A Restless Night
Leigh-Anne can't sleep.
She sits at the top of the stairs in her pink nightdress and plays with her cuddly toy rabbit and her little police car. The light is on in the living room so she has just enough light to see by. She can hear muffled voices from the television programme that Mummy must be watching. Leigh-Anne's game is quiet.
She jumps when someone knocks on the door almost loud enough to knock it down. She hears Mummy say a word she hasn't heard before and doesn't understand, but she sounds a bit cross. Mummy appears from the living room and Leigh-Anne freezes, afraid of being discovered. Mummy wraps her nightgown tighter around her waist and answers the door.
Leigh-Anne relaxes a fraction when she sees Daddy standing on the cold doorstep. His hair is messy, his shoulders hunched and she's never seen his eyes all red like that.
"Can I see Leigh-Anne?" he asks, and even his voice sounds different, like he has a sore throat.
Mummy blocks the doorway with her body. "She's asleep, John—it's ten o'clock at night," she replies sharply. "It's not your day, anyway. What are you doing here?"
Leigh-Anne, sitting at the top of the stairs, braces herself for the shouting. Mummy and Daddy always shout when Daddy turns up out of the blue like this and says stuff like that—and they always say they're not shouting, but Leigh-Anne knows different. She covers her ears with her hands and misses Daddy's reply, but it didn't look like he was shouting so she takes a chance and uncovers her ears.
She's just in time to hear Daddy repeat, "Please."
Daddy has never sounded like that before, and Leigh-Anne decides then and there that she doesn't like it. Daddy needs a hug, she thinks.
With her decision made, she runs down the stairs, fear of being caught awake overridden by a need to make Daddy feel better.
Mummy is sighing, "John..."
Leigh-Anne ducks to slip between Mummy and the door, and jumps into Daddy's waiting arms. He buries his nose into her neck and holds on tighter than he usually does. The shoulder of her nightdress becomes slightly damp. Mummy watches on with her arms folded but says nothing until Daddy sets Leigh-Anne down again a minute later.
"Bed," Mummy commands.
"Thanks, pet," Daddy says quietly, and sniffs. He gives her a little smile and a wave as she goes up the stairs. She stoops to collect her cuddly bunny and toy police car as she passes.
"Night-night, Daddy," Leigh-Anne calls down from the landing. He nods at her as the door is closed in his face.
Leigh-Anne climbs into bed with her cuddly bunny and sleeps soundly that night.
THE END
Author's Note: George Gently fever has struck me hard in the run-up to Series 7. I am very excited! :) I love seeing John with Leigh-Anne. So cute!