Astronaut

Dina cried herself to sleep that night. She didn't mean to. of course the plan was to put JJ to bed, But she didn't get that far. JJ slept on the sofa exactly where Ellie had left him. Dina fell asleep on the ground exactly where she fell to her knees after Ellie left.

"Mama" JJ smiles poking his mother's nose.

Dina opens her eyes. At first she's confused about why she's on the ground. Then it all comes flooding back to her. she rubs her eyes and sits up. "Hey bud, whatcha got?"

"Mummy gave me" he smiles holding up his astronaut.

"Bud" Dina sighs. She takes the astronaut from him. "We need to give this back to mummy, okay?" Dina knew what this ment to Ellie. while it absolutely warmed her heart that Ellie wanted JJ to have it, she knew how much it ment to her.

"Noo" JJ cried holding his hands out. "Mine"

"Bud" Dina pick JJ up. "This is very special to mummy. Do u want to give Ollie away?"

JJ pouts shaking his head.

"That's probably how mummy feels about this"

JJ sniffs. "Mummy gave him me" JJ wipes his eyes with his balled fists. "He mine"

"How about you play with him now" Dina hands JJ the astronaut figure. "But later on we walk to mummy's and give him back?"

"Okay" JJ pouts.

"One day you'll understand" Dina kisses jj's head. "Come on bud let's go brush our teeth"

*********

"Was wonderin when we would run into you" Jesse's parents say as Ellie walks into the bar.

"Hi, urm yeah" Ellie awkwardly rubs the back of her neck. "Been back a while. I've just been focusing on JJ"

"If it were up to us you wouldn't be anywhere near our grandson"

Ellie's eyes widen, she's taken back. The last time she saw them they were completely fine with her. Granted that was back at the farmhouse before she walked out on Dina and JJ.
"Look I can't ever take back what I did, but I'll spend my life making it up to him"

"Your nothing to do with him" JJ's grandma spits out.

Ellie closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. Reminding herself that it would be very unethical to deck a grandma. "JJ calls me mummy. That's all that matters" Ellie pushes her way through the crowd of people.

"Hey Ellie, you okay?" Maria asks.

"Yeah, I guess" she take a seat on the free barstool. "I came to ask if their is any work available?"

"You looking for patrol work or work here in Jackson?" Maria asks.

"I'll take anything" Ellie plays with the beer mats on the bar.

"We have patrol work available, it's Dina's route though. She needs a new partner. Jack's about to retire"

"Who watches JJ ?" Ellie asks confused.

"He goes to the nursery"

"Wow... I didn't even know" Ellie asked her head.

"It's okay" Maria puts her hand on Ellie's shoulder. "You've only been back a month."

Ellie struggled with the guilt when she first returned. She hates the fact she didn't know JJ's favourite food, or his favourite song. He had changed so much she wouldn't have even recognised him if he went with Dina.

Ellie nods. "I'll take it"

"Perfect be at the stabled for 2pm, you start today" Maria smiles before walking away.

Ellie really hoped Dina would be okay with this. Of course big she wasn't Ellie would give up the job right away. But maybe this would be a good thing.

******

"Ellie Dina, clear out any infected you see. If you run into anything you can't handle come back. Be smart" they get handed a rifle each.

"We're together?" Dina asks grabbing Japan's reins.

"I mean is that okay?" Ellie asks leading shimmer out of the barn.

"Yeah"

The girls hop on to their horses and ride out of Jackson. Ellie following Dina, Dina had done this route that many times. She could probably do it with her eyes closed.

"Tell me about what I've missed" Ellie asks as the slowly ride through an abandoned town.

"You didn't miss much Ellie"

"I want to know about his first world's, his first steps, his first everything"

"He took three steps at 9 months, he walked properly on your birthday just gone" Dina smiles.

"Wait... Really?" Ellie grins.

"Yep, his first word... Mama" Dina smiles proudly.

"So uh Jesse's parents weren't so nice to me earlier"

"Really?" Dina asks confused. They had never said a bad word about Ellie to her.

"They uh" Ellie sighs. "They told me I had nothing to do with JJ"

"I'm sorry Ellie, that's not okay" Dina gives her sympathetic smile. "I'll have a word"

"You don't have to" Ellie tells her, not wanting to start unnecessary drama.

"No" Dina shakes her head. "I do, your his mum Ellie. You always have been. Also I don't want JJ hearing
things like that"

"Thank you"

"So I told JJ we have to return your astronaut today. Ellie why did you give it to him" Dina asks.

"He loves it, plus Joel would want him to have it. It's his Dina I'm not taking it back" Ellie tells her.

"Ellie" Dina sighs.

"Dina pull back" Ellie whispers. The two girls pull on the horses reins. The horses come to a stop. In the distance Dina sees two clickers facing away from them. "You get right, I'll get left?" Ellie whispers. Dina nods. The two girls sneak up behind the clickers and slice their throats.

"You good?" Dina asks.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah"

They go back to their horses and continue on their patrol. The next two hours go by extremely uneventful. Ellie cracked a few of her jokes which made Dina laugh. And they arrived back at Jackson with zero casualties.

"Can I come with you to pick up JJ?" Ellie asks.

"I don't think that's a good idea Ellie"

"Oh yeah urm okay" she replies. She feels the heat rise in her cheeks as they flush pink. She feels stupid for even asking.

"I don't want him to get the wrong idea, I'm sorry" Dina explains, before leaving to go get JJ.