Chapter Ninety-Two
"Oh shit..." Nick cursed under his breath, as he turned his phone off and tossed it to the side.
"Nicky what? What's going on?" Ashley asked worriedly, and she sat up and looked at him with eyes full of concern.
"Go get dressed, now! Elliot and Olivia are on their way up here!" Nick didn't have to tell Ashley twice, she sprung from the bed, grabbed her shorts and scrambled to the bathroom to get dressed. Nick stood up, pulled his shirt on and went to go unlock the door and turn the light off to make it look like Ashley was taking a nap. As soon as he did, he glanced back at the bed and noticed that there are pillows on the floor from their pillow fight. He hurried over and picked them up and put them back on the bed, making them look like they've been slept on, then he turned the TV on and went and lay on the end of the bed as if he'd been there the whole time. He grabbed the remote and began flipping through channels. Just as soon as he did, Detective Benson and Detective Stabler walked in with Kevin close behind them. He looked at them and put on an expression like he wasn't expecting them at all.
"Oh, Hey Elliot, hey Liv! How's it going?" He asked innocently, and Kevin who stood behind him gave him a questioning look. Nick just grinned widely and pretended not to notice.
"Hey Nick, where is Ashley?" Detective Benson asked curiously.
"In the bathroom. She just woke up from her nap and had to use it."
"Oh okay."
"So what brings you two here? I didn't know you were coming in today."
"Well Ramsey got two new children today, Liv and I just brought them."
"Really? That's great! What are their names? How old are they?"
"A little boy named Ryan and a little girl named Laila. Ryan is nine and Laila two. Laila seems to have taken a liking to Dakota. She was very sweet to her and showed her around the playground." Olivia explained. Nick beamed proudly.
"That's my daughter for you. Always wanting to take after her daddy. How come they're here?"
"Their father had a heart attack and died before Laila was even born and their mother went crazy and tried to kill herself...she's in a special hospital trying to get better, so the kids are staying here for awhile..."
"So how come you didn't place them in a temporary foster home then?" Nick asked, as they suddenly heard the toilet flush, the water running, and then a few minutes later, Ashley came out of the bathroom. She went over and innocently sat next to Nick as he still lay at the foot of the bed with his head rested in the palm of his hand. He gently rubbed his hand over her back as she hugged her legs to her chest, rested her chin on her knee and sat listening to them talk.
"Because to be honest, I don't think their mother is going to make it through this..." Detective Stabler spoke up. "She was really messed up...if she makes it through this it will be by miracle and because she really wanted to. But I don't think she does."
"But what if she does pull through? Will she be able to take her children back?"
"Absolutely. But a doctor from the hospital she is in will need to confirm to us that she is ready to have them back. Only then, can she take them."
"Will the kids still be able to see her?" Ashley asked suddenly, as she had heard the entire conversation from in the bathroom - hence how she knew that she needed to pretend she was going to the bathroom.
"Not right away, but eventually when the time is right, yes they will be allowed to visit her."
"That's good...at least they'll still get to see her. That's very important." She replied, and Nick and Kevin can both see that familiar look of emptiness in her eyes. Everybody was silent for a couple of minutes, and then Kevin spoke up.
"Elliot has come up here to tell us what he's found out about those guys who attacked the two of you last night."
"Oh yeah, that's right." Detective Stabler replied, and Nick looked at Detective Stabler curiously. Ashley on the other hand, slid her hand into Nick's and squeezed it tightly.
"What'd you find out?"
"Well, we've discovered that the two guys are named Jeff McCartney and Steven Guthrie," Detective Stabler began, as he watched Ashley stiffen up even more then she already was before. "Do you want to tell them what they did Ash, or should I?" Ashley looked away from him, as she could feel the tears building up. Nick sat up and wrapped his arms around her protectively, and he looked into her watery eyes with his own so full of concern.
"What's going on Ashley? What did they do?" Ashley didn't reply, she only looked away from him as tears spilled from her eyes. "Honey tell me..."
"No…" she whimpered, her voice faltering as she began to cry. "Leave me alone." She added, and she got up and headed for the door.
"Ashley come back here!" He called after her. "Please!" But it was no use; she walked out the door, shutting it behind her. Nick sighed and looked at Detective Stabler for answers. "Why do I get the feeling this has something to do with the nightmare that she was so keen on keeping from me this morning?"
"What nightmare?" Detective Benson asked curiously.
"She tells me that she had a nightmare of what happened last night...of those guys attacking us. But I have a feeling she's not telling me the whole thing and when I questioned her about it she got very angry with me. What is she not telling me?"
"Well I'm not sure of what that nightmare was about...but I can tell you that Jeff McCartney and Steven Guthrie were the guys who helped murder her parents..." Detective Stabler revealed, and Nick's eyes widened.
"Whoa..." Kevin replied softly. "Wasn't expecting that..."
"Jeff McCartney was the one who shot them, and Steven Guthrie was one of the men restraining them. That is all we've got out of them so far and that right there was a big accomplishment. We've been pressing for answers about Sean but unfortunately they're VERY loyal to him...when it comes to him they don't say a word at all." Detective Stabler explained. Nick sat with Kevin, Detective Stabler, and Detective Benson and listened to everything that the two Detectives had to say, then when they were finished and had gone back down to the playground, Nick and Kevin went out into the hall and saw Laney standing outside Kori's room. Nick looked at him and gave him a questioning look and Laney nodded. Nick went into Kori's room with Kevin following him and he found Ashley standing at her window and staring outside. She has her arms crossed over her chest and he can see that she's been crying. Nick walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, before kissing the side of her neck and resting his chin on her shoulder as he hugged her tight.
"I love you baby girl...everything's going to be okay, I promise." He whispered softly in her ear. Ashley didn't reply, she only turned in Nick's arms and buried her face in his chest and he kissed her forehead softly. After a long moment of silence, he pulled back and gazed into her eyes as his own was so full of concern. "Do you want to tell me what that nightmare was about now? I know it had something to do with...them."
"I dreamt about the night before when they attacked..." Ashley began softly, and he rested his forehead against hers as he waited patiently for her to continue. "You made me go upstairs to hide so that I would be safe...and instead of refusing to, I did...and Jeff shot you and Brian in the living room...the exact same way he shot my parents...and I watched the whole thing in the exact same spot that I was in when I saw my parents die...it was horrible..." Nick wiped Ashley's tears away with his finger and he rested his forehead against hers as he hugged her closer to him.
"It was just a nightmare baby...I'm right here and Brian is downstairs and we both aren't going anywhere I promise. I'm not leaving you...ever. So just get that out of your head okay?"
"But what if it happens and you can't control it Nick? Just like it happened to my parents...your involved in this, your standing in the way of Sean getting to me just like my parents were in the way of them getting to the stuff they wanted very badly from Kori...and he'll do ANYTHING to get to me, even if it means killing innocent people in the process. I don't want you to die all because of me..."
"I'm not going to die honey, I pro-"
"You can't make promises like that! Things happen, Nick! Whether you want them to or not! And you're the most important person in my life...the one person that I have left who truly understands me! If I lost you the way I lost my parents I would have to beg Sean to kill me then because there would be no reason for me to go on living anymore!" Ashley shouted, while suddenly breaking into sobs.
"Sweetheart none of us is going to allow Sean to kill him. We're all prepared to protect him if we should need to. We've got five bodyguards in this building, we've got Detective Stabler and Detective Benson on our side - that includes everybody in the police department and we've got Brian, AJ, Howie, and me. None of us is going to allow Nick to get killed he is very well protected, as are you." Kevin reassured, as he walked up behind her and wrapped her in his arms also.
"You all can't watch him all the time, Kevin. What happens when you all take your eyes off of him for one minute? What if he attacks us and his plan is to grab me, and he orders his guys to kill everybody in their way? My parents were murdered and there was NOTHING they could do about it. When Sean wants to kill someone, he does it no questions asked. He doesn't even give you a time to think."
"Your parents weren't prepared for his attack, baby. It was a terrible tragedy that could not be stopped. They weren't ready for it...but we're. If Sean shows up here he won't even make it past the lobby before getting arrested and neither will any of the guys working for him."
"We're not always ready. How do you explain last night? Jim and Steven attacked us and we didn't even see it coming!"
"We were alone and vulnerable at the time. It was a mistake honey and we learned from it. It's not going to happen again." Ashley shook her head as she pulled away from him and Kevin.
"I don't want you to protect me anymore Nick...any of you."
"What? What are you talking about honey?" Nick asked confused.
"I'm saying I want you all to leave me alone...I don't want you to keep being involved in this. This is between Me, Sean, and Kori, not you...you all are innocent people who are just going to end up getting hurt in the end..." Ashley explained, as she walked back over to the window and looked out at it. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but it was no use, they just kept falling. Kevin went over and stood in front of her, and he gently took hold of her arms and looked into her watery eyes.
"That is a risk that we're just going to have to take, Ashley." He replied firmly.
"Exactly," Nick replied, and he moved behind her again, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "We're already in this deep there is no way we're backing out now whether you want us to or not."
"You're stuck with us," Kevin added, and he wiped her tears away with his finger, before tucking a strand of her hair back behind her ear. "We love you with all of our hearts. You've become part of our family." Nick gently turned Ashley around to face him again, and he placed his finger to her chin and gently tiltled her head back so she could look him in the eyes.
"I can't even begin to tell you how much I love you. You're the entire world to me...and I'm going to stand by you till the very end - whether it's a happy ending or not, you can't lose me." He told her softly. Ashley didn't reply, she only slid her arms around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder and he hugged her tightly. Kevin wrapped his arms around the both of them and hugged them back. After a long while when the two of them had finally calmed her down, they brought her downstairs, as Kevin pointed out that they're probably all missing them - especially Ellie, who he kind of left down there without an explanation. When they got out onto the playground they discovered Brooke and AJ sitting there now, and Brian is up bouncing around on his heels trying to calm a fussy two year old down. Both Detectives had left the Orphanage. Curious on why Laila is crying, Kevin went over to the group, and Nick and Ashley followed, Nick holding Ashley's hand.
"Why is she crying?"
"She saw Olivia leave," Brian answered. "Apparently she got very attached to her in the little time that she was with her."
"Olivia had a hard time leaving her. Elliot had to help her." Brooke added.
"Laila honey…come on…you'll see her again soon, I promise you." Brian reassured the screaming child, and somewhat begged. He isn't used to hearing a baby cry — not since Dakota and that was four years ago. He's used to taking care of the older kids. It didn't do him much good though, Laila's screams only became louder, and she was reaching toward the door that she saw Olivia go into. Brian groaned and sat down in the grass. Soon as he did, Laila flung herself from his arms and laid herself in the grass where she continued her loud piercing screams.
"Here, let me try." AJ replied, and he stood up and scooped the little one up into his arms. He cradled her and began rocking her and he sang softly to her. "Darlin'…tell me what to do to make things right…" The moment AJ began singing to her Laila had stopped screaming, and her eyes were suddenly transfixed on AJ's. All they could hear out of her now was her hiccupping and her sniffles. By the time AJ had finished, she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep. Brian raised his eyebrow as he stared at his tattooed friend.
"Well…we now know who is in charge of Laila…" Riley announced, smiling up at AJ.
"Does that mean I have to move in here like Nick and Kevin did?" he asked, as he sat down in the grass Indian style, and he lay Laila across his lap and watched her sleep. The tone in his voice was kind of whiney, but they could all see the little smile on his face, and they can tell that like Olivia, he is suddenly attached
"Only if you want to. This is an Orphanage, not a prison. Kevin and Nick chose to move in here all on their own." Brooke replied, watching AJ in amusement.
"How come you are out of bed?" Kevin suddenly asked her. "I thought you were supposed to be on strict bed rest for the entire day?"
"She was very whiney and no matter how much I tried I couldn't keep her from getting out of bed any longer. You should've seen Riley's lectures when she saw her come walking out here. We thought she was going to have a cow or something." AJ explained. Brooke scowled.
"I slept all morning, I'm fine. I won't work, I just want to be up and walking around and talking to people." As soon as she said that, Elenore and Dakota suddenly walked over to them. Elenore went straight for Kevin and she slid her arms around his neck. Kevin wrapped his around her waist and pulled her into a hug. She rested her head against his shoulder and he kissed the top of it.
"Where did you go Kevy, I gots scared…"
"Not far sweetie, I promise. I went up to Nick and Ashley's room with Elliot and Olivia."
"Speaking of…what were they doing when they got up there?"
"Ashley was 'using the bathroom' and Nick was lying on the edge of the bed 'watching TV'. I was so sure we were in for it…so I was relieved to see that they weren't doing anything."
"I tipped them off," Kori replied, as she's been sitting there quietly next to Wiley this whole time. "I called Nick's cell phone when you three went inside the building. Did you really think Id let him go up there and get my sister in trouble Kev?"
"I wasn't thinking. I was just scared — if Nick goes down, Backstreet goes with him. All I could think about was protecting him."
"Yeah, I think Nick isn't the only one who needs to be careful Kev. When you kept insisting that Elliot didn't go up there, you were making it look very suspicious. I had to step in."
"Like I said…I panicked."
"Well luckily, Ashley's older sister stepped in and helped her out." Kori replied, looking at Ashley who is sitting next to Nick — naturally. "That must mean she really cares about her after all." She added, talking about herself in the third person. Ashley didn't reply, she only crawled over and sat between her and Wiley and she wrapped her arms around the both of them. Her and Wiley were sitting so close that Ashley is now practically on top of them both. Wiley chuckled and moved over a little bit so that she would have room.
"Must you always talk about yourself in the third person?" She asked, pretending to ignore the hint that her sister was trying to give to her and she smiled at her sweetly, before poking her in the side. Kori made a little squeak as she flinched and she rolled her eyes and poked her back, causing Ashley to giggle.
"I do that once and you act like I do it all the time. Must you sit right here? Why couldn't you sit on the other side of me?"
"Because I'm your sister, it's my job to annoy you. Besides…it gives me a chance to talk to the both of you." She added, and then she looked to Wiley instead.
"Hey Wiley. What's up?"
"You couldn't talk to the both of us while sitting over there?" Wiley asked, smiling in amusement.
"Nope. Like I said, it's my job to annoy her. And this annoys her plenty." Kori rolled her eyes once again and Nick just laughed.
"At least she's being nice for once Kor, that's a big accomplishment right there."
"Daddy…" Dakota suddenly spoke up, as she walked over to him again.
"Yeah baby?"
"Sarah is sitting in a tunnel crying. She wont's tell anyone what's wrong." Nick exchanged confused looks with everybody, and then he stood up and took Dakota's hand.
"Where at honey?" he asked, and Dakota began to show him the way.
~*~*~*~
Later on that evening, it was after dinner and everybody was off doing their own thing. Nick, Ashley, Dakota, Elenore, and Sarah are in their room. Nick and Ashley are finishing up their packing as he still had some of theirs and Sarah's things to put in bags. Dakota and Elenore are playing with their toys and Dakota is actually attempting to involve Sarah for once too, though she still feels a little uneasy about her and it's obvious to everybody — including Nick this time too. He won't make the mistake of ignoring his daughter ever again. Kevin is next door packing his and Elenore's stuff, and AJ and Howie are busy with Ryan and Laila. AJ is trying to put Laila to bed and Ryan insisted that Howie and Josh play x-box with him. Why he specifically chose Howie out of everyone there, no one quite knows but as long as he's not distancing himself, they don't mind. Brian and Riley had gone back to their house to pack up their things - and Tyke's as well because Brian is taking him with them. Josh still has most of his stuff at the Orphanage, so when they get back they will be packing his next. They plan on spending the night at the Orphanage so that it will make things a whole lot easier in the morning. As Nick was standing there listening to Dakota play with Elenore and Sarah and putting clothes in bags (after Ashley had finished folding them up neatly for him), his cell phone suddenly rang. He set another one of Sarah's shirts down for Ashley to fold up, and then he went over to his phone that he had lying on the nightstand. He picked it up and noticed that it's Detective Stabler's number. Curious, he turned the phone on and put it to his ear.
"Hey Elliot, what's up?" He asked into the phone.
"We just got back from a murder investigation…" Detective Stabler began. "And we have reason to believe that the murderer was Sean — Sean alone, not one of his lackeys." Nick's eyes widened and then he walked out of the room and into the hall. He motioned for Laney to go into the room and Laney did just that. As soon as he was in there, Nick shut the door behind him and this only made Ashley eye the door curiously. He's talking to Detective Stabler and he went out in the hall and shut the door. What does that mean?
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
