It's Amazing

"It's amazing the effect a tiny baby has on the world around it."

"Mmm. What makes you say that?"

"Your Mum. Suddenly she and Alan seem to find an awful lot of reasons to come to Harrogate."

Blue eyes smiling at the truth of this, "She did the same when the boys were small, any excuse would do for her to come by and cuddle them for a bit." Suddenly wondering, "Is she here too much? If she is a nuisance I could-"

"No, no. They never stay long. As you say they come by for a cuddle with the baby and they are on their way. Celia always calls first to say they are in town, can they bring me anything while they are out. Then if I don't need anything she wonders if it is a good time to stop in anyway. It's endearing really." Shifting the baby to her shoulder for a burp, "A few months ago I wouldn't have pictured her being this interested in Callie. Or this considerate of me."

Caroline is lying on her side, head propped on an elbow fingering tiny dangling feet that scrunch at her touch. "She didn't call the first week or two though did she? They were just dropping in."

"Now that you mention it."

"I think Gillian may have said something to her. She was very diplomatic. Told my mother not everyone was like her, willing to have any and all dropping by unannounced at all hours. Being a new mother could be stressful enough without entertaining unexpected visitors. She got Mum talking about when I was first born and Grandmother Dawson used to do that very thing. She told Gillian it made her feel like she was being spied on by her mother-in-law, a sort of unannounced inspection. It must have made her think a bit."

Grinning, "I'll have to thank Gillian one day." Settling the baby to latch on again, "Laurence has been sweet too. When he gets home, if I'm not out in the sitting room he comes calling for me." Chuckling a little, "Doesn't want to walk into any surprises, I think. But he does want to see our little Callie. He washes his hands and even if she is sleeping I let him hold her. He is so pleased with her, he calls her CK. Did you know?"

Continuing at Caroline's smiling nod, "Of course, to be fair it isn't only since she has been born. While I was on bed rest he would do the same, come to see if I needed anything. I reckoned he did that because you told him to but then he would sit down and tell me the news of the school. What happened that day, all the little dramas that were unfolding. I really appreciated that. I was feeling very isolated and it helped."

"Kate, I am sorry I've gotten so caught up into work since mid-terms. But with taking on the new school I've had to work late. Besides, I told you the school news every night too." Slightly hurt, "I didn't know you'd heard it all before I got here."

Gently, "Caroline. Your school news is different from our school news. You tell me about administrative people and issues of your day, at the look on Caroline's face Kate hurries on, "And I want to hear all of that, I do. But… Laurence tells me about… teachers and students, classroom news."

"Oh I see." Pretending to be haughty but really she is glad that these two have formed a bond. Relenting, "He has been good, hasn't he? He did spend an entire Saturday afternoon on the floor of the nursery with me putting together that expletive deleted cot." Incensed at the memory. "How anything could have that many bits and pieces I still haven't fathomed."

Her mind going back to Laurence, "Then the Friday morning you went into labor he wanted to come to the hospital with us. I knew it was going to be a long day and maybe into the night as well so I made him go to school. When Mum brought him by that afternoon I couldn't get him to go home with her. Edie was kind enough to say 'let him stay, I'll take him home' with me, so Mum and Alan could get back before it got too late. He didn't say it but I could tell he was worried about you. Then the next morning he practically beat me to the door at Edie's, afraid I was going to leave him behind when I came back to the hospital to see you. He wanted to be first to hold her before everyone else arrived I think."

"That was a good day wasn't it? Everyone coming in, eager to see her."

"I was afraid we were overwhelming you. Everyone at once, the endless photos. You still looked so tired."

"No more tired than you," only half teasing, "I almost think you felt more pain through the labor than I did." Watching the pink come into Caroline's face, "you'd look so distressed that I felt guilty whenever I couldn't help crying out."

Troubled, "Oh Kate, it was you who had it all to endure. I'm so sorry if I made it worse, harder on you…"

Putting fingers to the downturned lips, "Shh," with a loving smile, "You didn't make it worse. I was so glad you were there." Swallowing the lump in her throat, horror in her eyes at the alternative possibility, "what if you hadn't been there? If I'd had to do that alone? If we hadn't-"

Stopping her, "Don't!" Then, her voice gentling, "Don't even say it." For a long moment they were quiet, contemplating the unthinkable.

Then Kate returned to her interrupted thought, "You, staying with me around the clock, all through the night even after she was born. I had to make you go home at four in the morning." Her eyes tender, meeting Caroline's, "We were both tired but happy that day. It would have been heartbreaking if they hadn't wanted to be there wouldn't it?" Smiling again at the memories, "Even Gillian and Raf and Ellie came over in the afternoon. And Will, dear Will, traveling all the way from Oxford on one day only to return the next so he could see us. We're very lucky, Caroline."

"Yes we are, My Brown Eyed Girl." Taking the baby, who had finished nursing, and laying her on the bed between them Caroline leaned over her to kiss waiting lips. Allowing their lips to part Caroline laughed, on the verge of tears, unable to contain her joy in Kate.

What Do They Talk About Anyway?

Laurence, on the way to his bedroom, heard the murmur of voices behind his Mum and Kate's door. Just as he reached his own, the sound of his Mum's laugh caught up with him, low and private sounding. He felt a little jealous.

It was only him watching the telly most nights now. He missed Will. When he was at home, even if he had his nose in a book he was at least in the room and he was usually keeping up with the program as well as his book. Now, Mum and Kate went to bed once they had Callie down. They would snuggle on the couch in the evening for a while and watch telly with him if he let them see something that they liked. To be fair they didn't go to bed that early, it was just that it wasn't that late either. He liked to sit up late and watch something but it was nicer if someone else were there too. Mum always said that Kate was tired from being up with the baby so often in the night but whenever he came back here, he could hear them talking, not words that you could hear, just sounds of conversation. How did they find so much to talk about anyway?

A Spa Day?

"Kate, how would you fancy a day to yourself on Saturday?"

Surprised, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've been thinking, you've barely had a minute to yourself since we got back together last winter. What with moving house, getting settled, the wedding…" Eyes glowing, Caroline had to stop there for a kiss. "You were so beautiful." Finally going on with her theme, "The final stages of pregnancy, giving birth... I just wondered if you might be looking for a little time to yourself once in a while. I could take care of Callie."

Amazed, "What, go off without you? And do what?"

"I don't know, spa day maybe, sauna, massage, hair, nails, the works. There's that place on-."

Indignant, "Have you ever known me to have a spa day?"

Blinking, "Well, we were only beginning to get to know each other last year when… And since Christmas… Oh I don't know, I'm making a hash of this. I just don't want you to feel like you can't go and do things you like to do. Feel trapped, like I'm always there, you can never just… be." Shrugging, "I want you to feel that you can do what you want to do."

Eyeing Caroline speculatively, "Is that how you feel? Is that what this is about?"

"No. NO. God no. Kate, I only want to be with you. Whenever we're apart, work or shopping, whatever, I can't get through quickly enough to get back to you."

"Then what brought this up?"

"I don't know." Looking down, tracing a finger over the sleeping baby, "I was rocking Callie to sleep tonight while you tidied the kitchen and got thinking back to when the boys were first born. Especially William. When it was all so new and I didn't know what to expect next. The everlasting constancy of it all surprised me. And then, families popping in unannounced all the time, excited about a first grandchild. It was all a little overwhelming. There were times I would have killed for 30 minutes to myself. But no one offered them to me. I just don't want to be as insensitive as…"

"As John. Understanding a little bit now. "Caroline, I'm so sorry that's the way it was for you." After a moment, "Nothing like that has even occurred to me.

"Soooo, you don't want a spa day?"

"I didn't say that." Pulling her close, "What if we get my Mum to keep Callie and we both have a spa day?"

"Yeah? You'd want to do that?"

"Caroline you've barely had a moment to yourself since Christmas either. We could both do with a little pampering."

The baby between them let out her thin infant cry. Once again, as for so many months she was resting between these two women who leaned over her to one another. Her Mums. Caroline laughed softly before kissing Kate again, "sounds like someone else is looking for some pampering."

Private Time

Coming in and closing the door, "Just a nappy change, I think she is out for a while."

"Caroline, what are you doing?"

"Turning the monitor down."

"Why?"

"Just for a bit."

"Why?"

Looking at Kate as she slowly unbuttoned her blouse, Caroline let her gaze into deep brown eyes explain. One by one she discarded items of apparel, watching Kate watching her. Bending, she patiently gathered the covers to the foot of the bed, gradually revealing the golden brown skin of an unclad Kate. Crawling up the length of the bed to incrementally lower onto the newly lithe frame, eyes devouring the form and the details on the way up, feeling the hum in Kate's body at their first touch.

Reverently, "I love it when you hum." Kisses drifting down the elegant arched neck.

Distracted. "I'm not humming."

In her ear, "Don't tell me you can't feel it."

Nuzzling the freckled cheek, "Course I do, it's you." Whispering, "I felt it when you touched me."

"Not me. You." Lips graze lips. Repeatedly.

"Us."