CHAPTER 47

(GIDEON)

It is way after midnight by the time I finally get to bed. My mind is still whirling from the events of tonight and just how quickly everything happened. I pull out my phone and stare at the photographs I took of Lily. She is beautiful, whereas Maisie looks just like Eva it is already obvious that Lily favours me. Her dark hair the exact same colour as mine and those blue eyes I spotted momentarily when she opened them. As I look at the picture of Eva holding her I also see Eva in her, with the shape of her nose and her chin and I smile.

I am still buzzing, so much so that I doubt I will get any sleep tonight. Maisie is still with Sandra and I will pick her up tomorrow morning. I hesitate a moment and then I call my father. His phone rings out for a few moments and then he answers.

"Dad" I say, "I'm sorry did I wake you?" I ask.

"No, I was awake. Where are you? How's Eva?" he asks.

"I'm at home, Eva's fine, she gave birth a couple of hours ago. Mum and baby are both doing well. They are keeping Eva and Lily in overnight for observation because Lily is premature but despite being early she is a good weight and breathing on her own so they don't think there will be any issues. They even said that they may be discharged tomorrow. I got thrown out as soon as they took her down to the ward. But I'll be going back in the morning, and I'll take Maisie with me to meet her sister" I say as I plan my day.

"Will you let us know if Eva is coming home tomorrow and then we can come and see you all before we head back to Manchester?" he asks warily.

"Of course I will" I say immediately.

"How much did she weigh? Is she really small being four weeks early?" my father asks.

I let out a small laugh, "No, on the contrary, she weighed in at 5lbs exactly. The hospital staff were quite astounded, they even said some babies that go to term don't weigh that much" I say.

"Wow, that is a good weight" my father says.

There is a brief silence before my father clears his throat and speaks again.

"I just want to say how proud I am of you Gideon… and Eva. That girl was the best thing that ever happened to you and the way she has transformed our family and brought all the dirty secrets out into the open and made us face them… we have a lot to thank her for, she has made our family far healthier than it was. Now you are making a family of your own, you have taken on Maisie as your own and now you have the baby… I am just so proud of you; I know you will be an exemplary father… far better than I was to you" he says.

"Stop it dad, it's in the past, we have dealt with it and we are coming to terms with it. We can't change what has already happened, but we just need to learn from it and move on… Eva taught me that" I say.

"She has taught us all a lot of things" my dad says quietly.

I smile as I think about Eva, "I know… she is an amazing girl. Today, she was so calm and collected. I forget that she is just twenty years old. I was practically falling apart but she just got on with it and did what had to be done. It all happened so quickly though, I think the midwife was a little bit shocked at how quickly things happened" I say.

"She must've been in labour for a while and not realised it" my dad says and I remember her telling me of the back pain she had been suffering from but dismissed.

"When we left work this evening, she said her back was aching" I say as everything falls into place.

"When are you all planning on going back to Manchester?" I ask and there is another brief silence as my father considers that.

"I'm not sure, I thought we'd play it by ear. Your mother was overjoyed at the idea of spending your birthday with you and it was sort of cut short by Eva going into labour but we would all like to see the baby before we head back" he says.

We talk a while longer and I slowly feel myself getting drowsy so I bring the call to an end. After I have said goodbye to my father, I place my phone on the bed-side table and settle myself down. I look at the empty space beside me and smile as I think about Eva in the hospital with our daughter.

oooOOOooo

I wake up with a jolt and the memories of the previous night hit me in a rush. I look at the clock and see it is nearly 8.30. I hesitate wondering if Eva would be angry with me for pulling Maisie out of school today. My instincts are telling me to keep her with me as I want to introduce her to her baby sister and I also feel if I pack her off to school it is sending her the message that she is being pushed out. But on the other hand, Eva is big on not letting Maisie have time off for no real reason. I pull my phone towards me and call Sandra for advice.

"Hello" she says as she picks up.

"Good morning Sandra, how's Maisie?" I ask.

"She's fine… are you planning on keeping her off school today?" she asks and I hesitate.

"That is what I wanted to ask you, my gut feeling on this is, yes… as I don't want her to feel pushed out. But I don't know how Eva would feel about me pulling her out of school" I say.

"Well if you want my opinion then I say do it, it's Friday so she can spend the day with you, Eva and the baby and then have the weekend and go back on Monday" she says. That all sounds reasonable and I quickly agree.

"I'll do that" I say adamantly, "I'll call the school and let them know" I add.

After I have called the school and spoken to Valerie Langham and outlined everything that has happened, she agreed with me that keeping Maisie off just for today would be the right call. She offered her own congratulations and I felt much happier knowing that she thought I was doing the right thing. I pause as I think about that and smile, I am making decisions regarding my daughter. It's the first time I have really had to do that, as I always tend to leave decisions regarding Maisie to Eva as it is something she has always done. But in that moment, I suddenly really feel like I really am her father.

I quickly shower and get dressed and get myself some coffee and toast. Then I call the depot to inform them that Eva is now on Maternity leave and that I am taking my paternity leave.

"Good Morning, Cross Industries" the receptionist says politely as I call.

"Good morning Beverley, can you put me through to Martin please?" I ask. I always go through the main switchboard as I like to make sure that everyone is doing their job correctly and the receptionist is the first port of call for the company and as such the way she behaves reflects on the whole company.

"Oh, good morning Mr Cross, please hold the line" she says and a moment later I hear the call is connected.

"Good morning" Martin says as he answers and I smile. I like Martin, he is an able and fair man and we work well together. I have got over my jealousy towards him and his fondness for Eva as I realise now it was a paternal fondness he had. He knew about what she went through and how Norm hated her and so he just looked out for her.

"Martin, just letting you know. Eva is now on Maternity leave for the foreseeable future as she had our baby daughter last night" I say. There is a small gasp of surprise and I smile, "Which also means I am now out of the office on paternity leave for the next couple of weeks" I add.

"Right… ok, wow… congratulations. Erm… isn't she early? She wasn't due till mid-October but we are only in September?" he asks warily.

"Yes I know, she was four weeks early to be exact but the baby is fine. She is a good weight and breathing independently and there don't appear to be any issues. I'm just on my way to the hospital now and Eva seems to think she should be discharged today. They kept her in overnight for observation just to be on the safe side but as I say there were no issues".

"Ok, well I'll let the guys know in the picking area and congratulations to you both" he says. With that I end the call and push my phone into my pocket.

As I leave the house, I make sure I put the car seat we bought for Lily in the car and then I go to pick Maisie up and as I pull up I see her looking out of the window as she is waiting excitedly for me to arrive and I give her a little wave. Everyone is gathered at Sandra's and they all bombard me with congratulations, hugs and questions asking how Eva and the baby are. I turn towards Maisie and crouch down beside her. I pull out my phone, showing her the photo of Eva and Lily.

"Here is your baby sister, would you like to come with me to meet her properly?" I ask and Maisie nods.

"Yes, but can we go to Tesco first because I'd like to buy my sister a present?" she asks and I smile and nod.

"Of course we can" I say.

I see everyone hovering eager to see the photographs of the baby so I proudly show everyone and as my phone is passed around there are a number of oohs and aahs as they all look.

"Are your parents still here?" Tez asks after a moment and I nod.

"Yes, I spoke to my dad last night when I got home. They are planning on staying here until Eva is discharged so that they can see the baby before they all head back to Manchester" I explain.

oooOOOooo

The drive to the hospital is filled with Maisie asking questions about the baby, which I answer as well as I can. We stop off at Tesco and walk around the baby clothes and toys. Maisie zeros in on a small teddy bear which is suitable from birth and she picks it up and shows it to me.

"She should have a teddy bear; I have a teddy bear and I would like to buy my sister her first teddy bear" she says firmly and I nod as I take it from her. I also buy a few bits, along with a pack of sleep suits, vests and some rather cute socks. I am filled with a warm sense of wellbeing as I take the things to the checkout.

"These are for my new baby sister" Maisie tells the checkout operator and she looks up and smiles widely.

"Oh how lovely" she replies politely, then she turns to me "Congratulations" she says.

"Thank you" I reply as I push the things into a carrier bag. As I do so, Maisie pushes past me and pulls out the teddy.

"I want to carry this, as it's from me" she says.

I buy another carrier bag and persuade her to put it in the bag to keep it clean.

When we arrive at the hospital, I grab Maisie's hand as I walk the rabbit warren of corridors to the Maternity Ward. When we arrive, I check in at the desk and I'm told I can go straight through.

As we walk in, I notice a number of medical personnel crowded around Eva's bed and the cot with Lily in it and my heart lurches in panic and I quickly head towards them. Eva sees me and smiles widely and then greets Maisie who throws herself at Eva.

"I have bought a teddy for Lily" she says as she waves the bag at Eva.

"Well that is lovely, thank you Maisie". Eva reaches for me and touches my arm as she can obviously see my worry as I watch the doctors. "It's ok, there is nothing wrong, she is just being checked over and if everything is ok, we can come home today" Eva says and I immediately calm down at her words.

"Is she ok?" I ask and Eva nods.

"She's confounding all expectations" she says with a grin. "She's perfectly healthy and nobody can figure out why" she adds.

The doctor I remember from last night turns and smiles at me, before addressing Eva. "Well we have done every possible test and examination and Lily has passed with flying colours so we can't justify keeping her here any longer so I am happy to discharge you both" she says.

Eva glances at me, "Did you bring the car seat?" she asks and I nod.

"I did, but I left it in the car" I say and Eva rolls her eyes.

"I'll fetch it when we are ready to go. "I want a cuddle with my daughter first" I say as I look down into the small cot.

Eva steps aside and lets me step closer to the clear Perspex goldfish bowl-like cot. I feel Maisie at my side and I smile down at her. "Would you like to cuddle your sister?" I ask and Maisie nods enthusiastically.

I point to the chair at the side of the bed, "Sit down there then" I say and Maisie climbs on to the chair. I lift Lily from the cot and hold her for a moment before moving over to Maisie and gently placing the baby in her arms. I crouch beside her and wrap my arms around her supporting her arms in case Lily's weight becomes too much for her.

I see Eva snap a photograph of the three of us on her phone and she grins at me. "That is a lovely picture" she says.

A few moments later, Maisie declares she has had enough and I take Lily back. Maisie jumps off the chair and I settle myself in it. As I am sitting Maisie comes up and climbs on to my knee and there I sit, cradling both my daughters. Eva takes numerous photographs and I take equally as many on my phone of Maisie and Eva with Lily. Then I arrange everyone on the bed and move in close and take a selfie of the four of us. Maisie giggles when she sees it but I am happy with it.

A midwife comes and examines Eva, paperwork is done and we are formally discharged. I go to the car to fetch the car seat as Eva is being examined and I take Maisie with me.

When we return. Eva is all packed up and waiting for us. I place Lily in the car seat and ensure she is fastened in correctly before gently wrapping a blanket around her.

"Are we ready then?" I ask as I pick up the car seat proudly and lead my little family out of the hospital.

We don't go home as Eva wants to go to her grandmother's house first. I text my dad and tell him we are leaving the hospital and going to Sandra's house and as we pull into the road, I see my father's car parked outside Sandra's house. As we climb out of the car the front door opens and I look up to see everyone gathered waiting.

"This is my sister; her name is Lily Cross" Maisie announces as we step inside. Everyone surges forward to get a glimpse of the sleeping baby.

"Let us get in" Eva huffs and there are murmurs of apology and also a few sniggers at her impatient words.

Eva's brothers have gone to school but everyone else is here, including my half-brothers and sister who are staring at the baby warily. I glance at my mum who is cradling Lily and gently humming to her. I see my dad's slightly bittersweet smile as he sees this and I know he is feeling regret and guilt for how he behaved in the past.

I walk up to him and whisper in his ear. "Let it go dad, you can't change what you did. You've apologised and you've acknowledged you were wrong. Mum has accepted that so let it go and look to the future. Lily and Maisie are the future of the Cross family, so don't let them get tarnished with past regrets".

My dad nods, "I know, but just look at her. She was always an exemplary mother and I told lies about her to prevent her from taking you and Adam. You have no idea how much guilt I feel for that stupid decision".

"Dad, stop it. Now she will get chance to be an exemplary grandmother instead".

"She's beautiful Gid… she looks like you" Ricky says awkwardly as he slaps me on the arm.

"Thanks… Uncle Ricky" I say with a grin and he lets out a small laugh.

"I'm too young to be an uncle" he states and Eva lets out a small snort. "If my little brother Declan can be an uncle you can" she says and Ricky's eyes widen at the realisation of what she just said.

"Does that mean I'm Maisie's uncle too… because you adopted her?" he asks me and I nod.

"Yes, but don't think too closely about it. Declan has no idea he is an uncle and he does just fine" I say.

Lily gets passed around and everyone has a cuddle with her. Millions of photographs are taken and Tez grabs my phone and takes one of me with my mum and dad. I am holding Lily and Maisie is on my lap and my dad is sitting one side and my mum the other. It is a photograph that just a year or so ago would've been unthinkable. I take a lovely photograph of my grandmother holding Lily. She has her in her arms but she has her head turned and she is speaking to Maisie who is sitting beside her. I have noticed a very protective streak in Maisie towards her baby sister. Wherever Lily is Maisie isn't too far away and she seems to be always mindful of who is holding her and what they are doing.

Eventually after lunch, my dad, mum, siblings and grandmother all decide to go and they all pack into my father's range rover. It is a very tight squeeze and how everyone is packed in isn't entirely legal so I wonder how they are all going to get back to Manchester.

"How?" I ask and my mum grins.

"I have my own car at the Premier Inn, we came down in two cars just like we did when we came before so it's ok, we are not all going back packed in like sardines" she says. "We just didn't see the point in driving here in two cars, as the parking around here isn't brilliant and we managed to cram everyone in" she adds.

I say goodbye to everyone and my dad lingers to give me an extra hug. "I'm proud of you, now go and look after your little family" he says.

"Thanks dad" I say.

Eva is at my side as we wave the range rover away and I wrap my arm tightly around her.

"Do you want to go home now?" she asks me after a moment and I turn towards her and smile.

"If you want to stay here with your family, I'm ok with that" I say.

Eva looks at me with such love and she squeezes me. "Thanks, but I kind of want to just go home and be in our home… just us" she says.

As we say our goodbyes to Eva's family, I take a moment to let the realisation settle on me. I am taking my little family back to our home. As we are loading up the car a figure approaches us hesitantly and I look up and stiffen as I see Gaz Price. I remember him from the previous encounters we have had with him and he looks nervously at Eva who scowls as she looks at him.

Maisie sees him and she slips her hand into mine. I look down at her and see her looking at Gaz with fear in her eyes.

"Maisie, why don't you climb into the car with Lily" I say and she gives me a small nod and climbs in. I close the car door and turn my attention towards Gaz. I also notice Tez and Vic have appeared and are hovering in the background. This makes Gaz even more wary and he holds up his hands.

"Look, I don't want no trouble" he stammers.

"Then why are you here?" Eva snaps.

"It's Nathan… he's not well" Gaz says and Eva shrugs.

"What exactly has that got to do with me?" Eva retorts.

I watch as Gaz licks his lips nervously. "He has had some kind of breakdown I think. He stopped sending visiting orders and I called the prison to see how he is and I was told he isn't doing so good".

Eva snorts, "Again what has all this to do with me?" she asks.

Gaz looks around and shakes his head, "Nothing… I s'pose… but I thought you might want to know… I mean," he glances at the car and Eva shakes her head adamantly.

"No, he is nothing to do with any of us anymore. He is out of my life and he legally has nothing to do with Maisie anymore. Gideon is legally her dad now, he adopted her, so if Nathan thinks he can start stirring up trouble he has another think coming" she says viciously.

"Angel, calm down" I say gently as I wrap my arm around her. I feel she is trembling and I am worried. It's not yet 24 hours since she gave birth and she doesn't need this.

Gaz shakes his head again. "No, I just… I have no idea what I was thinking. I just thought you should know. The last time I saw him he looked shattered and then he stopped sending visiting orders… I'm worried about him Evie".

Eva sighs and rubs her hand over her face. "Look, I get that. Kelv said as much to me as well. But the fact you all seem to be missing here is he is nothing to do with me anymore. If I was to be brutally honest, I wouldn't give a shit if he died tomorrow. You need to stop whining at me about him because I really don't give a fucking shit about him. He is no longer a part of my life. He was a fucking stupid mistake I made when I was young and dumb. I am married now, I have my own family with my husband. Gideon is legally Maisie's dad and he is legally and biologically Lily's dad and Nathan fucking Barker doesn't feature at all. He is nothing to me, he is out of my life and I do not care what happens to him. Is that clear enough for you as I really don't want to have to repeat that again, Nathan Barker is dead to me, end of story".

I listen and frown, she never told me she had spoken to Kelv about Nathan and I wonder when this happened. It also reminds me I need to make an appointment to register Lily's birth.

Gaz nods. "I'm sorry Evie, I shouldn't have said anything" he says and Eva shakes her head.

"No, you shouldn't… now if you don't mind" she says and she turns towards Tez and Vic who are just watching us.

"We're going now… I'll see you all on Sunday for dinner" she says and they both nod and grin. Vic comes up and presses a kiss to her head and gives Gaz a death glare. While Tez slaps me on the shoulder and shakes my hand.

oooOOOooo

When we get home there is an odd silence as we move into the house. Which is broken by Lily starting to get restless. I watch as Eva immediately takes her and moves towards the sofa and she sits down unbuttoning her top.

"Do you need anything Angel?" I ask as I watch Eva take charge.

"Erm… a drink would be nice, a glass of water or something please" she says, "and the changing bag" she adds. I nod and do as I am asked.

When I return Eva is nursing Lily while Maisie sits beside her watching her. She is asking questions about what she is seeing and Eva is patiently answering her. I sit down and just watch my girls altogether and it gives me a sense of well-being and comfort to just see them.

I clear my throat and Eva looks up at me. "I was thinking I should make the appointment to register Lily's birth" I say and Eva nods.

"The sooner the better" she says.

I hesitate a moment before saying what is bothering me. "You never mentioned talking with Kelvin?" I ask and Eva looks at me once more, this time slightly defiantly.

"No, I didn't think it was important. He pretty much said what Gaz said. But he was asking from the perspective of whether or not he should go and visit him after he made the grand gesture of disowning him".

"Why do they feel the need to involve you?" I ask.

Eva snorts, "Because as far as they are concerned, Nathan wouldn't be in the state he is in right now if it wasn't for me. Because I have forcibly ejected him from my life and from Maisie's and as it clearly hasn't gone down well, they seem to think I should know about it".

I snort and shake my head, "He brought it all on himself" I say coldly and Eva nods.

"I totally agree with you" she says before returning her attention back to Lily who has stopped suckling.

I watch as she expertly burps Lily and then a short while later changes her and cradles her until she falls asleep.

"I wish I could help out with feeding" I say as I watch.

Eva looks up at me. "I breastfed Maisie… mainly because it was free. Baby milk is so expensive. Plus, it is better for her at this stage. But I get what you are saying… I'm sorry if you feel left out, I guess I know what I am doing and I'm just getting on with it" she says.

I sit down beside her, "Never apologise for being an excellent mother Eva. I'm just being selfish; I want to be involved" I say.

Eva nods, and thinks for a moment… I suppose I could pump my breastmilk and put it in bottles. That way you could help out with night feeds and feel more involved… what do you think?" she says.

I jump on this and nod enthusiastically, "I'll go and do some research" I say as I stand and go to find my laptop.

A short while later I have researched and ordered a breast pump, a number of bottles, teats and a bottle steriliser. Eva grins as I eagerly show her what I have done.

"What do you think?" I ask and Eva nods.

"It's perfect… just like you" she says as she snuggles closer to me.