How did we get here?
Chapter 5:
"Morning" Maria turned at the whisper and smiled softly at the younger blonde girl who had walked into the room her arms full of a sleepy Jane dressed and ready for the day. Maria smiled at the little girl who waved her tiny hand at her without lifting her head from Janes shoulder.
"Mummy?" Jane said, the one word full of question and Maria gave Anna a pointed looked before letting her answer,
"Mummy's asleep sweetie. Remember I said that Mummy worked last night so she needs to get some sleep" Jane nodded and snuggled back into Anna's shoulder accepting her explanation of her missing mother. It was then that Charlotte walked in and skipped towards Maria who leant down so the small girl could loop her arms around her shoulders and give her a hug,
"See you after school Maria. Say hi to Mummy for me" Maria smiled at Charlotte who looked as cute as ever in her school uniform with her books in a bag. With that the girls and Anna headed out the door and Maria made sure to stand at the door and wave to both of the girls until she could no longer see them. The woman sighed remembering the times when it would be Sophie and Will walking Charlotte to school. More than often it would be Jane in her father's arms or if she was feeling particularly adventurous sometimes Will would hoist her up on his shoulders and both she and Anna would hear her gleeful giggles as they walked. Charlotte would insist on keeping her hand in her mothers' as she walked between her parents chattering about the upcoming day at school.
They were amazing parents. They were amazing people. Letting out another sigh Maria shook her head trying to think of when it had all gone wrong. How on earth had it all ended up where they were now? Will gone, Anna walking the kids to school; Sophie working almost three jobs and way too many hours. Her baby.
The family was falling apart, Sophie was falling apart. Literally.
Maria felt a chill run through her body when the haunting memories of the night almost a month ago came flooding back swirling in her mind before she could stop it,
David had run through the door Anna on his heels, breathless. But the man quickly forgot his own problem when he saw the woman he'd been running for. Sophie was on her side, her legs pulled up to her chest as she lay in a small ball in the centre of the bed that belonged to Will and her. Her dress was ripped and blood stained the material and tinged her skin red.
"Sophie" his voice was strangled, horrified as he took her in. He'd never seen her like that. It was obvious she was in pain. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach and he could just hear the small whimpers that were escaping her lips. What the hell had happened? Maria was smoothing out her hair in a comforting manner while Anna simply stared at her in shock.
"She's pregnant" It was all that Maria had had to say. Anna had gasped tears welling in her eyes and fell down her pale cheeks before she could stop them. Maria had sent the younger woman a look and the girl had clamped a hand over her mouth before retreating from the room. They all knew what was happening here.
It had taken the rest of the night. And it wasn't until the next morning as the sun was rising before David was leaving the house. All of them sported dark bags under their eyes and were all feeling the same nausea and illness as they thought of the last hours. But it was nothing, they knew, to what Sophie was feeling. And what she would feel when she woke up. They baby was gone.
David had had to abort the pregnancy himself and it had been messy. It was Sophie who had most of the knowledge in those areas, who looked after most of the women and mothers in the village. It was her territory and neither had ever considered that it would be her, whom would the help.
They'd finally gotten her to sleep not long ago. Maria whispering what she could trying to soothe the broken hearted woman who was unbearably hurting in more ways than one. The woman that was like a daughter to her.
Maria pushed into Sophie's room as quietly as possibly could. The tiny woman lay on her side one of her hands resting beneath her head and her skin that was usually a beautiful bronzed golden colour was flushed and red telling Maria of the fever that still raged inside her body.
The woman sighed and replaced the cloth on her head with a newer, damper one. And while she did Sophie began to wake,
"Maria" the word rolled off her tongue and Maria always smiled when Sophie's accent strengthened in the mornings. Will had always loved it as well.
"What time is it" She dazedly looked around the room but Maria had closed the curtains that morning to keep the sunlight from seeping in and waking her.
"Rest Sophie, You need to rest for today. David was here earlier and he's left these things here for you. He said they should help with your fever and help you sleep. He said to tell you to rest today and that you have the day off both at the hospital and at the school alright" for several seconds Sophie seemed to struggle but finally she nodded accepting it and she let her exhausted body fall back onto the bed behind her,
"The girls?" she nodded after quickly downing the medicines that Maria handed her,
"Anna has taken them to school" Maria didn't miss the flash of pain than flickered in Sophie's eyes. Maria knew what hell the past weeks had been for her. Between tending to the sick people of Scarborough, working at the school, protecting her family from the sheriff's daily visits to taunt her and trying to get herself better between it all and keep her family together, while wondering where Will was she barely got to see her daughters any more mind spend some quality time with them. And Maria knew more than anything else that that was the one thing that ate away at her. She loved her family. She and Will no matter what had always put their family first both knowing the importance of it.
"Thank you" the small word was so sincere and slightly vulnerable and pained that Maria looked down to Sophie before sitting on the side of the bed slowly. She brushed her hair back,
"It's all going to be okay Sophie. I promise" the young woman nodded but Maria also didn't miss the sparkling tear that slipped from Sophie's eye.
"I'll be back to check on you later love. Get some sleep" But Sophie just stared at the door that clicked closed, she couldn't sleep.
She couldn't sleep or move or breathe. She was so ...tired. But she couldn't sleep. She shook her head knowing she sounded crazy and then clamped her eyes shut when an unbearable pain erupted in her head.
More tears fell and she frowned cursing each and every one of them.
She wanted Will. She missed Will. She needed Will. It was as simple as that. She didn't need a man to survive and she certainly didn't depend on a man, but she needed Will. She needed Will to tell her that it was going to be okay. She needed him to tell her that the girls were okay and that they still knew that she loved them more than anything else in the entire world. She needed him to tell her that it wasn't her fault, their baby. More tears streamed down her face almost unstoppable.
Her throat constricted and it was hard to breathe as she pulled her body tighter in a small ball trying to fight off the memories of that night.
She was tortured, plagued, haunted, tormented by her thoughts, by the memories, by the little voice in her head that told her it was all her fault, that told her she was the reason Will left, she was the reason her children had no father here, she was the reason her children were suffering and her other child was dead. It was all her fault.
And it was hours and hours that it went on prodding her, hurting her, taunting her before the darkness finally claimed her as her exhaustion became too much and gave in.
Yes. She was in hell.
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It was a relatively quiet day and yet there was so much going on. Maria worked hard while Anna kept Jane amused until it was time to go and pick up Charlotte. Dinner was on the table when the three returned and Maria fed a messy Jane who giggled flicking her food everywhere. It was only Sophie who'd ever been able to feed her daughter without ending up covered in it. Something to which Will complained about all the time since he would always end up with the most on him after his daughter would instigate a one sided food fight.
But the most surprising thing of the day happened after the girls had been fed and put to bed, well Charlotte had at least. Putting Jane to bed however was always an ordeal. That was her father's territory. Sophie was still in bed recuperating and Maria knew that she'd be back up tomorrow. She would never allow herself to miss two days of work. Not in the situation they were in now.
It was dusk. The last of the golden rays still illuminated the land enough but the shadows were growing. Maria and Anna were making another bottle of milk for Jane as it seemed to be the one thing that would get her to sleep when there was a knock on the door. Anna and Maria's brows creased and the exchanged a look, the former only hoping it was David and certainly not the sheriff. She gestured for Anna to stay while she went to answer the door. But as she peered into the small hole Will had chiselled out of the middle and gasped at who she saw not hesitating to swing the door open to two smiling faces.
"Hello Maria it's lovely to see you again" the woman nodded returning the greeting and surveying the two men she could see the worry in their eyes but there was something else. She only hoped that the two men in front of her who she hadn't seen in such a long time could do something to fix this entire mess.
Please, please, please review! Just a wee one : )!
Hehe no I really hope you like it and I'll try to get the next chapter up and going!
Thank you so much to Bookworm41 for your review very much appreciate it!
Nina xx
david ran through the door
d sophie
s shhh the kids
maria there in bed
d what happened sophie
s the baby
maria she was pregnant she is pregnant is she...the baby
d soph I need you to lie out flat you know what I have to do
she groaned loudly as she stretched out and he felt her stomach