From This Moment On

Chapter 27

"NICK!!!" Brian screamed after the shot was fired. He watched as Nick fell backwards and then lay there, he ran but it seemed to be in slow motion. Jane Carter was laying on the ground, her son on top of her....a pool of blood forming underneath them.

"Nick?" Brian called again, and he hated himself. Why did he have to shoot when Jane was using him as a shield? He could hear Celine crying, wailing from the playpen on the other side of the room. She was calling for her daddy. Brian stood over Nick, his breath catching in his throat.

"Nick, are you okay? Answer me....."

"Holy shit, what the hell did you do that for? I feel like I got hit by a truck." Nick muttered, and Brian sighed with releif, falling to his knees. He wiped his eyes as Nick sat up, perfectly fine. Nick blinked and looked confused as to why his friend was tearing up....but his heart began pounding. Where was his mother? Nick stood up shakily and turned around fearing the worst.....and they were confirmed.

"Mom?"

Jane Carter was dead.

"Nick, the important thing is that you and Celine are all right......that woman was a monster. I had to...I had to shoot her or she was going to kill you......" Brian started, but Nick ignored him. Nick kept flashing back to the day Tracy had passed, the blood covering the cruise ship deck...staining his clothes...her motionless body laying in front of him. Even though this woman was nowhere near the mother she should have been....Nick began sobbing. He didn't even know why he was crying, Jane had tried to kill him, had decieved him to steal his daughter....but the tears fell heavily and without stopping as Brian held him.

"She's dead and it's my fault..."

Brian ended up spending about an hour calming him down, and Nick lost it again when the people came to remove his mother's body. Nick felt broken, just like the night Tracy had died. The guilt was pressing down on him like a boulder on his back.....the fact that he didn't love his mother and never got to reconcile with her before she passed. Just like Tracy. It was happening all over again and as soon as Brian and Nick went outside, Nick began to throw up, emptying the contents of his stomach into the bush near the front porch. Brian held Celine and tried to keep her facing away from her father...he felt she had seen enough for the day.

"You all right? That gash on your head looks pretty bad. You might have a concussion, that's probably why you threw up so much." Brian offered once they got Celine into Nick's car.

"Yeah....I just feel awful....I mean, my mom is dead, Bri." Nick said in a hollow voice, wiping his eyes and sighing. His head was throbbing and he could feel the dried blood clotting from being struck by the gun barrel.

"That woman was not a mother to anyone, I know it hurts to hear....but she didn't deserve you or your brother....she was a horrible person." Brian told him.
"She's still my mom."

"I know, Nick. I'm sorry for being so out of line. I was just trying to protect you and Celine. Honestly I think I should drive you to the hospital, you can't take a risk with your head hurting so much. We should get Celine checked out too." Brian said, and Nick nodded in agreement before they moved Celine to the other car. Nick just wanted to bring Celine and himself home to Amanda, he knew she must be beside herself with worry at this point, not hearing from him for almost a whole night. It was pretty late but they made a stop at the hospital where Nick found he indeed had a mild concussion. Celine was perfectly healthy to everyone's relief, and after Nick was discharged, they made their way back to Miami.....Nick watching the world pass by as they went. It had been a long night and alll he wanted was to go back in time and stop himself from ever calling his mother.....it was his fault she was gone now, and he would have to live with that.