Back on Solid Ground (43 page)

Holly filled
Stacy in on what had gone on between the time she was abducted and the time she
was rescued, starting with the call from Amy and culminating with their arrival
at the ranch, and Stacy related what had transpired between her and her
father.  They talked until the sun came up and then showered and headed to the
hospital. 

The waiting
room was empty so Stacy and Holly went to the ICU nurse’s station. The nurse
recognized Stacy and smiled.  “It’s not visiting hours yet, but I’ll let you go
in just for a couple of minutes.”

“Has he woken
up?” Stacy asked, and the nurse shook her head no.

“I’ll meet
you back in the waiting room,” Holly said.  “I’m going to get some coffee.”

Stacy was
fighting tears when she approached Niki’s bed, but she was determined not to
cry.  “Hi Niki, it’s Stacy,” she said.  She ran the back of her fingers against
his cheek and the stubble on his face was scratchy on her hand. “You are the
most handsome thing. I swear, you look just like an angel lying there.”  She
climbed up onto the side of the bed and leaned over and hugged him, and laid
her head on his chest.  “Please wake up Niki.  I can’t lose you now.  Not after
everything we’ve been through.”

She had
started to cry and her tears had made a big wet circle on Niki’s hospital
gown.  “I love the way you breathe.”  Stacy closed her eyes and could feel
Niki’s heart pounding under her cheek.  “I can hear your heart beating.” She
stayed there with her head resting on him until the nurse came in with a new IV
bag.

“You can’t be
on the bed with him,” the nurse scolded her. 

Stacy sat up
and leaned over by Niki’s ear.  “Now look what you did.  You got me in
trouble,” she said, and the nurse smiled.  Stacy kissed Niki on the lips and
got off the bed, then she leaned across the bed and kissed him again.  “I’m
getting kicked out now, Niki, but I’ll see you in a little while.”

“We’ll be
moving him out of ICU this morning,” the nurse said cheerfully.

“Really?”
Stacy said, encouraged.  “So he must have improved.”

“He’s serious
but stable,” the nurse said.  “Now, go before you get me in trouble.”

When Stacy
got back to the waiting room Eli, Jason and Carlos were all there, looking
weary, but freshly showered and shaved.  Stacy was trying to be strong, but she
took one look at Eli and he looked so grief-stricken that the tears started
flowing again. Eli put his arms around her.

“I’m sorry,”
Stacy said.  “I keep trying not to cry and I tell myself I’m not going to, and
then I just can’t help it,” she sobbed. 

“Hey, there’s
nothing wrong with you crying,” Eli said.  He rested his chin on the top of her
head and squeezed her.   “There’d be something wrong if you didn’t.  You cry as
much you need to, Stacy.  It’s a hell of a lot better than keeping it inside.” 
Eli let go of her, pulled out a Kleenex and handed it to her.  “I got that
especially for you,” he told her, and he made her smile. 

“Were you
here all night?” Stacy asked, wiping her eyes.

“Most of it. 
Did they let you see him?” Eli asked.

“Yeah,” Stacy
sniffled.  “He’s stabilized.  They’re moving him out of ICU this morning.” 
Stacy turned to the others.  “Hi Carlos, Jason,” she said, hugging them in
turn.

“Did you get
some sleep?” Jason asked. 

“I did.  That
pill knocked me out.”

“You look a
lot better,” Carlos said, wiping tears off her cheeks.

Stacy looked
at the three and shook her head.  “You know, if someone had told me on my first
day on the island that we would end up being friends, I would have thought they
were nuts.  But I feel closer to you guys than some friends I’ve know for
years,” Stacy said. 

“Well you’ve
been through a lot with us,” Eli said. “And I guess we could probably say the
same thing.  After that hair scene in the kitchen, who would have believed we’d
end up caring about you?”

The door
opened and Holly walked in with Niki’s parents and sister.  Everyone greeted
each other and Holly went over to Stacy. 

“How was he?”
she asked.

“They’re
moving him out of ICU.  It’s so weird, Holly.  He just looks like he’s asleep
in there.”

Jason walked
up while Stacy and Holly were talking.  “Good morning,” he told Holly.

“Good
morning.  You smell all nice and fresh.”

Jason looked
from Holly to Stacy.  “I bet there are no secrets between the two of you,” he
said, and they both looked guilty.  “That’s what I thought.”  Jason turned to
Stacy. “So what did she say about it?” he asked, and Stacy and Holly laughed
out loud.  Everyone looked over at them and Stacy lowered her voice.

“I think she
said it was a really good one.  Isn’t that what you said?” she asked Holly.

“Those might
even have been my exact words,” Holly agreed.

Jason got a
big smile on his face and pointed his finger at Holly.  “That air I referred to
last night . . . big trouble.”

Holly laughed
out loud again.  “He thinks you and I are trouble together.”

“Why on earth
would you think that?” Stacy asked Jason. 

“Just a
hunch.”

The group
spent the majority of the day in the waiting room, leaving in staggered shifts
long enough to grab lunch and coming straight back.  Niki was moved into a
private room and they took turns sitting by his bedside trying to draw him out
of his coma.  But by the end of the day there was still no change, and when a
nurse came on the loud speaker and announced the end of visiting hours,
everyone was feeling discouraged.

“I think we
should all go get some dinner somewhere,” Eli said wearily, and everyone
agreed.

Stacy went up
to Holly.  “Why don’t you ride with Jason and leave me your car. I just want to
stay for a few more minutes,” she said.  “I’ll catch up with you guys at the
restaurant.”

“You need to
eat, Stacy,” Holly told her. 

“I know.  And
I will.  I just need a little more time with him.”

“Okay,” Holly
agreed, and she gave Stacy her keys.

Stacy went
back into Niki’s room and pulled a chair up next to his bed.  She held his
hand, weaving her fingers through his, and laid her head down on the side of
the bed. 

When Niki
came to, Stacy was sound asleep.  He opened his eyes and looked around the
room, then down at Stacy sleeping there and he smiled.  She was the most
beautiful thing he had ever seen.  He reached over with his free hand and
stroked her hair as she slept, and tried to remember what had happened.  He
remembered being shot and falling into a pit, and he remembered hearing three
more shots, but he couldn’t remember anything after that.  His chest was tight
from the bandage that was wrapped around him.  He wondered how long he had been
out.  Niki brushed Stacy’s hair off her face and gently traced the outline of
her cheekbone with his fingers.  He was so relieved that she was alive and safe;
his heart literally hurt.  He knew he should let her sleep, but he just
couldn’t do it.

“Stacy,” he
said, tracing his finger around her lips.

Stacy opened
her eyes, and at first she didn’t know where she was.  She looked up confused
and Niki was wide-awake and smiling at her.

“You’re
awake,” she said in disbelief. “Oh my God, you’re awake!” she yelled, laughing
and crying at the same time.  She climbed onto the bed and hugged him and
kissed him all over his face, then she buried her face in his neck, “I thought
I’d lost you,” she said, crying big crocodile tears all over him. 

Niki wrapped
his arms around Stacy and held her, and he closed his eyes and rocked her in
his arms.  “You have no idea how good it is to see you.”

“Am I hurting
you?” Stacy asked, bringing her head up to look at him. 

He pulled her
back and squeezed her.  “No, you’re not hurting me, you’re killing me.  Did you
know there’s really such a thing as being heartsick?  I always thought that was
just bullshit,” he told her, and Stacy laughed at him.

“I’m
serious.  And it feels very unhealthy,” he added, and Stacy had to laugh again.

“I need to
call Eli.  Your whole family is here,” Stacy told him.

“In a minute.
I just want to hold you,” he said, pulling her back down on top of him and
stroking her hair.  “What’s that?” he said, rubbing her stitches.

“Stitches. 
And they cut my hair,” Stacy said, smiling into his chest remembering the
kitchen scene. 

“God help
them!” Niki said.  “How long have I been out?”

“Two days.”

“Two days! 
No shit?”

“Yeah, so I
really need to call your family,” Stacy said.  She tried to get up but Niki
wouldn’t let her. 

“Only if you
say you’ll marry me,” he told her, and Stacy laughed.  When she didn’t answer
he squeezed her tighter, “Say it,” he said. “Yes I will marry you, Niki,” he
coached. 

“I can’t
breathe,” Stacy laughed.   

“Say it,” he
repeated.  “Yes, I will marry you, Niki, and have twelve of your children,” he
said laughing, then he winced and moaned.

He started to
tickle her and Stacy was laughing and screaming, trying to get away.  The nurse
came barging through the door and both Niki and Stacy jumped. 

“He’s awake!”
Stacy exclaimed, stating the obvious.

“So I see,”
the nurse said, and a broad smile spread across her face.

Stacy got off
the bed still laughing and picked up the phone. 

“What’s Eli’s
number?” she asked.  Niki called it out and she dialed it then handed Niki the
phone.  “Here, you talk to him.”

Eli answered
after the first ring. “Yeah,” he said.

“Why aren’t
you over here, asshole?”

“Niki!” Eli
yelled into the phone, and everyone at the table froze.  “It’s him! He’s
awake!  We’ll be right there,” Eli told him, and he hung up before Niki could
say anything else. 

“He hung up,”
Niki told Stacy, handing her the phone.

Eli threw money
down on the table and they all ran out of the restaurant before the food
arrived.  They were at the hospital within twenty minutes, and the group blew
past the nurse’s station and flooded into Niki’s room all at once.  Stacy moved
over to the windows and watched as his family greeted him, then Carlos and
finally Jason, but every chance he got, Niki was looking over at Stacy.  Holly
was standing with her and she put her arm around Stacy’s shoulder.

“He is so in
love with you,” Holly said, watching the way Niki looked at Stacy. 

“I know.  And
he hasn’t even seen me at my best!”

The nurse
came in and tried to chase everyone out but they all ignored her, and it took
three more appearances from her before anybody made any motions toward the
door.  Niki was talking to his mother and he lapsed into French and Stacy just
about had a cow.
As if you weren’t sexy dangerous enough.
He gestured
for Stacy to come over, and he took her hand. 

“You speak
French?” she asked, completely besotted.

“Sometimes,”
he said, kissing her hand. “I assume you met my girlfriend,” Niki said to his
mom.

“Yes I did,”
his mother said, smiling.  Niki looked happier than she had seen him in ages,
bullet wound or not.  Lillie watched Niki put his arm around Stacy’s waist and
pull her close to him.  He wasn’t the least bit self-conscious in front of his
mother and it was exactly the way she would have predicted he would act with
the woman he finally fell in love with.

“Can you stay
for a while?” Niki asked Stacy.

“I’m not
going anywhere.”  She ran her hand through Niki’s hair and kissed him on the
forehead. 

“You should
get something to eat,” Lillie told Stacy in her sweet voice.  “You’ve hardly
eaten a thing today.”  She looked to Niki for support.

Niki thought
about it for a second.  He wanted Stacy to stay, but he knew his mother was
right.  “We’ll make Eli go get her something,” Niki told his mother, and she
nodded in agreement. 

Everyone had
left the hospital and Eli had returned with food for Stacy and had left again. 
The doctor had come in and examined Niki, and finally Niki and Stacy were alone
in the room.  At the risk of being confronted by the nurse, Stacy climbed into
bed with Niki and lay down on her side facing him.

“Jason told
me about your father,” Niki said.  “How are you, mentally, I mean?”

Stacy thought
about it for a minute.  “It was either him or you.  And I wasn’t going to let
it be you.  I did what I had to do and I’ll just have to live with that.” 
Stacy went quiet and Niki reached over and touched her cheek.  “He did kill my
mother.”

“I’m sorry,”
Niki said.  “I was hoping you were wrong.”

“Yeah, me
too,” Stacy said.  “Let’s not talk about this any more tonight.  I just want to
be happy that you’re okay and look forward, not back.”

Niki smiled
at her.  She was as tough as nails and as fragile as glass. “Come here,” Niki
said, and she moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest and he put
his arm around her.  “I’m tired,” he said, closing his eyes.  “If that nurse
tries to make you leave and I’m asleep, tell her I’m gonna buy the hospital and
have her fired.”

Stacy laughed
and closed her eyes.  “I love you.”

Niki squeezed
her tighter.  “Not as much as I love you.”

Eli, Jason,
Carlos and Holly had all gone out to celebrate on the Riverwalk. They had done
tequila shots and ended up in Niki’s hotel suite.  Jason unlocked the door and
reached back for Holly’s hand and dragged her in the door, and Eli and Carlos
followed.  Eli and Carlos made a drink and went out on the balcony and Holly
fell onto the couch in a lump. 

“Are you
okay?” Jason asked, laughing at her.

“I think I’m
gonna throw up,” she slurred.

“Oh, don’t do
that!”