| Part 20 (Robyn) I was sitting watching TV while Bryan and Jess were at the hospital. I never even realised that Dylan had woken up until ge climbed up beside me on the sofa. "Feeling better?" I asked him, he nodded. "Still got your cough?" He nodded again. "Where's Daddy" "Away with Jess to see Uncle Derek." He coughed again. "I think we should go and get you some medicine. Want to go shopping with me?" "Yeah!" He ran upstairs to get changed and reappeared a few minutes later, with his winter coat, hat, scarf and gloves. I grabbed my bag and coat. "Ready to go?" He nodded, and we left. I didn't think to leave a note explaining where we were, I didn't think we would be gone long. I jumped in my car and we drove away. We decided to go to the shopping centre to get some christmas shopping. "Robyn, can I get this, please?" Dylan begged, pointing at an Action Man toy. "I don't know Dylan. Do you think Daddy would buy you it if he was here?" He thought for a moment, then nodded. "Ok, but you've got to promise to be good if I buy it, ok?" He nodded again. "We should buy something for Jess." He suggested., looking around. "What should we get her then?" He walked over and picked up a stuffed rabbit. "That?" He nodded. "Ok" We finished shopping and went back home. I unlocked the front door and walked inside. Bryan was sitting anxiously on the sofa. "Hey." I said, walking in. "Where were you? I was worried sick!" "Went to get cough medicine, and then shopping." I walked towards the kitchen to put some things away. "You could've left a note." "I didn't think.we're back now. Everything's ok." I walked back out. "Look what I got!" Dylan pulled his new toy out. "That's nice." He continued his attack. "You could've been anywhere with him!" "Ok, message received loud and clear." I said, a little sarcastic. "Where's Jess?" "Upstairs, why?" "I got something for her too." I explained, I pulled the rabbit out of the bag. Bryan's face went red, he grabbed the rabbit. "Why the hell did you buy that?!" "Whoa, what?" I asked, totally shocked. "You heard! Why of all things buy her that!?!" "It's a rabbit Bry. Why are you freaking?" "When Jess was born, she was really sick, we were so worried. Nearly lost her - that was one of the first things we bought her. Well, not me, Ally. It was just like that one." He said, calming down. "I - I never knew. I've never seen it in her room or anything. Honest Bry." " there's a reason for that." "Oh?" "Jess had it with her on the day of the - uh - accident." "Oh God." I sighed, putting my head in my hands. "You weren't to know. Sorry for-" "It's ok, I can understand. Will I take it back or...?" "No, give it to her. She'll love it." He smiled. I walked upstairs, pausing on the last one. What if Jess reacted the way Bryan had? I walked into her room. "Hey Jess. How's things?" She looked up from her colouring book. "Ok." She sniffed. "What's wrong?" "Today - at the hospital." She started. "Did it hurt?" "A little. But Daddy - " she looked down. "Him and Uncle Derek were shouting, it was just like-" she stopped. "Like what?" I asked. "When Daddy used to fight with Mummy. I didn't like that. It scared me." "They used to fight a lot?" She nodded. "Yeah, but one time they had a really big fight after we met Daddy at the airport, because sometimes it was too busy there for us." She closed her eyes as she remembered. "Mummy, Dylan and me went to stay with Uncle Derek for a week after that." "And then you came back here to Daddy?" I asked, Bryan hadn't mentioned a divorce. Jess shook her head. "That was when the car-"she started to cry a little. I felt guilty for letting her talk about it. "Then we came back here." "Yeah." "I think we would've moved back here anyway even if the car hadn't-" she suggested. "Because Daddy kept asking us to, but Mummy said no, but then I heard her telling Uncle Shane that maybe we could. But we never." She sighed looking sad. Then noticed the bag. "What's in the bag?" She asked curiously. "This for you." I took out the rabbit. "Wow! It's just like my other one! Can I show Daddy?" "Yeah, come on." We walked back downstairs. "Daddy, look. It's just like-" "Yeah, I noticed." He said, smiling a little, but his eyes were still sad. Jess went back upstairs. "Is she ok? Did it upset her?" "The rabbit didn't." I said. "Something else did." He looked towards the stairs puzzled. "What did?" "You and Derek. Fighting." "We weren't fighting, just had a little disagreement." "About the kids?" He nodded. "What was it this time? Did he explain why he's doing this?" "He's concerned for their welfare." He answered sarcastically. I raised my eyebrows, was he blaming me? "Just because Dylan's got a cold and Jess fell over. And because I got you to help with the kids. He thinks I'm not capable of looking after them myself, that sometimes if I have band stuff I'm just going to forget them!" "Geez, he doesn't think that, does he?" I asked. "Kids fall over, they get sick, geez!" "Yeah." He grinned a little bit. "You should've seen his face when Jess said you weren't the childminder, you were my girlfriend. Nearly had to pick his jaw up off the floor." I laughed. "How did he take it?" "He was surprised. I wasn't going to tell him, but, Jess-" "Yeah, who else knows?" "Mark. Well, I don't know if Michelle knows too. I don't quite know how they're going to take it." "You think they're going to hate me ?" "No, I just don't want them to see you as a replacement, that's all. Because you're not. If you get what I mean." "Yeah, I guess." I said, and sat down, sighing. Guess he wasn't over this yet. |