Unsuitable

Mia sobbed, disappeared from the glass. He yelled for Audrey and dialled the house, heard the phone ring inside. He heard Mia running towards the kitchen then back.

“I don’t know where any keys are.”

The phone timed out. The backdoor would be locked as well. “Okay. It’s all right. Go and stand near the TV for me. I’m going to make the door open.”

She disappeared again and he put his shoulder to the door. The glass broke first, then a panel gave and he battered the door at the weak point until it gave and he could pull it part piece by piece. Mia had stopped crying. He stepped over the pieces of glass and wood into the house and found her in the other room, curled into a ball by the TV, too scared to cry.

He swept her up and cuddled her close, calling for Audrey. His heart was beating in his temples, all his senses were on hyper alert. Mia had wet herself. The house was deadly quiet. Audrey was in bed, curled under her sheet. She looked peaceful, but so still she could be dead.

“Audrey. Audrey.” He sat on the bed and shook her. “Fuck. Fuck. Audrey wake up.” She was hot to touch, feverish, her breathing shallow. He planted Mia on the bed and shook Audrey more firmly. She moaned, but otherwise nothing. Mia started to cry again while he called for an ambulance. The wait to connect far longer than was reasonable. He tucked Mia into his lap and climbed further into the bed so he could be close to Audrey, so he could hold her. None of that sound or movement had any impact on her.

“Mum’s sick.”

He stroked Audrey’s damp hair. “Yeah, she’s sick, but the ambulance is coming and the doctor will make her better.” Shit, he had no idea what was wrong with Audrey, what he should be telling Mia.

“You broked the door.”

“We’ll fix it.” That’s something he could do. He called Polly, told him the barest details, made him promise to run late on a job, detour here to measure up for a new door.

When the ambulance arrived he realised it was exactly as serious as he’d feared. The paramedics got Audrey to wake briefly. They shook her much harder than he’d been prepared to, almost rough with her. She whimpered, opened her eyes but couldn’t focus or keep them open. He couldn’t answer any of their questions except yes, she’d been feeling tired, had a headache and a stiff neck. No, he no idea how long she’d been unconscious or how to contact her next of kin. But he’d work it out.

They moved fast, lifting her onto a stretcher. While they moved the stretcher out of the house he found Audrey’s phone and called Les. He got her message service and left a voice recording to say Audrey was unwell and wouldn’t be at work today. While they were loading Audrey into the ambulance he scrolled through her phone address book and found her mother’s number. He needed to ring that number. He needed to know where they were taking Audrey first. He needed to get Mia cleaned up.

“We’ll call Nanna.”

“No.” Mia clung to him, her fingers digging into his neck. She hardly knew Nanna.

“Want to get dressed?”

She shook her head. “Mum.”

“We’ll go see Mum in hospital but you can’t go in your jammies.” How long had Mia been awake trying to wake Audrey? What the fuck was wrong with Audrey? Why hadn’t he paid more attention? Was she feverish last night? Did she feel faint? He should know that. How could he have spent the afternoon and evening with her, held her in his arms and not know?

Polly arrived as the ambulance pulled away from the front of the house. “Holy shit, Reece. What did they say?”

They’d said nothing, except where they were taking her. “Can you fix this?”

Polly assessed the doorway. “Fuck. You couldn’t use keys like a normal person. Or maybe the back door.”

Mia whispered, “Fuck,” into Reece’s neck.

He swung her across to the other hip, held her face to the crock of his neck and snapped at Polly. “Mind your mouth.” But hadn’t he said that earlier ? God, he might’ve said anything, the dread that sat in his throat. When he couldn’t wake Audrey, when all he could think was she was already gone before he had the chance to get to love her.

“I’ll fix this temporary till you buy a new door.”

“Just get the house secure.”

“What are you going to do with Mia?”

“I’ll have to call Grandma. But she’ll be fine with me, till we work out what to do.”

“I don’t want Nanna. She’s not nice to me.” Mia’s breath quickened, close to tears again. She tucked her fingers into the collar of his shirt, tried to climb inside it.

Polly pulled a tape measure out of his tool belt. “Mia, will you help me fix the door?” She peered at him through her hair. He held out a builder’s tape measure, showing her how it worked. “Would you hold this for me?”

“Don’t let her jam her fingers in that. Can’t you give her a pencil or something simple?”

“Hold it together there, mate.” Polly whipped out a chewed HB. “Here is my magic pencil.” He held it out to Mia and she looked at it with suspicion, but it was a good distraction. Reece wouldn’t put her down till he got the glass cleaned up and shoes on her feet. He was about to get to that when a taxi pulled up.