Hi guys. Got a busy weekend ahead so might not be an update until Monday I'm afraid, but hope this one can keep y'all going 'til then. Let me know what you think x
x x x x
April 1992
Her heart pounded in her ears but she still heard the baby cry.
"Congratulations, it's a girl." She midwife beamed her at. Her head fell back onto the pillows, her breath slowly returning to normal. After a few moments a small, warm little creature was placed on her stomach.
"A girl." She repeated quietly, holding her baby close to her heart.
X x x
That night, she didn't sleep. She couldn't take her eyes off the child sleeping peacefully in her arms. In the hours that had passed she had studied everything about her, burning the facts into her memory. She couldn't help but compare her two children, and the comparisons were many: this baby was fair, with bright blue eyes. She was bigger than Catherine's first daughter, but then that was no surprise. And she was placid. Despite Bella being so early, Cath recalled her being a writing little thing, wriggling about in her arms. Lindsey on the other hand, she was perfectly content to lay still and let Cath search her tiny body for any sign of birth marks or freckles.
The door opened. Three times a nurse had taken the baby from her, placed her back in the crib and instructed Catherine to get some sleep, and three times Cath had got up and carried the child back to the bed. This time the nurse didn't even bother. She checked Cath's vitals and left without saying a word.
Catherine smiled down at her baby girl.
"I love you." She whispered. "And this time, no one's going to take you away from me." She touched her nose lightly, causing the baby to sniffle and nuzzle her chest. "You're going to stay right here, where I know you're safe." Careful not to wake her, Cath lifted the baby up and kissed her softly. "I'm never going to let you out of my sight."
X x x
True to her word, for the first few weeks of baby Lindsey's life, she refused to let anyone touch her unless she was there to supervise. Other than Eddie, Lily, Nancy and the midwife, no-one got their hands on her.
"Come on Catherine, just one night." Eddie begged.
"No. I told you, I'm not leaving her."
"She'll be fine with your mom." He insisted for the millionth time. "You need to get out of the house, Cath." He hovered behind her as she bent over Lindsey's bassinette and stroked her soft hair. Eddie crouched down next to the sleeping baby, looking up at Catherine hopefully. "Look, see. She's asleep. And she would want you to go out and have fun."
"For the last time Ed, I am not leaving her."
"Yes you are." Lily barked from behind her. Cath rolled her eyes.
"Oh great, you calling in re-enforcements."
"Cathy just because you're a mother, doesn't mean you have to stop having a life." Lily nudged her aside and repeated her earlier motion of stroking her head. "She'll be fine with me."
"She has a routine; I don't want to break it." Cath persisted.
"Catherine, I have raised children you know." Her mother pointed out. "I can manage one night."
"See, everything will be fine." Eddie grinned. "So, why don't you go and put on your best dress and let's hit the road." He ushered her down the hall, despite her desperate attempts to get back to the lounge.
X x x
"Alright, have fun you guys." Lily waved them off from the doorway. Eddie slammed his door and Catherine was about to follow suite when a disgruntled cry emanated from the house. Cath was half out of the car in a shot but Eddie grabbed her by the arm, hauling her back in.
"Let your mom deal with it. It's your night off." She watched, desperation on her face, as Lily went back inside and the house, and her baby, began to fade into the distance.
X x x
Catherine wasn't sure whether her husband was ignoring her on purpose or was just oblivious to her mental torture as he nodded his head in time with the music. In the back of her mind she was mad at him for dragging her to this stupid gig of his against her will, but mainly she was pining for her little girl.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Eddie yelled in her ear. She didn't answer. All she wanted to do was to go home and hold her baby.
Ten minutes, and two almost identical songs later she had had enough.
"Ed." She tugged his arm. "I'm going to the bathroom." She shouted in his ear over the music. He waved a hand at her absently which she took to mean as he had heard her or he didn't care.
Manoeuvring her way through the crowd, she practically fell out of the door, stumbling blindly into the cool spring air. She flagged a passing cab and hurled herself into the back seat.
"Where to ma'am?" The young driver asked over his shoulder. Her answer was simple.
"Take me home."
X x x
Eddie stalked into the house, barely stopping himself from slamming the front door. Ignoring Lily entirely, he made his way to the small room they had converted to a nursery. And as suspected, Catherine was curled up on a chair, Lindsey in her arms. Both had their eyes closed.
"So much for a night off." He grumbled. Cath cracked one eye open.
"I couldn't help it." She mumbled sleepily.
"One night Cath, that's all I wanted. For us to have a night where we didn't have to be parents." He knelt next to her.
"Maybe I want to be a parent." She replied. "If you don't then now's the time to say." Despite her drowsy demeanour Eddie knew an ultimatum when he heard one. With a sigh he picked himself up a stormed back out of the house, not even bothering to go quietly this time.
He would come back, they both knew he would. But that was not the point.
The point was the barrier had been set. For years to come they would play this game over and over. And no matter how many times Lindsey ran to him, the inevitable was that Catherine had been right. She had already lost two children. She was never going to let anyone take this one away from her.
