Chapter Four-Hundred-Forty-Two
As soon as Nick, Ashley, Marcus, the kids, and puppies stepped out of the elevator, Conner and Laney turned and looked. Upon seeing Nick, Conner’s eyes widened and he darted to Laney’s side.
“Where is Angel?” Nick demanded when he didn’t see his sister among the two and panic arose in him – Lindy’s panic amplifying his own.
“She ran off when you upset her,” Conner answered and then moved slightly behind Laney.
“WHAT?” Nick shouted and he turned his full attention on Laney then. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Q ran after her and caught up with her. He called me and told me that she’s gone to Brian’s house and is fine and there is no need to worry you. I would say he’s right after the story I just heard,” Laney insisted and he eyed Nick cautiously. Nick sighed heavily and rolled his eyes.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about it” he insisted and he turned his attention back on Conner. “As for you however,” he began while narrowing his eyes at him and Ashley grabbed onto his arm to restrain him and Laney gently shoved Conner further behind him.
“Leave him alone Nick. Don’t forget you are the one trying to put a stop to child abuse not join in on it,” Laney reminded him.
“I just want to talk to him.”
“So talk to him then,” Laney shrugged.
“Alone.” Laney eyed him warily.
“I’m not going to hurt him Lan…God knows I want to but my job here at this orphanage is very important to me. I won’t jeopardize it.”
“Angel is also very important to you too and you can’t seem to control your temper today when it comes to her,” Marcus warned, reminding Nick of his breakdown earlier.
“I am fine,” Nick said again. “Conner...Brooke’s office, right now” He ordered and then kissed Ashley’s cheek. “I will meet you in the playroom,” he told her gently and he walked off toward Brooke’s office. Conner watched him disappear inside it for a moment and then looked up at Laney and gulped.
“Go on. Brooke is in there he’s not going to do anything stupid” Laney reassured and Conner turned and headed into the office. As soon as he did he found Nick talking to Brooke.
“Do you mind if we use your office to talk Brooke?”
“Sure,” Brooke answered and she began to get up when Nick stopped her.
“No, no stay please. If you are there I will remember not to kill him” he insisted and Brooke sat back down again though she eyed Nick warily, finally realizing that he isn’t happy in the least bit. Nick went over and sat on one of the couches.
“Shut the door and get over here Conner. Have a seat.” Conner shut the door behind him and complied, going over and taking the couch across from Nick and he hugged his legs to his chest like Ashley tends to do when in protective mode. He stared at him from across the room for a long moment before speaking up.
“What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?” he prompted bravely.
“You and my sister.”
“What about us?” Conner asked innocently and he looked down and fiddled with the string of his hoodie.
“What are your intentions with her?”
“Well she’s my girlfriend,” Conner answered simply. “I want to love her.”
“Love is a pretty big word Conner…and kids your age these days seem to just throw it around like it’s nothing.”
“Well that’s not me,” Conner insisted seriously.
“Oh no? I was fourteen years old once too buddy I know how they are. They are young and all about the girls. They like one girl one week and then the next they see another pretty one that excites them. I know what that’s like.”
“Yeah well, you also know that I have been all about Angel since the moment she walked into my life. I only have eyes for her and I don’t tell people I love them unless they deserve it. She is the only girl who ever has” Conner answered confidently and he looked Nick directly in the eyes so he could see how serious he is.
“And how about a week, month, or even a year from now huh?”
“It won’t change. There is no other girl in this whole world that can compare to Angel. She is special. She saw the good in me that no one else could when everybody found out the truth. She listens to me and she helped me through some very tough times when I needed it the most. She’s my best friend. I love her, I care about her.” Nick sat there staring at him in silence. He has to admit he likes knowing that Conner thinks his sister is special. In his mind no boy in the world deserves her unless they truly understand and appreciate how special she is.
“Fine,” he said after a long moment. “But you had sex with her…did you even bother to use a condom?” Conner looked away from him then uncomfortably.
“It was one of those spur of the moment kind of things…”
“So what if she gets pregnant? Will she still be special to you then?”
“Her and my child both,” Conner answered honestly and he looked Nick in the eye once more so he would see that he isn’t lying. “I raised Rosalie all by myself since my parents were killed Nick and I think I did a pretty good job all things considering. I would prefer Angel not have my baby until we’re older but if she should, I will take full responsibility I swear to you.”
“I don’t just want you to take full responsibility for the baby – that’s important too don’t get me wrong but what I want to know is that you will still love Angel. While she may be important to you like you claim, you can be sure that she is very important to me and I know she loves you as much as she says she does if not more. If you ever hurt her so help me…”
“I would never hurt her intentionally,” Conner insisted. “I make mistakes sometimes like anybody else but I can promise you that I would never purposely hurt her in any way. I will make the promise in blood if it will reassure you.”
“We won’t go that far,” Nick replied and he couldn’t help but show his slight amusement. “I will just take your word for it.”
“If you want Nick I will take Angel to get some birth control pills,” Brooke spoke up suddenly when she felt that it was safe to.
“Really? You’d do that?” Nick asked turning his attention on her now.
“Of course. If they already slept together once you know they’re going to be doing it lots more whether you like it or not…so we might as well make sure they’re doing it responsibly.”
“That would take a huge weight off of my shoulders if you did that. You’ll have to wait until she comes back though…I sort of upset her and she ran off to Brian like usual.” The three of them sat there talking for a few moments more, and then Nick got up and walked out of the office remembering he told Ashley he would meet her in the playroom. When he got in there, he found her sitting at the art table with Ellie who was currently drawing Ashley a picture. Curious on what Ashley was having her draw since she doesn’t have enough paper space to draw everybody in the playroom he went up behind Ashley to look and saw that she was simply drawing her, Kevin, Kristin, and Jerald all together. Nick slid his arms around Ashley from behind and kissed her cheek.
“How is this going to help prove I’m not crazy?” he whispered softly in her ear.
“It’s not…I’m just asked her to draw whatever makes her happy. I’m trying to think of a way to talk it out of her. Kevin and Ann haven’t been having much luck with the imaginary friend talk, so I don’t know how I’m going to either.” Ellie looked up then upon noticing Nick there for the first time, and as she did, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw her imaginary friend standing beside him.
“LINDY!” she exclaimed happily, as she has not seen her in so long. She’s always felt her presence at bedtime, but never really seen her. Not since she purposely pissed her off awhile back ago when talking to Ann. Nick and Ashley looked at her confused then, as did Kevin, Kristin, and Ann who were all standing a few feet away talking to everybody else.
“Who is Lindy sweetie?” Ashley asked curiously and Ellie paused and looked at her with a look on her face like she’d just been caught sneaking into the cookie jar.
“Linda. I meant Linda.”
No Ellie go ahead and tell them the truth.
Ellie looked at Lindy confused.
“But you told me they’re not alloweds to know.”
I know what I told you but I think it’s important that they know now.
“Why?”
Because it will help Sean in the long run. Ellie nodded then not needing any further explanation. Her ghostly grandmother just said the key words.
“Princess what’s going on?” Kevin asked curiously and he went over and knelt beside her chair before looking at the space next to Nick where Ellie was looking.
“My friend Lindy is here,” Ellie answered simply.
“I thought you said her name was Linda…”
“That’s what she tells me to tell you but it’s not true. She wants you to know her name is Lindy now.” Ashley sat there quietly thinking about this little confession. Lindy…why does that name sound so familiar? She reached out and grabbed a clean piece of paper and a pencil and she placed it in front of Ellie.
“Will you draw Lindy for me sweetie?” Ellie looked over in the direction Lindy is in cautiously.
Go ahead honey.
“I will try,” Ellie answered Ashley’s question. “But I’m nots as good at drawing people as Brandon or the artist that works for Elliot is.”
“What if I draw it for you?” Brandon suggested as he was in the playroom too. He had been looking through Disney Princess books all day trying to decide the best way to go about painting them. “You can tell me what she looks like and I’ll draw it just like the man who works for Stabler.”
“Okay,” Ellie replied and Brandon scooted closer to the table, grabbed the paper and pencil that Ashley had given Ellie and with Ellie’s clear description of Lindy he began drawing. With his mad art skills, he had a perfect drawing of just Lindy’s face done in five minutes
“Is it just me, or does she look an awful lot like Sean?” Howie questioned warily.
“She’s the spitting image of him…” Ashley answered softly, gripping Nick’s hand tightly as she stared at the harmless piece of paper.
“Ellie,” Kevin began carefully. “Tell us about Lindy please. Everything that you know.” Ellie cocked her head to the side as she glanced up at Kevin. “When did you become friends with her?”
“Around the time you started spending so much time withs Summer an’ forgetting ‘bouts me.” Kevin ignored the pang of guilt at her words with great difficulty.
“What else can you tell us about her?”
“Does she know about Sean?” Brandon questioned.
“She’s helping me try an’ saves him,” Ellie answered with a nod of her head. “She came to me an’ told me it’s important.” Ashley sat there in silence throughout the whole time Kevin and Brandon questioned her and then she suddenly remembered like it were just yesterday when Sean was torturing her. Conner had just called to tell him Ellie had been kidnapped too and he had yelled at Max and Trevor ‘to watch Lindy’. He had called her Lindy. She pondered that realization quietly.Why did he call me Lindy? She looked back at Ellie then and asked her the right question that neither Kevin or Brandon had bothered to ask yet.
“How does she know Sean, Ellie?”
“I don’t know,” Ellie shrugged. “She never telled me.”
Tell them my last name is Knowles, Ellie Lindy spoke up again, giving Ellie her surname. She feels very self conscious about telling Ellie who she really is, but if they research her they’ll figure it out and then they can tell her in the best way they know how.
“She says her last name is Knowles,” Ellie announced. Ashley reached into Nick’s pocket then and grabbed his cell phone and she had it open and dialing Detective Stabler instantly.
“Yeah Nick, what’s up?” Detective Stabler answered right when he picked up.
“Elliot it’s me. Research the name Lindy Knowles will you?”
“Why?”
“Just do it, I have a feeling.”
“All right, I’ll do it now – stay on the phone with me,” He told her and a few seconds later she heard him going through files and typing on the computer. After a long silence he spoke up again.
“Lindy Knowles is Lindy Ellerbee – Sean’s mother. Knowles was her surname. She left Sean and his father when Sean was only four years old.” Ashley fell silent then, gaping at this new information and Nick gently rubbed his hand over her arm.
“Ashley?” he and Detective Stabler unknowingly said in unison.
“What’s going on honey?” Detective Stabler wanted to know.
“No she didn’t” Ashley informed Detective Stabler after regaining her composure and grabbing Nick and pulling him on the other side of the room where Ellie could no longer hear the conversation.
“What are you talking about? All records and files say that she did.”
“Well they’re wrong.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because she’s here in this very orphanage right across the room with Ellie as her imaginary friend, that’s how I know.”
“Imaginary friend? Come on…”
“I’m serious Elliot. Brandon drew her while Ellie described her – you can compare pictures if you want.”
“Maybe Sean told her about her…” Detective Stabler reasoned.
“I don’t think so. She doesn’t know she is really her Grandmother – and I know she’s telling the truth.”
“But--”
“--She obviously died somehow a long time ago and is back as a ghost. Little kids can usually see them.”
“Ashley this is all way over my head…”
“I know but just try and be open minded about it okay? You see weird stuff every day Elliot why should this be any different?”
“So what do you want me to do about this? Call up the Ghost Busters?” Elliot teased gently.
“No,” Ashley answered amusedly. “She could be useful we need her around.”
“Except that according to you, only a five year old can communicate with her.”
“You just leave that up to me. I’ve been having lots of fun playing Therapist with the kids all day I’m not about to stop.”
“Except you have a date with a nine year old in ten minutes so you are going to have to call it quits until later baby,” Nick informed while sliding his arms around her waist from behind.
“Tell Ryan hi for me,” Detective Stabler told her amusedly.
“Will do. Thanks for the information Elliot – bye.”
“Bye honey,” Detective Stabler replied and then hung up. Ashley did too and handed Nick his phone.
“So I guess what you are trying to say is that was Sean’s mother’s feelings that I was reacting to earlier?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I am trying to say.”
“How can you be so quick to believe in this stuff?” Marcus asked while joining her. Ashley shrugged her shoulders.
“I just have a really open mind…and I may have read up on the supernatural world out of curiosity once or twice,” She answered innocently. “My guess is she had just entered the room and was really pissed off about something and it amplified Nick’s suppressed feelings.”
“So pissed that she wanted to dig up someone’s grave and make sure they no longer rest in peace,” Nick added quietly. “But who’s?”
“If she is as angry as Sean is…and judging by the way you acted earlier, she is…I want to say her husband’s.”
“Plus he is the only one in their family that is dead,” Marcus added. “So far.”
“Besides her,” Nick corrected.
“And that’s the way it’s going to stay if Ellie and I have anything to say about it,” Ashley added while narrowing her eyes at Marcus some when she caught onto how he said so far. Marcus shrugged his shoulders not wanting to argue with her about the matter any further. He has already been told by Detective Stabler that he is leaving the decision all up to her anyway as she deserves to have say in what happens to him. But they still have to argue with the higher people nonetheless. But they are not worrying about it until they’ve actually caught him so there is no sense in arguing with her.
“You have a date to go on,” was all he said. “Ryan is probably waiting. You still need to go upstairs and get the books you got for him.” Ashley looked at Nick then and he leaned forward and gave her a quick but meaningful kiss.
“Tell Ellie about her other Grandmother for me will you? She deserves to know.”
“Will do, but I think Kev ought to find out first since he’s the father and all” Nick told her and Ashley allowed Marcus to link his arm with hers and he and Nick exchanged brief looks before Marcus led her out of the room to go get Ryan. He watched until she was completely out of the room, and then he went to go get Kevin so he can pull him aside and explain things to him.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
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