me that you are the only guy she has been with; why is that so hard to believe? Not every woman is a fucking whore, Nick. Anyway, I just thought I would come by and deliver the news so you would know for sure one way or another.”

“If she's so sure it's mine why didn't she come and deliver the news her damn self.”

“Because, she isn't sure if she is going to keep it or not you stupid son of a bitch.”

Nick watched, somewhat dumbfounded as Joylyn turned to leave.

But before she was out of the room, she turned back staring at Nick with questioning brown eyes. “Hey, can I ask you one thing?” When Nick shrugged, she placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side. “If you weren't with what's-her-name, do you think that you and Dee-Dee could have ever worked things out?”

Jamming his hands into his pockets, Nick shrugged again before nodding slightly. “Maybe…If Elisabeth hadn’t come into my life. But she did and I love her, so I guess we’ll never know.”

Elisabeth tried hard to keep her emotions under control, but that was almost impossible. Dee-Dee was in fact pregnant and it was Nick’s child. But that didn't seem to bother her as much as what Joylyn had said regarding the baby and Nick's answers to Joylyn’s questions. “Because, she isn't sure if she is going to keep it or not you stupid son of a bitch…“Maybe…If Elisabeth hadn’t come into my life. But she did and I love her, so I guess we’ll never know. Those words sliced through her heart a little more each time they ran through her mind. She couldn’t help but feel terrible for Dee-Dee; she had been in the same position when she was only seventeen. She had considered having an abortion, but looking back on her choices, she knew she had made the right one…sure, Joshua wasn’t the husband she had always dreamed of, but he was there to help her when she was pregnant with Katy. She just couldn’t stand in the way of Nick and Dee-Dee working things out and it was obvious…if it wasn’t for her they would be able to. If Elisabeth hadn’t come into my life… Letting out a short sigh, she stood up and pushed back the tears struggling to break through.

“Hey, baby,” Nick smiled. “I didn’t know you were up.”

“Yeah,” she nodded absently. “I just woke up.”

“Are you okay?” concern filled his handsome features.

“Yeah,” she forced a smile. “I should get back home. I’ve got some things to do.”

“Oh, okay,” Nick said disappointed.

Elisabeth smiled up at him and placed her hand on the side of his face. Oh how she did love him. He had become her everything in such a short time; but all good things eventually came to a close. Brushing her thumb across his soft lips, she brought his face to hers. Closing her eyes at the feeling of their lips melting together, she did everything she could to keep from crying. She felt his hands slide to her waist as he deepened the kiss; pulling their bodies as close as he could. Her arms immediately snaked around his neck as she began to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. This was the kind of love she had always prayed for; the kind you could feel from you head down to your toes just from a kiss.

Sliding his hands gently over her backside, he brought them back to her hips and she slowly began to move them towards the bedroom. “Stay with me,” he whispered as his hands found their way under her shirt. “Just for a little while.”

Unable to say no, Elisabeth continued to kiss him and soon found herself gently being pushed down onto his bed. Her breath caught in her throat as Nick pulled her shirt over her head and his hands began to caress her skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps where ever he touched her. She closed her eyes and bit her lip as he replaced his hands on her skin with his mouth.

Elisabeth raked her fingernails gently across Nick’s back as he began to nibble on her collarbone. “I love you, Nick,” she said unable to keep her tears from breaking free.

Looking up at her beautiful face, Nick smiled and kissed away the tears that had fallen from her eyes. “I love you, baby.”

Closing her eyes, she could feel her body begging to feel him and she arched her back. Ever so gently, Nick complied and they were soon lost in each other. Elisabeth sighed softly at the feelings rushing through her. She was doing all she could to remember everything about Nick; she wanted to forget nothing. After all, this would be her last memory of him.

***

Elisabeth looked down at Nick’s sleeping form and bit her lip to keep from sobbing aloud. This was the absolute hardest thing she had ever decided to do, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. Bending down, she placed a feather soft kiss on his lips and watched as he stirred slightly in his sleep. Picking up her purse, Elisabeth placed the folded piece of paper on the pillow beside his head and turned on the stereo to play softly before she quietly exited the room.

As soon as she got home and got her luggage, she would be catching a flight back to Chicago. After loving one another for the last time, Elisabeth waited until Nick had fallen asleep and called her mother asking her to have her bags ready when she got home. Thankfully, Abigail didn’t question her and said everything would be in order when she arrived. All Elisabeth had to do was get on the plane and that was going to be difficult enough.

Why did I think falling in love would be easy?

***

Nick slowly began to awaken a short while after Elisabeth left. Sitting up, he looked around and tried to figure out why his stereo was on. He threw his legs over the edge of the bed and looked around the room; his mind was still clouded with sleep and he wasn’t sure if he was really awake or just dreaming.

The soft music started over and the melodic voice began to drift through his speakers.

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can’t tempt us
With their lies

I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where yellow grass grows
knee high
So won’t you try to come

Come away with me and we’ll kiss
On a mountain top
Come away with me
And I’ll never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I’m safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me*

Looking around his bedroom, Nick saw that Elisabeth was gone along with any evidence that she had ever been there. She said she had to leave earlier…before… he told himself. He stood up and turned to see a piece of paper on his pillow. He didn’t know why, but he was suddenly filled with dread. Gingerly, he lifted the folded paper and opened it. Nick could see a few tear stains on the paper had smudged some of the ink just slightly.

Dear Nick,

By the time you read this, I’ll be gone. Cliché, I know… Where do I start with this? As I sit here now watching you sleep, I am filled with sorrow at the fact that I know this will be the last time I ever see you. I never thought I would be leaving a “Dear John” letter, but I don’t think I could bring myself to say this aloud. I guess by writing it out, it makes it seem more like a nightmare than the reality that is my life. And I honestly don’t know if I can bring myself to say goodbye to you…

Every minute that passes breaks my heart a little more; I know my time is limited and if I don’t leave now, you will be waking up soon…I doubt I would be able to leave if you weren’t sleeping. How do I tell the one person that means the world to me that I can no longer be with them? It hardly seems fair to have been so happy just days ago… You have been my angel; you are the person that proved to me that love exists. I prayed to God every night that He would take pity on me and show me a way out. Then I met you. You showed me what it is like to fall completely in love and want nothing else but to be with that person.

The song you are listening to right now makes me think of us. It’s bittersweet isn’t it? “Come away with me…And I’ll never stop loving you…And I want to wake up with the rain…Falling on a tin roof…While I’m safe there in your arms…So all I ask is for you…To come away with me in the night…Come away with me…” But that is completely and honestly how I feel about you. It’s bitter to think that our love had to be so short-lived, but then again, it won’t be will it? As long as I have my memories, I will never forget you. That’s part of the sweet…

Take care of Dee-Dee…I have no doubt she’ll be good to you. And remember when you see that beautiful baby, you will forget everyone and everything else in the world…there’s no other feeling better than knowing you helped create a life. Just promise me that you won’t forget us… I love you more than anything. You have my heart completely and forever and there will not be a day I won’t think of you. That’s something I’m certain of. I will carry your memory with me forever…

With all the love I possess,
Elisabeth

Nick choked back his sobs as be finished the letter. She left him. Oh, God…what am I gonna do?

***
* “Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones