"So, what brings you here? And a kid? Lucy, you should have told me. What's going on? Why are you here?" Alex fired questions at her younger sister.
"ALICE STOP" Lucy shouted. She took a breath. "I'm not here about Alex, but I will fill you in all in good time, Alice, it's about Mum"
"Mum? Why what's happened?" Alice asked concerned, she sat down on a sofa, Lucy sat next to her.
"Alice, mum's, you see mum is" Lucy stuttered.
"Lu? Tell me."
"Alice, I couldn't tell you about this over the phone, mum's not well"
Alice ran her hand through her hair and took a breath "What's wrong with her?" she asked.
"She had a stroke"
Alice covered her mouth with her hand. Tears filled her eyes. "I need to go and see her, I need to pack, wait, why did you just leave her on her own?"
"I didn't, well I did, but" Lucy began to cry "after the stroke, Mum developed dementia, vascular dementia I think it's called, she doesn't remember us, the only people she remembers is Dad and Rowan. I'm sorry Alice, I'm sorry" She hugged Alice. "I'm sorry"
Alice hugged her back, "It's ok Lu, it's not your fault," she said through her own sobs. "It's not your fault"
The pair hugged and cried before Alice asked her "Where's Mum now?"
"She's in a care home. I was looking after her, she was living with us, I was trying to track you down, but I couldn't cope with her, Alex and Alex's Dad, it was too much, especially when Mum got aggressive and confused, she nearly hurt Alex"
"It's ok" Alice took her sister's hand "I understand"
Lucy rested her head on Alice's shoulder. The pair sat in silence, both with tears running down their faces. The door opened. Danny stood holding Robert and holding Alex's hand.
...
"Sorry, they are both wanting their Mum's," he said passing Robert to Alice as Alex went to Lucy. He saw their tears, "What's happened?" he sat next to Alice, placed his hand on her arm.
"Mummy crying?" Alex observed hugging his Mum. Lucy held onto Alex, as did Alice to Robert.
"Our mum is ill," Alice told Danny "a stroke and dementia"
Danny knelt on the floor in front of the sisters. "I'm sorry, both of you," he told them, placing a comforting hand on both Alice and Lucy's legs. "Look, why don't I take Alex and Bobby, I'll get Charlotte from school and get Olivia to come to give me a hand, give you two chance to talk"
Lucy looked at Alice, then at Danny, Alice nodded understanding that her younger sister was looking for reassurance that this was safe, "They'll be ok" she told her.
"Right come on boys, let's go for an adventure and leave you Mummy's to talk", he picked both boys up, one in each arm.
"Mummy?" Alex asked confused, who was this strange man, he wanted his mum.
"It's ok Alex, Danny is going to play with you for a bit," Alice told him.