The Single Mother

Chapter 26- Phoenix King: Tears and Ice-Cream

As I flipped through my newest case file, I could feel the faint thrum of a headache beginning to form behind my eyes. Sighing, I ran a hand through my disheveled hair.

Despite the fact that I come from a family of high-end lawyers, I've made a name for myself by acting on behalf of vehicle accident victims. The downside to my job was my own traumatic past with road vehicles - I frequently get nightmares from seeing the photographic evidence of the crashes my clients have been involved in.

Deep down, I had a nagging feeling that this new case would become the bane of my existence for the next couple of months. There were already inconsistencies with some of the police reports and the witness statements. Grabbing my closest notepad, I quickly scribbled down that I'd have to file a subpoena to the Court so I could obtain a copy of the CCTV traffic footage from the local council.

"Phoenix!" Talla's faint voice echoed down the hallway, instantly grabbing my attention.

I was instantly on my feet and making my way over to the bathroom Talla was in. I could already feel a frown begin to pull at my eyebrows and my heartbeat pick up its pace.

"Talla?" I called out, concern lacing my voice. "Is something wrong?"

 "I-I just need a towel..." Talla sheepishly called out.

I huffed out a relieved sigh; for a second I thought that Talla had either injured herself or needed some feminine hygiene products - which was an area I was unfamiliar with. As I re-directed myself towards my linen cupboard, a small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as a thought entered my brain.

---

If Alexander saw me now... I don't even want to know what he would say.

I didn't just grab Talla a towel. I had also grabbed her one of my old hoodies from college and a random pair of fluffy socks that my Mum had gotten me for Christmas one year, and I have never worn.

I knew that Talla would be having a tough time staying tonight without her daughter for the first time in three years, so I wanted her to feel as comfortable as she could in the meantime. If that meant I'd also have to rush down to the grocery store to grab Ben & Jerry's and then to Starbucks to get hot chocolate, then so be it.

I knocked lightly on the bathroom door.

"Hold on a second." Talla cried out.

A small thud sounded from within the bathroom, and I prayed that it came from her dropping something onto the counter, and not a result from her slipping in a puddle that was created in the time it took me to grab her a towel.

"Do you want me to leave the towel on the ground outside the door or do you want me to cover my eyes when you open the door?" I jokingly asked Talla; or at least I hoped she understood it was a joke and that I didn't want to invade her privacy by standing out here staring at her when she opened the door.

Silently cursing myself for even thinking about Talla opening the door while naked I called out, "by the way, I also brought you a hoodie and some socks."

Talla cracked the bathroom door open a little and stuck her slender arm through. It took me a moment to realise that she was waiting for me to hand her the towel, hoodie and socks.

"Aww... such a thoughtful fiancé." Talla cooed.

I could tell she regretted saying it as soon as the words left her mouth. Funnily enough, I could envision Talla's cheeks begin to turn the blotchy red colour they always did when she was embarrassed. I found it cute that the tips of her ears also turned red when Talla was embarrassed.

"I think your flirting needs a little work." I chuckled as I retreated back to my office to finish my work for the night.

---

By the time I finished up for the night, it was already an ungodly hour of the night. There was an unbearable throbbing behind my eyes and my head was pounding, from the information overload and stress. I was craving a big glass of water, a paracetamol, a long shower and some sleep.

I couldn't hear Talla around the house, and presumed she went to bed a couple of hours ago. However, as I walked past the room that she was staying in, I swear I heard muffled sniffles.

I held my breath and slowly backed away from the door to Talla's room and headed back to the kitchen.  If I dug around in my freezer, I think I could find some ice-cream that I could offer to Talla. My only concern was that it had been in my freezer for so long that it could potentially be expired or freezer burnt. Thankfully, the ice-cream was edible enough to offer to Talla. 

I gently knocked on Talla's door.  The pint of ice-cream was burning my hand and I was beginning to question why I even bothered. It's not like women like being interrupted while having an emotion breakdown, right? 

To my surprise, the sniffling ceased and a moment later quiet footsteps sounded. The door to the bedroom opened and my heart ached at the sight of a blotchy faced, tear-stained Talla.

"I-I brought you some ice-cream..." I fumbled, holding the pint and spoon out to Talla.

A weak smile made its way onto Talla's face and she reached out to take the ice-cream from my outstretched hands.

"Thank you." Talla whispered and went to shut the door again.

I quickly placed my hand on the door.  Surprised flashed across Talla's features. I didn't know where I was going, but I couldn't let Talla suffer alone - she'd been though enough already.

"Tell me... what I can do to fix this." I whispered, dipping my head to be on eye-level with her and gently whipping away the stray tears that lingered.

"It- I- This is my first time without Sienna." More tears fell down Talla's pained face.

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Hey everyone! Sorry for the short chapter and the massive delay in publishing same. Life kind of got away from me in the last 12 months and I had half-written this chapter back in 2022.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll try and publish another one shortly. In the meantime, please show your support by voting, sharing with your friend and commenting! Have a nice morning/afternoon/evening or night and stay tuned for the next chapter.