Coming Together: Welcome to Carson, Book Two

by Renee Harless

  On the drive to Asheville, Nikki picks out a few nursery pictures that she likes, the common theme being white furniture against pink and gray coloring.

  Despite her excitement at choosing a nursery theme, as soon as they arrive at the hospital, Austin can feel Nikki tensing up in the seat next to him. He tries to assure her that everything will be ok, but it does little to lessen her nerves.

  "I'm just not fond of hospitals. I was in one for almost two whole months, not to mention all the debt I racked up while I stayed."

  "I can take care of that for you, Nikki."

  "Yes, I know, but it isn't your place. And it isn't something we need to discuss today. I'm nervous enough to meet the woman you were almost engaged to, let alone who tried to kill you: my nerves are a bit on edge."

  "Well, just take it easy, and if it's too much, I can have Alexis or Dylan sit with you in the waiting room."

  She nods her head in compliance, but he knows she is just doing so to please him.

  As they walk into the hospital's main lobby, Austin finally admits that his nerves are shot as well. His hands have started sweating and he feels the need to retreat, but he won't. He will stand tall and make sure that he and Nikki will never be targeted again.

  Spotting Alexis over by the coffee machine, he and Nikki head in her direction to determine the plan of action.

  "Victor has spilled his guts," she says. "I'd like you to hear the story from him instead of the police, so I suggest we go see him first."

  "That was what I was going to say as well. Are there police standing guard in their rooms?"

  "Yes, Dylan specifically is in Ashley's room, as she is on high-alert. She isn't too fond of seeing you, by the way."

  "Of course she isn't, but she doesn't get to make that decision."

  "You're absolutely right, Mr. Connelly." Alexis turns her attention to Nikki and greets her warmly, changing her entire demeanor. She suddenly seems much younger than she acts as she asks, "Are you going in with him?"

  "I'd like to. I haven't come up with a reason why I shouldn't."

  Alexis simply nods her head, takes a sip of her coffee, and guides them to the elevators to head up to Victor's room.

  They step out onto the sixth floor of the facility and come face-to-face with two armed police guards. One of them scowls as he steps aside, but the other smirks at Alexis and winks as he gestures her through.

  "Boyfriend?" Nikki asks, reading his mind.

  Alexis giggles a low-pitched chord and shakes her head, "Ha, he wishes. I don't have a boyfriend and I don't want one. I barely have time for my cat, let alone for dating."

  Continuing down the hall, Nikki tacks on another question.

  "Do you go out on a lot of assignments?"

  "I'm only assigned a few, but I volunteer for many of them. I like to stay busy. I don't care for staying in one place too long. Though I do see the appeal with your town; if I ever have the desire to call a place home, I might consider it. It reminds me of the small towns you see in older movies. Well, here we are," she motions, ending any further conversation. "Victor is in this room and Ashley is in the one down the hall."

  Austin nods and takes a deep breath, preparing himself to look a man who had tried to kill him in the eye, even though he had called that same man a friend for over eight years now.

  He feels a tender hand rest on his shoulder, and he turns to smile weakly at Nikki. Taking another breath, he steps forward into the room.

  As he enters he nods at the police officer who is standing inside, then he draws back the curtain that is hiding its captive. The first thing Austin notices is how tired Victor's face appears. Had he been like this all along and Austin hadn’t noticed, or had the arrest finally driven home the fact that it had all come to an end? Victor's eyes were shadowed by dark purple rings; his cheeks seemed more hollow than normal. A large bandage held his arm in a sling.

  During Austin's inspection, Victor must have awoken from sleep, because he jumps as he gasps his name: "Austin."

  "Hello, Victor," Austin responds as he moves towards the bed, bringing a silent Nikki with him.

  "I didn't expect to see you," his old friend says solemnly. "But I suppose you have questions and want some answers. I can only promise to do my best to offer you some sort of resolution."

  Austin gets right to the point, as usual.

  "What made you want to hurt me?"

  Surprised is the only word Austin can use to describe Victor’s face when he hears the question.

  "That wasn't what I expected you to ask. I honestly thought you'd be more concerned with the money."

  "Really, Victor?" Austin shouts in rage. "When have I ever cared about money?"

  "You're right,” Victor sighs, wincing slightly as he tries to adjust his arm. “I should have trusted my instincts and never listened to Ashley. She had promised me that we could be together if I could help get rid of you. She claimed that you were using money to manipulate her. And when you started a relationship with Nikki, Ashley claimed that we needed to do something before you manipulated someone else. In hindsight, I should have known better… Ashley wouldn't let me near her if we were in private." Chuckling to himself he adds, "I have only ever kissed her. Together for three years and only kisses. Said she was waiting for the right time."

  Austin shakes his head, remembering how easy it was for Ashley to wrap people around her finger. She had done so to him in high school with exquisite ease.

  "Ashley was always good at getting what she wanted. Which, I'm guessing this go round, was money?" Austin says, glancing at Victor for confirmation. As the other man nods his head, he continues. "I thought we were friends, Victor. I invited you on vacation and to family get-togethers. Why would you do something like this to a friend? To me?"

  Nikki's hand grasps his, offering support as she realizes the toll this conversation is taking on him.

  "I wish that I had an answer for you. All I can say is I was in love and I believed her lies. I would have done anything for her." Glancing at the couple's hands, Victor says, "Can't you understand that?'

  Austin barely takes even a second to contemplate the question before concluding, "Yes, I can understand, but I can guarantee you that I would never attempt to kill someone."

  Shrugging his good shoulder, Victor forewarns, "Maybe, maybe not. All for the right person and I thought she was the right person."

  Moving towards the window, Austin stares at the expanse of mountains before him. He can't deny that he would do anything for Nikki, but the definition of anything would depend greatly on the situation.

  Turning back around at last, he addresses Victor once more before he leaves the room.

  "I'm sorry that our friendship didn't mean more to you. I can't say that I understand your logic, but I do understand how controlling Ashley can be. That being said, I will never forget that you had plans to kill me and destroy my company. I do hope that time is kind to you. Goodbye, Victor."

  "I am sorry, Austin. Before you leave," he almost shouts as Austin and Nikki stand at the door to exit, "I wanted to say congratulations on the baby and the engagement."

  Austin turns and for a split second, he sees a glimpse of his old friend: the man who he had met at a coffee shop the day after graduating college. He nods in reply - no words need to be spoken - and escorts Nikki from the room.

  He leans against the wall in the hallway and Nikki wraps herself around him in consolation.

  "Are you ok?"

  With his arms around her shoulders, he rests his cheek on her head and replies, "I will be."

  NIKKI HAD PROMISED HERSELF that she would remain quiet while Austin got the answers he deserved. But what she really wanted to do was run towards the bed and strangle the man that had laid there boasting about his love. The man may have smarts, but he lacked all common sense.

  She remained silent in the sterile room, listening to the manipulated man spout off about all the things Ashley had promised. Growing angrier by the minute, N
ikki did the only thing she could in the situation: she took a hold of Austin's hand and offered him comfort. She couldn't imagine listening to someone you had once considered a friend describe how he had every intention of killing you over something as worthless as money.

  As she rests against Austin's body in the hallway, she tries her best to absorb all his pain. He has been trying his best to hide how hurt he is at the revelation, but she knew better than to believe a façade. Though he looks buff and brawny, Nikki knows his rough exterior hides a kind and loving heart.

  "Do you want to take minute before we go in and see Ashley? We could go to the cafeteria and get a drink."

  A mewl escapes her lips as Austin's hand brushes through her hair, somehow never tangling in its curls.

  "I'm fine. I just want to get this over with."

  "Sure,” she agrees. “I'm with you all the way."

  Taking her by the shoulders, he pushes her back so he can peer into her eyes.

  "I'm not sure how I feel about you going in that room. I know how Ashley is, and I don't want her to sink her claws into you."

  Nikki reaches forward and rests a gentle hand on his cheek, completely understanding his concern, but amused that he has temporarily failed to account for the kind of spit-fire he engaged himself to.

  "Oh, sweetheart. I may be pregnant, but you are forgetting that I don't take shit from anyone," she says in her purest voice.

  Laughter escapes from deep in Austin's chest and Nikki beams at the sound, grateful she was able to offer him some sort of solace in this whirlwind week.

  "You're right. I don't know how I could have forgotten."

  "That's ok," she assures him, tapping his cheek twice with her hand. "Just don't underestimate me again," she adds with a sinister smile.

  Chuckling once more, Austin leans forward and captures her lips before acknowledging, "I won't ever do it again, sweetheart.” He pauses for a moment, and then says, “I'm ready if you are."

  Seizing his hand once more, she enters the room with him and nearly gasps in alarm upon seeing the person up close who almost took everything from her.

  The woman's signature Kool-Aid red hair seems more sinister than clownish, completely encrusted with dirt, grease, and blood. One lip is busted and both are badly chapped, the cracked crevices scabbed over with dried blood. Her once-blue eyes are now dull and lifeless. Austin had mentioned that she always maintained a healthy glow to her skin, but now she seemed gaunt and ashen: a definite sign of drug abuse.

  Nikki takes a moment to look over at Austin, and finds him shaking his head upon seeing his ex-girlfriend's appearance. She realizes that they had seen each other quite recently when Ashley held him at gunpoint, but the light of the hospital room and the lack of adrenaline may make it easier to see his ex’s ghastly transformation.

  Austin steps forward, and for a moment Nikki is afraid that he'll leave her alone in the corner of the room. Instead, he tightens his grip on her hand and pulls her along with him.

  "Ashley," he says, garnering the attention of the ghost before him."What happened to you?"

  The question shocks the two women, who were both obviously expecting a question regarding the attack: not one of pure concern.

  "I...I..." Ashley stammers before breaking down into a sob of silent tears.

  It takes a few moments, but as she composes herself, she launches into her entire life story, post-Austin. She describes how her step-father Jeremy decided it was best to stay with her mother, then kicked her out of her home due to the temptation of another affair. From there, she had found herself falling into drugs as an escape and prostitution just to keep a roof over her head.

  Instead of watching Ashley, Nikki keeps her gaze trained on Austin, watching for any sign that he detects his former paramour is lying. Though he shows no signs of emotion toward Ashley, Nikki can tell that he believes her story. If truthful with herself, Nikki did as well. Ashley had no reason to speak, other than to cleanse her soul and spill all her deepest secrets. She was going to jail regardless, so she gained nothing by offering a horrid background.

  "You were the only person that had ever given a shit about me, Austin, but I knew that I had no chance with you. I had burnt that bridge already. I came back home to visit, and everyone kept talking about how well your company had been doing and how you were a household name internationally. That's when I ran into Victor at the flower shop one day. He was buying flowers for your co-worker – the one with the red hair, I think." Waving her un-injured hand in the air, almost as though she doesn’t have a care in the world, she continues, staring off into space, "He was lonely and it was so easy to offer him all the things he desired. Victor gave me a place to stay and kept me in money and drugs. I came up with a way to slowly transfer some of your funds into a private account and WHAM! I had struck gold. Everything was perfect until you met Miss Blondie. I knew you'd be hooked right away and I couldn't take any chances: I needed that money. The drugs I was getting were top of the line – you can’t even get them in this country - and I didn't have much left. That's when I convinced Victor to increase the transfers. I never thought you'd notice; numbers were never your forte. Next thing I knew, you had the FBI on our asses, questioning all your employees.” She sighs in resignation. “So I had to do what needed to be done. It was time to remove the common denominator...you."

  "I've heard enough," Austin shouts into the tiny room, his anger causing his face to redden.

  "Have you?" Ashley asks, turning her attention back towards Austin.

  Instead of responding to Ashley's question, Austin spins on his heel and removes himself from the room.

  The crazy woman laid up on the bed with a gunshot wound in her shoulder finally rests her gaze on Nikki.

  "He's just going to leave you, you know? Austin doesn't 'do' family."

  Nikki laughs saucily into the air, hand to her chest like a soap opera star. And indeed, she was about to put on her best performance.

  "Sweetheart," she begins, using Austin's favorite term of endearment for her. "Austin cannot wait to start our family," she says, making sure the left hand on her chest catches the light of the florescent bulb above Ashley's bed, allowing the diamond ring on her finger to shimmer brightly. "And, as you can see, I'll be his wife before long. I'm sorry that your life didn't turn out the way that you wanted, but that's what happens when you manipulate everything and everyone around you. If you just let life happen, everything will come together as it should. I wish you well, Ashley," Nikki asserts, turning fiercely to leave the room.

  As she reaches the handle and begins to open the door, Ashley spews one last burst of venom, "He doesn't want you! It was always supposed to be me!"

  Directing her gaze back to Ashley, Nikki gracefully extends an honest bit of Southern kindness by smiling sweetly and saying, "Oh honey, bless your heart."

  And she walks out the door.

  She expels a bottomless lungful of air as she exits the room. Searching for Austin in the hall, she is faced with an emptiness instead. Grabbing her phone from her pocket to call him, she notices a message from Austin, received only a minute ago, saying that he and Dylan were headed towards the cafeteria to get a drink.

  Nikki asks a nurse at the station across the way the easiest way to reach her destination, then follows the path that leads her towards her man.

  Once Nikki enters the cafeteria, she searches for Austin and finds him easily amongst the doctors and nurses, his muscular features standing out like a glowing beacon on a dark and foggy night. When he sees her approaching, he smiles and wraps her in an embrace.

  He asks her if she's okay, and she promises that she will be fine.

  "Austin?” she says quietly. “Let's pick out our baby furniture and head home."

  He nods his head and waves goodbye to Dylan, promising to meet this week so he and Nikki can give statements about the crimes.

  She notices that as Austin walks, he seems lighter - freer - and she finds herself praying that this i
s the beginning of their happily ever after.

  AUSTIN STILL CAN’T BELIEVE how much weight he had felt depart his shoulders since his visit with Ashley two days ago. Listening to her story didn’t anger him in the way he had expected; instead, he had felt pity for her. Ashley had been brought into a life of wealth and love, but she had taken them for granted and used them to get what she wanted. Gone was the young girl he had fallen in love with in high school; in her place was a cold, callous woman that would do whatever she felt necessary to get what (or who) she wanted.

  He is just wrapping up a twenty-four hour shift with the fire department - luckily no calls to anything catastrophic - and now he is craving a glimpse of Nikki. Austin had spoken with his father about cutting back his volunteer shifts with the department once Nikki came closer to her due date and while Grace was still little. As expected, his father understood completely, raising six children of his own.

  Entering the house Austin himself is still in awe of, he calls out Nikki’s name, but hears no response. They had talked about driving back to Asheville today to pick out an SUV for her to use once the baby was born, deciding to let Melanie and her aunt Andrea sell the car she had left in Savannah. He also wants to talk to her about adding an attached garage. Austin would find himself shivering when he thought about Nikki having to lug Grace and the baby’s things out into the open air during their sometimes brutal winters.

  Austin meanders up the stairs after hanging his coat in the mudroom, looking for Nikki in the master bedroom and then the nursery. As he opens the door to Grace’s room, he finds her resting comfortably in the white rocker they had purchased, fast asleep against the cushions. Before waking her up, he takes a look around the room. She had painted it a light gray color, making the white furniture pop against the subdued hue. She had explained to him her choice of wall color was based on it being neutral and a color the child could grow with.

  Hell, Austin didn’t know or care, but it made Nikki happy, so that made him happy.

  On the dresser was a small pad Nikki had said that they needed for changing diapers; beside that sat a pile of neatly folded, teeny-tiny clothes that needed to be put away.