BUNDLE OF JOY? - PART 1 - BY: BECKY ANNE

Chapter 2

Later that evening Katrina sat quietly in the window of her flat. Emma had been fed and put to bed so she was alone to her thoughts. Katrina was enjoying the quiet of the night, something she was rarely able to do since Emma was born. She sat staring out at the twinkling lights of the city. She couldn't see the stars here. She was used to the city now, but she found herself longing for the quiet of the Highlands. She remembered the sweet sound of the crickets singing in the moonlight and the gentle swish of the small ripples splashing off the loch when the cool breezes blew. She pictured the walks she used to take along the canopy of trees lining the roadway, their fragile branched forming an umbrella over the roadway to and from the small village of Glenbogle and she thought of the house looming over the lush wilderness. Her tiny cottage…

She heard a car honk from below startling her out of her daze. She began thinking of today's events. The job did look very attractive, but there were so many doubts in her mind. Would she be accepted back into the community? What would Lexie think of her returning? Could she cope with the pressures of the job, bringing up Emma, and seeing Archie? Then again, there were so many advantages, the fresh clean air, the beautiful scenery, the forests, the mountains, the loch…Her thoughts were interrupted by the phone.

She got up from her perch in the window and stretched her legs, answering the phone. "Hi Katrina it's me" said the voice. It took Katrina a moment to realize it was Lizzie on the other end. "My plans for tonight have changed, and I was wondering if I could stop by your flat for a sort of girl's night?"

"Okay, just give me a chance to straighten up over here." She heard a pause and some muffled voices. Great, I'll be there in half an hour" with that Lizzie hung up the phone leaving Katrina feeling rather puzzled as to why Lizzie would want to come over, after all she was going to see her tomorrow. She shrugged her shoulders and picked up a stuffed bear from the floor.

Later, Katrina heard a knock at the door. She went to the door opening it expecting to see Lizzie and maybe Martha standing at the other side, but when she opened the door who should be standing there but both Lizzie and Archie. Katrina's face went white. She turned to Lizzie and then to Archie and back to Lizzie. "Hello Katrina." She thought she was going to faint, her voice shaky. "Hi, err, sorry, didn't expect….well…for it to be you, bit of a surprise."

Lizzie smiled. "I didn't know he was coming so soon either until he turned up on my doorstep a few hours ago!"

"Well," Archie started, I had to see Fleming. Just some business with the wedding and the bank, then when I heard Lizzie was back in the country. I thought I'd call to see her while I was here. She told me she had a surprise for me."

"And then I drag the poor chap over here to see you" said Lizzie, "I'd heard that your last meeting didn't end so well, even if it didn't work out, you two were such good friends. It's rather like old times isn't it, just the three of us together again."

Well not quite thought Katrina, some things have changed. And with that there was a noise from deep inside the flat. "Did I hear something?" Asked Archie. "That's one of the things that have changed." Said Katrina, as she went off to see why her daughter was crying. Archie looked questioningly at Lizzie. He was not so sure what to think. Katrina with a child? When could this have occurred? The last he saw of Katrina she was telling him that she loved him, had come back to Glenbogle to teach and see if they could return to the place they had left off so long ago. He had told her that they could not go back to that place, that he had fallen in love with Lexie and was marrying her.

Katrina could hear the mutterings from Emma's bedroom. "Just go through to the lounge, I'll be with you in a moment, there's some wine opened, help yourself." She called from over her shoulder.

Katrina was thinking fast as she settled Emma. When she looked at her with her dark brown tousled hair, and those big brown questioning eyes, she reminded her so much of her father. This was not meant to happen…especially like this, thankfully Emma began to settle…she looked in the mirror…composed herself and muttered, "Archie MacDonald—timing perfect as usual"—with that she took a deep breath and walked back to the lounge.

As she walked back, she could hear Archie and Lizzie talking quietly, but as she entered the room she was met with silence.

"Ok you two, what is so interesting? Katrina asked as she entered the room. "Oh Archie was just filling me in on the happenings in Glenbogle," said Lizzie. "Anyway, Katrina are you going to fill us in on the juicy details of life here in London, the man in your life and please tell us all about your beautiful daughter, Lizzie mused, picking up one of the carefully framed photos of the little girl.

"It is not something I choose to dwell on…when I came to London I was lonely…I missed home, you know, I met Emma's father a few months later, and things happen. The only thing to come out of it was Emma…She is the only one in my life now, she just turned four months old last week." Katrina's mind was racing, she couldn't tell Archie he's Emma's father…it had been over a year now…what would he think? He was just married…no she knew she couldn't do this to him.

There was a time a few months ago when she would have given anything to tell Archie of Emma. She had gone back to Glenbogle to apply for the job of head teacher, a job she had previously held. It was then she found out about Archie and Lexie. It wasn't something she would never have expected, she had caught them in a compromising situation in the kitchen more than two years ago, but it still hurt. She loved Archie before she left and thought, just maybe, maybe he might still feel the same way. His life had moved on, he made that clear. Telling him about Emma would have complicated things beyond what she wanted to deal with at the time.

Lizzie looked at Katrina as she thought. She sensed her brother had many unanswered questions on his mind and Katrina in no mood to answer them. Lizzie always thought those two should be together. She even went as far as attempting to get them together, but it had not worked. Lizzie raised her glass and said, " Katrina, to your first born" Archie stop staring like that and toast Emma!"