Eucatastrophe ~ h.s.

✗ twenty-six ✗

"That's amazing." Shay says. "Do you ever get to see the kids?" I nod in response, smiling back to the times that Louis and I have visited local hospitals.

"I try to go at least once a year with Louis to a couple of the hospitals around the city. We visit with the kids, play games with them, and bring them toys. We basically do anything to make them happy, hence the name, and try and make them forget about all the stresses a child should never have to go through." I answer.

I always loved doing the hospital visits, even if they did tear your heart to shreds and make you question God's intentions. "But once a year we hold a banquet and invite a load of business owners and rich bastards. There's music and dancing and food and, well it's basically just a boring party for rich people. The more we please them, the more they give us. If it weren't for such a good cause I won't make a big fuss out of it. It does raise us a lot of money for the foundation."

"How come this is the first I've heard of it?" Shay asks, smiling lightly.

I shrug and smile back at her before taking the seat beside her. I reach across and take her hand in mine, staring down at her fingers intertwined with mine.

"I don't know. I mean I'm sure you've reminding me about attending, because it's always on my calendar, but I don't really know."

"We should start a donation box in the office." Shay says out of the blue a few seconds later.

I gather my thoughts and bring my eyes up to meet hers.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we should get a box or something and have people in the office donate money. Even if it's just a couple of pounds, it'll still help." I find myself smiling largely at her idea. I don't know why I've never thought of it before, maybe it's why I have Shay. "I can work on it, handle everything." She says, shrugging.

"How'd I get so lucky?" I ask, spinning Shay's chair so that she's facing me. She shrugs her shoulders and smiles back at me. "I'm serious." The smile on Shay's lips falters briefly before growing larger. She stands from her chair and softly sits down on my lap. I wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly.

"How are you really doing?" I ask softly, whispering to her. She sighs heavily and shakes her head as she snakes her arms around my neck and places a soft kiss to my cheek.

"I don't honestly know." She admits, sitting up tall on my lap. "I'm relieved that it's all over and that he's off the streets for good, but at the same time I still feel uneasy." I frown and pull her close to me again. The last thing I want is for her to be uneasy about anything. "I think I just need a few days for everything to just sink in, you know?"

"Yeah, of course." She sits up again and I follow her gaze at the opposite wall. Her face is blank of emotions, but I can tell that she's thinking. Usually when she gets the dazed look and her face goes still it means she's thinking heavily about something. "What are you thinking about?" I ask, curious to know what's going on in that head of her's.

"I need to get away." She suddenly says, her gaze still glued to the wall.

I stiffen in my seat, my arms instinctively tightening around her waist. I want what's best for Shay, but I can't stand the thought of us being apart. I hate it when she's not within arms reach. I've got it bad.

"I wanna get away with you." I feel as if I can breathe again and I nod in agreement. We just got back from Australia, but it seems like it was years ago since then. "I know we just got back from a trip and that you're very, very busy, but I can't help but think this is what we need."

"I agree." I say, raking my brain for somewhere we can go.

I don't want to take her somewhere too far from home, it would be too much stress on her body. She's already taken a toll from the travel and everything that's happened here at home, she just needs a mini-vacation. I've wanted to take her to Paris since I've met her, but I'm not for busy travel at the moment. So I need to find somewhere in Great Britain; somewhere close, but far enough away. Somewhere like...

"You agree?"

"Of course." I respond, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the corner of Shay's lips. "I've actually been thinking about going up to Holmes Chapel and visiting my mum and Robin, if you would like to join." I spill.

I have been thinking about it for a while now. My mother will be busy planning the banquet, but she shouldn't start until at least next week. Plus, Holmes Chapel is only a three-hour drive from my place. We could leave tomorrow in the morning and be there by lunch. We could stay at my mum and Robin's house so we wouldn't have to pay for a hotel, even if it is no bother. An added bonus is that the paparazzi will not be likely to follow us there. I've been noticing a few paps outside the building earlier this week, but nothing a few security guards and a valet couldn't handle.

The corner of Shay's lips quirks up in a smile and her eyes start shinning. "Would that be something you'd be interested in?" I ask.

"Going to Holmes Chapel to meet your family?" She asks and I nod, confused as to why that would be questionable. "I would love to." A sigh of relief leaves my lips as I smile and pull Shay close.

"What do you say we leave first thing tomorrow?"

"I would say you're a genius."