culpables years later

Nick

Time seemed to stand still. I hated hospitals. Maybe because of the last few times I was here. Noah was still being examined and I wasn't told how she was doing. My fear for her was growing by every  minute and that asshole Michael was still out there.

My place in front of Noah's room became more and more uncomfortable. When I heard noises and the doctor came out, I almost jumped out of the chair. "Are you Mr. Leister?" "Yes, how is my wife?" He flipped through the file he was holding and looked thoughtful. "My name is Doctor Köhne, and first of all, the baby is fine. Your wife is physically too, no injuries or bruises. Only what worries me is her mental health. She seems mentally exhausted to me." 

The last few months have been too much for Noah. I knew it. It's my fault, I should have been there for her more. At least the baby was fine. "What do you mean by that? Is she going to be okay or...?" He tried to give me a smile. "Yeah. Only she should be very restful and maybe have time for herself and to be surrounded by people who love her. If you want, you can go in with her, she's on a drip to get her hydrated again. Then, as soon as she wakes up, she can leave." Somewhere inside me, there was a sense of relief knowing that she's going to be better. I'm going to bring her to our new house and shower her with love and protect her. "Thank you, Mr. Köhne." He nodded and left. Immediately, I walked into the room and saw Noah lying pale in the bed. The monitors were beeping, and Noah's ribcage was rising and falling. She was asleep. Carefully, I went to her bedside and gave her a kiss on the forehead. My hand found hers, and I looked at her sadly. "Please, Noah, wake up. For me. It's killing me to see you like this."

No response. My phone took me out of my mind, because it was ringing. I took it out of my pocket, and it was my dad. I was wondering whether I should pick up or not. I wanted to be there for Noah.There might be something going on with Maggie, though, so I answered. He told me that Maggie and Andy were fine, but they were both in shock. Andy couldn't stop crying and asking about his mom. The police would have been there by now, but they said they only cared and there was no trace of him. I told him that Noah was unconscious and emotionally broken. She needed rest and time. I was supposed to keep them informed, and then I hung up. Watching Noah as she slept has always been a beautiful thing for me.

I didn't want to let go of her hand, so I lay halfway down on the bed with her and gently raised her head so she could rest her head on my arm. I inhaled their flower garden scent and looked at her. Their freckles driving me crazy, their sweet nose and usually their ice blue eyes. It was my personal torture. I liked to look in the eyes of our son and see Noah in his face. She was my life, my dream woman. If something were to bump her, I would never forgive myself. Not again. We weren't perfect, but we're real. Nick and Noah.

"Nick? Where am I?" Frightened, I saw Noah awake. Finally. "Hey, freckles, how are you?" She looked around the room and finally looked at me. 

She seemed agitated and anxiously nervous. It made sense that she was. "It's okay, Noah. The baby's fine, and so are you, except you're emotionally exhausted. You need to rest." She exhaled and fell into my arms. She ran one hand through her face and looked at me. "You took me to the hospital? Omg, how are your sister and Andy? Michael, he was there threatening us." I don't want Noah to get upset. I understand she was panicking and everything came back to her. "Maggie and Andy are okay. They're both very excited and still in shock. Did Michael say anything to you? What happened down there, Noah?" She shook her head and a tear ran down her cheek. I kissed her away and tried to calm her down with my lips. "He was sitting in the kitchen saying he was playing with us and getting revenge. Sooner or later, he's going to kill me and maybe the rest of my family. Then when Maggie came, he wanted to shoot with his gun, but I knocked him over and he dropped it. Then I pass out." 

That motherfucker! I've had it once and for all. He's gone too far. How on earth did he get in the house? Anywhere near us? Alex and Thor were drugged, and I? I was asleep. "Noah, I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you and Maggie. We put so much security in place, and he got over them all. Nothing's going to happen to our family. I promise you! Our old house is going to be sold soon, and then we're going to move into our new house. Everything's going to be fine." We lay in each other's arms for a while, trying to support each other. The hours pass, and eventually, Noah was released, and we went home. By now, it was late afternoon, and when we got home, everyone was sitting in the living room. I supported Noah by the hip as she tried to sit down. Everyone was done with their nerves and wanted to give Noah a hug. In fact, the first person who came running towards us was Andy. He had a red and thick face. "Mom, Dad! I missed you and I loved you!"  The three of us had a hug, and I closed my eyes for a second. My mom, our parents, Steve, Alex, Maggie and Jenna with Lion were here. Now we sat in a circle, and we were silent. After Noah explained how she was doing and everything was fine. Andy wouldn't let go of his mother, and he sat between us. My mom was sitting next to me with an arm around me. "You know, it's cool to have a drink. Only Noah, you're pregnant, so you're getting a Limo." Jenna tried to ease the mood and got a smile from Noah. 

"I'm sorry, Leisters. I or we failed you and could not protect you." Steve looked sad and his looks begged for apologies and forgiveness. My father tried to calm him down. The whole family was gathered together, and it seemed like a crisis session. "It's good, Steve. You're only human. We're not bad." Noah had something about talking good to people to calm them down. Finally, Noah's mother got up and walked back and forth in the room. "What are we going to do now? What's the plan? The police aren't making any progress." My father shook his head and looked at my mother. "Maybe we all wanted to leave? For a few weeks?" "No one's safe here anymore." Lion was right. We were all victims. "Everybody gone? Wasn't the Greek vacation stressful enough?" Noah was right. It would have been nicer if only Noah and I had been there.

Maggie laughed and agreed with Noah. After a vacation, you need a vacation from the family. "We can't be afraid. He wants this. He relishes our fear. We're going to carry on as before, and he's going to come back. Not in this house anywhere else. We've got to be ready for anything and we'll get him." Noah was right. We're going to do this. We're going to make it as a family. I love you, and we're taking care of each other." 

Everybody agreed with me, and we had a drink. Noah was non-alcoholic and we were high percentage. However, something was wrong. I felt like I was being watched.

Nick

Time seemed to stand still. I hated hospitals. Maybe because of the last few times I was here. Noah was still being examined and I wasn't told how she was doing. My fear for her was growing by every  minute and that asshole Michael was still out there.

My place in front of Noah's room became more and more uncomfortable. When I heard noises and the doctor came out, I almost jumped out of the chair. "Are you Mr. Leister?" "Yes, how is my wife?" He flipped through the file he was holding and looked thoughtful. "My name is Doctor Köhne, and first of all, the baby is fine. Your wife is physically too, no injuries or bruises. Only what worries me is her mental health. She seems mentally exhausted to me." 

The last few months have been too much for Noah. I knew it. It's my fault, I should have been there for her more. At least the baby was fine. "What do you mean by that? Is she going to be okay or...?" He tried to give me a smile. "Yeah. Only she should be very restful and maybe have time for herself and to be surrounded by people who love her. If you want, you can go in with her, she's on a drip to get her hydrated again. Then, as soon as she wakes up, she can leave." Somewhere inside me, there was a sense of relief knowing that she's going to be better. I'm going to bring her to our new house and shower her with love and protect her. "Thank you, Mr. Köhne." He nodded and left. Immediately, I walked into the room and saw Noah lying pale in the bed. The monitors were beeping, and Noah's ribcage was rising and falling. She was asleep. Carefully, I went to her bedside and gave her a kiss on the forehead. My hand found hers, and I looked at her sadly. "Please, Noah, wake up. For me. It's killing me to see you like this."

No response. My phone took me out of my mind, because it was ringing. I took it out of my pocket, and it was my dad. I was wondering whether I should pick up or not. I wanted to be there for Noah.There might be something going on with Maggie, though, so I answered. He told me that Maggie and Andy were fine, but they were both in shock. Andy couldn't stop crying and asking about his mom. The police would have been there by now, but they said they only cared and there was no trace of him. I told him that Noah was unconscious and emotionally broken. She needed rest and time. I was supposed to keep them informed, and then I hung up. Watching Noah as she slept has always been a beautiful thing for me.

I didn't want to let go of her hand, so I lay halfway down on the bed with her and gently raised her head so she could rest her head on my arm. I inhaled their flower garden scent and looked at her. Their freckles driving me crazy, their sweet nose and usually their ice blue eyes. It was my personal torture. I liked to look in the eyes of our son and see Noah in his face. She was my life, my dream woman. If something were to bump her, I would never forgive myself. Not again. We weren't perfect, but we're real. Nick and Noah.

"Nick? Where am I?" Frightened, I saw Noah awake. Finally. "Hey, freckles, how are you?" She looked around the room and finally looked at me. 

She seemed agitated and anxiously nervous. It made sense that she was. "It's okay, Noah. The baby's fine, and so are you, except you're emotionally exhausted. You need to rest." She exhaled and fell into my arms. She ran one hand through her face and looked at me. "You took me to the hospital? Omg, how are your sister and Andy? Michael, he was there threatening us." I don't want Noah to get upset. I understand she was panicking and everything came back to her. "Maggie and Andy are okay. They're both very excited and still in shock. Did Michael say anything to you? What happened down there, Noah?" She shook her head and a tear ran down her cheek. I kissed her away and tried to calm her down with my lips. "He was sitting in the kitchen saying he was playing with us and getting revenge. Sooner or later, he's going to kill me and maybe the rest of my family. Then when Maggie came, he wanted to shoot with his gun, but I knocked him over and he dropped it. Then I pass out." 

That motherfucker! I've had it once and for all. He's gone too far. How on earth did he get in the house? Anywhere near us? Alex and Thor were drugged, and I? I was asleep. "Noah, I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you and Maggie. We put so much security in place, and he got over them all. Nothing's going to happen to our family. I promise you! Our old house is going to be sold soon, and then we're going to move into our new house. Everything's going to be fine." We lay in each other's arms for a while, trying to support each other. The hours pass, and eventually, Noah was released, and we went home. By now, it was late afternoon, and when we got home, everyone was sitting in the living room. I supported Noah by the hip as she tried to sit down. Everyone was done with their nerves and wanted to give Noah a hug. In fact, the first person who came running towards us was Andy. He had a red and thick face. "Mom, Dad! I missed you and I loved you!"  The three of us had a hug, and I closed my eyes for a second. My mom, our parents, Steve, Alex, Maggie and Jenna with Lion were here. Now we sat in a circle, and we were silent. After Noah explained how she was doing and everything was fine. Andy wouldn't let go of his mother, and he sat between us. My mom was sitting next to me with an arm around me. "You know, it's cool to have a drink. Only Noah, you're pregnant, so you're getting a Limo." Jenna tried to ease the mood and got a smile from Noah. 

"I'm sorry, Leisters. I or we failed you and could not protect you." Steve looked sad and his looks begged for apologies and forgiveness. My father tried to calm him down. The whole family was gathered together, and it seemed like a crisis session. "It's good, Steve. You're only human. We're not bad." Noah had something about talking good to people to calm them down. Finally, Noah's mother got up and walked back and forth in the room. "What are we going to do now? What's the plan? The police aren't making any progress." My father shook his head and looked at my mother. "Maybe we all wanted to leave? For a few weeks?" "No one's safe here anymore." Lion was right. We were all victims. "Everybody gone? Wasn't the Greek vacation stressful enough?" Noah was right. It would have been nicer if only Noah and I had been there.

Maggie laughed and agreed with Noah. After a vacation, you need a vacation from the family. "We can't be afraid. He wants this. He relishes our fear. We're going to carry on as before, and he's going to come back. Not in this house anywhere else. We've got to be ready for anything and we'll get him." Noah was right. We're going to do this. We're going to make it as a family. I love you, and we're taking care of each other." 

Everybody agreed with me, and we had a drink. Noah was non-alcoholic and we were high percentage. However, something was wrong. I felt like I was being watched.