Music To My Ears Ch 04

Nicky panicked when she happened to glance at her wristwatch. She gave a loud wail of despair startling her immediate colleagues around her.

"What's wrong?" one of them asked in deep concern.

"I'm late!" she wailed again, picked up her handbag and rushed off like a speeding bullet.

"That's so typical of our Nicky," another colleague commented good-naturedly.

"Watch out for traffics!" Yet another one shouted laughingly after her.

She overspent her time counseling Alanna, the girl she tried to rescue last evening but she didn't mind it at all; every minute was worth it. At least she knew Alanna didn't want to do what she was forced to do and had promised to call Nicky should her good for nothing pimp of a boyfriend ever looked up for her again. Then she had taken too long to prepare Alanna's report, which resulted in almost forgetting her mission, to

harass

Eric so she could persuade him to come to the clinic adjacent to the agency for treatment.

She wondered what Eric's reaction be when he found her at his work place today when clearly it was not their appointed day. She would probably be snubbed or at worst - get an earful from him, but what the heck? It would definitely make a good excuse for her to thank him

again

for saving her life. Yes, she knew she was being unscrupulous but she wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by. Any chance of an excuse just to see him and get him to come down to the agency she would try it.

Her mind drifted back to last evening incident where Eric had acted like a madman pounding away on the burly youth when she was being attacked. Eric had even offered to tend to her wound. She was amazed at how gentle his administration was despite his disability and that proved her suspicion; his disability was more of a psychological issue than a physical one. She absent-mindedly slid her tongue over the still bruised spot on her lower lip and flinched slightly at the smarting pain.

She was so deep in thoughts that she didn't notice someone was directly in her path and walked right smack into them. The impact was so strong she almost lost her footing. Had the person not reached out to grab hold of her; she would've tumbled to the ground.

A bit dazed but otherwise unhurt, she immediately offered an apology without even looking at the person's face, "Oops! I'm so sorry," and turned her face to look up at the pedestrian. Whom she saw took her breath away. It was Eric himself, larger than life standing there right in front of her. She was so stunned all she did was stand there with her eyes wide and mouth agape.

"Trying to mow me down again?"

Did her ears deceive her or did Eric just try to tease her?

"Cat caught your tongue?" There it was again. Even though his face showed no emotions, there was definitely that subtle teasing note in his voice.

Finally she managed to collect her wit and countered, "No, of course not. I didn't notice you're in my path!"

Eric was dressed in his usual daily clothes; simple white t-shirt, faded jeans, windbreaker and gloves but everything about him spelled clean and fresh. His hair was shorter and gleaming and tied back in a ponytail. He no longer sported a bushy, scraggly beard and moustache. Both were decently trimmed and cropped close to his face although not without some nicks here and there. She could even make out his lips now. The change was astounding and she couldn't stop herself from staring.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to stare so blatantly?" Gone was the light teasing tone earlier. Instead there was irritation in his voice now.

"I'm not staring!" She sputtered guiltily.

"Oh, come on, don't deny it. So does my overall appearance pass your inspection or do you need to put me under the microscope?" Eric snapped sharply at her clearly getting agitated now.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Maybe I did stare...just a little but you surprise me," she admittedly sheepishly.

"Yeah, I surprise myself, too," he snorted in sarcasm. He was about to berate her some more but his heart softened when he saw her embarrassment. "Look, can we find a place to talk? It's about my counseling program," he continued in a more cordial tone now. He wondered briefly why on earth he had to put himself through this ordeal again but since he was already here he might as well get it over with.

Nicky thought she had just hit the million-dollar jackpot and her face immediately brightened up. She almost wanted to jump up in joy. For the past three months she had almost exhausted her energy in trying to get Eric down to the agency to no avail but today he had turned up so unexpectedly and even wanted to discuss about his counseling! Who would have thought of that?

She didn't want to question him why the sudden change of heart but she suspected it had to do with last night's little episode. The punch was really worth it after all.

She could hardly contain her excitement and bubbled enthusiastically, "Yes sure! Come on in to the agency."

As Nicky scrambled that few short steps up the door leading into the agency, Eric had a good look at her back view. Today she was wearing a white cotton sleeveless blouse that was tucked neatly in a pair of red silk pants (He noticed she like red a lot. Very unconventional color for social workers) and he could just make out the outline of her bra. The back of her forearms looked silkily smooth and tapered down to nice slender wrists. Then there was her small waist, which flared down to a pair of delicious globes that hugged her pants and jiggled seductively whenever she moved.

I bet they feel as firm as they look!

His hands itched and wanted so much to reach out to squeeze them. Suddenly he realized his lewd intention and snapped out of it. He felt absolutely appalled with himself for behaving like a lecherous bastard and quickly turned his attention to the back of her head instead.

They went through the main door and Eric found himself in a well lit, cool and comfortable reception area quite unlike what he had pictured in mind–noisy, stifling, cramp and full of unfortunate souls like the vagrants, unwed pregnant girls/women, drunks, druggies or some disabled sitting around waiting for help. Surprisingly, they were the only ones in the reception area. Well, possibly the lack of clients was due to late afternoon heat, and most probably everyone was having a siesta except him. He was being stupid for braving the heat to come down here like a lamb to be slaughtered. He was beginning to wonder if he might have developed some kind of madness disease.

They approached the reception counter where a cute, plump blonde was seated. Upon seeing them, she flashed Nicky a toothy smile, and then eyed Eric curiously as her gaze ran appreciatively up and down his length.

"Back so soon?" The receptionist asked in a too saccharin sweet voice, her eyes never leaving Eric. Earlier she had seen Nicky rushing past her in haste but within fifteen minutes she was back and with a tall, though a bit lean guy. Still, Eric was quite fetching with his ponytail and beard. It made him devilishly, darkly handsome.

Nicky did not reply to her question but inquired if there was any meeting room available instead.

"Room B is still available," said the plump blonde after giving the pad in front of her a quick glance.

Nicky thanked her and gestured Eric to follow again. They walked along the corridor with glass paneling where one could observe the ongoing activities of the other social workers busy at work. On the other side were doors upon closed doors. It looked like Room B was situated far down at the end, as their walk seemed endless.

Eric could feel panic rising up inside of him. He felt as though he was walking to his doom and each step he took seemed to get heavier by the second. He had the urge to turn around and run the hell out of there. Before he could put his thoughts into motion, they came to a halt in front of a brown door with the sign 'Room B' etched on it. Nicky grabbed the knob, turned it and pushed it open before stepping aside to let him in. He had to twist his body sideway to enter the room in order not to knock into her. He was getting even more nervous now. To curb his skittishness, he concentrated on surveying the surroundings instead.

The room was simply furnished with the usual office chairs and a long table. A white board hung at the far end of one wall while some low cabinets stood at another side but what caught his attention were the numerous pictures that were pasted on the walls. For a moment he forgot his fear as the pictures captivated him. The pictures consisted of children, teenagers and adults in all shapes and sizes smiling happily with the staff of the agency. However he noticed Nicky was in almost every picture.

"They were our former clients benefiting through our various programs," she announced proudly to him.

Eric turned back to look at her. It was obvious she took pride in her job. The look on her face told it all – she was beaming.

Nicky could see he was very uptight and tense, and shifted his hands into his windbreaker's pocket.

"Would you like something to drink maybe? Coffee? Tea?" She offered trying to distract him from his uneasiness.

You!

The thought shot across his mind despite his uneasiness. Instead he replied curtly, "Coffee."

"Right."

She prayed he wouldn't bolt on her as she hurried out, coming back a short while later with two cups of steaming coffee. Eric was unaware of her presence. From where she stood she could see him clearly; he looked awfully lost and forlorn. She pretended to make some noise to announce her return so he could regain his composure. Gingerly she handed over one of the coffees to him and noticed his hand shook visibly despite the glove he was wearing. He mumbled a 'thank you' before settling himself down into the nearest chair. Nicky took the cue and followed suit, taking the seat opposite him.

"I like to start my physiotherapy as soon as possible. How long will it take before...before I can use my fingers properly again?" He didn't waste time beating around the bush, but straight on to the subject. He was anxious to get on with what he had set out to do so he could get out of this drat place as fast as possible. He just didn't feel comfortable in here no matter how friendly or cozy the atmosphere felt.

Nicky knew how edgy and uncomfortable he was. If she said the wrong thing he would bolt on her and that would ruin any chance of bringing him around, so she chose her words carefully and began to explain the situation to him, "We can start you straight away but the progress depends largely on your will and condition. As far as I see it you have two major issues here; your alcoholism and your physiotherapy but you only have three months left with us. It's not enough time to solve your problems unless you continue with the counseling and therapy when the three months are up."

She held her breath when he did not immediately reply to her. Underneath the table she had her fingers crossed tightly. Eventually he replied to her, "I'll continue with the counseling and therapy but as you know I'm only a part time helper at the dock and I don't want Robert to continue..." Eric trailed off in mid-sentence looking extremely uncomfortable now.

Money and Pride!

So he was concerned about the fees yet he didn't want to sound like he was begging for help. She understood all about human psychology. Pride was something humans priced highly, even though one was dirt poor. What was more, Eric was once considered rich, not to mention famous, but now he was down and out. To open his mouth to ask for financial aid was definitely a demeaning thing to do and an insult to his ego, yet he did need all the help he could get. She would have to make it look like he wasn't begging or they were taking pity on him.

"The main concern here is getting you back on your feet. You pay what you can afford and let us take care of the rest. Don't worry about it," she said reassuringly.

Eric felt as though a burden had been lifted off his shoulders and somewhat began to relax. "That's good to hear. So, who will be doing the physiotherapy on my...my hands?"

"Me."

Eric flicked his eyes up and stared directly into hers before replying in astonishment, "You?"

"Yes, me. I'm also a qualified physiotherapist besides being a social worker." She gave a short laugh when she saw the stumped look on his face. "Don't look so shocked," she teased. "I've the paper to show, you know." Her beautiful large golden brown eyes danced with amusement.

Eric was always fascinated by the color of her eyes. They sparkled and shimmered like exotic rare jewels and have a mesmerizing effect. The more he looked at her eyes the more he found himself drawn deeper still into their depths. He couldn't seem to look away from them and kept staring until he heard his name being called from afar.

"Eric?" Her voice brought him out of his reverie.

Damn! I'm staring at her again.

He quickly dropped his gaze down to her chin instead. "So erm...where will you be conducting this therapy?" The question was rather irrelevant. It was just that he didn't want to be caught staring so deeply into her eyes.

"Here in this building. Ours is a health and social service agency. If you notice, this building connects to the building next door, which is the polyclinic. We are quite well equipped. Maybe you would like to take a tour with me to check out our facilities after we're done with your registration?" she offered invitingly.

He shook his head in decline. "I'll take a rain check on that tour for the time being. Can we get the registration done now? I need to get back to work soon to earn some money if I'm going to pay through my nose for the counseling and treatment."

Nicky chuckled softly, "You won't be paying through your nose." He didn't laugh along with her but merely stared at her – again. This was the second time she caught him staring at her and this time he did it openly. She grew uncomfortably warm under his all-consuming gaze like he was going to devour her any minute soon.

Time was ticking away and he still stared at her without uttering a word. A deafening silence had descended upon them until she could bear it no longer. "Right, I'd better fetch the necessary documents. Be back in a moment," Nicky finally blurted out and hastily excused herself from the room.

When she got back, Eric was off his chair peering at those pictures on the wall again. She laid the documents and pen neatly on the table waiting for him to sign it.

"Will it hurt much?" He asked without turning back to her.

"What hurt? Oh, the therapy?"

Eric slowly turned back to face her looking rather glumly. He didn't answer her but merely blinked down at her. That was when she noticed his eyelashes. They were long, thick and curly – in fact far too curly for a man. She was so absorbed in his eyelashes that she forgot what he was asking her until he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Nicky felt a blush rose to her cheeks for being caught staring back at him. She hid her embarrassment by replying in a brisk and professional manner, "Well, first we'll get the physician to access the degree of your damage and from there I will be able to facilitate and develop a treatment plan for you. I'm not going to lie to you that there will be no pain. There's bound to be some discomfort the first few times when I apply pressure but I'll be gentle."

Eric once again sat down on the chair and picked up the documents to read through it thoroughly. When he was satisfied with its content he picked up the pen awkwardly and scrawled his signature on the dotted line.

"I can hold onto bigger objects but it's rather difficult for me to grip at something smaller in circumference like...like a pen. I can't squeeze my hands tight together for long. It just hurts and I have to relax my hands. You know what I'm saying?" He spoke without looking at her.

Nicky detected pain, bitterness, even a hint of self-pity in his voice and her heart went out to him. This further fueled her determination to help him to get over his problems so he could face the world and himself again.

"Eric, if you can spare me just another hour, I'm sure I can get our in-house physician to give you an immediate assessment of your condition, that is if it's agreeable with you," she suggested to him quickly.

Eric looked at her and saw compassion and sincerity shone bright in her eyes. Never had he seen anyone more beautiful. She looked almost like an angel to him. A surge of emotions welled up in his chest ready to burst forth. For a moment he almost lost control and broke down in front of her but he managed to check himself in time.

Damnit! Get a grip of yourself!

He chided himself sternly.

For the first time Eric smiled warmly at her. The permanent scowl that he wore on his face vanished and Nicky thought she saw the fleeting shadow of the once handsome, charming and talented pianist she used to idolize lurking behind the façade of this broken down man waiting to break out. She took that as a 'yes'.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go then!" She reciprocated with a beatific smile of her own.

Two hours later Eric walked out by the other entrance feeling rather light in heart and hopeful in spirit. He didn't even mind he actually spent an extra hour in there with Nicky. Perhaps things might really be looking up for him now. He could still hear the good doctor's words.

"Your bones are well mended. Just your muscles and nerves were neglected as no proper therapy was administered to them but nothing this lady here can't fix." The doctor inclined his head towards Nicky, which brought a blush to her lovely face.

Afterward Nicky even laid out the timetable for him - thrice a week for his physiotherapy and two times a week for his group alcoholic counseling session. At first he had protested strongly about the group alcoholic counseling but Nicky was very persuasive and he found himself agreeing to it – begrudgingly though.

He thought of calling Robert and telling him about his decision but decided against it. He was afraid he couldn't through this counseling. Should he give up half way and in doing so, it meant letting Robert and John down but most of all, letting himself down. He knew this was his turning point and would need every ounce of his effort to see himself through this patch of trying times. It would really be up to him to make it. The question was could he do it? Could he rise from the ashes again and shine like before? He shuddered to think what would happen to him should he fail. He simply couldn't afford to fail not when that pesky nosy social worker was so determined to help him overcome his problems.

He thought of Nicky. He wondered if he was blessed or cursed to have met her. He remembered how he detested her presence and persistency at the beginning. She was like a little shadow constantly hovering around him; like a speck of irritating dust that was impossible to brush off. He thought about her sparkling eyes; her ready smile; her bravery; her fiery temper when he had dunked her into the water. He thought of her tiny waist, her slender wrist, and her creamy forearms. He thought of her deliciously cute derriere. His mind began to wander further still. He imagined how her body would be like when she was naked – supple, soft with full, firm, up-thrust breasts. He wondered how her skin would taste like on his lips and her body writhing in ecstasy under his when he thrust into her. Just then a loud blaring honk jerked him out of his lurid imagination. For the second time today he had been having these vulgar fantasies about her and it irritated the hell out of him. He must have really been without a woman for far too long. He cursed at himself silently and walked off in the direction of the subway.