Update number 10! I hope you all enjoy and reviews would be welcomed :D I also think some of you may be grasping onto my plan for Eleanor's mother- the multi-coloured dots on the drawing were indeed drugs ;) *Obama voice* However, no more will be said at this time. XD -Sophie x
"This hit that ice cold, Michelle Pfeiffer that white gold…"
Connie opened her eyes to her phone ringing loudly on the table beside her bed. She was about to lean over and retrieve it when a small pair of arms squeezed her left one tight. Eleanor was hugging her arm in her sleep, head resting on her shoulder and golden locks tickling the woman's bare skin. Connie smiled before gently reaching over with her other arm and picking up the phone.
"Connie Beauchamp?" She said, stifling a yawn as she spoke, voice quiet as to not wake the sleeping girl beside her.
"Connie it's Charlie." His voice was loud in her ear and she winced, rubbing her eyes and pushing her hair from her face, phone stuffed between her shoulder and cheek.
"Charlie, what can I do for you." She mumbled, resisting the urge to shut her eyes again as she picked the device back up.
"Tess was telling me about Eleanor yesterday, and I think it's only right you should take some time off to look after her."
"What? No, child or not I'm coming in, you know that from Grace." Connie was now wide awake. On the other end of the phone, her colleague took a deep breath.
"I know you did, and look how that turned out." He said slowly, and the clinical lead's mouth dropped.
"How dare you?" She hissed down the phone, only to be interrupted.
"All I'm saying is that your office and the department as a whole is no place for a child to spend their days, ok? Stay home, take a week's leave and get some childcare sorted out. Until you return, Zoe will take over your duties. I'll see you when I see you."
"Charlie I will not take orders-" Connie began but she was met with a long beeping noise; he had cut her off. Letting out a frustrated groan, the woman locked her phone and shoved it back on the bedside table.
"Bloody nerve." She muttered to herself, "I make the decisions for my department, not a nurse for god's sakes."
"What?"
It was then that Connie realised Eleanor was now awake and watching her curiously, Jac the lion tucked under her chin.
"Nothing, Eleanor. Work things." She mumbled. A quick look at the clock told her it was 7:03am, and probably a good time to get up.
"Right, you go through to your room and get yourself dressed, then we'll have breakfast and go from there, ok?"
"Ok." The girl smiled and shuffled out of bed before padding along the landing. Connie shut her door and proceeded to get dressed, opting for a shower later on rather than then as she usually would. She was just sat at her dressing table, running the straighteners through her hair when there was a knock at her door.
"Come in." She called, and the girl entered. Eleanor had chosen a pink top with a sequin butterfly and matching jeans. They were evidently well worn as many sequins had fallen off the top, and the jeans had holes in both knees and were unravelling on the bottom of both legs. Connie didn't say anything however, and simply smiled.
"Give me 2 seconds and I'll be finished." She said, and Eleanor nodded before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Connie's bedroom was very scarce, like the rest of her house really. Apart from the dresser and double bed rather than a single, it was exactly the same as the room the little girl was staying in.
"Right, I'm all done here. Let's go downstairs and find something for breakfast." Connie unplugged the straighteners and stood, slipping her feet into her fluffy slippers and picking up her phone before leaving the room.
Eleanor followed her as she went downstairs and turned off the alarm, before going into the kitchen.
"First order of events- coffee." Connie muttered, filling the kettle up and flicking it on. "Second- your breakfast. What would you like?" She asked, lifting the girl up onto a breakfast bar stool.
"Do you have any porridge?" She asked, and Connie thought before nodding.
"Golden syrup?" Eleanor raised her eyebrows hopefully, and grinned when the woman nodded again.
"Porridge and golden syrup it is." She smiled, and set about getting that sorted. Eleanor meanwhile pulled her bag that she'd brought down with her onto the table, and pulled out the piece of paper she had been drawing on yesterday tea-time. She concentrated on that until the microwave pinged and a steaming bowl of porridge was brought out.
"I'll trust you with the syrup, just don't put loads on or your teeth will rot." Connie passed her the squeezy, clear bottle and ran the hot water to fill the bowl. Once she'd filled it with soapy bubbles, the woman sat down cupping her drink.
"You've mentioned that you're the best writer in your class at school, which means you must be in reception. Is that correct?" Connie asked, and Eleanor's curls bobbed up and down.
"If you went to school each day that your mother wasn't home, then why didn't you tell someone there?"
The girl stirred in her golden syrup as she thought of an answer.
"I thought she'd come home, so I didn't say anything in case she did and I got told off for lying."
"That's fairly plausible I suppose…" Connie murmured to herself, looking into the swirling brown liquid in her mug.
"Should you be at school now?" She asked, but Eleanor shook her head firmly.
"It was the start of our 2 week Easter break yesterday."
"Oh yeah, I forgot it was Easter." Connie sounded quite surprised before looking down again.
"It's just I only have a week of paid leave left at the minute, so I'll need to sort you out some child care for next week until you go back to school. Did you ever have a child-minder at home?" Even though she asked, the woman was pretty sure she knew the answer before the little girl even looked up. Eleanor shook her head again, scraping the bottom of the bowl with her spoon.
"Mummy didn't work so she was always there to look after me in the holidays." She placed the last spoonful of syrupy oats into her mouth before putting the spoon into the bowl and pushing it away.
"Alright. Well, I'm going to phone the nanny that looked after Grace when she lived here in a bit and see if she'll have you. She's called Iveta and she's really very lovely." Connie smiled, standing and taking her bowl and spoon to be washed up.
"Will she look after me here?" Eleanor asked.
"Yes, unless you two decide to go out anywhere."
The little girl grinned before jumping down from the stool, dragging her bag behind her.
"That sounds fun- I can't wait!" She beamed before going through to the living room. From where she was stood washing up, Connie sighed sadly, pausing as she scrubbed at a plate.
"If only my Gracie was that enthusiastic."