Robert jerked awake in his darkened bedroom, breathing heavily, his body feeling the effects of the dream he'd just had. He automatically reached out for her and felt the cold, empty space next to him. She's gone, he thought, and the ache in his chest turned into the crushing pain again as he was overwhelmed with despair. He rolled over trying not to feel her on him, desperately trying not to remember the dream. He pulled the blankets over his head, taking deep breaths against the pain. After a while, it lessened back into the dull ache and he went somewhere else.

The next thing he knew, his alarm went off and he slapped it hard with his hand to shut it up. He laid on his back, putting the crook of his arm over his eyes. What he felt like doing in that moment was throw the clock as hard as he could against the wall and pull the covers back over his head, but he knew he couldn't. His dad would surely throw him out of the house if he did. He made himself sit up, resting his head in his hands. God, he hated his life. He forced himself to get out of bed and take a shower.

When he was back in his bedroom, he started going through his drawers trying to find the clothes he used to wear to work, the ones that already had paint all over them. He knew when he'd brought back all his belongings from his old flat, she'd taken everything out of the bin bags, washed it and put it all away for him. Of course, she'd mixed everything together and now he couldn't find what he fucking needed when he fucking needed it.

As he kept searching, he got angrier, shoving the drawers in harder each time he failed to find what he was looking for, knocking over the things that were sitting on top. Why did he keep all that fucking shit on there anyway, he seethed, resisting the urge to sweep his arm across the top of his chest of drawers. He knew if he did, he was angry enough he just might start breaking things. Not a good way to start his first day back to work.

Finally, he gave up trying to find anything by rifling through the drawers and started throwing clothes on the floor, trying to locate the t-shirt he wanted. He stopped suddenly when he realized he was holding an intricately woven dark brown and pale grey bracelet with a button on one end and a loop on the other. He staggered backwards until his legs hit the bed and he fell on it, slumping as he looked at the bracelet, suddenly feeling desolate.

He rubbed the bumpy texture with his thumb while he heard her voice in his head, saying, 'A girl might make jewelry using her hair, and give it to the boy she loved so he could have a part of her with him no matter where he was'. He'd never noticed before that it didn't feel silky like her hair. He swallowed against the pain in his throat as his chest ached.

---Then---

The whole family was together in the sitting room chatting, when Georgie suddenly said, "Robert! We forgot about your bracelet!"

"You're right!" He was surprised he'd forgotten about it too. He ran upstairs to go get the jeans he'd worn home while Georgie asked his mum if she had a small pair of scissors. When she had the jeans, she carefully cut away the stitches that were holding the bracelet in place, hidden between his pocket and the denim while she sat next to his mum on the couch.

"Mrs. Bennett, you wouldn't believe the wonderful thing Robert did for me!" she said as she snipped the stitches. "He was keeping track of the days because we didn't have a calendar and he knew when Christmas was coming. I had no idea when it was, because he kept it a secret. He planned a whole Christmas celebration, and surprised me with it. It was so special! You have no idea! He gave me a song that he wrote just for me, and a box of chocolates, because he knew how much I loved chocolate and I hadn't had any in years. And I gave him this." She pulled out the now freed bracelet from inside the jeans and handed to his mum. Everyone leaned forward so they could see it better.

"I'd already made it for him, but I was keeping it a secret. I was going to give it to him when it was time for him to leave, but I didn't want to celebrate Christmas without giving him a present. Especially since he had presents for me."

"It's beautiful, Georgie," his mum said quietly, as she blinked hard and passed it to Betsy who was sitting on her other side. It was quiet in the room and Robert sensed everyone was thinking about what Georgie had just said. It wasn't hard to figure out from the story she'd told, just how cruelly she'd been treated, or the things she'd been deprived of.

"Georgie made that with her hair and sewing thread," he said, and everyone looked more closely at the bracelet as they passed it around.

"I wanted to give him a part of me to take with him because I loved him so much. I didn't think I was ever going to see him again," she said, blinking back her own tears. It was too much for his mum, and she hugged Georgie. When they let go, they were both wiping their eyes. Then both of his sisters got up to give her a hug with tears in their eyes.

It was getting too maudlin with all the women sniffling and wiping their eyes, and Robert couldn't take it. He wasn't going to dwell on that hellish place for one more second, and he didn't want any of them to either. The only thing he wanted to focus on now was his future with Georgie, and making sure she had a better life, the life she deserved.

"Here, Georgie," he said, taking her hand and helping her off the couch. "Why don't you put it on me?" When she finished, she looked up at him and smiled. He knew what she was thinking because he was thinking it too.

"Now I get to have you and the bracelet!" he said happily. "Even though we're together, I'll still wear it all the time just like I said," he added more quietly.

---Now---

Robert couldn't remember when he took it off or why, but he must've put it in the drawer and forgotten it was there. Or perhaps, she'd found it lying somewhere and put it in there when she was cleaning. It didn't matter, he hadn't worn it in months. In the end, he reckoned it hadn't been all that important after all. He got up and went back to the dresser. After a minute, he located the t-shirt he'd been searching for. He threw the bracelet into the now empty drawer and then jammed as many of his clothes he could fit into it, shoving it closed. He got dressed as quickly as he could and went downstairs.

He was surprised to find his mum already cooking in the kitchen. "What are you doing up so early?" Robert asked when he gave her a hug and kiss good morning.

"I wanted to make sure you got a good breakfast before you went to work today," she replied smiling. He suspected it wasn't the only reason. No doubt she'd wanted to make sure he actually got up and went to work. Thinking about how shitty his morning had been going so far, it was probably a good thing she had.

"I'm riding with Joey. He'll be here in about thirty minutes."

"Alright. I made a lunch for you too. It's there on the counter."

"Cheers, mum," he replied gratefully, He hadn't remembered he'd need one.

He went to make himself a mug of tea and Darrell walked in, looking sleepy. "Good morning, Alice," he said, walking over to give his mum a kiss on the cheek.

"I thought you'd be here, Darrell," she said smiling up at him. "Breakfast will be ready soon. I hope you can stay."

"Yeah, Cheers," he replied, looking surprised. Darrell wasn't expecting his mum to be making them breakfast either. He went over to get himself a mug of tea nodding to Robert and then joined him at the table, taking Betsy's seat again. Robert sipped his tea while he and Darrell sat in their usual comfortable silence.

The dream he'd had popped into his head and he pushed it away. Then it suddenly occurred to him if she were still with him, she'd be the one making his breakfast right now. If he'd been going off to work, she would've been the one to remember that he'd need a packed lunch. He slumped over his mug as pain overwhelmed him again.

The entire time she'd been home with him, no matter what was going on between them, she'd never stopped taking care of him. Just like she'd devoted herself to taking care of his mum almost as soon as she'd arrived.

---Then---

Betsy, Mary, Robert and Georgie sat at the kitchen table while their dad finished cooking breakfast for all of them. Both sisters had their mobiles out and were busy texting, no doubt answering inquiries about Robert's sudden reappearance now that word was out he was back.

Robert pulled out his mobile and started returning texts to a few of his best mates. So many people were contacting him now, he couldn't possibly respond to all of them. Georgie glanced at Robert and his sisters curiously as they texted, but didn't say anything. The telephone rang and his dad picked it up. It was a neighbor calling about Robert. Now the word was filtering out to the people who didn't communicate via text message, he thought.

He heard his mum's voice crackle out, "Johnny?" and he looked around, wondering where it came from.

His dad picked up a baby monitor that had been tucked away on the kitchen counter, and said into it, "I'll be right there Alice." Robert was shocked and then saddened to realize his mum was so sick, she was reduced to using a baby monitor.

"The doctor suggested it," Mary said quietly when she saw Robert's expression.

"When mum's ready, I'll carry her down. Alright, dad?" he said firmly.

"Alright, Robbie," he said, and started to leave, but then Georgie stood up, saying, "Mr. Bennett?" stopping him.

"Should I start some tea for Mrs. Bennett?" she asked, and everyone looked at her with surprise.

After a hesitation, his dad said kindly, "Yes, Georgie. She'd like that very much," and turned to leave.

Georgie found the kettle on the counter but when she picked it up she realized it was plugged into the wall. She looked at it with confusion and Robert realized she'd never seen an electric kettle before. He got up to show her how it worked. While he was explaining it to her, they heard his dad say a crackly, "Good morning, Alice," through the baby monitor.

"Is Robbie really here?" his mum asked in a desperate voice, as if she couldn't believe it.

"Yes, he's really here. He's downstairs," his dad said soothingly.

Then Georgie lunged at the receiver, pushed the button, and said, "Mr. Bennett? You should turn off the monitor until you're ready for Robert." They heard a crackly fumbling and then it was quiet. She put receiver down and turned around to see everyone looking at her with surprise.

"We shouldn't listen. It's not nice," she said, looking embarrassed, then blushed before she turned back to the tea kettle.

When Robert went upstairs to get his mum, he was relieved to see she looked much better than she had the night before. She had little bit of color in her face and her eyes were brighter. He didn't know if it was all the sleep she'd had, or the fact he was home that was responsible for it. When he brought her downstairs, he set her on the couch. Georgie was already in the sitting room waiting and once his mum was settled, she came forward and knelt in front of her again.

"I've started some tea for you, Mrs. Bennett," she said solemnly. "Is there anything else you need right now?" Robert's mum looked at her kindly and leaned forward, taking Georgie's hands in hers.

"Thank you, Georgie. Maybe a glass of water and some toast so I can take my pills?" Robert suspected his dad had talked to her about Georgie when the baby monitor was off.

"Okay, Mrs. Bennett," Georgie replied almost in a whisper, blinking hard. She got up and went to the kitchen, and Robert followed her. As she was putting toast in the toaster, Robert could see tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" he asked, turning her around. She immediately hugged him, burying her face in his chest. "What's wrong?" he asked, and she pulled away, wiping her eyes with her fingers.

"Robert, I didn't realize," she said, looking up at him with sad eyes. "She sounds just like my mom," and more tears ran down her cheeks. He pulled her to him for another hug, swallowing against the pain in his throat.

Georgie was so attentive to his mum, Robert wondered if she'd sworn an oath to herself to take care of her like she had when Robert had come into her life. It made him happy to see how she cared for his mum, anticipating what she'd need, trying to make sure she was comfortable. His mum relaxed, and visibly improved as the hours passed with Georgie and his dad taking care of her. It made him hopeful she really would make a full recovery.

---Now---

Robert's mum laid down two heaping breakfast plates in front of him and Darrell, saying, "Tuck in." Neither of them wasted any time, and gratefully began eating. She made another mug of tea for each of them, then sat down with her own tea, happily watching them eat and chatting, again mostly with Darrell.

Seeing how happy his mum was made Robert realize she'd probably been lonely over the last three weeks. She and Georgie had become especially close over the three months she'd lived with him, spending hours together every day. It had all worked out perfectly. She took care of his mum and the household duties, allowing his dad to return back to work while Robert had been busy applying to universities before the deadlines for the coming autumn had passed. And then it had all gone perfectly wrong.

Somehow his mum had managed to deal with the loss better than he had, but he knew it had to be hard for her. Now that she was gone, both of them were alone now.

****

Just so you know, when I noted the bed sizes in part I of this chapter, I used the U.K. terms.  Robert's single size bed at home is slightly smaller than a U.S. twin size and the king size beds he and Georgie each had in the flat are called queen size in the U.S. 

I hope you enjoyed this quieter chapter.  We have now finished up with the flashbacks from Georgie and Robert's first day home (with one minor exception in a future chapter).  Please leave a comment, let me know what you think and show some love with a vote!