In Jeopardy

Author:  Shirley

 

Email: sbell_1944@yahoo.com

RATING:  PG-13

 

Summary:  Lulu and Burton realize how important Nick is in their lives.

 

Author's Notes: Written sometime during Season 1 -- before many of us
realized just how dysfunctional the Nick/Lulu relationship was going to be

 

DISCLAIMER:  I have deliberately left the medical details vague because
I don’t have a medical background.  My apologies, in advance, to those
of you who are familiar with these situations and find my premise
totally unbelievable.   The characters portrayed herein have been
shamelessly taken directly from “The Guardian” – a CBS TV Series.  The
resemblance to any person(s) living or dead is purely coincidental. Any
similarity of events, dates, or characters or the portrayal of events,
dates or characters depicted in any FanFic previously posted by other
authors is totally unintentional.  This is a work of FICTION.

 

~~~~~

It had been a difficult case for Lulu.  The child was definitely
disturbed but his mother wanted him back home with her rather than
placed in a juvenile detention facility.  Bobby Watkins had been
involved with two other 14-year-olds in an attack on a pizza delivery
boy.  He had not actually taken part in the beating of the young man but
was considered an accomplice.  Lulu had successfully lobbied the judge
to allow the boy to return to his mother, who promised to exercise
greater control over him.  Lulu actually had doubts about her promises. 
Olivia had problems of her own.  She was in an abusive relationship with
a man but had indicated she had recently kicked him out.  All you could
do was hope for the best and pray you had made the right decision in
returning the boy home.

 

~~~//~~~

Alvin stuck his head inside the “broom closet” and said, “Lulu, just got
a call from Mrs. Watkins.  She said Bobby has a gun and is threatening
to kill himself.  You better get over there and see what you can do. 
Don’t take any chances but try to avoid getting the police involved if
possible.  The kid’s already in enough trouble.”

 

Lulu glanced up from her desk and with a scoff said, “I was afraid of
something like this.  I just didn’t have a good feeling about this
placement.”  Lulu decided to call Laurie Solt to see if she had time to
go with her.  She really felt Laurie’s experience with Social Services
might help in this situation. 

 

Laurie agreed to go along and drove by to pick Lulu up at Legal
Services.  They talked about possible ways to diffuse the situation. 
Laurie thought, once the matter was resolved, that perhaps it would be
better to place Bobby in a detention facility for his own protection.

 

~~~//~~~

They pulled up and parked right outside the tenement building.  It was a
pretty rough part of town but Lulu had grown more and more comfortable
working in these areas the longer she was with Legal Services.  And
having Laurie along was also comforting.  They walked to the third floor
and, after listening at the door, Lulu knocked and called out,
“Bobby…?”  No answer.  She listened at the door again and heard soft
whimpers coming from within.  “Bobby, it’s Ms. Archer.  Please let me
in.  I want to help you.”

 

“No.” he shouted.  “Go away or I’ll kill myself.”  

 

“Bobby, where is your mother?”  Lulu tried to sound firm but not
aggressive. 

 

“She left.  Said she couldn’t take it any more,” the boy sobbed. 

 

“Please Bobby.  Let me come in and we’ll just talk, okay?” 

 

Laurie stepped to the door and called to Bobby.  “Bobby, this is Ms.
Solt with Social Services.  We want to help you.  Right now there has
been no damage done.  We want to get you help.”

 

~~~//~~~

 

Back at Legal Services, Nick poked his head into Alvin’s office. 
“Alvin, where’s Lulu?  We were supposed to talk about a case.”

 

“Oh, she had to go over to Bobby Watkins’.  His mother called and said
he had a gun and was threatening to kill himself.  I think she took
Laurie with her.  Hey, you might want to go over there to see if there
is anything you can do.  You met the boy, didn’t you?”

 

“Yeah. Lulu was concerned about his case.  Said he was a really troubled
kid and wasn’t sure she was making the right decision to advocate
returning him to his mother.  I guess I could run by for a minute but I
have a big closing at The Firm in about an hour.  Can you give me the
address?” 

 

“Sure.  I told Lulu to try and diffuse the situation without involving
the police, if possible.  I am concerned that there might be some danger
involved if the kid’s as troubled as you say.  Check it out, Nick, and
do what you think is right.”

 

~~~//~~~

 

Nick pulled up outside the dilapidated building and recognized Laurie’s
car.  It was no wonder, he thought, why kids grew up bad in this kind of
environment.  He bounded up the three flights of stairs, two at a time,
and found Lulu and Laurie standing outside Bobby’s apartment door. 
Winded from the exertion, he asked, “What’s the situation?”

 

“Nick.”  Lulu turned, surprised to see him.  “What are you doing here?”

 

“I went by Legal Services to talk with you about the Johnson case and
Alvin sent me over here.”

 

“Well, apparently Bobby’s mother has left … washing her hands of the
situation and Bobby is in the apartment with a gun threatening to kill
himself.  He won’t allow anyone to come in and talk with him.  We were
getting ready to call the police.” 

 

“I don’t know that I can do anything more but let me try to talk to
him.”  Nick put his ear to the door.  He heard whimpers and sniffles. 
Clearly the boy was distraught.  Softly, Nick said, “Bobby, this is Nick
Fallin.  Remember we met a couple weeks ago?”  He waited for a response
from beyond the door.  Nothing.  “I sure would like to come in and talk
with you.  Whadaya say?”  Nick had a very soothing quality in his voice
and Lulu had been impressed how well kids related to him.  Where he
could be brash and harsh with adults he was always very approachable
with kids. 

 

Bobby finally said, through the door, “Only you.  No one else.”

 

“Okay.”  Nick tried the door.  It was unlocked.  He carefully opened it
and slowly walked in, taking stock of his surroundings.  The boy was
standing across the room facing the door.  He was brandishing a small
caliber pistol. 

 

Bobby waved the gun in Nick’s direction and said, “Close the door.”  The
boy’s face was swollen and tear-stained from crying.  The apartment was
a total mess and the smell was almost over-powering. 

 

“Alright,” Nick said, carefully closing the door.  He stood just inside
the door quietly for a moment.  “Bobby, why don’t you put the gun down
and let’s talk a bit.” 

 

“Go ahead and talk, if ya wanna, but I’m not puttin’ the gun down.  I
don’t see how you or anybody else can fix things.” 

 

Nick was shocked by the utter despondency in the boy’s voice.  He was
sobbing again.  “My mom doesn’t care a damn about me.  Nobody does. 
It’s been that way my whole life.”  Bobby stood rocking from one foot to
the other.  His eyes were wild with fear and hate.   He kept passing the
gun back and forth from one hand to the other. 

 

“All of us feel that way sometimes, Bobby, but even the worst days get
better if you just hang in there.  Trust me, I’m speaking from
experience.  You have had your share of bad times.  But this is not the
way to handle your problems.  There are people who care about you and
want to help you.”  Nick started to walk slowly toward Bobby with his
right hand extended.  “Bobby, please give me the gun.  You won’t be
sorry.  I’ll do everything in my power to help you.  I promise.” 

 

Bobby put the gun to his right temple.  “Don’t come any closer.  I swear
I’ll do it.”  For the first time Nick felt the ice-cold fingers of fear
grip him.  He recognized Bobby’s erratic behavior as drug induced.  This
kid was capable of doing anything right now. 

 

Nick slowly dropped his hand to his side and stopped.  Suddenly a shot
rang out and for a second everything seemed to be in slow-motion. Nick
grabbed his left side and collapsed to the floor, bleeding.  He could
feel something warm and sticky with his left hand.  Bobby stared
wild-eyed at what he had done.  He put the gun to his temple and pulled
the trigger.  His brains splattered against the wall and he fell with a
thud to the floor, instantly dead. 

 

Nick was still barely conscious.  He was surprised he didn’t feel any
pain.  He had heard the second shot and things were beginning to get
fuzzy.  Then he thought he heard voices.  He couldn’t move. 

 

Lulu was screaming through the door, “Nick…Nick.  Answer me.  Bobby,
what is going on?”  Nick could not muster the energy to call out.  Lulu
quickly pushed open the door and saw the horror.  Bobby was obviously
dead and Nick was breathing with difficulty.  She ran to Nick’s side and
gathered his head in her arms.  “Oh Nick…please hang on.   Laurie, call
911 and hurry.”  By this time she was crying profusely.  Nick’s eyes
were still open but he didn’t seem to know where he was.  He wasn’t
responding.  Lulu could see blood oozing from a wound in his side. 
Nick’s eyes slowly closed.  “Nick, no, Nick.  Please don’t leave me,”
she cried hysterically.  She placed her hand over the wound to try and
stem the flow of blood.    

 

Nick could hear voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying.  It
was almost as though he was in suspended animation.  Everything slowly
fading, fading…..

 

Lulu was pleading, “Nick please don’t die.  Nick…Nick.”  Laurie made the
call to 911 on her cell phone then stooped to hug Lulu and try to
reassure her that things would be all right.

 

Fortunately Mercy Hospital was only a few blocks away and the wail of
sirens could be heard in the cold January air.

 

The ambulance arrived within five minutes along with a patrol car.  The
EMTs quickly went to work on Nick after determining that Bobby was
dead.  Nick was bleeding badly and they were working with dispatch. 
They managed to remove his overcoat and opened up his shirt.  They
placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth to make it easier for him
to breathe.  Nick was lying motionless as the EMTs worked frantically
over him.  Then they lifted him to the gurney-stretcher and wheeled him
quickly out the door. 

 

Lulu picked up Nick’s overcoat and found his car keys.  She told Laurie
she would follow the ambulance to the hospital in Nick’s car.  “Laurie,
can you call Alvin for me?” 

 

“Sure, and I’ll stay here for a bit to talk with the police.  I guess
Alvin can call Nick’s father.  Lulu, he’s gonna be alright.  He’s a
survivor.”  Lulu was very worried. 

 

~~~//~~~

 

At Legal Services, Alvin answered the phone.  “Alvin, this is Laurie. 
Nick’s been shot.”

 

“What?” he said in disbelief.  “Tell me what happened.”  Laurie quickly
related the details.  Before she could ask, Alvin said he would call
Burton.  “I’m giving the police a statement and I will go on to the
hospital from here.” 

 

“Burton Fallin please.  Alvin Masterson calling.  Thank you.” 

 

“Alvin, good to hear from you.  What can I do for you?”   Burton really
liked Alvin.  He was a stand-up guy and apparently a good influence on
Nick. 

 

“Burton, I’m afraid I have some bad news.  Nick has been shot by a
client of Legal Services.” 

 

For a moment, Burton couldn’t speak.  “What?  How is he?” 

 

“I don’t really know his condition right now.”  Alvin waited a moment
and when Burton didn’t speak, he continued.  “He was trying to diffuse a
volatile situation … a teenager with a gun threatening to kill himself. 
It wasn’t even his case.  I had asked if he could help Lulu thinking she
didn’t have the experience to handle that type of situation.  I feel
personally responsible.  I’m sorry.”  The whole time Alvin had been
talking, Burton was still trying to digest the fact that his son had
been shot. 

 

“Alvin, forget the recriminations.  Where have they taken Nick?”  Alvin
couldn’t help but notice the drastic change in the tenor of Burton’s
voice. 

 

“Mercy Hospital.”   Suddenly the phone went dead.   Alvin slowly placed
the phone in the cradle.  He accepted complete responsibility for this
tragedy.  These days you couldn’t ignore these types of threats.   If
Nick didn’t survive, well, Alvin just couldn’t imagine how he would deal
with that. 

 

~~~//~~~

 

At Mercy Hospital Nick was quickly wheeled into an emergency room
cubicle.  While in transit, Nick’s heart had stopped.  The medics had
been able to resuscitate but they were concerned about the loss of
blood.  The emergency room staff took over immediately.  A tube was
inserted to keep his air passage open.  Once Nick was stabilized he
would be taken to the OR for immediate surgery to stop the bleeding. 

 

Lulu arrived directly after the ambulance and was pacing the floor
waiting for information when Burton flew through the doors.  He walked
directly to Lulu. 

 

“Where is he?”  Lulu noticed fear in his eyes.  “Can you tell me
anything about Nick’s condition?” Burton asked without his usual
greeting.  Lulu awakened from her daze as Burton hurriedly approached. 
She collapsed into his arms, crying.  “Nick was just trying to help me
with one of my cases.  It’s all my fault.” 

 

“Lulu, just tell me what happened.”  Burton pushed her back, holding her
shoulders, and shook her gently.  He was a little impatient with her
hysterics.  They found a seat and she calmed down enough to tell him all
she knew about the incident.  The shooting had taken place behind closed
doors, she told him.  She and Laurie had not heard the conversation
between Bobby and Nick.  She did know that Nick’s condition was a
serious concern for the medical people. 

 

The emergency room doctor approached Burton and Lulu.  “Are you here
with the gunshot victim?” 

 

“Yes,” they said in unison.  “I’m his father,” Burton piped up, standing. 

 

“I can give you an initial assessment of the problems we are facing
right now.  He is currently undergoing surgery so we will know more
later on.  It could be another hour or so before we have something more
definite for you, but we do know that the bullet lodged near his spine. 
There is serious bleeding and not only a concern about the swelling
around the spinal cord but also about his very survival.  We won’t know
if there will be any long-term paralysis until after the surgery.  It
will depend on whether there is damage to the spinal cord.  You can wait
in the waiting room on the 4^th floor.  The surgeon will talk with you
after the surgery.”

 

“Thank you, doctor,” Burton said with a worried look in his eyes. 
Paralysis?  How would Nick deal with that?  That was too painful to
think about right now.  Nick had to survive.  All he could think about
were the missed opportunities to get to know his son better, now there
was a chance it might be too late. 

 

Lulu and Burton had been in the 4^th floor waiting room for about 30
minutes when Alvin and Laurie arrived.  This was Nick’s support system. 
They all cared about him.  Burton noticed that Lulu seemed especially
upset by the ordeal.  Could it be that there was more to her feelings
for Nick than just the fact they worked together?  She seemed like a
nice girl. 

 

Alvin approached Burton.  “Burton, is there any news about Nick’s
condition?”

 

“Nothing other than they’re worried if he survives he could be
paralyzed.  They won’t know for sure until after the surgery when they
can assess the damage.” 

 

“I guess we won’t know for sure what happened until we can talk with
Nick.  The boy allowed Nick inside the apartment and it all happened
behind closed doors.  None of us thought the situation could degrade to
this…”  Alvin was obviously pained about the part he had played in
putting Nick at risk.  “Nick has such a way with troubled kids.  You can
be proud of him.”

 

“Where’s the boy?” Burton asked. 

 

Alvin looked down then up at Burton.  “He killed himself.” 

 

Burton rubbed his hand across the top of his head.  He stood and moved
to the window.  It was rush hour and traffic was jamming all roads
leading out of town.  It was already dark.  He really needed a cigarette
but he didn’t want to take the chance of missing the doctor.  He
couldn’t get over the irony of it all.  Nick had been forced to give up
a deadly cocaine habit to advocate for at risk children, a seemingly
safe pursuit.  Now he was fighting for his life.  He pinched his eyes
with his fingers to fight off the emotion which threatened to overtake
him.  Alvin watched helplessly.  Here was a man as cold and deliberate
as any man in the corporate world today but the events of the last
couple of hours had brought him to his knees. 

 

Another hour had passed with no news.  Alvin had gone down the hall for
coffee.  Lulu was sitting in the chair with her legs drawn up beneath
her.  Her head rested on her arm which was across the back of the
chair.    Aside from answering direct questions, she hadn’t spoken a
word since Nick had gone into surgery. 

 

As Alvin was returning with two cups of coffee he noticed Brian getting
off the elevator.  He stopped to let Brian catch up.  “Alvin, do you
know where Lulu is?”  Brian asked.  Alvin was surprised to see Brian. 
He hadn’t thought about informing him. 

 

“She’s in the waiting room at the end of the hall.  How did you find out?” 

 

“I tried to call her about dinner plans for tonight and someone told
me.   How’s Nick doing?”

 

“He’s still in surgery.  It’s been over two hours.” 

 

As they entered the waiting room, Brian noticed Lulu sitting in the
chair near the window.  He walked over to her and stooped to see about
her.  He tenderly touched her arm.  She pulled away and sat up
straight.  He could tell she had been crying.   She looked at him,
without seeing.  Brian pulled up another chair near her.  He said,
“Lulu, maybe it would be best if you came home now.”  Burton was still
standing by the window.  He turned to look at Lulu.  She just stared
back with unseeing eyes.  “Lulu?” Brian spoke softly.  He took her hands
and she pulled them away.   Brian looked to Alvin. 

 

Alvin walked over to Lulu and stooped to speak to her.  “Lulu.  You
should probably go home now.  I’ll let you know about Nick.”   He
touched her arm.  She looked at him. 

 

“I’m not leaving until I know he’s going to be all right.”  She then
looked at Brian. 

 

Burton first noticed the doctor approaching.  It was hard to read the
doctor’s expression.  He started towards the doctor.  “Fallin family?”
the doctor asked. 

 

Burton approached and said, “I’m Nick’s father.” 

 

“It’s still too early to know for sure but I believe your son is going
to make it.  We removed the bullet which was lodged near the spine but
there appeared to be no real damage to the spinal cord itself.  There is
a lot of swelling which will create pressure and cause temporary
paralysis until the swelling subsides but I feel confident that your son
will recover completely.  The next 48 hours will be crucial.  He is
being moved to ICU until his condition stabilizes.  Visitation will be
limited to immediate family for periods of ten minutes at a time each
hour.  Visiting hours are over at 9:00 pm.  The nurse will let you know
when you can see him, Mr. Fallin.”  The doctor turned to leave. 

 

“See, Lulu, Nick’s gonna be all right,” Brian said, taking her hand. 
“Why don’t we go home and get some sleep.  Alvin will let you know if
there is any change in his condition, won’t you Alvin?” 

 

“Yeah, sure.”  Alvin nodded.  “There’s nothing else for you to do here,
Lulu.  You should go with Brian.” 

 

Lulu finally stood then remembered she still had Nick’s car keys.  She
got her coat and rummaged in the pockets for the keys.  She walked over
to Burton, handing him the keys.  “I followed the ambulance in Nick’s
car.  Here are the keys.  It’s parked out in the emergency lot in front
of the hospital.”  She turned as Brian put his arm around her and led
her out. 

 

Alvin said, “Burton, if you need me to help get Nick’s car home…” 

 

“No, thanks.  I’ll deal with that tomorrow,” he said impatiently.

 

“Okay.  If you need anything, let me know.  Laurie, you leaving now?” 

 

“Yes, Alvin.”

 

“I’ll walk you to your car.”

 

~~~//~~~

 

On the way down in the elevator Alvin looked at Laurie and said, “Lulu
was really upset.” 

 

Laurie looked at Alvin and said, “Don’t you know?”

 

“Know what?” 

 

“Nick loves Lulu and she loves him, but just won’t admit it.”

 

Alvin looked curiously at Laurie.  “No I didn’t know that.  But, now
that you mention it, I have noticed a lot of eye contact between the two
lately.  What about Brian?” 

 

“I think Lulu’s confused what to do about Brian.” 

 

~~~//~~~

 

Burton was not prepared for what he saw.  Here lay his only child,
helpless; hooked up to hoses and tubes leading to machines which
monitored his vital signs.  He appeared to be in a deep sleep.  His
breathing was steady.  Burton quietly sat down beside the bed.  He
reached out and tenderly touched his sleeping son’s hand.  There was no
movement from Nick.  Burton’s lips began to tremble.  There were so many
things he would do differently if he had it to do all over again.  So
many regrets.   He bowed his head and said a little silent prayer. 

 

“Mr. Fallin, visiting time is up for this hour.  I’m sorry,” he heard
the nurse say. 

 

“Oh, thanks,” he said, brought back to the present.  “I guess I’ll run
down to the cafeteria and get a bite to eat and be back for the eight
o’clock hour.” 

 

“We’ll see you then.”  She smiled a sweet smile. “We’ll take good care
of him.” 

 

~~~//~~~

 

He really wasn’t hungry but it would give him something to do to occupy
his time.  The waiting was the worst.  Nick had shown no signs of waking
since the surgery.  Burton sat down with a cup of coffee and a bowl of
soup.  It didn’t take long to finish eating.  He decided to take a short
walk and have a cigarette. 

 

When he got back to the waiting room it was time for the next
visitation.   When Burton walked in to the ICU the nurse was writing
information on Nick’s chart.  “He’s doing just fine, Mr. Fallin.  His
vitals are all good.”  She continued her rounds.

 

Burton sat down in the chair beside the bed.  Again, he reached over and
took his son’s hand.  He squeezed it tenderly.  This time he noticed a
reaction.  He took Nick’s hand in both of his and squeezed again. 
Nick’s head moved slightly and his eyes fluttered open.  He blinked once
to focus. 

 

“Dad?” he said in almost a whisper. 

 

“I’m here, son.  How’re you feeling?”  Nick moved his head slightly from
side to side.  “You had us all worried.  But, the doctor seems to think
you’ll be okay.” 

 

“And… the boy?”  Nick asked with difficulty. 

 

“He’s dead, son.” 

 

Nick closed his eyes and pursed his lips.   He turned his head away and
mercifully dropped off to sleep again.

 

*******

 

At that moment Burton wished he could go back and do things
differently.  Spend more time with his young son, become a bigger part
of his life.  He had been overjoyed when Nick had agreed to come to work
for him though he kept his happiness to himself.  The early days of that
association had been difficult.  Nick was an angry young man.  And the
drugs….  Burton didn’t understand the reasons behind that.  Nick had
everything going for him.  And then his recent relapse.  Nick wouldn’t
admit he had slipped back into drugs but Burton knew in his heart that
he had.  He was happy he had been able to help him get back on track. 

 

Night had fallen on the city.  From the waiting room you could see
traffic beginning to clear on the main thoroughfares, most of the rush
hour traffic having dispersed.  The last  visits to ICU had revealed
little change in Nick.  His vitals were still good and the nurses
assured Burton that this was not unusual in cases like this.  It was
9:00 pm and he was sitting beside his son’s bed yet again.  He thought
he noticed a subtle movement and reached out to touch Nick’s hand. 
Nick’s eyes fluttered open.  He blinked and tried to reconcile his
surroundings.  Then he heard a familiar voice.

 

 “Son?  How do you feel?” Burton asked softly.  Nick turned his head to
make eye contact with his father.  Tears welled up in his eyes. 

 

“I couldn’t stop him,” he said haltingly and painfully.

 

 “Son, you did everything you could do.  Do you remember what happened?”
Burton said cautiously. 

 

With great effort, Nick recalled the incident pausing frequently to
gather the energy to continue.  “He wouldn’t give me the gun.  Maybe I
pressured him too much to give it up.  He was sick of his life.  What
could I promise him?  His life was shit.  And there wasn’t anything I
could do about that.  He was unlucky enough to be born into a bad
situation.  He was doomed from the outset.  Meanwhile we all just go
through the motions thinking we can make a difference in these kids’
lives.  I really don’t know what caused him to start shooting.  Guess he
just finally figured out the futility of it all.  I probably would have
done the same thing if it were me.”  Tears welled up in Nick’s eyes as
he thought about that wasted young life. 

 

“Nick you can’t mean that you would ever get depressed enough to kill
yourself.”  Burton said a little shocked. 

 

“I’m too much of a chicken to use a gun but I’ve tried it with drugs,”
he said, half laughing, and then recoiling with pain. 

 

Burton didn’t want to go there.  Did Nick have a death wish?  Is that
why he used drugs in the first place?  What was missing in Nick’s life
to make him feel this way?  Burton made a vow to himself right then and
there that he would definitely spend more time with Nick when he got
better. 

 

The night duty ICU nurse came in.   “Sorry Mr. Fallin.  Visitation is
over for today.  Well, Nick, I see you finally came to the party.  How
do you feel?”

 

Nick looked at the pretty nurse and jokingly said “Not well enough to do
the two-step yet, but I’ll take a rain check.” 

 

Burton was escorted out of the ICU.  “Goodnight, son.”

 

After his father had left the room, Nick asked casually, “Nurse, is
there some reason why I can’t feel my legs?”

 

“I’ll get the doctor and he can talk with you,” she said and hurriedly
left his bedside.

 

About a half hour later the doctor appeared.  “Nick, Doctor Riley here. 
Glad to see you’re back with us.  The nurse said you were concerned
because you had no sensation in your legs.  The bullet we removed was
lodged near your spine causing swelling around your spinal cord.  As
long as there is swelling you will likely experience “temporary”
paralysis.  The swelling should subside within the next several days. 
Of course, there is always a possibility that this could be permanent
but I feel confident that you will make a full recovery.  Are you
experiencing any pain right now?”

 

“Just a little when I laugh,” he laughed and winced.

 

“Well, it’s a good sign that you feel like laughing I guess after what
you’ve been through.”

 

“Yeah,” Nick remarked, sobering quickly.  

 

“By the way, there was a police officer here earlier wanting to talk
with you.  I put him off for a couple of days until you get into a
room.   That could be sooner than we originally thought.  I will check
back with you in the morning and if all goes well we could be moving you
early tomorrow morning.  Do you have any other questions?”

 

“No, I guess not.” 

 

As promised Nick was moved to a private room the next morning.  His
first visitor was Lulu.  “Well, Nick, how are you doing?  We were all
worried about you.”  She slowly approached the bed and tried to appear
casual all the while wanting to take him in her arms.

 

“Lulu, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help Bobby.  I don’t know what went
wrong.  I got the feeling that he was resigned to killing himself no
matter what I said.”  Nick was a little embarrassed to see Lulu in his
helpless condition.  He was still hooked up to a catheter until he
regained the feeling in his lower extremities.  The doctors were
confident that would not be much longer and he did feel a little
sensation now and then which was a promising sign. 

 

“But why did he shoot you, Nick?” Lulu asked trying to put aside the
image of Nick lying on the floor bleeding. 

 

“I tried to convince him to give me the gun.  He wasn’t going to give it
up and then he just started shooting.” Nick said sadly. 

 

“Yeah.  I’ll never forgive myself for letting you get involved in this. 
It was my case,” Lulu said beginning to cry softly.

 

“Hey, Alvin is the one who suggested I might help.  Guess he was wrong.”

 

“Nick, there for a moment I thought I was going to lose you,” Lulu said
not realizing at first what she had said.  Nick raised an eye brow.  “I
mean, we were all worried you might die.”  Lulu stepped closer to the
bed.  Her hand reached out for his.  She glanced away.  Nick squeezed
her hand to bring her attention back to him.

 

 “Lulu, what are you trying to say?”  Nick was trying to read her
expression.  She kept her eyes averted and was having difficulty with
her response. 

 

“Nick, Brian and I have talked.  I guess I’ve felt for some time that I
really didn’t… well, didn’t really love him.   We’ve decided to call off
the wedding.  I still think the world of Brian but I have only recently
realized that I have feelings for you.  I don’t know what feelings right
now, but feelings….”

 

He pulled her closer to him, wincing with pain.  She leaned over to be
closer.  He reached his hand up, caressed her face and drew her nearer
still and gently kissed her.  She kissed him back.  They looked deeply
into each others’ eyes.  Then another kiss, this time deeper and longer. 

 

Nick couldn’t resist.  “Whatever happened to professionalism?”  He
grinned. 

 

“Well, Nick, if you are half as intuitive as I think you are you
probably knew I didn’t really mean that.”  Lulu grinned back. 

 

“I was hoping.  This revelation comes at a time when I can’t do anything
about it.  Are you sure it’s not just feeling guilt or sympathy?”

 

I do feel guilty and yes I am sympathetic but it’s something much deeper
than that.  I’m not sure if it is love but I know that I am very much in
like with you.”  She grinned and squeezed his hand. “I’m willing to see
what happens.  What about you, Nick?”

 

“Yeah, sure.  Let’s just see what happens.  I will warn you that I
haven’t had much success with relationships.”  He gave her a sheepish
grin.  “I could be more trouble than you really want to take on.  Just
ask my dad.”

 

At that moment Burton walked in carrying magazines and a briefcase. 
“Hi, Lulu.  Son.  How are you doing?”

 

Nick answered, “Fine, Dad.  I have noticed a little more sensation in my
legs,” masking the worry in his voice. 

 

“The doctors seem very encouraged by your progress,” Burton smiled.
“Guess they didn’t know how stubborn you can be,” he said with a
chuckle.  “You sure did give us a scare.  Hey, I brought you some
magazines and the contracts you were working on for the Mitchell case. 
Don’t want you getting soft.”

 

“That’s good, Dad.  The days get pretty long in here with nothing to do.” 

 

Dr. Riley appeared at the door.  He approached the group surrounding
Nick’s bed.  “How ya feeling, Nick?”  His facial expression was blank
but there was obviously a reason for his coming.  “Nick, I wonder if I
could discuss something with you for a minute, privately.”  He glanced
at the others in the room.  Burton’s eyebrows went up. 

 

“What is it Doc?  I’m his father.”  Lulu looked at the doctor and then
excused herself with a wave to Nick and Burton.  “I’ll wait outside.” 
She went down the hall to the waiting room.  She couldn’t help but be
worried. 

 

“Nick, I just looked at the new x-rays we took this morning.  I was
beginning to worry about this paralysis.  Looks like we might have
missed a bone fragment which appears to be causing the problem. 
Apparently the bullet nicked your rib before becoming lodged against
your spine.  This fragment has moved around and is causing inflammation
and swelling near the spinal cord.”

 

“What does that mean Doc?”  Nick asked; his brow furrowed.

 

“I’m afraid it means more surgery, Nick.  There is always a risk with
surgery but this procedure is more or less routine.  We have it
scheduled for tomorrow morning.”  He glanced at Burton who stood mute
during the discussion. 

 

“How soon should he recover from this second surgery … I mean as far as
the paralysis is concerned?  Days?  Weeks?  What?”  Burton was beginning
to get a little anxious and upset.  Did these doctors know who they were
treating?  This was his only son.  He wanted him out of here and in one
piece. 

 

Dr. Riley picked up on the tension in the air and had softly explained,
“There was massive bleeding at the time of the original surgery.  I know
it’s no excuse for missing the bone fragment.  I do, however, feel that
Nick’s recovery will be swift following this procedure.  He has already
shown great determination.  The surgery should take about an hour or
less.” 

 

Nick could tell his Dad was very worried.  “Dad, I’ll be okay.  I know
this is a burden on you that you don’t need right now.  I had no idea
that working for CLS was so dangerous.”  Nick chuckled quietly.  “I
appreciate that you’re here.  Thanks.” 

 

“Where else do you think I would be, son?  You are the most important
thing to me in this whole life.  I will not rest until you are home and
back on your feet.  I love you, son.  I just want you to know that.” 
Nick thought he noticed tears forming in Burton’s eyes before he looked
away.  He was touched beyond measure; his own eyes tearing.  “I’ll be
back in the morning, Nick.  You want me to send Lulu back in?”

 

“Sure.”  Nick really didn’t feel much like visiting but maybe Lulu could
cheer him up. 

 

~~~//~~~

 

The nurse came in to Nick’s room to remove his catheter and prepare him
for surgery.  Burton had been there with Nick since 7:00 am.  He gave
his son’s hand one last squeeze and excused himself to wait in the
waiting room.  The worry about all this was beginning to take its toll
on Burton.  He wasn’t getting any younger and wasn’t getting any sleep. 
Work was piling up at F&A with both him and Nick out of commission.  

 

Nick was already feeling the effects of the sleep-inducing injection as
they wheeled him down the hall.  His eyelids became heavy and he was gone.

 

Recovery Room – 1 hour later

 

Nick’s eyes fluttered open as soft lips brushed his lips.  He had to
blink a couple of times to focus.  Lulu was smiling down on him.  “Hi,”
she said softly, holding his hand in hers.  “Everything went very well. 
Your dad convinced the doctors to let me see you.  You should be in your
room in a couple of hours.”  She bent over to kiss him softly again and
this time he responded.  His eyes closed again.  He muttered something
unintelligible still feeling the effects of the drugs. 

 

Four days later (Nick was released)

 

It had been almost two weeks and two surgeries.  Nick was ready to go
home.  Burton was there to help.  Nick would spend a few days at
Burton’s until Burton was sure he could get around okay.  He didn’t
expect him back at the office for a few more weeks although Nick was
anxious to get back to work. 

 

Nick dressed in a pair of casual slacks and a white shirt.  He was not
wearing a suit jacket but his father had brought along his top-coat.  He
had been able to get around pretty well on his own the last few days. 
The doctors were right.  The paralysis had disappeared almost
immediately after the swelling began to subside with the second
surgery.  Except for a little pain in bending and pulling, he felt
okay.  The hospital insisted on wheeling him out to the car in a
wheelchair.  Burton gingerly helped him into the Cadillac.  He
fleetingly recalled another time when Burton had helped him into his car
after the fight at The Incline.  His dad had been here for him this
time, too. 

 

Fallin & Associates – two weeks later

 

Nick had had enough staying home.  He had convinced his dad that he was
able to take care of himself and had returned to his apartment the week
before.  He was a little nervous about seeing everyone again after so
long.  He was able to walk around without much discomfort at all.  He
went striding confidently in through the main doors of F&A and casually
called out to Gretchen and wished her a “good morning”.  He proceeded
directly to his office without speaking to any others.  Other employees
had stopped and were watching him walk by.  Burton noticed Nick as he
passed by his office window. 

 

Nick’s office was virtually how he had left it weeks before.  Everyone
at F&A knew to stay out of there.  His father was the only one who had
his authority to go into his office.  Nick seated himself behind his
desk and smiled.  He was glad to be back into the thick of things. 

 

A soft knock came on the door and it opened almost immediately.  Burton
stuck his head in through the crack and smiled broadly.  “Welcome back,
son.  Can I get you anything?” 

 

“No thanks, Dad.  I just need to get back to work and put all that stuff
behind me.” 

 

“Well, I think we can accommodate you there.”  Burton shut the door and
walked away happily shaking his head.  He had his workaholic son back. 
He was a happy man. 

 

THE END