When she told him she was pregnant, he almost choked to death on his tea.
"Are you okay?" She asked, when he had finished spluttering.
Mitchell smiled, "Of course I'm okay! Are... are you okay?"
He dropped his smile and instead adopted a look of concern, eyes flickering to her stomach.
"I'm okay," she laughed, kissing her somewhat dazed husband.
"How long have you known?" He asked, gesturing her to sit down and holding her hand in his.
"Um... only about three days... properly..."
"Three days?" He shook his head in disbelief, but the smile had returned and this time there was no shifting it, "You waited three days, Annie?"
Annie sighed, "I was waiting for the right time."
"And the right time was when I had a mouthful of tea?"
"Clearly not," she replied, not needing a moment to consider.
"Wow, so I'm gonna be a dad?"
"Yeah."
"Wow."
Annie laughed again.
"Can I call George?" He said, "Or are we not telling people? I hear people do that sometimes..."
"Mitchell!" She stopped him, "You can call George."
He squeezed her hand and reached for the phone. George and Nina Sands were on speed dial.
"Hm, er, yeah, Mitchell?"
"Hmm?" He said, holding the phone to his ear.
"George might possibly already know..."
Mitchell raised his eyebrows, "George knows?"
"Maybe?" Said Annie with a half-shrug.
"You told him?"
"Oh no, but I told Nina, and she might have told him. She probably hasn't, though, I asked her not to."
"Nina!"
"Yes, Nina. She's my best friend, I tell her -"
Mitchell shook his head, pointing at the phone, "No - Nina. On the phone." He mouthed.
"Oh... Hi Nina!"
"Annie says hi. She says hi back, Annie. Nina, can I speak to George please? It's important."
George's voice crackled onto the line, "Mitchell! What's the big emergency?"
"It's not an emergency, as such," he said, eyes flicking over to Annie, "It's just, we were wondering, how you feel about being an uncle."
"What? Mitchell, I'm an only chi- oh my God."
"Yeah?" Asked Mitchell, grinning mischieviously.
"Oh. My. GOD. Mitchell? Is... is Annie pregnant?"
"He didn't know." Mouthed Mitchell.
"I gathered that from the shrieks."
"Yes! I'm gonna be a dad, George!"
"Oh my God. NINA! NINA THEY'RE HAVING A BABY!"
The voices became distant and tinny.
"What do you mean you already knew?"
"Annie told me!"
"My best friends going to be parents and you didn't tell me? Oh my God, Nina!"
"Oomadgud oomagud" chanted a tiny voice in the background.
"Eve, no, you mustn't repeat that, Daddy's being naughty." That was Nina.
Mitchell laughed.
"What is it?" Annie asked
"Eve's blaspheming."
Annie giggled too.
George's voice was clear again, "Congratulations Mitchell! I'm so happy for you! Can I talk to Annie?"
"Of course!" He said, passing the phone over, "It's for you."
"ANNIE!" George's voice errupted from the phone, so loud that Annie had to hold the reciever away from her ear, "Congratulations! I can't believe it! How are you doing?"
"Thanks, George. I'm fine, really!"
"That's good! Good! Aw, Annie! You're going to be a mum!"