𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝

31 - If you fall

~𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍~

-𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒚 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒆𝒚.

****
The house was in a state of coordinated harmony. Gentle conversation flowed around accompanied with the joyous sound of children laughing which periodically got punctuated by the whirr of the juice maker making soothing-

Crash.

The sound of ceramic smattering on tiles followed the sound bringing everything to a stand still.

That, Stacey and the others should have realized as they shot out of chairs, turned to themselves in confusion, scurried, was the start of it all.

"Mum!" Joanne yelled, dropping to her knees as she fisted her mother's yellow t-shirt at the waist. Increasing her pace down the stairs, Stacey's mind raced with what just happened. Dylan's Statement of last night that she was ruminating on took wings and flew out of her mind.

On reaching the kitchen entrance, where Jane lay on her side, her ebony hair splayed on the floor above her head, the topmost strand touching the tip of scrambled egg splattered on the floor, Stacey's body stiffened. Her hand with the wedding ring was in a V shape next to her while the other was haphazardly splayed above her head, palm up.

"Oh Jesus," Denzel gasped, pressing one hand to her mouth as she rushed to the scene.

Sweeping away broken glass with her Dunlop, Emma knelt beside Jane and checked her pulse. Joanne was still sobbing, tugging at her mother's clothes. "Mum! Daddy! Daddy!" Joanne cried out, turning her head toward the direction of the stairs.

Stacey's heart quickened on its own accord at the sight before her as an image from years ago flashed in her mind, with the faint sound of sirens as background noise. Her head snapped towards the ceiling when there was a slight ruckus upstairs before footsteps sounded on the stairs. Joanne shot up from her position, wailing, when she spotted her dad on the first landing. "Come, Daddy, come! M-mum, mum's not answering."

Stacey didn't know it was possible but Emmett covered the stairs in two large strides, a look of alarm on his face as he brushed past her and knelt to cradle Jane's head. "Jane? Jane." He called out, tapping her cheeks but her eyes and mouth remained closed.

Emma looked up to Emmett, her hand already lifting up one of Jane's. "We'll need to move her over-

Emmett didn't wait for her to complete it before putting his arms behind her knees, the other around her shoulders and standing up, the black and white flared polka dots skirt she had on rode up, revealing her knees. Joanne's sobs and sniff accompanied them as he rushed her over to the couch.

Others followed like bees to honey, swarming her. Emma shook her head, waving everyone off to a good distance. "She needs breathing space. Mel, get me two pillows. Raelynne, a bowl of water." She looked to Emmett whose features were twisted into that of horror and uncertainty. "She still has a pulse, she's alive."

Emmett nearly sank into the chair, if not floor, from his position on the arm of the couch. Stacey blew out a shuddering breath, her hands cupping her elbows. Thank God she wasn't dead, which can only mean -

"She fainted." Emma continued, collecting the pillows from Melarie and positioning them under Jane's legs. "So I need blood to flow to her brain but why, I can't tell. Not yet, anyway."

Joanne didn't seem to know or care about the difference as she rushed to the couch and threw herself on Jane, her head laying on her breast. Her shoulders trembled as she sobbed while lengthening the word mummy.