Maggie was the one to drive Bianca home from the hospital.
"Did it go well?" she asked once she started the car.
"Well I've got on my feet." said Bianca, "I'm no longer confined to a bed. So it's good news."
"Good." said Maggie.
There was a brief uncomfortable silence and Maggie turned out onto the road.
"So," said Bianca with a sigh, "Are you going to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" asked Maggie.
The silence returned. Bianca had sworn she wouldn't interfere, but she hated the tension that was now there between her two exes.
"You know what," said Bianca, "You and Reese!"
Maggie sniffed.
"It was a mistake." she said abruptly.
"Really?" asked Bianca. "I thought you two were close."
Maggie shook her head and then slammed on the brakes. She turned to Bianca.
"Yeah and then I blew it!" she exclaimed. There was anger and desperation in her eyes now.
"Maggie…" began Bianca, reaching out to take her old friend by the hand.
A horn sounded impatiently.
Bianca turned, there were a few cars behind them.
"Maybe we should take this off the road?" she suggested.
…
Maggie pulled in at the parking lot outside Krystal's.
"Do you want to go in for a coffee?" Bianca asked, but Maggie just shook her head.
"Well come on then… spill! What exactly happened between the two of you?" Bianca asked.
Maggie's sad expression turned into a small grin.
"Not like that!" Bianca exclaimed. "Just…"
Maggie gave a big sigh.
"It was just… just two lonely women trying not to be lonely."
"But you do like Reese."
Maggie smiled and looked coyly to Bianca.
"Yeah, I like her. I… She's been a good friend and I think she needed a friend too."
Bianca nodded knowingly.
"I guess it can't have been easy for her after the divorce."
"No."
Bianca closed her eyes for a moment. This wasn't the easiest situation to be in; trying to reconcile you ex-girlfriend with your ex-wife. She still couldn't raise much sympathy for Reese after she had thrown their marriage away for work but Maggie and Reese seemed to work together and she would rather see them both happy.
"So why won't you talk to her?" Bianca eventually asked.
"Because I just do this all the time… ruin a friendship by complicating it."
"I hope you don't mean me?" said Bianca.
"Not just you." said Maggie, with a pained expression on her face.
Bianca's smile grew knowing.
"Or is this you being you - Kiss and run until you can decide what you really want to do with your feelings."
"Is that me?" Maggie asked.
Bianca just met Maggie's gaze.
Maggie couldn't hold it for long.
"Okay it is me. I'm a coward…" she said looking down. "I admit it. It's just easier to run sometimes!"
"You can't keep running forever!"
"I'm managed so far." said Maggie trying to be flip but the cockiness didn't meet her eyes.
"And how is it working out for you… It's been almost ten years since we broke up, do you mean you haven't had a relationship in all that time?"
"Oh Bianca!" said Maggie. "You know me… I've never had relationship that lasted a year! Our friendship; that was the longest relationship I ever had and I just… blew it! I don't want to make the same mistake with Reese!" Maggie pulled her hands through her hair as she though back to Valentine's night. "And yet I already have, haven't I?"
"Surely that all depends in the relationship you want with Reese."
"I don't know what I want." said Maggie.
"Well you won't have anything at all if you can't talk to her!"
"I know." Maggie turned to Bianca again. "But what do I say?"
"All you can do is be honest with yourself, and with Reese. For what it's worth I think she does like you."
"Knowing that doesn't make it any easier." said Maggie.
She reached up and gripped the steering wheel, trying to get a grip of herself at the same time.
"I should be getting you home." she said eventually.
"I'm good if you need to talk." said Bianca.
Maggie shook her head again.
"No, what I need to do now is a bit of thinking." she said quietly. She started the car again. "Come on, let's get you home."
…