Dana stopped with the pills in her hand and sat down at the table

“I’m really good, tired as usual but good. Glad to have Al home that’s for sure.” Dana beamed

“Yes I’m sure you are dear, how is she?”

Dana’s smile faded slightly

“She has a headache and doesn’t feel too hot. I came to get her meds.”

“Dana I don’t want to inter fear in your life or Alice’s for that matter but Shane and I chatted for a while once she dropped Alice off last night.  The doctor’s told her to keep them up to date with her progress regularly and to not overdo it. So now with both of you having the same medical advice I think you should stay in bed for the best part of a week and I’ll be here to prepare all of your meals but you two just concentrate on looking after each other because God knows you are awful at looking after yourselves.”

Dana smiled again feeling that she had already smiled more in the 20mins she’d been awake this morning than she had in the last 2 weeks.

“Don’t worry, making sure Al is ok will take my mind off myself and I guess she’ll be the same.  We can just fuss over each other and each other nuts.”

“Oh you definitely drive me nuts Fairbanks” Alice said as she shuffled into the kitchen with her crutch under her right arm and a pair of sun shades on to block out the sun.

Dana stood and made her way over to Alice, taking her in her arms and kissing her

“Good morning”

Al smiled

“But what are you doing out of bed?”

“My back is better once I’m up and about and I missed you.”

Dana took her lover’s hand and helped her over to the table.

“What about your dizziness? Really Al you should’ve stayed in bed.” Dana asked with a concerned voice as she handed Alice her two tablets and her glass of water.

Alice turned to Dana looking slightly annoyed

“Dana should you be up? You need rest. Shouldn’t you have sweater or something on? You shouldn’t get cold, you’ll catch something. You should really have a health shake, keep you vitamins up”

It was Dana’s turn to look pissed and then laughed lightly

Alice smiled and turned to Sharon, “Oh look that didn’t take long to piss each other off with our fussing.”

Sharon just laughed and drained the last of her coffee before bidding both invalids goodbye as she went shopping.

“You know Al I think the GI Jane look is hot on you” Studying her girlfriend’s head for the 1^st time.

Alice shyly touched the top of her head where a fairly large scar now stretched from one side almost all the way over the top.

Alice’s tone stiffened “It’s fucking ugly Dana.”

Dana sat down in the seat her mother had recently vacated and took Alice’s hand in hers “No it’s not it’s hot and once your hair grows back more you won’t even see the scar.”

“But I’ll still have big lumps missing out of my skull and I’ll still see the scar.”

“Alice if that scar means that you are still here than that’s all I care about.”

Alice realised where she’d heard that line before and smiled

“Yeh Al, take your own advice, I lost a breast but I’m still here and you still find me hot. A scar and a little hair loss, who are we talking about, me or you?”

“Both of us I guess” Alice figured

“You know I don’t really miss my hair, it makes showers a lot quicker”

Alice laughed at Dana’s really bad joke.

“Dana that’s shit and you know it.”

“Yeh well I was trying to lighten the mood.”

Alice leaned in to kiss Dana once again, "It’s your goofiness and terrible jokes I love about you."

“I know”

Come on lady, let’s watch some crap TV.

Alice and Dana ate a little breakfast and snuggled down on the couch with their duvet to watch Murder She Wrote re-runs, both happier than they had been in a long while. The both knew there were tougher times ahead but for now they were content to take the one step or in Alice’s case one shuffle at a time.