Tim and Julie were walking to Sunday dinner. Tim had been on-call since dawn, but was glad to be seeing his family.

"Oh I saw Jim this morning."

"You did. The London isn't Harley Street," Julie commented.

"He's not on Harley Street, he's in Hackney!"

"Isn't that a bit like Poplar?" Julie laughed.

"Well it certainly isn't like Harley Street. He seemed embarrassed to tell me, but he can move on in time. It's his first surgery, but I found it amusing," Tim admitted. "He asked about you."

"What did you say?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"I said that my wife is doing lovely. He said that he is marrying next month."

Walking up the garden path, Tim asked, "Do I have to ring the bell?"

Julie giggled and said, "You don't live here anymore."

"Do you when you visit?" he asked seriously.

"No, and neither should you. I was teasing. I've got cake no one will turn me away."

"If they do we can have the whole cake to ourselves," Tim said excited.

Tim held the door as Julie breezed in and called out, "Hello, we're here."

Patrick appeared first and said, "Cake!"

Teddy sauntered over and said, "Julie's cake! Brilliant!"

"Nobody greets us. You're just happy to see the cake," Tim complained dramatically.

It was the first time they had come to dinner as husband and wife. They had been busy with Tim's schedule and finally buying a sofa and being married.

Shelagh came to greet them and kissed Tim's cheek. "Tim dear, I only see you at the hospital."

"I know Mum. We meant to come sooner, but it seems between me, you and Dad one of us is always working."

"No matter, you're here now. Julie comes to visit," Shelagh said as she ushered Julie off to the kitchen.

"Is it my imagination or does she like Julie more than me?" Tim asked.

"Tim when she has a baby, Mum is going to like Julie more than me," Patrick said completely serious.

Tim laughed, but was glad his wife got on so well with Mum. Still now that they were married, the idea of a baby seemed more real.

At the table, Teddy said, "Dad and I are going fishing."

"What? What about me?" Tim said. He felt left out suddenly.

"Tim, you can't come for dinner, how are you going to get away for two days?" Shelagh said.

"Dad could we arrange coverage?" Tim asked.

"Tim, you're a husband now. You need to talk to your wife," Shelagh added.

"Jules would you mind?" Tim asked. Part of him hated to be away from her, but he loved fishing trips with his Dad. They had managed only two in the four summers that he'd been with Jules.

"Tim, in private later…" Patrick scolded.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind. I might see about visiting Oliver," Julie replied.

Tim knew she missed the lad. So it would be perfect. If Dr. Clarke, their associate, could cover, he'd be set. William Clarke was only a year ahead of Tim. Tim expected he would move on eventually to his own surgery given the opportunity. It was for that same reason he didn't expect Jim to stay in Hackney long.

"Brilliant! Dad can Tim come?" Teddy asked.

"We'll see if it can be sorted," Patrick answered.

On the walk home, Tim was happy. He'd had cake and he was walking with his wife.

"Jules, I'm sorry about the fishing. I should have asked you." He admitted.

"Tim, it's fine. You go once a year. If I said, no then I wouldn't be fair. I have places I'd like to go."

"To see Paula and Oliver…"

"...And maybe even Kate once in awhile."

Kate had recently told Julie that she was expecting another baby. Tim and Julie talked a lot about a family before they were married, but not since. Julie was still taking the pill.

"Jules," he hesitated. "When do you want to stop taking the pill?"

Julie stopped walking and he wondered if he said something wrong.

"Can we afford a baby?" she asked.

"If all these families around Poplar can, then we can."

He didn't make a fortune, but it was something and Julie wasn't a big spender. She hadn't grown up that way.

"Do you mean it?"

Tim was surprised that the idea gave him a tightening in his gut. They would become responsible for another person.

Smiling he said, "I do if it's what you want." He would do anything for Jules. As an afterthought, he asked, "If we had a baby could I still go fishing?"

"Only once a year and eventually you could take our son with you," she answered.

####

Julie sat on the floor playing with Oliver. It was hard to believe he would soon be two.

Paula said, "You're glowing."

"I've never been happier." She paused and added, "We've talked about starting our family."

"I knew it! Are you?"

"No, no! Not yet. I stopped the pill today," she whispered the last word. "Tim thinks we should wait a cycle, he has some sort of medical concern. Now we've made a decision, I don't want to wait."

Julie didn't hear David walk in until he said, "Tim's a smart doctor. I think he has a good point, now I expect a boy to be called David."

Julie smiled and said, "I haven't told Tim, but I fancy Patrick."

"That's lovely. What about a girl?" Paula asked.

Julie smiled because Tim was convinced, he would have boys. Perhaps because his father only had boys. Even in her family four out of six were boys. She said, "I was thinking of Tim's mum."

"Shelagh…"

"No, his real mum died when he was young… Marianne."

"What about your mum?" David asked.

"I am not naming my child Muriel!" Julie looked up to the ceiling and said, "Sorry Mum."

Then she laughed to let them know she was fine. Truthfully she was. Although she missed her mum, she knew she was happier with God. As a wife, Julie was beginning to understand how unhappy her mother was. She may have said that she loved her father, but that wasn't real love. Real love had friendship and respect, the things that she and Tim had.

Tim came home smiling. He went to take her in his arms, but she smelled him and pushed him back. His aroma was a combination of smoke and body odor with a hint of rotten fish. Her initial thought was that she'd like to burn his clothes, but she would have to wash them.

"You smell. Greet me after you've washed. Are you hungry?"

"Starving, but I could eat a bite too!"

"Tim!" She laughed.

"Jules, I missed you."

He smirked, his sexy smirk and walked towards the bathroom.

She prepared a light dinner. When he found her in the kitchen, he smelled of shaving soap. She reached up and touched his cheek. It was still damp, but very soft.

Tim captured her mouth and she could only sigh.

Whilst eating she asked, "Was it fun?"

"Yes, especially when Teddy fell in. A big fish pulled him in. He refused to let go. He was determined to catch it!"

"Did he?"

"Technically Dad and I caught him and pulled him out. So I'd say we caught the fish."

"I don't imagine Teddy sees it that way." Julie said, laughing.

"No, he's quite adamant that he caught it."

"And you'll be teasing him for the next thirty years…"

"At least! Now I only want to think about my wife..."