"Did you get lost?" she asked, thinking it was Dani. She heard the squeak of the door and looked up into Nikki’s eyes.
Suddenly a disembodied voice said, "Alex? Is that you?"
Her eyes widened. "Emily?" She quickly looked down at the screen on her phone then back up at the group walking into her room.
"Damn it, Alex, where the hell have you been?" She watched as Nikki quickly picked up Madison and walked back out the door. "I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks."
Alex hung her head. "Emily, I —"
"I thought you were dead, Alex."
"I’m sorry, Em."
"You’re always sorry, Alex, but you never change." Emily replied angrily. "Jesus, I seriously thought you were dead. I even checked the morgue for your body."
A tear slid slowly down her cheek as she heard the pain in her friend's voice. "I’m so sorry."
"The morgue, Alex." Emily sighed. "You're such an ass."
Alex wiped her cheek and said, "I know. I'm an ass of monumental proportions and I don’t know why you put up with me."
"Because I remember what you were like before. I miss that Alexis."
"I’m trying, Em, but that Alexis is dead." She paused and the silence was like a weight bearing down on her. "I love you, you’re my best friend."
Emily grunted her disbelief. "I’m your only friend, Alex, but I don’t know how much longer we can keep doing this. Why don’t you call me when you figure out what it is you want from me."
Alex looked down at her phone in time to see the call end. She took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together quickly. Slowly wheeling her chair over near Dani and Rachel she said, "Well, now that we’ve gotten the totally awkward out of the way, I wanted to thank you both for the clothes. Which of you wise guys chose the underwear?" With a chuckle Dani pointed at Rachel.
Rachel smiled. "What can I say? You're my hero. They didn’t have any with angel’s wings, so I got the next best thing."
She carefully stood, placing all of her weight on her right leg, and extended her hand. "I’m Alex, you must be Rachel."
"I am." Rachel smiled and stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. "She’s wrong you know. You have more friends than she is aware of." She pulled back and helped Alex sit back down. "Why didn’t you tell her what happened?"
"Habit I guess." At the quizzical expressions before her she shrugged. "I’ve become a very private person over the years, just one of the many things Emily hates about me these days."
"What else is Emily upset about?" Rachel asked.
Alex grimaced. "She hates the fact that I’m not the Alexis Mohr she used to know. I don’t like public attention anymore and I have issues with strangers."
Rachel looked at her knowingly. "Trust issues?"
"Rachel, honey, you need to stop." Dani looked at Alex and said, "I’m sorry."
Alex gave them both a knowing smile. "It’s okay. Occupational hazard, I suppose."
Rachel blinked several times as her head tilted to one side. "What do you mean?"
Alex shrugged. "I don’t know exactly what letters you have after your name, but you know exactly what questions to ask, and how to ask them." She sat back in the chair and looked down at the cream colored linoleum. "I’ve never been to a shrink before, but I’ve thought about it. It might be time."
Rachel knelt beside the chair and into her line of sight, forcing Alex to look at her. "I can help you with your fear and trust issues, but being an ass is a choice," she said with a grin. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a business card. "Call me if you want to talk. I will always make time for you."
Taking the card, she tucked it into her pocket without looking at it. "Thank you."
Chapter Four
The next few days passed swiftly for Alex. She had physical therapy twice a day and was beginning to make progress. The doctors said she wouldn’t be able to put any weight on her left leg for at least a couple more months, and had a long road of therapy and rehab ahead, but at least she knew she’d walk again. They kept telling her not to get her hopes up too high, that she’d most likely always walk with a pronounced limp, but she refused to let them dampen her enthusiasm. She was fitted for a special brace that would keep her from straightening the leg and placing weight on it. With the brace she was able to use crutches to get around instead of just the wheelchair.
Heading back to her room after her morning workout, she rounded the corner and saw Madison and Dani waiting beside her door. She smiled when Madison noticed her and called out, "Angel!" before launching herself at Alex. The nurse’s aide stopped the chair so she could help Madison climb into her lap and settle on her good leg.
Dani walked up and said, "I’ll take it from here, thank you."
The nurse’s aide nodded, stepped away from the wheelchair, and said, "I’ll see you in a few hours, Alex."
Dani pushed the chair into the room while Alex chatted with Madison. She saw the drooping eyes and felt the small body cuddle closer. "How would you like to lay down with me while I tell you a story?" she asked.
Madison looked at her distrustfully. "I don’t want to take a nap."
"Of course not sweetie, neither do I. I would, however, like to get out of this chair. It makes my back hurt if I sit in it too long." She looked up at Dani with a wink before turning back to Madison. "What do you say?"
"Okay." Madison climbed down off her lap. "I don’t want you to hurt."
Alex smiled and wheeled over beside the bed, pulled a T-shirt from the drawer, and slipped it on over her tank top. She maneuvered the chair
