Per Verse Vengeance Read online

  Ava pretends not to hear her mother. “Because if you want to marry him, it’s very important that you love Chuck, Snoopy, Linus, Schroeder, Lucy and the New York Yankees too.”

  Ava crawls into Nicole’s lap and looks intently at the new computer.

  “Please forgive my daughter,” Gina says. “I think the long plane ride has been a little too much for her. She seems to have left all her manners back in New York.”

  “It’s okay. She’s lovely,” Nicole says. She touches Ava’s hair, twirling it gently around her fingers.

  “You see, mommy. It’s okay.” Ava looks up at Nicole with her big brown eyes. “My beautiful mommy worries about me all the time but I tell her that I would never leave her.”

  Gina gasps then turns away from them and wipes her eyes on her sleeve. Then she stands up, excuses herself and walks into the kitchen.

  “I tell her not to worry,” Ava repeats as she starts to press buttons on the computer.

  “It’s because she loves you so much,” Nicole says. She lifts Ava off her lap, stands up and places her in the chair. “Why don’t you play with the computer?”

  Nicole walks into the kitchen to where Gina is crying in front of the kitchen sink. She puts her hand on Gina’s back.

  “I’m sorry. My child is a million times more courageous than her stupid mother. I just can’t tolerate the thought that…” She stops, pulls her hand away, leans over the sink and vomits.

  Nicole grabs the counter next to her. The sudden, unexpected turn of events has left her speechless and images of Elizabeth bombard her.

  “I’m going to have to sanitize the sink,” Gina remarks, turning on the water. She leans down again, takes a drink and spits it into the sink. Then she splashes some water around the drain until all the vomit goes down. She takes cleaner and paper towels from beneath the sink, but Nicole touches her shoulder and gently moves her away.

  “I can do that,” she says, and an immediate bond is formed between the grief-stricken women.

  Gina watches Nicole clean the sink. “For the last month, I’ve been praying every day, saying novenas, and all the time trying to put on a happy face…”

  “You love her. Every mother should have so much love for their daughter.”

  “Do you have children?” Gina asks.

  Nicole shakes her head. She washes her hands and wipes them dry with a dishtowel. “Do you want some orange juice?”

  Gina smiles. “I need something a lot stronger than juice … but that’s going to have to wait. Thank you.”

  Nicole fiddles with the dishtowel in her hands and finally sets it down on the counter. “Could I … would it be okay if I went with you and Ava to the doctor?”

  “Yes, of course. It would be so much better than going with my husband, actually. He tries to calm me down and only makes things worse.”

  They walk back into the dining area where Ava is still playing with the computer. She motions for Nicole to come and look at the screen and Nicole walks over and looks down at Charlie Brown and the gang visiting Snoopy’s art museum.

  “If you make this your screen saver, Nick will definitely want to marry you,” Ava remarks proudly.

  “My God, you are not only beautiful but brilliant.”

  “Yes, a little too brilliant for her own good,” Gina remarks as Ava jokingly sticks out her tongue. “If you don’t watch out, I’m going to cut that thing off one of these days.” She puts her tongue back in and as Gina turns away she puts it back out. “I saw that.” Ava laughs.

  “How old are you, Ava?” Nicole asks as she gently caresses the child’s hair.

  “Nine.”

  “A whole nine. Wow! I’ll tell you what; I will definitely make it my screen saver, even if Nick doesn’t want to marry me. I can’t think of a better picture. Thank you.”

  “But he will want to marry you,” Ava replies with childish certainty.

  Twelve

  Gina buckles Ava into the backseat of a Chevy Tahoe Truck that’s parked beside the Ferrari in the garage. Then she and Nicole sit up front. Gina looks out the driver’s side window at the Ferrari. “Wow! That wasn’t here the last time we were.”

  “I would love to drive that, Mommy.”

  “Maybe in another fifteen years.”

  Nicole turns to Ava. “I’ve driven it. It’s so much fun.”

  Ava’s big brown eyes grow even bigger. “Can we go for a ride when we get back?”

  “You’re going to have to ask Nick. He doesn’t trust me to go the speed limit when I’m behind the wheel of that car.”

  “But you’re suppose to go really fast. That’s why they build them like that.”

  “Exactly! Don’t forget to tell Nick that when we get back.”

  Gina turns onto Sunset Boulevard and drives west toward UCLA Medical Center. Nicole was taken aback by Nick’s less than enthusiastic response when he found out that she would be joining Gina and Ava on their trip to the doctor. He didn’t object, but his expression left no doubt that if anything should go wrong, he would hold her personally responsible and the consequences would not be pretty. It was still fresh in Nicole’s mind that when she asked Nick, And if your mother and sister don’t think I am so wonderful, he did not answer. She felt hurt but she understood. It was one thing for Nick to intrude into her life and try to save her, but that didn’t mean he trusted her with the people and family he cherished. That trust could only come if she joined a sisterhood of nuns and dressed in an old-fashioned habit like the Ingrid Bergman character in the movie The Bells of Saint Mary’s.

  They enter the radiology department at the Medical Center. Gina signs Ava in and after a few moments they are escorted to a room with a large MRI machine shaped like a tube. Ava remembers the technicians from the last time they were here three months ago and she hugs both of them. They remember her too and have already downloaded the soundtrack to all the Peanuts movies and TV shows. Ava is very excited and can’t wait to get rolled into the tube and listen to the music. The technicians fasten the straps around her, remind her to be very still, and in she goes, as her mother and Nicole wave.

  Nicole and Gina walk into the waiting room and sit. Tension and anxiety are written all over Gina’s face. She drops her head, makes the sign of the cross and softly recites a prayer. She finishes with another sign of the cross and looks back up. Nicole reaches over and caresses Gina’s hair like she often did with Elizabeth after a rough night. “Everything is going to turn out great. Snoopy would never let anything happen to her.”

  Gina laughs.

  “Gina, how long have you known Nick and his family?”

  “Forever! We all lived on the same block … just a few houses apart. My husband’s family, my family and Nick’s. Natalie and I were classmates from kindergarten all the way through high school.”

  “What was it like? I mean the neighborhood you all grew up in.”

  “It was really nice. Simple. Working-class. Yet everyone took pride in their homes. Nothing like you see on TV. The part of the Bronx we grew up in was different. There was very little crime … it was mostly Italian and Irish families. Very Catholic. I wouldn’t change it for all the money in the world.”

  “And where do you live now?”

  “You mean when we are not living at Angie’s house out here? Westchester, New York … Angie’s family bought us a place. If they weren’t so nice and humble I would be suspicious.”

  “They must really love you.”

  “Yeah, and my husband is the family lawyer. They’re his only clients. It’s a dream job. Ava’s medical bills have run into the millions and they pay for all of it. Nick and Natalie are Ava’s godparents. They could just as well be her parents. There’s nothing they won’t do for her. Throughout this whole ordeal, it’s been Angie and Natalie who have kept me from going insane. While my daughter was having her brain cells destroyed by radiation and chemotherapy, Angie taught her how to read, write and use a computer. And Natalie helped her with her exercises every night.
Ava suffered partial paralysis in her left leg because of the treatments, and her speech was very slurred. Occasionally, she still slurs some words. Nick insisted that we relocate out here … live in the mansion like we owned it … and made sure she was treated by the best oncologists in the country.”

  “Does anybody but your family ever live in that palace?”

  “Not that I know of, but now that Nick is back he might stay for a while.”

  “I don’t get the feeling that Nick likes that place very much.”

  Gina smiles. “The house is nothing like the family. It was built for people who don’t want to see each other. Their house in Malibu is much cozier, like the houses we grew up in … except with a wonderful view of the ocean.”

  “Did much change while Nick was off getting blown up?” Nicole asks.

  Gina shakes her head. “It’s better not to go there.” Then she looks up at a nurse who is walking their way.

  “Doctor Grossman is ready to see you,” the nurse says.

  “Where’s Ava?” Gina asks as they follow the nurse down the hall.

  “With the doctor. He’s a big Snoopy and Charlie Brown fan, remember?”

  They enter the doctor’s office and take a seat across from a large computer screen. Doctor Grossman enters from an adjacent room and gives Gina a big thumbs up. He turns on the computer and the screen lights up.

  “Today, my lovely assistant is going to explain the results. Oh, come on out, lovely assistant.” Ava walks into the room dressed in an oversized doctor’s coat and picks up a pointer as the doctor clicks the first of three images. She points to three different dark areas around her brain and grins at them. “As you can see, ladies, no cancer.”

  Gina jumps up and hugs her beautiful daughter as Nicole smiles.

  Ava pulls back and looks at her mom seriously. “The doctor recommends two scoops of chocolate chocolate-chip ice-cream for the patient.”

  “I don’t remember recommending that.”

  “That’s because you were too busy talking about Snoopy and Chuck. You wrote it in your notes.”

  “Okay, as long as you say so. Two very large scoops of chocolate chocolate-chip ice cream for the cancer-free patient.”

  “Thank you! No more crying, mommy. Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Thirteen

  Gina happily talks on her cell phone as she paces back and forth outside the ice cream parlor. Nicole and Ava, meanwhile, bury their faces in a scoop of vanilla and a double scoop of chocolate chocolate-chip topped with chocolate sprinkles.

  “You might want to slow down. It’ll last longer,” Nicole says.

  “I can’t help it. I love chocolate so much. Can I have another scoop before mommy comes?”

  Nicole can’t resist. A few moments later, Gina walks up to them and looks down at Ava’s bowl of ice cream.

  “Strange, I thought you would be all finished by now. Unless of course, you bribed Nicole into buying you another scoop.”

  Ava grins up at her with a face smudged with ice cream and sprinkles.

  Gina picks up a spare spoon and sits down. “Can I at least have a little bite?”

  “Of course,” Ava replies as Gina dips her spoon into the ice cream and takes a bite.

  When they get back to the house, Nick and Frank are waiting at the front door. Gina wraps her arms around her husband. “Our little girl is doing great.” She starts to cry as Frank ushers her into a side room.

  Ava looks up at Nicole. “She’s never going to stop crying … because of me.”

  Nicole bends down and gently holds Ava’s hands. “You know, people cry for different reasons. Sometimes because they’re scared and worried and other times because they’re so happy and relieved. Your beautiful mommy is crying now because she is so happy that her precious little girl is okay. I only wish I had a mommy like yours.”

  Ava hugs her and Nicole holds onto the child as though she’s a lifeline until Ava wiggles out of the hug.

  “I’ll be right back,” she says as she runs off. Nicole stands up and sees Nick looking at her.

  “What are you looking at? Surely you’ve seen everything I have to offer.”

  She walks past him and into the dining area and starts to pack the computer she left on the table. “Is it okay if we use the study?”

  Nick follows her to the table. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s okay if it’s just you and me. After all, we know how well you can defend yourself. I still have the bruises to prove that. But when it comes to the people you really love, you have your doubts about me … not that I blame you. Because when you get right down to it … all I am is a psychotic little whore who you’ve taken pity on in order to appease your own sense of guilt.”

  “And how long have you been rehearsing that little speech?”

  She steps back and shakes her head. “It must have been nice to have the world by the balls … but not even I can imagine how terrible the fall from grace must have felt for someone like you.”

  “I can assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “And I can assure you, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

  “Whatever. And by the way, you should take advantage of the time you spend with Ava. You could learn a thing or two from her.”

  Nick starts to walk away, then stops and turns back and looks down at her sexy dress. “I thought you were going to dress down when you went out?”

  “Is that what you really want, Nicky?” she asks.

  “I thought that’s what we agreed on.”

  She reaches down and takes off her high heels and hands them to him. “Is that dressed down enough for you?”

  Nick places the shoes on the table and Nicole laughs. “I don’t think your mother would approve.”

  “We don’t have to tell her.”

  “Wow! You just gave me something I can hold over you.”

  “That would only make my mother suspicious of you and your motives. It’s like I told you, she is so much more than a pretty face. She’s a girl from the Bronx, and girls from the Bronx are quite adept at reading other people.”

  “Well then, I have no chance at all with her.”

  Nick steps toward her again and lifts his hand as though he’s going to touch her face, then lets it drop. “Just be yourself, beautiful Nicole, and she’ll love you. Be the compassionate girl who reached out to a mother in distress and explained to a child the difference between happy tears and sad tears. Be the girl who gave everything to save her soul mate, the girl who came to check on me after drugging me.”

  Nicole looks up at Nick with trembling lips and aching eyes. He reaches down and kisses her as the shackles of mistrust are unlocked and the bonds of an uncertain intimacy are formed. Ava walks back into the room and watches as they kiss. She starts to clap as they stop and look at her. “I told you he wants to marry you.”

  “It’s not nice to spy on people,” Nicole replies. She untangles herself from Nick and takes Ava’s hand. On the way out of the room, she picks up the laptop. “Will you let Gina know we’re in the study?”

  Nick is standing there, dangling her shoes. She smiles as her face radiates with an unfettered happiness.

  Fourteen

  Ava’s laughter carries across the entire length of the pool and is easily heard by Nick, Frank and Gina who sit under a canopy grilling steaks and burgers and enjoying a few cocktails. A child’s laughter can cure many diseases … mental or physical. Like a wonderful jazz musician, the giggles reawaken a dormant, untarnished heart and soul that once existed in all of us.

  Nick occasionally glances across at Nicole teaching Ava the backstroke. She holds onto the child and each time she lets go, Ava sinks and re-emerges, laughing uncontrollably. Nick smiles as he sips his beer. He turns and sees his mother and sister walking out of the house and toward them.

  Ava spots them too. She kisses Nicole, swims to the edge and climbs out, then runs dripping wet into the arms of Angie and N
atalie. The two women embrace the joyous child. Gina, Frank and Nick stand up and greet them. Gina reprimands Ava for getting the two ladies all wet and Angie laughs as she picks the child up and holds her tightly; Nick’s mother is so beautiful and classy that not even a wet outfit can distract from her magnificent aura.

  Nicole promises not to hug anyone with her wet bathing suit on and she shakes their hands, then puts on a robe and sits with the rest of the group under the canopy. Natalie rests her head on Nick’s shoulder as he plays with her hair … twirling and twisting it around his fingers.

  He leans closer to her and whispers, “I am so proud of you.”

  “Thank you, Nicky. I can’t go on by myself much longer, so once you’re up to it, I expect you back.”

  “This is no time to be talking about work,” Angie says to her daughter.

  “Just making sure he doesn’t disappear on us again. Personally, I don’t think I can the handle the stress and neither can our mother. You understand, don’t you Nick?”

  “Perfectly,” Nick replies as he continues to play with his sister’s hair.

  Gina helps her daughter into her robe and Ava climbs into Angie’s lap. “Nicole is teaching me the backstroke.”

  “And how is that going?”

  “Wonderfully. She’s the perfect student,” Nicole replies as she touches Ava’s cute little nose. Nicole throughout glances across at Nick but he doesn’t seem to acknowledge her attention.

  “I have no doubt,” Angie remarks. She turns to Nicole. “Do I detect a bit of a Kentucky accent?”

  Nicole hesitates for a long, uncomfortable moment. “Most people don’t catch that, but yes, I grew up there before moving to Vegas.”

  “Lovely country and wonderful people,” Angie remarks.

  “I guess that depends on the part of the state you visit. Where I’m from … well, it wasn’t very pretty and the people weren’t very wonderful.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Angie replies. “And were the people in Vegas any better?”

  “No.”

  Angie reaches over and takes her hand. “Well, I can vouch for all the people present.”