Count On Me

Part Eight

Chapter Seven

Lizzie felt a little better the following day. It was Friday, last day of the week. Nate was in school for one more day, then it was the week anniversary of her sister dying. She took a deep gasp of air. One whole week. The tears were still there, but Lizzie felt a little brighter. Or was that maybe a little less devastated. Today's task was surviving until lunchtime. But with nothing else on her agenda, nothing to distract her, she was left with too much time and too little to do. So she was taking the day hour by hour, rather than thinking about what tomorrow and more importantly next week would bring.

Mid morning she'd made the last of the phone calls that she hadn't already done, including speaking to her boss...which made her feel a little happier. When the doorbell rang, she wondered if it was Oscar. She half hoped it was, she liked his company, and he made her feel safe.

Safe.

That stopped her dead in her tracks. She hadn't had that sensation for as long as she could remember. Her life had been a mix of so many emotions and feelings, but none of them safe, secure. She'd always been battling to survive, to feel loved. Oscar threw all that up in the air. But that also scared her, he was a threat to everything she had left, and she had to bear that in mind too.

She chuckled to herself as she made for the door; she was at least wearing a bra under her t-shirt and jeans, that was a step up on the previous day. She was mortified to think that she'd let a man into her house when she was wearing her worst clothes and looking like death. For a moment Janis was there in her head chastising her, 'you have to always be prepared...you never know when you're going to meet Mr Right, don't let that be when you are wearing your worst underwear.' Worst underwear? Any underwear would have been a step up from none.

Poor Janis, she honestly did think that she'd meet the man who'd sweep her off her feet. But she died first. Pausing she digested the waft of devastation that hit her hard.

As she entered the hallway she instantly knew it wasn't Oscar on the doorstep. Pulling open the door she could barely contain her excitement.

"Vicky?" She gasped as she took in the woman on her doorstep. "You're back?"

Her best friend smiled, "I'm only a week early."

Lizzie wanted to chastise her friend for cutting short her mammoth trip to the US, it was a three month vacation that she'd saved months for. But now, here she was, in the flesh on her doorstep.

She wanted to say something, but words failed her, instead, Vicky pulled her into her arms and held her close.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you babe, I wish you'd called me..."

Lizzie managed a small sob against her shoulder, "I didn't want to spoil your holiday."

She's met Vicky when they were at University in Liverpool. Her friend had stayed in the city whereas she had moved to the nearby City of Manchester to work. Despite the distance, they strived to meet up on at least a fortnightly basis, for coffee, wine or a sleep over. It was a huge irony that she's been on her long awaited trip when Janis had died. It was a trip that Lizzie was meant to go on, but didn't because she couldn't abandon Nate when Janis' work was unreliable. Her sister didn't seem to be able to hold down a single job, and the last job she'd had had been a hostess in a restaurant...all her hours were unsociable and there was no one to have Nate.

"You cut it short. I can't believe that...so you didn't get to Miami?" Lizzie lifted her head from Vicky's shoulder and frowned at her.