"Morning" Bree replied.
Katherine slid her apron over her head, ready for a new day of work. She hardly looked at Bree as she walked past her, almost touching her. The redhead swallowed, keeping her eyes on the menu that rested on the counter.
"By the way, is it ok if I leave a bit earlier for my therapy today?" Katherine asked.
"Sure" her partner nodded.
After two weeks of agony in hospital, Katherine had finally recovered from the stab that almost killed her. The residents of Wisteria Lane gave her a warm welcome, asking her how she was feeling almost every minute and offering to help her in anything she needed. Susan had done some shopping for her. Gabrielle had invited herself over for coffee several times to keep her company and entertain her, even if it was only for a short while. Lynette had cleaned her house so that she could have a rest. Mrs. McCluskey and all the men on the Lane had also paid their little contribution.
Only the very neighbor whose attention she would have wanted most was exactly the one who had done the least. Bree didn't even visit her while she was in hospital. Katherine had already been surprised that she had turned up at her welcome party. On the other hand, the flame-haired caterer had finally given her something she had struggled a lot to get back – her old job. It had been a very awkward moment. Neither of them had mentioned the argument they had had a month before. Bree merely called her and offered her the job, which she accepted. Katherine had even swallowed her pride and refrained from pointing out to her partner in business that she was just re-hiring her because now she had found herself alone after the jewel of her crown, Sam, had left. Apparently, her economic needs and her urge to find a distraction were much stronger.
After giving her some indications of what they were preparing, Bree began working on the sauce. Both women cooked in silence, hardly looking at each other. Whenever one caught the other's glance, she would look away immediately. If they exchanged a word, it was always referred to the food or to plan the event. No friendly conversations.
Bree bit her lip hard, concentrating all her efforts on giving the sauce the desired thickness. It kept her from thinking of how unbearable the situation was. Yes, Katherine's body had survived – but a part of her had left in the ambulance and never come back. Their friendship had died, and the redhead knew that she was the one to blame. She could have made an effort to overcome her fears and shame and visited Katherine in hospital. In the worst case, she could have offered to do some small tasks for her, just like the other neighbors had. Just like one more friend, pretending nothing had changed. Yet she had chosen to do what she did best – running away.
If there was a reason why she hadn't turned up in hospital, it wasn't that she was too busy or that she didn't care about the state of her friend. In fact, there were two reasons. She knew that seeing Katherine in that hospital bed would have broken her heart, and she knew she could never pretend in front of her and would end up breaking down. Besides, the memories of that dark morning were still fresh in her mind. No doubt, it would be just the same for Katherine, and nothing frightened her more than to relive it… especially a very particular moment.
Therefore, they had reached an agreement. Like an unspoken, invisible contract between them, both women had decided to keep their relationship strictly professional. Neither of them had said a word. Katherine never reproached her for not visiting her in hospital or for doing nothing more than small talk with her at her party. Nor did Bree try to justify her actions. However childish it sounded, the two of them had decided that the best and wisest thing to do was to act like perfect strangers. It was easier this way.
Hoping she wouldn't hear her sighing, the auburn-haired lady looked at her co-worker out of the corner of her eye. As her eyes travelled back to the turkey she was boning, the same thought that had been replaying over and over in her head since she had gone back to the business they shared struck her: This is not working. For worse or for better, she knew Bree as though she had created her. She was aware that, in extreme situations or altered states of mind, the redhead tended to act out of character. Yet that was only the heat of the moment. Later, after having time to think it through and realizing what she had done, everything would go back to the way it always was. In every little gesture, in her self-conscious body language when they were on their own, whenever she averted her gaze Katherine could feel Bree's shame. And it hurt. It hurt too much. Nevertheless, she had chosen to respect her friend's decision and let go of all the bonds between them, no matter how much she wished for things to be different.
Every now and then, many questions assaulted her mind. Did Bree see her in a different light just because of the recent discovery of her true sexual orientation? Or had it just been the straw that broke the camel's back after all they had been through together? But the question that echoed most often inside her head was – why had Bree kissed her? And whenever she found herself in these thoughts, the answer that occurred to her was always the same. Probably what had made the redhead place her lips on her friend's was the fear of losing her forever. Although she had said that she loved her in more than a sisterly way, Katherine was sure that she had read too much into that friendly gesture. In the bottom of her troubled heart, though, she hoped that it had meant much more than that. Yet there was nothing else for her to do; the decision was already made.
