Little Bird

Visiting time brought an unexpected visitor, Claire. "I came as soon as I could after the police contacted me, I'm still listed as your next of kin."

"Sorry about that, I just never got around to changing, I didn't have anyone to change it to."

"What about the girl that's living with you, I hear that she describes herself as your girlfriend?"

"Well yes I suppose I could list her, if I ever find her again that is."

"I suppose that she's run out on you has she?"

"No, it's just that . . . . oh what the hell, you wouldn't understand."

One of the policemen came in followed by an orderly with a wheelchair. "We need you to come with us down to Accident and Emergency."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"You'll see." I was helped into the chair and wheeled out of the Intensive Care Unit and down to A&E. Here I was pushed into a cubicle in which the battered body of my Nikki laid, her breath rasping out of her throat.

"She's in a bad way isn't she?"

"You could say that, yes."

"What happened to her?"

"It would seem that she tried to hide from Brett and his mate. She waited until after we'd left before she came out of her hiding place, I've seen where she hid and I don't know how she could have squeezed into a place so tiny. It would appear that Brett wasn't about to let her get away from him again and was waiting just around the corner. We weren't looking for him to be so close to your place so we missed him. Brett grabbed her as she was heading to the hospital to be with you."

"How did you find her?"

"The make and Rego of the car wasn't going to be of use to us unless the car was actually spotted, which it was by an unmarked police car that followed it to where he was staying. We raided the house and found her tied up and in this condition. Her first words were to ask about you, she must really love you."

"What time was that?"

"It was around ten this morning, why?"

"That was the time that I saw and felt an angel that looked exactly like Nikki, she was telling me that she was still alive and thinking of me. Do you think that I could spend some time here with her?"

"I'll ask her doctor. By the way, I guess that you're wondering how Brett knew where she was? Well her mother told him, he went to see her to find if she knew where Nikki was and she told him."

The doctor arrived from treating another patient. "Who are you and what is your connection to this patient?"

"My name is Mark Jeffreys and I'm her boyfriend." His eyebrow shot up at that bit of news but he said nothing. "How is she?"

"Not good, she's been savagely beaten but she must have put up some fight going by the amount of skin under her finger nails. It looks as if she's been kicked in the stomach and ribs, her kidneys are bruised as is her spleen, and I'm afraid that she has lost her baby." He saw the blank look on my face. "I'm sorry, didn't she tell you that she was pregnant? It was very early stages, of her pregnancy, she was still in her first trimester. It is a strong possibility that she will suffer no after effects of this miscarriage, unfortunately I can't say the same for rest of her body, and it will be a slow recovery."

"It doesn't matter how long it takes, I'm up for it."

Just then Scott was led in. "How are you going Mark?"

"I was coping until I was brought here. It's Nikki and she's in a bad way, she has taken a bigger pounding than me, and Scott, she was pregnant and has lost the baby?"

"How do you feel about that?"

I knew that he had to ask the question but it didn't make it any easier to answer. "I'm angry as hell, I could go out and kill that bastard that did this to her." I stopped there and thought for a while. "But that will not do me or Nikki any good, so I'm going to channel that anger into helping Nikki get over this. I've got to be strong for her. It's what we are taught in the Army, to look out for our mates and she's the best mate I've ever had. I will look after her, no matter how long it takes. As far as I'm concerned I do not exist without her, so I have to make sure that she gets better. I can do this."

"I know that you can do it, I have faith in you not to let me or Nikki down."

Nikki came out of hospital six weeks later, she was still a little sore but looked the same beautiful girl that I fell in love with. The neighbours all gathered around us and helped us so much, we are now a part of the street family.

Brett copped a five year goal term for his efforts, and his mate, who was still a minor ended up in the juvenile detention centre where he'll probably pick up a lot of skills useful for his future career in crime.

Nikki's mother wasn't charged with any crime for her part in this, but she claimed she did it because she was angry with Nikki for alleging that her husband had tried to force himself on her. The marriage never recovered from the strain that put on it.

Nikki wants a baby as soon as we can manage it, which won't be long now that we're making love again, lots of making love, unprotected making love. That should do it I think. I also think that I'm going to enjoy being a father. I've got to go now, this angel just walked past, the same angel that I saw in hospital, only now she has no clothes on.