Page 38 of Stolen Kiss

He locked up and walked to their place which while it was next door still took a few minutes to walk along the well-worn path between the cottages.

“Hey, dinner’s nearly ready,” Erica said from the sofa under the canopy.

“I’m going to have to skip it. Something’s up with Heidi. Freya just called and asked me to go and see her.”

“I hope she’s okay. Let us know will you?” Archer said coming out from the back door. “Do you want us to save you some dinner?”

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be. I can grab a sandwich when I get back if it’s late.”

He waved and then walked down into town. He reached Heidi’s road and then was at her door. Freya was looking out the window and saw him coming and opened the door ready.

“She’s upstairs, in bed. I’ll let her tell you what happened today, but she’s inconsolable. If you leave her, call me and I’ll come round.”

“I won’t leave her unless she asks me to,” Jason replied, matching Freya’s voice level, not quite a whisper.

“Make sure you call me. She should not be left alone tonight.”

“Are you going to tell me what’s happened? Is it her mum?”

“All her family are fine. Just go up.”

Jason watched as Freya piled a stack of yellow exercise books into a basket and lugged it to the front door. She quietly opened it and closed it behind her. Jason instinctively bolted the door and then looked up the stairs. He kicked off his shoes and shrugged off his jacket. On light feet he ascended the stairs andpushed the door that was ajar open into her bedroom. On the bed in the middle was Heidi quietly sobbing. He put a knee to the bed and then scooped her up. He lay back down and brought her into a cuddle, bringing the duvet up and over them. She looked at him with watery eyes and burst into tears. He rubbed her back while she let out her sadness, rocking her until her trembling subsided.

It was an hour later when she cried herself to sleep. He didn’t know what had upset her, but he wasn’t leaving until she woke and explained. Settling in, he switched off her bedside lamp and for the second time slept next to Heidi scared shitless that she was not okay.

Early the next morning, he woke with them in the same position, Heidi sound asleep. Something must have woken both of them because she stirred a minute later. Her eyes looked up to him and they were red rimmed with her nose puffy from crying.

“Jason,” she whispered and pulled her arm tighter around his waist.

“Yeah, sweetheart. I’m here. How are you feeling?”

“I lost a baby last night.”

He froze. Was she pregnant?

“What happened?”

“Mrs Bloater went into labour nearly three months early and she was stillborn.”

Heidi’s words were a whisper, but he heard her. He pulled her tighter against him and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ve never lost one before.”

“I’m so fucking sorry, Heidi. I’ll go to the funeral with you,” he said.

Fresh tears poured down Heidi’s face, and she snuggled closer to his body, sniffling.

“I need a white button,” she said.

“What?”

“A white button.”

Jason looked down to his shirt he wore to his father’s grave and yanked one off his shirt leaving a gap half away down his chest.

“Will that one do?”

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