Set post-series. Nikita still manages to injure herself.
"Fuck!" Nikita shrieked as she hit the ground.
"Fuck," Birkhoff mumbled as he dumped the controller on his lap.
While Nikita, Alex, and Sonya went to the local park for a walk after lunch, Michael and Birkhoff stayed in the apartment to play videogames. The family had all met at the nerds' place in London to hang out and relax for a couple of days. Their crazy schedules finally lined up enough for them to travel and get together. Although they hadn't engaged in their usual antics, the friends still had a blast with one another. It was fun simply being with one another. Since they had gained their freedoms, they didn't get to do that often. There were times when they missed being constantly by one another's side.
Except, as he played videogames with Michael, Birkhoff lost some of his fond memories of living with the others. He used to be able to kick his best friend's virtual ass without problem. Sure, Michael could win a round or two. But Birkhoff had almost always been superior when they played games. Tragically, the tables were turned then. The nerd was struggling to keep up with the former agent. The latest round wasn't an exception. He wanted to frustratedly cuss some more as he whined, "How the hell did you get so good at this?"
"Time for you to catch up, Nerd," Smirking slyly, Michael taunted. He honestly had no idea how he was doing so well that day. He didn't play videogames except for when he hung out with Birkhoff. Maybe he finally cracked the code after so many years of losing. Or, more realistically, he was just having a lucky streak while his friend was distracted. Regardless, Michael was determined to keep winning. The more it pissed Birkhoff off, the better.
Birkhoff was attempting to think of ways to pay his not-so-best friend back for his smirk and comment when a phone notification interrupted him. Someone had texted Michael, and, judging by his surprised expression, it was unexpected. Reading the message didn't make anything clearer. In fact, Alex's words made it all the more worse, "Come get your wife."
"Birkhoff, hold on," Michael stopped Birkhoff from starting another round. Alex's text not only had him confused, he was also extremely concerned. The women had just gone on a walk in the park. What could've possibly caused Alex to text Michael like that about Nikita. What could his wife have possibly gotten up to.
Before he could respond, Alex began typing another message. It took a moment to send. But once it did, Michael understood why. The newest text was a picture of Nikita. She was stretched out in the backseat of the car, scratches and bruises decorating her bronze skin and her right arm in a makeshift sling made from somebody's jacket. Alex managed to capture the picture from the driver's seat (hopefully taken at a red light) so the image was a bit blurry. Yet Nikita's injuries and bright smile were clear. The follow up text really sealed the effect of the picture in, "See what happens when you aren't around to control her?"
"Ah, fuck me," Dropping his head in his hands, Michael groaned. Of course Nikita would get herself injured while they were on vacation. They couldn't ever truly relax.
"What? What happened?" Immediately, Birkhoff wondered what was going on. He checked his own phone to see if the texts were sent to the group chat. They weren't. He'd have to rely on Michael for answers. However, he wasn't sharing anything. He took a quick second to get himself together, then he called his wife.
It took a few rings for Nikita to answer her phone. The instant she did, she was all smiles and fake excitement. She wasn't even trying that hard to cover up her misdeeds, "Hey, Babe! How are you? I'm great."
"What hospital are you going to?" Michael sighed. There was no doubt he'd have to meet her at a doctor's office to get her arm checked out. She just couldn't hurt herself mildly.
"What happened?" Snapping for Michael's attention, Birkhoff mouthed. He couldn't ignore what was occurring when words like 'hospital' were hanging in the air. Luckily, his friend didn't leave him in the dark for long. He placed the call on speaker and showed him the picture of an injured yet grinning Nikita.
Alex was the one to inform Michael and Birkhoff where they were going. There was an urgent care not far from the park. The women should be able to arrive there before the men even left the apartment; though, only if they weren't distracted by other things. And, according to Nikita, they were certainly distracted, "But we're stopping by the vet clinic first so Sonya can get the kitten checked out."
"What kitten?" Stumbling as he pulled on his shoes, Michael was almost too afraid to ask. First, his wife was hurt. Then, there was an animal involved. What the hell were the three women even doing at the park. They definitely weren't walking.
"This one," Birkhoff had received his own text from Alex while they were talking. Again, she had managed to get a picture from the driver's seat (at least that time it was confirmed that she was stopped at a light). Sonya sat in the passenger seat next to her, gently and lovingly holding a scrawny black kitten. Although she was smiling, she wasn't looking at the camera. Her whole attention was on the little thing in her arms. A caption was attracted to the photograph, somewhat explaining what that was all about, 'Hey, B. You got a new pet'.
Both Michael and Birkhoff rolled their eyes. It was expected for Nikita and Alex to cause trouble while they were together. Yet Sonya was the rational one out of the three. She wouldn't have let the other two run wild. Then again, she was holding onto that kitten so tenderly, she was probably swayed to follow along with the others' antics. Michael seriously had to know what all that was about, "What the hell happened?"
"All those lies I told as a kid about falling out of a tree finally caught up to me," Nikita played it light. Her husband didn't have to worry about her. She was actually able to go to a doctor for her injuries. She was fine.
"You fell out of a tree?" Michael didn't mean to shout. He was more annoyed with his wife than angry with her. However, that didn't take away his shock. Nor did it suppress his concern. Nikita could've gotten seriously hurt. More than just her arm could be damaged. He prayed she hadn't hit her head when she crashed to the ground.
"Why were you lying about falling out of trees?" Puzzled, Sonya finally drew her attention away from the cat. Although Alex shook her head at the question, Nikita shrugged.
"To excuse my broken bones," It was a far simpler answer than Nikita should've given Sonya, yet she didn't want to delve into her troublesome childhood at the moment. She had other things to worry about.
Her husband grumbling on the other end of the line was a much more prominent problem. He almost seemed to whine as he asked, "Why are you breaking bones?"
Nikita sighed. She should've explained what had happened right away. She just wanted Michael to calm down first. Considering she was hurt, that wouldn't have been a possibility. He was going to be worked up until he brought her home from the hospital. She had to rip the bandaid off the story and her slight stupidity, "Well, we went to the parkā¦"
"Oh no. The baby's stuck in the tree," Sonya pointed up at a tiny black kitten high in the branches of a decaying tree. She had just arrived at the part with Nikita and Alex when she heard the very faint meows. There were a few strays in the neighborhood, so the sound wasn't too odd. However, those meows were so tiny and pathetic they couldn't be ignored. Sonya was glad she didn't. Once she looked up, she recognized the poor little kitten. Her heart broke at the sight.
Stopping abruptly in their steps, Alex and Nikita looked where Sonya was pointing. It took them a little longer to spot the kitten in the tree. When they did, though, they weren't as concerned as she was. She must've known more than they did, as questioned by Alex, "Do you know that cat?"
"It's a stray that lives around here. It used to always be with its mother, but I haven't seen that cat around for awhile. I think it's all alone now," Keeping her eyes on the terrified kitten, Sonya explained. She had seen a mother cat and her kittens wander around the neighborhood for weeks. However, as time went on, the number of cats diminished. They were either killed, or taken by animal control. All that was left was the baby in the tree. She couldn't bear the idea of something happening to it as well. It shouldn't suffer so much all alone.
"We have to get it. It could get hurt or killed," Without even a second of hesitation, Nikita marched over to the tree. She completely agreed with Sonya's concern then. Nothing could happen to that baby kitten.
"Careful. I think the tree is rotted," Noticing the caution tapes and cones around the tree, Alex warned. The tree was leafless and the bark looked sickly. It was more than likely diseased, and park maintenance planned to cut it down soon. The branches might not have been suitable for climbing. Nikita or the kitten could fall and get hurt.
"Even more reason to grab the kitten," Nikita studied the tree in determination. There wasn't a branch low enough for her to grab or hop up on. Normally, she would just run up to the tree and jump off the trunk to grab a branch and pull herself up. But she was afraid that might startle and hurt the kitten. She had to find another way up. Her best solution was to order Alex around, "Boost me up."
Despite her eye roll, Alex did help Nikita climb the tree. She cupped her hands under her best friend's foot and quickly lifted her in the air. Nikita managed to grab hold of a branch. Except, her feet swung wildly in her attempt to get enough momentum and strength to lift herself up. On one swing, she caught Alex in the chin. It was only a light tap, and she made it onto the branch after that. But Alex still felt the need to glare, "I hope you get scratched up."
"Already did," Nikita huffed as she finally placed her feet on the branch. The kitten wasn't too far away from her, thank God. She only had to jump up a few branches and shimmy over. After her struggled attempt at the beginning, the rest was easy. She just had to not think about the scratches she earned and the sickly way the tree felt.
"Be careful!" Anxiously, Sonya called out. She stared transfixed at Nikita and the kitten, fidgeting with the sleeve of her jacket. Alex, on the other hand, stared at the tree in contemplation. She believed there was a way she could climb up and help. Nikita could get to the kitten on her own. It was coming back down that was the problem. After all her time spent in the woods, Alex knew that for certain.
"It's okay. I got you," Finally, Nikita was close enough to the kitten to grab it. She gently cooed and slowly reached for it, continuing to smile and speak softly. The cat didn't come to her immediately. It had to be goaded into her arms. Yet once she had a secure hold, she held the kitten tightly to her. She wasn't concerned about squishing it or causing it to yowl. As long as it didn't squirm and she wasn't afraid of dropping it, she'd hold on as tightly as she could. They were both making it out of that tree.
Climbing down was far more difficult than climbing up. Not only did Nikita have to waste her left hand holding the kitten, she had to scramble across rotted tree limbs made even weaker by her earlier movements. Alex directed her movements from the ground, which helped immensely. But even her best friend couldn't see the rotted branch that was about to break. The second Nikita plopped her full weight on it, everything snapped. The world crumbled beneath her feet and she plunged so far down into the deep.
Honestly, Nikita hardly registered what happened next. She was only aware that she held the kitten close to her chest and tried to break her fall with her other hand. Obviously, whatever she did hadn't worked. She hit the ground with a loud curse. Alex and Sonya were immediately crouched down by her side. They helped her sit up and fussed over her, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Take the kitten. It okay?" Muttering tersely, Nikita held out the cat for someone to take. She had tried her best to protect the animal during the fall. She hoped it worked. Otherwise, she took the brunt of it for nothing.
"Scared, but seems fine," Sonya cradled the kitten close to her chest. It clung to her, shaking violently. It didn't make any sounds of pain or distress; the baby was only terrified. Just like Sonya and Alex. Nikita wasn't responding as much as she should have.
"What about you? Did you hit your head?" Cupping Nikita's chin in her hand, Alex examined her closely. Although she was extremely pale, her eyes weren't unfocused or dazed. She didn't have a concussion, but she definitely was in shock. Nikita remained on the ground, sitting absolutely still. A moment had to pass before she could even reply to Alex.
"No. I'm good," Nikita shook her head. She was fairly certain that she had tucked her head in during the fall. Besides, the only thing that was really hurting her was her right arm. Her shoulder burned, and she couldn't feel her elbow at all. Cautiously, she attempted to move it from its bent position. Nausea boiled in her stomach first. Then, her head swam. Then, one of the worst pains she had ever felt sent a thousand fiery needles up her arm. She unfortunately knew that feeling all too well. It made her curl into a ball and scream, "That's broken. Fuck, fuck, fuck. That's definitely broken."
The rest of the story moved simply from there. Sonya gave Alex her jacket so she could make a sling for Nikita. And the three- plus the kitten- slowly moved to the car so they could go to the hospital and the vet. Nikita was going to call Michael once they arrived at the hospital; she could assure him that she was fine when she was in a doctor's care. But Alex sent the taunting photograph before then. The same went for Sonya and the kitten. She wanted to tell Birkhoff about it after the visit to the vet. There went her surprise.
While Michael took a second to process the information, Birkhoff burst into laughter. Nothing was particularly funny. It was simply ridiculous. Nikita couldn't settle, and her husband had to deal with all the craziness that entailed, "You signed up for this when you said 'I do'."
"We're flying home. We have to go through security and customs. Then we have to find another doctor at home to take off her cast," Michael collapsed against the doorway. He couldn't complain about Nikita saving a poor little kitten. Yet he could complain about her timing- it was just as horrible as always.
He could also complain about the friends who encouraged her. His wife was impulsive, but the others knew better, "Alex, why didn't you stop her? Or, I don't know, get a ladder?"
"Like I can make her do anything," Alex bit. She had to admit that she hadn't thought about getting a ladder either. But even if she had, Nikita was already set on her course to climb the tree right that second. Nothing short of death could've deterred her.
Michael expelled a harsh breath. He couldn't argue or start lecturing. It would only fall on deaf ears. At least they were free to do anything with their lives. There wasn't a world shattering mission or war to worry about. Stupid injuries didn't have to have dire consequences. They could deal with them (and complain about them) like normal people, "I'll meet you at the hospital. And Birkhoff will meet Sonya at the vet."
"I love you," Nikita said brightly into the phone.
"I love you too, crazy girl," Michael chuckled slightly, then hung up.
Alex dropped Sonya off at the vet, and she was soon joined by Birkhoff. The kitten was uninjured from the fall; though, he did need his vaccinations and some flea treatment. After that, he was free to go home with the nerds. That wasn't what they had planned, but they gladly accepted the cat into their home.
When Michael met with Nikita at the hospital, Alex left them alone. She went to the store to pick up cat supplies for Sonya and Birkhoff. She also grabbed colorful permanent markers and stickers to decorate Nikita's cast. Her best friend couldn't walk around with something so unfashionable. Alex had to dress it up. She also had to torment Nikita over it.
Nikita's elbow was broken, as was her collarbone; though, after all the damage her shoulder had taken over the years, that wasn't a surprise. When she had fallen, she landed directly on her right side, completely protecting the kitten on her left. Michael couldn't help but smile at the fact. Of course she continued to sacrifice her own wellbeing to protect others. His wife the martyr.
She soon sported a cast, spanning from her wrist to her bicep, for her elbow and a sling for her collarbone. She'd have to keep them on and keep her arm still for over a month. That was going to be difficult. Nikita didn't believe she could be still. Michael didn't either. Yet he saw more humor in that than frustration (at least for the moment). Despite where they were in their life, she wouldn't change who she was. He loved her for that- even when she annoyed him. He'd never fault her for being her. And he was so lucky she felt the same about him.
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