"Harry give him here" Nikki smiled tiredly at her lover as she walked into the nursery where Harry was trying to get Gabriel back to sleep. The baby was having none of it however and kept sobbing and pushing away from Harry, refusing to be placated even when Harry gave him the teddy from his cot.
"Nikki you're tired, go back to bed" Harry shook his head, glancing at the time and seeing that it was half past one in the morning.
"I'm fine" Nikki replied as she took Gabriel from his father and cuddled him against her, the baby burying his face in her shoulder and clinging to Ted with his other hand. "What's wrong with you then Gabriel? Hmm?"
"Feel his gums" Harry told Nikki with a small smile on his face as she did as he said, a smile gracing her face when she felt Gabriel's top gum at the front.
"I told you to stop growing up so fast" Nikki told her son with a quiet chuckle as she kissed his cheek gently.
"Are the teething rings in the fridge?"
"Hmm" Nikki nodded as she walked over to the rocking chair and sat down, placing Gabriel on her lap and she stroked his back, her son pulling her hand up slightly before attempting to chew on her fingers. "Daddy's gone to get you a teething ring" she told Gabriel, stroking his blonde hair slightly as he continued to sniffle and cry. "It will make you feel better"
Half an hour later and Gabriel had fallen asleep in Nikki's arms, teething ring still in his mouth as he drooled around it, his small hand still clutching at it in his sleep. Nikki had forced Harry back to bed, telling him that there was no use them both being tired, and he had gone with a bit of fuss. One glare from Nikki however had settled it and he had gone back to bed, promising Nikki that she could have a lay in the next morning.
Nikki stood up from the rocking chair, making sure not to make any sudden movements that could jog Gabriel and wake him up. She walked over to his cot and slowly and carefully lowered him into it, covering him with the blanket and then taking the teething ring gently away from him, prizing his hand away from it and laying it on the dressing table next to his cot. She then leant down and kissed him gently before turning to check on Donovan as well, his small chest rising and falling as he slept. Nikki smiled and kissed him as well before turning and walking from the room to go back to bed.
"So you are serious about moving" Nikki commented the next day as she and Anne sat in the living room, Harry out at a driving lesson. Gabriel and Donovan were playing with their toys on the floor, every now and again looking up to make sure Nikki was still in the room before turning back to their playing.
"Very" Anne nodded as she smiled at her grandsons "You don't mind do you?" she then asked and Nikki chuckled.
"It's not my decision, if you want to move then go ahead"
"No I don't want to leave if you still need me here" Anne shook her head making Nikki smile at her.
"Harry and I are going to uni in October so there won't be much use you staying here if you don't want to" Nikki shook her head "We'll be back for holidays and such though"
"Well I won't be moving until after Christmas now, if I even move at all" Anne assured Nikki as Donovan began to fuss slightly, holding his arms up and signing 'mummy'.
"And anyway if you move it'll give us all a place to go on holiday" Nikki smirked as she slipped onto the floor and gathered Donovan into her arms, kissing the top of his head and letting him snuggle up to her for a bit of comfort. "Could you get his teething ring?"
Anne smiled and nodded, standing up and wandering through to the kitchen to get the ring from the fridge.
"Here we go" she smiled to Donovan as she walked back in and crouched in front of the boy, holding the item out for him. Donovan however just looked at it and then at Nikki, his eyes filling with tears as he buried his face in her chest and began to cry.
"Sorry" Nikki apologised to Anne who just chuckled and shook her head.
"It's alright, I remember Harry when he was that age. He refused to go to anyone apart from me; he was especially bad when he was teething"
"His sons seemed to have inherited that from him" Nikki rolled her eyes, handing the teething ring to Donovan who took it quickly and began to chew on it, his crying quickly turning into sniffles and occasional sobs as he felt the cool ring on his gums.
"Who's having this place when you and Harry are at uni?"
"Isold said she'd come and look after it, we're paying her" Nikki replied, not looking up from Donovan as she straightened his hair slightly "She just doesn't know that bit yet"
"Are you nervous about results?"
Nikki chuckled dryly and shook her head, looking away from Donovan as he chewed on the cool teething ring.
"Everyone keeps asking me that lately. I am yes"
"You'll be fine" Anne assured her with a smile "You and Harry will be on your way to being doctors in no time"
"I hope so" Nikki nodded, glancing down at Donovan who was waving the brightly coloured teething ring in front of his face and grinning at it. "I want to give these two the best life without having to keep using Harry's money"
"It's your money as well, joint bank account" Anne reminded her but Nikki sighed and shook her head, leaning down to kiss Donovan on the head.
"It's still yours and Harry's money though isn't it?"
"No because it's in your name" Anne argued with the younger woman who just shook her head again and chuckled. "But I know what you mean"
"Good" Nikki smiled as she shifted Donovan so he was against her shoulder with her arm supporting him "Now I have to go and change this smelly little man" she laughed and Anne chuckled at her "Can you watch Gabriel?"
"Of course I can" Anne nodded and Nikki smiled, walking away from the seating area and stopping when she heard Gabriel start to cry.
She turned to see him looking at her with what she could only describe as a distraught look on his face, tears falling down his cheeks as he cried loudly reaching towards her and clenching his hands.
"I won't be long" Nikki told Anne quickly before turning away from her sobbing son and walking out of the room with Donovan to change his nappy, she could hear Gabriel's crying all the way up the stairs and it broke her heart, especially when she remembered the look on his face. "Why are you two so attached to me all of a sudden?" she asked Donovan as she walked into the nursery and placed him on the changing mat, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead as he chewed on the teething ring, grinning at her around it and kicking his legs. "I love it I really do Donny but please grow out of it soon. I can't have you clinging to me too much because I'll never let you go"
"You know if someone told me a few years ago that I'd have all this I would have laughed them out of the room" Nikki informed Anne as the two of them relaxed on the sofa, Gabriel and Donovan upstairs asleep in their cots. "I couldn't imagine this, I never thought anyone would ever love me, not like Harry loves me anyway"
"Well what you and Harry have very few people achieve" Anne replied to the younger woman who was curled up on the sofa, her legs under her and one of Harry's baggy t-shirts on after Donovan had smeared Banana over her t-shirt.
"I know" Nikki smiled happily, leaning her head on the back of the sofa and reaching over to pick up one of the soft colourful books that her children had. "Do you think we'll do okay? University and looking after two young children, we'll have placements as well won't we, I don't want to have to leave Gabriel and Donny at the childcare place all the time"
"You'll both be fine, you won't be the first or the last to go to university with young children" Anne smiled encouragingly and Nikki bit her lip "You've discussed it with all the universities you've visited haven't you?"
"Of course, but it's still nerve wracking until we get there, wherever there is"
"Oxford of course"
"That's what's making me nervous" Nikki motioned to Anne and shook her head "Everyone saying that we'll get in, I'm too scared to fail and disappoint everyone"
"You won't disappoint us"
"Of course I will" Nikki snapped, tears smarting her eyes "And when I fail what will I do then? Harry and I will be split up and what will happen to our boys? I can't raise them both on my own and go to uni and.."
Nikki then burst into tears and Anne quickly moved over and wrapped her arms around the younger woman, stroking her hair gently as she took Nikki's hand in hers.
"Don't think like that, you are smart Nikki, you are intelligent and you have to face that fact. You are not going to fail, think positively please"
"I'll try" Nikki murmured tearfully as she nodded against Anne's shoulder "Don't mind me" she then chuckled, reaching up to wipe her face "It's just hormones again"
"Really? Don't tell me you're pregnant" Anne joked and Nikki giggled, shaking her head as she did so.
"No, I just got my first period since I got pregnant with the boys" Nikki chuckled and wiped her face again "My body seems to have caught up again after the breast feeding, it took a while"
"That's unfortunate"
"I know" Nikki replied as she moved away from Anne and laughed bitterly "To be honest I'd forgotten they'd existed at all, after.." she frowned "Seventeen months without it, it was a bit of a shock when I started again"
"Maybe I shouldn't move abroad" Anne then stated and Nikki frowned at her in confusion "It's not fair on you or Harry, I did it once before didn't I and it almost lost me my family"
"Well you didn't, we're still here"
"No but the more I think about it the more selfish I think I'm being. You're both starting uni with two young children and you're going to need support aren't you? I want to be here if you want the boys looking after or if you need someone to talk to"
"It's your choice Anne" Nikki informed the older woman with a shrug.
"What do you think?"
"Anne.."
"Nikki, please"
"I think.." Nikki sighed and shook her head "I think I would be more at ease if you were here, not just for the twins but for me and Harry as well"
"Thank you" Anne smiled and reached over to pat Nikki's knee "For being honest"