Chapter 43

Nikki's turn

Roller coaster of emotions. I wonder if the human mind is damaged by things like this where you go from a happy, normal day right into a life or death situation, where you make the choice to risk your own life in the defense of one you love.

Love? Yeah. Susan's my sister, despite two completely isolated genetic trees. We chose each other, along with the rest of the crazy group, that little pixie of a redhead, Cindy, and our taller, auburn-haired instant mom, Tina. Yes, I'd kill for any of them. I sighed. As a matter of fact, I did.

I was plastered tight to Dan's arm while we drove home. Somebody needs to go get Susan's car. How are we handling dinner? My mind was a seething cauldron of thoughts. We pulled around the back of the offices right into the apartment parking lot. By the time I'd exited the car, doors were opening. Cindy. Maddie. Tina. Beck. Terri. Rachel. The guys.

I was swarmed. The swarm reformed when Susan and Jason pulled up. I got reswarmed when Susan wrapped me up, our first contact since the police separated us after the incident. I heard my Dan telling the guys "No charges."

Finally the squeezes started to subside. "Look, guys," I said to my friends. "I need a shower." I saw Terri and Rachel standing off to the side. That made me squat to their levels so I could get a couple more hugs.

Then I grabbed Dan's hand and tugged. "Come on." To the crowd I said, "I need a shower. I have adrenaline funk." I don't think Dan had a really good grasp of what I needed until the door closed behind us. Maybe he was confused.

I unconfused him. Hard and fast and frantic. There was a stream of clothing from the front door all the way through the house to the bedroom.

Note to self: Change the sheets. Again.

Very relaxed. Satiated. Satisfied. Tranquil. Molded against my man's side, feeling the rise and fall of his even breathing, feeling his heartbeat against my cheek. I sighed.

"Are you okay, little one?" he asked. "I feel almost used."

"Don't even go there, love of my life, my light, my inspiration, my rock."

"But are you okay?"

"Nothing like this ... Well, add this to the memorable days. The day the building blew over. The day I was rescued. The day I found that I wasn't the only one falling in love. Some wonderful. Some horrible. Today ... both."

He brushed his lips across my forehead so gently. "I worry about you."

"I worry about you, too," I retorted.

"You dragged me in here and we just did each other silly and you didn't say a word."

Okay, that's something I hadn't noticed. We usually laugh and encourage and direct and giggle and sigh right up to where one or both of us is going over the precipice.

"I guess I needed to attach myself to my anchor," I said.

"You've had quite a day."

"Am I supposed to feel something? You keep asking if I'm okay. Dan, that guy was going to rape our Susan. Am I supposed to feel bad that he's dead and I killed 'im?"

"I don't know what you're supposed to feel."

"Love, you know I adore you, don't you?"

"Yes," he replied.

"And you're my everything, right?"

"Yes again."

"But Cindy's been through this. And her Dan. And Alan."

"And you should probably talk to them, right?"

"Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Have you ever had a bad idea?"

"I want you to understand..."

"Baby," he said, landing little kisses on my face, "I want you to do what you think is best for you."

I didn't let him get away with little kisses. I collected a big one. And several more. "I don't think Cindy will be surprised if I call her."

"Call her," Dan said.

I kissed him on the nose. "You know how much I love you, Daniel?"

"Almost as much as I love you?"

"Or maybe a bit more. We'll have such fun trying to settle that argument." I reached for my iPhone, pushed the button, and said "Cindy".

I listened for the ring, then the answer. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "But do you have time to talk?"

"Just me? Or the bunch?" she asked.

"Just you, for a little while. I need to understand some things."

"My place or yours?" Cindy questioned.

"You come over," I replied.

"I'll be over in a second."

It didn't take long for Cindy to show up. When she came in, she hugged me. She was not up to her full-blown smile.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm okay. This is new ground for me," I said. "This is new ground for me. I wanted to talk to somebody."

"And since I've been through it..."

I have very smart friends, some so smart they seem almost psychic at times. "Yeah, it's like that."

"You know there's a difference," Cindy said. "I was protecting ME."

"The first time," I retorted. I knew the story. Her Dan said she had a pistol out, ready to protect him, but that he was in the way.

"You were protecting Susan. Everybody thinks – knows – you did the right thing. Just like Alan and that guy in the restaurant. Just be thankful that you were able to do something before SHE got hurt."

"Guy's dead."

"Made his choice. What do you think is supposed to be the outcome of grabbing Susan and trying to rape 'er?"

I just stared into Cindy's green eyes.

"Okay, let me ask you this, then. Which of us wouldn't have rushed to help Susan?"

Cindy's phone rang. She looked at the display. "It's Susan. You want to bring her in on this?"

"In a minute," I replied. "But ... when I got home, I sort of attacked Dan."

She has this little smirk. "SO that's what this is about? You subjected your HUSBAND to undue torment? And you feel guilty?"

"Aren't I supposed to be remorseful? I mean, that dude is DEAD."

"And Susan, sweet, innocent, happy Susan, OUR sister, is alive. It was a binary situation. Either – or. No middle ground. He made his choice. Susan didn't have a choice. You did what you could. It was enough. Might not have been. Was, though." She heaved a deep breath. "And you celebrated life, victory, with your mate. Primal."

"Did you?"

"Yes I did. The next day. And I was not the least bit remorseful for that. And you need to ask Tina if she and Alan ... after the restaurant thing."

"There's another thing."

"What's that, my sister?" she asked.

"I never even saw the guy's face. I just swung my fist with that pen into the side of his head."

"Then you won't have to remember the look on his face. I do. It's a good time to hold onto Dan. But it doesn't happen as often as it used to happen. So it gets better. It does." Her red head bobbed. The grin started to reappear, and she hugged me. "We'll all get through this. Okay?"

"Okay, little sister," I said.

"Remember, it's between you and your husband. It might look like sex and feel like sex, but it really does exist on a spiritual level."

I knew about Cindy's experiences. She was as virginal as I was until we each met out own husbands. "Okay," I said. "I think I understand."

She giggled. "Sometimes it's just so darned good that I forget that whole spiritual dimension, though. But it's there. At the end of the day – end of the night, you feel good about yourself and you feel good about your mate, right?"

"Right."

"So thinking otherwise is just WRONG. No matter when or where. You. Your mate. Always right."

I smiled at my sister. Incongruous, I know, coming from somebody a year YOUNGER than me, but Cindy's a thinker, and we've all had discussions. "Got it, Sis."

She smiled. "Tell your husband he can come back in here now."

"Dan," I raised my voice. "Cindy says you can come in now."

He came up the hall. "O, thank you, gracious Queen Cynthia," he sniveled.

"Stoppit! You're being a butt, Dan Granger," I said.

Cindy giggled. "Your wife needs lots of – hugs."

"I will give those to her. As you order."

Cindy broke into full giggle. "Okay, then. Twice a day on odd numbered days, three times on even numbered, and on Saturday and Sunday until one of you loses consciousness."

"Cindy!!!" I squealed. "You're being rather forward!"

"Just seeing that my sister is taken care of." Smirk. "Right, Dan?"

Dan was several shades of red.

"So are we up for the full bunch now?" she asked.

"Yes. How's Susan."

Cindy giggled. "Probably conscious now. Jason might not be."

As she headed out the door I snagged Dan. "Another kiss would be nice." I still melt into his arms. It's been a year and a half since we first kissed and it's still electric.

"You're okay? Cindy helped?"

"Yes. Like you're surprised?"

"Not surprised. You're a survivor. You all are, you know." He put his hands on my shoulders, pulled me back from the door, and spun me around. "You're the most amazing creature imaginable."

"I'm yours. You're mine. Forever and ever, Dan. Let's go see our friends." Then we kissed. Almost forgot about our friends again.

It was as I imagined it would be. Susan wrapped me up, hugging, proclaiming me savior.

"I don't look at it like that," I said.

Jason was sitting beside her. "I do. We owe you."

"You don't. You'd've done it. Anybody would've. I was just there."

Susan said "How do we repay you?"

Cindy slid in beside us. "Name your first-born after her. That's a traditional payment." She giggled. "It works, too. Dominique, like Nikki, if it's a girl, Dominic if it's a boy." She did that little smirky thing she does.

"I would NEVER hold you to such a thing," I said. "My sister is deranged. Besides, you need to name a boy after Jason or one of y'all's dads."

And then I had a run at Terri and Rachel. "What do you know?" I asked them in response to probing questions.

"They said a guy attacked Aunt Susan and you saved her," Terri said. Rachel was standing behind her, nodding.

"That's true," I said. "Bad man. They're out there. That's why we tell you to be watchful."

Beck noted that her daughter was conversing with me and came over. I got a hug from Beck. "Brave girl. Susan said that guy was big."

"I had to try," I said. I watched Terri and Rachel skip off. Beck slid a little closer and said softly, "I don't know if they understand that you killed that guy."

"I don't know if Tina told Terri. I certainly won't. Parent's job, you know."

"Might be sensitive," Beck answered. "I guess it's best we tell her instead of letting her find out through the grapevine."

"Have you talked to Tina and Alan about this? I mean, Terri and Rachel are almost joined at the hip."

Beck laughed. "Who'd've known? You're right. My terribly bright daughter is partnered with an even brighter de facto sibling. I guess I oughtta slide over and talk with Alan and Tina. And you're still a hero. Heroine. All that."

"Yeah, that's me," I laughed. The thought crossed my mind. Need to bring the Houston branch of the family in on this when I get a chance.

Cindy's turn:

I'm proud of Nikki. Surprised, too, if you want to know. It takes a bit of daring to dash into a situation like that, but my sister Nikki's, well, DIFFERENT.

I have one of those pens. I showed Susan once. She thought it was a little too much. "What're you gonna do with something like that?"

Now she's looking at doing her own prototype. She can, you know. It's mostly lathe work, and she's pretty darned good in a machine shop. She's toured Harris Machine Works. They're a real machine shop, and she's taken Terri and Rachel there for a tour. ("I get to see a five-axis machine, Cindy! It's neat!" Terri told me.) And she got a lot of advice. Training.

I'm thinking that between us and Harris Machine Works and word of mouth around campus, those pens might sell real well.

"What're you giggling about?" Tina asked.

"Just fractalled off another idea," I said.

"Must be good."

"Titanium pens. We could make 'em. Get Harris to do 'em in dead time on their CNC machine."

"Oh, that's RICH. I can just see it on the 3Sigma website: Engineering and lethal ballpoints." She laughed. "That's terrible!"

"So we're gonna do it."

"Maybe without the 3Sigma logo."

"I can see where that might be a little bit of a conflict. I bet Susan's up for it."

My iPhone broke into a violin concerto. "That's Kara."

Tina smiled as I put the phone to my ear. "Hey, Kara!" I said.

"Hi! I was wondering if you're up for a Skype tonight," she said.

"Yeah, in a bit. We've had rough day today."