"Millie, are you awake?"
Jake's whisper pierced its way through to Millie's consciousness. It must be morning. It felt like she had only just got to sleep, which was probably pretty much how it was. It was so hard for her to sleep soundly these days. It was winter, and she went to bed feeling cold. Then she would wake up covered in sweat and have to remove a layer or two of clothing. Then the carpel tunnel syndrome that had appeared during her pregnancy meant that her hands were always going to sleep, so the sensation of either pins and needles or complete numbness added to her inability to settle comfortably. She was loving the superior mattress of her new bed in Neil's spare room, but she was still not managing to get more than one or two hours sleep at a time.
Jake knew she had trouble sleeping, but he would frequently forget to let it stop him going into her room to see what she was doing. He loved having Millie staying with them. Once he was awake in the morning, he was impatient for her to get up as well. Instead of continuing to wait for her to appear, he would make a cup of tea, or sometimes even breakfast, so he would have an excuse to go into her room and wake her. Neil had scolded him about doing this and he had stopped after a day or two. Today, however, he felt his waking her could be justified because Millie had an appointment at St. Hugh's that morning.
It was exactly a month until Millie's baby was due. It was also only four days until Christmas. In two days time Pippa would be whisking Jake off to the country again to spend Christmas with her and Liam's family. Jake had nagged Pippa until she asked Neil, and even Millie, to join them (her acquiescence largely due to curiosity), but Neil had declined on both their behalfs. As much as he wanted to spend Christmas with his son, spending it with his ex-wife's husband's family was more than his pride could bear, and as to bringing Millie, well, that just gave the wrong impression of their relationship entirely. Anyway, travelling was becoming increasingly difficult for Millie. Sitting cramped up in the car just aggravated her back, and such a long journey would require far too many 'comfort stops' for her squashed-up bladder. Pippa had graciously accepted his refusal of her offer, adding that it was interesting he preferred to spend Christmas alone with 'that woman' rather than in the company of his son. So the plan was now for Neil, Millie and Jake to have their own little Christmas celebration the day before Jake's departure. The idea of having two Christmases had added to Jake's excitement, which in turn made him even more reckless regarding household rules...
Millie sighed and turned around to see Jake's smiling face up close to hers. She was conscious of the fact that all she was wearing was a singlet, so she quickly grabbed the nightie that she kept handy and slipped it over her head.
"Hi Jake," Millie mumbled sleepily.
"I brought you tea," said Jake proudly.
"Thanks darling!" said Millie, affectionately patting the boy's face.
Jake shuffled his feet and blushed a little.
There were footsteps in the hallway outside and Neil's voice drifted through the door.
"Jake! You're not annoying Millie are you?" he said sternly.
"It's OK," replied Millie. "It's time I woke up anyway. And I'm decent if you want to come in."
Neil stuck his head around the door as if to double check this was the case, then walked in, glaring at his son.
"What?" said Jake defensively. "Millie says she doesn't mind!"
"Well, she would say that, wouldn't she? You didn't give her much choice!"
Millie sat up and sipped her tea and wondered how to politely ask them to leave. As much as she loved both Neil and Jake, she really didn't want them arguing in her room!
Neil caught her eye and realised they were intruding. "Come on Jake, it's time to get out of Millie's way so she can get ready."
"Can you put on some toast for me while I'm in the shower?" Millie asked Jake, hoping that giving him an assignment would soften the blow of his eviction.
"Sure thing!" said Jake, running to fulfill the task.
Neil threw his hands up in exasperation, then followed his son out.
Soon Millie was showered and dressed and sitting at the kitchen table enjoying her toast. Jake was fussing around her, making sure she had adequate supplies of everything, while Neil drank his coffee and outlined the 'family' plans for the day. He didn't have to be at Sun Hill until after lunch.
"So, Millie, your appointment's at 1030?"
Millie nodded.
"…so we want to leave here in about, say… forty-five minutes. Jake, what do you need to do to get ready?"
"I have to wrap a couple more presents, oh, and clean my teeth."
Jake was pleased with himself for remembering about his teeth, especially as it earned him a sweet smile of approval from Millie.
"You're looking forward to seeing your friends, aren't you?" asked Millie.
Jake had decided to spend the time of Millie's appointment catching up with some of the children who had been in hospital at the same time as he was, but, for various reasons, had not been allowed to go home or had had to return for further treatment. His dad had taken him shopping on the weekend to buy presents for them, and Jake could hardly contain himself at the prospect of being finally able to deliver them after a tortuous three day wait.
"You bet!" said Jake enthusiastically.
Neil looked over at his son, with both a sense of relief that he was here, home and on the road to recovery, and with a sense of concern about what would be the actual condition of Jake's friends. But, he reflected, Jake was a tough little lad, and, truth be known, was probably far better equipped at relating to people with serious illnesses than Neil himself was.
"OK, off you go then and get yourself organised. So," Neil turned his attention now to Millie, "do you need any help with anything."
"Not really, but I think I'd better start the walk to the car now, because I don't think I can make it there without frequent stops to catch my breath!"
"Lucky there's a second bathroom in between here and the front door, eh?" Neil joked.
"Oh, I'm not worried if I don't make it to the bathroom these days!" Millie said with a twinkle in her eye.
Neil hoped she was joking and gave a little smile. She didn't say anything, just quietly enjoyed the look of confusion on his face. Men were so easy to baffle when you threw in a comment about the female anatomy, especially during pregnancy!
The three of them were ready and in the car precisely forty five minutes after their breakfast discussion...
After her appointment (at which everything was reported as 'normal') Millie trudged back to the place at which she and the boys had arranged to meet. She arrived there to find Neil by himself.
"How did you go?" asked Neil.
"Fine," replied Millie, thinking that her news would be best left to another time, preferably one when she knew where Jake was. "What happened to Jake?"
"Oh, sorry, I should have said, I know how you expectant mothers worry about everything! He begged for more time with his friends, and, well, I didn't have the heart to say no. Some of them…" Neil paused but still couldn't quite find the words, "..let's just say they're not so good, so I told him we could have lunch while he stayed with them."
Millie understood completely. "Of course. Good on Jake! It makes you realise how lucky we all are that he's…"
"It does indeed," said Neil, not wanting to tempt fate by letting any more be said about Jake's condition.
"So, onwards to the cafeteria then?" said Millie.
Neil offered her his arm, and they walked down the corridor together.
Neil and Millie had got so used to the idea now of spending time in each other's company that walking through the hospital together, arm in arm, was second nature to them. Millie was too uncomfortable and Neil so concerned for her that things like watching to see who else was around no longer occurred to them.
DS Moss, DC Perkins and Sergeant Masters had all been at St. Hugh's that day, interviewing and checking the condition of a couple of victims of crime. After a seemingly pointless and drawn out morning, they were all in need of liquid refreshment. The three of them were standing together in the queue at the cafeteria buying coffee.
Terry glanced around the room, and beheld a sight that initially made him want to rub his eyes to check he was seeing straight, then perplexed him, then brought a big grin to his face at the prospect of reporting it to the two gossip-loving women either side of him.
"Oi," he said, poking one and nudging the other. "Check this out."
He gestured in the direction of a table over by the window. Stevie and Jo's jaws both dropped as they beheld the sight of their very own DI Neil Manson escorting a very pregnant woman, whom, after a few moments of searching through their memory banks, they identified as an ex-workmate of theirs: PC Millie Brown. They were astonished at the seeming ease, familiarity and, maybe even affection that was being exchanged between the two. They watched as Neil helped Millie walk towards a chair, then pull it out for her and help her lower her bulk into it.
Terry was delighted to see that for the first time ever, in his experience at least, neither Jo nor Stevie seemed able to utter a single word.
"Come on ladies," he said with a gloating smile. "Aren't we going over to say hello?"
Jo and Stevie wordless grabbed their coffees and followed Terry over to where Millie and Neil were sitting. Just as they were doing this, Neil was about to make his way over to the counter to buy something for him and Millie to eat. This time it was his turn for a jaw drop.
"Millie," he said quietly. "Stevie, Jo and Terry are here, and they're coming over."
"Oh fuck," said Millie under her breath.
Neil knew he could do little else but smile as his colleagues approached him.
"Guv," said Terry, trying hard to contain his glee. "And Millie! How are you?"
"Well, I think you can see how I am!" replied Millie, who was managing not to sound at all unfriendly, despite wishing she were a thousand miles away from these people.
"Yes, I think we can!" said Stevie, bending over to give Millie a congratulatory kiss, before placing a hand on Millie's stomach. "And hello to you, little one…ooo, it kicked! Jo, feel this!" she said excitedly.
Jo came over, planted a kiss on Millie's cheek, and put a hand on Millie's tummy. "Woo! I felt that! How much longer Millie?"
"Next month," said Millie shortly.
"Well congratulations! So, Guv, what brings you here?" asked Jo, turning her attention to Neil.
"Jake's visiting some of the kids he was in hospital with, so I was just getting Millie some lunch while I waited for him."
"I've been here today for my check up," said Millie, hoping to give the impression they had quite separate reasons for being there today.
"I see," said Terry. "Where are you stationed these days Millie?"
"Barton St. Of course I'm on leave at the moment…"
"Of course. Well Guv, you shouldn't keep a pregnant woman waiting for food, so we'll get going and leave you to it. Nice to see you Millie," said Terry, kissing her cheek.
"You too," smiled Millie.
"Best of luck with it Millie," said Jo. Another kiss.
"Thanks."
"Bring baby in to see us, won't you?" said Stevie, as she delivered her kiss.
"For sure," said Millie. Not bloody likely she thought to herself.
"See you after lunch," said Neil as he waved them off. He turned his attention to Millie. "You OK?"
"Oh, not really. I so didn't want this to happen!"
"Is it so terrible, Millie? None of them will think badly of you because of it…"
"Maybe not, but they're all gossips. Soon everyone at Sun Hill will have heard…"
Neil was thinking that he knew where this was heading, but he asked anyway. "Is there someone you particularly want to keep it from?"
"Yes," replied Millie. "The baby's father."
