2007-10-26: Maybe Tomorrow Will Be A Better Day

Starring:

Niki_icon.gif DL_icon.gif Cam_icon.gif

Summary: Niki makes an error in judgment that sends D.L. into a panic. Cam wakes up to be the one to witness the consequences.

Date It Happened: October 26th, 2007

Maybe Tomorrow Will Be A Better Day


Sanders-Dawson-Hawkins Residence

Queens, New York City

It's been roughly an hour since the events that ensued after Jack walked one overmedicated Niki home to encounter D.L. More specifically, it's been roughly one hour since he disappeared and left Niki on the front steps to eventually crawl - and that was literally, until she managed to pull herself together… that is, enough to make it inside.

And here we are. It's dark, as it's late (well past the time all little boys should be in bed), and it's cold, from the autumn air settling after creeping in when the door was left open for awhile earlier. Every hum, buzz and tick can be heard in the house, it's so quiet.

In the equally dark and still bathroom, with the door open, we find Niki, on the floor sitting against the cupboards beneath the sink. "Sitting" is a loose term. If there wasn't anything to lean against, she'd be in a sprawl. Wrapped in her long, dark red sweater, and jeans, she's out cold. Her head rests at an ever-so-slightly uncomfortable angle against the doorframe. A medication bottle sits on its side on the tile, where it rolled after it fell: tiny pills are scattered on the floor, over the threshold, into the hall. There's another bottle, still caught in one loose hand on her lap, red-and-white behind the yellow-tinted plastic.

Embarassed. Own'd. The adjective list could continue on for a long time. None of them actually matter to D.L, except that they do. And that's the problem. Where has he been for an hour? Off in the streets, trying to pull himself together. His life is falling apart at the seams. He doesn't even know his own wife any more. He can't even protect her. Why is he even still here?

A Gut Feeling.

Slipping through the door without so much as a sound, the stealthed and phasing D.L. Hawkins comes into the house and immediately heads deeper inside. There's a bad feeling that creeps up his spin and he finds himself practically running down the hall and dropping to his knees. "Niki?" Sliding the rest of the way, he's reaching out with his arms to pull his wife into his arms. "Niki! Niki wake up. Baby?" He's freaking out at this point. Can't lose her.

He came back from the dead or her.

It's late, but Cam's awake. Not that he was up to hear Niki come in, but he's wandering out of Micah's room in time to hear D.L.'s voice. Dressed in t-shirt and underwear as he sleeps every night, his eyes widen a little and he heads towards the bathroom, hesitant, though he stays just outside for the moment, peeking in around the edge of the door.

The rattle of pills tumbling over one another fills the bathroom momentarily as the bottle of pills - from Dr. Suresh - fall from Niki's hand and spins along the floor. She's dead weight — not a lot, especially for D.L. to handle, but she's a ragdoll in his arms, her head just lolling back as if she's asleep. It's not exactly obvious that she's even breathing, and she's faintly cool to the touch but covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"Oh god, baby no. Don't do this. Baby…" D.L.'s freaking out is having him lose his mind. One hand is caressing the forehead of Niki while the other arm is trying to hold her up. He can tell that she's breathing, which is a good thing, but there's still too much bad happening. His ear picks up on the footsteps of the Cam and he turns to look over his shoulder. "You! Get the phone! Call 911!" He turns his eyes back to his wife. "Niki… baby, wake up. I'm sorry. Don't leave me…" Words are just coming out, as he's not even sure why he's rambling off at the mouth. He's just trying to keep her alive.

Cam's eyes widen, but he nods, turning to run to the phone, picking it up, and dialing 911. A film of ice forms around where his fingers grip the phone, but luckily it still works. "Um…Niki, my um.. my foster mom, she's passed out in the bathroom, there's pills all around her…"

The unresponsive blonde has no answer for D.L.; rather, she can't hear the questions. His voice is far away. Underwater. Maybe underground. Maybe that's where he disappeared. Niki's head veers and falls slowly to the side, her cheek burying in a mess of hair, and she opens her mouth further. It's not just gravity. She's in there, somewhere.

"Sonofa… Niki. Please." Okay, he's losing it. D.L. is originally a strong person. Physically, anyway. But now he's losing one of the only things he's ever cared about. Pulling her closer to his body, he sighs and clings to her body as tightly as possible. "Baby, I swear… if you die on me…" His eyes are looking from her and over to Cam to see if that 911 call is going off the way it should be. And there's a tear. Now two. Rolling down his cheeks.

Cam carries the phone back to the bathroom door, biting his lip as he sees the scene inside. "Um… yeah, she's not… ok." He gives the address. Then to D.L. he says, "They're coming, gotta stay on the phone."

Niki's right arm, dangling lifelessly toward the floor, makes a slow trek up until she makes an all-too-weak grab for D.L.'s nearby shoulder. "D…" she murmurs thickly, barely comprehensible, head falling to the other side. "I'm sorry…"

That Cam child is forgotten about the moment D.L. can hear what sounds like Niki's voice. He ends up spinning his head back to her and wiping at his eyes. He's a little bit worried about what he's going to appear as, but he continues to lean over her and hold her tightly. "Baby shhhh. The ambulance is coming…" He leans down to press his forehead to hers. "I love you."

Cam listens to the phone, and relays, "Gotta make sure she's on her side, so if she throws up she won't choke…" His voice is a bit shakey. Then he says, "She's talking!"

D.L. isn't going to appear as anything — not yet. There's no hint of Niki's blue eyes making an appearance — they stay heavily weighed down by her drug-induced haze. "Nnnh… no," she tries to shake her head, making a good effort. "You can't-let anyone see me like this. The'll take— take away…"

"Shhhhh. No they won't. Just… you need a doctor. I'll take care of everything else." Unfortunately, D.L. is going to have to make the hard decision here. He'll figure out how to handle the issues that are bound to come up, but the priority now is making sure that Niki is still alive to see tomorrow.

Cam bites his lip as he hears what Niki says, but he doesn't say anything more. He stays standing there on the phone, watching, worried. "I'm still here," he says into the phone. "I dunno," he answers some question.

Catching glimpses of D.L., the dark bathroom and hall and Cam with roving, heavy eyes half-open, Niki squirms uselessly, zapped of strength — her strength — and holds onto her husband's shoulders. "I just need…"

To Be Continued…

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