"Where are you going?"

The next morning, Zoe jumped as a voice spoke behind her. Turning, she glanced at Max before she turned back and continued to unlock the door. "Work."

"I thought you had the school holidays off?"

"I do, but there's something I need to do."

Max stepped forward and put a hand over Zoe's on the doorknob, preventing her from turning it. "No."

"No?" Zoe glanced up at Max.

"No. You promised Ruby you would have the next two weeks off. Whatever you're trying to run from, whatever you want to bury yourself in your work to forget, you need to deal with it, because there's a little girl in there about to wake up who has been so excited about spending time with you when you have no distractions."

Zoe stood still for a long time before her hand finally loosened on the doorknob and Max pulled his hand away. "There really is something I need to do at work."

"Fine. We'll all go. We can go out for breakfast, as a family, and then go into work, as a family, and then you can have half an hour to do whatever it is you need to do. After that, I've already made plans."

Zoe opened her mouth to protest, but before she could a sleepy Ruby walked into the room rubbing her eyes. "Where's Dervla gone?"

Max looked at Zoe in silence until she finally met his eye and offered a small nod. He then turned to Ruby. "She's gone with Dylan to check their boat. What do you say to going out for breakfast, Princess Ruby?"

"Yes, please!"

…

Zoe's eyes travelled over the other people in the café. Early on a rainy Saturday morning, it was mostly families of all different sizes. When she used to rush into a café for a take away coffee on the way to work, she used to envy these groups and their comfortable silences, the slowness at which they could eat and the laughter that always seemed to flow from them.

"Morning!"

Someone suddenly fell into the seat opposite Zoe, and she looked up to find Robyn sitting down, followed by Lofty and Rita. "What are you lot doing here?"

"We thought we'd join you for breakfast. They do the best pancake in the world here. Pancakes all round, Max!" Robyn called out, and Max gave a half wave back as Ruby rushed back to the table.

"Aunty Robyn! Will you do my hair like yours again, please?"

"I will." Robyn pulled Ruby onto a chair.

"Are you okay?" Rita asked Zoe quietly.

"Fine."

Rita glanced at Zoe and then decided not to ask anything further. "Ruby has really come into her own over the last few months. Remember when she started school, she looked tiny against all the other kids and I was convinced she'd have trouble getting along with everyone, but she was telling me yesterday that she's friends with everyone in her class."

Zoe smiled. "Yeah. She has come a long way since we met her."

"Must mean you're doing a good job." Rita squeezed Zoe's arm and then stood to join Max.

Zoe watched Ruby thoughtfully until Max fell into the seat beside Zoe and rested his arm casually over the back of her chair. "Apparently the barista thinks I am very attractive."

"She must need glasses. What's this?" Zoe frowned at the mug Max put in front of her.

"Ginger tea. It's good for morning sickness." The words were out before Max thought about it, but when he realised he glanced sideways at Zoe to find she was staring at him. "It's going to be ok. I promise." He offered softly.

"Mama, look at my hair!" Ruby rushed to Zoe's side, forcing her to break eye contact with Max.

"Wow, it's lovely! You know, you should get Robyn to do it like that for the photos!"

…

"Why the hell did you have to bring it up like that?!" Zoe paced the restaurant bathroom with her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. But, Zoe, it will be okay. I know she might freak out at first, but-"

"How can you know, Max? How can you know anything?! Are you a doctor?"

Max's face grew blank and he stopped following Zoe and just stood by the door with his arms folded. "No."

"Exactly. Well I am, and I know that I cannot carry children, and however much I want this one, it's not going to stay around, so it doesn't matter how Ruby will react because there's nothing to tell her!"

"Zoe, last time the doctor said maybe when you stopped focusing on it, it would happen, and you haven't been focusing on it, neither of us has with Ruby around."

"So you decided to just bring it to my attention when we're at a table full of people? What if someone heard?"

"No one did."

"But they could have. They-"

"You're right." Max finally snapped, silencing Zoe. "You're completely right, because you're a doctor and I'm just a porter so what the hell would I know. It's not like it even concerns me, is it? I mean, what right do I have to know about and love our baby even if it might not be around for long? What right do I have to want to look after my wife? What right do I have to want to look after my family? You are completely right."

Zoe stared in silence as Max walked from the room and let the door to bang shut.

…

"Where's Max?" Zoe asked quietly a few minutes later when she'd calmed down enough to return to the table. Ruby was sat next to Rita, and Max's chair was empty, his coat gone.

"He said he wasn't feeling too well and went home. Perhaps he's got what you had. Anyway, he left these and told us to enjoy ourselves." Robyn pushed tickets to the zoo across the table.

Zoe sat down with a sigh, and looked at her pancakes, but what appetite she'd had was gone.

Zoe: I'm sorry.

Max usually replied almost straight away to her messages. In fact, the longest she'd ever waited for a reply was 10 minutes and then he'd called with an apology. They were at the café for another hour and as they walked out, Zoe still hadn't received a reply.