Every Breath She Takes [CURRENTLY ON HOLD]

Chapter 24: Rumours

Worried about my eldest, I went to his room, and knocked gently. “Cam?”

He grunted, and I took that as a come in grunt. I sat on his bed, watching him. He was sitting at his desk, a blank piece of paper in front of him, but he was gazing out the window, tapping his pencil thoughtfully against his teeth. The window was open, and a warm breeze blew through the room, a reminder of the summer just finishing.

“Cam. Is there anything wrong?”

He looked at me, but I couldn’t read the expression in his dark eyes. I waited for him to tell me. He sighed, and looked down at the paper before him. Absently, as he talked, he sketched, not concentrating on what he was drawing.

“I heard rumours today, Mum,”  he finally said.

I felt a chill, but my voice stayed calm. “What about?”

“You. About how you’d disappeared for a long time. I didn’t know whether to believe them or not.”

I gave a small sigh of my own, and rose, walking to his window. The breeze swept through the room again, lifting my heavy curls slightly. “What were they saying, Cam?” I kept my voice gentle, not wanting to alarm him. He wasn’t old enough to know yet.

“That you’d been kidnapped.”

I turned to him. “You know that already, Cam. Remember? We told you earlier, and we’ll tell the others when they’re older too. That isn’t what’s worrying you, is it?”

He flushed slightly, and dropped his head. “No,” he said quietly. He stayed silent for a while, and I didn’t press him, not wanting to push him into saying something he didn’t want to say.

“It was what they said had happened to you, Mum. That’s what I don’t know whether to believe or not.”

“What were they saying, Cam?” My gaze dropped to the paper he was sketching on, and I was surprised to see what he was doing. However, I didn’t say anything about it. It was up to him what he drew.

“That…” He trailed off, unsure how to say it. I returned to his bed, sitting on it again while I waited. He finally sighed, and continued. “That you were…yeah. Um.”

I smiled, and rose, ruffling his hair. “They’re only rumours, Cam. Don’t pay them any attention, alright?”

“Okay, Mum.” He nodded, and focused on what he’d drawn. “Oh.” His voice changed, and I looked over his shoulder at the drawing.

“Oh indeed,” I said. “What were you thinking?”

“I…I don’t know.” He sounded genuinely confused, but I only smiled again.

“Don’t worry too much, little one.”

He looked up at me, startled. I hadn’t called him that for years.

“Just put it away, sweetheart. Maybe you’ll understand it when you’re a little older.”

He nodded again, and tucked the paper away in his folder, pulling out another blank sheet.

“No homework?”

He shook his head. “No,” he replied, seemingly grateful to be on more familiar ground. “The teachers said that because it was the first day, they wouldn’t give us any.”

“Lucky duck. Don’t forget you need to walk Buddy later, though.”

“I will, Mum.” It was said absently. He was already engrossed in the next drawing, and I left him to it.

I didn’t bother knocking on Jack’s door. If he was deep in his tale, he wouldn’t hear me, and if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t mind. Luckily, he wasn’t, and I went to sit on his lap, resting my head on his shoulder. I never forget how lucky I was to be with him.

“Is everything alright, Ro?”

I nodded, closing my eyes. “Yeah. Just rumours again.”

He chuckled. “Again? Poor boy. They seem to follow him around.”

I lifted my head to look at him, checking that none of the children were near the door. “There’s good reason for that, Jack. You know there is. I returned seven months pregnant, remember?”

“I do.” His voice was dry. “And you also had pneumonia, as I recall.”

I laughed quietly. “I don’t think we’ll ever forget, Jack. But I am worried. His friends’ parents will remember.”

“We talked about this, Ro. Remember? There’s nothing we can do. we can only hope that he doesn’t find out before we tell him.”

I nodded, and snuggled in close. “How’s the book going?”

“Hmm? Oh. Alright, I suppose. Could be better, but I’ve had worse. Should be finished soon.”

“When do you think you will be?”

He shrugged, sliding his arms around me. “I don’t know. There’s no rush for this one. I can take my time.”

“If you say so. I need to go to the bookstore, though. I told Moira I would take over around four. I’ll be back later.” I stood up, regretful, and kissed his cheek. “Love you, Jack.”

He returned it. “Love you too, Ro.”