All The Small Things You Do | Katie McCabe.

Sometimes, a mum hug fixes everything.

"Have you spoken to Tatum today?" Katie frowned as she approached Leah after changing once training ended. Leah grabbed her phone and checked her messages quickly before shaking her head.

"Last text I had from her last night and it was her sending me a sending me a picture of my outfit saying I look like a grandma." Leah spoke dryly as she rolled her eyes.

Katie didn't laugh, but instead pursed her lips, glancing down at her own phone quickly. "She seems...off, like." Katie mumbled.

"What did you do?" Leah deadpanned.

Katie threw her arms out in protest. "Nothing!" Leah didn't respond but did raise an eyebrow in question. "I promise! She's not being like, off with me...she's just being, I dunno, quiet. Like, look. Everyday we just text pure shit." Katie demonstrated, sitting down next to Leah and scrolling through their messages. "Oops." She mumbled as she quickly scrolled past a risky picture she had sent to Tatum earlier in the week. "Look, 'just touched a leaf on a tree and it was so satisfying' 'just seen like 60 diggers all in one place, was mad' 'I can't wait to fuc-' oh no, not that one. But you get the point. Then today, all I've got is like flat messages, and only in response to me."

Leah lent back in her cubby. "Have you spoken to her? Like on the phone?"

"Not yet, we call each night."

"Maybe call her, see what's going on. She might just be having a sad day, mate. Don't worry too much." Leah advised before patting Katie's back and standing up.

Katie nodded and did just that, wasting no time in pressing the call button next to Tatum's name as she walked out of the changing room, waving a quick goodbye to the girls.

"Hello?" She heard Tatum's voice come through the phone. Katie winced, even her voice sounded just...flat. Not Tatum.

"Hey baby." Katie said, her voice softening.

"Hey...this is early, everything okay?" Tatum asked, the sound of her own footsteps echoing across the phone line.

"Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine...I miss you." Katie spoke as she got in her car and lent back in the seat.

"That's cute. I miss you too." Tatum spoke, silence floating between the two girls as the last syllable left her mouth.

Katie opened her mouth for a second, no words coming out. She hadn't had this version of Tatum yet, and she wasn't sure what was the best way to help. Does she try and crack a joke? She doesn't want Tatum to think she's oblivious to her feelings, because she's not, she's very much able to read the girl she's coming to love. "What's wrong, Tate?" She spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

There was no noise back from Tatum's end, the only sound assuring Katie that the line was still connected was the young girls breathing down the phone. "Tate...you can talk to me." Katie added.

"Yeah...yeah I know." Tatum whispered before letting out a muffled groan. Katie knew her well enough now to know it was because she was running her hands across her face in frustration. "I'm just...just a bit sad today. I'm sorry if I've been off, I didn't mean to upset you or anything, I promise. I'm sorry."

Katie frowned. "Tate, no. Stop apologizing. What are you sad about? Do you want to talk about it?"

There was silence between the girls again before Tatum took a deep breath. "I feel a bit stupid talking about stuff like this...I was in the car this morning and Nova's song came on, then I turned around a corner and there was this stupid fucking rainbow. At her funeral they gave out like little rainbow key rings and had things everywhere saying 'look for me in the rainbows' and I don't know, I sorta just got hit with all these feelings y'know? Made me feel a bit meh." Tatum finished her confession and Katie could feel her heart hurt for the girl. She's not gone through a situation like that, but she can't imagine the pain they suffered as a family. No family should have to bury a baby.