The next day Harry and Nikki had had a two hour induction lecture for the first year of their course which detailed what they would be doing, what was expected of them and other things that everyone on their course needed to know for the year.
"That was interesting" Nikki told Harry as they walked out of the lecture theatre hand in hand "I didn't think we'd be seeing dead body parts so soon"
"I know" Harry chuckled, remembering the muttering and whispering that had happened when the main lecturer had informed them that every Wednesday afternoon from their first proper week of lectures they would be in the morgue which was in the basement of the main pathology building and they would be working with donated bodies and organs. "But it should be fun in a non-creepy way"
Nikki giggled at her fiancé and he smirked down at her, leaning down to steal a kiss before they continued to walk back towards the nursery where they had left their sons for the time they had been in the lecture. Jennifer had also had an introductory lecture that morning and had left Adrian at the nursery as well.
"Excuse me"
Harry and Nikki stopped walking when a slightly older man jogged up to them and they remembered him from being an older medicine student in his fourth year who had spoken during the lecture about the work. They also remembered him from their talk at school and from their interviews before their exams.
"Leo isn't it?" Nikki asked him hesitantly with a smile on her face "Leo Dalton?"
"Yes it is" Leo nodded and smiled, his light blue eyes lighting up as he spoke.
"I remember you from when we came to have our interviews" Nikki nodded as she shook his hand, Harry doing to same and nodding his greeting to the older man "The lecture was very interesting"
"I'm glad about that, I was only told this morning that I was talking to the first year students" Leo rolled his eyes and Nikki giggled, Harry chuckling and shaking his head.
"Well you did fine" Harry nodded "For such short notice"
"Thank you" Leo nodded as they started to walk towards the nursery again, the building being next to their accommodation which was a twenty minute walk from the main lecture hall in the main University building and a forty five minute walk from the medicine and pathology building. They had busses running all around the campus and to and from main Oxford which shortened the journey time though. "I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my life"
"It didn't show" Nikki assured him "You were fine"
"Thank you. If you need any help or advice I'm always around, mainly in the labs. I remember what it was like in the first few weeks, it's terrifying isn't it?"
"That's an understatement" Nikki laughed "I don't think I have never been this worried in my life"
"But you're here and that's what matters" Leo pointed out and Harry and Nikki nodded their agreement.
"What's the first year really like?" Harry then asked the older man and Leo smiled at him.
"Just like the lecturer said, Professor Jackson is one of the best in the country by the way, it's difficult but you got into the course so you're all capable. You have to learn though otherwise you'll never get anywhere and there's no point leaving everything until the last minute, trust me I did that for the first part of my first year and when it came to the exams just before Christmas I have never felt so much stress" Leo laughed as he remembered and the younger couple chuckled loudly "I learnt my lesson though and I'm trying to save you the stress of it all"
"We'll bear that in mind, thank you" Nikki nodded as they made their way down some steps and then began to walk along a smaller path "How are the dead bodies we have to use?"
"Dead" Leo replied with a smirk on his face and Harry burst out laughing, patting Leo on the shoulder as Nikki gave them both a withering look.
"I think we are going to be good friends" Harry smirked and Nikki tutted loudly at them but they could both see she was fighting her laughter.
"Really, why do I put up with you?"
"Because you love me" Harry replied with a slight pout and Nikki scoffed at him, pretending to be angry.
"I suppose I have to really"
She then couldn't help but smile and showed her fiancé that she didn't mean what she said.
"How was the introduction?" Jennifer asked as she walked into the main sitting area with Adrian in her arms, Harry and Nikki relaxing in there while Gabriel and Donovan played with their toys in the middle of the room.
"It was interesting" Nikki replied, reaching down and moving Gabriel away from the play mat, the little boy protesting until his mother tickled his waist and made him laugh loudly and squirm in his arms. "You can put him on the play mat if you want"
"It's yours"
"We don't mind" Nikki rolled her eyes "We're not about to be selfish"
"Thank you" Jennifer smiled and knelt on the floor, placing her four month old son under the arch on the mat which had colourful toys hanging from it, some which rattled, some that squeaked and some with mirrors on "There we go, you have fun there okay"
"And you be careful" Nikki told her on child, kissing Gabriel on the cheek before putting him back on the floor, the baby pulling himself to his feet and taking a few steps before falling back down again. "How was your lecture?"
"Well I'm going to have a lot of work over the next few years" Jennifer chuckled and her two new friends nodded their agreement "But it should be fun, I hope it's fun" she added with a scoff.
"Well we get to poke about at dead people very Wednesday afternoon" Harry smirked and Nikki tutted at him as Jennifer raised an eyebrow.
"We don't get to poke about, we get to learn" she amended and shook her head at Jennifer, the two women laughing at Harry "But yes we're in the morgue every Wednesday afternoon"
"Apparently we have an evening lecture on Tuesdays" Jennifer sighed and leant her head back on the armchair she was sitting on, smiling at her baby as he reached up and batted one of the colourful butterflies hanging in front of him, grinning and kicking his legs when it rattled loudly.
"When the nursery is closed?"
"Hmm"
"If you want we can.." Nikki glanced at Harry who was too busy watching their boys playing together and then looked back at Jennifer "We can look after Adrian for that time. I mean you don't have to, I know what it's like leaving your child with other people, especially when.."
"No it's okay I trust you with him" Jennifer interrupted and Nikki smiled happily when she heard that "I just don't want to take advantage, you already have two to look after"
"Another one won't be that difficult for a few hours" Nikki shook her head "All they do at that age is eat sleep and dirty their nappies"
"And cry"
"Yes and cry" Nikki chuckled "A lot of that. But we've done it with twins, one baby should be easy"
"I don't want to take advantage" Jennifer repeated nervously, not wanting them to think she was just friends with them for babysitters.
"You wouldn't be able to go to your lecture otherwise"
"I would like to return the favour if you ever need it but I have no idea how to look after babies their age" Jennifer then nodded towards Gabriel and Donovan, the former who was interested in what Adrian was doing, kneeling next to the baby on the floor and then looking at his own parents.
"You will soon enough, and you don't have to repay the favour" Nikki assured her "How long is the lecture?"
"An hour and a half, maybe two hours I think"
"It's not that long, we'll love to look after Adrian for that time"
"Thank you, you two are by far the most helpful people I've met, not including mum and dad of course" Jennifer smiled happily at her friends as Donovan got his parents' attention by crawling over to Nikki and pulling himself onto his feet with help from her trouser leg. He then pointed to Adrian who Gabriel was still enthralled by and Nikki chuckled.
"That's Jennifer's baby" she signed to him as she spoke, motioning to Jennifer and making Donovan look at her before he looked back at her, seeing Nikki spell out Jennifer's name before pointing to Adrian again and signing the word for baby and then signing the letters for Adrian as well. Donovan frowned cutely and then copied the motion for baby, grinning when Nikki clapped and leant down to kiss him. "You're a clever boy"
"Is it difficult?" Jennifer asked and Nikki nodded as she looked up from her son.
"Sometimes"
"But others it's amazing" Harry added and Nikki nodded at him, giving him a loving smile as Donovan unsteadily walked over to the play mat but then fell down, crawling the rest of the way and patting his older brother on the head, Gabriel turning his head and letting out a happy laugh when he saw his brother. He then leant over and kissed Donovan on the cheek and his younger brother returned it as well.
"They're close" Jennifer commented, not being able to hold back the grin that had formed on her face when she had seen the two children interact like that.
"They are yes, very" Harry smiled proudly at his sons "They always have been, we think Gabriel knows something is different about Donovan, he's rather protective sometimes"
"Really? They're only eleven months old"
"Yes but there is defiantly a protective streak about him which makes us feel a lot better"
"Well I hope that they can become friends, Adrian and the twins" Jennifer smiled at the three boys "Could you teach me sign language? I always thought it would be a useful thing to know, definitely now so I can speak to Donovan as well as Gabriel in the next year"
"Donny can read lips as well" Nikki informed the older woman who nodded impressively "Well up to a point, he knows sign language more but he'll improve on the lip reading as he gets older. There's a sign language course here as well, I saw it advertised outside the main lecture hall in the main building. I think it's on Thursday lunchtimes every week but I'm not too sure"
"Oh yeah I saw a poster in the nursery" Jennifer motioned in the general direction of the building "It is Thursdays"
"We could all go" Harry suggested and motioned to the children "Take the boys with us so they can learn some more with us, is it free?"
"Hmm" Nikki nodded and snuggled closer to her lover, Harry wrapping one arm around her waist as she turned so her back was against his side, her head on his shoulder and her legs stretched out on the sofa. "Do you know when the other two rooms are being occupied?"
"Tomorrow" Jennifer replied, slipping off the armchair and onto the floor so she could play with the children, Gabriel and Donovan still slightly wary of her but getting used to her presence. Donovan pointed to her and then to Adrian, signing the word for baby and grinning when Jennifer clapped her hands and nodded. "Good boy" she told him and then looked up at his parents, Harry smiling and showing her the sign for 'good boy' which she repeated to the deaf child and made him grin happily. "I find it amazing that they can understand and learn like that and they're only almost eleven months old"
"It does amaze us as well sometimes" Harry nodded and chuckled "When we first started going to sign language classes when we found out Donny was deaf and were told that normally babies begin to sign at about six months old if they are taught from a young age we thought they were being very optimistic. But when Gabriel and Donny did start signing and understanding what they wanted and were saying it was pretty startling"
"And upsetting" Nikki added "To see our babies talk to us like that"
"Well they both have to say their first words still, that's another thing to look forward to"
"Gabriel has, I don't know about Donny" Nikki sighed sadly at her deaf little boy before shrugging "Do you know anything about the other people moving in?"
"No, only that they're moving in tomorrow sometime"
"Good thing we're all free tomorrow then" Nikki smirked "We can be nosey"
"You are definitely my new best friend" Jennifer laughed and Harry rolled his eyes at the two women.