Missing Martha

85

"Morning." Said Martin, sitting down on the bed beside Zoe and placing the coffees on the bedside table while he wrapped his arm around her neck.
"Hey." She replied, smiling at him and kissing his cheek before there was a knock on the door.
Zoe reached onto the ground and quickly pulled one of Martin's blue t-shirts over herself.
"Heya?" Answered Martin, taking a sip of his coffee.
"You decent?" Asked Lucy's voice.
Martin looked to Zoe's confused face.
"Yeah- you want me to come out?" Asked Martin.
The door opened gradually and a mumble of "happy birthday" began to crescendo from the doorway as the whole band walked in, Cloda holding a cake with candles lit on a tray.
"Oh my gosh you sweethearts!" Exclaimed Zoe, placing the tray on her lap as they finished singing. Martin watched it all happen, smiling continuously at how much they all cared. The sun shone brightly through the glazed windows, it was a beautiful day in Rome.
Zoe blew out the candles, and cut the cake, handing everyone a slice and tucking in herself.
"Here's to another thirty years." Said Martin as they tipped their coffee mugs together.
"Eww we'll be sixty." Giggled Zoë, "and you guys will be in your late forties."
"We'll totally all meet up annually." Imputed Lucy,
Martin's eyes met with Ryan's who shrugged his shoulders and smiled, despite his termination.
"When you're baby is born." Added Jemma, making Zoe laugh,
"God I'm not ready to be a mother." She sighed,
"Sure you are," Martin Replied, "you've got five kids already."
"To be honest, you are basically our parents." Admitted Ollie, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"We're a little family, aren't we?" Zoë said, smiling and resting her head on Martin's shoulder. Martin wrapped his arm around her neck and placed her coffee mug back on the bedside table,
"You alright?" Asked Martin, looking down at her,
"Yeah; just tired- where did you guys get the cake?" She asked them,
"Lucy and Ryan went to some little bakery in town a couple hours ago." Said Cloda,
"A young couple running around Rome in the morning- that's adorable." Said Zoe, "whats that film- with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck-"
"Roman Holiday?" Offered Martin.
"That's the one. Only I can't drive a moped." Sighed Zoë, her eyes getting dreary,
"Nor could Audrey." Added Cloda,
"Let's do that today, eh?" Asked Zoë, looking up at Martin,
"Riding mopeds?" He asked, smiling down at her.
"Yeah; I'd like that." She replied.
Martin laughed, "alright then, I'll see what I can do."
Zoe fell back into her slumber again, her head slumping onto Martin's chest.
"Y'know what?" Martin began, "there's nowhere I'd rather be than back in that van, travelling somewhere else."
Zoe gave out a quiet moan of appreciation into Martin's chest, making him chuckle, and hold her tighter.
"We should go somewhere else today, then. If you think you're alright to." Offered Lucy,
"Florence." Mumbled Zoe, rolling over and opening her eyes again, "have I got mascara all over my face? I don't think I took it off last night."
"Yeah you do, a little bit." Martin admitted, smiling at her as she began to wipe under her eyes with her fingers.
"So.. Florence, I'm up for that." Said Martin, "four hour drive, will you be alright?" He turned to Zoë,
"I am so ready to get out of here." She responded, "no taxis?"
"Not in a million years." Promised Martin,
"They're now a legitimate phobia of mine."
"That's understandable." Martin replied, before sitting up and his mind suddenly thought to Bronagh.
"C-Clodes could you pass me my phone- I think it's in my jacket." He asked.
"Sure." She replied, checking his pockets, noticing the packet of cigarettes in one, but ignoring it until she found the black iPhone 6 in his other pocket and passed it over to him.
Martin switched it on to see an abundance of notifications and text messages.
"Right.. this'll keep me bus-" Martin was cut off by reading one pivotal text message.
Hi Martin, we're very sorry to inform you that after much work, Bronagh Watson died at 4.32am this morning.

Martin put his phone faced-down on his bedside table before getting out of bed, "right.. I'm gonna have a shower- we'll leave in an hour or so?" He finalised, feeling his stomach flutter and his eyes tense.
"You alright?" Asked Ollie,
"We'll talk later." Martin replied, taking a deep breath as they began to depart the room, "thanks for the cake." He added before they closed the door.
Zoe sat up in bed, and reached over to check the text, but Martin removed it. "I-I don't want you to read this yet." He told her, locking it and removing his shirt as he walked into the bathroom, but Zoe walked in behind him.
"Zoe... I'm sorry but I just need to think." He sighed, looking in the mirror and splashing his sad countenance with water.
"Think out loud." She offered, sitting on the edge of the bath.
"Two people died last night because of me." He admitted, his eyes turning red.
"Bronagh... she didn't pull through.?" Asked Zoë.
Martin shook his head, "she was completely brain dead, and then she deteriorated. George must have.. he must have tortured her and- oh fuck.. please just let me alone for five minutes.." he begged, the tears breaking from his eyes as he rested his head in his hands.
"It's not your fault." Assured Zoe, rubbing his back and kissing his neck before walking back into the bedroom and closing the door.
Martin turned on the shower before sitting in the bath and letting the water fall down his face and over his lips as he broke down. If George was my dad was Emily my sister? That relationship would explain the bond we had.. Is Sophie still my sister then? Who really am I? Who was Martha.. and why did Bronagh have to die? What had she to do with this? She had such a painful death- she didn't deserve this at all! It should be me dead in that hospital! Not her!