4 Quaint Arguements

"You want me to crash on the couch?!" Damian whines, mostly because the couch is about three quarters of his length and he values his sleep. "It doesn't even fit under me, Lisa!"

Of course Lisa would never force Niki to sleep in Damian's room, not even as tidy as it is. She only intends to put Damian through hell as payback for last weeks incident. "Either that or you use those wheels to pick up her mattress from Zuri's place." Lisa folds her arms, smug and playful.

"Guys, if I hear you kissing, I might just sleep on that mattress where it's at." Niki jeers, with a playfulness in her eyes.

It strikes Lisa once again how different things are from what she thought. "Ok, Niki clearly won this round. At least there are no points for you either, Damian." She teases, getting in the last say and moving to the next topic before he can craft a comeback.

"So after flying from the other side of Mother fudge-ing Earth, what's first for you, food or sleep?" Lisa questions. Even though it is technically only four, jet lag is evident in her freshly showered friend. As was the need to know where the amenities were when she first arrived.

I have to go with food. If I sleep now, I'm not eating 'till next week I'm so pooped!" Niki determines.

****

Niki is sleeping at home, so Lisa and Damian decided to fetch her a mattress before she wakes up; which means they're alone together - the right time to talk.

"Hey Lisa, do you think she's ok? I mean she looks wonderful, but I don't know..." Damian puts his ute in drive and frowns, "She's been through a lot." he carefully starts. He has a point but is having trouble formulating what he wants to get across.

"Yeah, she came here for a breather - and because the specialist she needs is here - but we've spoken about that?" Lisa answers, knowing that wasn't what he really wants to know.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?" He asks, deciding that would be a good place to start.

"Obviously I'm worried, who wouldn't be?" Lisa defends, glaring at the traffic on their way to Zuri's spare mattress, "Like you said, she's been through a lot."

"Fair enough," he considers, "She seems happy to be here, though" Damian tests, knowing Lisa is actually touchy on the subject, despite her confidence.

Lisa knows where the conversation is heading and hates admitting Damian right, but he is close to it. She needs the pressure in her chest to release, "So you're saying I'm overreacting?"

This woman, Damian concludes yet again, is dangerous to argue with. Too much wit. He should probably tread carefully, "No, I'm saying if you react to all of it - all at once, you could end up burning out."

"My best friend is... she didn't even..." Lisa falters, "How can I be there for her? I don't even know where to start! It's just not right. None of this is right!" Her voice breaks. The tension heats in the car. Both are thinking the same thing; What happened, that freak accident - it shouldn't have been Niki.

Damian pulls into Zuri's driveway, but makes no move to climb out. Lisa has yet again taken on the sole responsibility of setting the record straight, and she doesn't even know it. The difference being that this time there can be no fixing.

"Lisa, you're an amazing woman, Damian breathes, and when you see someone - I mean, I don't know how you do it, and I'm one of your victims!" He leans back to face her, "But Niki, I don't think she needs fixing right now. You said that she came here to get away?"

"You say this like it's a switch I can flip." Lisa interrupts, wanting him to get to the part where he completes his point and holds her.

Damian considers for a moment, forming his words, "Lisa, you told me that Nicki came because she was over-babied and needs to get away. Shit happened and it sucks, but she needs us to help her not need anyone, and then be there for her once she feels like sharing, or breaking down, or whatever."

"So take it day by day and be inventive, show her she can do stuff." Lisa concludes for him, the mantra has been on replay in her own head since she realized Niki was coming. "I know that, the hard part is doing it."

"Well, you're not the only one doing it, are you?" Damian points out. "We can take turns, you know. You, me, Zuri, Klein, Tracy, the whole lot!" He reminds her, "I know for a fact we'll all be happy to. We already had her number for like a year and we've hung out with her on your phone many times! She's hardly a stranger."