'Fast asleep,' Ruth assured Harry, walking into the kitchen where he was making tea after she'd popped into Thomas's bedroom and kissed his sleeping form. It was how it was and had always been since the first day that he'd come home with them. A ritual that they had never broken, a promise to each other that no matter how tired they were or whatever the time, one or both of them would make sure he was asleep before they turned in. Tonight was no different other than it was now Christmas morning, they were in Canada and Harry had just asked her to marry him.
'You'll have to stop that,' referred to the smile on his face as broad as an ocean and the fact that if he walked around all day grinning, that one or probably more of the adults would ask him what he was grinning about, or in Catherine's case probably guess.
'That or they'll think I'm pregnant, which I'm not by the way, although I won't give them the satisfaction by denying it,' she told him.
'We could soon rectify that,' received a we've already discussed this Harry and I'm tired look, before they tumbled into bed, blissfully happy until six the following morning when above their heads in Graham and Lucy's bedroom, Christmas arrived like a tornado in the form of Alice and Thomas.
Having peeped into their room and found Harry and Ruth asleep, Thomas had somehow managed to drag one of their sacks of goodies up the stairs and into one of the other bedrooms. Unable to sleep with the racket that was going on, Catherine had persuaded Callum to make some coffee and then in her words, 'If you can't beat them join them.'
His 'what about Ruth and Harry, shall I wake them?' Had received a 'and you think that they're sleeping through this?' response.
If you couldn't get excited on Christmas morning when Santa Claus had visited and left you a sack full of presents and get away with the fact that you'd woken the entire household in the process, it really wouldn't have been fair would it. In this particular case, four of the six adults who had been woken by the squeals, had decamped to the sitting room six hours after they'd gone to bed. The designated organisers of the resulting chaos namely Lucy and Graham had bought two of almost everything which was now in a single mixed up heap on the floor.
'You'll get yours later,' from Ruth, referred to a packet of chocolate buttons that Harry was eyeing up which didn't count as breakfast unless you were two or six, as his daughter and Callum arrived with the coffee tea and toast.
The planning for this moment and for what was to happen throughout the remainder of the day had largely been down to Graham and Lucy, but with the agreement that the cost would be shared equally with Callum and Catherine. As far as the Santa sacks were concerned the cost had been minimal. It was Alice's first real Christmas and she was currently playing with an empty box and they'd listened to what their father and Ruth had told them about Thomas and not to over indulge him. They knew that he had a passion for drawing and in amongst the other small gifts that littered the floor there were pencils, crayons, colouring books and paper. They watched on fascinated and with more than a hint of sadness, as the small boy with a smile that could light up a room was proudly showing Harry and Ruth what Santa had brought him.
'I'm fine Daddy, it's watching Thomas that's done it, he's just so lovely,' was Catherine's less than convincing explanation to her father, who had seen his daughter flee and was now frantically searching the kitchen for a box of hankies. It was years since she'd called him Daddy or he'd seen her cry and it was a wake - up call as to how vulnerable she'd been as a child. Now though he wasn't convinced about her explanation. It reminded him of Jane on the night when she'd dropped the bombshell that she was pregnant with Graham, when they'd made no plans to have a baby, but he knew better than to suggest it to Catherine, she would tell him in her own good time. If he was right though and he was going to be a grandfather again for a second time, then he and Ruth would need to buy a bigger house, but where was the question.
'We'll be back in a minute,' was in response to Thomas's voice asking where Harry had gone.
On what was to become a day that would exhaust Harry, this was the first of several unexpected and extraordinary conversations that he would have with his children and their partners, the next of which was with his son.
'Until now I'd never put you down as an organiser,' was Harry's compliment to Graham who was sorting the pile of presents whilst admiring the latest of Thomas's drawings, as Alice demolished a small set of building bricks. The kitchen was a buzz of activity and they'd been banished on childminding duty and Callum to the wood shed to fetch a wheelbarrow full of logs.
'It wasn't my forte was it? Catherine was always the organised one who had her life mapped out,' sounded like an apology, having mistaken Harry's remark to have been a criticism which it wasn't and Harry rectified. 'But once I met Lucy and then Alice came along things had to change, because child care in Canada costs an arm and a leg and we can't afford it, so one of us has to stay at home. I was the obvious choice and I'm enjoying being a stay at home Dad,' he told him, as Harry waited to see where this was going. 'The thing is Dad and what I want to tell you is that Lucy had some problems when Alice was born and we can't have any more children. We want to live near family but her parents are crap as you well know, so that leaves you,' sounded like a backhanded compliment until Graham continued. 'Now that you've got Ruth and Thomas, we want to move our family back to the UK. Lucy can get a job anywhere with her qualifications and we've talked about it, but we want to know what you and Ruth think before we make our final decision?' couldn't be answered, as Callum staggered in with another basket of logs with a comment that sounded remarkably like 'all right for some.'
If Harry hadn't already know that for all his faults that Catherine loved Callum, he'd have responded in the time honoured way, instead of which he squeezed Graham's hand and nodded. He was delighted and he knew that Ruth would be as well at the prospect of yet another branch of their family living close by, but not so sure about the idea of them becoming permanent baby sitters.
Their Christmas lunch, served at a table with a view over the snow covered garden couldn't have gone much better. Thomas sitting on a pile of cushions was at the head of the table with Ruth and Harry either side of him, Alice in her highchair at the other flanked by her parents and Callum and Catherine in the middle. It was traditional in every sense in that the children were both dressed in their new 'Its Christmas' jumpers and wearing party hats, everyone had been ordered that they had to pull a cracker and read whatever ridiculous motto was inside and wear their hat which in Harry's case was a crown, that had been swopped on his insistence with Graham who was wearing one that was pink, before Harry was asked to carve the turkey.
It didn't matter that most of Alice's food was missing her mouth and landing on the table or that Thomas who had been talking twenty to the dozen had got hiccups, they were all happy for different reasons and with more secrets than a spooks fest, most of which Harry now knew. That it made a change from being on the grid, certainly during the days of Adam and Zaf, when he'd often felt that he'd been the last to know what the buggers had been up to, made it even more than pleasing. He was a very happy man intent on enjoying the rest of his day.
'I'll drink to that,' was his response to Graham's toast of Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, as he put the icing on the cake for Thomas by setting fire to the Christmas pudding.
Those that had cooked dinner didn't do the washing up was another of the house rules, that saw Harry in the kitchen with Callum washing and him drying what was left over after a crammed full dishwasher. Throughout dinner, Callum had been more than attentive where Catherine was concerned and had managed to ensure that she'd avoided drinking without anybody other than Harry noticing. He might not particularly like his potential son in law, but having consumed several glasses of wine during the course of his dinner he had mellowed and with Ruth's insistence that had come in the form of don't be Grinch Harry, you might actually get to like him if you try, he felt obliged to make an effort. Callum was after all an exceptional section chief that had battled against Erin to orchestrate his release and apart from his childish sense of humour that annoyed him, he didn't really have grounds to dislike him. Besides which he was part of this family that Graham wanted to preserve and it would be churlish of him to side-line him because of his own personal prejudices.
'Rather than falling asleep, do you fancy a breath of fresh air Callum,' he suggested, when they were heading back towards the sitting room, with no intension of raising anything confrontational that would make Callum feel uncomfortable once they got outside and at the same time gain some extra brownie points with Ruth.
Life and in the most unlikely of situations had a way of sorting itself out and it was here that Ruth found them half an hour later, by which time Harry had barely said a word but had realised just how much Callum loved his daughter and that maybe he'd misjudged him. He was prevented from starting a conversation when Callum poured them another glass of wine and said that he wanted to talk to him. Here goes thought Harry, steeling himself for the 'I've got your daughter up the duff sir please forgive me,' conversation.'
'As far as Catherine's concerned, you're a very hard act to live up to Harry and I'm sure you don't think me worthy of your daughter,' was Callum's opening salvo and certainly not what Harry was expecting. He didn't know how to respond other than to day yes, so he didn't. 'Despite me appearing stupid at times Catherine loves me and puts up with me and we make each other happy.'
'I know,' Harry managed.
'There's more,' brought another revelation and with it the turning point in his opinion of Callum's sincerity, and the answer to the only real objection that Harry had had about his relationship with Catherine.
'If there's one thing that getting to know you and Ruth has taught me, it's that balancing what we do as a job with a home life is virtually impossible, so now that I'm with Catherine permanently so to speak, I have every intention of leaving the service,' was staggeringly perceptive and what Harry needed to hear, given that Callum generally liked to play the fool.
Ruth's timely interruption, telling them that they were needed because the children were about to open their presents, prevented Harry answering and being over- zealous in his praise of Callum. He'd made a start, it was Christmas and there were more important things to be done. He'd also had several glasses of wine and was struggling to cope with so many revelations in such a short space of time. Ruth was far better than he was when it came to listening to people bearing their souls, he'd heard enough for one today, he needed her to sooth him and he needed time with Thomas.
As it had been a year ago when they'd spent Christmas Day with Rose and Michael, Ruth was sitting on the settee watching a floor full of children opening their presents. This time though Harry wasn't with her, he'd been summoned to sit on the floor by Thomas who had opened his main present. It wasn't large because it had to be taken home and it certainly hadn't been expensive but they'd put a lot of thought into what they bought him. Nothing involving cars had been the priority but they wanted it to be something that he could relate to in the here and now and visualise when he was away from home. Catherine had done the on line research for them and had found him a build your own seaside scene with every imaginable thing that you might find on a beach. As Alice tottered about pushing her new doll in a tiny pram with Lucy in her wake, Ruth barely noticed her. She was mesmerized by the scene in front of her. She might as well have been sitting in the room on her own such was her attention on Harry with Thomas. He looked like a father with his son.
'He's in his element isn't he,' said Catherine, sitting down beside her and handing her a cup of tea, referring to Harry not Thomas who was sorting out some pieces under Thomas's direction as Callum added another log to the fire and then sat down next to Catherine. For just one tiny moment Callum found himself about to make a comment about how the mighty had fallen but didn't, mentally telling himself not to undo what had been done because he could see what Catherine meant. There was so much more to life that chasing the greater good and Harry had found it and good luck to him. He and Catherine were flying home in a couple of days which meant that they would miss Thomas's birthday, but needs must he was on duty over New Year and then he'd need to talk to Erin.
'I really wish that we didn't have to go home so early,' Catherine commented, as though she'd read Callum's mind.
So do I thought Ruth, who had become really fond of Catherine, although once she and Callum had gone, it would give her and Harry a better chance to get to know Lucy and for them spend more time with Alice.
Two days later.
'This wedding Harry,' broke the silence. It was something that they hadn't discussed since he'd proposed, but with Graham and Lucy driving Catherine and Callum to the airport with the promise that they'd stay overnight if the weather was bad they had time, and it was at the top of Ruth's wanting to talk to Harry about list. Thomas and Alice had been washed and changed and were in bed, so they were indulging themselves by lying full stretch on the sofa listening to something classical on the radio, with only the lights from the Christmas tree illuminating the room. Ruth wanted the wedding to be quiet without any fuss but with her closest friend being the vicar's wife and with their now extended family, it seemed virtually impossible without upsetting someone. There was also need to tell Thomas before they told anyone else and to see if he understood what them getting married meant.
Her attempts to get Harry to agree to her not getting dressed up were fruitless as were her protestations that she didn't need a new dress.
'Ruth it's our wedding and I agree with you, I'm all for keeping it quiet. But if Graham and Lucy come over then they'll be five children watching, so I don't fancy our chances do you?'
'I just don't want a lot of fuss Harry that's all.'
'Then there won't be I promise you,' was followed most inappropriately by 'Christ' as two small eyes looked down at him from the back of the settee and a voice asked him, 'if they were tired?'
'Harry would answer his question,' she told Thomas whilst she went into the kitchen and put the kettle on and did either of them fancy a mince pie?'
There was something to be said for trackers they decided when an hour later they were still in the children's bedroom with Ruth reading the potted version, in other words she was attempting to turn more than one page at a time, of the compendium of children's stories that had been amongst Thomas's presents. With Alice awake as well they had little chance of getting back to the discussion about the wedding and were resigned to waiting until they went to bed. Then Harry's phone rang.
'Hi Dad I hope I haven't disturbed you,' was Graham saying that Catherine's flight had just left but that it was snowing so he and Lucy were going to spend the night at the flat. He hoped that he and Ruth were coping and Alice was OK and that they'd be back around lunchtime tomorrow.
Ruth had the same don't be a Grinch look on her face which he wasn't as it happened. If this was what the future held then he was happy about it, but it had been an emotional day and he was tired in the sense that he needed to go to sleep before he attempted to get his head around the implications of so many conversations.