Mercy

Six months ago:

"I cannot believe that bastard!" Nikki screams as she throws the cordless phone down on the marble counter top of Duane Lee's bathroom. "I f**king hate him!"

"No luck?" Duane yells over the running water of the shower.

"Nope. He took it all. He's all buddy buddy with some guy at the bank and somehow he managed to get his name added to my bank account." She says, rubbing her forehead with a shaky hand. For the first time in her life, Nikki was truly broke.

"He stole all my money Duane Lee. I cant even pay my bills, I cant buy gas for my car..." she says rambling off the list of things she couldn't do with out money. "Ive got to call the office, my pay check goes direct deposit to that account." She yells back over the loud shower as she picks up the phone calling the payroll department. "Whats your bank account number, I'm having my check deposited there...at least I know you wont screw me over."

"I quit my job today. Was that stupid?" Nikki asks over dinner the next night.

"With all the shit you put up with, no, its not stupid. If your father cant see, or doesn't care what James did to you, then you shouldn't be working there. You're too smart to put up with that kind of bullshit." Duane Lee says, before biting into his chicken.

"I just wish you would let me take care of James. It would make me feel better. At least then I wouldn't feel helpless in the situation. I feel like I haven't been able to do anything for you, and I don't like that." he says, giving Nikki a sad smile.

"You are not being helpless. You welcomed me into your home and your life with open arms. That means more than any thing you could ever physically do to that bastard."

"I guess."

"Are you alright?" She asks, raising her eyebrows.

He takes his time, carefully choosing his words. Nikki lays a supporting hand on his arm, knowing that whatever he wants to tell her, must be important.

"I feel like its my fault that you've lost everything." he finally says. "Maybe if I hadn't sent the flowers none of this would have happened, you know?"

"Don't ever think that." Nikki tells him. "Do you know how thrilled I was when I found out that you were the one that sent them? And then when you asked me to meet you for lunch...it brought back all of those feelings I had years ago. It was the first time I had felt anything in almost three years."

"I love you." he says, out of the blue.
Five Months Ago

"I think I better skip the visit with Leland today." Nikki says, as she pulls the cover up to her chin.

Things had been going so well with Duane Lee, she had moved in with him and hadn't looked back. She felt alive and free to do whatever she wanted; a first for her.

"You do look a little pale." Duane says, feeling her forehead. "You're not running a fever though. Want me
to take you to the doctor?"

"Nah...just take Bailee over to see Leland. I'm just gonna stay put." she says, rolling over in the bed.

Duane Lee sighs, knowing the day had not started out as planned. Weeks of planning had gone into this single day; and she was sick. He leans over, kissing her on the cheek. "Get some rest and I'll be back soon. Love you." he says, kissing her cheek once more.

-------

"How was Leland today?" Nikki asks as Duane makes his way into the kitchen.

"He was alright. The cuts on his face and arms are starting to heal. Bailee was happy to see him, of course." he says to Nikki as he tries to sample the frosting on the cake she had just baked.

"Get out of that." she says, swatting his hand away. "Thats for dessert."

"Id rather have you." he whispers, wrapping his hands around her waist. "You taste better than any ole' cake."

"Do I?" she manages to say, as he kisses her neck softly.

"Well, maybe if you're a good boy, you can have your cake and eat me too." she says, returning his kiss.

"Mmm...I love the way you think." he says moaning as she bites his lip. "Is that fried chicken I smell?" he asks, turning his attention away from Nikki and walking over to the stove.

"I swear you're A.D.D. sometimes." she says laughing and rolling her eyes.

They talked and laughed through dinner. Conversation always came easy for Nikki and Duane Lee.

Nikki smiled, knowing she had made the right decision by moving in with him. Her only concern was Leland. What would happen when and if he regained his memory? Would their friendship be strained now that she was living with his brother? She tried to shake those thoughts away, and turn her attention back to Duane.

"Are you listening to me?" he asks, feeding her a piece of the cake she baked for him.

"Of course...how could I not? She asks him.

"What was I saying then?

"You were telling me how wonderful I was and how much you loved me..." she says with her best smile.

Of course, that hadn't been what he was saying at all. But when all else failed, it was her go to conversation. It always made her feel amazing to know that he truly loved her, even if she had no money.

"You sure do look sad, if thats what I was telling you. Whats on your mind?" He asks, as he takes a big bite of the chocolate cake.

"Nothing really,just thinking about what I was going to do with my life. Ive never been without money, I don't mean to sound spoiled or anything like that. Because even though I despised my parents, that money was still money that I worked for. And now its gone." Nikki says sadly.

"You know what you can do with your future?"

"What?" she asks curiously.

"Marry me."

Four months ago

She woke up, staring at the beautiful ring Duane Lee had given her the night he proposed. She smiled, remembering how he told her the proposal didn't go as planned that night. He wanted candles and roses, music and wine. Instead he got fried chicken and chocolate cake. He would never let her forget that either.

"What are you laughing about so early in the morning?" he asks, pulling her closer to him, and snuggling his head on her shoulder.

"Just thinking about you. Like I do every morning." she tells him. "I was thinking about the stories we would tell our kids when they asked about how you proposed."

"Chicken and chocolate cake is all I'm going to say." he reminds her. He playfully bites her shoulder as they share a laugh.

"Speaking of children, how's my baby this morning?" he asks, softly rubbing Nikki's stomach.

It was only three days ago that they found out Nikki was pregnant. She had woken up sick three times that week, Duane Lee finally insisted that she go to the doctor. Neither of them expected a baby to be the diagnosis. Nikki was almost eight weeks along. They didn't speak the entire ride back to the house, only occasionally glancing over at the other one as Duane drove.

Both praying that they would make good parents together.

Three Months Ago

"Hey babe." Duane calls out as comes through the door. He was still dressed in his 'Bounty Gear' as Nikki had called it that morning. "I'm home." he yells a little louder, walking through the house.

He could hear the vacuum running as he opened the door to the room that would become the nursery and found her vacuuming the carpet.He touched her arm, causing her to jump. "You scared me!" she says, clutching her chest. She turns the vacuum cleaner off and follows him into the kitchen.

"Eww, as sexy as you look, you stink." she says fanning a hand in front of her face.

"Yeah, sorry, had to mace this guy and some of it got on me." he tells her as he starts taking his vest off.

"Put it in the laundry room...Ive been cleaning all day, don't make a mess." she yells as he walks off, knowing he had already tuned her out like any typical man would.

"We're having company. My mother insists on seeing me and knowing that I'm not living in a 'filthy hell hole,' as she called it." Nikki sighs, dreading what this encounter with her mother might do to her and the relationship she had with Duane Lee.

"She said that? What a bitch." Duane Lee says, coming back into the kitchen, completely naked.

"Its very hard to have a serious conversation with you when your naked, you know I get distracted." Nikki says blushing, the heat rising in her neck was evident to Duane Lee as he walked toward her. He leaned in to kiss her, taking her hand, wrapping it around his hardness. Just then the doorbell rang, causing her to scream like a teenager that just been caught making out with her boyfriend.

"Shit."

"I'll get it." he says wiggling his eyebrows.

"While I find that very impressive." she says, pointing to his manhood. "I don't think it will give my mother quite the same impression. So, go shower and I'll entertain her until you get back."