One Shots 'The nursery nurse'

Deathly Affair

It was a sunny afternoon when Sorscha sat down in the break room. Charlotte, Winter, and Carly were already sitting at the table. Her three colleagues were talking quietly but hurriedly.

Their voices were muffled, but the anger was unmistakable. They were talking about Janice. The deputy manager had just taken over. Unfortunately, Marjorie and Reece were on holiday, Autumn had been home for a few days because her morning sickness was causing her such problems, and Deliah. Well, she was Deliah and not much help.

The word "pressure" kept coming up. "Unfair." and "power games. " Sorscha listened attentively, the coffee cup in her hand suddenly meaningless. She knew she had to do something. " Ok, that's it's! Someone has to stand up to her!"

Her break was over now, Sorscha realised. But someone had to do something. So she went to Janice's office with firm determination. The door was open, just a crack, and she stepped inside. Janice was sitting relaxed at her desk, her feet up, when she noticed Sorscha she smiled light-heartedly.

"Oh, Sorscha! What a pleasant surprise," Janice said with a kind of lightness that irritated Sorscha for a moment. "Come in, what can I do for you?"

Sorscha collected herself. "Janice, we need to talk. Just because Marjorie and Autumn aren't here doesn't mean you can make our lives hell!"

Janice took her feet off the table and sat up straight. She looked at Sorscha with a mischievous smile that the irish couldn't quite place. " Make life hell? I'm sure that's just a misunderstanding. Things don't always run smoothly when proper discipline returns. But that's part of it, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't call it discipline, more dictatorial," said Sorscha, "You can't treat the people here like that. You overload them with tasks, constantly give vague instructions, and... It just doesn't feel right." Her voice sounded more uncertain than she wanted. Maybe she wasn't quite as sure as she thought she was. Or maybe it was Janice's penetrating gaze and heavy aura.

Janice laughed softly, a sound that left Sorscha feeling even more unease. " Oh, you really are a sincere person, Sorscha. But what if you see things too harshly? Maybe you just need a little more confidence in my decisions."

Sorscha sighed, the concern in her voice impossible to miss. "It's not the trust. It's the way you treat people. It feels like you're just using your power."

Janice stood up, walked slowly round the desk, and stepped closer to Sorscha. She looked deep into her eyes. " Sorscha, you're so passionate about what you say. And that makes you somehow...fascinating." Her voice became softer, gentler, almost flirtatious. "Maybe you're just a little too careful. You know you don't always have to be so serious, right?"

Sorscha felt her cheeks redden slightly. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but she suddenly felt a little flustered by Janice's closeness and casual remarks. She wasn't used to a superior talking to her like that. And she didn't want to appear weak.

" I'm married.," Sorscha said quickly, as if to remind herself. " I'm not here to play any games with you."

Janice smiled gently, as if she knew a secret that Sorscha couldn't understand. "Oh..." she whispered almost tenderly. "You're so much more interesting when you're fighting back. And you should know that I don't play to lose. But maybe... maybe there's more between us than you think."

Sorscha now felt completely confused. She didn't understand exactly what Janice meant, but the look she gave her seemed to say more than the words. Her heart was beating faster, and she didn't know if that was a good or bad sign.

" I... I'm not here to flirt with you," Sorscha said, trying to organise her thoughts, but her voice sounded less convinced than she would have liked.

Janice took a step back, putting a hand to her chin as if she was pensive. " Of course. I just wanted to make sure you knew that there's more to life than work and responsibilities." Her tone was now back to the mixture of charm and mockery that Sorscha couldn't quite grasp. " But it's cute how seriously you take it. Really sweet."