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March had always been Phillis' favourite month. It's the month Spring starts and all the prettiest flowers bloom and new generations of animals are born. In a way, she figured she'd always loved Spring so much because of Narnia. Winter had melted into Spring when they were first there and it was such a beautiful sight.
Enoch, now almost a year old, sat in his mother's arms. Tommy sat opposite them on the dark red blanket. The trio sat underneath a cherry blossom tree to shelter them from the scorching sun. Phillis had invited Tommy on a picnic as they hadn't seen each other in a while. Though, the conversation was as if they'd never been apart. Tommy was great with Enoch, he loved the little boy as if he were his own.
"So, what's new?" Phillis asked her closest friend, taking a bite out of her sandwich. "Not much. I met a girl," he said. "You did?" the brunette exclaimed. "Yeah," Tommy nodded. "Who is she? What's she called? Where's she from? How old is she?" Phillis said, she couldn't stop herself - she had so many questions. "She's called Anna Hayes. She was born in London. She's 23," he explained, chuckling at Phillis' eagerness to know more. "Where did you meet her?" asked Phillis. "She's my Grandma's friend's granddaughter," he replied. "We've been seeing each other for about a month now." "I'm so happy for you," Phillis laughed happily, hugging Tommy tightly. "Thank you. How's Edmund?" said Tommy. "Good. He's amazing with Enoch - better than I ever expected him to be with our child," Phillis told him. "And every time I look at Enoch, I just think of Edmund. Enoch really looks like him." "You're not wrong," muttered Tommy, looking at the giggling boy.
Later that evening, when Edmund returned home from work, he walked into the empty living room. Strange, he thought to himself. The lights were on. The kitchen was empty too. Curiously, he ventured upstairs. Firstly, he checked Enoch's room, and when it was empty he couldn't help but begin to feel nervous. However, when he checked his own room, all of his anxiousness was washed away with warmth. Phillis lay in one of his shirts, her eyes shut. Enoch was lying on her chest, sleeping soundly. She had a book resting next to her, she'd obviously been reading it to their son and they'd both managed to nod off. As per usual, Rum was asleep at the end of the bed. He never seemed to move from that position.
Edmund smiled to himself. Everything he cared about was curled up on his bed right before his eyes. Their chests were rising and falling, and Enoch was breathing heavily, but other than that the room was deadly quiet. The sight of Phillis in one of his shirts made Edmund's knees weak. When he closed the door behind him, it seemed to wake Enoch. The boy looked at his father curiously. Edmund held his finger up to his lips, gesturing to Phillis. Though only tiny, Enoch seemed to understand. Edmund carefully lifted the boy off of Phillis' stomach and took him downstairs. "She's been very busy lately," Edmund told the little brunette. "She's really trying, Enoch. Mummy's not going to give up on you." Edmund kissed the forehead of the sleepy child. He thought it best to let him sleep. Phillis certainly needed a nap as she'd been up most nights trying to finish her book. She kept telling Ed she was only a few chapters away. But, he'd manage to drag her to bed anyway. She was really trying for Edmund and Enoch. Whatever it takes, she'd tell herself. To which Edmund would tell her that that wasn't a healthy lifestyle. She was so determined to get her book finished that she seemed to forget about her mental health. Phillis assured him she was coping perfectly.
Suddenly the sound of footsteps padding down the stairs snapped Edmund out of his thoughts. By the time he'd turned to face the door, Phillis stood there. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her skin was colder than usual. She sat down next to him, laying her head on his broad shoulder. "I finished it," she whispered. "I finished my book." Edmund was beyond proud of his wife in that moment. She'd been working on it for the past year and it had always been her dream to write a book. Now, she'd finally done it. "That's great!" he grinned. He didn't want to raise his voice as Enoch was now asleep on his lap and he daren't wake him.
