Following on from when Sophie tells Josh that she is pregnant

This part is all sweet and mushy...................

Sophie emerges from her room with Josh's arm around her. They are smiling. They come out to the kitchen and have a cup of tea with Elizabeth ( Sophie's mum).
Elizabeth; "Everything all right now ?"
They both nod. She hugs Josh warmly, but doesn't dare ask him about any wedding plans.
When Sophie's dad comes home from work he's pleased to see Josh, and all of the family sit down for dinner together. Josh has to stay the night in the other bedroom which belongs to Sophie's older brother Phil who is in London. Phil was in the same year group as Josh although they weren't very close.

Josh finds the whole sleeping set-up surreal, but admittedly both of the kid's rooms have single beds and there's no guest room with a double. He's 33 for god's sake and Sophie's only a few years younger but they both feel like kids here.

He is woken up early by Sophie coming in for a cuddle.
Josh; "Well hello, this is a nice surprise ! Are you sure that this is allowed ?"
Sophie giggles and snuggles up to him in the single bed.
Josh; "I feel like a teenager here. Phil's footy posters are still on the walls"
Sophie; "Yeah, I know. I was thinking about that yesterday in my room. But I've had enough of it you know....no more flitting from one job to another, one share-house to another.....and ...."
Josh; "....and running back to mum and dad when it goes sour ?"
Sophie; "Ow ! You got me there !"
Josh turns and looks at her, pushes the hair off her face, kisses her cute dimples and on her mouth but then stops suddenly and looks at her.
Josh; "Marry me Sophie !"
Sophie; "Oh Josh ! You don't have to ..."
Josh; "No stop" He puts his finger over her lips. "I'd thought about it anyway, this has just pushed it forward, that's all, I really mean it Sophie"
Sophie smiles, starting to cry again; "Of course Josh, of course"
Josh kisses her on the forehead; "I'm so relieved, I really thought that I had lost you this last week"
Sophie; "Sorry about that"
They sigh and lie in each other's arms, feeling like two naughty teenagers with the parents still asleep next door.

Josh and Sophie announce their exciting news to her parents that morning. Elizabeth and Andrew congratulate them although at the moment they wonder if it is an engagement under duress. Sophie's dad leaves for work after shaking Josh's hand and kissing his daughter on the head.

Elizabeth to Josh and Sophie; "So what are you two going to do today ? Do you have to go to work yet Josh ?"

Josh; "Well I should, but I can afford to take off a day or two this week, I'll make up for it later "

Elizabeth is reluctant to say this but it needs to be said; "I'm sure someone else would like to share your good news"

Josh swallows hard; "You're right"

Sophie looks at him sadly.

Josh is silent for a while, they look at him.

Josh; "Better get it over with hey ?"
Sophie; "Oh Josh, really ?"
Josh psyches himself up. It's been 15 years since he's been home. In that time there had been a few short phone calls, difficult phone calls but he'd never allowed himself to reveal his true emotions, keep a distance….. In the last few years he'd had no contact with them at all. They didn't know that he was a Sergeant, that he'd bought an apartment, and now this………..

They drive out to the farm in silence. Josh can see his father out in the paddock on the tractor. Shit, he thinks to himself. He pulls up in the front yard and the front door opens. Visitors aren't expected and the car has been heard. His mum stands on the verandah in shock, her hand over her mouth as she recognizes him striding forth.

Josh; "Mum….."

She bursts in to tears and grabs him; "Brendan !"

They stand together hugging and crying. When she finally lets go, Josh wipes the tears from his face and motions to Sophie to come join them.

Josh; "Mum, this is Sophie, my fiancée"

Josh's mum hugs her; "Yes, I've heard about you, I was hoping that we might meet"
Josh's dad comes in from the paddock to see who the visitor is. He's a tall, stern-looking man, rough from years of work on the farm and not used to betraying his emotions, but he reacts like his wife when he sees Josh and they stand in the front yard in an emotional bear-hug.

They all go inside for a cup of tea.

Josh's mum can't stop staring at her tall, confident son, and calling him Brendan.

Josh; "Mum, I'm called Josh now"

Josh's dad; "What rubbish is that ? You're Brendan Joshua, we're all Joshuas here."

Josh doesn't pursue this argument, he'd be walking on thin ice there !
Josh's mum ( Mary ); " You're still with the police then ?"
Josh; "Yes, but not exactly, I'm in tactical response now, it's a specialist team"

Josh's dad ( Colin ); "Is it now ".

Colin has always been very tough on his boys and can be critical and sarcastic, this is the main reason why Josh has put off coming home for so long, as much as he idolises his dad, he's also scared of him. After the accident his father had refused to speak to him for a few weeks then had started with the recriminations, Josh withstood it as long as he could, for his mother whom he dearly loves, but in the end it drove him away. The father that he had respected for so many years had become a bitter and resigned force.

Josh responds to his father, seeking his approval again; "Actually, I made Sergeanta few years ago….."

Mary; "Oh good on you !"

Colin doesn't respond apart from nodding that he heard Josh's news.

Mary; "And Sophie is at Uni I believe ?"
Sophie; "Yes……………well……."

Colin; "What exactly are you studying to be ?"
Sophie; "Ummm" ( it all seems so pointless now, she has no idea )

Josh decides to drop the bomb; "Sophie's pregnant actually"

There is a stunned silence from all, including Sophie.

Mary; "well……….that's….that's great news isn't it dad ?" But she doesn't sound too confident about this. She is being polite. Judging by her name there's a decent chance she's Catholic.

This thought has just occurred to Sophie, who had never bothered to ask Josh about his religion, or the religion of his family either since it seemed obvious that Josh only believed in fate, in some kind of obscure black and white, good and bad ethic.

Colin; "Indeed…..so there's a wedding soon is there son ?" He turns around and looks expectantly at Josh. Josh knows that it's a dare, he'd better have the correct answer or he's out of here now.

Mary; "Oh yes, sorry love, I forgot to tell you. He introduced her as his fiancée". Saved by mum again.

Colin; "Well congratulations then. So you're going to settle down at last then, hey ? Get a mortgage….."

Josh swallows again; "Um, already done that dad"

Colin; "Oh, right, it's been a while hasn't it "

The rest of the visit is a bit awkward. Although Josh's parents are pleased to see him, it's quite a shock, all of this news at once, and things are rather strained after so many years of silence. Josh's parents are old-fashioned and strict and have been disappointed in their remaining son. They should be impressed with his career, Josh would like them to be, but his father has a nagging yearning for a farmer son to leave the family farm to, and a son far away in the city doesn't satisfy this. Gavin was the keener farm boy and Colin can never forget that. This much was evident when Josh chose to leave. Josh knew then as he knows now that he would never be able to live up to the farmer expectations. Josh's mother has a soft side that is all too often repressed when the father is around. On her own she would have made a greater effort to remain in contact with Josh, and she has been trying to do this recently through second-hand news via Sophie's mum.

Josh and Sophie go for a walk out in the paddock and he shows her the place where he had the accident scarring him for life and killing his brother. They stand quietly, arms around each other.

Josh; "It's been so long, it doesn't seem so raw now, I shouldn't have left it this long"

Sophie hugs him.