Autors notes: Here's chapter 6. Thanks to those who reviewed. Will try and update soon. Please read and review.
Chapter 6
It's half twelve, Sunday. Neil's just making his way, to the front door of his flat, to set off to pick up Andrea and Annabelle, when his flat's phone starts to ring. Debating over whether to answer it or leave it ringing, Neil opens the front door and starts to make his way outside.
Stopping to lock the front door, he can still hear the phone ringing. Sighing Neil reopens the door and starts to go back in, only for the phone to stop ringing. Muttering a curse under his breath, he relocks the door and heads towards his car.
This time it's his mobile that starts to ring.
Reaching inside his trouser pocket, he pulls it out and seeing the caller's identity revealed to be Andrea, he hits the answer button.
"Hello." He says, silently praying that she's in a better mood than she was on Friday.
"Hiya!" Her tone of voice is happy and cheery, the complete opposite to what it was on Friday.
"I'm just about to come over to yours."
"Ah, well you're going to want to make a detour."
"I am?"
"Mmm hmm"
"I don't get you?" Neil says puzzled as to where this is going.
"I don't have a car anymore Neil. So I don't have a baby seat, which means your going to have to go and get one before you pick us up."
"Right, ok." He says getting in to his car. "Where do I get one from?"
"God, you're hopeless! A baby store, Neil. Ask someone to help you choose, they normally put them in your car properly for you as well."
"Okay. I'll see you in a while then."
"Yep. Bye."
Neil starts the engine of his car and heads off to the local baby store.
It's just after one and having picked up Andrea and Annabelle, Neil's driving back to Sunhill to pick up Jake.
"So what time's the party finish?"
"Half one." Neil replies.
"It's 20 past now. We gonna make it?" Andrea asks, looking at the traffic queue that's formed in front of them.
"We might be a bit late." Neil says, whilst concentrating on driving the car.
"Sorry" Andrea apologises, "I would have rung before but I only just thought that she'd need a seat. And anyway if you were to answer your phone …" She teases.
"Yeah. Well I was already out of the door by then." Neil responds clearly not amused.
Andrea smirks.
Neil shoots her a look, before slowing down for a red light. He then glances over his shoulder at Annabelle seated in the back, in her new car seat. "Think she's alright?"
"Yeh. She seems to be fine. Looks like she's asleep." Andrea says turning round slightly to where Neil had just been looking.
Annabelle's still asleep when Neil pulls up outside the house of Jake's friend.
"Do you want to come in, with me?"
"I'd best stay here, save waking Bella up."
"Ok. I'll just be a minute."
Neil walks over to the house and knocks at the door. The door opens, by the mother of Jakes friend who lets him in. He's led through to the living room where 15 or so young children are running round and playing. There's a queue of parents, each searching out their child. Neil's eyes move over the moving children searching for his son.
He almost falls over as something collides with him. He looks down to where a pair of arms are now tightly wrapped around his legs. "Daddy!"
Neil smiles down at his four year old son.
"Hey, Jake. You had a good time?"
"Yeh. Missed you!"
This comment causes a frown to cross Neil's face, he's missed his son as well but with Phillipa being awkward arranging visits hasn't been easy.
"I've missed you too. Shall we get going I thought we'd go to the park?"
Jake's face lights up, at this. "Yeh, cool."
Neil thanks the mother of Jake's friend and holding Jake's hand walks out the house towards the car. Half way towards the car, Neil stops and gets down to Jake's level.
"Jake, you know I said we'd go to the park."
"Yeh?"
"Well in the car are some people who want to come with us."
"Like mummy?"
Neil frowns.
"No, not mummy. But there's a friend of daddy's called Andrea and she's got a baby called Annabelle. And Annabelle, well she's special, you see, because well … she's your little sister." Neil explains, not sure how his son will take this information.
"So she's my baby sister?"
"Yeah."
"Are you her daddy?"
"Yeah that's right and Andrea is her mummy."
"She's got a different mummy to me?"
"Yeah."
"Are they in your car?"
Neil smiles at his sons continued questioning. "Yes. And there going to come to the park with us. That ok?"
Jake looks thoughtful for a moment. "Yeh" He says smiling.
Andrea's sitting in Neil's car, looking out the rear window to see if Neil's approaching. She sees him start to walk towards the car before stopping for a moment to talk to Jake. He then starts walking to the car again, holding his sons hand.
As they get nearer Jake pulls his hand from his fathers and runs to the car. His face appearing at the window next to where Annabelle was asleep in her car seat, makes Andrea jump slightly. She smiles back at the little face peering in, thinking of how Jake looks like Neil.
Neil goes round the back of the car to open the other passenger door.
"Jake come on. You going to get in?"
Jake comes round and climbs in the car.
Andrea smiles at him. "Hello Jake."
Jake's response is to put his finger by his mouth, saying, "Ssshhhh! The baby's sleeping." His eyes indicating towards Annabelle.
"That's you told." Neil says to her, getting in to the car.
Andrea turns back round to hide her bemusement.
When they arrive at a nearby park, Annabelle wakes up much to Jake's delight, who also insisted on trying to help push her pram towards the play area.
"So Jakey. What you think of your little sister then?" Neil asks Jake.
"Yeh, she's pretty cool. A bit small though." He stops to think. "What's her name again?" He replies causing Andrea to laugh.
"She's called Annabelle. But seeing as you're her big brother you can call her Bella, like me and Daddy." Andrea says answering his question.
"Cool." He then stops to think again. "Has she got any other brothers?"
"No just you."
"Cool" He says a wide smile stretching across his face. "Dad can I go play now?" Jake asks looking over at the play area.
"Yeah, off you go." Neil replies.
"He's really cute." Andrea remarks, settling herself down on a bench.
"Yeh. He seems to have taken to her alright though?" Neil asks Andrea's opinion.
"Yeah. I'm pleased."
Neil who's still standing, looking in the pram, says, "Can I hold her?"
Andrea laughs at Neil "Course you can silly! She is your daughter."
Neil reaches in the pram, and arranges Annabelle in his arms.
"You got hold of her alright?"
"Yeh, I've got her" He replies smiling down with adoration at his daughter.
"Daddy, Daddy!" Jake shouts running towards them. "Wanna go on the swings!"
"Daddy's giving Bella a cuddle, Jake. Why don't I come and push you?" Andrea says getting up.
"Kay then. Come on." He says grabbing Andrea's hand and pulling her towards the swings, leaving Neil to fuss over Annabelle.
Half an hour later and Jake is still buzzing around, now negotiating a climbing frame. Andrea and Neil are sitting on the bench, Bella now in Andrea's arms.
"You seem a lot happier than you did on Friday." Neil remarks.
"Mhmm. I was tired. Annabelle had kept me up the night before."
"She was ok though?" Neil asks, giving a finger to Annabelle to grasp hold of.
"Yeah." Andrea smirks, "Think she was missing you."
"Yeh?"
"Yeah, god knows why though?" She replies rolling her eyes.
Neil smirks in response. "What's wrong with me?" He asks teasingly.
"Where do I begin?"
"Ohhh. There's a few things I could say about you, you know."
"Oh yeh." Andrea says smiling.
"Yeah"
Their teasing of each other is interrupted by sudden screams coming from over by the climbing frame. Neil looks up from where he had been gazing at Andrea, and quickly scans the play area for Jake.
"Jake!" He calls out worriedly. And runs over to the climbing frame.
Andrea quickly replaces Annabelle in her pram, before running over to join Neil.
When Neil gets to the climbing area he finds Jake on the floor clutching his arms, tears running down his face.
"Daddy! Daddy my arm."
Neil crouches down next to Jake.
"Sshh. It's ok. Let's have a look."
"It hurts Daddy! It really hurts!"
By this time Andrea has reached them.
"What's happened?" She asks looking at Jake.
"It's his arm, I think he's broken it." Neil says, carefully lifting Jake into his own arms.
"S'boy pushed me an' I fell off!" Jake says through a flood tears.
"We'll have to take him to the hospital." Neil says carrying Jake and starting to head to the exit of the park.
"I'll just go get Bella." Andrea says, hastily returning to Annabelle in her pram.