Fix You
Tyres screeched. Brakes squealed. A dull thud.
Ronnie's eyes snapped open, her breaths coming in sharp gasps. She looked around herself, confused and dazed. This wasn't her flat – where was she? She heard the soft whimpers of an infant and instantly remembered where she was.
Slowly lifting herself from Roxy's bed, she walked over to Amy's cot. Ronnie stared at the baby, at Amy. Her niece.
Ronnie closed her eyes, before instantly opening them once again. Every time she closed them, all she could see was the face of her dead daughter.
Amy's whimpers became louder, turning into wails. But Ronnie couldn't lift her from the confines of her cot, she couldn't hold her, she couldn't comfort her. A sudden panic rose in her chest and Ronnie fled from the room. She looked into the kitchen and the living room, but Roxy wasn't in either. Finally, Ronnie descended the stairs and made her way through to bar.
A sudden hush fell over the entire room as each and every customer realised she was there, their eyes watching her every move. She didn't look at them, knowing that as soon as she did, they'd look away.
Instead, Ronnie looked towards her right. A week ago, Danielle had stood there, telling her that she was her mum. Begging her to believe her. But Ronnie hadn't. She'd thrown her out of the pub. She'd thrown her own daughter out. Her own daughter. What kind of mother did that?
Roxy instantly rushed over to her sister, grabbing hold of her hand and placing herself between Ronnie and the space that her sister was staring at. "Ron? Ron, what is it? What's wrong?"
Roxy's word shook her out of Ronnie memories, but still her eyes remained fixed to the spot passed her sister. Where Danielle had stood. Where she'd been crying. Crying and pleading.
"Er, erm, Amy-," Ronnie stopped herself. "Erm, she's crying."
Roxy nodded. "Okay, okay. Let's go back upstairs, yeah?" She tugged on her sister's hand, but Ronnie didn't move. "Ronnie?"
Ronnie shook her head.
"You wanna stay down here?" Roxy asked, uncertainly.
"No." Ronnie didn't know what she wanted to do. At times she wanted to be alone, but when she was she craved the presence of others. And then when people were around her, she wished them gone. There was only one person she wanted and she'd never be able to see them again.
"I'm erm, I'm gonna go back to my flat, okay?"
"Ron-" Roxy tried to protest, but she was cut off her sister.
"Just for tonight, yeah?"
Finally, Roxy nodded. "Okay."
"I'll take you over," Phil stated. "Billy can watch the place, can't you mate?"
"Yeah."
"You don't need to do that," Ronnie replied, shaking her head.
"I'll take you over there, no arguments," Phil said, adamantly, going to grab both their jackets.
"Okay."
