Hi! This is one of my "afternoon quickies". I hope it's enjoyable.
I don't know if it fits Susan G's challenge (Forever Not?). Anyway,
I wanted to post it before I changed my mind. :-)
 
Comments and questions welcome! Remember, send flames to my
editor, Jennise:        jennise@talarian.com
 
Margaret
margaret@cs.arizona.edu
 
********************************************************************************
 
Moments In A Long Life
A Forever Knight Story
by Margaret Newman
 
 
(approximately 60-some years in the future)
 
 
   "Grandma? Are you awake?" The young woman leaned against the
hospital bed, gently kissing the fragile, elderly patient. "It's
me, Nicky."
   "Nick?" The patient struggled to open her eyes, blinking
rapidly. Her voice was hoarse yet faint. "Nick?"
   "Just me, Grandma." The young woman smiled. "Everyone else
had engagements tonight."
   "S'fine." Her grandmother sighed, realizing that her visitor
wasn't the Nick she was hoping for. "Fine, fine." This Nick,
however, was much more enjoyable than any other family member.
"Sit, talk to me."
   "It was a lovely day out. Bright sun, blue sky. Just a soft,
gentle breeze. I ate lunch out in the park near St. James Cathedral."
Nicky dropped her satchel on the chair near the bed, sitting on
the edge of the bed herself. "Work is boring, but work is always
boring. I applied for further schooling. It's so hard, what with
the new Education Laws. Well, I'll keep trying."
   "It was different. When I was young." Her grandmother weakly
moved a hand to touch her arm. Nicky held her grandmother's hand
in her own, careful not to squeeze too tightly. "So much. Was
different."
   "I'll talk, you breathe. You know how the nurses get when
you talk too much." Nicky glanced at the monitors. "Mama got
into one of her cleaning moods. She was about to throw out a
box of old letters when I rescued it. She certainly isn't one
to mope about the past. Consequently, I found some interesting
photos tucked inside an otherwise empty foreign postal bag."
   "Photos?" Her grandmother gave up the fight, and shut her
eyes. "Of who?"
   "You, actually. I recognize one of the men in the photos as
Grandpa Don. There is one of him and Grandma Myra and another
gentleman. I don't recognize him, so I thought maybe you would."
Nicky carefully laid her grandmother's hand on her thigh before
reaching for her satchel. "He's very handsome. Obviously not
into tans."
   "Nick." Her grandmother whispered ever so softly.
   Nicky frowned, but pulled the photos out anyhow. She hadn't
been born soon enough to see her grandmother without gray hair.
The Natalie Hale in the photos was a lovely, vibrant young woman.
   "Is this your Nick?" Nicky held the photo of the unknown
gentleman standing with her grandmother, the then Dr. Natalie Lambert.
   It took her grandmother a long time to reply. When Nicky saw the
tears, she put the photos away, and grabbed the tissue box. Gently,
delicately, she wiped away the tears. She was sorry to have upset
her grandmother yet she had wanted to know. She knew it would have
been futile to ask her mother. Grandpa Don and Grandma Myra would
probably have known, but they lived in Florida now.
   "Yes." Her mother gasped, struggling to raise her hand to wipe
away her tears on her own. "That's Nick. That's who, that's who
you are named for."
   "He was very handsome." Nicky felt a strange lump form in her
throat. "I'm glad I saved the box. Please, don't cry, Grandma.
The nurses are going to make me leave."
   "Speak of the Devil." Nurse Shrively walked in then. "Her
monitors are lighting up all over. I'm sorry, Miss Schanke. You'll
have to leave."
   "So soon." Nicky's grandmother clutched hopelessly at her
granddaughter.
   "I'll be back tomorrow night, Grandma. You can count on me."
Nicky smiled despite the tears she felt like crying herself.
"I'll tell Daddy hello for you. He's been working nights at the
precinct lately. Oh, I know I had something funny to tell you.
You know what his partner calls him?"
   Her grandmother stared up at her, such a sad expression in her
eyes. Fear shivered up Nicky's back. Fear of the day, soon approaching,
when she wouldn't be coming here to visit her grandmother anymore.
Fear of not having someone like her grandmother to talk to. Fear of
being alone in an overpopulated world.
   "'Donut Don'." Nicky smiled, easing her satchel strap over her
shoulder. "Daddy growled when I repeated it. Aunt Jenny said, 'some
things never change'."
   "Be happy, Nicky." Her grandmother smiled faintly, her eyes
shutting.
   "Always, Grandma." Nicky kissed her grandmother's forehead, and
stepped away from the bed. She looked at the nurse. From the
expression on Nurse Shrively's face, her grandmother didn't have
much longer to struggle. Without another word, Nicky left.
   She didn't start crying until she got to the elevator. Silently,
she waited, tears running down her face, her vision blurred. The
elevator door opened, and she stepped forward. Bumping into a man
in a dark coat, Nicky ducked her head, moving around him to reach
the elevator.
   "Excuse me." She mumbled.
   "I'm sorry." He held her lightly so that she wouldn't fall. "Are
you alright?"
   "No." She wiped at her eyes with one hand, punching at the buttons
with the other. "But that's life, isn't it?"
   The doors shut, and she was gone. Nick turned, straightening his
coat. He glanced at the nearest room number to see how close he was
to Natalie's room. He started to walk away from the elevator, and
stopped. He turned back, glancing at the elevator thoughtfully.
That young woman had looked so much like Natalie... His Natalie,
of years ago.
   "Excuse me, sir. Mrs. Hale isn't having any more visitors tonight."
The nurse stopped him as he started to enter the correct room.
   "I am a close family friend." He smiled, letting a slight French
accent shade his words. "I came all the way from Lyons to see Mrs.
Hale."
   "Oh, I am sorry. It's just that she's quite agitated, and her
system really isn't up to another visitor." The nurse came to
stand near him, her hands deep into her sweater pockets.
   "That was her granddaughter, no?" He nodded down the hall. "I am
afraid that young Miss Hale is not familiar with me. But then, she
was crying."
   "Nicky is the best. She comes to see her grandmother every night,
and spends all day here on the weekends. The rest of the family is
usually too busy." Nurse Shrively, felt a slight lessoning of her
resolve to keep visitors out of Mrs. Hale's room. "Perhaps you could
visit for just a few minutes."
   "I appreciate it." Nick smiled, giving the nurse a half bow.
Gallantry, he often told LaCroix, got you more than rudeness.
   "Don't ask her to talk much, she upsets easily." Nurse Shrively
smiled, heading back for her desk.
   "Certainly." Nick waited until she was safely sitting down before
entering the room.
   The small, shriveled body laying in the hospital bed bore no
resemblance to his Natalie. The hair was thin, and gray. The skin
was pale, spotted, and wrinkled. Tubes and wires were attached
to the small body with machines on the other end blinking and beeping
away. He stood close to the bed, gazing down at elderly woman. How
could this be his Natalie? He wondered.
   Until the eyes opened. Natalie's eyes looked up at him, Natalie
looked up at him. The brilliance of her personality sparkled out
at him as they stared at each other. He lightly laid his hand over
hers. He leaned down, his lips brushing her forehead.
   "I came." He whispered, "Just as I promised."
   "Nick." She sighed, and so did her body. "Oh, Nick."
 
 
                *               *               *
 
   "Schanke's Donut House, may I take your order?" Nicky answered
the phone as she entered the kitchen.
   "Very funny, sport. Where's your mom?" Her father asked sounding
grumpy.
   "Don't know. She left before I got up. Anything I can do?" Nicky
opened the fridge, glancing over the contents. "Junk food. How does
this family survive on junk food?"
   "No, no. It's just- ." He sighed. Ah, this meant _serious topic_.
   "Really, dad. You can trust me." Nicky assured him, shutting the
fridge door.
   "Don't go to the hospital tonight, okay?" He said the words in
a rush.
   "Did Grandma die?" Nicky barely managed to make her voice audible.
She certainly had strange dreams last night after getting home.
   "I don't know, baby. She's missing." She could hear his effort of
taking several calming breaths. "She's been missing from the hospital
since around midnight."
   "Dad, she's in her 90's. When I left last night, she wasn't in
any condition to sit up much less escape." She grabbed her satchel
from the chair in the hallway. The photos were still there. She
stared down at the one of Grandma and the Other Nick. A funny chill
went up her spine. He looked familiar, didn't he? Vaguely, maybe
it was the dark coat...
   "Yeah, well, tell it to the night nurse. Mom's body is missing.
Your mom is going to have a fit. Sheesh. I'm supposed to call my
dad tonight. Man, oh, man."
   "Well, get to work, detective. Let me know if you find her. I'll
leave a message for Mom to call you." Nicky hung up the phone. For
a long time she stood, leaning against the wall, staring at the
photo in her hand.
 
 
                *               *               *
 
 
   "Now, let me get this straight." Nick said with a grin, coming
to lean against the balcony railing. "Your daughter Alysa married
Don Schanke's son, Don. Donny Junior? Oh, Nat, that's rich!"
   "Tell me about it!" She smiled, glancing up at the sky, at the
stars. "What a funny world. He and Alysa have three kids. Donny
the Third, MaryAnn, and Nicole."
   "Nicky?" He asked, his voice going soft. "I saw her last night."
   "She's the only one who visited me regularly. Such a sweet girl."
Natalie blinked to keep her eyes clear. "Thanks for keeping your
promise, Nick. I've missed you so much."
   "I've missed you, too, Nat." She leaned forward, and their lips
touched.
   "Oh, please." LaCroix commented from the french doors. "Such
tenderness is sickening."
   "Get used to it, old man." Natalie turned around to face him.
"No one is coming between us again." She wasn't going to be
intimidated by him. They were going to be spending eternity together,
and he'd better see right away that things were going to be different.
   "Amazing." LaCroix smiled, toasting Nicholas with his glass of
dark red fluid. "I think you have found someone worth while."

END