Battered

Chapter 9

Tuesday morning and predictably both Sarah and Nadine are late for our meeting. After grabbing a bagel and coffee from the canteen, I decide to use the delay to my advantage by catching up on some paperwork while I wait for them to turn up.

Twenty minutes later Nadine arrives at the office, looking a little worse for wear and clutching onto a cup of coffee. She slumps down into a chair opposite me and immediately starts rummaging in her bag for some painkillers.

"Headache?" I ask, trying my best not to smile at her obvious pain, although it is kind of funny

"Hmm" she groans, popping two pills from the packet and swallowing them

"That's what you get for drinking on a week night" I tease, laughing quietly to myself as she rests her head on the desk and closes her eyes

I carry on with my paperwork and hope, for her sake, that the aspirin kicks in soon. She's going to be fun to work with if she's like this all day.

A little while later, Sarah bursts noisily through the door, making a bleary-eyed Nadine jolt awake from the nap she was having, "Jesus Sarah!" the Irish girl exclaims, holding a hand to her head.

"Don't tell me you're hung over?!" Sarah scoffs, raising an eyebrow

Nadine doesn't answer her; she just glares and lays her head back down on the desk again.

"I'll take that as a yes" Sarah laughs

"Oh shut up Sarah!" Nadine pleads, closing her eyes tightly

From behind my desk I roll my eyes and sip at my coffee; it's going to be a long day.

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"I'm really going to miss you" Laura hugs me tight, sandwiching baby Harry in between us

"I'll miss you too Laura" I smile, kissing Harry's forehead, "But you're going to be just fine; you and Harry are going to have a brand new start up in Manchester."

Laura releases me from the hug and beams with excitement, "I can't wait. Our flat is going to be so lovely; I'm going to paint his room blue, with white fluffy clouds. And he'll be able to get to know his grandparents. My mum can't wait to see him."

The taxi driver beeps his horn and gestures to his watch.

"Oops, I better go" Laura says, "I don't want to miss the train."

I give her one last, quick hug and when I step back I notice her eyes welling up with tears, "I really don't know how to thank you Kimberley. I'll never forget how you helped me and Harry"

"You don't have to thank me" I say, walking her to the car, "Knowing that you and Harry are going to be safe is enough; that's why I do this job"

Laura smiles and buckles Harry into his car seat. Climbing in next to him, she takes one last look at the shelter, "I'm going to miss this place. Tell Nicola I'll ring her when I get to my mum's house."

"I will" I nod. Nicola said her goodbyes inside; she always gets emotional when one of her girls leaves and she was especially fond of Laura and Harry.

Laura closes the car door and waves to me as she drives off. I say in the driveway until she is out of sight. Heading back into the house, I find Nicola in the kitchen making a cup of tea and sniffling.

"She's gone" I say, standing next to her at the counter

"I know" she smiles sadly

"They're going to be ok, you know Nic" I tell her