Connor sat at the kitchen table absent-mindedly stroking his wedding ring whilst reading the Sunday newspaper. He glanced up at the clock: 10:15. He'd give Abby another fifteen minutes; the baby had been putting a lot of strain on her at the moment. He stood up and walked over to the cupboard and took two mugs from the middle shelf followed by some sugar from the bottom then flicked on the kettle. His mind wandered to the thought of the baby. Would they ever have a quiet morning like this again? His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs.
'Morning, beautiful.' He said softly. Abby mumbled in reply. He raised a mug. 'Tea?' Another mumble and a nod. He set to work making the tea while Abby manoeuvred herself around the table and into a chair. The events of the last eight months showed; she looked constantly tired and she struggled to walk at times with the weight of the baby bending her slender frame. Connor placed a mug of tea in front of her and kissed her forehead. She smiled and leant her head against his chest.
'I'm sorry, Con, I'm just tired that's all.'
'Hey,' He said cupping her face in his hands. 'You don't have to apologize or anything; you're the most amazing person I know. You're smarter than Philip, you're stronger than Becker and I love you more than you could ever imagine.' He stroked her cheek with his thumb and kissed her lips before once again pulling her close to his chest.
After finishing their tea Connor left Abby in the lounge with a book before heading upstairs to get ready for work. He searched through the chest of drawers in the bedroom for a shirt and some trousers. After three drawers of baby clothes he found them and checked his watch 'Great, now you're gonna be late.' He remembered the shower head he was supposed to fix last night. 'Late and smelly.' He'd get a shower at the ARC. 'I'll be back around half 5, sweetheart!' He called as he ran down the stairs, snatched up his keys from the sideboard and left the house.
As she heard the door close Abby looked up from her book. Uncertainty gnawed at her for some unknown reason. She pulled herself to her feet and walked through to the hallway where she was met by a sight that terrified her: a familiar flickering glow illuminated her face.