Restrained Recovery
Part Five
By owelpost (drakkar@rogers.com) and windrider (chelm@netwalk.com)

– x –

Alice polished off the last of her drink with a sigh. She had been hanging out at Radar for the last hour by herself. Tina and Bette hadnt shown up, but Alice wasnt entirely surprised by that. Their routine had changed considerably ever since Tina had gotten pregnant. Lisa had called her the night before and told her that he wouldnt be able to join her tonight, although he had urged her to come anyway, telling her that he thought shed still have a blast. Was he ever wrong! Alice thought.

What a waste, she muttered, fingering the rim of her glass, licking the celery salt off the tip of her finger.

Its not a waste if you keep eating it like that. Marina slid into a chair next to Alice and put an arm around her shoulder. Whats the matter, Alice?

Alice swept an arm around, indicating the party taking place all around her. Im sitting here drinking alone for, like, the first time in history, Marina, she said.

Oh I saw Shane breeze out of here earlier. Whered she go?

Alice sighed. She dabbed more salt on her finger and popped it in her mouth, considered the empty glass and then looked up at Marina. Shes gone to play detective again. She was incredibly evasive and wouldnt tell me where she was going.

Detective? Marina raised an eyebrow, while simultaneously waving to her bartender for another round of drinks. However cute Alices salt licking was, Marina had decided it was time for them both to have a refill. And didnt I see Dana, too?

Alice nodded vigorously, but her attention was on the bartender who carried a fresh Bloody Mary. I always get some nasty acid indigestion from this stuff, she muttered, regardless took the straw delicately between her thumb and forefinger and took a long sip. Mmm. Heres the thing–Oh, oh, get this! Shane was checking herself out on the chart! Marina smiled, tight lipped and knowing. A trademark of hers. Alice considered her for a moment, and then closed her eyes. You guys kill me. All right Remember Danas photos?

At this, Marinas eyes narrowed and the smile faded. Yes, she said–the s coming out with the slightest hint of a lisp, an endearing part of her exotic accent.

Well, it seems that Shane thinks the crisis isnt over. Alice turned in her seat and pulled her laptop out of its bag. She set it in front of her, leaned over slightly to take another sip of her drink, then opened the computer. Her little beast machine booted rapidly and she double clicked the chart, pulling up the latest version she had saved. She turned the monitor towards Marina and pointed out Danas name. A line connected Dana to Lara, but it was the other red line from Laras name that caught Marinas attention.

Susan Birch? Marina asked.

Exactly. Name means nothing to me, but Shane seemed a little spooked about it. The thing is shes not part of the database. Meaning someone hacked my site. Alice leaned back in her seat and rubbed her eyes. Shane was really distracted when she left, intimating that whoever this woman is could be trouble.

And what about Dana? She didnt stay long, either.

I guess Lara kind of blew her off this afternoon. She was pretty upset about it, Alice said.

Lara? Ive never seen Lara anything less than attentive, Marina shot Alice a puzzled look, sipping her own drink for the first time.

Dana mentioned something about Lara leaving with another woman. From the way Shane was acting, though, Alice tapped the screen above Susans name, she thinks this woman has something to do with it. Not that she said as much, Alice added bitterly.

The best thing we can do at this point is wait for Shane to pop up again. Youre not going to achieve anything by driving yourself crazy over this, Marina said.

Youre right, Alice said, lowering her eyes. She had spent most of the last hour alternating between worrying about Dana and wondering what the ***** Shane did or did not know. Youre right, Alice said again. She closed up her laptop, returned it to the case and took one last sip of her drink. Im gonna go home.

Say hi to Lisa for me, Marina said.

I will, Alice made to pay for her drinks, but Marina waved a hand. Thanks, she said.

Youre welcome. Try not to worry too much, Alice. Shane is an incredibly capable woman. Shell figure this out.

At that, Alices stomach crunched. She had to admit that she wished she was able to help more–that Shane had confided in her more. And then it suddenly occurred to her that instead of sitting around drinking, she could have been trying to trace whoever had hacked into her site. All at once, Alice started to feel a little less useless and a little more focused. As focused as an almost drunk lady could be, at any rate.

– x –

Danas hair flowed over Laras knees. Stroking it absently, Lara gazed down at Danas lovely features and smiled at her innocence. Gramps had been kind enough to carry Dana from the taxi to her house and had very gently eased her on to the couch. Lara thought that he probably could have merely dropped her there and Dana wouldnt have awoken.

Are you sure youre going to be all right? he had asked.

Lara had smiled, grabbed him and wrestled him into a big hug. Were going to be fine now, she said. Thank you so much, Gramps

Youre welcome, he had said, a furious blush rising to his cheeks. All in a days work, he added and tipped a pretend hat. They both laughed. Lara hugged him again. When finally he managed to untangle himself, he studied Lara for a moment and then reached into his pocket. Now, I rarely give this card to anyone… he handed her a business card with his home and cell numbers printed clearly on it, but I want you to call me if ever you need anything.

Lara gaped at him. She lived in a world where strangers did best to ignore each other, kindness was a long forgotten virtue of past generations. I–I dont know what to say, she had stammered. Why?

He gave her a sad smile and patted her face. You remind me of my granddaughter. I dont often get to see her and that leaves a large hole in my heart. Your fire and integrity remind me so much of her flair.

Lara had nodded, understanding. He had left, then, and Lara had watched him drive away, feeling as though she had made a new friend and she was profoundly thankful for that. With the first good feelings of the stressfully long evening fluttering around in her chest, Lara had gone to the couch, lifted Danas head ever so slightly and shifted her knees beneath it.

And now she watched the peaceful rise and fall of Danas chest, knowing that this poor woman would be violently ill come morning and that it was partly her fault. Lara thought about that. She had walked away from Dana with little explanation, citing merely a bad day. Lara should have trusted Dana with a little more of the truth. She thought about the crumpled papers now sitting in her purse at home, what they meant for her–what they might mean to Dana. Maybe not the entire truth, not yet, but she had deserved a little more than what Lara had offered.

In an effort not to beat herself up too badly, Lara admitted that she had panicked and that it was a natural reaction to something one didnt understand. Lara thought about Danas own tendencies to tuck tail and run when things that were bigger than she could handle emerged. To confront fear and truth was a lot harder than to ignore, or even mask. Lara had learned that the hard way. And to her credit, Dana was slowly but steadily learning that lesson as well.

Oh! Lara started at the sound of Danas agonized voice. Oh, God! Lara looked down to see Danas eyes screwed tightly shut and then to her surprise, the tall woman abruptly shifted position, attempting to curl herself up into a tight ball. With Lara hindering much head movement and the couch being relatively narrow, Danas spastic maneuver shifted her too close to the edge. Before Lara could do a thing to stop it, Dana rolled off the couch and landed face down on the floor, with a rather painful sounding thud.

Lara shot up, bending down to inspect Dana as she shakily raised herself on her hands. On her hands and knees, Dana hunched down and tucked an arm around her belly. Im gonna– she began and it was all Lara could do to get out of her way as Dana spewed copious amounts of alcohol all over her beautiful tiled floor. The smell alone made Lara gag and she raised a hand to her mouth, taking another step back.

Completely unaware of Laras presence, Dana ever so slowly picked herself off the floor and gingerly sat back down on the couch. From there, Lara watched her almost comical slow motion recline back until she was half sitting, half lying on the couch. As Lara grabbed a throw blanket from a nearby chair, Danas eyes fluttered and closed and she was out again.

Lara studied the enormous puddle that was creeping its way across the floor. She went to the kitchen in search of some towels. Returning armed with a roll of paper towels, Lara lifted her sweatshirt over her nose and bent down. Nasty!

– x –

End Part Five