The Outbreak (The Nursery Nurse)

Thirty Four

As the months went by things were changing.

The house that was normally warm was cold, distant.

It was his birthday today.

Charlotte was sat on the floor cross legged in the small supply room, packing the remaining things that had belonged to Reece away in neat boxes.

She'd been in there for hours.

Marjorie had asked Charlotte to do it, she couldn't face doing it herself, couldn't bare the thought.

She smiled when she came across one of his jumpers, it was one of his favourites, she folded it but paused.

She looked at it for a while before unfolding it and holding it up out in front of her.

She brought it closer and inhaled the scent.

It still smelt like him, after all this time.

She bit back a sob as she hugged it for a while.

"Oh I miss you, we all do." She whispered.

She decided that Autumn would like to keep the jumper.

She folded it up neatly and set it aside when there was a light knock at the door.

She looked up, Mia was standing in the doorway.

She was observing quietly, Mia hadn't really talked about Reece much, she avoided the conversation.

She couldn't talk about it, she just couldn't.

"Evening sweetheart, I'm taking Carly to train, she needs a distraction." Mia said softly.

"Okay, be safe, don't hurt each other." Charlotte replied cautiously.

Mia smiled slightly, although it didn't match her eyes, "You know I wouldn't, are you sure you should be doing this?" She asked hesitantly, looking around at the clutter on the floor.

Charlotte inhaled sharply, "It's what he would of wanted."

Mia's eyes glazed over for a second before nodding, "I suppose you're right."

Just as the words left her lips an old snow globe that had been set on the nearby table fell and rolled across the floor, stopping right in front of Mia's feet.

Mia and Charlotte looked at each-other with wide eyes.

"He needs to stop doing that it's creeping me out." Mia shivered before looking back to the globe.

Charlotte smiled, "He's here." She whispered before looking around.

Mia clicked her tongue, "Best be off, I love you." Her tone was indecipherable.

Before Charlotte could respond she was gone.

"What am I going to do with her." Charlotte sighed.

She knew what Reece would tell her, he'd tell her she'd be alright, he would tell her that Mia was coping in her own Mia-ey ways.

It made Charlotte smile, although her devastation.

Charlotte packed away the last of his things and headed down the first two flights of stairs.

She stopped when Winter and Autumn were climbing up them.

Autumn was heavily pregnant now, she was past her due date and it had the whole house on edge.

"My love if you make me walk up one more flight of stairs I will push you down them." Autumn drawled restlessly, she has a hand resting on her large bump, panting slightly.