One Ring of the Phone
 
Author: Eileen Thomson

E-mail: indigotoast@yahoo.com

Summary: A title taken from a list given to me by Suzanne. I love
working this way. Next up `Not Always Fatal'
 
Author's Note: Thanks to Suz and Linda for the legal jargon. I got a
bit lost there folks!



--+--

 

Standing at the top of Mt Washington, the snow blowing gently round
his feet, Nick is on top of the world. Happiness and good will pour
from his very being. He feels his heart pounding in his chest and
knows it beats with unadulterated joy. This day is his!

His beautiful city lies before him, covered in a white blanket of
snow, the air pure and exhilarating. The Allegheny and the
Monongahela rivers twinkle under the bright winter sun. Pulling his
collar up further round his ears, he pushes the laughter that
threatens to burst from him down deep inside. His beaming smile is
warm enough to melt the steadily falling snow. * I did it!* he
silently crows to himself. *The biggest deal the firm has ever made
and I did it, alone. Damn, I'm good!* He laughs to himself, filled
to the brim with self satisfaction on this snowy morning. Taking a
last deep breath of the clean air, Nick turns his back on the view
of his beloved Pittsburgh, and walks to his car. *Back to the
office, and don't be too big-headed with the praise* he chortles
silently.

~*~

Entering the office, Nick is aware of the silence. The voices of the
staff are muted. "What's wrong?" he asks Gretchen

"Nothing, just the phones have been cut off. Some lines are down and
others are sagging under the weight of the snow. It's just too
quiet," she answers. "By the way, Mr. Fallin asked to see you as
soon as you came in." She pauses, wanting to say something, but not
sure how Nick will take it -- he is so very hard to read -- but she
carries on regardless. "Congratulations on the deal! Everyone is
talking about it."

Nick lowers his head in embarrassment. *Okay, I don't take praise
well.* He looks up through his eyelashes at Gretchen and
mutters, "Thanks."

~*~

"Son." Burton comes round from his desk and for a moment Nick thinks
he is about to receive a hug. At the last minute he pats him on the
shoulder and says, "That was some piece of work. No-one else could
have pulled it off. I'm so proud of you."

Nick basks in the glory of his Dad's praise, feeling very honored,
even though it makes him tongue tied. "I did it for the firm, Dad,
and for us."

Burton examines his boy with a critical eye. His Nicholas is a good-
looking man and an excellent lawyer. He can't seem to make any
relationships work, but the women in his life love him. *How I wish
he would settle down, give me grandchildren. He has a great career,
and everything is going right for him. I wonder if I'm doing
something wrong?*

"Let me take you out to dinner tomorrow to celebrate," Burton
suggests. "We'll get some of your friends together and let the whole
world know you're the best Pittsburgh has to offer."

"Why don't we just go alone Dad? I would rather have that. You book
someplace just for us." Nick is always reluctant to have his friends
meet his Dad and he has never figured out why. *Maybe I still hold
the grudge of Mom's death, but surely I've grown out of that by now.
I know he came back to look after her. I know about women now. My
Mom was no angel, but neither am I, and neither is he.*

Disappointed, Burton gives in to Nick's request. Before he moves
back behind his desk he reaches out to Nick and quickly hugs
him. "Well done my boy."

~*~

Nick lounges in the chair in his office, his feet on the desk. The
silence is deafening, and he can't think for the stillness. The
phones all start to ring together causing him to jump forward. Then
just as quickly they stop. Nick's nerves jangle with the cessation
of the noise. He leans back once more into the seat and his phone
rings just once. Waiting to see if it will ring again, Nick is
startled when it gives a small chirrup sound. He reflexively picks
it up and softly asks, "Hello?" Silence greets him, but he feels the
presence of someone else. "Is somebody there?"

From a great distance he hears a voice. "Nick, Nick can you hear
me? Its Gerry…I want to ask you a favor. Nick, can you hear me? I'm
going to the Incline. If you can contact me there…"

"Gerry? Gerry." Nick soon realizes he can't be heard and, rising
from his laid back position, he picks up his top-coat and heads for
the door. Gerry is someone whom Nick likes very much. Their foray
into Union law had both men bonding into a very tight friendship.
Nick has not seen Gerry for some time and wonders what can be so
urgent that he should call in the middle of such bad weather.

~*~

At the Incline, Gerry waits nervously, looking at the door every
time it opens. Finally Nick enters and Gerry leaps up to meet him,
desperate to give him the news.

"What took you so long? I've been here forever." He furiously pumps
Nick's hand in greeting.

Nick laughs to see his friend so happy; it's been months since they
have last met. "Must be a day for good news," he says.

"Nick, lend me your tie."

"What?" Remembering when he had last lent Gerry a tie, Nick feels
the world slip out of focus a little. Reaching up, he starts to
loosen his new Italian silk necktie.

"Not that one, Nick. Siobhan and I are getting married and I want to
wear the tie you first lent me. I think it brings me luck."

Nick freezes inside and has to fight to keep his face from showing
the shock this news has given him. He leans over and congratulates
his friend but his heart and mind are somewhere else. *She should
have been mine.* he screams soundlessly. *NO…No, if I had wanted her
I would have been there for her all the time not just when I needed
company. She is getting a good man. It's what she deserves.*

"The blood didn't come off it. Ahh… I had it cleaned but it is still
marked on the tail," Nick stutters. Then he feels the tension waning
and, taking a calming breath, he jokes, "You're a brave man
taking on that spitfire."

"I think it's a marriage made in heaven," Gerry responds seriously,
and they both laugh uproariously. The thought of even Gods trying to
manage Siobhan amuses both men.

~*~

Sitting in his car at the traffic lights, Nick lets his mind wander
and he can smell Siobhan as she runs her oily fingers over his body.
He feels once more the thrill of her hands on his chest trailing
down, down … The sound of car horns brings him abruptly to the
present. The lights have changed and he has been daydreaming. *NO
more of that, Nicholas,* he says to himself mimicking his fathers
voice. *She belongs to someone else now. Clean her out of your
mind.* Nick drives towards home wondering, how many more women he
will let pass through his fingers before he can make any kind of
commitment. *I'm a freak. I sit feeling sorry for myself, but if I
had it to do again, I would still neglect her. Some big job would
come up and she would be given second or even third place. What
happened to my great day? This morning I was top of the heap. Now I
feel I've been sucker punched.* Shaking his head in dismay Nick is
startled when his cell rings once and then stops.

"What is this?" Nick says aloud. "The last time I answered that one
ring look what happened!"

The phone rings once more, leaving in its wake an eerie silence.
With a sigh and some misgivings, Nick reaches over and presses the
button to answer.

"Nick? Nick, are you there? It's Alvin. Nick, answer me."

Drawing to the side of the road, Nick picks up his phone and
says, "I can hear you Alvin. What is it? I'm not due in to LSP
today."

"Nick, can you do me a favor? I have had a fender bender and my car
is not fit to drive. I'm due in court in about forty minutes, and I
can't get a cab because of this snow. Could you go and stand in for
me? Laurie will fill you in on the details." Hearing no reply from
Nick, he asks again. "Nick, could you do this for me?"

"Sure, I'll head for the courthouse now. Alvin…?" Nick realizes that
Alvin is no longer on the other end of the line. Looking at his
cell, he sees that the batteries have died. *Now how did I forget to
recharge it?* he thinks absently. *This is not the day I had planned
after my great triumph.*

~*~

Nick meets Laurie going up the steps to the court. "You're not
supposed to be here today," she says looking at Nick closely. "Has
something gone wrong?"

"Alvin had a fender bender. His car is out of commission and he
can't get a cab. What needs to be done?"

"Nick, please remember that we save the ones we can, and do our best
to help the ones who may slip through regardless. You will have to
try not to be affected by what you hear today. This is a nasty one.
The boy you will represent is nine years old. He was taken from the
family home last week after neighbors reported that they had heard
him screaming. The cops who went in were disgusted by the conditions
he was living under. You will hear me read out his injuries, and it
would take a truly hardened person not to be touched by listening to
them."

"Laurie, you talk as if I had never heard things like this before.
I'm getting immune to the indignities one person can inflict upon
another."

~*~

Nick sits in court listening to Laurie as she lists the injuries on
young Tom's body. Tom sits rubbing the edge of his pants with his
thumb, completely out of touch with the world.

"When the police entered the home they found Thomas chained up in a
cupboard in the kitchen. He has serious infections in both wrists.
This is not a one time only occurrence; his injuries come from abuse
spanning many years." Laurie pauses, head down checking her notes
and gathering herself to deliver the most horrifying details yet to
come. "He has at one point or another in his short life had his ribs
broken five times. His arm has been broken twice. When he was taken
to hospital it was discovered he had cigarette burns to his back and
his stomach. He had old healed burns to his on his scrotum and he
has a series of small cuts inflicted on his penis."

Nick allows his hand to fall and he touches Tom by accident. Tom
takes his two fingers in his and holds them tight. Nick is surprised
by this because Laurie has told him that Tom has not communicated
with any of the doctors. Yet Nick feels that the boy, by this small
action, does understand what is going on. Nick curls his fingers
round Tom's and is rewarded by a quick squeeze.

"Mr. Fallin?" the judge repeats. "What is your recommendation?
Should Tom be returned to the family home now that the mother has
been removed?"

Nick stands, and in doing so, he takes Tom up with him, still
clutching his fingers. As he opens his mouth to speak, Tom grips
tighter and Nick changes his mind in an instant.

"You're Honor; there is evidence that some of the injuries were
inflicted by the father. Mrs. Arnott is now claiming that Mr. Arnott
was responsible for the broken bones. I feel that Tom would be
better served under the care of the Social Services. I feel that
time must be given to Tom to talk with doctors, and he has the right
to have his wishes communicated to the court."

Laurie looks in surprise at Nick. They had decided that Tom should
go back to his father and she is unprepared for the change of heart.
She knows that the mother's claims will be investigated but was
quite prepared to take the leap of faith that the father was wholly
innocent of the charges. He works away from home and was with the
boy so seldom she believed he was telling the truth when he said he
has no knowledge of the abuse. He had intimated that he thought that
his wife had been strict with their son.

Judge Damsen is as surprised as Laurie, but looking from Laurie to
Nick and then to Thomas Arnott's bulging file she understands the
young lawyer's fears and allows his request. "Mr. Fallin I appoint
you as Thomas Arnotts guardian ad litem and I direct that the boy be
placed in a children's psychiatric facility for evaluation and
testing. There he will also receive medical attention. After his
physical injuries heal and his true mental state can be determined,
in three months' time, I will entertain recommendations as to
whether foster care will be appropriate for him. I'll have my clerk
schedule a new hearing date. Be prepared to fully brief the Court on
the child's condition at that time."

Nick turns and shields Tom from his father's gaze as the court
empties. Sitting down, he turns to Tom. Taking the boy's chin in his
hand, he tilts his head until the tyke can do nothing but look Nick
in the eye. "I am your Guardian now, and this is Laurie. Between us
we can make sure you never have to go back to that house again. You
must tell the doctors everything. Do you understand?"

Laurie takes Nick by the arm and pulls him aside. "What were you
thinking? Tom is unresponsive; the doctors haven't heard one word
from him since he was brought in."

"My Dad did it. He broke my arm." The whisper is almost too quiet to
hear.

Laurie puts her hand to her throat and gasps. "Oh my God, Nick, I
believed him! I could have sent that boy back to Hell. How did you
know?"

"He told me." Nick turns back in order to speak to Tom, and explain
what will happen to him once he leaves the court with Laurie.

"Will you come to see me?" the fear of the unknown is etched on the
little boy's face.

Nick was about to say that he would try but said instead, "I'll give
you my number and you can phone me. I'll be down to see you in a few
days. If you feel unsafe, you call. You understand, you just call me
and I'll come to you?"

~*~

Home for the evening, Nick looks at the DVD lying on the couch. *Was
I supposed to phone Shayla or did we make arrangements?* Nick frowns
trying hard to remember if they had made plans. *She will come if
she's supposed to, I guess.* Nick sits on the couch ruminating the
events of the day. It had started so well and then had just gone
downhill every time the phone rang. *Well, I'm not going to answer
the damn thing again tonight.* Looking at the clock he sees it has
gone 8 and he is hungry. *I'll have to send out for something after
I shower.*

~*~

Shayla sits in her car at Nick's front door. The brown box sits on
the seat in the car. Nettles had given it to her to give to Nick.
She has been trying to find out what he has been so engrossed in for
months, but the two men have kept it a deep and dark secret.
Whenever she goes to check the waste bin in the factory all she had
finds are broken blue shards. No hint as to what they are making.
Then tonight Nettles had handed her the box and let slip it was for
Nick's girlfriend. She had cried most of the way over, having to
stop the car twice. *You promised him you would not be jealous. You
said you could let him have the time and freedom he needed. Now stop
this!* Taking a deep gulping breath she starts the car and drives
away from his home. *I'll go and get some food. Knowing Nick he will
just shower and then try to send out. I wonder if he even notices
that the phone doesn't ring?* Opening the car window wide to blow
cold air on to her swollen eyes she goes to collect a meal, for her
perfidious love.

~*~

"Hey, I thought you weren't coming. Did you bring food? I was just
going to order in." Nick puts his arms lovingly round Shayla and
feels her stiffen beneath his grasp. *God! Now what have I done!*
Nick's mind is racing, but he can't remember anything that merits
this cold behavior. "Is everything all right? I was worried about
you driving in the bad weather."

Shayla pushes the box into his arms, almost taking the breath out of
his lungs she pushes so hard. "Nettles said you had to have this for
tomorrow and I delivered it. All right?"

Nick spends the rest of the evening dancing on hot coals. Trying his
best not to offend, but not knowing how to achieve this goal, since
he doesn't know what he did in the first place, he constantly seems
to irk her. *She is really pissed about something, I should be able
to tell when I've annoyed someone that much. Damn nothing comes to
mind.* He puts on the DVD he has rented and Shayla sits at the other
end of the couch from him with her feet tucked up and cuddles a
cushion. Nick spends most of the movie watching her and wondering
how he can comfort her. *I don't think it's me. I think I would know
if I had done something bad enough to deserve this.*

Shayla berates herself for behaving so badly, but the burning hatred
she has for Nick's `girlfriend' is eating away at her, and this is
the only way she can cope. *I'll go home soon and I'll phone his
cell and make up a story to excuse my bad manners.*

The movie ends and the clock strikes midnight. "I'll just get
dressed and follow you home to make sure you get there safely," Nick
offers.

With a heavy heart Shayla puts on her coat. Nick comes downstairs
and hands her a card. "Now, I'm not too good with these things so
forgive me, it was the best I could do. Those people who take hours
choosing one dumbfound me. Are you going to open it? It's after
midnight"

Taking the card out of the envelope, Shayla reads it. `Happy
Birthday to a Special Friend.'

"It's my birthday? Oh Nick, I'd forgotten." Shayla sit down on the
couch her trembling legs unable to hold her up. *This what I get for
not keeping my promises.*

Then she looks again at the card, her eyes awash with tears. In
front of the word friend in Nick's neat script he had
written `girl'. Handing her the heavily taped brown box he
mumbles, "I made this for you."

Shayla wants to scream. She sits, shaking to her roots, holding the
box to her chest, struggling to catch a breath. "For me?" she
stutters. "You made it for me?"

"Are you going to open it?"

Tears well in Shayla's eyes and two big drops fall onto the brown
box. "Do you have a pair of scissors to cut the tape?"

Nick hands the scissors to her and asks softly, "Can I help you?"

"No, please let me do this." Cutting the tape from the box Shayla
reaches in and removes the newspaper packing wrapped round the glass
for protection. Carefully she lifts the object from within the box.

Placing the glass dish on the table Shayla can only wonder at how
far Nick has come in his hobby. It is oval shaped and measures about
eight inches in length. It is four inches high on one side and
tapering to just one inch on the other side. The sides are all
colored from the deepest dark green on top to a leaf green on the
bottom. The oval centre is in clear glass. On the high end he had
cut a pattern out of the glass and clear glass dripped from the
holes giving the impression of water cascading down the side. When
it touched the clear bottom, Nick had made ripples in the clear
pond. Right in the centre of the pond there sat, half submerged, a
blue rose bud. Every petal was individually made. Shayla gently
stroked the beautiful gift. She could see Nick waiting for her
approval and, lifting her head she said, "I've never been given
anything I'll treasure more than this. Nick…" There was nothing she
could say to apologize for her behavior. She sadly gets up to leave.

Nick puts his arm round her and they make their way to the front
door, neither knowing what to say to heal whatever it was that had
gone wrong.

Turning to face him Shayla asks, "Nick, can we talk later?"

Nick leans over her shoulder and opens the front door. He then
places his forehead against hers and she can see his eyes are
closed. When he opens them, Shayla recognizes the twinkle
there. "What? What is it?"

Putting out the light, he turns her round to look at the deep snow.
A blizzard had blown in while they watched the movie. "Want to dig
out, or stay over?" he whispers, a seductive invitation in his voice.

Shayla thanks the Gods for this second chance and leans back into
his chest and whispers, "I think I'll stay with you."

Nick stands in the doorway of his home and looks out into the night.
He was going to end this day as he had started it, happy and
content. "Oh, before I forget, will you come with me to Siobhan and
Gerry's wedding?"

Shayla gapes at him. She had thought the gift was for Siobhan and
now he asks her to go to her wedding. Murderous thoughts run through
her mind but she pushes them gently back. *That's one out of the
way. There's hope for me yet, Nick Fallin*

As they stand watching the sky rid itself of the last remnants of
snow the phone in the hall gives one ring, Shayla turns, but Nick
holds her to him, "Ignore it. The phones have been bugging me all
day."


The End