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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Post by Nu on Nov 5, 2017 16:43:59 GMT
Those feelings were not helped by seeing Nick around his baby brother Jamie who came around a lot, with Leah sometimes in tow. And his hilarious relationship with Emma only strengthened Halley's feelings, romantic and otherwise.
Meeting Jamie's parents when Emma had recommended Halley for an occasional babysitting gig pretty much sealed the deal for Halley's wanting to be part of the family. She figured, even if she couldn't be with Nick, being around his family, with hers so far away, was good enough. They were an eclectic bunch, much like her own quirky family, and she was always so happy around them.
She was also quite aware of Emma's designs on her for Nick, something which both amused and discomforted her. She didn't want Nick to look at her as a rebound and after Liz, she wasn't even sure whether Nick would ever dive into a relationship. Sure, she knew she had a lot more to offer but she was not going to force herself on him. Which was basically what Emma had been doing.
Nonetheless, Halley persevered. She wanted to at least be Nick's friend and thankfully, Nick was more than willing to let her in in that capacity. Just like she had promised, she left cookies out for him on the days he had night shifts. Sure, she felt a little stalkerish, but having him come over with the plate empty made her smile.
She had just placed a fresh warm batch on his banister when the call came in. Emma's hurried speech came through the speaker loud and clear and Halley almost dropped her phone. Nick was shot, struggle with a perp, don't tell Layla yet, don't know his condition, I can't be with him, please go in my stead.
Halley didn't waste any time rushing to her car and driving over to the hospital after getting the information out of Emma. It was the hospital Emma worked in and she didn't have to go through any red tape, thankfully, to go straight to Nick's room. He hadn't been placed in ICU so Halley breathed easy as she walked in.
Although her breath did get stuck when she realised he was shirtless, lying with his eyes closed on his bed, looking a little pale but so damn...muscley. Lord have mercy on her.
She bit her lower lip and occupied the chair beside his bed quietly. She tried not to stare at his chest as she texted Emma that Nick was okay and gave her the information for his room and bed. She pocketed her phone and pulled her legs up and tucked them under her chin as she looked at him.
Resisting the urge to reach out to run her fingers through his unruly hair, Halley sighed slowly.
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Nov 6, 2017 4:32:18 GMT
This Halloween, he hadn't quite had the quiet night he anticipated. A convenience store got robbed, he responded and while he was responding to the call, there was a struggle. The man had a gun, Nick underestimated him and it landed him a shot to the chest. After that, well, he couldn't quite remember the full picture. In and out of consciousness, he caught bits and pieces of what was going on. He felt the bumpiness of the ride, a lot of pain in his shoulder, but could hear words that led him to be optimistic through the haze. No arteries. Not fatal. Clean shot. Even so, he felt panicked while he was conscious. His emergency contact was Emma, but if they couldn't get ahold of her, he couldn't let them call his mother.
His panic attack must have led him to black out because he couldn't find a glimpse of light after he made it to the hospital.
Nick had no idea how long he'd been unconscious, how many drugs had been pumped through his system, but when he came to, things felt very strange. He sat up in the hospital bed rather abruptly and he felt an incredible amount of pain shoot through his arm and to his chest. He almost wondered if he was having a heart attack. Nick leaned back and his breathing hitched, "Son of a! Mother puss bucket! Ow!" It wasn't until he had finished his little painfest that he really noted that anyone else was in the room. When he saw who it was he got a very goofy grin on his face.
"Hal! What're you doin'ere? Where'smma?" He couldn't focus on what he was trying to say, his words sounded funny in his mind, but he thought he'd gotten it right.
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Post by Nu on Nov 6, 2017 21:20:14 GMT
To say she was surprised at what came out of Nick's mouth when he woke up would be an understatement, but Halley supposed she shouldn't have been. Nick was a cop after all. She'd been to plenty of policemen and firemen barbecues to know just how extensive their vocabulary was.
Somehow, coming out of Nick made it a bit scandalous and she couldn't help but laugh, a little wince thrown in there knowing that he was in pain. It warmed her up considerably when he gave her a goofy grin. He was probably jacked up on painkillers. The man was loopy.
"Emma's busy...uh at court I think? She told me to tell you that she'll be here as soon as that's settled and not to worry, Layla hasn't been contacted. I was instructed to call once you're okay." She explained as she scooted closer to the bed, tentatively sliding a hand through the bars of the bed to place it over his hand.
"What happened?" She asked, her eyes sliding over his bandaged wound and up to his eyes, concern clearly lighting hers.
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Nov 7, 2017 1:41:51 GMT
And Halley.
She placed her hand over his and his eyes glanced down. When he looked back up, she had a serious look on her face. A look that made his chest hurt, but not where the bullet wound was. Nick didn't like seeing her sad. He didn't want her to feel bad for him, he was a cop, this thing happened frequently. Although he could say this was the closest he'd come to a much more serious injury than all of the others. Just an inch or two difference between fatal and not. He never focused on that kind of thing though, he couldn't afford to in his profession.
Nick turned his hand and grasped hers, "Typical Halloween stuff. Guy thought he could do the robby thing and well, I was gonna get him, but he had a gun. And then boom pow, shot me, like a cowboy in an old western. Yeehaw." He laughed a little harder than he meant to and winced at the pain that shot through him again.
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Post by Nu on Nov 17, 2017 3:01:42 GMT
The small movement that captured her hand in his made her cheeks warm and she had to look away from him because of the smile that grew wide on her face. Halley bit her lower lip and turned back to him as he described what happened. His words made her laugh and her free hand flew to her mouth. He'd been in a serious accident and there she was laughing.
How could she not? He was super high on his painkillers and was using words she had never heard from a grown man. Especially Nick.
Once she was calm enough to speak, she dropped her other hand over his and squeezed. "You really got me worried there, Nick." She said softly, looking at him before moving her hand up to push his hair back from his forehead. His hair was as soft as she had imagined. She smiled.
"Should I call Layla?" She asked.
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Nov 20, 2017 15:13:52 GMT
313 Words
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The Words
An Open Heart is an open wound to you
Nick didn't notice her sudden flush or the smile that graced her face after he took her hand. He was looking at the ceiling, and the walls and anything else that caught his eyes which happened to be everything at that very moment. When he started speaking though, he did look at her occasionally when he wasn't in full character of his Western-self. When she laughed, he found himself smiling and laughing with her because in all fairness it had been kind of funny. Maybe not getting shot, but the way it happened was just so funny in his mind.
The pain in his chest made him cut off short and he winced, "Ow. Jeez, Halley, stop making me laugh." He smirked up at her lazily when her hand brushed back his hair. If he had been fully in tune with his mind, he might have noticed his dopey grin and would have registered why exactly he was looking at her the way that he was. However, his brain was numbed more or less and he was going all based on feeling.
It wasn't until she mentioned Layla's name that the smile dropped and he felt sick to his stomach. If he kept her in the dark any longer, she wasn't going to ever leave his side or 'let' him back out in the field. She'd settle for him in some boring desk job. Still, he wondered if she wouldn't be like that anyway. He closed his eyes and let out a quiet groan, "She's gonna kill me." His eyes slid open and he nodded, "But it's probably for the best if you do. I'd like for her to continue liking you." And the dopey grin returned.
The scariest part is letting go..
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Post by Nu on Nov 21, 2017 6:57:03 GMT
243 Words
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And though it's just a line to you
For me it's true
Halley winced when Nick did and she couldn't help her bottom lip from jutting out a little in a pout. "Sorry. Are you okay?" She asked with a sheepish grin. The way he was looking at her gave her pause and she almost faltered in her gesture but she continued to push his hair back. He wasn't going to remember this anyway, the way he was doped up.
She was impressed, however, that he still had enough wits about him to be scared of Layla. Halley hadn't known the woman long enough but what she did know, from Emma and Nick and her own dealings with the woman, she knew Layla was not a woman to mess with. She was the human definition of a mama bear despite her wispy stature.
"I also would like her to continue to like me so...yeah." She pulled her hand back from his hair and took her phone out. "I'll make it quick." She smiled at Nick before ducking out of the room to make the call.
Luckily, Patch answered. Using her nurse voice, Halley explained the situation and Patch listened without interruption. Once she was done, he calmly told her not to worry about Layla, to which she laughed and she was informed they would be there in half an hour.
She pocketed her phone back and went back inside to sit beside Nick once more. "Do you need anything? An extra pillow? A fruit cup?"
And never seemed so right before
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Post by Trix on Nov 21, 2017 20:40:12 GMT
284 Words
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The Words
An Open Heart is an open wound to you
She apologized and he felt bad, so he waved dismissively, "Oh, no, no I'm good. I'm fine. No pain here." Except when he waved with the arm that was closest to the bullet hole. He tried to ignore the pain, but he still managed another wince.
After she ducked out to call his mom, he could feel the panic rising in his chest. It hurt, although he wasn't sure if it was from his minor panic attack or if it was because he felt bad for putting his mother through this kind of thing regularly. Of course he was careful, he couldn't afford not to be because if it wasn't him, someone else could get hurt. His anxiety was making his monitors go nuts, and he knew that if he kept it up, he was going to make the doctors come in. It wasn't long before she came back in and his tension eased slightly because, well, she didn't look panicked or scared.
"No, no. I'm fine. What'd she say? Is she coming here?" His eyes must have been nearly popping out of his head. Nick reached up to run his hand through his hair, but stopped when he felt the IV pulling. He groaned, "She's gonna lose it. She's gonna lose her damn mind." He could just remember breaking his arm when he was twelve and the moment he mentioned wanting to enlist when he was barely seventeen. Layla had gone crazy each and every time. She would continue being crazy until she gave herself an aneurism.
The scariest part is letting go..
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Post by Nu on Nov 24, 2017 4:26:57 GMT
125 Words
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And though it's just a line to you
For me it's true
She looked at Nick with a raised eyebrow when he winced before shaking her head with a small grin. When she returned from the phone call, she took his hand and squeezed it, hoping it would calm him down before she chuckled to herself. Who did she think she was to claim she had a calming effect on Nick? Silly Hal.
"Your dad answered." Halley responded, replaying the phone call to him. "I'm sure he'll stop her from freaking out. Right?" Halley chuckled lightly.
She looked down at their joined hand and pulled away, leaning back into the chair she was sitting on. "Okay, so...what's the deal with your family again? I know we kinda skimmed over it that one time but like...how'd that happen?"
And never seemed so right before
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Post by Trix on Nov 24, 2017 17:16:51 GMT
327 Words
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The Words
An Open Heart is an open wound to you
Hearing that Patch had answered definitely eased a bit of the panic inside him. His dad was one of the only people that could ever get through to Layla no matter where she was at. If she was angry, scared, upset, it was always Patch that cooled her off. He'd idolized their relationship for as long as he could remember and in turn he'd idolized Patch. "I can only hope. He's always been pretty good at it." And for a moment when he looked at Halley he could kind of see the same kind of effect Patch had on his mom from her. He definitely didn't mind her hand in his, even if he probably should have.
Just as he thought it, she pulled away and he cleared his throat, his hand moving closer to his leg. Her question made him laugh and he pushed away his rejected feeling for later. "The deal with my family, man, I think that's how everyone describes it." There was no bitterness in his words, he'd come to accept that they were not a normal family. They were unorthodox in the best kind of way. His parents loved each other, and him and his little brother. He had Emma and Leah. It was probably the most fully functioning dysfunctional family in the history of forever.
"How did it happen...uh, well. I mean my mom and Patch have been friends forever. I think it was shortly after I was born that they met because I can't remember a time when he wasn't around," Nick shrugged and sort of smiled. "Him and my mom have been in love with each other for my whole life, they just never wanted to focus on that. So they always focused on us, Emma and I, when we were little."
The scariest part is letting go..
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Post by Nu on Nov 25, 2017 4:25:31 GMT
277 Words
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And though it's just a line to you
For me it's true
Had Halley known what Nick was thinking, she would have grabbed his hand and never let go. It was by no measure a rejection on her part. She didn't want to assume her role in his life any more than she already had. She already felt she was pushing it with him, even being here at the hospital, waiting for his parents to arrive. She still thought Nick was still hung up on his ex.
As Nick spoke about his family, Halley propped an elbow on the arm of her chair before leaning her chin on her propped up hand. An affectionate smile adorned her face as she stared at Nick, feeling the love he had for his family. Halley was an only child of a divorced father. She hadn't seen her mother since she was twelve and although she was fine with her father being her only family, she always felt like she wanted and needed more.
Being a part of Nick's eclectic mix of family made her feel warm and she honestly didn't want to jeopardise it. Even if that meant not being more for Nick than a friend.
"So Patch isn't your biological dad then?" She asked, laughing a little. "I swear I see so many similarities between you two. I wouldn't have thought you weren't related." She grinned. "But I guess I should have figured that out with Emma being your aunt." She pointed out. She was just now realising Emma and Patch didn't look a lot alike and wondered whether that was by design as well.
Halley sucked in her lower lip and smiled at Nick. "Must have been an interesting childhood."
And never seemed so right before
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Post by Trix on Nov 25, 2017 6:14:54 GMT
235 Words
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The Words
An Open Heart is an open wound to you
Nick shrugged as much as he could, "I mean no, but he's the only dad I know. I never met the other guy, even though I know he sometimes tried because I'd hear my mom lose it about him. He's a tool, pretty much glad that I never met him." He sort of laughed and shook his head, "I idolized Patch my whole life. Everything he did, I wanted to do." It was kind of silly the way he got so wrapped up in the idea that Patch was his dad. Layla never made him stop, nor had Patch, but he wondered if it had ever been a conversation between the two of them.
"Yeah, Emma is, uh, well she's something of an aunt. More like the freak of the family that everyone loves," He couldn't help but laugh. They'd grown up as siblings more or less, but the older they got, the more she liked to tease him about being the authority figure. Especially after he became a cop. "I feel sorry for Leah and Jamie if they ever have to do a family tree. It's one hell of a mess." But he'd never thought that it was a bad thing, "I loved my childhood. More than anything."
The scariest part is letting go..
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Post by Nu on Nov 25, 2017 6:50:25 GMT
150 Words
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And though it's just a line to you
For me it's true
Halley couldn't help the smile that lingered on her face as Nick spoke about his family. It sounded so wacky but so warm and loving. Her dad would fit in so well in that family.
She laughed when he mentioned Emma. "I can absolutely see that." She responded. Emma was a bit of a character and even though Halley had grown to love her immensely, she really could be a handful sometimes. God speed to whoever manages to be her Patch.
Her smile softened as Nick professed his affection. "I bet. It sounds perfect." She sighed inaudibly before straightening up when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She took it out and saw that it was a message from Patch. "Uh...your parents are like...five minutes away. How is that even..." she trailed off before laughing at Patch's next message. "Your mom's driving." She looked at Nick and grimaced a little.
And never seemed so right before
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Post by Trix on Nov 25, 2017 18:11:05 GMT
376 Words
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The Words
An Open Heart is an open wound to you
When Halley informed him that his parents were five minutes away, he could feel his stomach drop. Of course Layla was driving, there was only so much reining in Patch could do. At least he felt less drugged, more on top of his own thoughts so that his mother wouldn't get anything from him that would make her go to his higher-ups or something. Nick never put that kind of thing past her, she was vicious when she wanted to be. And he was certain he was about to be berated with questions about why it had happened and why he hadn't called her first.
Yet, as he thought of all the wonderful ways his mother was sure to freak out, he couldn't help smiling. "Well, you'll get to see my mom in full Layla-fashion. Hope you're prepared for that," He laughed and took a deep breath. All he could hope for was that Patch had managed to calm her a little. And he also sort of hoped they brought his little brother because he could only imagine what Jamie thought happened to him if Layla was freaking out.
He could practically hear them when they arrived, more specifically, Layla. She was as frantic as he'd imagined and when she walked into the room, he immediately felt like he was five years old again. Nick went to open his mouth, but was cut off by her hand, "Don't you even! Nicholas you had me worried sick, why do you insist on volunteering for Halloween when you know full well what can happen?" Even as she momentarily freaked out, she went to the other side of his bed and brushed his hair back, "You look terrible. And you're gonna scar again." Once she finished her ranting, she glanced at Halley and straightened herself up, "Thank you for staying with him. I'm sorry you got roped into this."
Nick rolled his eyes while she looked away and nodded at his dad when he walked in, "Am I allowed to say hi to you or are you gonna rip my face off too?"
The scariest part is letting go..
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Post by Nu on Nov 26, 2017 4:17:12 GMT
267 Words
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And though it's just a line to you
For me it's true
"You mean last weekend when you sprained your wrist wasn't bad enough?" Halley asked jokingly, though she actually was trying to mentally prepare herself. There was no way Layla was going to get mad at her, sure, but still, seeing a parent lose it on a friend was scary enough.
Halley gripped the arms of the chair when she heard Layla's frantic voice. She didn't actually know why because she had been on the receiving of many a screaming mother throughout her career. She supposed having it be the mother of the man she was possibly in love with had something to do with it.
She had seen fuming Layla but this one was different. She winced when Layla started to rail into Nick while Patch had a protective arm around Jamie who looked terrified. Halley stared at Nick in disbelief when he sassed Patch, who raised an eyebrow as he moved to stand beside his life partner. Halley didn't quite see his hand moving towards Layla's as his thumb stroked the inside of her wrist.
"It's absolutely fine, Layla. I'm just glad he's alright." She gave a quick glance to Nick with a smile before standing up and moving towards Jamie who immediately gravitated towards her. "Hey buddy. You want something from the vending machines?" She asked.
Patch looked down at his son and shook his head. "I quite like seeing your face, so...hi." He gave Nick a knowing smile before turning to Layla. "Hey Lay...give him time to breathe hm? Look at him, he's fine." He said softly, his thumb still rubbing her inner wrist.
And never seemed so right before
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