Authors Notes: Thanks to everyone that reviewed. Here's the next chapter. I'll hopefully update before the end of the week. Please read and review.
Chapter 5
Friday evening. A tired and harassed Andrea enters her flat. It's been one of those days. A long and tiring day, with nothing going quite to plan.
She's standing in the entrance to the living room frowning at the state of it. Once again despite her constant efforts to keep it tidy, her living room has taken on the guise of a disaster zone. What's more, she can't just leave it for the time being, she has to be at work early tomorrow and as much as she'd like to forget about it, her flats unliveable state is hard to miss.
It's the last thing she needs after the day she's had. It had all started with her waking up late, after being up half the night with Annabelle, who has taken to crying a lot recently, for no apparent reason and at the most awkward of times. Andrea swears its all Neil's fault. Not that they've seen or heard anything from him since he visited, over a week now. He just happens to be the most convenient person to blame. And ever since he visited, just thinking about him has wound Andrea up. Its because of the way Bella's been she tells herself, missing her father and playing up for Andrea, nothing to do with Andrea herself missing Neil after he visited. Nothing at all, or at least that's what Andrea has convinced herself.
Getting up late had meant she was late for work, which hadn't gone down too well. Especially as she was an hour and a half late. This meant she had to work an extra 2 hours to make up for being late. Meaning she had to let the nursery know that Annabelle would be there an extra 2 hours, which of course what with it being one of those days they weren't very happy about. It's now 7 o'clock and in 12 hours time Andrea will be waking up ready to go to work again. And after the day she's had already, topped off by getting soaked in the rain walking home, Andrea Dunbar is not a happy lady.
Turning her back on the messy room, Andrea goes to remove her coat, and then heads for the kettle.
Only for Annabelle to chose that same moment to start crying.
Taking a deep breath Andrea changes direction and heads to the pram where Annabelle is making herself heard.
"What wrong Bella? You can't be hungry; I only fed you before we left to come home." Andrea says frustrated scooping the baby into her arms.
A few minutes later, Andrea is still rocking Bella in her arms, trying to calm her daughter's cries with no success. Her patience wearing thin Andrea carries her through to the bedroom setting Annabelle in her cot. Spotting the pink teddy that Neil bought Bella; she picks it up squeezing its paw. The soft and soothing tune it plays instantly calms Bella. Andrea puts the teddy back in the crib and quickly and quietly makes her way out the room. Grateful for finally gaining some peace, she can now tidy the flat and make herself some dinner.
Just then, the phone starts to ring. Andrea heads towards the phone mentally cursing whoever's down the other end, for disrupting what's left of her evening.
"Hello!" she says, snatching the phone up from its cradle.
"Hello" Neil Manson replies. He's sitting at his desk, in his office at Sunhill police station. Staring at two framed pictures, sitting on his desk. One of his son and the other of his baby daughter.
"Who is this?" Andrea says clearly too annoyed to recognise the identity of the caller.
"It's Neil, Andrea." He says. "Are you ok?" He asks concerned by the tone of her voice.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, i'm just tired, Bella's been playing up."
"But she's ok?" Neil asks his eyes fixing on the photograph of Annabelle.
"Yeah. She's fine." Andrea sighs, getting irritated by the fact that this seems to be a conversation going nowhere.
"Ah good. You don't work Sundays do you?"
"No. I clean my flat."
Neil almost laughs down the phone. It's clear that Andreas in a terrible mood and its even more obvious, despite her constant denial, that she's finding it hard to cope with everything. Her stubbornness brings back many a memory of a stubborn Andrea.
"Right. I was wondering what you thought of introducing Jake to Bella."
"Well he's your son. I would like Bella to get toknow him though."
"Ok then. On Sunday I've got to pick Jake up from a party, I was thinking if you and Bella came with me, then we could take them to a park, for the afternoon."
"S'pose. What about Phillipa?"
"Jake's my son as well as hers. I think it's as much my decision as hers."
"Ok. Well you'd have to pick us up."
"Well if I come round at about 1 o'clock?"
"Yeh, that'll be fine." Andrea replies. "I think Annabelle's missed you."
"She has?" Neil says, clearly pleased.
"Yeh"
Neil's eyes move from the photos of his children to the window, looking outside.
"Better hope the weather improves by Sunday"
"Yeh"
Neil continues to stare, thinking of something else to say.
"Neil?"
"Yeh" Neil says coming out of daze.
"Neil. Was there anything else?"
"Err no."
"Right then. I'm going to hang up now. Because I'm very tired, very hungry and don't have time to sit talking to you about nothing. I'm also not in a particularly good mood!"
"I never would have guessed." Neil responds, silently under his breath.
"Neil?"
"Yeah, all right I get the message. I'll see you 1 o'clock Sunday, lets hope your in a better mood by then" Neil says, trying not to laugh down the phone.
"Goodbye Neil."
Neil is then greeted by the sound of the phone cutting out.