"We'll be there in just a second, Kara," Alex smiled at her sister as she turned the corner. "See, that's the coffee shop. She said to go straight down. You wanna wait in the car, or d'you want to come?"
Kara was already getting out.
"Oookay," Alex laughed.
Maggie answered the door, wearing her full uniform. She looked decidedly nervous.
"Wow!" Kara exclaimed, before pulling her into a full-body hug.
Maggie looked a little stunned, and slightly bashful. She felt kinda like a kid at school, dressed up to show off to her parents. But, of course, her parents had no interest in her career. They had no interest in her at all. They would only show any interest if she renounced a central part of who she was. Maggie had been through too much to give up being herself.
"Easy tiger," Alex cautioned Kara with a smile. "Hey Maggie. You look sharp. Are we too early?"
"Nah, I want to make sure we get through the traffic okay. The earlier the better," Maggie replied. She was so grateful to these new friends of hers. Without them, today would have been difficult. Not only would she have felt horribly alone, but she would also have had to field questions from her colleagues as to why she had no support.
As the ceremony ended, Kara was clapping the loudest. Maggie watched as Alex put an affectionate arm around her sister, and whispered something in her ear. Kara calmed down a little, but was still like an over-excited puppy. Maggie envied the sisters' relationship, though she knew that it had come at a price.
When it came to paying the bill at the pizza joint, Alex slapped away Maggie's hand. "Oh no you don't, Dimples," she teased. "This one's on me. No arguing," she fixed her with a steely glare.
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"You know I could get there myself in a fraction of the time," Kara teased when Alex dropped her off at the airport to head back to Midvale.
"Don't even think about it," Alex instructed her. She pulled her into a hug, relieved as Kara returned the embrace warmly. "Kara, I'm so sorry. It was … I mean, I was … I wasn't fair to you. I should..."
"Don't," Kara said softly. "Alex, it's okay. I don't know quite what happened, but I can tell you had a rough few months. No," she held up a hand. "You don't have to tell me. I'm just so grateful you called. And I LOVE Maggie. I'm so happy you have such a good friend. And I'll be back real soon. I'll see you all the time then. I love you Alex."
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Maggie's day went from bad to worse. First another rookie spilled coffee on her shirt; then she got chewed out by her captain for wearing her spare shirt that wasn't ironed; worst of all, she was then put in charge of the drunk tank, one of the most-hated job in the precinct.
When she finally got home, she pulled out her bed and sat disconsolately on the edge. Her head pounded, and she just wanted a hug. She reached over to the drawer, and pulled out the photo of her aunt. She set it on the side. "I miss you," she touched her aunt's face.
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Alex looked over the mail. She had an offer to start as a research assistant in a respected hospital in Seattle. A few months ago, this would have filled her with pleasure. But now … at long last, she was starting to settle in the city. Kara was coming here to live, and she already had plans for a regular sister night – just the two of them, on the couch, with junk food and junk tv. Perfect. And she was making friends. She shook herself. That wasn't true. She hadn't made friends. She had made one friend. But spending time with Maggie, it was amazing how that had boosted her confidence. And her self-esteem. And with Maggie, she was remembering what it was like to be funny herself. She had always been funny as a child – serious, but still funny. But then life had gotten so serious.
With a sigh, she put the letter to one side. She had also applied to the National City Scientific Institute – for the role of laboratory chief. She knew that she was pushing it. She didn't doubt her abilities, or her qualifications. But she had zero experience in the real world. She reckoned she could handle the job, but she knew it was most unlikely that anyone would hire her for such a senior role at 22.
Sighing, Alex looked wistfully at the bottle of single malt scotch. She was trying not to drink on her own – or at least not often. She shook herself and reached for a bottle of water from the fridge. She could almost hear Maggie's voice teasing her.
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Alex grunted when her phone beeped. She grabbed her glasses from the nightstand – nobody except Kara knew that she depended on contacts – and peered at her watch. It read 5.23am. She still had seven minutes before she had to get her butt out of bed for her morning run with Maggie, and she scowled. She resented being woken early, even if it was only by seven minutes.
She reached out for her phone. It was a text from Maggie.
"wont make it migraine sorrry"
Alex sat up. Maggie must be feeling awful. The misspellings and lack of punctuation in her text made that clear – she had joked with her several times about being a 'Grammar Nazi'.
"Unlock your door next time you go to the bathroom," Alex replied by text.
Less than an hour later, Alex let herself into Maggie's tiny apartment. Maggie didn't even acknowledge her. In the gloom, Alex could see Maggie's small figure, huddled under the quilt, a towel over her head. Clearly she was trying to cut out as much light as possible.
Alex sat on the edge of the bed. Very carefully, she removed the towel, and rubbed Maggie's back gently. Maggie moaned. "What drugs have you taken?"
"Nothin'. Ran out of Tylenol," Maggie's voice was weak and distressed.
"Good thing you're friends with a doctor," Alex said in a soft voice. "I went by the drug store. Got you the good stuff. Think you can sit up?"
Maggie grunted again, and tried to lever herself up. Alex helped her to a sitting position. "You allergic to anything?" she asked.
"No."
Alex held out two tablets, and opened a bottle of water for Maggie. "Slowly," Alex advised.
Maggie swallowed the tablets, and took cautious sips of the water. "S'enough," she said.
Alex helped her to lie down. "Sleep. I'll see you again in four hours."
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As Alex watched over her friend, she looked around the small apartment. She saw a framed photo that had not been there the last time she had visited. She picked it up. It was a small woman who bore a strong resemblance to Maggie, though she was much older, maybe late 50s. Alex smiled when she spotted the trademark dimples. Carefully, she replaced the frame.
Maggie started to shift in her sleep. She turned over, and flung an arm over her eyes.
"Okay, Sawyer. You're okay," Alex sat on the edge of the bed. She ran a comforting hand over Maggie's brow.
Maggie was trying to sit up. "Gotta pee," she said.
Alex helped her to her feet, and supported her as they walked the three steps to the bathroom. "I'm right here if you need me."
Maggie didn't put the light on. Alex was relieved to hear the toilet flush, and then the sound of running water. Maggie looked like hell when she came out. She swayed dangerously, and Alex was at her side in an instant. Alex could feel her shaking. "Cold," Maggie whispered.
"I know. We'll get you warm right away." Alex lay her down and pulled the quilt over her. She looked behind the bed and saw a stack of spare blankets. She took two, and laid them over her sick friend. She sat on the bed and rubbed her back soothingly.
"Stay," Maggie pleaded.
Alex was conflicted. She didn't want to invade Maggie's personal space, but Maggie was disoriented and distressed. So she kicked off her shoes and lay next to Maggie. Maggie moaned and turned into her, casually flinging an arm around her waist.
Alex didn't think she would sleep, so she was surprised a couple of hours later to waken, finding Maggie wrapped tight around her. Maggie seemed calm. Alex looked at her watch and realized it was time for another dose. She shifted, to reach the bottle of pills.
"Stay," Maggie demanded again.
"I will," Alex soothed. "Just sit up for me. Just for a second," she helped her to sit up.
Maggie obediently swallowed the pills, drank some water, and then burrowed back into Alex's lap.
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When Maggie awoke again, it was early evening. She still felt very fragile, but she was so much better than earlier. And then she heard the toilet flush. She looked around, and saw Alex's leather jacket. So it hadn't been a dream.
Alex emerged from the bathroom, and smiled when she saw Maggie sitting up on the bed. "You're looking better."
Maggie nodded slightly. "Have you been here all day?"
"Nothin' better to do," Alex said lightly. "Seriously, how's your head?"
"Sore. But nothing like before."
"You looked like you were praying for death."
"I was," Maggie agreed. "Bathroom," she said, and moved to the side of the bed. Her balance was still badly compromised.
"Lean on me," Alex instructed. She could see Maggie was about to argue. "Don't start with me Sawyer."
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By the next morning, Maggie was feeling almost human. She smiled at the sight of her friend lying next to her, her mouth half open as she snored lightly. Even snoring, she looked super-cute. Maggie regretted that her phone was out of reach, she would have loved to take a photo.
When she came back from the bathroom, Alex was sitting up. "Hey," Alex said.
"Hey," Maggie suddenly felt shy.
Alex got out of the bed, and looked for her jeans. For the first time, Maggie realized she had slept in her t-shirt and boxers.
Alex pulled on her jeans. She gently guided Maggie to sit. She lifted her chin gently, and looked into her eyes. She held her wrist as she checked her heart rate.
"So, doc, am I gonna live?"
"At least until the end of the week," Alex replied, lightheartedly.
Maggie laughed. "Hey," she realized. "It's Friday already."
Alex shrugged. "What can I tell you Sawyer? You've gotta take the wins when you find them."
Maggie looked at her watch. "Shit, I should be in work."
"No. Not today," Alex sounded firmer than Maggie had ever heard. "Call them. Tell them your doctor has advised you to spend the day in bed."
Maggie yawned, and nodded. She couldn't understand why she was so exhausted. "You drugged me," she accused.
Alex grinned. "Worked, didn't it?"
Maggie smiled. "Thank you," she said, softly.
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When Maggie awoke, she saw Alex, sitting in the armchair, reading her copy of Pride & Prejudice. Well, she wasn't reading it. She was focused on the photo next to Maggie's bed. Damn. She had meant to put that away.
Maggie knew that Alex would understand. She just didn't have the energy to go through her whole family history right now.
"I will tell you about her," Maggie said, in a quiet voice.
Alex startled. She hadn't realize that Maggie was awake. She felt like she had been snooping. "I'm sorry," she replied. "I didn't mean to poke my nose into your business."
"I need to explain the family thing. And I will. Just not today, okay?"
"Of course, Maggie. You don't have to tell me anything at all. I'm not here to judge. Hey, how are you feeling?"
"So much better," Maggie managed a small smile. "Thanks to you. I need to apologize. I get kinda clingy when I'm sick."
"It was cute," Alex smiled. "You were cute. But tell me, do you get migraines often?" Alex looked so concerned that Maggie had to suppress a small smile.
"No," Maggie reassured her. "I really don't. Hardly ever. Bad day. Hey, Danvers, I'm fine now. Lemme take you to breakfast."
Alex smirked, and looked pointedly at her watch. It was nearly 6pm.
"Dinner then," Maggie laughed.
"You're on, Dimples. And then you," she pointed at her, "you need to get to bed early."
