”My son’s right. Vinny’s alive…I lied to you, obviously the only thing I’m good at these days. I’m so sorry, Nicky. I just—I don’t handle rejection well…I couldn’t deal with the fact that he left me and Nico! So I-I made up a lie to help me cope. What else is new?”

Nicky kisses her softly on the head. She sighs, peering sadly down at the woman she loves—the woman who should have been with her instead of that Vinny, who certainly wasn’t her soul-mate. ”I know, baby, I know it’s hard for you to be rejected. I wish ya woulda known that Vinny wasn’t right for you sooner—then ya wouldn’ta hadda go through such heartbreak. You coulda been with me and-and maybe—”

”Maybe you wouldn’ta almost killed yourself…You’re right, hon. I hate myself for hurting you so much. I-I really do,” the brunette tearfully tells her, nuzzling her head softly against Nicky’s neck.

”No, no…baby, you are not at fault for that,” Nicky firmly assures her, wrapping her arms snugger around her waist. ”Please don’t think that. Do not blame yourself for my actions. I’m the one who ingested a nearly lethal amount of heroin—I’m the one who landed herself in the hospital. You did not do anything…except take care of me and shower me with love even after I abused the same drug that sent me to prison.”

Lorna shakes her head. ”I fucking hurt you by choosing stupid Vinny over you—I left you and made you feel like shit. Of course, it’s my fault, hon. I’m a selfish whore. I deserved to be rejected by Vinny. I brought it on myself.”

Stroking her hair delicately, the redhead stares sternly down at her. ”Lorna, let’s stop talking about my overdose and talk about what happened with you. We already know it’s my fault for overdosing. I don’t want to hear another word outta you putting the blame on yourself. It’s not your fault! This is supposed to be about you; stop changing the subject.”

”Nothing happened with me. What the hell? All I did was make up a lie about Vinny. What else is there to say?” Lorna’s voice wary and irritated.

Nicky lets out a deep breath and tries to soften her demeanor. She cups Lorna’s head in her hands, leaning their foreheads soothingly together. ”That’s not what I’m talking about, baby. Nico told me how bad your mental illness has gotten—that ya gotta take medicine now and if you don’t, things happen. He told me an incident you had when you refused to take them. He walked in on you trying to drown yourself? What the—why would you do that, kid? Huh?”