That day...

I hope you all like this short story. Please let me know what you think.

A. :angel

The usual disclaimers apply…

That day…

Nikki Wade sat staring into the fire. The question had been asked so many times before and every time she had managed to change the subject before she had to answer it, but tonight it was not going to work. How could she tell this story without causing hurt to the woman she adored and loved more than life itself? She felt the hand squeezing hers and she leaned back into the warm embrace of the woman sitting behind her.

“Tell us about the worst and the best day of your life?” She repeated the question to herself once more before sighing and starting the story.

“I was seventeen years old and I thought life could not get any better or worse. I had been certain that I was gay since I turned fifteen. Don’t get me wrong it was not as if I had a sudden revelation, there had been signs before that. I never liked boys the same way the other girls did. I wanted them to be my friends but nothing more. I didn’t go around every moment of the day wondering what it would be like to have sex with them and planning my wedding day in full detail… in any case I just wasn’t into them. At first I tried to deny what I was feeling but things got a little tough when I realised that seeing my friends naked was now having a rather embarrassing effect on me.” the rest of the group burst out laughing and Nikki had to smile too. “I know it sounds pathetic but knowing that you are all gay makes me realise one thing, that you have all been in that situation as teenagers.” Now it was Nikki’s turn to laugh when she saw the expression on her friend’s faces. “I also never did things on a small scale so when I discovered that I had this huge crush on one of my teachers I was at first a little shocked about it, realising that things just got a lot more complicated for me.

In any case I did my best to get as close to this teacher as was possible without letting her know how I felt. I made sure that I always was the one to volunteer when ever she needed help with something whether it was in the gym or in the class and the fact that it was a boarding school just made it that much easier to be able to stay close to her because I didn’t have to be home at a certain time. It carried on like that for about three months. Then one day we were in the locker room after gym. I had volunteered to help her tidy things up after everyone else had left and suddenly I found myself standing very close to her. For a moment I found it hard to breath. She was telling me about how she missed her mother who had died a few months ago and she began to cry. Without thinking I put my arms around her and hugged her. I don’t think either of us really knew when the comforting changed into something more but suddenly I was drowning in her blue eyes and before I could help myself I pressed my lips against hers. Suddenly she pushed me away and told me that I was too young. That she was supposed to look out for my welfare and not allow things like this to happen between us. That what we were doing was wrong. At that moment I realised that she too had feelings for me and without hesitation I stepped closer and kissed her again. This time she didn’t fight me and well… let’s just say when the headmaster walked in on us a few weeks later we were caught in a very compromising situation. All hell broke loose after that. My parents were called in and she was fired. She left and I thought I would die from missing her. Then one night while I lay crying in my bed one of the other girls told me that she was not worth my tears. She said that she had overheard her mother that weekend telling one of her friends about what had happened and then the friend had said that she had known that the teacher was gay all along, because she had seen her and another woman kissing in the bathrooms at the local cinema only a day or two before we were discovered in the gym. At first I was mad at Janet accusing her of lying to me but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. I remembered that there was a few times when we were together when her mobile would ring and then she would make an excuse and leave soon after. I decided to confront her. I knew where she lived and went there one day after school. I saw them together and it broke my heart. Instead of just leaving I had to confront her to let her know that I knew she had been using me. I rang the bell and I could see the shock on her face when she saw me. We had a blazing row there on her front door steps and when she tried to pull me inside I broke away from her and ran away…” Nikki stopped and closed her eyes for a moment. She again felt the hand squeezing hers and she smiled slowly. Opening her eyes she continued.

“By the time they had arrived home it was already dark and it had started to rain quite heavily. I just ran blindly into the night not thinking of where I was going. The pain inside me was too great. I never saw the car approaching. I had run blindly into the road and right in front of an oncoming car. I remembered thinking that it didn’t hurt at all when you get run over and then I was flying through the air. I must have lost consciousness the moment I hit the road because when I woke up I was lying in a hospital bed and there was someone sitting next to me. It was a young woman and she looked so tired and vulnerable even in sleep. I tried to move but the pain that shot through me was unbearable and I cried out causing the woman next to my bed to wake up. She ran and called a nurse. A few hours later the doctor explained to me that the impact of the car against my legs caused so much damaged that they had to amputate my right leg above the knee.”

Tony the young woman who had asked the question looked at Nikki. “I’m sorry for pushing you to answer my stupid question…”

“Now you know why I have avoided answering it for so long. Talking about it brings back a lot of unpleasant memories for those involved.”

Tony nodded. “But what happened to the driver of the car?”

Nikki sighed, Tony just didn’t know when to quit. “It turned out that the young woman sitting next to my bed was the driver of the car. I knew that the accident was not her fault and I told her so the moment she started to apologise. She said that I should please let her apologise because even though she knew that there was nothing she could have done to stop the accident she still felt responsible. I kept quiet and she said her peace and then she left. A few days later she was back again. I was so angry at the situation and I took it out on her. I told her to piss off and go away because I don’t need her misguided guilt or sympathy. I could see the angry flash in her eyes but she managed to remain in control of her feelings asking me that if I didn’t want to settle for her sympathy if I would consider settling for her friendship instead.” Nikki chuckled at the memory. She remembered staring into those hazel eyes and feeling her anger fading away. “When I excepted her friendship a bond stronger than life itself was forged that day and I am privileged to say that she is still my best friend today… and up until now I have never blamed her for what happened that night although I know that she still feel guilty some days and will keep on wondering if there wasn’t something that she could have done to prevent what had happened.” Nikki paused again looking directly at Tony. “So you see Tony losing my leg was not just the worst day of my life but it also turned out to be the best day of my life.”

#####

That night after everybody had gone to bed Nikki faced her girlfriend. She lifted her hand and lightly stroked her cheek. When she saw her eyes start to glisten with unshed tears she pulled her close and whispered against her ear. “I meant every word I said tonight darling. The accident wasn’t your fault and I have and will never blame you for losing my leg…”

A sob escaped the beautiful woman’s throat and Nikki just pulled her in closer. After a while she felt her soul mate push away from her and she handed her a tissue. A brilliant smile lit up the other woman’s face. “Thank you Sweetheart.” She leaned in and claimed Nikki’s lips with her own. When the both needed to breath they broke the kiss and stood with their foreheads pressed together, eyes closed. “I love you Nikki…” came the soft whisper that made Nikki’s heart leap in response.

“I love you too Helen…” was all she managed to say before Helen pushed her back onto the bed and covered her body with her own.

THE END

:dazzler Yes, you did good...This is a keeper...THANK YOU for sharing...Love N&H fan fiction...Glad you authors are out there :clap