Nikki stabbed drunkenly at her phone, her eyes too blurry to focus on anything. She hiccuped slightly and her finger jerked towards the screen, hitting the fuzzy green blob, completely unaware who's number she'd just dialed.
Christine frowned as her phone began to vibrate where she'd left it charging by her bed and she glanced briefly at the time before answering the call, unsure as to why Nikki Boston would be ringing her at almost 4am, "Nikki?" she mumbled sleepily.
"Christine" Nikki giggled, recognising her boss' voice almost instantly, "why aren't you asleep?"
"I was sleeping until you called me Nikki, is everything okay?"
Nikki frowned, "Vix left" she whispered, "I fucked up and now she's gone" she began to sob.
"Where are you Nikki?" Christine asked as she heard shouting and screaming in the background.
"Out" Nikki mumbled, "I, I needed to go out." Her flat was full of Vix's stuff, she hadn't been able to stay there, constantly being reminded that she'd probably never see the woman she loved again.
"Out where? Are you in a bar or a pub? Are you safe?"
"I,erm, the bar closed" Nikki giggled before frowning, "I can't go home."
"Which bar were you in Nikki? Are you still outside?"
Nikki mumbled the name of a bar, "I think I'm going to be sick" she said before beginning to heave.
Christine got out of bed, stopping only to pull a jacket on over her pyjamas and slip on a pair of shoes, "I'm on my way Nikki, stay where you are."
"Don't, you don't need to."
"I do, I won't be able to sleep anyway, not until I know you're safe."
"I can't, I can't go home" Nikki sobbed down the phone.
Christine clicked her phone into the hands free cradle in her car, "you can sleep in Connor's room tonight, don't worry about it."
"I'm sorry Christine" Nikki whispered, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay" Christine tried to reassure her, "I'm hardly one to judge you" she said honestly, suddenly feeling guilty for everything she'd put Connor through in the past.
Christine frowned when she found Nikki, sat against a wall, her head bowed, her knees curled to her chest. She reached out a hand to Nikki's shoulder before quickly pulling it back when Nikki swung her arm out in defence, "get off me" she growled, her accent more northern than Christine had ever heard it before.
"Nikki it's just me" she said softly, "it's Christine, I'm not going to hurt you,"
Nikki looked up, her bloodshot eyes meeting Christine's, "Christine" she frowned, "you, you were talking to me" she slurred
Christine nodded, "you called me, we were talking on the phone, I said you could stay in Connor's room tonight.
Nikki nodded and allowed Christine to help her to the car, leaning her head against the cool glass once Christine had shut the door, "I'm sorry" Nikki whispered once Christine was home, "I should never have called you."
Christine glanced over at Nikki, frowning when she saw the tears running silently down her cheeks, "hey, no, I'm glad you did" she said softly as she pulled up outside your house, "let's get you into bed, I won't wake you in the morning, it'll do you better to take the day off and sleep this off. I'll get cover for your classes."
Nikki nodded, stumbling slightly as she got out of the car, "you should just have left me in the gutter."
"I think we both know that wasn't going to happen Nikki" Christine said as she wrapped her arm around Nikki's waist to hold her up as they walked up the stairs into Connor's room.
"You smell like coconut" Nikki whispered, laying her head on Christine's shoulder as she walked, "I like it.".
"Thanks" Christine laughed as she sat Nikki on the edge of Connor's bed, "I'll get you something to change into" she said as she walked back into her room to get Nikki some pyjamas, "here we go" she said as she walked back into the room, stifling her laugh as she saw Nikki had tried to get undressed but was struggling to get her skinny jeans off over the ankle boots she hadn't yet taken off. "Come here" Christine smiled slightly kneeling down by the bed to slip off Nikki's shoes, "there we go."
"You've got pretty hair" Nikki clumsily reached out to run her fingers through Christine's hair, "it's so soft."
"Thanks" Christine smiled taking hold of Nikki's hand and squeezing it softly, "let's get you into bed and I'll get you a glass of water and some paracetamol." Nikki nodded, kicking off her jeans and pulling off her grey tshirt before laying back on the bed wearing nothing but a matching set of lacy underwear and a bright blue pair of socks with cartoon frogs printed on, "I'll leave you to get changed" Christine said quietly, putting the pyjamas on the bed and leaving the room.
She returned a few minutes later with the glass of water and a box of paracetamol to find Nikki had fallen asleep, laid sideways across the bed, still only wearing her underwear and socks. She put down the glass by the bed and picked up the blanket from the end of the bed to cover Nikki and made a mental note to call Connor at a more decent hour to remind him how proud she was of him, how grateful she was for everything he'd done for her. She was about to leave the room when she decided to roll Nikki onto her side just incase she was sick, propping her up with the pillows from the bed to keep her off her back, something she remembered her son doing to her on several occasions. Once she was sure Nikki would be okay she made her way back to her own room, if she was lucky she could grab another hour of much needed sleep before her alarm went off.
Christine groaned as her alarm clock went off seemingly just seconds after she'd closed her eyes. She reluctantly dragged herself from the comfort of her memory foam mattress and grabbed her dressing gown before making her way down the hall to the bathroom, hoping a shower would help to wake her up.
Only once she was ready to leave did Christine make her way upstairs to check on Nikki, intending to leave a note to tell the younger woman she was welcome to stay as long as she wanted but when she pushed open the door the bed had been neatly made and Nikki was nowhere to be seen.