‘Helena you’re about to have major surgery.  Your girlfriend should know about it.’

‘Bette back off, come outside’ said Alice and lead her out the door.  ‘I called Alexa.’

‘What? When?’

‘As soon as it happened.  I left a couple of messages on her phone with all the details.  I hope she’ll call back soon. Do you think Helena will kill me?’

‘Maybe but I think it would help her even to hear Alexa’s voice.  They had a fight or something.  She’s really sick y’know Al.’

‘I know Bette,’ said Alice and hugged her friend.

Alexa rushed into the doors of hospital, looking for the ward Alice had told her.   She’d been trying to call them back but none of them were picking up, maybe hospital reception was bad.  All she knew was that Helena had been brought into hospital, why or how she didn’t know. She grabbed some flowers and threw the money at the woman behind the desk.  She couldn’t believe she’d argued with Helena when last they spoke.  She couldn’t believe she was sick, she told herself it had to be something minor, Helena was young, she had to be ok.

Helena watched Bette and Alice talk outside.  She could see the concern etched in every line of Bette’s face.  She tried not let herself feel it; she had to believe that the operation would go fine, that she would be able to call Alexa and tell her afterwards.  A part of her wished they had called straight away, maybe Alexa would have come, maybe she would be there right now to hold her and tell her it would be ok.

Alexa sighed with relief seeing Dana, Shane and Tina in the corridor.

‘Alexa!’ said Tina.

‘Hey T, where is she?’

‘Just down the hall and to the left,’ she answered and turned to Shane in shock.

Alexa composed herself before she walked into the room.  She hadn’t seen Helena in a month and now she was sick and she had no idea what to expect.

Helena watched as the door opened and thought she’d received too many pain meds, for there stood her girl looking exactly the way she’d remembered her.  ‘Alexa is that really you?’ she asked her cheeks growing hot with tears.