Chapter 11.

Please feel free to follow/fave and review. Constructive criticism is also welcomed.

Glancing around the shopping centre she smiles as she finally lays eyes on Megan standing outside Marks and Spencers. Walking quickly over to her she catches the look in Megan's face and quickly speaks before Megan has a chance.

"Don't say it." Despite talking on the phone quite a bit more often than normal they hadn't seen each other since before Christmas when Duffy told her she was pregnant. It was safe to say she'd changed a lot in that 6 weeks. As her hands gestured towards Duffy's stomach a smile crept onto her face. She couldn't help it.

"Where did that come from?!" Rolling her eyes at the older woman she sighs as she folds her arms. It was something she'd heard constantly this week, it seemed she was at the stage everyone could tell already. It wouldn't be much longer before she had perfect strangers trying to touch her as if she was suddenly public property.

"You just had to didn't you?" Glancing down at her own figure she forces a small smile. Needless to say she didn't have a wardrobe full of maternity clothes so was currently making do, which even at this stage was no longer working. Her tops no longer fit around her stomach nor did her jumpers sit well so instead she wore a thicker oversized t-shirt which still clung to her bump with a black winter coat that she wouldn't be able to zip up for much longer which caused her stomach to be very obvious.

"I told you I really need new clothes." Continuing the conversation both woman began to head into Marks & Spencers.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. Well at least your family knows now and you don't need to stress about hiding it." Reaching the womans clothing she ignores the maternity clothes and instead goes straight for the basic t-shirts. She wasn't paying that kind of money on clothes she couldn't wear again unless she really had to.

"Yeah, well it's not made anything any easier if I'm honest." Picking up a few white tops in various sizes she catches Megan's eye.

"How not?" Glancing over at the maternity section she weighed up the pros and cons of spending the money on jeans whilst she answered Megan who was still watching her with a concerned face.

"I told everyone without Andrew." She was still staring at the maternity section so much so she didn't catch Megan's look. "I think it's safe to say he's a bit upset with me."

"I would imagine so. I thought he didn't want you to tell anyone anyway?" Megan had hoped seeing Duffy would reassure her that she was doing better but so far it was doing the opposite. Normally she'd have told her off for going behind her husbands back like that but in the circumstances she didn't blame her not to mention she really couldn't stand that idiotic man. What Duffy seen in Andrew she'd never understand but part of her wondered if Duffy felt she didn't deserve to be treated right. She went from one emotionally abusive partner to another.

"He didn't. We had an argument about it, I told him I was telling everyone but I don't think he thought I'd actually do it. I think it's more that I told the boys without him."

"Well he's only got himself to blame hasn't he?" Following Duffy's eye she realises what she was watching. "I thought you weren't wasting your money on maternity clothes?"

Breaking eye contact with the display she turns her attention back to Megan.

"Well it wasn't my intention. I'm arguing with myself if it's worth the money for jeans or not." Sighing she explains herself better. "I don't think Andrew would be too pleased if I spent that much money on clothes. I intended to stick to basic tops and jumpers a few sizes bigger." Outraged Megan attempted to keep her voice down knowing Duffy wouldn't appreciate a scene.

"You are joking me aren't you? He's acting as if you got pregnant on your own and he had nothing to do with it. What on earth to do you see in him?"

Back at home Andrew sighed to himself as his mind crossed the events of the past few weeks. Despite his best intentions Duffy was pushing herself further and further away from him, it seemed he couldn't say the right thing no matter how he tried. He knew she was out with Megan for the day which would only make matters worse than they already were. Megan was in some ways a bit like her mum, she didn't hide her opinions of anyone, and that of course meant he was never under any illusion that Megan didn't think he deserved Duffy. Megan had taken an instant dislike to him when he first dated Duffy then of course with how badly they both dealt with the news they were having Peter her dislike turned into pure hatred. Knowing Duffy the way he did now he couldn't really blame her could he? Sighing again he realised finally he was treating her worse than he did then, he wasn't showing her any respect was he? It wasn't easy though. If he was really honest with himself he didn't want her to have an abortion and knew all to well she never would anyway but at the same time he still didn't want another baby. Regardless of that it still hurt to find out she'd told his parents and their boys about the baby without him. She hadn't shown him any respect either had she? At least he tried to listen to her, she wasn't trying to do the same was she?

Now sitting in a small cafe Megan placed her coffee cup down as she eyed Duffy.

"So how are you coping?" Shrugging she kept her eyes on her own coffee, how could she answer that? She didn't feel any better than she did at the beginning.

"I don't know. I'm so busy with work and the kids I don't really have time to notice. I'm tired. This whole Andrew situation isn't helping." Not that she thought it possible but as the way went on Megan's opinion of Andrew was getting worse and worse.

"You're not reassuring me here. You need to make sure you get enough rest. Why can't he help with the kids?"

"When Megan? There isn't enough hours in the day for that." She let out a small sad laugh. "Ha! Him help? You must be joking. He doesn't do that. He does anything fun but when it comes to actually caring for them he's out." Megan could feel herself start to really worry, this wasn't going to end well. Duffy was going to put herself in hospital at this rate.

"You can't keep doing as much as you are doing Duffy, you're going to make yourself ill! Tell him to get his act together." Shaking off Megan's worry she attempts to smile realising she's probably sharing at bit too much but she needed to talk to someone and Charlie had enough going on.

"I've got some time off soon, I'll get rest then. Ah see that would require me actually speaking to him which is out of the question right now." Her attempt to reassure her fell quite flat, did Charlie know how bad things had gotten?

"It doesn't work like that. I don't know how you are managing to work together."

"That's why we aren't talking, If we talk we fall out so this is the only way we can work together. I think everyone in work has noticed anyway, we don't seem to run into each other often which is probably Max and Charlie's doing. I know I'm not helping either but I just don't want him anywhere near me."

"This can't go on Duffy you deserve better." Finally looking up she sees the worry all over Megan's face, she'd gone too far. She'd said too much.

"It's not that bad Megan." Pfft. Since when was Duffy under the illusion she could lie?

"Isn't it?!"