Chapter 7

Liz looked at her husband. She didn't know. she really didn't. It might be a good idea. But she had never left Katie since she had been home unless she had been with Jim.

"It is just a meal with some friends Elizabeth" he said as she held Katie. "She is going to be ok for a few hours."

"But - she is so young." she said as she kissed her baby on the head.

"She is four months old now. We haven't been out since she had been born," he said. "We need a bit of time out, just you and me, come on." He said encouraging her to go with him for the night.

"But what if she needs me?"

"She will have her brothers, I've cleared it with them,." He said. She didn't know.

"I'll think on it."

Deep down she sighed. He was right. It would be nice to have a bit of time out with out the kids there constantly. Even though they were together some times it didn't feel like it cos they were fussing over Katie, or talking to the boys.

She hadn't really paid her marriage a lot of attention. He might be feeling neglected she thought to herself.

And Jim had been great. He had been there for her and there daughter so much. A bit of time with here friends would do them good. And it'd be for just a few hours.

A few drinks, some adult conversation. She might even enjoy it, she smiled to herself.

He was right. They deserved a night out.

-

"Will you stop worrying for once in your life women?" Jim asked his wife. "We are going out for a meal with our friends and our son s are going to baby sit. Andy and Steve love their sister and she is going to be fine with them. Relax." he said as he kissed her shoulder from behind as she looked in her mirror.

Nodding, Liz tried to see it like that but it was still upsetting her , leaving her daughter in the care of her sons.,.

What was she on about? They were eighteen,. They were going to be able to take good care of her. They would die than rather lose there sister after all they had been through over the past four months.

Going down she nodded, and the lads looked to there parents..

"Ok well I feed her and she should be down for the night." said Liz. "If not there is a bottle in the fridge. Heat it slightly and give it to her, that it should send her straight back off. If not then I have got changing stuff out on my bed. Any thing else goes wrong you have my mobile number, its on the fridge -"

"Mum I think me and Steve can just about look after Katie on our own for a night with out doing her too much harm." said Andy as he and his brother tired of there mothers worrying. "Your are going to be gone four hours max."

"They are going to be fine now come on Elizabeth." said Jim he said as he passed her her coat. He had faith in his sons and they had got their daughter to sleep. There was nothing to be worrying over from where he stood.

Sighing at the men's determination that they all knew best, she went over to the baby monitor and switch it on just and followed him out of the room where her daughters crib still was, for she and her husband had not yet moved it out in to the nursery. They didn't want to yet, whilst she was so unsettled at night some times.

"Don't turn it off." she said to the boys and let her husband lead her out off the door.

"I don't know why she is such a worrier. The baby's been fine for months." Steve said to Andy.

"It was still horrid wasn't it? That stuff that happened when she was born. Took its tool on mum." said Andy to Steve.

"On all of us." he said as he turned on the television.

"Yeah."

------------

Jim and Liz went in to the Rovers together for the first time since they had had there baby daughter.

"Hey!" said Bet. "First night out since Katherine came home?"

"Apparently." sighed Liz wishing she could turn and go back to her daughter, but her husband was behind her.

"Come and join us you two!" she heard a voice and turned to see the other two couples (also who had young children) who they were going to be going to a restaurant with. The Webster's and the Platts.

"Sorry we're late." Said Jim. "I had to push this one out the door in then end." he teased his wife.

"Darling there is nothing wrong with being a concerned mother." Liz said to him still unnerved by not being able to see or hear her daughter.

"I never said there was."

She was actually surprised her husband was taking this in his stride so much. He had been so protective off their little girl from day one that she had though he would have been less eager to leave her with their sons, one of them who was extremely way ward.

"We have all been there Liz." Sally promised. She had with Rosie, and Gail had with her Sarah Louise, as well as baby David.

It was always hard. They were just going to have to get through it.

"Right." sad Kevin. "Shall we get off?"

------

"Oh no sis, what's the matter?" asked Andy as he went in to his mum and dads room. Not twenty minutes had passed since he and Steve had told their mother the three of them were going to be ok than she had woken up screaming.

Taking a bottle of milk up for the four month old he picked her gently out the crib and crossed where he could sit on the bed and fed her comfortably.

It was a rare thing either of the brothers had fed there sister, preferring to leave that sort of thing to their mum and dad where ever they could, and Andy found it a slight bit awkward. This was about the third time he had had to give her bottle since she had been born.

"Ok," he said trying to hush her but it was evident how much she was upset as she didn't take to the bottle.

Pulling her close, Andy tiered to comfort her, but after ten minutes with no change he heard the younger of the twins come upstairs.

"Is she ok? " asked Steve,.

"I don't know, she isn't feeding, and she doesn't need changing/. I think she is just missing mum and dad." said Andy.

"They have only been gone half an hour ." he sighed.

"Yes but she is a baby, and she spends most of her time with one or the other of them. " he reminded him.

"You don't think that she is ill again?" asked Steve panicking with out his mum and dad there to reassure them that there sister was ok.

"No remember mum said she was really quiet just before. She was floppy too. She's probably just got herself in to a state and needs a hug for a bit." Sighed Andy as he held her tight.

To be honest he wasn't sure if he was doing more harm than good to her. They said babies knew when people were feeling uncomfortable with them.

"And when did you become and expert on babies?" asked Steve..

---

They had been gone an hour and Liz was beginning to relax.

"I am enjoying this." she whispered in her husbands ear.

"Me too," he said to her smiling. "It had been a while since we had had time out like this, and it good to be out, so it is love." he said.

He didn't feel a bit guilty about leaving the kids. They were going to be ok.

-

Andy looked hopelessly at his brother, the tired baby in his arms.

"Maybe we should just let her cry." said Steve not meaning it horribly. "That's what mum and dad did with us right?" he said and Andy nodded.

"We'll let her wear herself out, she'll be altright." he said and Andy nodded, though he felt a bit reluctant to putting her down.

Yet he had studies to do and he knew what Steve was like. He was not going to sit with her.

"Yeah, I'll just put her back. She has to wear herself out soon right?" he said.

"Right."

Going back down stairs though Andy couldn't feel worse, as he heard his sister yell at the top of her lungs. Maybe some shooing was wrong but he had looked her over and she had no rashes or any thing. she was probably just over tired and needed to get to sleep which she would.

But he couldn't be more wrong it turned out.

Katie in her upset had twisted and turned and some how got her leg caught between the wall and the bars of her railings where it was sticking out, thus giving her some thing knew to cry about.

Downs stairs as Andy heard the crying, which was getting heavy on his heart and he turned the monitor off. He knew he wasn't meant to but it was doing his head in. He'd check on her in a bit. She'd be ok.

-

Jim and Liz got in at eleven thirty.

"Hey boys, are you ok?" she said to them happily. She had had such a good time.

"Yeah." said Andy as she kissed is fore head.

"How's your sister been lads?" asked there father as he headed upstairs.

"She got upset." said Steve. "But she calmed down a bit, we haven't had a pep out of her." he said unaware of what his brother had done.

That was all Jim needed to hear.

Running up to his bed room, he put the light on dimly. His daughters screaming had ceased a while ago.

-

Katie stirred when a caring hand ran down her back.

Moaning out, her leg now soar and aching.

"Baby?" said Jim as he saw where her leg was. No… surely…

Gently his set her free, at last.

Looking at her face he was sadden to see she had silent tears on her face. His four month old had been crying silently. And he hadn't been there to look after her.

"Oh sweet heart, what's happened here?" he muttered as he picked her out the crib and laid her on his shoulder, rubbing her back soothingly

He had had no idea his sons could have left her like this.

Going down his wife saw the look on his faze was dangerous. She knew how anger he was getting.

"What is it?" she said but he was set.

Going over to the side he looked at the monitor.

Steve's eyes grew wide as he released it was off. He knew it had been too quite.

"How did that happened?" he said to his brother. It had to be him. Hey had been the only ones in.

"You idiot Andy!" said his father though his voice wasn't raised for once as he comforted his daughter,

Though awake the baby had fallen utterly silent since he had got her out the crib and she was just looking at him desperately.

"Did either of you give her a bottle?" he demanded to know.

"I tried but she didn't want to know." sisal Andy annoying his father further.

"I knew we shouldn't have left," said Liz as she went in to the kitchen to get her daughter a bottle. For gods sake…couldn't they trust them to do any thing,.

The McDonald house hold was still hostile in the morning.

The twins found their parents cold as they tried to talk to them.

"Don't look for me,." said Liz who was usually a source of comfort from there fathers rage. "She is a four month old baby, she needs your attention when she is crying." Liz said to her son.

"I had work to do." protested Andy who had usually been so good with her.

"Well it is good to see you have your priorities right son." she said to him.

"It wasn't like that." he said to her pleadingly.

"Your going to be late. Get to collage please Andrew." she said to him.

"Yes mum."

Slowly but surely the incident was forgotten but it did take a while. Jim didn't think he was ever going to forget that night. When he had picked her up she had just been so quiet. She had stirred really till Liz had got her to take her bottle, which had taken a while to get her to latch on to.

The feeling of loneliness the baby must of felt had to be too much for someone her mother ages, let alone the little one. He swore she was never going to go through that again.