Part 2, Growth, Summer 1993, Chapter 24, Nicholas Summary

Nicholas had been changing Max's diaper when Paige called. At first, Nicholas was happy to hear her voice, to know she was okay. However, when Paige asked about Max, Nicholas became angry again, feeling hurt, lost and confused. After he hung up the phone, it rang again almost immediately. Thinking it was Paige, Nicholas yelled into the phone, only to find it was Alistair demanding a meeting that evening.

Nicholas arrives at the meeting with Max in his arms and a splitting headache. Before Alistair can even begin the meeting, Nicholas announces that he is taking a leave of absence for a week and when he returns, his situation with Max will be resolved. Alistair is not happy about this, and Nicholas suddenly realizes he has probably just lost his chance of being chief of...