Alex looked down at her hands as she thought about the question. "Would it be too difficult for you?" Rachel tilted her head to one side and regarded her thoughtfully. "To be both a friend and a doctor? To be the doctor of one of your wife’s friends?"
Rachel turned and faced her, drawing one knee up on the bench and placing her arm across the back. "I see. It will be a first for me, but I don’t believe it will be too difficult." She smiled. "Being a friend may make it easier for you, and don’t worry about Dani. Anything you tell me will stay strictly between us, I promise. I may consult with my peers if necessary, but never my wife. Besides, she knows better than to ask."
Alex nodded. "Good." She looked out over the water and took several deep breaths. "The first thing you need to know about me is that my legal name is Alexis Raychel Mohr, but the name given to me at birth was Roberta Alexis Rossi."
"When did you change it?" Rachel asked.
"When I was eight." She looked over at Rachel. "The court records are sealed."
Rachel nodded her understanding. "Then I’ll just have to wait for you to explain it when you’re ready." Alex's shoulders drooped slightly as some of her tension drained. "People who change their names don’t typically choose a middle name. Why did you?"
Alex hesitated briefly before saying, "Raychel was my sister."
"I’m sorry." Alex looked at her quizzically. "You said was. I’m sorry you lost her."
"Choosing her name was an attempt to keep her close to me, since I have so few memories of her." She slowly stood and turned toward the house. "Ray?"
"Yes?"
"I need to show you something. Will you come with me?" In response, Rachel immediately stood and followed her into the house. Alex led her into her office, picked up her tablet, and pulled up the Internet. She typed in her parent’s names and hit enter. As the screen began to fill with the search results, she handed the tablet to her and said, "Have a seat. This could take a while." Rachel took the tablet and walked over to the wing-backed chair in the corner.
Alex sat down, propped her crutches against the desk, opened up her laptop, and pulled up her book. She began to edit as Rachel read about an important piece of her past. Some time later, she looked up to find Rachel watching her. She saved her revisions, and shut down the computer. "What are you thinking?"
"I was just wondering how a four-year-old child manages to escape a grown man on a murderous rampage."
Alex looked down at the floor as she slowly began to tell the story. "Our mother tried to protect us. She hid us in the closet when she heard him coming. We saw him beat her before he stabbed her to death." She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I was terrified, and ran out of the room. My sister followed me, and shoved me under the recliner before he found us. She refused to tell him where I was so he killed her and started looking for me." She paused, lost in the memories of that fateful day. When she finally refocused, Rachel was watching her, patiently waiting for her to continue. "He never found me."
"How long did you hide?"
"The police found me, quite by accident, two days later when they were processing the scene. That's when I first entered the system, and my first of countless foster homes." She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest as her right knee began to bounce. Her body language screamed out her pain and discomfort with the subject.
"I have a feeling we are going to revisit this many times over, but I think we can move on for today."
Alex nodded, grateful for the permission to change the subject. "I needed to put it behind me and move on. The only way I could even begin to do that was change my name. Too many people knew my name, and were afraid of me. I wanted to remove all ties to my father, so I changed my name. A few days later I ended up in a new home and a new school, and suddenly I was Alexis Mohr." She leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees as she stared at the floor. "The new family sucked. Like so many, they were in it for the money provided by the state. It took a few more years for things to settle down, and for me to find a family I could stay with for more than six months. I found that when I was fourteen, when I moved to a new town a few miles away. That's where I met Coach Johnson and was first introduced to softball." She sat back and looked at Rachel who wore a puzzled expression. "What is it?" she asked.
Rachel looked at her a moment longer as she tried to work through the clues. "I’m sorry, it’s just that I knew your name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Just now I realized why it’s familiar, and am trying to figure out if you are the Alexis Mohr I used to idolize."
Alex frowned. "Idolize? That’s pretty strong."
"Maybe, but she was amazing on the diamond. As a matter of fact, her nickname was The Queen of Diamonds. She broke records for strikeouts, and could throw a ball better than any other pitcher on the planet at the time. She had an incredible batting average too." Rachel chuckled. "Every guy and lesbian I knew had a crush on her. She was the complete package. She was a remarkable two position ball player, and incredibly beautiful."
Alex shook her head and laughed. "It sounds to me like you still have a crush on her. Does your wife know?" She couldn’t help but smile at Rachel as she blushed slightly. "No one is that good, Ray."
"I haven't thought about her in years." She grabbed the tablet and typed the name into the search engine. "She was that good. I’ll show you." As the screen filled with results, she scrolled through until she found the article in a popular magazine with her favorite pictures and opened it. "Look at how hot…" She looked up from the tablet as her jaw dropped. "Oh shit." She looked between the tablet and Alex’s laughter filled eyes several times before turning the tablet off and setting it back down. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Alex who laughed harder. "It's not that funny."
Alex wiped her eyes and tried to catch her breath. "It really was, Ray. The look on your face."
Rachel sat back and watched quietly as she waited for her to regain control. Once she was sure she wouldn’t burst into laughter again, she asked, "Will you tell me something?" Alex looked up and nodded. "Who's Ray?"
Alex smiled wistfully. "Ray was my teacher, my confidant, and above all she was my protector. She took care of me when Mom couldn’t. When Father was there she was Raychel and I was Roberta, but when it was just the three of us, and we were safe, she was Ray and I was Lexi." She looked up at Rachel. "How did you know I called her Ray?"
Rachel wiped a tear from her eye. "Did you know you’ve been calling me Ray for the last hour or so?"
Alex frowned as she thought about it. "I didn’t realize, I’m sorry."
"There’s no need to apologize. I don’t mind it at all. I just wanted to be sure you were aware of it." She smiled and shrugged as she said, "I kind of like it actually, if you don’t mind."
Alex stood and walked over to the window and looked out onto the courtyard for a moment as she thought about her sister. "I have so few memories of her."
"I don’t want to take her place, Alex. I just want to be your friend for as long as you’ll let me, and your therapist for as long as you need me." Rachel stood beside her and placed her arm around her shoulders. "What do you say?"
"Sounds good to me." She pulled away and turned her back to the window. "So what exactly is the plan here, Doc?"
"Why don’t you give me your email address, and I'll send you a tentative schedule? We can work out the details tomorrow. I'll email you a questionnaire to fill out as well. I'll need that before we meet again." At Alex’s nod, Rachel headed for the door. She paused with her hand on the knob, and turned back to ask, "Why did you retire? You were still so young and could have easily had one more Olympic appearance."
Alex chuckled. "This does not leave this room, I’m having far too much fun teasing your wife." She waited for Rachel to agree before she continued. "I retired because I wanted out of the public eye. I wanted to be able to live my life as I wanted to, not how the public expected me to."
"As a lesbian, I can understa
nd that, but what big secret were you hiding from the world, well besides who you really were?" Alex tilted her head to one side as she regarded her closely. "What?" Rachel asked.
"You really don’t know either do you?" At Rachel’s confused expression, Alex began to laugh. "I was always pretty good at hiding when I wanted to, but the lesbians usually figured me out. I guess I’ve been out of circulation too long."
"I don’t understand."
"You just refuse to see it." She smiled again as she confessed. "I’m a lesbian."
Rachel’s mouth opened, then quickly closed again as a look of shock crossed her face. "Are you serious?"
"Totally."
Rachel’s brow furrowed. "So who was Joe?" she asked.
Alex looked surprised by the question, but replied, "Jo was my former partner. She and I split up a couple of years ago. How did you know about her?"
Rachel leaned against the door. "Apparently the name came up several times today. The impression I was left with was not a positive one." Alex bit her lip and looked away as if ashamed. "She hurt you didn’t she?"
Alex was unable to meet her eyes. "In more ways than one, but I really don’t want to talk about it today."
Rachel pushed off the door and opened it for her. "I’ll be there when you’re ready to talk." Alex nodded her thanks as she made her way out into the living room.
Alex looked over at the other end of the couch where Nikki sat watching TV and said, "Did you bring a bathing suit with you?" Nikki turned to her with a puzzled expression and she smiled. "Sorry, that was a bit out of the blue. I was just thinking that a swim sounded like a wonderful idea. Soaking away my aches and pains as well as the tension of the day sounds perfect, but I shouldn’t be in the water alone." She looked hopefully at Nikki. "I was hoping you would join me."
"I see." Nikki shook her head. "No, I’m afraid I didn’t bring my suit with me. It’s still a bit cool for a swim anyway isn’t it?"
"No, not at all." She looked Nikki over closely, her eyes roaming over her curves. "It may not be to your taste, but I do have something that should fit you." She stood and looked down at her. "What do you say?"
Nikki stood and gestured for her to lead the way. "I used to swim a lot in college, but haven’t had the opportunity much lately. I think it sounds like a grand idea as long as I don’t freeze my…well, anything vital off." She followed behind Alex, and watched the muscles in her arms and shoulders ripple under the tight T-shirt she wore as she used the crutches to maneuver through the house.
"I’m telling you, it won’t be cold. You’re just going to have to trust me." She opened the back door and stepped out into the courtyard, Nikki trailing close behind.
"I see. Well, it seems I have a few trust issues of my own."
Alex paused and looked over her shoulder. She could see the pain in Nikki’s eyes, and somehow knew that she would be able to relate to some of her own experiences. "Fair enough. I guess that when you feel the warmth of the water, it will show you that you can trust me just a little."
Nikki nodded. "I suppose so." Alex smiled and started walking towards the far end of the western side of the u-shaped house. "What will it take for you to start trusting me?" When she didn’t respond, Nikki continued as they came to a stop in front of a door. "Have I given you cause to believe I would hurt you?"
Alex took a deep breath as she thought about all of her interactions with Nikki. "If you had asked me that yesterday, the answer would have been no." She held up her hand, stopping Nikki's response. "I realize that I am judging you based on the behavior of someone else, but I can’t help it. Past experience tells me that the anger, jealousy, and possessiveness I saw earlier today goes hand in hand with violence." She took a deep breath, and blew it out noisily. "Please be patient with me."
Nikki watched as she keyed a code into the pad beside the door. "I can do that," she said as she held the door open. "Will you help me understand what it was that upset you? You say I was being jealous, angry, and possessive," she leaned against the wall just inside the door, "but I wasn’t any of those things. I was concerned because I couldn’t reach either of you. I was afraid something had happened."
Alex watched her closely and knew she was telling the truth. "I may have misinterpreted, and overreacted just a little." She smiled apologetically. "There should be something here you can wear," she said as she began to open a closet in the small room. She reached in and pulled out a red bikini. "This one should fit."
Nikki took the scrap of fabric and looked at her skeptically. She held it up and asked, "Do you have anything a little less…"
Alex leered at her and said, "Less? Why didn’t you just tell me you wanted to skinny dip?"
"I’m beginning to see why my sister is so confused about you," she said as a blush swept across her cheeks.
Alex grabbed her suit out of the closet. "Life wouldn’t be any fun without a little mystery. I’m going to go get dressed in the other room. Just knock on the door here when you are ready." She left Nikki to decide on a suit and pulled the door closed behind her. She quickly shed her clothes, pulled on her two piece suit, and left her clothes in a pile on the bench along the western wall. She sat on the bench and began to unhook the brace the way her physical therapist showed her. She propped it against the bench, climbed to her feet, careful not to place any weight on her injured leg, and went over to the dressing room door. "Nikki?" She waited for a moment, before calling out again. "Nikki, are you okay?"
"Uh, I don’t know about this. This suit is a bit small."
She smiled at the hesitant tone in Nikki’s voice. "Why Dr. Pierce, I didn’t peg you as the body conscious type." She was a little surprised when she didn’t get a response. "Nikki, it’s just you and me here, what are you afraid of?" The door slowly opened, revealing a very uncomfortable Nikki. She’d chosen the red bikini, and it was a beautiful contrast against her olive skin. Alex’s eyes were immediately drawn to the ample breasts barely contained by the scrap of material. "Oh my." She felt her nipples harden at the sight before her. "I didn’t realize you were so…" She stuck one of her crutches in the door stopping Nikki from closing it in her face. "I have an idea." Nikki opened the door and crossed her arms over her chest. "How about we trade tops? This one has a bit more fabric and support."
Nikki looked at her dubiously before looking down at the top in question. Due to her discomfort, she hadn’t really looked at Alex before. Now she found her eyes drawn to the scantily clad, curvaceous body. She’d seen glimpses of the muscles in her shoulders and arms, as well as hints of the swell of breasts under her tight tank tops, but nothing had prepared her for the amazing body before her. It was long and lean from years of running, with well-defined muscles and all the curves of a woman. Her eyes widened as they came to rest on the obviously hard nipples under the top considerably larger than her own. She felt her nipples harden as her body responded to the sight before her. She tore her eyes away and looked up into Alex’s smiling face. "You are enjoying this entirely too much."
Alex’s smile widened. "Are you trying to tell me you don’t enjoy when an attractive woman spends a moment to appreciate your body?" She let her eyes wander over her body again with an assessing gaze. "You have a remarkable body, Nikki." Her eyes traveled over the long legs up to the curve of her hips, over the slight swell of her abdomen, past the breasts straining to get out of confinement, and finally met her flushed cheeks and questioning eyes. Her body’s reaction left no doubt in her mind that she was attracted to Nikki, but she knew it was far too soon. In an effort to change the subject she said, "I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable in this top. Let’s do this so we can enjoy the pool, what do you say?"
Alex's sudden discomfort was obvious by the quick subject change, so Nikki agreed and they made the exchange. Moments later she walked out of the dressing room and saw the pool for the first time. She turned to her and smiled. "An indoor pool, I love it. It’s a bit small though, isn’t it?"
Alex just shook her
head and headed for the steps. She tried to figure out how to get down into the pool with just one leg and quickly grew frustrated.
"Would you like some help?"
"Yes please," she replied, propping her crutches against the wall. Nikki walked over, picked her up, and headed down the steps into the pool. As she reached the bottom step, she carefully released her, allowing her to stand. "Thank you." She quickly swam away, embarrassed by her body’s reaction to this virtual stranger. She stood and leaned over the decking at the end of the pool to turn on the current pumps. She looked at Nikki with a smile, as she pushed off the back wall and into the center of the pool, where she quickly found her rhythm swimming against the current. Seconds later she felt Nikki swimming beside her. Alex tired first, and let the current push her to the back wall.
A couple of minutes later an excited Nikki joined her. "That was amazing. I’ve never seen a pool like this before. You can really get a great workout without having to worry about the turns in a conventional pool. Do you mind if I use this again?"
"Not at all." She showed her how to work the controls, and turned the pumps off. They relaxed into the still water with a sigh.
Nikki looked over, admiring the toned shoulders and arms visible above the waterline. "Are you a fitness fanatic?" She smiled at Alex as she turned her way. "I’m just curious. You’ve got more equipment in your basement than some of the gyms I’ve been in, and then there’s this pool. Who knows what else you’ve got hidden around here."
Alex closed her eyes, and leaned her head back against the side of the pool. "Years ago, having all of this was necessary. Now that I work from home, it helps to keep me in shape."
Nikki listened as she skillfully avoided revealing too much about herself. "Alex?" She waited for her to open her eyes and look her way before she continued. "Will you tell me about yourself?"
Alex regarded her carefully, as if searching for any sign of deceit or ulterior motives. "What do you want to know?" she finally asked.
The Queen of Diamonds Page 6