She took Ben upstairs and tucked him into connors bed. "Night night. Don't let the bed bugs bite" she whispered as she flicked of the light. She turned around to find Emma behind her. "You alright darling?"
She nodded. "Can I get you anything?" .
"No Thankyou miss."
"Oh you'll have to rummage through Imogen's charity bag tonight for clothes like but we will get you your own at the weekend."
"Okay" she nodded
"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"
"No im okay"
"Alright darling I'll be downstairs if you need me"
Two weeks later
Christine sat downstairs for a while when she heard the front door slam shut. Christine rushed to the door
"Emma" she shouted "Emma" there was no sign she ran upstairs searching the house frantically "Emma" she screamed "Emma" Ben woke up confused on what was going on.
"Chrissy what's going on?" He said half asleep
"We're going to go on a little night time adventure okay?"
"With Emma?" He asked
"No the game is hide and seek we have to find Emma"
"Oh okay"
"Come on coat on quickly" she said putting his coat on. "Let's go to the car"
Christine strapped him in the back of the car "you tell me when you see Emma okay" Christine drove round for ages but there was no sign of her, she had hope she'd just gone back to the house maybe she'd went for a walk and got lost, surely she'd ring her wouldn't she?. Christine faced the fact she knew Emma wasn't around and drove home. She put Ben to bed. "We never finished the game though?"
"We will do tomorrow sweetheart, but you've got a busy day tomorrow picking out your new shoes"
"Yay!"
"Come on then into bed" she said patting the bed and tucking him in. "Night sweetie" she closed the doors and sobbed, she rang Emma trying to get in contact with her but there was no sign so she rang audery instead.
"Audery" it was 2am
"Christine what an earth do you want at this hour"
"I need your help"
"What's happened" audery could hear Christine's muffled sob over the phone
"Just come over quickly please audery"
"Christine calm down" she said "I'm on my way"
An hour later audery was at the door and she let herself in, she just walked in on Christine sobbing her eyes out.
"Christine what's happened"
"Emma's gone audery"
"Don't worry, she's probably just gone for a walk and got lost"
"It's been 7 hours audery I've rang her no answer" she said "I've been out driving no sign I've been down all the alley ways nothing audery nothing"
"Where else could she be?"
"There's her mums, but I highly doubt she'd had gone there"
"Go and check!"
"Bens upstairs I can't leave him on his own"
"Christine you'll only be an hour or so you'll be back before he wakes up, I'll watch him for you"
"Thanks audery your a life saver" she put on her coat and drove to Emma's parents flat, when she heard a gunshot, she ran into the flat without even thinking, to find Emma lying on the floor pouring with blood, she had been shot. Her mum stood there laughing and her stepdad fleed , quickly following her stepdad. "Emma Emma sweetheart it's okay I'm here now" she said stroking her head she pulled out her phone and rang an ambulance "hello yes ambulance please 2a oak block" Emma closed her eyes "no Emma no don't you do this to me Emma come on sweetheart come on" she opened her eyes screaming with pain. "It's hurts" she screamed
"I know, I know" she said stroking her hair "you'll be okay though don't worry"
Paremedics flooded in along with police officers.
"Can you tell us what happened?"
"I just heard a gun shot"
"Relation?"
"Foster parent"
"Right"
Emma was rushed away Christine following in her car behind them. Christine paced the hallways waiting for any sign of news, tears scaring her face. Her phone began to ring, it was audery
"Christine what's happened where are you?"
"Is Ben okay?"
"He's fine he's just woken up though"
"Right okay I'll be back as soon as I can"
"Christine what's happened"
"Drop Ben of at school and I'll tell you, he can't know yet"
"Christine"
"Just do it audery" she snapped. She was so scared. A few hours later audery finally turned up.
"Christine what's happened?"
"Emma"
"What about her"
"She's been"
"She's been what"
"S s s sh sh o t" Christine just bawled
"Hey come here" she said wrapping her arms around her.
"It's all my fault"
"No no it's not don't be silly"
"Yes it was"
"How on earth was it your fault"
"I was supposed to be looking after her audery!"
"And you where"
"Ermm mrs mulgrew" said a nurse
"Yes?"
"Emma"
"Emma what..."
"Emma's died"
"What?" She said shaking "no no you've got it wrong"
"I'm so sorry" said the nurse "you can go through and have a moment if you'd like"
"No im fine Thankyou" she said walking out "I've got a job to get to"
"No you've not" said audery "I won't let you go in"
"I'm going either way" she said pushing past audery.
"Take the day of Christine"
"I don't want a day of audery" she said "I'm going to school"
"Christine" audery said "what about Ben" Christine fell to the floor sobbing.
"I don't know what to say to him audery" she bawled
"Come on" she said "let's get you home" audery took Christine home and she just lay in her bed she had no contact with society at all until later that day when she heard audery walk in with Ben.
"What's happened to Chrissy"
"She's just a bit tiered" said audery "come on shoes off"
"I'm meant to be going to buy new shoes today"
"Yes we'll Chrissy isn't very well at the minute maybe she'll take you tomorrow"
Christine wiped her tears and went downstairs.
"Hey Ben" she said opening her arms for a hug "how was your day"
"It was brilliant we did finger painting today" he said " I made one for Emma, but I've had to leave it at school because mr Byrne said it wasn't dry enough yet"
Tears began to stream from Christine's eyes "why are you sad?" Said Ben so clueless of what had happened.
"Ben, I need to talk to you"
"Okay..."
"And I need you to be a big brave boy okay"
"Okay..."
"Come on then"she said leading him to the siting room.
"Have I been a naughty boy?"
"No, no don't be silly" she said rubbing his back "well you know Emma"
"Yes"
"Well she's"
"She's what"
"She's d..." she changed her words very quickly "she's decided she wanted to go on a little trip"
"Can I go too"
"No sweetheart not this time" tears began to trickle down Christine's cheeks
"But shell be back soon" he said "you don't need to be sad"
"Sweetheart"
"What"
"She's not coming back" Ben began to cry and Christine held him tight "she's in a special place called heaven now"
"So she's dead" Christine nodded
"Oh sweetheart I'm so sorry"
"But but she's only a little girl only big old people die"
"Darling" she said kissing him on the head "she loved you so much"
Ben just bawled his eyes out followed by Christine audery came over and wrapped her arms around Christine. "It'll be okay" she whispered "it'll be okay"
