Chapter Twenty-Five
Constance sat there the only person in the waiting room. There was only one sound that could be heard and that was the ticking of the clock on the wall. As the time passed she was worrying more and more.
Hearing the heavy door that leads into the room she is sitting in burst open she looked up ready to greet the nurse only it was Miss Cackle she walked in slowly and sat next to her.
"How is she?" she asked
"I don't yet they haven't told me anything, why are you here there school..." she started
"Is fine I got rid of my sister I will explain how later and your parents fled as soon as you did, as for the girls Miss Bat and Miss Drill will be fine for a little while they don't have lessons anyway"
The other woman looked at the clock and thought what was taking so long.
"Is Mildred alright? She felt herself panicking. "Where are they?" she asked her friend.
"I am sure she is fine"
"What if she isn't ...I can't lose her not again..." she said her breathing getting faster as she panicked. She could feel her breathe tightening.
"Calm down Constance you will make yourself ill" Amelia said
"I can't calm down...my daughter is... sick" she said as her breathing got even worse.
"Constance...Constance breathe" Amelia said as her friends breathe was getting raspy. The problem was her struggling to breathe caused her to panic more.
"I can't..." she said
"You are having a panic attack come on, in and out slowly" she said. She was grateful she was a teacher as with all her years experience she had known a few pupils to panic to much during exams and have an attack.
The older woman started to breathe with her colleague trying to help her to calm down. She started to copy her.
"That's it keep going" she replied
She forced herself to breathe slowly the way she was being shown until the woman's breathe started to go back to a steady pace. Amelia touched her on the shoulder.
"Are you okay do you want me to get the nurse?" she asked
"No...I am alright now thanks..." she replied
Amelia went over to the water dispenser pouring a cup of cold water and handing it to her.
"Drink this" she said which the other teacher obeyed.
"Thank you" she replied as she took a few sips. Just then the door opened again both the woman looked up as an nurse entered. Constance jumped to her feet.
"Is she alright?" she asked her.
"Yes she is going to be alright, though we do want to keep her in tonight just to be sure" the nurse replied.
"Thank you, thank you" Constance said as the nurse smiled.
"What was wrong with her anyway we weren't there to see what happened?" Amelia asked.
"The mark on her face looked like a scratch, as for her arm we found a lot of glass stuck in the wound which would suggest she had some exposure to glass, we can't tell exactly what caused it though she might be able to tell you"
"Thank you can I see her?" Constance asked.
"Give her half an hour to recover a bit more then you can" she replied as she left. Constance let out the breathe she had been holding in she was going to be alright.
Half an hour later Amelia had gone back to the school feeling like she had to leave mother and daughter together for a whole. Constance entered the ward following the nurse who was leading the way and saw her daughter lying in the bed.
"Mum" she said as she sat up and hugged her quickly.
"Millie...are you alright?" she said cuddling her gently and kissing her head.
"Yes...the evil witches what is going to happen to the school?" she asked
"Don't worry Miss Cackle sorted it, I am sorry I wasn't there to protect you"
"It wasn't your fault, they tricked us both" she replied
"What happened to your arm?" she asked
Mildred held onto her mum as she talked feeling safe that way.
"Well they tied me up and I was fussing that is how my wrists got bruised and then they untied me to go to the school, I started to run and they had an small table in the place where they stay with different bottles on. In my rush I knocked into it and the bottles fell on the floor, this angered them and they started to shout at me and I wouldn't keep still so Agatha pushed me and I fell on the glass, then Bindweed scratched me for misbehaving and Coldstone lifted me of the floor and dug her fingernails into me and then my arm started to bleed after that I think something else happened because I felt a pain but they had already started to disappear so I don't know what exactly all I know is I blacked out"
Constance sighed rubbing her daughter's hair gently. She felt guilty and didn't want her to leave her again.
"I am sorry for your pain, but they want you to stay here tonight" she said
"No I don't want to" she said
"They won't let you go yet Millie" she said
"Stay with me please..." she asked
"If they let me I will" she said as they sat there cuddling.
"Please don't feel guilty after all you saved me"
"Of course I did I am your mother" she replied
Later that night Constance had being allowed to stay. The nurses had agreed and Miss Cackle had told her to stay because it was the weekend so she didn't need to teach anyway. It was the first night they had spent in the same room together and it did feel a little strange but soon they were both asleep. Mildred in one bed and Constance on the one that was provided for her. That is until Mildred woke up suddenly her heart beat faster than normal with the nightmare she had had.
She had been in the words and Constance was held hostage instead and she had been trying to reach her but she had got further and further away the nearer she got to her until she just disappeared. She had stopped herself from screaming luckily. She looked up at the ceiling her arm hurting from the days events and then she started to try go back to sleep as she noticed her mother was asleep. But Mildred hates the dark and it seemed extra dark in hospital. She wanted her mum.
Climbing out of bed she walked the few steps to her mother's bed. She felt nervous she had never done this before she didn't know if her waking her would go down well or not but she still found herself shaking her shoulder. Her mother moaned a little then turned over waking up.
"Mildred...what's wrong?" she asked a little sleepily
"My arm hurts and its dark and I had a nightmare" she said
Constance sat up and started to get up.
"Alright here I will sit with you until you get back to sleep" she replied
"Mum...I was wondering..." she started
"Wondering what?" she asked
"Can I ….sleep in your bed?" she asked her
Constance blinked a little still tired from sleep but she was surprised at what she had said.
"Of course come on then" she said as the girl joined her mother in her bed. She had always heard people say they used to do this with their mothers when they were little and she had never got to do it. She smiled and cuddled up to her mother who kissed her head they were both asleep within minutes.