𝓜𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝓕𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓

𝓒𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝓢𝒊𝒙 - 𝚂𝚝 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚢'𝚜 𝙾𝚛𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝙻𝚘𝚜 𝙰𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜, 𝙲𝙰 - 𝟹𝟷𝚜𝚝 𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝟷𝟿𝟽𝟸

Addison unlocked the gate to the Orphanage garden and let herself in. After making sure it was locked safely again she made her way silently through the gardens until she found the yellow rosebush tucked away in the corner. Over the last three and a half years it had grown to quite a size but she could still see the tiny stone cherub lying at its base. Crouching down she ran her finger over the tiny face and felt the familiar ache in her heart. She had planted the rosebush exactly one week after her miscarriage and the Cherub had the date carved into it's base. It was the closest thing she had to a grave for the child she had never got to know.

From his position behind his desk Father Maghill could see her standing in the garden and got up to approach the window. He had lost count of the amount of times he had witnessed Addison crying by the roses but he knew that once she had taken some time for herself she would come inside to greet the rest of them. However, today he was very excited to see her. Tapping the glass he saw her turn around to smile at him. He gestured for her to come in and she nodded towards him.

After stopping to collect his mug from his desk he started to make his way towards the kitchen and had barely had time to set it on the counter before the door opened and Addison came in. "Happy birthday Addison" he said with a smile as he held his arms open to her.

She happily accepted the hug before taking over the coffee making. "Thank you Father. Now how dark do you need this today?"

"You'd better make it a strong one. He's had a lot to deal with already today!"

Addison recognised the voice and dropped the spoon as she turned around. "Temp?" He didn't get the chance to reply before she threw herself into his arms and began sobbing. He caught hold of her tightly and looked at the Father with confusion.

The Father sighed and bent over to pick up the discarded spoon. After adding hot water to the instant coffee he headed towards the door but stopped to pat Templeton on the shoulder. "You two need to talk."

Back in his office Father Maghill could see them both standing by the rosebush and he knew that Addison was finally letting him know what had happened. It was hard watching the young man wrap his arms around himself and cry but she was there to hold him. "He knows then!"

Father Maghill jumped and turned to see Sister Katherine standing behind him. "Do I need to put a bell on you? Honestly I had forgotten how quietly you walk."

She smiled at him. "Hey, it took me years to perfect my silent walk. I had to or I would never have caught young Templeton in the act of sneaking cookies from the jar all those times." She looked past him into the garden. "So how is it going?"

"As well as you could expect. He certainly didn't imagine facing all this when he flew home to surprise her for her birthday." They watched silently as Addison showed Templeton the tiny stone cherub, but when he got upset again they turned away from the window. The Father picked up his coffee and blew gently on it to cool it a little. "Did he say how long he was staying this time?"

"His flight leaves at eleven tonight. He literally came back just to see her."

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Templeton stood in the garden with both arms holding Addison tight against him while he lay his head on her shoulder. "I should have been here for you."

Addison reached up and put her hand on the back of his head. "You didn't know Temp and I wasn't going to tell you. What you were doing was far more important and I needed you to be focused on that."

He lifted his head up and looked at her. "Addy is the miscarriage the real reason why you haven't dated anyone since I left?"

She wriggled free from his arms and turned away from him. "If I don't date anyone then there's no chance it will happen again."