Alex gave her a hug then pulled away. "Thanks." She reached for her water bottle and was startled to see Emily standing in the doorway.
"So, is this why you’ve been out of touch, Alex?" Emily asked snidely as she pointed towards Nikki. She walked into the kitchen with Sarah close behind. "You find yourself a new girlfriend and decide you don't need your friends anymore?"
Nikki walked around the island and held her hand out to Emily. "My name is Nikki, you must be Emily."
Emily looked down at the offered hand and said, "I’m here to talk to Alex. Who you are is of little importance."
Alex silently watched the exchange, and wondered when her friend had become so rude. With a sudden clarity she realized that Emily was jealous. With this thought came the realization that this could possibly end their friendship. Whatever they’d shared in years past was gone, and she no longer had the energy to deal with jealousy and anger. She looked up and said, "Sarah, I wish you the best of luck. I’m sorry for any issues I may have caused between you two. I never intended to." She looked over at a startled Emily. "I’m sorry, Em, but I can’t do this anymore. I really thought we could work this out, but obviously I was wrong."
Emily immediately reacted. "What the fuck, Alex? You’re walking away from years of friendship because of her?" She pointed at Nikki.
"No Emily, because you aren’t the person I met so many years ago, and because neither am I. We’ve both changed so much and grown apart over the years. We’re just too different, Em. I’m not who I was just two months ago, much less who I was sixteen years ago." She sighed as Emily again began to blame Nikki for the issues between them. She pushed off of the counter and interrupted her tirade. "Enough. You don’t get it. Nikki has nothing to do with this. Your attitude does." She turned on her heel and began to walk away. She gasped as she felt her left leg give out, causing her ankle to twist, and her leg to collapse under her. She grabbed for the counter and missed, throwing her hands up just in time to meet the floor as it rushed up to greet her. A cry escaped her lips, causing Nikki to rush to her side.
"Alex, honey, are you okay?" she asked as she rolled her on to her back. "Is it your knee?" She quickly pulled the straps and opened the brace to take a look. She ran her hands over the exposed knee, pushed up the leg of her shorts and checked for signs of re-injury, exposing the scar along her thigh. "Where does it hurt?"
"My knee gave out and I twisted my ankle."
She quickly moved down and removed her shoe, checking for swelling. "Did you hear anything pop?" she asked.
"No, the tendons are intact. I think it's just a sprain," Alex replied. She winced as Nikki manipulated her ankle.
"I’m the doctor here, how about you let me decide?" She slowly bent Alex’s knee as she watched for signs of discomfort and range of motion. "I don’t see anything, but I recommend getting x-rays just to make sure you didn’t re-break it. Even a hairline fracture would set you back a whole month in your rehab, and as hard as you’ve been working it lately, I’d hate to see that happen." She gently scooped her up and headed towards the living room. "Would you like the recliner or the couch?"
Alex sighed. "The couch please." She was still amazed at how easily Nikki was able to pick her up. She slid her arm around her neck and allowed her to carry her into the living room.
Nikki helped her get settled, propping her foot onto the coffee table with several pillows to keep it elevated. "I’m going to get an ice pack for that ankle. Do you need anything else?" Alex shook her head, and she moved towards the kitchen.
Emily fell to her knees beside Alex and tenderly traced the pink scar tissue across her knee and thigh. She looked up with pain filled eyes and asked, "What happened, Alex, and why didn’t you call me? You know I would have been there for you."
Alex looked up and saw Nikki quickly hide her scowl as she walked into the room and saw Emily’s hands on her. She watched as Nikki draped the ice pack over the ankle, and held her hand out to her. Somewhat confused but refusing to show it, Nikki took her hand and allowed herself to be guided to the empty spot next to her on the couch. Alex looked down at Emily and began to tell her an abbreviated version of what happened.
Emily looked at her with a puzzled expression. "I just don’t understand why you’ve kept this from me for almost two months."
"First of all, I’ve not kept this from you for that long. It’s only been a couple of weeks. I was in a coma for the first five weeks. Besides, our friendship has been strained lately. It’s been slowly falling apart and you know it." Emily began to shake her head in denial. "It's true. I know I leaned heavily on you after Jo left and that gave you the wrong impression. That’s why you’ve been trying so hard, and desperately clinging to the past. The relationship you are clinging to has been over for years. All that was left was our friendship, and I’m afraid that's in question too. I honestly don’t know if it can be repaired or not." She looked up at Sarah, who sat quietly watching the exchange. "You have a very beautiful wife, Emily. She loves you far more than you know, and she deserves so much better
