Devotion

Uneasy

The pair leave the park together when Nikki stops and looks over her shoulder again, Jack stops once again when he notices Nikki not following. The pair make eye contact and Jack raises an eyebrow at her, "Will you hurry up?" Jack says as Nikki catches up with him. 
She walks to his side and glances back noticing the woman from earlier who had a baseball-style cap on, "Jack... I think she is following us?" She mumbles linking her arm into his for protection.

Jack looks over his shoulder allowing Nikki to hold his arm for a sense of safety, "Let's see shall we?" Jack smiles and crosses the road with Katy in the pushchair, Nikki follows Jack across the road and they take the longer route home.  
"Jack, Please... I just want to go home, Katy is due a feed soon." 

They walk up the hill towards the high street and Jack keeps looking over his shoulder to make sure they aren't being followed, "Nik, I don't think she was following us," Jack smiles looking down at his wife. 
"Are you sure? I swear she followed us all the way around," Nikki responds. 

Jack stops with the pushchair and looks at Nikki, "Come on, people walk around parks... try not to dawn on it," Jack smiles as he kisses her forehead. 
"Sorry," She whispers feeling slightly stupid about the whole situation as they begin to walk through the high street.

The pair walk through the high street and Nikki quickly stops off at the chemist leaving Jack outside with Katy. Jack waits for a while and raises an eyebrow at Nikki through the window who is stood talking to the pharmacist, he could tell Katy is getting restless and he didn't want to be left with Katy screaming in the street. 
Nikki turns and sees Jack looking at him, he raises his hand and taps his wrist, she bats her hand at him before watching the pharmacist hand a few things over to Nikki and she pays for them and the nappies before walking out of the shop. 

She walks over to Jack and smiles as she puts the items under the pushchair in the basket below Katy. Jack looks at her as she stands up not wanting to ask what she had been talking to the pharmacist, "What?" She quizzes. 

"Nothing" Jack responds turning back to his daughter in the pushchair. 
"Jack Hodgson, what are you thinking about?" Nikki pushes grabbing his arm and making him look at her. 

Jack glances down at her hands and glances at her wedding rings. "You would tell me if something is wrong?" He mumbles. 
"Everything is fine Jack, what are you worried about?" She smirks as they begin to walk down the highstreet Nikki's arm now linked in his as he pushes Katy. Jack remains quiet as they walk and Nikki looks up at him, "You want to know what I was talking to the pharmacist about don't you? and what I've brought," She smirks.

"It's your personal business," Jack responds, but deep down he knew he wanted to know what she was buying and why. 
"It's fine, Katy has been giving me terrible love bites when feeding and they're getting all cracked and dry," She responds and Jack glances at her. 

He clears his throat clearly feeling awkward about him knowing all her business since they have been married Jack was still trying to get used to the idea that Nikki will openly tell him what is going on with her body, even making him look sometimes, after all, she is his wife and he should be getting used to it. "What have they given you then?" Jack quizzes. 
"Some cream to put on, I've got to get in touch with the health visitor as Katy might not be latching correctly," Nikki explains. 

"Why type of cream?" He asks. 
"Just lansionah HPA Lanolin, don't worry I can still feed her while using this..." She responds. 
Jack nods and smirks to himself and looks down at her as they continue their way down the high street. "Can I put it on for you?" He smirks. 
"Hmm, yeah right Jack... in your dreams. Unless you want an eyeful of breast milk," She chuckles. 

He looks at her with a surprised look on his face, "I'll pass," He chuckles. 
The pair continue their walk home with Katy and soon arrive back on their street when Nikki stops dead in her tracks, "Jack... that's the woman from the park, the one who was following us" She mumbles. 

"She may live down here," Jack responds. 
"I've lived here for four years, I am sure I know the people in this street. Anyway, why is she hanging around?" Nikki says. 

Now Jack was stumped, he had no idea what to say to her now apart from approaching the woman and see what she wanted. Although it came with risks the woman clearly didn't want the pair to see her face and was going to every effort to make sure of it. He passes the pushchair to Nikki and then walks off ahead of her down the street and approaches the woman. 
Nikki looks down at Katy in the pushchair clearly getting restless for her next feed, Nikki glances up to see Jack has confronted the woman and is clearly talking to the woman. 

She looks down at Katy who kicks her legs and begins to groan, not wanting to walk to the house yet she gets Katy out of the pushchair and then holds her against her chest. Nikki watches as the woman drops her hood and continues to talk to Jack, something was odd and not right, she recognized the scarring on the woman's jaw, but she couldn't put her finger on who it was. 

Nikki gently bounces Katy and strokes her back in a bid to keep her calm but the newborn has other ideas and continues to cry. Giving in she carries Katy against her chest and pushes the pushchair towards the house having to pass Jack and the woman on the way. 
She passes Jack and hears her name being mentioned by the woman, feeling the strain of having to deal with the newborn crying she turns around and yells at the woman, "Why are you following me! What do you want?" 

She turns back and continues walking, the woman removes her sunglasses looking at Nikki, and says "Nicola! I brought you up better than that."
Nikki stops dead in her tracks without looking she simply responds "No, You are dead," And continues speed walking towards the house.