Chapter 7 July - Magdalene & Sam & Neve （Again, Not That Way） #2
“I’m glad you haven’t taken any poor soul’s head off. I mean, they will have to deal with Blackthorne once she wakes up; they will suffer enough as is.”
Magdalene bit her lip to avoid laughing out loud. Livia was right, but she didn’t need her ego to be bigger than it already was.
“How about we leave the staff to their jobs and wait with the rest of the folks?”
She steered Livia in the direction of the waiting room.
“Just like Neve to draw in a crowd, even on her sickbed. Also, she will hate it once awake and aware, you know.”
This time, Magdalene did not hide her amusement.
“I do know.”
Livia gave her a sideways glance and went on. “The woman keeps telling everyone how much she cannot stand people, and yet, look at all these women who flew halfway around the world to be here because she dared to spring a leak during a routine procedure.”
The room was indeed crowded, and the faces were concerned, and yet there seemed to be a steadfast certainty in the air. Neve had to be okay. She had to.
As they stepped in, Vivian joined them, giving Livia actual, and not air kisses. Magdalene again marveled at Neve’s ability to bring people together.
“Audrey needs you. Why don’t you go sit with her, while I steal Madam Secretary away? You don’t want Neve finding out you’ve been hitting on her dear friend.”
Vivian did not even hide her humor as she steered Magdalene away from Livia, who, to her credit, immediately joined Audrey on the sofa and had her smiling in seconds at whatever she was saying.
“And how do you know she was hitting on me?” Magdalene allowed herself to be led towards a couch that looked like an iron maiden would’ve been much more comfortable.
“It’s Livia. It’s a given. Have you been prowling the hallways, harassing the staff? Because—”
Magdalene clutched her hand to her chest theatrically.
“Of course not! I know better!” Then she winked at Vivian.
“Also, yes, I was so very close and then I realized how dumb it was and how utterly unacceptable. All this talk about Ice Queens and how they tend to be rude… Just no, there is never a reason to be nasty or impolite to people simply doing their jobs. Whoever said that or wrote that needs their head examined.” She stopped, watched as Vivian’s eyes went very wide and took a deep breath.
“I might have gone a bit overboard again?”
Vivian’s look was knowing. “I think you’ve been spending a little too much time with Neve lately, since I’ve heard the same Ice Queen rant over and over from her.
Did Neve tell you how it began? Its origins, so to speak?
Her history with Dr. Moore?” A sharp jaw motioned to the corner of the room where Magdalene was surprised to see her former therapist sitting close to Juliette Lucian-Sorel of all people.
“No, I have a very vague understanding of how they met. I just assumed…”
Vivian’s smirk was cat-like.
“What? That all lesbians know each other?”
Magdalene rolled her eyes.
“Bisexuals too, but no. LA is not as big as they would like to make us all believe it is.”
“Well, Dr. Moore was the one to introduce the term to Neve.” Little devils were dancing in Vivian’s eyes. Magdalene felt her lips twitch.
“It probably went down like a lead balloon. Neve? Being called an Ice Queen? And Dr. Moore is alive and well and here? Will miracles never cease?”
Vivian’s reply was all snark. “Helena is made of sterner stuff.”
They sat in silence for a long moment before Magdalene felt compelled to break it.
“I keep meaning to ask how you and Neve met.”
Vivian propped her chin on her fist. “This question feels a bit too much like a wake, Madam Secretary, to be quite honest. Talking about how we knew her and how much she did for us.”
Magdalene waved her hand dismissively. “Please. This entire gathering is all about her; we could’ve held it anywhere, and my question would’ve still been the same.
For someone who truthfully doesn’t like people, she tends to collect them, cherish them, and be very protective of them, not unlike a dragon. Hence my curiosity about you.”
Vivian’s gaze turned pensive.
“You’re not wrong. Because she genuinely does not enjoy humanity at large and would resent this entire thing.
But also, somewhere very deep inside she’d marvel that we are all here.
I think that is what drew me to her in the first place.
That she rules every room she walks into, and yet is always surprised when said room is there for her. ”
“You’re avoiding the subject.” Magdalene watched as Vivian struggled to hide an annoyed sigh.
“It’s a Neve story, so there are, of course, layers to it.
Some of those layers aren’t mine to tell.
At least I don’t think they are. Which, coincidentally, I believe applies to you as well.
And to how the two of you met. I mean, I can always claim that our wives have brought us together. What is your handy story?”
Magdalene started, then paused. Clever, clever DeVor. Well, one didn’t become the most famous, revered and respected artist in the world without being cagey.
“No, you’re quite right, Sam and Audrey were not the ones who facilitated my friendship with Neve.”
“So who was?” Vivian’s face was pure schadenfreude.
Magdalene grimaced. Clever indeed. She was not ready to disclose that particular tidbit. And yes, Vivian was much closer to both her and Neve, but still—
The door opened and in walked a tired looking woman in hastily changed scrubs, as attested by the various tags hanging off of them. Magdalene hoped they weren’t changed because they were covered in Neve’s blood.
“Are you Ms. Blackthorne’s family?”
The resounding and unstoppable “yes” was both loud and perfectly appropriate. Magdalene felt her heart stutter in her chest.
Yes, they were. A family. Neve’s family.
“Ms. Blackthorne is in the ICU right now, mostly as a precaution. As we have informed you earlier, she developed some anesthesia related complications during her surgery. She is recovering nicely, however, and is ready and in fact, demanding to see her wife. The rest of you will be able to visit her in a few hours, when we will transfer her to a regular floor for further observation.”
Audrey dashed out the door the second the doctor stopped talking. As hugs were exchanged, everyone started speaking at once, making arrangements to stay the remainder of the night at Vivian and Jamie’s and at Chiara and Vi’s.
A hand landed on Magdalene’s shoulder and she jolted out of the thoughts that had kept her rooted to the spot even before the doctor came in. Sam’s eyes were warm, loving, the gray in them deep and understanding. The color of empathy. The color of love. The color of Magdalene’s home.
“Chiara’s or Vivian’s? Or perhaps a hotel? You look like you’ve peopled enough for tonight, my love.”
Yes, that understanding was worth its weight in gold. Sam was right, but so had been Vivian. She didn’t want to have this conversation, but maybe they should have it done and dusted, out in the open with DeVor, if for nothing else but to see Neve’s face in the morning when they told her.
Livia was the one who finally broke the detente.
“How about we make a girl’s night of it?
Four Seasons is holding an entire floor in reserve for me.
Their spa is unmatched, we don’t have to bother either household and can go all out on champagne and caviar and massages.
I’ll make sure Blackthorne is billed for all of this, since we all dropped everything for her amazing ass. ”
Resounding agreement could be heard from all sides, and Magdalene felt her shoulders loosen.
Just what the doctor ordered. As they trooped out of the waiting room, she caught Vivian’s knowing, self-satisfied smirk and returned it.
Caviar and champagne didn’t make for profound, soul-searching discussions anyway.
They would both live to keep their secrets for another day.
In the car, Vivian, squeezed between her and Sam, pulled out a little bulb and a marker.
As she scrolled “Magdalene + Vivian = Sharing Secrets About Neve” along with the date and time, Magdalene could already see Neve’s horrified face.
She’d make sure to be there when Vivian gave her the fairy light.
And then she’d make one of her own with something like “Neve’s Face = Priceless” and laugh and laugh every single Christmas.