Home. At last, at the end of another busy day at The Royal. The new partner has started, a locus was due to arrive tomorrow and Gordon had been out for most of the day. Her day, however, consisted of her morning surgery, followed by antenatal clinic and house calls, with her ward rounds inbetween.
Now. Away from all the noise, she was embracing the quiet. Gordon wasn't home yet, and Tom and Katie were staying at her friends. All she could hear was silence.
She'd made herself a cup of coffee, and sank wearily into her favourite chair, resting her head on the cushion behind her, one hand resting lovingly on her rather large bump, reminding her of the fact she still had 8weeks to go. Kicking off her shoes, she sat back and closed her eyes, hoping to have a snooze before Gordon returned home. Her unborn child, however, had other ideas, having kept her awake for most of the night.
Rubbing her bump gently, she shifted awkwardly, in an attempt to get comfortable once more. Her attempts, sadly proved unsuccessful.
"You're not going to let me rest... Are you?" She whispered, sighing quietly, making one more attempt to get comfortable. An attempt, which, like all the others before, didn't quite work.
"Ok. You win." Talking quietly, she slowly rose to her feet, trying to calm the now very active baby, who had decided to lie in a rather uncomfortable position. Resigning herself to waking round the house, she spotted the clock, sitting proudly on the fireplace.
"Your daddy will be home soon I expect. Won't be long I'm sure". Her eyes wondered over to the piano, which sat in the corner. A piano which, for tonight would be silent. A piano, which was looking rather tempting. Sitting on the piano stool, she carefully lifted the lid, revealing the black and white keys underneath. Placing her fingers delicately on the correct keys, she began playing, eventually losing herself in the sound the piano was creating. Starting with 'twinkle twinkle", before working her way onto 'Wish upon a star', which, to her surprise, began to settle baby. Still lying rather awkwardly, the pain slowly being forgotten about as she immersed herself in the music that was filling the room.
She was still playing when Gordon arrived home, his arrival having gone unnoticed, as she continued, yawning as she did so.
He stood in the doorway, listening, smiling. After a stressful day at work, this came as a welcome relief, especially as he hadn't heard Jill play in such a long time. Her soothing tones prompted him to sit on the chair behind her, and enjoy listening. It wasn't until she had finished "A dream is a wish your heart makes" when she noticed Gordon standing behind her, still smiling, his hands resting on her shoulders. She turned round, smiling wearily, having succeeded in settling baby.
"How long have you been home?" She asked, having not heard him come in. Her hand migrated down to her bump once more, rubbing it gently.
"Long enough. Didn't want to disturb you. Haven't heard you play in a long time. That was beautiful." He remarked, his hands still placed reassuringly on her shoulders, full of admiration and love for his wife, who he'd barely seen that day.
"Thank you. This little one was in the mood for a dance." She continued to rub her bump, secretly wishing baby to change position. However the music appeared to have settled baby a bit too well.
"You look tired. Why don't I run you a nice warm bath?" That was the best thing she'd heard all day.
"Yes please." She nodded, Gordon mouthing "Ok" back, and kissing her forehead lightly before heading upstairs. Watching him go, she couldn't help but smile.
"You're one very lucky baby. Couldn't ask for a better daddy." She knew everything would be ok, despite all her doubts at the beginning.
The house was silent once more, the only sound coming from the bathroom. Peace, something she savoured before Tom and Katie's return tomorrow.
"Come on, let's see what daddy's up to eh?" She stood slowly, and ventured upstairs, looking forward to a quiet evening with her husband, and their unborn child. Perfect.