One Shots 'The nursery nurse'

Lost in the Night

It was late when Charlotte finally sank down on the sofa. She had a long day and was glad to finally be able to relax. The rain lashed against the windows and the streets outside shone wet and empty.

Mia was still on the go. She would soon be taking Autumn's place, and she had to stay longer at the Nursery today to discuss a few things with Marjorie, Autumn and the Head Office. The last time she had heard from the redhead was two hours ago. When she wrote her a message complaining about how long this meeting had been going on.

Since then, however, there had been radio silence. But Charlotte thought nothing of it. She knew Mia would be home soon, but maybe she had got stuck in a traffic jam or wanted to do some quick shopping.

The minutes passed and now Charlotte had a book in her hands that she wanted to read, but the exhaustion of the day began to get the better of her. When she finally closed her eyes with the book on her knees, she had no idea that it was the beginning of a long night.

In the middle of the night, Charlotte woke up on the sofa, the book still in her hand, the TV screen flickering in the twilight. Her first thought was that Mia must be there by now, but it was unusual that she hadn't woken her up. So Charlotte got up and went into the bedroom. But the bed was untouched, the room empty.

Confused, Charlotte reached for her mobile phone and tried to call Mia. She was used to Mia always answering her almost immediately, whether by text message or a quick call back. But that wasn't the case now. The screen showed no message and when she dialled the nummer, it went straight to voicemail. A queasy feeling crept up inside her.

"Maybe the battery is flat... or she's in the tunnel," she reassured herself. But when she tried again, and then again, and still no one picked up, a sick feeling crept into her stomach. At least Mia would have sent her a message, Charlotte thought. She would have at least let her know if something had happened, and besides, it was almost three o'clock, no meeting went on that long.

The next person who would know where Mia could be, popped into Charlotte's head. Autumn. The rain was still hammering against the window as she waited for Autumn to answer. Finally, she heard the calm but slightly sleepy voice of the woman on the other end. " Yes...?"

"Autumn. Hey, it's Charlotte...I erm...I just wanted to know if you know where Mia is. She's not home yet. I tried to call her but... her phone seems to be off... That's not like her....," Charlotte said, her voice trembling a little.

Autumn replied in an unusually calm voice. " Don't worry, there'll be a reason for that. Maybe she went to the pub. That meeting really was hell."

But Charlotte didn't want to accept this answer. Even if it was the chase, Mia would have contacted her. "Mia wouldn't do this without saying something... Please Autumn, I have a feeling that something has happened."

There was a brief silence at the other end. Charlotte heard the rustling of a duvet. " Fine. I'll wake Winter and we'll go to your place. Then we'll discuss everything. Just keep trying to call Mia. Maybe she's switched her mobile back on by now."

Even though Autumn's words calmed her down a little, Charlotte felt an uneasy feeling spreading through her. She hung up and sat down on the bed, staring at the wall and listening to the sounds of the city. But there was nothing to reassure her.

Winter drove through the rain with Autumn in the passenger seat, the windscreen wipers pushing the water aside as the lights of the street lamps passed them by. Autumn thought about the last words she had spoken to Mia and searched them for an answer. When something came to her mind. " ... Bread..."

"What?" asked Winter next to her, confused.

"Mia said she wanted to do some shopping... Winter drive to the discounter on the edge of town. It's the only one that was still open after eight."