Chenford Story

37

Lucy's POV

The next morning I woke up and brushed last night's tears from my face. I was back. Home. Not that it felt like that anymore.

I didn't want to have to explain to everyone else why I left. They would see me differently, I knew that. They would see me like they see Rosalind. A cold blooded murderer. At least Rosalind had the guts to confess to it. Still, we both killed in cold blood. I wasn't like Rosalind... Was I?

I walked down the familiar staircase to the sounds of Juniper giggling while eating her breakfast. She wouldn't recognise me, I knew that. My own daughter wasn't going to recognise me. I should come to terms with that sooner rather than later or it would just hurt more.

I was going to go to jail and Juniper would never have to know me. That was best for everyone. For Juniper not to raised by a murderer.

The next thing that hit me was the smell of pancakes. Tim would always make me pancakes in the morning when I would wake up at him house. They were our thing. Tim would cook, I would wash up.

Now I didn't know what to do. My parents had been right about so many things. Wrong about some as well. But mostly right.

Maybe I should listen to them. Maybe I should never have come back.

Tim's POV

I noticed Lucy stood at the bottom of the staircase, staring off into space with a worried look on her face. I had made pancakes for breakfast, I made them every time Lucy was at my house and now I would make them again.

"Lucy? You ok?"
I walked over to her, placing my hand on her wrist. She flinched but didn't move.
Don't touch her wrist. Got it.
"Lucy?"
She snapped her head to look at me suddenly. She still looked terrified and like she was looking through me not at me.

"Lucy it's ok, you're ok"
She still seemed spaced out so I slowly lead her to the sofa and sat down next to her. Juniper crawled over to us and I pulled her up to lay on my lap.

Lucy just stared at our daughter.
Did she feel bad? Angry? Happy? Relieved?
She revealed nothing but just kept staring.

Eventually I heard a knock at the door.
Angela and Wesley.
I had asked them to reschedule for this morning after I found Lucy asleep. Now Lucy was like this.

Still I invited them inside, if nothing more than for a chat and pancakes.

"Hey guys, Lucy's being, distant. So good luck trying to get her to do or say anything"
Angela and Wesley just nodded at each other and walked into my house.

Lucy wasn't on the sofa where I left her, neither was Juniper.
"Guys?"
I called out to them. I doubted Lucy would have gone anywhere far with Juniper so they were probably inside somewhere.

I walked upstairs, checking mine and Lucy's bedrooms. Nope. I walked into Juniper's nursery, seeing Lucy cradling her while silently crying. She just looked guilty and so deeply upset.

"I-i should go..." Lucy said it in an almost whisper while placing Juniper down in her crib.
"No, it's ok Lucy you should stay"
"No. I'll just make everything worse"
Lucy started walking out the room, head down.
I softly grabbed her arm.
Lucy just sank to the floor in tortured sobs.