Aftermath

Part three of the 'Robyn' series.

Sportacus sat on the edge on the edge of the chair and stared at the floor. He knew he shouldn't be at the house but something had drawn him there, a need to be sure. His eyes moved from the floor to the fluffy orange chair in the corner. He stared at it and waited for its previous occupant to return. He wished fervently that the occupant would come back and take his place in that chair once again, it wasn't to be. Minutes turned into hours and his eyes were still riveted on the chair.

"Sportacus?" The word was spoken softly but made Sportacus almost jump out of his skin. It had been the only breach of the still silence in that house for a very long time.

"Mayor," Sportacus answered weakly. He coughed, his throat was dry and he was trying to remember where he was. He'd been brought back into the real world with a jolt and it had put him off balance a little.

"Are you ok? You look awful."

"I don't know. What time is it?"

"It's seven in the evening. You weren't in your airship so I thought you might be here. We need to get you out of here and something to eat."

The Mayor came over to Sportacus and helped him out of the chair. Sportacus legs trembled a little at their first use for some hours but eventually steadied themselves. The Mayor led Sportacus out of the house and to his own.

Sportacus flinched at the light inside the Mayor's house; he'd been sitting in the darkness of Robbie's vacant house for too long. He was greeted with great concern when the Mayor led him in. Bessie told him to sit down; Stephanie went to fetch a glass of water and some sports candy. Sportacus looked around for Robyn who'd been staying with the Mayor since the incident.

He hadn't felt ready to take on full responsibility for her as he was trying to come terms with what had happened. He wasn't sure if he ever would be able to take proper care of her, it wasn't the responsibility that scared him it was the child herself. He loved her but couldn't help but see a small trace of Lily in her.

Looking at the clock Sportacus guessed Robyn would be in bed by now, she had a strict bedtime of a quarter to seven. If she went to bed any later she was prone to be moody the next day which didn't bode well for her usual character.

For the first time since the whole thing happened Sportacus wondered how Robyn was feeling. He felt bad enough for what had happened to him but Robbie was her father, he chastised himself for being so selfish. Granted she was too young to fully understand what had happened but she'd lost one of the most important people in her life. Not being able to comprehend the aspect of death was probably much worse for her than being to understand it as she would be filled with many more questions.

"Can I see Robyn?" Sportacus asked suddenly after taking a few sips from the offered glass of water from Stephanie.

"She's in bed at the moment but there's no reason why you can't see her." The Mayor answered.

Sportacus nodded his thanks and got up. He went to the spare room where Robyn would be, it didn't seem that long ago when he himself was in that room after Lily and Robbie stole the town's sports candy. Sportacus wasn't surprised to work out that everything he'd ever done or that had ever happened since her arrival stemmed from Lily. It was as if she was the root of evil and had forever cast a shadow over everything she touched.

Sportacus silently opened the door; the hall was dark so he didn't have to worry about waking Robyn with the light. He was about to enter the room when the small girl he'd come to visit came running out and hugged his legs. Sportacus effortlessly picked the girl up and turning on the bedroom light took her back inside the room. Gently he placed Robyn back on the bed and sat down beside her. He could tell she'd been crying, her cheeks were stained with tears and there was a wet patch on the pillow. Sportacus could feel a lump in his throat as he hugged the poor, suffering child. Robyn needed him; he could tell that now and vowed to do as Robbie asked. He would protect Robyn from anything that would have an adverse affect on her. Whether was a trace of Lily in Robyn or not he was certain she would never turn that way.

Lily had always been bad. As a baby she was spiteful and as a child she was vicious. Nothing had ever or could ever have melted her cold heart. Sportacus had tried many times and once in his childhood had almost been frozen by it himself. It was only when he realised the extent of her wicked games that he turned his life around and chose to follow in the footsteps of his father.

Sportacus looked back at Robyn when he felt her shift in his arms, he was pleased to see that she seemed to be sound asleep and he yawned. He hadn't slept since Robbie's death, he hadn't felt able to but finally all those sleepless nights caught up with him and granted him the respite he so badly needed.

The Mayor went to check on Sportacus, he'd been in Robyn's room an awfully long time and it was getting late. Looking through the open door the Mayor noticed that he needn't have worried, he sighed contentedly when he saw both Sportacus and Robyn sleeping peacefully. Stephanie heard the Mayor's sigh and came over to see what he was looking at; a faint smile touched her lips at the sight. She felt terrifically sorry for Sportacus and Robyn. What had happened to Robbie was horrific and those two were the most closely affected by it. Sportacus had also lost a sister that day but didn't seem as affected by it. Perhaps it was because of the person Lily was that no tears were shed for her, she had received her punishment for murdering Robbie by losing her own life and everyone was glad that she would hurt them no more.