Frostbites (p2)

Annabel couldn't even sit still anymore. Margot crying was what's been on her mind and she couldn't stop worrying.

"Tiffany!" She called out to the girl putting a scarf on her brothers, hers, and George's snowman. Tiffany turned to her and came running over.

"Please look after them for a while. I have to go back inside."

"Okay, take your time." Tiffany said and helped Tam put the three coal pieces on the snowman.

Annabel rushed back inside the hotel and was greeted by Margot crying in the foyer. Rebeca was clearly getting more frustrated with the girl and Richard was just getting more stressed. As if he sensed her, Richard spun around and faced Annabel. He quickly rushed to her.

"Nothing Rebeca is doing is working. What do we do?" He was panicked and freaking out.

Annabel rushed to Rebeca who was getting even more frustrated with Margot.

"Here, you take her. Nothing I'm doing is working." She angrily huffed and handed Margot to Annabel.

"What have you tried?" Annabel said and bounced Margot on her hips.

"Candy, hot chocolate, toys, it's just not working."

Annabel sighed in annoyance and rushed to the elevator.

"Because that's not how you treat frostbites." She said over her shoulders, Richard rushing after her.

"It's okay. I got you." Annabel said when they reached their floor and placed Margot on the couch on Mr.Peltons side. She immediately began taking Margot's wet, and freezing cold clothes off and threw them in a pile. Richard brought a towel and clothes.

"Warm water in the tub, please." She told him as she wrapped Margot in the towel. He rushed to the washroom to get the tub ready.

"See, your cold clothes are off. All you need is a nice soak in the warm tub." She picked her up and made her way over to where she heard running water.

"That's a little too hot, add cold water." She said when she tested the rising water in the tub. Richard switched the taps and added cold water. Annabel mixed the water around with her arm and when it was just right she told Richard to turn it off. She unwrapped Margot and placed her gently down in the tub. It wasn't fully filled, only up to Margot's shoulders when she's sitting down. This way, she wouldn't drown.

She immediately stopped crying and just sat sniffling in the tub.

"Does that feel a lot better?" Annabel said, sighing in relief. Margot nodded. Her fingers and toes were still way too cold and frozen to move around, but the warm water was definitely helping.

Richard sat on the floor, knees up and head between his shoulders as all the stress and worry left him. Annabel held his hand in comfort and gave his a reassuring squeeze.

Richard looked at their hands and pulled her down in between his legs.

"R-Richard?"

He turned her around so her back was pressed against his front and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I just really need a hug right now." He mumbled and wrapped his arms tighter around her.

Annabel bit her tongue and instead of pushing him away like her brain told her to do, she did what her heart told her.

She shifted away from him and he thought she was pulling away.

"Please Annabel. I just, I really need you right now." He looked at her with pleading eyes. All she did was softly smile, turn around so she was facing him and wrap him up in a tight hug.

He was surprised to say the least, he never thought that she would ever hug him. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her in case this wasn't real, but it was, and when he was sure of it, he held her tight and dug his nose in the crook of her neck.

"Are you feeling better now?" Annabel softly asked after a while of them just sitting on the ground and quietly holding each other in a warm, tight, safe embrace.

"Much."

She pulled away from the comfort and heat his body offered and looked up at his face.

"You're surprisingly quite nice to hug." She smiled at him and her cheeks turned slightly pink at the embarrassment of what she said.

"I like hugging you too." His soft smile reached his eyes and he brought a hand up to brush some stray strands of hair out of her face. His thumb then brushed her slightly flushed cheek and he held the side of her face with his hand.

"Annabel..." he studied her face and his eyes lingered on her lips more than once. "Come back home now."

His other hand snaked around her waist and pulled her closer as he slightly leaned more down.

"Come back home to the children. To me. They need you."

Their faces inched closer towards each other and she too studied his face, one arm was hung loosely around his neck while the other one played with the collar of his shirt.

"Just them?" She whispered, her eyes going up from staring at the collar, to his eyes and he was barely able to hear it. His heart beat faster and he was about to close the distance between them when Margot slightly slipped inside the tub and caused a splash. They snapped out of whatever was drawing them closer together  and they quickly pulled away.

"Are you alright dear?" Annabel got up and peered down onto Margot who was regaining her balance. "How are your hands and legs?"

"Still cold." The three year old held her hands up for inspection and Annabel held them.

"Hmm, just a little longer and they'll be alright." She leaned down and kissed the tips of Margot's fingers before letting go of them.

Richard got up, feeling slightly dejected and headed to the door.

"Richard."

He stopped and looked back at her.

"How's your leg?"

They both glanced down at his leg that used to be injured.

"It's fine. Why do you ask?"

"It's just...your limps gotten worse ever since we got here."

His heart fluttered at her noticing him. He also didn't think anyone would take notice of his leg being worse.

"The cold bothers my leg and the strain of travel and activities has made it worse."

"Does it hurt?"

"Sometimes."

"Hmm." A thoughtful look crossed her face and seeing that she was too preoccupied with whatever is going on in her mind, Richard left the washroom.

*

"Well, Mar's all better now. I changed her into her night wear and tucked her in." Annabel said  as she walked into the living room. Margot's snow suit and towel in hand. She walked over to one of the chairs in the corner of the room beside the phone connecting to the foyer and hung the towel. She then hung the snow suit behind the door.

"She really had me worried there. I don't think I've ever been that worried bef-actually, I have." Richard said from his seat on the couch. He had his neck craned all the way back on the head rest and his eyes closed. He opened them and watched Annabel upside down as she picked up some of the kids toys lying around. She paused and urged him to continue with the look she gave him.

"Well..?"

"When you fell in that stream. I don't think I've ever ran that fast all my life." He grinned at her and she smiled back.

"I honestly thought I wouldn't make it."

"Have you learned to swim since then?"

"In the freezing winter? Yes, yes I have." She sarcastically said. She finished putting the toys away and sat on one of the couches, feeling slightly exhausted.

"Looks like I have to teach you come summer again."

"No thank you. I'd rather stay away from large bodies of water like that again."

"What if one of the kids falls in again? What then?" He curiously asked her and properly sat up.

"Well, I wouldn't be alone. I'd take you or George with me. Even Phil, the horse handler."

"No need to take Phil, I'll just go whenever you plan on going on a picnic near the stream." He sounded slightly agitated but she let it slide.

She studied his face while he stared down at his hands and came to the conclusion that they really need to talk.

"Richard."

"Annabel."

They both said at the same time. They both looked at each other before looking away.

"You first." She offered.

"No you."

She suddenly didn't know where to start and had a hard time sorting through her thoughts. Richard saw her internal struggle, he sat at the edge of the couch so he was closer to where she was sitting and reached for her hand. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand and looked up at her while she looked down at their hands.

"We can't...this, whatever this is. It has to stop." She took her hand away from his and instead held her own hand.

"What do you mean?" He knew exactly what she meant.

"You know what I mean. Hand holding, hugging, being so close to each other, it's not right. We have to stop." She looked into his eyes to get her point across.

"Why? What's so wrong about being friendly towards each other?"

"You know this is far more than just being friendly. You shouldn't be," she sighed and rung her fingers together, "you shouldn't be this close to another women when you're going to get married soon. It's not right, people will interpret it wrong, and your fiancée won't be happy with you."

He reached for her hand again and when she tried to pull away he held on tight.

"Why? Does it feel wrong to you?"

She looked away from him as he sat even closer.

"This?" He lifted their hands and intertwined them, "this doesn't feel wrong to me."

He brought their intertwined hands to his lips and kissed her fingers.

"Richard..."

"It feels so right Annabel. Tell me it feels right to you too. This," he brought his other hand and held their intertwined hands in it, "it makes me rethink everything."

"Stop."

"Why? Is it-"

"Enough Richard. You're going to be a married man soon. What ever this is. Whatever is going on in your head, forget about it." She pulled her hand away and got up. She wiped her hands on the sides of her pants in nervousness and made her way out of the room.

"Will you?" He called out.

She stopped and turned to look back at him.

"Will I what?"

"Will you also forget?"

She stayed silent and looked down at the ground.

"Is this why you won't come back home?"

She looked away and bit her bottom lips.

"I don't, I don't have a home here."

"Yes you do." He got up and took a few steps closer to her. "You have one. Up on that meadow in our town lies a house. It's your home, with me and the children."

"Home isn't defined by four walls. Home can be a person and my home is my mama. Who lives far away from me. But that doesn't matter, what matters is that house you're speaking about, it's stopped being my home the second you kicked me out." She looked at him and bit back the tears in her eyes.

"I didn't mean what I said back there. I apologise. I really do. If I could turn back the time, I would, and I would make it so I never said those words, ever."

"Well, you did." She turned away and went over to Mr.Wilton's side of the floor.

"No wait, Annabel." He rushed after her, but the elevator opening stoped him in the middle of his tracks. Rebeca walked out with Austin's wife.

"Annabel? Well, whatever. How is Margot?" She asked, her tone didn't seem like she cared, at all.

"Sleeping." He mumbled and limped back to their rooms.

"I'm telling you Beca, something is up with that fiancé of yours and that wretched nanny." Amelia said and Rebeca nodded.

"I have a feeling something might be up. Why don't you just fire her? It would ease my mind a whole lot."

The two friends walked into the Pelton's living room and sat down on the couches.

"I'll bring it up to Austin. He won't say no to me."

"Oh you must be very sad that his health is getting better." Rebeca said and held her friends hands in comfort.

"You have no idea. I was really looking forward to him passing away. I would have gotten part of the money he would be leaving behind."

"Let's look at the brighter picture shall we? As long as he's alive, more money comes in and the more you can spend." Rebeca said and they both laughed like witches.