Gillian let the boys have dinner together. It was getting late and Lewis complained about being hungry if he wasn't fed on a regular schedule. Gillian was going to wait for her husband though. He had text to say he was going to be late. Eight month old Owen was just starting out on solids (or was he six months? She still couldn't figure the adjusted age without counting off the markers on her fingers) so he was in the highchair having pureed pumpkin and Lewis was munching back fish fingers and a side salad. He ate what he considered to be 'yucky' first, the salad, then picked at the batter on his fish with his fingers, despite being told not to a few times; then he could eat the fish. Although when Gillian asked him why he wanted to pick the batter off he said it was 'yummy' which defied his earlier logic of eating the yucky salad first.

Gillian gave Owen another mouthful of pumpkin, which he kind of mushed around his mouth, pushing it out and sucking it back in. The phone rang and Gillian got up. Lewis watched her go and Owen cried out and waved his arms. "I'll just bit a minute," she told him, giving him the spoon.

"It's me," Cal indentified himself.

"Hi me," Gillian responded warmly. This could be the warning he was on his way. Like she needed warning... Actually, it was nice to know where he was.

"I'm gonna be anotha half hour I think."

"I'm starving!" Gillian complained lightly.

"Go," Cal started.

"I'm kidding," Gillian cut him off. "I'll wait for you."

"You're waitin'?"

"Yes."

"That's sweet, but you don't have to."

"Well I had a fish finger so I'm good for at least another half hour."

Cal chuckled. "All right. The munchkin's eatin' then?"

"Oh yeah, there was no way he was going to wait for you. Owen's having pumpkin."

"Ugh then you are so changin' his nappy in the mornin'."

Gillian laughed this time. How sucked in was she? Joking about dinner and diapers on the phone with her husband while feeling all warm inside because he called her like she was back in college and the boy she liked bothered to notice her? "Half an hour then?"

"I'll take the blatant change in subject as your agreement on the matta. And yep half an hour-ish should do it provided... nope, make it forty-five for traffic."

"Where are you?" Gillian asked curiously. She heard Owen cry out behind her. She should really wrap this up and get back to giving him his dinner.

"Virginia. But don't worry. I'm within spittin' distance of DC."

They said goodbye and hung up and Gillian put the phone back in its cradle on the breakfast bar. When she turned around she found Lewis standing on his chair and she was on the verge of telling him off when she realised what he was doing. He was talking to Owen, signing 'eat' at him and in his left hand was the spoon, held flat, with pumpkin on it, approaching Owen's mouth. The baby opened up for his big brother who carefully, with great concentration, put the spoon in. Owen closed his mouth around the spoon and gave a pleased smile. "Very good," Lewis told him, giving a 'thumbs up' with his right hand. He pulled the spoon out slowly again, tipping it up awkwardly like Gillian did so the pumpkin would get brushed off the utensil against the edge of Owen's gum. "Good work Wen," Lewis put the spoon back in Owen's bowl on the table and sat down again at his own plate, picking up a piece of fish with his hands. Gillian didn't even have the heart to tell him off for not using his fork, she was so surprised and pleased and other indescribable feelings like proud and warm and love.

"Aaaaah ah!" Owen called out, waving an arm again.

Gillian remained rooted to the spot, watching with interest and delight, as Lewis got to his feet again. "More?" He asked, making the sign. He took Owen's hand and pushed his fingers into a fist. Then he bobbed it up and down mimicking a 'yes' sign, holding on to his baby brother's hand. "You say yes," Lewis told him. Then he reached for the spoon and got more pumpkin and they went through the same careful and deliberate process.

Gillian felt tears well up in her eyes. Seriously, she must be incredibly emotional at the moment or something because that was just too damn cute and sweet and endearing and... She loved that Lewis was finally falling into his role as a big brother. Not that he hadn't tried but it had been difficult when Owen finally came home and then the apnoea spells and Lewis starting school and not, it just felt like everything had been crazy but was falling into place. It felt like they were carving out their normal. Now where was the camera?