"Frannie, you alright?" Ray was rubbing warm circles on her back. She sat back on her ankles and flushed the toilet.
"Sorry, Bro. Just been feeling a bit sick."
"You're losing weight," he said, concerned. "It's more than a bit sick."
Oh God. She'd been dreading this. She was gonna have to tell him.
"Ray…" she took his arm, and hauled herself to her feet. "There's something you gotta know."
"What's wrong?"
"I… let's go the kitchen. I need to sit down."
"Jesus," he sounded miserable. "Frannie…"
Once she was at the table, she covered her face. She heard the chair opposite scrape as Ray sat.
"Here," he said. "Water."
"Thanks."
When the baby came he'd be a great uncle, but he was gonna be a prize shit of a brother for months. He was gonna fly off the handle - start shouting about how he was gonna kill the guy, whoever he was, and what kind of man left her to do this alone… he wouldn't understand. They'd all be miserable while he got his head round it.
"Ray," she said, tightly. "I'm pregnant."
Silence, not shouting. When she finally managed to look at him, there was something else she hadn't expected. A smile. A heart stopping face splitting smile.
"Frannie, that's wonderful. Holy God, I thought you had cancer or something." He leant across the table and kissed her forehead. "Try not to scare me like that."
"You're not angry?"
"Angry? A baby's a wonderful thing. You're gonna be a wonderful Mom."
She started laughing with relief. "I thought you were gonna kill someone."
Ray's smile died and some dark pain crossed his face. He turned away from her and looked out the window. When he spoke, she could barely hear him.
"I don't kill people anymore."