Little Mercury

Bad Timing

17th July 1975

It's late Thursday afternoon and Amelia has just finished school for the day. She has a week left of school before the 6 weeks holiday.

Amelia is spending the afternoon at John's being looked after by Veronica, the band had a long meeting to do with there next album and Mary was working so Veronica had offered to have her. She cares deeply for the little girl and they have become close since Amelia came back from America.

John, however, had not been keen on the idea, for one simple reason. Veronica is now nine months pregnant and due any day.

He wasn't happy to be dragged into this meeting when she could go into labour at any moment but her looking after Amelia made him worry even more.

John knew that Amelia was easy to look after and wasn't annoyed at the girl, he was miffed that Veronica had offered to watch her. He would prefer his wife to be resting.

"Are you sure okay to watch her Ronnie? I'm sure Freddie would understand if you changed your mind." John checks with his wife for the tenth time that day, scurrying around trying to find his shoes before Freddie arrives.

"John," She grabs his face and to make him look at her, "I will be fine. Milly is easy to look after and so well behaved. If there are any problems I've got the studio number and I will call you if all else fails I can always call 999. Your other shoe is under the chair by the way."

He gives her a quick kiss, "thank you," and goes to retrieve his shoe.

The door goes and Veronica turns to open it, "Hello Aunt V," Amelia greets.

She steps back to let them in, "Hello Milly, Hey Freddie."

Freddie pecks her cheek, "Thank you for watching her Darling. If it's too much I can always take her with me. She'll be okay to wait outside the office."

Veronica sighs, "I've already had this conversation with John. I will be fine Amelia is easy to look after. Now you two better go or you will be late." She hurries them out the door before they can say another word and shuts the door behind them.

She turns back to Amelia, "Right now that there gone, what do you want to do sweety?"

"I need to do my homework first then dad said nothing too active so I don't stress you out." Amelia drops her eyes to the ground, of course, Freddie had told Amelia to be careful.

Veronica leans down as much as possible and tilts her chin up, "Milly you won't stress me out, I wouldn't have agreed to look after you if I thought you would. Your daddy and uncle are just being worrywarts. So let's do that homework and I'll think of something while you work."

Amelia sat at the table doing her spellings homework with Veronica sat the other side reading them out and then checks them at the end, of course, she got them all right.

After homework, Veronica decided that watching a few cartoons wasn't a bad idea.

------

At half-past five Veronica got up from the couch to get some food for herself and Amelia. As she was reaching up for a glass from the top cupboard, she felt a sharp pain across the top of her stomach.

She drops the glass coursing it to smash loudly on the floor sending shards everywhere, thankfully she has shoes on.

At the sound of the smash, Amelia shot up from the couch to check on her but Veronica saw her coming, "No, no, no Milly. Don't come in here without your shoes, there's glass on the floor darling."

Amelia stops at the doorway, "Are you okay? Do you want me to clean it up?"

"You'll need to get some shoes on first, but yes please sweety. I can't bend down to do it myself." When Amelia walks away Veronica takes the moment to rub her bump, she had a few twinges while sat on the couch but hoped it would go away, but that was definitely a contraction.