Date nights were rare. Between Alexia’s footballing commitments and her foundation, plus your own work and the kids, you were too busy. 

Most the time you’d cuddle up in bed and watch a documentary with some health-ish snacks and debrief about the week. 

So when alexia announced that she was taking you to a new fancy tapas bar, that had a waitlist months long, you assumed the kids were coming too. But it wasn’t until Vicky walked through the door that you realised she meant alone. 

You were grateful for Vicky. For your perfect girlfriend for thinking of the quiet time you two deserved but more than that, you were grateful for the very expensive bottle of wine you were going to drink. 

The tapas bar was packed, but Alexia had arranged a quiet table at the back of the restaurant. Away from the prying eyes on the street. 

For two hours it was just the two of you. You drank the bottle of wine by yourself, Alexis was in season and very strict on her alcohol consumption. You didn’t mind, it was delicious. 

As much as you both tried not too, the conversation always turned back to the kids. It made you emotional thinking about how open Alexia had been with them. To her, they are hers, she loved them fully, embraced their craziness and their attitudes. 

For two hours it was peacefully. No fights to break up, no tantrums, no kids show in the background. Just you and Alexia. But then the piercing sound of Alexia’s ringtone cut through. 

Something about seeing her mamis name unsettled Alexia. You were talking happily about what happened with Miriam the day prior. 

“Mami is calling.” Alexia watched as your face dropped. Clearly the same feeling of unsettle washed over you too. 

“Alexia. You need to meet us at the hospital. Now.” 

“What hospital?” You were both up in a flash. You threw money on the table, only being able to hear Alexia’s half of the conversation. 

The drive to the hospital felt like torture. You only knew what Alexia told you. Vicky put Amelia to bed and then was playing with Oscar. Something happened and he fell, landing weirdly on his arm. Vicky called an ambulance and then called Eli. 

You barely registered Vicky in the corner of the room. Your eyes were solely on Oscar. 

“Mi amor.” 

“Mami!” Oscar happily sucking on the lollipop he was given from the nurses. The doctor gave you a quick break down. It was a clean break, cast for 6 weeks and then another X-ray to make sure it would heal properly then a half-cast for another 2 weeks. Oscar could leave after the cast was set. 

It was only another hour or so that you had to wait. Oscar has chosen a bright blue colour that he was excited to show all his friends. But first he wanted Vicky to sign it. 

Alexia turned around to where she last saw Vicky standing, but she was gone. She assumed maybe she went out to the waiting area but when the three of you walked out there, Vicky was no where to be seen. It wasn’t like her to just disappear. 

Vicky’s whereabouts wasn’t even on your mind, but Alexia filled it away for later. 

Sometime between the four of getting home and morning time, Vicky had collected her car. That’s when you thought it was odd. Usually after babysitting she’d stay the night and if for some reason her car was left overnight, she would always come in and say good morning. 

“Did you talk to Vicky this morning?” You asked Alexia after you came back inside. 

“No. Why?” 

“Her cars gone? Usually she comes in but she didn’t and I haven’t spoken to her since before we left for dinner.” 

Alexia took a minute to get her phone from the loungeroom, looking through the notifications for Vicky’s name. “She hasn’t messaged me.”

A worry set over the both of you. 

Meanwhile Vicky was spiralling. She had followed your instructions to a tee, just like every other time. Amelia had gone to bed at 6.45, Oscar had 45 minutes until his own bedtime. 

It was routine to her. Oscar gets 10 minutes of what you would call “crazy time”. He gets to run around, jump on the couch or whatever he needed to do to get the last bit of energy out. 

Expect it went wrong this time. So incredibly wrong and whenever Vicky thinks about the crack she heard, it makes her nauseous. 

Oscar had lost his footing, a simple childish mistake. He caught himself awkwardly and landed on the floor. His scream will haunt her. Oscar wasn’t the kind of child who got hurt easily, so she knew it was bad. 

You and Alexia were her first calls, but since you were out for dinner, the calls were missed. Eli was her next, begging her to come as fast as she could, and her final call was to the ambulance. 

Vicky was a smart girl. But in that moment and the ones that followed, she couldn’t help but feel like this was all her fault. You and Alexia would be mad, she wouldn’t be able to see Oscar or Amelia again and the team would exile her. 

Sydney, Aïcha and Clara grew increasingly worried about Vicky over the coming days. She refused to participate in their games, wouldn’t talk to anyone beside Pere, and stayed very far away from Alexia. 

alexia had tried herself but Vicky looked at her the ran away. The younger girls approached Alexia and Marta with their concerns. 

“Vicky is depressed.” Clara said. 

“She blames herself for Oscar.” Sydney spoke next. 

“What? That’s ridiculous. It’s not her fault? You don’t blame her right Ale?” Marta said. 

“No! No absolutely not.” Alexia looked over to where Vicky was sitting. Pina and Cata were being silly, trying to get her to join but she refused. “It was an accident. I don’t blame her, neither does y/n. Oscar has been asking for her all week.” 

Alexia knew she had to confront Vicky, but she knew it would be useless unless you were there too. 

Two hours later, you and Oscar arrived at the training ground. It was rare for you to attend, even rarer from Oscar but when Alexia said Vicky needed you, you got in the car. 

Oscar was excited to see the team, to show off his new cast but most importantly to get Vicky to sign it first. He had been very clear, no one was to come anywhere near him with a marker before Vicky. That boy acted as if Vicky hung the stars. 

Vicky saw you before the others did and she quickly turned around and headed to the lockeroom. She was convinced that you were there to yell at her, to completely cut contact. 

The girls lit up once they noticed you two. Patri swooped in first, picking Oscar up and taking away. 

“Hola amor.” Alexia kissed your forehead.

“Hi baby. Where’s vic?” You looked around with a frown on your face. 

“She was just here? I don’t know how she keeps vanishing!” 

“I’ll look for her but tell me what’s wrong?” 

Alexia explained everything. The concerns from the younger girls, Vicky’s behaviour and the way she would literally run away from alexia. It wasn’t that much of a concern to you, mainly because you knew exactly how to fix it. 

Since training was officially finished, you knew Vicky would be in the locker room getting ready to escape. 

When you walked in, she was still in the shower so you sat patiently for her to be done. It didn’t take long but as soon as Vicky saw you, panic set in for her. 

“Vicky..”

“No. No please don’t say anything. I know I fucked up massively and you don’t want me around anymore. I’ll keep my distance from your family.” You were stunned into silence. You knew Vicky blamed herself but not to this extent. 

“We don’t blame you!” You rushed out as Vicky headed to leave, “it was an accident. A pure accident that no one could control, if it didn’t happen with you, it would’ve happened with me or alexia. That little boy out there adores you Vic. He hasn’t let anyone sign his cast because he wants you to be the first. You, not me his mother or ale, you Vicky.” 

You got up and walked towards her, she was still facing away from you but you could tell she was crying. 

“I was so sure you’d hate me that I convinced myself you did. You, Ale, the kids, this team..” She waved her hands around, “are my family. I wouldn’t cope if I didn’t have you guys.” 

You held her as she cried and reassured her, again, that no one hated her and it was a freak accident. It took another half hour for her to calm down enough to go outside and face the team but as soon as she did, Oscar ran at her. 

No one else mattered to him when Vicky was around. 

With Vicky promising to come straight over to decorate Oscar’s cast, the two of you headed home, Alexia would stop to pick Amelia and something up for dinner. 

Amelia was just as excited to come home to Vicky  in the loungeroom. The loud sounds of the kids laughing and the chaos of toys, paper and markers reminded you of a week earlier. 

The house had felt more quiet without vicky, even if it actually wasn’t. “Remind her that you love her yeah?” 

“Of course.” Alexia didn’t even hesitate. She loved her people loudly and that was something you appreciated. 

As the week went on, Vicky returned to her usual self. The younger players on the team were keeping you up to date and so was alexia.