Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.
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It would appear that baby and flying did not go well together. First of all they'd been delayed getting out of Cairns, then the temperature control on board the plane had been screwed and she'd had to get up every minute – alright, every fifteen minutes – to head to the bathroom for a whole plethora of reasons. She'd felt sorry for the man sitting in the aisle seat, what with her frequent trips that meant she needed to ask him to move as she came and went constantly, but she'd been full of gratitude when he'd offered to switch to the window seat so that she could have the aisle after her fifth trip past him. They'd had an aborted landing in Sydney which meant that they had to circle in the air for what felt like an hour, and after finally managing to land, the queue to exit the plane had been excruciatingly long.
She was tired, cranky and pregnant and her internal body clock had been thrown. All she wanted was a bed, a shower, some food... hang on, just a bed would be good at the moment.
Getting dizzy looking at the bags and rubber rushing by before her on the carousel, and with the crowd dwindling around them, she was certain that their bags were going to be the very last ones of the plane. Just her luck. Turning her head, she saw Mike talking on his mobile to their lift – which if memory served her correctly – was his older sister Justine. Her mind automatically recalled all that she could remember Mike telling her about Justine Flynn: eldest child at 40, 18 months older than Mike, divorced and with a seven year old kid – Mike's godson.
She met Justine Flynn in the flesh when they finally made their way out of the airport and Mike's sister brought the car around to the pick up zone. After a quick introduction, bags were put in the boot, everyone strapped in and she was ashamed to admit that she remembered nothing of the hour's drive that followed, lulled into a light doze by the car's movements and the low voices of Mike and Justine in the front seats.
If she thought that arriving at the Flynn home would mean that she had an opportunity to disappear quickly to bed, she was in for a shock. She'd been startled awake when the car door was opened and her head lost it's propping. Momentarily bemused, she turned to find Mike looking at her with a grin. 'Wake up sleepyhead.'
She couldn't even be bothered deigning that with a response.
It was a jumble of hands as both Kate and Mike reached for the seatbelt clasp and as she stepped out of the car he pushed her in the direction of the house as he went to the boot to grab the bags. Following Justine up the path, she stepped onto the veranda as the door was thrown open as she was greeted with a 'So you're the reason that my son is coming home for Christmas for the first time in three years?'
'Ah...' she said nervously taking in the sight of the tall, thin grey haired woman. What was she supposed to say to that?
'Don't tease Mum,' said Justine as she pecks her mother on the check and enters into the house.
'Moi?' feigned the older woman innocently before she turned her full attention to Kate with a warm smile. 'I'm Carol Flynn – Mike's mother.'
'Kate McGregor,' responded Kate, reaching out her hand to shake Carol's but was surprised to find herself pulled into a hug. 'I've heard a lot about you.'
'All good I hope?' Kate ventured as a new voice entered the fray. 'All good,' promised Mike as he stepped onto veranda with the bags.
'Which is more than I can say about my own children sometimes,' laughed Carol as she pulled her son in for a hug. 'Good to see you Michael.' Kate watched as Mike hugged his mother back fiercely. 'Good to see you too Mum.' Maybe it was the hormones, but she felt like she was going to burst into tears at such a loving display between mother and son. The waterfall never had a chance to eventuate as Carol ushered her son into the house and wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulder and led her into the house.
The introductions didn't stop there.
With Mike zipping upstairs to put the bags down, she'd been left in the kitchen with Justine and Carol who were opening up the well-stocked fridge and pulling out various plates of food. What were they planning on doing with the food at this hour of the night? Have a party?
Mike re-entered the room soon after with a man that looked exactly like him and she was introduced to his father, Patrick Flynn. The older man didn't say much, but offered her a solid handshake and then escaped from the room with an excuse of checking up on Ethan, Justine's sleeping son.
Kate was plied with offers of food and drinks and felt overwhelmed in the face of so much hospitality and generosity. And then there was the noise. She'd never heard such a constant noise: the talking never seemed to stop. She was sitting at the table with a plate piled high with food and a cold and hot drink nearby when the front door slammed and a new noise drifted down the hall.
'We would have been here earlier if you hadn't driven,' said a female voice loudly.
'What are you trying to say?' retorted a male voice in response. 'I drive like a grandma?'
'That's putting it nicely,' was the taunting response from the same woman.
The voices materialised into physical presences when a man stepped into the doorway with two little girls sitting on his hips. 'Wide load coming through!' he crowed as a voice piped up behind him. 'You better be talking about yourself and not me,' grumbled the heavily pregnant woman that followed.
'Ah,' hesitated the man with a grin as he dropped the two girls to the floor. 'Yeah.' As Mike's nieces were swept up into the joyful arms of their various relatives for an enthusiastic greeting, the man then proclaimed his arrival to all in a loud voice. 'Hello everyone. We are here!'
'Finally,' was the low mutter of the woman next to him as they both stepped further into the room. And then both stopped when their eyes fell on to her. Mike had one of his nieces in his arms as he stepped forward to stand next to the man. 'Kate, this is my baby brother Thomas and baby sister Abigail,' he said nodding to each in turn.
'I'm the youngest one,' said Mike's brother as Abigail poked him in the side. 'I think that's pretty obvious.'
'How could you tell?' said Thomas in mock surprise, hand over his heart in an exaggerated manner. 'It's my good young looks right?'
'I was thinking more along the lines of maturity levels,' snorted the pregnant woman as she sat down on a chair near Kate and let out a sigh of relief as Thomas raised his voice. 'I object!'
'When you're finished...' trailed off Mike in the long suffering tone of an elder sibling as the young man and woman snapped back to the present and flashed identical grins at her. 'Abby.' 'Tommy.'
'And these are my nieces Eloise and Lindsey.'
'I'm four and three-quarters,' piped up Eloise from her position in Mike's arms. 'So's Linds. Cos we're twins. So we're both four and three quarters.'
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She didn't get anywhere near a bed until after one.
Sitting on the couch, her head falling dangerously close to Mike's shoulder nearby as she fought her tiredness, she wondered what the next few days were going to be like if this was any indication. This was the first night - and already there'd been a party, though she must admit that what she thought of as a party was apparently just a normal family event for the Flynns. It was slightly overwhelming and she could honestly say that she'd never met a group of people that were so genuinely glad to make her acquaintance and honestly interested in her.
Stifling another yawn, she tried focus her concentration on the conversation Mike was having with his sister nearby. It was rare to see him so relaxed. 'So where's that man of yours?' probed Mike, slipping his arm around Kate's shoulders.
'Brett'll be arriving tomorrow,' responded Abby, brushing her short brown hair from her face as she elaborated for Kate's benefit. 'My husband works for a company that doesn't really celebrate Christmas!'
Further conversations are halted when the grandfather clock in the hall strikes one and Justine steps into the lounge room from the kitchen holding her pills and a glass of water. 'I don't know if you lot realise it, but it's 1,' she said as she gulped down her medication. 'In the morning,' she elaborated around the water in her mouth.
That sent everyone flying into action. As various good night's and sleep well's were thrown about Kate smiled and nodded and hugged and kissed as required before happily allowing Mike to lead her up the stairs. Reaching the top and parting ways with Tommy, Kate suddenly stood still, Mike turning to her with an inquisitive look. 'Where am I sleeping?'
'What do you mean?' said Mike in confusion. 'You're sleeping with me.'
'But what will your parents think?' she protested as Mike stepped closer to her.
'Kate,' he laughed as he reached out and rested his hand on her swell. 'We're both grownups and I think that it's kind of obvious that we've done the 'deed'.'
She opened her mouth to respond then shut it as she pushed against his chest. 'I'm too tired to argue.'
'Well then, let's get you to bed shall we?' laughed Mike as he pulled her into his embrace and they shuffled the short distance to his bedroom.
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Next Chapter: Never come between Jussy, Mike, Abby, Tommy and a game of Pictionary!