Nessa pushed open the front door, with Neil the baby in her arms.
"Hello?" She called out, "Stace? Gav? Gwen? Bryn?"
"Ness?" Came a voice from the landing.
"Yeah?" She replied, unsurely, recognising the voice, but not quite placing it.
"Is that you?"
"Maybe, maybe not?" She answered, pulling her son closer to her as he played with the big gold chain around her, "It depends who's that?"
"Gavin."
"Oh, alright, Gav?" She said, in a completely different tone, finally placing the voice to his owner. "What's occurin'?" She added, setting her son onto the floor and he crawled away.
"Nothin' much," he answered, but as she began to make her way upstairs, he called out: "Ness, could you stay downstairs?"
"Why?" She asked, stopping.
"Stacey's having..." Gavin began, but she interrupted him.
"Morning sickness?"
"Yeah,"
"I thought as much." She said in her 'knowing voice'. "Ok, I got it really bad, but I tried this thing that my Great-Great Auntie Sukie had, totally worked." Nessa explained, shuffling up a few steps, Gavin coming into full view as he sat with his back against the wall his knees brought up to his chin as he sat outside the bathroom door.
"What was it?" Gavin asked, as she sat on the steps.
"Well, grind raw papaya with rose water, and when I say papaya, I mean skin, seeds the whole caboosh! Add three drops of milk then she drinks it."
He just looked at her.
She paused. "Or was that for acne?"
They were interrupted by the almighty crash, that was followed by the piercing shriek of Neil's crying.
"Oh, Neil!" Nessa yelled, "what's the matter?"
There was no answer.
"I hear you, pookie!" she added and began to make her way down the stairs in her big leather boots.
Gavin came down the stairs fifteen minutes later, Nessa was sat at the table eating an omelet whilst Neil the baby sat in his high chair ripping apart his omelette and throwing it onto the floor.
"How is she?" Nessa asked, cutting off another piece of her omelet and putting it in her mouth.
"Well she hasn't for over five minutes so..."
"And you left her?" She interrupted, looking outraged. "Big mistake, Gavin! You never leave a lady, alone! Never!" She returned to her meal, "I learnt that in Scouts."
"Scouts?" Gavin asked, looking confused. He and Smithy had gone to Scouts, before Smithy had got kicked by Mr. Hungus because he was too fat to partake in any of the activities. so Gavin quit too, he was sure it was only for boys, if it was just Mr. Hungus that let boys in... then he should be in prison.
"I thought only boys were allowed in," he said, looking at her.
"Papa Ian pulled a few strings and got me in... God! I loved that uniform!"
"And Papa Ian is?"
"My ninth step father. I have eleven fathers, you know, Gav,"
"First, Dad. Second, Papa Gordon the first. Next, Papa Torchesky. After Papa Richard. Then, Papa Len. Sixth, Papa Gordon the second. Seventh, Papa Wyn. Eight, Papa Gareth. Nine Papa Ian. Lastly, Papa Floyd and finally Papa Lloyd. Then back to my dad. Then my Mother, she dies, don't she and all eleven want me, because let's face it, Gavin. I am a very beautiful woman."
Gavin looked at her.
"Well?!" She demanded, looking at him accusingly.
He nodded. "If I wasn't married..." Was all he could come up with.
"I'd expect no less!"
Nessa glanced over towards her son and only now did she notice that prawn omelette was smeared onto the carpet.
"Oh, Neil!" She said, sharply.
He just gave her a gummy a smile.
"Why did you do that, why?" She asked, standing up. "Gav, can you get him?" She added.
"Sure," he muttered, picking him out of the seat and holding him.
"Bring him here," She said, glaring her son in the eye. He held the baby towards her. "Neil Noel Edmond Smith. Why did you do that?"
Neil just looked at her, sucking his fist.
"That was naughty! That was a waste of very good food! If you didn't want it why didn't you just say?! I would have eaten it! Or your Uncle Gavin! Put him down."
Obediantly, Gavin gently lowered him to the floor, just staring at Nessa. Still glaring at the baby, she lowered onto her hands and knees and began putting the omelette back onto the plate, never breaking the eye contact she had with her son.
Then she stood up, sat down and began to eat the omelette.
He then crawled away and began rolling his cars up and down the carpet and babbling away to himself.
Gavin wanted to back away and run, instead, he mumbled about Stacey needing him and edged out of the room and climbed the stairs.
All the time, Nessa still stared at her son.
"Stacey?" Gavin said, softly as he walked through their bedroom door.
She was curled up on their bed, the teddy that he's bought her last Valentine's day stuffed underneath her pillow with her hand holding onto it as she dozed.
"Stace?" He repeated, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Stace?"
After a few seconds, she rolled over.
"How're you feeling?" he whispered, stroking her blonde hair.
She smiled weakly at him. "I don't like this side of being pregnant." She muttered.
Gavin laughed at his wife, "c'mere." He muttered and she sat up and hugged him.
"We're gonna be fine." He breathed into her hair.
"Gav?" She said to him.
"Hmm?" He replied, letting go of her.
"If we have a boy..."
"Yeah,"
"I really want to call him Trevor!"
He looked at her, slightly bemused. Until he realised she was deadly serious.
