Alex struggled through the darkness that surrounded her, searching for an anchor as she drifted in the sea of pitch-black. She fought to remember what happened to her before the darkness overtook her. She heard screeching tires in the back of her mind, and shuddered as she tried to distance herself from the memory. She felt a hand begin to gently rub random patterns across her shoulder and sternum. The touch was comforting, and calmed her racing heart. As she slowly became more aware of her body, she felt warm hands lightly kneading the soles of her feet, and two more holding her hand.
Focusing on the love she felt from the many hands that touched her so tenderly, she relaxed knowing she wasn't alone. Soon she noticed a muffled noise and strained to identify it. After what felt like several minutes, she noticed it was getting louder. Moments later she was able to decipher several different voices. It wasn't long before she recognized the voices and could clearly hear what was being said.
She heard Dani talking about her series of children's books, and how much they had helped Madison learn to deal with difficult subjects. She spoke of the love Madison had for Alex, and how well Alex always treated her.
She struggled to speak and found she couldn't make a sound. She tried to move, but realized she couldn't even squeeze the hand that held hers. Tears welled in her eyes and ran down the sides of her face before disappearing into her hair as she listened. Rachel, Dani, and Nikki all told stories about her. The love each of them felt for her could be heard in their voices as well as their words.
Dani looked down at Alex and noticed her tears. She reached out and wiped one away only to have another fall. "Rachel." She looked over at her wife. "She's crying. Isn't there anything we can do? I don't want her hurting."
"It just takes time, honey," she responded quietly. "There isn't anything we can do for her right now, except let her know we're here."
Nikki placed a kiss on the back of her hand and turned back to Pia and Sera. "Alex is one of the strongest people I have ever met. She has been through some very difficult things in her life, and has made it through each and every one. She's humble and unpretentious. Generous and caring." She ran her thumb over the back of her hand. "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on, but she doesn't believe it."
"That's because Jo destroyed her self confidence," Sera said. She scowled as she thought about the things she had told her about her ex. "She would constantly tell Alex how ugly she was. She would call her clumsy, awkward, and plain. I never understood how she fell prey to her." She looked over at Nikki and smiled. "Make sure you tell her frequently how beautiful she really is. Every woman deserves to hear those words, especially from her lover. Only then can she begin to believe them."
"I tell her all the time," Nikki responded. "And I have no intention of stopping. She's beautiful, inside and out. I'm the luckiest woman in the world, and I can face anything as long as I have her by my side."
Alex slowly blinked her puffy, tired eyes. She was relieved when she was able to focus on the plaster ceiling. She took a deep breath and said, "Keep talking like this and you'll all make my head swell." She felt Nikki squeeze her hand, and turned her head in that direction. Smiling when she met her worried gaze she said, "Hello, lover."
Nikki reached up and brushed a knuckle down her cheek as she stared into her eyes. "Hey there, sweetheart. I've been worried about you. Where did you go?"
Alex closed her eyes and leaned into Nikki's touch. "Someplace I don't ever want to go again. I was lost and alone."
"You were never alone, Alex. We were with you then, and we are with you now." Her eyes flew open and met Rachel's knowing gaze. "Am I wrong?"
She slowly shook her head. "I know that you were there with me before. I recognized each of your voices when I woke up in the hospital. I think that was one of the reasons I trusted you all so quickly, and why I wanted to keep you in my life. I'm sure that if I tried, I could find my memories of exactly what was said. But I don't ever want to try. I'm not strong enough to pull myself out of my memories when I go that deep."
Nikki leaned in closer, her surprise at the news clear. "You mean to tell me, you were remembering your coma?" she asked. Her eyes widened when Alex nodded. "And you have actual memories of when you were in the coma? Memories of us talking to you?"
She bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. "I think so. I can feel them, but they are below the surface and difficult to access. And, frankly, I'm afraid to try."
"Why are you afraid?" Sera asked.
Alex clutched Nikki's hand tighter as she reached for Dani with the other. She began to tremble and felt everyone draw a little closer. "Think of it this way. Your mind is a recorder that uses five different input elements. When I was in a coma, my recorder lost the use of two of those elements, but the others kept providing input to be recorded. I couldn't see or taste anything, but I could still smell things. I could still hear, and I could still feel."
Nikki gasped. "Oh dear God."
"So, along with my memories of visits from these three, are memories of a great deal of pain. I'm afraid of what I'll find if I go digging around in my head." She pulled her feet from Rachel's lap and slowly sat up. "It's time to change the subject and distract me before I fall down the rabbit hole again."
Pia slipped her arm around Sera and held her close as she turned to Alex and asked, "When will we get to see you again?"
Alex grabbed her pants from the back of the couch, pulled them on, and stood to button them. She frowned as she shrugged. "I'm not sure. We head back to the villa tomorrow to get ready to head home. I'm not sure when we'll be back." As she sat back down on the couch between Rachel and Dani to put her socks and shoes on, she noticed the room was completely silent. She looked up and saw everyone staring at her. "What?"
Nikki swallowed, stuffed her hands into her pockets, and said, "Does that mean you are heading home with us?"
Alex looked away from the hopeful expression in Nikki's eyes and turned first to Dani, then Rachel. They each remained quiet as they watched and waited for her to answer. She turned back to Nikki and shrugged. "It appears as though I am incapable of living happily without you, so it's either that or you all move here. As much as I'd love that, I don't see it happening. Do you?" In the blink of an eye she found herself pulled up off of the couch and into Nikki's arms.
"I love you," Nikki said as she lowered her head, capturing her lips.
Alex surrendered willingly, opening her mouth and moaning into Nikki's. She pulled away and rested her forehead against Nikki's chest as she tried to calm her racing heart. "And I love you, mia cara." She stepped out of her arms and turned to face Sera and Pia. "Thank you again for dinner, it was lovely. I'm sorry for ruining the evening."
Sera rolled her eyes. "Always so dramatic, Alex. You didn't ruin anything. You gave us an opportunity to get to know these three lovely ladies better, and to see you through their eyes." She stood and embraced her. "I've missed you, my friend. Please don't wait so long to visit us again."
As Venice slowly disappeared behind them, Alex merged onto the highway and headed towards Tuscany. She turned the radio down and said, "There will be a lot of travel in my future. I hope you all will be a part of it as often as you can." Reaching across the armrest, she placed her hand on Nikki's thigh. "My business is here in Italy, and I've ignored it for far too long. The vineyard is my main focus, but I have other partnerships that require my attention from time to time. And that requires travel." She looked over at Nikki speculatively. "Will you be okay with that?"
"If I am unable to accompany you, will you come home to me when your business is complete?" Nikki asked as she placed her hand on top of Alex's.
"Of course my love. I will always return to you. You hold my heart."
Epilogue
Alex watched as the attendant passed out several glasses of wine and one glass of juice with a lid and straw. "Thank you, Karen."
"My pleasure, Alex. Do you need anything else?"
Alex grinned. "No.
Why don't you run up and check on Jamie. I’m sure she could use a break." Her grin widened when she saw the woman blush slightly. "Just don't distract her too much, okay?"
"Leave her alone, Alex," Nikki chuckled and shook her head. She reached over and took her hand, kissing the knuckles. The distraction provided Karen enough time to slip into the cockpit.
"I still can't believe you bought a jet," Dani said as she looked around the spacious aircraft.
Alex shrugged. "It just made sense. This is my third trip to Italy in the last four months. Besides, now you have one less excuse to avoid coming with me." She looked over at Dani and Rachel with a wink before leaning back into the cushions. "I'm just fortunate that Jamie and Karen were willing to leave their jobs to work for me."
"I think we're all glad for that. They are very good at what they do." Nikki placed a hand on her thigh. "I'm glad they take such good care of you when you have to travel."
Madison climbed down from her seat and ran over to them. She climbed into Alex's lap and rested her head on her shoulder. "Will you tell me a story, Angel?"
She wrapped her arms around the little girl and rested her cheek on top of her head. "Of course, piccola." She smiled as Dani pulled out a notebook and pen. She thought for a moment before beginning to tell a story about a little monkey and the love she had for her family, and her big adventure as she traveled across the ocean.
FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for purchasing and reading Queen of Diamonds. If you enjoyed it, please leave feedback on Amazon.com. As a self-published author, reviews are an extremely important form of feedback and validation. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] with questions, words of wisdom, or constructive criticism. I love to hear from my readers. Your support is valuable beyond words. Thank you.
The Queen of Diamonds Page 29