"So missy, what are we going today?" Zoe asked Sharice as she fixed her make up.
"Can we go and visit mum?" Sharice asked quietly, playing with the hem of her skirt, not quite looking Zoe in the eye.
Zoe's heart sank as she heard her request, her eyes stung with tears as she thought of Abby. The one she should have saved. "Oh sweetheart, of course we can" Zoe knelt down in of her and titled her chin up to look at her "we can go and see her when ever you want" she whispered, smiling as Sharice wrapped her arms around neck.
.
"Shall we get snowdrops?" Zoe asked, as they stopped at the flower stall outside the graveyard. Sharices tiny nod agreed with her and she passed the money across to the seller without word.
The walk to Abby's grave was complete in silence and Zoe stood back as Sharice knelt down at her grave, placing the flowers gently in front of it. Zoe felt guilty, the grave was unkempt and the last flowers placed there now dead. It had been a while since Zoe had gone to visit it, she preferred to block it out and forget how much pain she had caused; she blamed herself for Abby dying and Sharice losing her mother. She wrapped an arm around Sharices shoulder as she walked away from the grave, her eyes red and puffy. "Do you want to do something else? Shopping perhaps?" Zoe asked, trying to lighten the mood. Her and Sharice had always gone shopping at the weekends, just about the one think Zoe knew how to do other then being a doctor.
"Yeah, ok then" Sharice smiled back, slipping her hand into Zoe's without saying a word. It felt so natural to be back in her company again, to her have looking after her.
.
Zoe was in her element, and Sharice was most certainly being spoiled today. Zoe loved the idea of having someone to spend her wages on, other than herself. It was strange buying children's clothes and flat shoes. She was used to buying the highest, most expensive heels. Treating herself because she had no one to treat and no one to treat her; she had Max and as much as she like him she'd never expect him to spend his wages on her shoe addiction. That was the difference between Max and Nick; a Nick treated her like a princess, buying her whatever she wanted yet, somehow, it made her feel worse. Like she was indebted to him. Outside of the hospital, her and Max were equals there was nothing that separated them.
Zoe was several hundred pounds down as she left the shopping centre, Sharice had an entire new wardrobe; she wanted them to have a fresh start together as a family. "I need to go to the hospital for an hour, you don't mind do you?" Zoe asked as, for the third time that day, they got back into her car.
"No" Sharice smiled "will Jess be there?" She asked, the one person who she remembered; Jess had always came to visit her, when she was in hospital.
"She lives in America, now, but Tess and Charlie will be there. You remember them don't you?" Zoe asked, looking across at her as she slowed down for the traffic lights. "I'll be an hour, tops. I promise. I got you a present though, that should keep you entertained" Zoe motioned to the glove box. She chuckled slightly as Sharice pulled out the iPhone.
"Oh my, thank you" she gushed, smiling over at Zoe.
"You're welcome" Zoe smiled, reaching across to ruffle her hair. She turned around with shock as Sharice screamed, pointing to the lorry that was heading straight into the side of them.
"Zoe!"
That was the last thing Zoe remembered hearing as she turned harshly on the steering wheel and her body jolted forward as the lorry made contact with them.