Caroline woke with a start, her heart thundering out of her chest. She froze as she rolled over to see her beautiful pregnant wife lying next to her. She released a breath she didn't know she had been holding since her nightmare had woken her. She had had the same nightmare three times in as many weeks after their wedding, but a nightmare was all it was. Kate was there with her alive and heavily pregnant days away from giving birth to their child, a child Caroline didn't realise she wanted so much until now. She lay watching the love of her life sleeping; she loved watching Kate sleep. She was so still, so serine, not like John snoring like a pig and stinking of booze. No Kate slept beautifully and peacefully, she could watch her forever.
Kate and this unborn child, their daughter, not that they had told anyone that yet, didn't want to jinx it, were so precious to her. she felt in such a panic at the prospect of the impending birth. What if she couldn't deal with Kate being in pain? What if there was something wrong with the baby? What if she lost them? What if...,? Lost in her stream of what if's she didn't notice Kate's eyes flutter open. "Penny for them"
"Hmm oh just thinking of how lucky I am to have such a beautiful wife"
"Ha flattery will get you everywhere Caroline, especially when I feel like a whale." Kate shifted so she could kiss her. "You are beautiful" Caroline stroked the baby bump "and so are you little one"
It had been a difficult few weeks for the newly married couple; what with Lawrence and his teenage angst and Caroline still not speaking to her mother, it had hardly been the start to their new life they had hoped for. However it was the weekend and Kate was determined to make Caroline relax. Her wife was always wound as tight as a piano wire, but with all this extra stress Kate could see her struggling, although Caroline would never admit it. "I'm making tea, do you want one?" Caroline was in her office attempting to finalise some reports for next weeks governors meeting, but in actual fact she had been staring out of the window for the past ten minutes." "What? Oh, tea. Yes, I'll make it you need to put your feet up" Kate was getting fed up of putting her feet up, the sooner people realised she was not an invalid the better. "Caroline," she huffed "I'm perfectly capable of making a pot of tea, I've had my feet up all morning". Caroline looked contrite "sorry I know" she slipped her arms around Kate's waist, well as much as the bump would allow. "I just don't want you overdoing it, you need to take it easy, once this little one arrives there will be no chance of putting feet up". Kate smiled at her, she could never stay cross at Caroline for long, she leaned in to kiss her, a sweet gentle kiss full of love and promises, as their lips met the front door slammed so hard it echoed around the whole house. "What now" Caroline sighed waiting for Lawrence to stalk in on the hunt for food, but all they heard was the teenager stomp up the stairs and almost take another door off its hinges. Kate looked at Caroline full of concern, "you'd better go and look at him, I'll make a start on that tea" Caroline pecked her on the cheek and made her way up to Lawrence's room to commence whatever this latest battle would be.
Caroline took a deep breath and steeled herself as she knocked on Lawrence's bedroom door. She expected it to fly open and a tirade of abuse to come her way, but there was silence. She knocked again and tentatively called "Lawrence? Can I come in". There was still no answer from the teen so Caroline slowly opened the door. She had become almost complacent about Lawrence's moods, expecting him to be sat sulking with a face like thunder, she was shocked to see her little boy huddled in the corner crying. "Lawrence" she rushed to hold him, "what ever is the matter". Lawrence held his mother and cried big hearty sobs. " why is dad such a useless prick?" Oh now that's a tough one Caroline thought to herself, Lawrence had always idolised his dad even through out all the crap John had put her through, so for him to be so upset and angry with John he must have really screwed up. "Lawrence, what's happened love?" Lawrence looked at her and she saw the bewildered eyes of her baby hurting so much. "He was supposed to fetch me from rugby, but he forgot. Again" Caroline could feel her temper starting to rise, this was the 3rd time in as many weeks that John had forgotten to pick up their son. The deal was she would do the ferrying him to and from rugby training on week days and drop him off on Saturday morning, John just had to pick him up after the match and bring him home. How bloody difficult can it be. The last 2 weeks Kate had collected him while Caroline caught up on work, much to his annoyance. "Lawrence I can't answer why your dad always lets you down, but I know that he loves you very much" she was trying to be careful with her reply Lawrence and John were so close she didn't want to upset that. "Why do you always defend him?" Lawrence shouted at her " he's useless! he says he's going to do something and unless there's booze or women for him to drool over he always lets people down!" Caroline for once was lost for words, her youngest had finally seen his dad for what he was, a bit of a useless jerk. " he promised to take me and Angus go carting for my birthday, cancelled last minute 'something came up' so you had to take us. He promised to take me paint balling to make up for that one, never happened. He was supposed to pick me up and take me for pizza and cinema last week, he was 2 hrs late and was pissed when he finally got here. And this is the icing on the cake." Lawrence had stood and started pacing his room, Caroline watched and waited, there was so much of John in her son, but his temper he most defiantly got from her. Lawrence stopped his rant and looked out of the window, Kate was hanging his school uniform on the washing line. He watched her heavily pregnant and probably shattered, but still looking after him and his stuff, even though he was so horrible to her and his mum. He thought back to the last two Saturday's when he rang his mum needing a lift because his dad had not shown. Caroline had huffed at him, she had a lot to get done so she could have time off when the baby was born, and John was taking the biscuit. Kate had shouted that she would pick him up without hesitation, knowing that Lawrence would probably be mean to her, she still cared enough to make sure he was safe, just like she had all those months ago when his mum had gone awol with Gillian. "I'm sorry I've been so mean to you and Kate" Caroline was stunned, Lawrence had been such a brat since she and Kate had got together, she could hardly believe what she was hearing. She wanted to say about bloody time you little git, but she just stood and put her hands on his rapidly broadening shoulders and said " it's ok, thank you. I do love you Lawrence, you know that don't you". Tears were brimming for both of them and he just nodded, nothing more to be said.
Kate had pottered about in the kitchen for the last half hour or so while Caroline dealt with the latest teenage fall out. She had expected shouting and balling, but whatever was going on, her wife and stepson seemed uncharacteristically quiet. That almost made the situation more stressful for Kate, she knew Caroline loved Lawrence fiercely, but when the two of them clashed it was like water on oil, instant explosion. Just as Kate was considering going to check they hadn't murdered each other whilst she was in the garden, she heard Caroline's footsteps on the stairs "everything alright" she asked tentatively "John forgot him again, and it seems he's had enough, he's ok though, calmed down a bit." Caroline reached for a wine glass and poured herself a large red, Kate looked at her silently questioning her choice of drink. Caroline caught onto the look "after the conversation I've just had tea just won't cut it" Kate smiled at her love "just the one though, remember I could pop at anytime now, we don't need you being incapable" Caroline pretended to be offended, but couldn't keep it up, she lent over and kissed Kate's cheek. "I. Unlike some people that could be mentioned. am always capable" Kate burst out laughing, remembering the only time she had seen Caroline really drunk, "I seem to remember having to put a very incapable you to bed on New Year's Eve my love" Caroline had thrown a family gathering for New Years, but had spent most of the day fussing and most of the evening topping up glasses that she hadn't eaten much and had lost track of how much drink she'd had. As the bells tolled she couldn't say bread. Kate had sat up most of the night with Caroline being sick. "Awh, now that's not fair you know it was that trifle Gillian made that had made me sick" Kate laughed even more and Caroline could no longer keep up her innocent pretence and started laughing too. " ok ok you win, I was pissed as a fart ok" Lawrence walked into the kitchen to see him mum and Kate doubled over in hysterics, they quickly calmed themselves, from the way he was looking at them he obviously had something to say. "When you two have finished being mental, what's for dinner? I'm starving" and with that one statement some kind of order was restored to the household for the time being anyway.