Mercy

The next few days passed by like a whirlwind. People and camera crews were everywhere, Leland's only warning to Nikki, "Try to stay out of the way." as he passed her in the hall one morning. The last thing she wanted was to end up on television. She could just imagine the phone calls she would get if that would happen.

She tried her best to steer clear of the family, especially Leland's brother, he seemed to keep his eyes glued to her every move. It wasn't like she was dating Leland, she was just hired help.

"I don't get it." Nikki says to Bailee as they're standing on the balcony, just off of her room. "Don't get what?" asks a deep voice from behind her. She turns quickly, seeing Duane Lee standing there. "You scared me." she says, holding the baby a little closer to her.

"So, what don't you get?" he asks again, arms crossed. "I don't get why you're in my room, and why you're sneaking up on people." she says calmly, never missing a beat.

His stare never falters. "I just wanted to tell you dinner was ready." he says before turning and leaving her room.

At dinner, in some cruel twist of fate, she was trapped at the corner of the table between Beth and Duane Lee. "Great." she mutters to herself. "What?" Beth asks quickly, turning toward her.

"I said, it looks great. Can’t wait to taste this." Nikki says picking up a forkful of mashed potatoes and shoving them in her mouth to keep quiet. Nikki spent most of her meal studying each family member. She always found it intriguing the way large families acted when put together for a meal or a family get together. She felt a bit jealous, being an only child.

She excused herself after helping clear the table to put Bailee to sleep. The time change had the little girl fussy, she hoped that tonight she could get her back on her sleep schedule. After twenty minutes of singing and reading two books, Bailee finally slept peacefully.

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Nikki crept quietly from the room and walked across the hall to the guest room she was sleeping in. When she opened the door, Duane Lee was sitting on her bed. "Shit." she says loudly, clutching her chest. "Why do you keep doing that to me?" she asks closing the door behind her.

"Because I wanted to talk to you." he says, no hint of emotion showing on his face. "Don't you think there's better ways to go about it? I swear..." she says kicking her shoes off and pulling her hair out of its ponytail. He shrugs his shoulders and stands up as she walks past him to get some clothes out of her suitcase.

"I know your hiding something. And I wanna to know what it is." Duane Lee says to her.

She turns back, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"You know good and well what I mean." He says advancing toward her.

"No... I don't think I do. But if you want to explain, I'll be happy to listen." she says crossing her arms over her chest.

"I think you're after something and I don't want my brother to get hurt." he says seriously.

Nikki had never felt the urge to slap someone more than she did right now. Did he really think she was after his brother?

"Do you honestly think you're brother has any sort of feelings toward me? Because I find that hilarious and a little insulting considering the fact that all I'm after, is a job. If you remember correctly, he was the one who wanted to hire a nanny for his daughter. He was the one that put the ad in the paper, I just answered the damn thing. It wasn't like I knew who was on the other end of it, did I?" she asks, coming to stand toe to toe with him.

"You don't intimidate me." she says looking up at him. "I know you're just trying to protect your brother, and thats wonderful, but he's a grown man who can handle himself if he feels the need. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm ready to get in bed." she says calmly before walking into her bathroom and shutting the door.

"What's Nikki's last name?" Duane Lee asks his brother the next morning over breakfast. They had an early day, so both brothers were up before everyone else. "Its Murdock. Why?" Leland asks as he eats the last of his cereal.

"I was just wondering...You really haven't told me much about her other than she's Nikki, Bailee's nanny." he says looking across the table at Leland. "I didn't think there was much to tell. Why, are you interested in her?" Leland asks curiously.

Duane Lee lets out a hearty laugh. "No... She's not my type. I just want to know more about the woman who's watching my niece, thats all." Duane says defensively. "I haven't had a problem with her yet, so you don't have to worry about anything." Leland says, getting up from the table and putting his empty bowl in the sink.

It wasn't that he was worried about her ability to care for his niece, he was worried about her. Something about Nikki intrigued him and vowed to find out why.

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Saturday, the family all went their separate ways, leaving Nikki alone in the large house. She was happy to finally have some peace and quiet from the chaos that surrounded the Chapman family. Leland and his brother had gone to visit their mother but Nikki wasn't sure where the rest of them were at the moment. She thought she heard something about the Zoo...

"I really don't care where they are." she says to herself as she slides a pair of shorts on and walks out to the pool. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Colorado; nothing like Hawaii, but it would do, she thought as she dipped her foot into the cool water.

"Don't fall in." a voice says, catching her off guard, causing her to stumble and fall into the pool. Nikki comes up, wiping water and hair out of her eyes. "Bastard!" she yells, spitting water out of her mouth. "What is your problem?" she asks Duane Lee as he jumps in the pool with her.

"I thought you were gone with Leland to see your mother." she says, pulling her wet t-shirt over her head, revealing her black bathing suit underneath. "I was, but now I'm back." he says, pausing to take in the sight of her large breasts. Clearing his throat he continues, "Leland wanted to stay a while longer so mom could see Bailee....so, I came back." he says swimming closer to her.

She instinctively backs away from him, bumping into the side of the pool. "Why are you torturing me? Every time I turn around, you're there, watching me...I have to say, its a little creepy." she tells him, spreading her arms out to hold onto the wall. He swam back in forth in front of her, taunting her much like a shark circling its prey.

"I'm not torturing you... maybe you're imagining things." he says with a tilt of his head, blue eyes sparkling in the midday sun. "No, you're up to something. I can see it in your eyes" she says softly, pushing the water around with her toes that had just broken the surface of the water. He laughs softly, grabbing her foot, pushing it away, swimming closer to her, his knees touching hers as she steadied herself against the wall.

Her heart was beating in her throat as he plants an arm on either side of her body. "I think its you, who's up to something." he whispers, a mere inch from her ear. She could feel the warmth of his body, his breath on her neck.

She swallowed hard, looking into his eyes, "You're playing with fire" she says slowly, before ducking under his arm and walking out of the pool.

Neither Nikki or Duane Lee had spoken to each other since the incident in the pool two weeks ago. She did her best to avoid him, always sticking close to Leland when they were around his family. She had found that the less people knew about her, the easier it was for her.

This week would prove to a different kind of week for Nikki. Leland and his family were celebrating the two hundredth episode of the show and A&E was throwing a huge party for them. When Leland told Nikki she was prepared to treat it like any other day but Leland had other plans in mind.

"What are you wearing tomorrow?" he asked her as they shopped for Bailee that morning. "What do you mean....?" she asks, hanging up an ugly dress Leland tried to buy for his daughter. "The party...for the show, what are you wearing?" he asks again.

Much to his surprise she laughs. "I didn't know I was going." she says as she shows him another dress.

"I want you to go." he says, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I want Bailee to be there, which means you have to be there." he says to Nikki as she looks at the baby shoes.

"You know you can take her somewhere with out me. She might like to spend some time alone with her daddy every now and then." Nikki says looking over her shoulder at Leland. He shrugs his shoulders.

"You're afraid to be alone with her, aren't you?" she says handing him a pair of tiny black shoes. "Thats....crazy. I am not afraid to be alone with my daughter." he says shaking his head.

"Yeah.... you are. I think you've gotten so used to me being around that you're afraid you cant do it now." She says, hands on hips.

"Thats what I pay you for." he replies back to her as he hands the cashier his credit card.

"But you're still her father Leland. She needs you." Nikki says seriously.

Leland grabs the bags and Nikki pushes Bailee's stroller out of the store. "I know that she needs me, I'm here for her."

"Yeah you're here, but your not being a father to her. Its not fair to her." she says loudly as they walk toward the truck. "Don't tell me how to raise my daughter." he screams a little louder than he had planned, causing a few people on the street to stop and stare. Nikki narrows her eyes and slams the door, leaving him to load the truck and get Bailee into her car seat.

"I'm sorry." he says looking at her from the driver seat a moment later. Nikki lowers her head, "No, you're right, its not my place to tell you how to raise your child. I apologize." she says sincerely.

"Nikki..." Leland starts to say, placing his hand on her arm, she jumps a little at the contact, and takes a deep breath, "Just spend time with her. I know what its like to have a father who could care less about his daughter." she says through teary eyes.

"I promise." he says quietly before starting the car. Leland knew from his own experience with woman, not to push the subject. He knew if and when she was ready to tell that story, she would.

"So will you go tomorrow?" he asks a few minutes later. She gives him a weak smile and says "Sure. What do I need to wear?"
The media coverage surrounding the party was unbelievable, Nikki thought to herself as they entered the building. She held Bailee close to her as the photographers and cameras were pointed in Leland's direction. They all had questions they wanted to ask. Nikki was surprised to hear some of them were about her.

"Who's your friend, Leland?"

"Are you two dating?"

She kept her head down and continued walking as Leland stopped to talk to reporters and give interviews with his family. She wanted to find a quiet place for her and Bailee to sit during the party.

Most of the important people in Hawaii were here for the party. The mayor and his wife, the Governor, all the city officials. She kept a sharp eye out for anyone she knew, or that might know who she was. Preparing herself for any questions they might ask her.

"Why the nervous face?" a voice asks off to her left. She looks up, unable to see much in the dark room. He comes into the light a moment later. "Oh its you." she says sarcastically, looking up at Leland. "Shouldn't you be with your family?" she asks when he sits down next to her.

"I am with my family." he says as Bailee reaches for him. He takes her, sitting her on his knee, bouncing her up and down and making silly faces at her. "So what do you think about the party so far?" she asks, trying to make polite conversation.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Its a lot like the one hundredth party was...lots of people, free food, free booze... skanky girls." he says making Nikki laugh. "Just wanted to make sure you were listening." he says, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"You look really nice tonight. I like seeing you dressed up." he says with a smile. She looks at him for a moment, "Are you drunk?" she says with a giggle.

"Ummm... maybe just a little." he says in a hushed tone, leaning toward her and putting his arm over the back of her chair, his fingertips grazing her bare shoulder. A strange sensation shot through her body as she looked at him. "That was strange." she says to herself.

"What?" he asks over the growing noise of the crowd. She shakes her head, telling him it was nothing. "Are you alright with Bailee for a little while, I think I'm going to the restroom." she says standing up.

"We're good." he says, never taking his eyes off his daughter.