Chapter 22

When Kriss woke up in the morning there was a familiar man standing holding her baby. It was Arnold.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him

"I'm here to say sorry" he responded, "I shouldn't have spoke to you or Dave like that, it won't happen again!"

"I think you need to tell Dave this," she told him

"I have done" he replied, "He says it's okay"

"What have you got to say for yourself?" she asked him,

"I was drunk" he told her "I celebrated Chloë too much and I got drunk, I'm very sorry, it won't happen again"

"It better not" she told him

"So," he asked her "are you going to move back in with me?"

"Do you really want us there?"

"Of course I do" she confessed "but you put one foot out of line and I'm moving in with Kryten, and if you ever, every frighten Chloë like that again we're finished, don't think I don't mean it"

"I know you mean it"

"She is the most precious thing in the world to me and if you so much as raise your voice in front of her that's it"

"Fine" Arnold agreed

Kriss went home with Chloë into her quarters with Arnold. Everything went okay until Chloë was exactly a week old then it all went pear shaped Arnold was out most nights drinking with his friends, the friends that were only friends with him because he let out intimate details of him and Kriss. The drunker her got the more intimate the information became. So obviously these 'friends' tried to get Arnold as drunk as possible. The final straw came when Chloë was six weeks old.

Arnold was out again for the second time this week. It was 11 o'clock at night and Chloë had been screaming since 7 o'clock that evening four hours, four long hours. Kriss had fed her twice, winded her changed her nappy and she was still screaming. Arnold had been out since 6 o'clock and hadn't heard any of this.

"Come on Chloë" she pleaded "give mummy some sleep time" Chloë continued to cry.

"Right" Kriss told her "if daddy's not coming home to us, we'll go to daddy shall we Chloë?" Chloë just carried on crying. Kriss picked her up, picked up the baby bag and went down. She could see him at the bar with Cat and KillCrazy, she went up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, Chloë was still screaming.

"Arnold I…" she started "are you drunk"

"No," Arnold commented then he giggled, "Actually I am yes"

Suddenly Kriss heard some chanting coming from a table was she hearing right, what were they saying?

"Kochanski likes it rough, Kochanski likes it rough" they said in unison

"Hey Krissie" one shouted on his own "I'll give it you rough"

Kriss took Chloë and walked out, she couldn't be doing with this at the minute and Chloë was still crying.

Kriss never made it back to her quarters. She was exhausted and Chloë was still crying so she sat down in the corridor and cried too. Dave had been in the bar and had heard what the men were saying. He had come to see how she was.

"Oh Kriss" he said when he saw her "are you okay?"

"Can you take Chloë for me?" she asked him "she won't stop crying"

"Sure" Dave took her and rocked her but still she wouldn't stop crying"

"He's drunk Dave" Kriss wailed and I'm stuck at home on my own with Chloë"

"I know" Dave reassured her "how long has she been crying?"

Kriss looked at her watch "four and a half hours" she told him

"You look as if you could do with some sleep"

"Yeah," Kriss agreed "but I don't want to be there when Arnold comes home"

"We'll move yours and Chloë's stuff back with Kryten and then I'll have Chloë for you over night"

"You can't she's due a feed at three"

"I'll bring her to you at three then"

"Thank you"

Kriss and Dave took all of Chloë's things down to Kryten's quarters. Kryten didn't mind in fact he enjoyed having Kriss and Chloë there. Dave settled Kriss in, Chloë was still crying.

"Bring her back at three, Dave" Kriss insisted

"Three o'clock, sure" Dave told her "now you get some sleep"

Dave brought Chloë back at three for her nighttime feed and afterwards finally she went to sleep.

"Thank God" Kriss said "finally"

"Did you get some sleep Kriss?" Dave asked her"

"God yeah" she said "I went out like a light"

"That's okay then" Dave said "I'll be off then"

"No" Kriss told him "stay" Kryten had off lined now and technically they were alone. "What's wrong with Arnold" Kriss asked "what have we done wrong?"

"Kriss you haven't done anything wrong " Arnold's just being a smeg head"

This comment made Kriss giggle "but he wanted Chloë as much as I did, he doesn't love us though"

Dave thought along time before making the next comment, it was very selfish as were his intentions but he decided to accept the consequences what ever they were.

"I love you," he told her "I love you and I love Chloë"

This was exactly what Kriss needed to hear and she lent over and hugged him, at least that was her intention but she ended up kissing him.

"Show me how much you love me" Kriss told him, "make love to me"

"Are you sure" Dave asked "what about Arnold"

"He doesn't love me, or Chloë if he did he'd be here with me now" she told him "just have sex with me"

Dave did as he was told. It was lovely, they both enjoyed it.