Participants:
Scene Title | The Photograph Is Proof |
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Synopsis | Fresh from hearing news from Cat, Liz comes to drop the bomb on Niki. |
Date | June 23, 2009 |
The Apartment of Niki Sanders
It appears to be breakfast time, as Abby knocked on Niki's door this morning bringing breakfast, so the two sat and ate. Niki, only a few days into her new apartment, managed to get herself Goodwill-grade dining table, a couple of chairs and a coffee maker. So, coffee is on her. Breakfast has long since been consumed and the women are drinking coffee and, concidentally enough, Niki is sharing the tale about the visit from Liz yesterday. "So, I'm not entirely certain what that is all about. I just don't feel comfortable blindly being led around without a reason. Not that I don't trust Liz, but even she didn't know why I was being asked to go," says Niki as she sits across the table from Abby in a t-shirt and jeans, with barefeet. She has to work tonight, but she is happy to have Abby over this morning. The apartment has been /too/ quiet.
"Did you think about calling up the hospital? Asking after this Gara…" She can't wrap her tongue around the name, her poor southern accent just slaughters it. Her own fingers around the coffee, the now blonde once more, more layered long and short sleeve. Tattoo's safely hidden. "Getting what information you can or even talking to the person in question? They did ask for you specifically" The defunct healer oh so kindly points out before taking a sip of her coffee. "Could take liz and me and someone else with you if you go. Liz is a cop, and I can blind any attackers with my sheer… innocence"
The knock on the door is not a police-banging type of knock, it's a friends-type of knock. As if the difference is obvious — or, well, it sorta is. It's not accompanied by "police! Open the door!" or anything. In any case, Elisabeth is standing at the portal when it opens, and she doesn't look terribly fabulous. She's doing her level best to keep cop-neutral, but it was a rough morning before Cat told her what she found at Mt. Sinai. And now? Now Liz gets to give a friend news that she's not entirely sure how to break — especially when it comes to Niki's particular issues. "Morning," she greets mildly.
There's actually a double take from Liz, as she takes a look over at Abby and then back to Liz, stepping back to let her in. "I was just telling Abby about our talk today." She closes the door behind Liz as she enters and moves over to see if maybe she has another coffee mug. "We had breakfast, but there's coffee?" she offers, finding a cup and moving towards the coffee maker. "Abby had some questions, but now that you're here.." Probably questions that Niki should have asked yesterday, but Jessica interfered in her usual domineering form. There's a pause in that, as Niki noticed that neutral glance, as she would normally expect a warmer greeting. "What is it?"
"Hey Liz" A wave offered from the youngest blonde. "There's like, one slice of french toast left. It can be nuked" Abby offers from her spot at the goodwill table.
Elisabeth grins faintly. "That must be why my ears are burning," she quips as she closes the door behind her. "Nothing for me right now, thanks." Elisabeth's actually both glad and not-glad to note Abby's presence, uncertain how her news will be taken. She offers a smile at both women, but she turns her attention to the dangerous one. "Niki…. I couldn't get up to the hospital myself yesterday, I got caught up at work. But I asked a friend to go, and she came back with some information that was… surprising, to say the least." She gestures for Niki to sit and says quietly, "You're going to want to sit down for this, and I'm telling you to make sure Jess is leashed." She rolls her eyes. "I really don't want to get broken — and she likes to hurt the messenger when she's startled." Nothing in her demeanor is giving 'bad news' vibes, just 'big news.' At least, that's the demeanor she's trying to give — no grave expressions, no scaring Niki, she's just hoping to keep her and Abby in one piece.
Niki raises an eyebrow at the suggestion that Jessica be leashed up. "You know I'm about as good at doing that as anyone else is." Her tone has switched to a more cautious one as she speaks. "But, I'll let her know to at least let you say what you have to say, and hopefully she'll behave herself." She does sit down at the table and places her hands around her coffee mug. "What's going on, Liz?" A single glance towards Abby before she gives her full attention to Elisabeth.
That coffee cup is good as dead. That's Abby's thought when she stays seated, looking betwee the other two. A trio of blondes and one is about to get bad news from the sound of it. "We'll be here, to help reign Jessica in Niki" Jessica can hear that too.
Elisabeth looks toward Abby, wishing she knew how best to phrase this. But she doesn't, so she does the next best thing, which is even as she starts talking, she starts lacing her words with 'calm' vibes. They won't rein Jessica in, but maybe they'll help Niki not pass out or something. "Niki…. I've got some phenomenally good news, and I've got some news that … frankly, probably balances it out on the badness scale. I'd play the 'you want good news or bad news first' with you, but I have to give you the phenomenally good before you can even begin to process the bad." She hesitates and smiles just a little. "When we first met — I know you don't remember that first time because Jessica took the memories. But when we first met, one of the things we talked about was … how you got where you were. I was teaching high school then, on hiatus from the NYPD, and the Niki part of you had finally just woken up from the coma after the Midtown blast. You told me about losing your husband and your son…. and how devastating it was. How you were trying to rebuild your life, and I tried to help where I could." Niki knows all that, knows that Jessica took over and lived her life. "I never, in a million years, thought I'd be able to tell you …. that Micah survived. He's alive, Niki."
There's a brief flash on incomprehension in Niki's eyes as she tries to process that last line. She was following along nicely up until those words. Her blue eyes flicker with a spark of 'what are you trying to say'. She looks to Abby, as if asking for a translation to the gibberish that Liz just spoke to her. Niki shakes her head. "That's not true. Elisabeth. That's not true." She keeps shaking her head. Abby's prediction comes true as the coffee mug shatters in her grip, spraying coffee along the wall and the table. "Why would someone make this up?!" Denial. There's an internal struggle with her as it most certain seems that there's some rage being withheld, perhaps spurned on by Jessica, struggling to be released.
She should have gotten a rag. Abigail slips away from the table to head for the kitchen so that she can grab a towel or something. Micah is alive, Niki's son is alive. How many times ahd she spent with Niki and knew how much the woman loved her son? "I'll get something to clean that up with" Maybe bring Niki another coffee, spiked with one of Abby's Anti-ANxiety pills or something.
Spiking Niki's drink would sound like a real good idea if Elisabeth knew what Abby was thinking. But only to sedate the JESSICA side of this. Elisabeth has the picture that Cat gave her, and she printed it before she came here. Before she pulls it out, though, Elisabeth speaks, still lacing her voice with calm vibes. "Niki… I've never seen Micah; you didn't have a picture of him. You're the only one who can tell me for certain that it's him. The information that I have so far seems really solid, and I wouldn't have told you if I weren't sure." She hesitates and says quietly, "When I show you the picture, you'll understand why I said I have both phenomenally good news and bad. If this is Micah, Niki…. he's been in the hospital since the blast under an assumed name, and he's very sick. If I understand what I was told correctly, he needs…. blood or bone marrow or something to survive. And he doesn't have much time." She brings the picture of Micah in the hospital bed out and holds it out to Niki. "You tell me if my intel is wrong — and if it is, I'll even let Jessica beat the shit out of me for getting your hopes up."
The picture is glanced at, first only as an object. Blue eyes move from the picture to Liz to Abby then back again. Niki slowly reaches out and takes the picture in her fingers and pulls it close, letting her eyes mull over the image as she begins to shake, tears beginning to roll down her face. "Micah?" she whispers as she brings her fingers up and rubs it gently across the image of his face. "Why didn't anyone tell me before now?" she asks, though not necessarily to anyone in particular.
And now she's in for some fast talking, because Cat told her that there are things that Niki can't know right now. They might set off Jessica. "No one knew, Niki. Considering how many people are still MIA after the Midtown blast, it's not hugely surprising, if you want the truth. Micah didn't have any ID when he was brought in, and Cat is doing her lawyer bit to cover your ass so that you can get in there and see him without tripping any alarms that might actually be out there for Jessica or you." Genuine sympathy is in Elisabeth's face. "She's going to take you up to the hospital as soon as you're ready."
"Niki, maybe they didn't know? Maybe he had no ID on him?" Abigail offers up from the kitchen even as Liz is suggesting the same. Yup, she is so digging a pill from her bag, grabbing a glass of water for the emotional woman and a couple hand towels so she can clean the table up. "Gara whosit is obviously not Micah's given name" The news though that he's sick and in need of Bone marrow or the like. Her first thought had been to call Flint, tell him he'd be needed but it's blood and bone marrow. something that her gi - , Flints gift wouldn't work with. "I can call in sick to classes today Niki, we can get you up there and set about to getting Micah better and getting him home with you" The glass of water is settled down on the table beside Niki and then palm up to show the white pill. "Take it, it'll help. Just this one, for now at least. Jessica will understand. It'll help you keep your mind while you deal with this. Micah needs you in your right mind, not Jessica at the helm"
Whatever Liz is doing seems to be enough. She glances at Abby and shakes her head. "No. No pills. I don't want anything in my system if they need something from me. Blood or whatever." Niki glances up at Liz. "You can get me in. I want to go now." She stands, still gripping that printout in her hand as her eyes remain wet, as she goes into shock, her stare an icy blue as if trying to shut off her emotions. She moves to find some socks and shoes, sniffling.
There's a brief nod, and Elisabeth watches Niki carefully. "Cat needs a half an hour to pull together what she needs to be able to take you up there. Abby and I can also come along, if you'd like." The other blonde already volunteered. "It might be better, though, if you go with Cat — discretion in this case may be the better part of valor until we can work out what's what with him. Let her be your mouthpiece." There's little she can do except be here for the shock. She glances at Abby somewhat helplessly. Why do they keep letting her tell people bad news again?
Abigail sits down, plucking pieces of broken mug up and onto a towel, listening to Liz give suggestions. Which is fine with her. She's here for support and a sympathetic look is offered Elisabeth's way.
Half an hour. Doubtful. "I need to be driven there now. Or I'll take the bus. I'm not waiting for a lawyer to tell me I can see my son." Lord knows if they try and stop her from seeing Micah, they better pray they have extra hospital beds handy for whoever gets in her way. She doesn't wait for the offer of a ride, or anything further. She turns back once. "Thanks for coming by, Liz." The heartfelt words coming from the emotionally battered woman who disappears out the door to go see the son she thought was dead.
Elisabeth sighs heavily and breathes softly, "Shit." She yells after Niki, "Wait up! Cat can be ready right now!" She looks at Abby and uses her ability to send her words only to Abby's ears, "Do not tell her this — it'll set Jessica on a rampage and get Niki killed. Linderman and the Company have known all along; he's been paying for Micah's care even back when Jessica was working for them. Cat is doing her level best to extricate both of them from this without drawing Linderman's attention to the situation so that Micah isn't moved or worse. Do what you can to help keep Niki in check, but …." She grimaces and pivots on a heel to follow the blonde psychopath/friend out the door.
(Continued in Here, But Gone)