“Nick? You’re the guy Kelsey’s been seeing?” Mike asked, remembering Kelsey’s expression when she’d received the flowers he’d sent.
Nick stood to face him, never releasing the tight hold he had on Kelsey’s hand. “Yes. You’re the doctor that’s gonna work with her at the emergency clinic, right?”
“That’s me,” Mike said, turning his attention towards Kelsey. “What happened to her?”
“I don’t know, man. She’s having abdominal pains. They seem to come and go.” Nick bent down, close to her face. “Baby, I’m going to let Mike examine you, okay? I’m right here.” She nodded with a deep breath as she released his hand.
Mike sat on the edge of the bed with his stethoscope in his ears and began his preliminary examination.
“Hey, Nick!” Tim called from the bottom of the staircase.
“Go ahead,” Kelsey said. “I’ll be fine.”
Nick looked from the doorway to Kelsey and finally to Mike, his face clearly showing his concern. “Go on. I’ll take care of her,” Mike said with a nod.
“I’ll be right back, baby. I promise.” He kissed her forehead before rushing out of the room and down the steps.
“So tell me what’s going on here, kiddo,” Mike said as he listened to her breathing.
“Cysts. I think that’s what it is, anyway.”
Mike nodded. He was familiar with her history and knew she’d been through this since her teen years. He grabbed his penlight and checked her pupils. “Well, you should know, but just to make me feel better, I’m going to take a look, okay? When did this start?”
“Yesterday evening. The spells usually don’t last this long.”
“Do you take anything for these?”
“Well, Doctor Carter put me on birth control pills…” Her voice died off. “Oh, jeez. I can’t believe I didn’t think about it.”
“What?”
“I haven’t taken my pills lately. I didn’t have them when they…”
Mike nodded, not wanting her to have to explain her ordeal. “How long has it been?”
“Since the day before I was taken… The first time.”
“So that’s a couple weeks, right?” he asked as he continued his exam.
“Yes.”
“Have you had a period in that time?”
“No,” she said with a grunt. He’d apparently found a tender spot.
“Well, that’s not unusual. You have been under a good deal of stress lately from both the kidnapping and setting up the emergency clinic. A job, by the way, I’ll be very happy to give back to you.”
“I look forward to it,” she said with a slight smile.
“On a scale of one to ten, where would you rank your pain?”
“A few hours ago, I would have said an eight, but now it’s closer to a four. It’s not nearly as bad as it was.”
“Well, it looks like you’re probably right, Nurse Braden. I don’t see any reason to suspect anything else since you’ve dealt with this before.” He placed a small bottle of pills on the nightstand beside her. “Here’s something to help you with the pain.”
“Thanks, Mike.”
“How long has it been since you’ve had an ultrasound?”
“It’s been quite a while. Since I’ve been taking the pills, the cysts haven’t been bothering me. It’s probably been five years.”
“Okay. Well, you should definitely have one as soon as possible. And I’ll write you a prescription for your pills.”
Mike filled a hypodermic needle with a clear liquid.
“Thank God for morphine,” Kelsey whispered as the syringe pierced her skin.
“What’s going on, man?” Nick asked Tim when he reached the kitchen.
“I wanted to let you know, it’s going down tonight.”
“Tonight? Damn it.” He crossed his arms across his chest and groaned his displeasure. “I can’t leave her here unprotected, Tim.”
“I know. Don’t worry, bro. We’ve got it covered.”
“Damn, I wanted to be in on that.” It didn’t matter. Kelsey was his priority. “You sure you have enough people?”
“Yes. In fact, Ronald found a replacement for you.”
“Who?”
“Kapman’s wife, Faith.”
“Are you sure she can handle it? It didn’t sound like she’s been on the force too long. If something happens to her, Bart and Kelsey will never forgive me.”
“Ronald says she can handle it, and she seemed more than anxious.”
“Good. What about Anthony?”
“I don’t know, man. Last I heard he’d left Gianelli’s to find Kelsey. He hasn’t been seen since.”
“I don’t like him being out there, Tim. He’s out to get me.”
“You can handle yourself, Nick. You’re the best I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m not worried for me. I’m worried for Kelsey. He knows how I feel about her. I have no doubt he’d go after her to get to me. She can’t defend herself against him.”
“Then I suggest you stay close, huh, buddy?” Tim said with a sly smile.
“Oh, I intend to.”
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Mike said as he entered.
“How is she, Doc?” Nick asked while Tim excused himself to take a call.
“She’s fine, Nick. Don’t worry. The pains are caused by ovarian cysts.”
“Oh, crap. I forgot about her pills. She told me she takes them to keep the cysts in check. Are they a problem? Are they gonna get worse?”
“No. She should be fine. But I do want her to get an ultrasound. We just want to make sure there isn’t something more going on.”
“Can that wait a few days? She’s still in danger and I want to keep her out of sight.”
“That’s fine, but don’t put it off too long. She said the pain has lessened, so I just gave her a little something to take the edge off. I’ll see myself out.”
“Hey, Doc. Thanks,” Nick said. “Wait a minute… You’re the guy from the picture.”
“What picture?”
Nick laughed at his mistake. “I saw a picture at Kelsey’s of her with three other people. I originally thought it was her family, but she was with you, Faith, and some other guy at Shindigs.” He also now realised why Faith had looked so familiar when they’d first met.
Mike joined in the laughter. “Oh, man. That was senior prom. Kelsey’s date backed out on her, so she asked me to go. I know the picture you mean.”
“Well, thanks again, Mike.”
“Any time, Nick. And, hey, take care of her, okay? She’s a special lady.”
“You don’t have to tell me that, dude. I know.”
Nick walked Mike out of the front door and watched as he drove away, making sure the doctor not only made it out okay, but hadn’t been followed.
“Nick?”
He turned to see a much more relaxed Kelsey standing at the bottom of the steps. “Hey, Bright Eyes. Feeling better?”
“Much, thank you. Thanks for calling Mike.”
“I’m glad it’s nothing serious, baby. You had me worried.”
“Hey, Nick, I’ve gotta get going…” Tim said as he walked in the room. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No problem, Tim. You take care of yourself, okay? And call me as soon as everything is done,” Nick said as Kelsey looked intently at Tim.
“I will, bro. You stay safe here, okay?” The two hugged affectionately and Tim grabbed his bag.
Kelsey moved to stand in front of Tim, placing both of her hands on his arms and looking into his eyes.
Nick didn’t like the expression on her face. “Kelsey? What’s the matter?” he asked cautiously.
She continued to stare into Tim’s eyes. “Do I know you?”
“I…uh… I don’t think so.”
Hearing his voice must’ve helped her put it together. She gasped as she stepped back. “It’s you,” she barely whispered.
“Baby, listen,” Nick jumped in as soon as he realised she’d recognised Tim from her time in captivity.
“Don’t,” she said with a shaky voice. He could see the wheels turning in her head as she pieced together the puzzle. She turned to Nick and gave him the same look of fear. “Oh, my God! It was you. You were the one who took me!”
“Kelsey, please, listen to me, okay?” Nick begged as he reached for her.
“No!” She continued to step away. “Stay away from me!”
Nick sighed as she climbed up the stairs towards his bedroom and slammed the door.
“I’m sorry, man,” Tim said, patting Nick’s shoulder.
“Yeah, thanks, but the truth had to come out eventually. You take care of yourself tonight, okay?”
“You bet. We’ll see you later.”
Nick made a pass around his house, pulling shades and making sure all the windows and doors were locked and secured after had Tim left. He punched a code into his alarm system, securing the premises, before heading up the stairs to talk to her.
He’d dreaded this conversation since he’d made the decision to snatch her, but the time had come to tell all. She was going to be angry, and most likely obstinate, but he was determined to make her listen.
One way or another, he was going to get her back—tonight.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Nick stood, resting his forehead against his bedroom door for several minutes. He’d never been as nervous as he was at that moment, knowing the woman who’d touched his soul hid fuming on the other side. This wouldn’t be easy. In fact, considering Kelsey’s tenacity, it would be one of the most difficult things he’d ever done. But there was no question that she was worth it.
Summoning his courage, he finally rapped on the door. “Bright Eyes, can I come in?”
“Get the hell away from me! And don’t call me Bright Eyes!” she barked from the other side. The door had no lock. He hesitated whether to enter, but he was already in deep shit.
How much angrier can she get?
She sat on the side of the bed, one leg curled underneath her, hugging a pillow against her chest. She snapped her head up when he barged in.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked as she stood from the bed and backed away.
“We need to talk, Kelsey.”
“So you just walk in? What if I wasn’t decent?”
“It’s my room, baby,” he said with a leer, “and I’ve already seen everything you’ve got.”
“You’re a pig.” She threw the pillow at him.
Nick dodged the projectile and stepped a bit closer. He paused, making note of how beautiful she looked despite everything she’d been through. “We need to talk. I want to explain everything.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Then just listen, okay?” He remembered how she’d apologised for not hearing him out when in the hospital. “No matter what you think of me right now, don’t I at least deserve the opportunity to explain? Just listen, and when I’m finished, if you still want me to go to hell, I’ll get out of your life forever.”
She looked at him with a scowl, but didn’t kick him out. He took that as a good sign.
“Please, baby?” he whispered, seeing her face soften as she looked at him. “If I ever meant anything to you, just give me a few minutes. Please?”
He stepped towards her as she backed into the chair, almost flinching from him. “Don’t get near me. I’ll listen. Nothing more.”
“Thank you.” Nick walked to the window and checked the lock. Rounding the bed, he did the same to the opposite window. It was an obvious stall, but he had to gather his courage.
“Well?”
“I just want to make sure the windows are secure, Kelsey. There’s still a threat out there, and I don’t know where he is.”
She folded her arms across her chest and sighed disgustingly as her stare burned a hole straight through him. He let out a chuckle when he saw her pose. “You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”
“Any reason I should?”
He sat on the edge of the bed, facing her so that their knees were separated by only inches, but their minds were worlds apart—something he was determined to rectify.
“Kelsey, I’m not who you think I am.”
“No shit.”
“Actually, I should rephrase that. I haven’t been as open with you as I could’ve been… Or wanted to be.”
“You lied.”
“No, I never lied,” he insisted. “There were things I couldn’t tell you. Some were for your safety and some were because I just couldn’t. But please know that I never lied to you, about anything.”
“Oh, please,” she groaned.
“Baby, you keep rolling your eyes like that and I’ll have to get an eye doctor over here.” He shifted forward on the bed, wanting to be a little closer to where she sat. If he reached out, he could have touched her, but he kept his fingers firmly intertwined and resting in his lap.
She crossed her legs and swung them as far to the side as the chair would allow. Her body language was very clear. She wanted no part of him.
He had to ignore her attitude and keep pushing forward. “I work for the FBI, Kelsey. I’ve been working undercover to infiltrate the Gianelli crime syndicate for three years.”
Her mouth opened in shock and her shoulders dropped. It was obvious that he now had her full attention.
“I guess the only way to really explain everything is to go back to the beginning.” He hated even thinking about it, much less talking about it, but she had a right to know everything.
“I told you about my family, but I stopped short of the whole story. My father, Chuck, was a drunk, abusive son of a bitch. For as long as I can remember, he beat my mother black and blue almost every day. He’d hit her with his fists, his belt, or even random objects he’d pick up while she scrambled away from him in tears,” he explained, his voice faltering as the memories flooded his mind. “It’s a miracle the woman survived, especially since she provoked him more than once to prevent him from turning on us kids.
“As I got older, I got bigger. I was an early bloomer and before I knew it, I was almost as tall as the bastard. I started pushing him. I’d sometimes say things just to try to piss him off. I wanted to divert his attention away from my mother and put it onto me.”
“How old were you?” she whispered.
She’d turned towards him in her chair and her arms were now in her lap.
“I was thirteen when it started.”
“Did he hit you?”
“Eventually, yeah. Mama tried to stop him, but when he was drunk, she was no match for him. When she nursed my bumps and bruises, she’d apologise over and over again, as if she was the one who was supposed to be getting hurt, not me. She didn’t realise that I wanted him to hit me instead of her. There were nights I would stay awake, wondering if the next hit was going to be the one that killed her.” He leant forward, resting his forearms against his thighs, his body suddenly feeling the weight of his emotions.