"Hey, what's going on here?" Nikki asked as she broke up an argument between Lenny and Lisa.
"Piss off you" Lisa snarled.
"I don't appreciate that sort of language, Mrs Mulgrew's office now" Nikki said firmly, unaware Christine was only around the corner.
"Yeah, well I don't appreciate you sticking your nose in where it's not wanted" Lisa pushed harshly past Nikki, knocking the unsuspecting teacher off balance and causing her to fall down the flight of stairs with a scream.
Lisa froze as she saw her teacher, "What the hell's going on here?" Christine yelled, she'd heard the scream and ran up the stairs as she saw Lenny crouched down over Nikki's crumpled body.
"I'm fine" Nikki mumbled as she sat up, "I lost my footing."
Christine looked at Lisa and Lenny, "you two can wait for me in my office" she said, waiting for the teens to leave before crouching beside Nikki, "are you sure you're okay? Do you need me to call an ambulance?"
Nikki shook her head and chose to ignore the pain in her wrist, "I'm okay, I just need a minute."
"Why don't you go home?" Christine asked, "take the rest of the day off." She didn't give Nikki chance to respond before adding, "that's not an offer it's an order."
Nikki nodded, she didn't want to answer any questions, she just wanted to curl up in her bed and never come out again, "thanks Christine."
Christine nodded and held out a hand to help Nikki to her feet, "call me if you need anything Nikki."
"I will" Nikki nodded, even though she knew she wouldn't.
"I better go and sort those two out, take it easy yeah."
"Yeah" Nikki nodded as Christine made her way back towards the office and Nikki stiffly made her way to the PRU to get her bag, her wrist throbbing and every muscle in her body aching. She got her things together and slowly made her way out to the car stopping only at an off licence on her way home.
She dropped her bag on the floor once she was home, placed the bottles from the off licence on the side and made her way to her bedroom where she changed into a pair of plain black leggings and an oversized men's hoodie that still smelt of it's previous owner's aftershave.
Nikki had planned on drinking herself stupid once she was home but instead found herself curling into a ball on her bed, tears rolling silently down her face as she tried to ignore the ache in her wrist and the niggling pain in her stomach.
She didn't sleep that night, she stayed on her bed staring blankly at the plain magnolia wall, the alcohol left untouched in the living room, her phone left uncharged in her handbag.
"Have you seen Nikki?" Christine asked Simon the next morning, "I was meant to meet with her first thing to talk about boxing, it's not like her to be late."
Simon shrugged and didn't look up from the text he was sending Sue, "haven't seen her, have you tried ringing her?"
Christine raised an eyebrow and gestured to the phone in her hand, "it just goes straight to voicemail."
"I dunno then, didn't she skive off early yesterday?"
"She slipped on the stairs, she wouldn't let me call a doctor so I told her to go home yesterday. Do you think I should go round and make sure she's okay?"
"I'm sure Nikki can take care of herself"
Christine shook her head, "I'm going to pop round, you'll be okay to hold the fort for an hour or so wont you?" she asked as she bought up Nikki's home address on her computer and scribbled it on the back of her hand, "or would I be better off leaving George in charge?"
It didn't take Christine long to drive to Nikki's house and she wasn't particularly surprised when she knocked on the door and didn't get a reply. She was however surprised when she tried the door handle and the door swung open easily, "Nikki" she called into the seemingly empty house, "it's Christine." She didn't get a reply and her heart began to pound in fear of what she would find with every door she pushed open and every room she found empty.
"Nikki" she tapped gently on the door to the final room and sighed in relief as she found Nikki curled on the bed, still staring into space, tear tracks dried on her cheeks, "Nikki" she sat down on the edge of the bed and Nikki jumped slightly.
"Christine" she frowned, "what are you doing here?"
"It's 10.30 Nikki, after what happened yesterday I was worried about you, and rightly so by the looks of things."
"I'm okay"
"Your wrist looks sore" Christine pointed out how bruised and swollen it looked.
Nikki nodded, she hadn't noticed, "I landed on it yesterday" she winced as she stretched out her fingers before balling them back into a fist, "I think it might be broken."
"Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"
Nikki shrugged, "not particularly but I suppose I need to go" she said as she sat up from the bed, the simple action of standing up taking more energy than she thought she had, her head felt like it was made of lead and all her muscles protested as she slowly trudged out of her house, not even bothering to pick up her bag. Christine frowned as she watched Nikki walk out of the house and picked up the younger woman's bag from the floor at the bottom of the stairs and locked the door, dropping the keys into the bag.
"It's open" she said softly as she saw Nikki waiting by the car and Nikki nodded silently before slipping into the passenger seat of Christine's car and allowing herself to be driven to the hospital.