Gail stood motionless as she watched the paramedics place the stretcher carrying Paul in the back of the ambulance, he was barely conscious but breathing, she felt numb and cold fixed to the spot. Jim slowly placed his hand on her shoulder to gain her attention.
"Why don't you go in the ambulance with Paul?" he suggested gently
Gail turned to him visibly shocked with tears in her eyes "What's wrong with him Jim?" she said almost whispering under her breath
"He'll be fine" Jim replied attempting to sound reassuring "He's a fighter, remember that...look you go with him and I'll lock up here" having now realised the state of Gail's own shock and the need for some direction.
"What about the children?" Gail said suddenly
"Don't worry, I'll phone Helen," Jim said, as he walked her over to the ambulance.
Half an hour later, Jim joined Gail in the waiting room of Accident and Emergency. She sat on her own as it appeared quiet thankfully.
"What's happening?" he asked hugging her
"I don't really know, they took him into surgery, Beverley came down as soon as she could and has gone to find out what's happening" Gail replied
Beverley hesitated on seeing Gail and Jim looking so worried and then continued walking towards them both. As she neared Jim looked up
"What's happening, we haven't been told anything yet?" he asked
"Calm down, it appears Paul's appendix ruptured, I'm hoping we've managed to operate before it became too serious...but if it had gone on things would be different" Beverley said "Gail has he complained of stomach pains or discomfort recently"
Gail looked at her raising her eyes to the ceiling "Yes, but he put it down to indigestion and stress" she replied "You know what he's like...doesn't like to admitting that he's ill and hates visiting the doctors"
Jim sighed, once again frustrated at his eldest sons independence "He's going to be okay"
Beverley continued "As long as the surgeons are able to isolate the infection Paul should be fine, we should know a little more soon. He's going to need complete rest for six weeks though" she replied "Look he's going to be unconscious from the surgery for the rest of the night so why don't you both go home and I will ring you when he wakes"
Gail shook her head without a thought "No I'll wait ...just until he's out of surgery..I need to see him" she said
Beverly looked at Jim; both sensed the urgency and determination in Gail's voice "Okay, fine" Jim said not wishing to cause any further agitation "but then I'll drive you back to our place and you can stay there tonight. Helen took the children back there earlier"
"You sure you don't mind?" Gail asked
Jim shook his head,
"Good, I'm glad that's settled. I'll let you know when you can see Paul" Beverley said "In the mean time try and relax, it looks like you found him in time"
The next few hours seemed to feel like an age to Gail as she sat outside the recovery room checking her watch frequently. The longer the wait the more concerned she became that something had gone wrong during surgery or she hadn't thought to see why Paul was so late home earlier. Beverley approached Jim and Gail smiling eventually and explained that everything had gone smoothly and Paul was now in the recovery area. She explained carefully that Paul was still unconscious from the anaesethic and wouldn't be able to talk until the morning so wouldn't be aware of them.
Jim let Gail enter the room first, while he waited outside, as she walked over to the bed she glanced at the drips in his arms and oxygen mask he was wearing, gently she took his hand in hers , it felt warm but motionless in her own, gently she squeezed his hand as if expecting him to respond. She looked at his face which appeared peaceful although she could clearly see the tiredness surrounding his eyes which had been concerning her for sometime. She caressed his cheek with her palm and kissed his hand thinking what would have happened if he hadn't been able to ring her when he did.
Gail's thoughts were broken when Jim came up behind her placing his hands on her shoulders quietly.
"Jim why didn't I see something was wrong, I knew he wasn't feeling too good but didn't expect this" Gail said, her eyes still fixed on Paul
"Oh come on, don't blame yourself, there was nothing anybody could have done earlier...the main thing is he's going to be fine, just needs to rest" Jim replied
Gail stifled a laugh "He's never going to agree to that!"
"Well he's got you, the children and Beverley a stone's throw away to keep him in order, apart from Helen and me. He won't be able to get away with anything without any of us knowing don't you worry" Jim said "Are you ready to go and get some rest?"
Gail kissed Paul tenderly on the cheek and hesitated before moving away, as she turned to face Jim she thought she imagined Paul's handing moving in hers, looking back at him she shrugged her shoulders and thought to herself that she must have imagined it as she had wanted some sign, however little.
Helen was just preparing hot milk when Jim and Gail walked in the front door of No.26. Jim was taken aback that Helen was still up but she explained that Beverley had phoned to say that they had left and Paul was out of surgery knowing that she was worried at home. As Gail sat at the kitchen table she rubbed her neck as she felt her tiredness start to spread over her body. Jim and Helen continued to talk between themselves and Gail suddenly felt an overwhelming need to see the children. After bidding goodnight to Jim and Helen and thanking them for all their help she found the children sleeping soundly, their breathing noises a comfort as she listened in the darkness trying to rest without success. That night the much needed sleep that Gail desired eluded her and she found herself listening and watching the babies sleep with their occasional stirrings; a familiar routine she and Paul frequently found themselves drawn in to without realising and then laughing.
Gail rose with an air of determination having eventually slept a little. She felt she couldn't leave the children with the Robinsons as they have their own plans and would likely be visiting Paul as well. She packed their belongings and prepared bottles for them ready for Mrs Kirkwood, luckily when she phoned early that morning there were vacancies at the crèche for the full day and she felt assured they would be well cared for there.
It was still early by the time Gail walked down the corridor towards Paul's hospital room. It was too early for visiting hours but Gail couldn't wait any longer and hoped to avoid the Sister on duty if possible. She paused as she turned the door handle in her hand slightly cautious of what to expect after seeing Paul in the office last night and later after his operation. Her thoughts of how pale and weak he had looked had not left her mind for a brief moment since.
Paul could not quite determine where he was when he opened his eyes, from the unfamiliar scent and the feel of the bed he knew he wasn't at home with Gail beside him. It was only when he glanced down at this hand and arm where he felt a cold sensation did he notice the drip and cannula. A hazy memory of sharp pain and then darkness was the only recall Paul had and the reasoning of his current situation; he mumbled Gail's name under his breath searching for some kind of explanation and reassurance but through his still blurred vision he surmised that there was nobody in the room. Gail's hand on the door handle immediately caught Paul's attention and he glanced over as she stepped tentatively in to the room. They looked at each other for what seemed like minutes before their gaze broke when Gail smiled broadly and walked swiftly to Paul to kiss and hug him enthusiastically without saying a word. Paul winced slightly due to the discomfort of the drips and the surgery. He hadn't realised how weak he felt until he tried to hold Gail in response, settling with holding her hand and a kiss.
"Would it be too much for me to ask what happened to me, the last I remember is a sharp pain and now I'm here!" Paul exclaimed
Still smiling from relief Gail placed her hand on Paul's chest and shook her head wondering where to start. Bit by bit Gail explained how Paul had telephoned her and she had found him collapsed in the office.
"So it was the Appendicitis that was causing the stomach pains, I just thought I had bad indigestion" Paul said
Gail sighed "You scared me last night" she said, tears in her eyes "I thought......."
Paul smiled weakly "Hey come on...you don't think you're going to get rid of me that easily do you?" he said
Gail smiled, gently kissing him "It's just when I saw you, unconscious and barely breathing..I felt devastated...I never realised how much I loved you until I saw you like that, it felt as though part of my world was crashing down" she said
Paul looked at her "I felt the same way after the babies were born; I remember sitting by your bed just willing you to wake up" he said
Gail smiled "You do realise you have to rest for the next six weeks and we'll be keeping a close eye on you to make sure you do" she said
Paul groaned "Six weeks" he said "Still look at the bright side, I'll have you attending to my every need"
Gail gently hit his arm "Watch it" she said
"How are the babies?" Paul asked
"They're fine...I couldn't sleep last night, everytime I closed my eyes I kept seeing you in the office unconscious so I sat listening to the sound of their breathing...it kind of calmed me" she said "I've dropped them off at the crèche today"
Paul laughed "Oh no triple trouble...Mrs Kirkwood isn't going to know what's hit her" he said
Gail looked at him, he still seemed pale and weak "How are you really feeling?" she asked
"Sore" Paul said "Like I've been hit by a truck"
"Hey I should let you get some rest" Gail said "I'll be back later"
Paul reached for her hand "Don't go" he said
Gail looked into his dark eyes, the same eyes that her two sons had and smiled "I'll be back" she said kissing him "I love you"
"Love you too" he said sleepily
"Get some sleep" Gail said
After leaving the hospital, Gail checked on the office and the crèche to see how the triplets were, seeing that they didn't seemed to be too bother by being left there she decided to do some shopping. An hour later she returned to pick up the triplets, going into the office beforehand to check that everything was running okay. On arriving back at Ramsay Street, Gail began unloading the triplets from the car, realising how much easier it was with Paul to help her, after getting them settled in the playpen she got the shopping out and set about putting it away. She was about to put the coffee pot on when the doorbell rang.
"Hi" Helen said as Gail opened the door
"Hi...come in" Gail said "I've just put some coffee on"
"You look shattered" Helen said
"Well I didn't sleep that well last night...just kept thinking about Paul" Gail replied
"How is he?" Helen asked
Gail sighed "Not too bad...tired and sore" she said
"I'll go up and see him later...do you need anything?" Helen asked
"No, we're fine" Gail replied as she poured out the coffee, walking over to the table she placed the mugs down before sitting. "You know last night scared me, when I saw Paul lying there unconscious I just feared the worst, I can't imagine what would have happened if I had got there later, just glad he managed to phone me" she said
Helen put her hand on Gail's arm "Beverley said there's no reason why he shouldn't make a full recovery...he'll be back to his old self before you know it" she said
Gail shook her head, the tears beginning to form, she glanced briefly at the babies in the playpen before turning back to Helen "I love him so much...more than I ever loved anyone" she said "You know I saw number 13 crash with Jeremy inside it and although that was a shock, I accepted it, realised that he loved that car more than me but I don't think I could ever accept losing Paul"
"I think Paul had a wake up call when Elle was born, when they wheeled you into theatre I saw the look of fear on his face, and he didn't leave your side until you woke up" Helen said "I don't think there is anything he wouldn't do for you or the children"
"I know" Gail smiled
A few weeks later Gail walked into Paul's hospital room carrying Elle, Paul's eyes lit up at the sight of them.
"I'm not sure who you're more pleased to see" Gail laughed "Me or our daughter"
"You of course" Paul replied stretching out his arms to take the baby "But this one comes a close second"
Gail carefully placed Elle into Paul's arm.
"Where's the other two?" Paul asked
"At home with Helen, they're fast asleep at the moment but this one's wide awake" Gail said "Which hopefully means she'll sleep tonight"
"What are the triplets causing you problems?" Paul asked
Gail shook her head and smiled as she watched Elle grab Paul's fingers "No...but it's easier with two of us to look after them" she said, sitting on the edge of the bed, gently supporting Elle's back.
"You can always ask dad and Gran for help" Paul said "You know that"
Gail sighed "I don't like to....I mean they have their own lives to live; their own routines besides it's only difficult at feeding times and when they all decide they want attention at the same time but most of the time it's okay" she said "And they also enjoy being at the crèche so I've been able to go into the office part time"
"Ah do you intend to come into the office when I'm back at work?" Paul asked
"Ahem you won't be back at work for quite some time and yeah I enjoy being back at work, I've managed to re organised the office, recruiting a few new members of staff...so well if you don't mind me being around I'd love to come back part time" she said
"Since when have I said I don't like having you around" Paul said "So these new members of staff you're going to hire I gather they're all female over 50 or they're male"
Gail gently punched him "Watch it matey" she said "I haven't appointed anyone yet, just done a few interviews."
"Oh I see" Paul laughed
"So have the doctors said when you can come home?" Gail asked, smiling at the interaction between Elle and Paul, as he gently tickled her and she squealed.
"Hopefully by the end of next week" Paul said "But then I have to rest for another month or so"
"Yeah well you have been overworking lately" Gail said "I guess your body was telling you to slow down"
Paul looked at her, placing his hand on hers "I know, I've been thinking that we're in danger of being in the situation we were nine months ago and it's not what I want; I promised you that I would put you and the children first but sometimes the company is so demanding" he said
"Darling, don't worry...I know you have to work and we've managed to keep the weekends for us" Gail said
"Can't wait to come home, I've missed you so much even the getting up at three in the morning to attend to the babies" Paul said
Gail laughed "I've missed you too...I love you so much, I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to you" she said, tears in her eyes
Paul caressed her cheek "Hey I'm here" he said "Nothing is ever going to take me away from you"
"I know that" Gail smiled, quickly moving towards Elle as she almost tumbled over the side of the bed, taking her daughter in her arms she looked at Paul seriously. "I'm sorry I got so uptight over you and Janette"
"Gail there was no me and Janette, I love you too much to do anything like that..." Paul said "I'm not Jeremy" he added quietly.
Gail smiled "I know that..I was just being silly" she said
Four weeks later, Paul had returned home from hospital but Beverley had him on a strict routine of rest, not allowing him to go into the office. Gail continued to go into the office during the morning leaving one of the triplets with Paul and placing the other two in the crèche. Paul was stretched out on the sofa with Robert when Gail walked in, carrying Cameron. Paul turned and looked at her, as she walked over to the playpen and placed the baby inside.
"Hey" he said "Where's our daughter?"
"Sold to the highest bidder" Gail laughed "She's in the car, can't carry both of them they're too heavy"
"Do you want me to get her?" Paul said
Gail turned and looked at him, shaking her head and smiling at the sight of Paul and Robert cuddled up together "No it's fine.." turning to the television she frowned "What on earth are you doing watching that"
Paul laughed "We were enjoying it" he said "Used to watch it with Lucy when she was little"
"Darling, Robert is nine months old" she said walking outside to go and collect Elle.
Paul rolled his eyes and went back to watching the film, when she came back inside, she placed the baby next to Robert, knowing full well that Elle would demand her father's attention. Gail picked up Cameron and went sat opposite Paul.
"So apart from trying to get our son to watch 'The Wizard of Oz" how has your day been?" she asked
"Not too bad" Paul said "Poor old Robert, he still can't work out what to do once he's rolled onto his stomach, I reckon he'll be crawling soon, just needs to get the mechanics of it right"
"Yep and we'll have to have stair gates, child locks on the cupboards and goodness knows what else to keep these three out" Gail said "Just glad we haven't got a swimming pool"
"I'm going to get lunch and then we can put these three down for a nap" Gail said
After lunch, Gail and Paul settled the triplets before going back downstairs to wash the dishes.
"Elle and Cameron were almost asleep before their heads hit the pillow" Paul commented "I reckon that the crèche does them good" he said
"Yeah I think Elle likes the idea of bossing the others around.....Mrs Kirkwood commented the other day at how good she was at asserting her authority" Gail laughed
"What authority...she's nine months old" Paul said
"Like father, like daughter" Gail said
Paul laughed "Hmm I don't think so...more like her feisty mother" he said
Gail gently slapped him "I'm not feisty....just because I keep you inline...someone's got to" she said
"Keep me in line...don't think so" Paul said "So are you going to leave Elle with me tomorrow?"
"What and spoil her fun!" Gail replied "Besides I thought you and Robert might want to continue watching the film"
Paul laughed "He's so good, loves having one to one attention but I have to say he's getting more and more frustrated with not being able to move"
"He's a little bit shy" Gail said "He doesn't like being in the crèche as much as the other two do"
"hmm, well leave him here tomorrow" Paul said "I was thinking today"
"Did it hurt...you don't want to do too much of that" Gail laughed
"Hardy ha...I was thinking about last year" Paul said softly
Gail looked at him and frowned
Paul gently stroked her cheek before continuing "These past few weeks I've realised how lonely you must have felt being alone here while I was working all hours, I mean it's not been so bad for me as I've had one of the triplets to keep me company....but you had no one...I didn't see what was happening"
Gail sighed "You had other things on your mind...trying to stop the business from falling apart" she said
Paul shook his head and pulled her closer to him "No...well yes that was the debt problem but the most important thing to me was you and I failed to see what was happening, how you were feeling..I'm sorry" he said
Gail looked at him and was shocked to see tears in his eyes "Hey where is this coming from?" she said "We can't change what happened last year but you've more than made up for it this year, you've been with me every step, letting Rosemary take control of the company for the first few months of the triplets lives, helping me cope with the triplets and even now you're not spending every waking hour in the office..you kept your promise that the weekends were for the family"
Paul smiled "I don't deserve you" he said
A few days later, Paul and Gail sat on the floor with the triplets, trying to encourage them to crawl. Looking at Robert, Gail was sure that all he needed was a little encouragement; the other two didn't appear interested in moving at all.
"I know let's put his favourite teddy bear in the middle of the room and see if that gets him moving" Paul said, as he got up and walked over to the playpen, picking up Robert's favourite blue bear. Placing it in the middle of the room, he went and sat down next to Gail. Robert looked at the bear.
"Robert where's your bear" Paul said
Robert turned to Paul and grinned but still made no attempt to move,
"Go on Robert, fetch the bear" Gail said softly
Robert moved from a sitting position to a crawling position but stayed there, not even trying to go towards the bear, from the corner of his eye Paul thought he saw another movement, Gail laughed as Elle finally decided she'd had enough of this game and moved towards the bear, finally reaching it she grabbed it before throwing it at her brother. Gail stifled a laugh.
Paul looked bemused "She's never even looked interested in moving, always happy to let someone pi ck her up and carry her" he said
"Well Mrs Kirkwood thought that she was planning her first move, she says she always seems to be observing the other babies crawling" Gail laughed
All of a sudden, Robert grabbed hold of the bear, taking his first few faltering steps towards Elle, Paul and Gail watched, finally as he got to Elle he promptly smacked her with the bear, Elle squealed, throwing herself in Robert's direction, she made to grab the bear back, but Robert was quicker and moved away. Gail saw Elle's pout, knowing what was about to happen she got up, moving towards her daughter she picked her up.
"Okay you two, that's enough of that game" she said
Paul picked up Cameron, getting up he went and sat on the sofa. Gail went and sat down by him, placing Elle back on the floor; Cameron put his arms out to be taken, so Paul handed him to Gail. Out of the corner of his eye, Paul saw Robert move away from the living room into the kitchen, laughing he got up,
"Oh no you don't" He laughed as he picked the baby up, swinging him up in the air, Robert squealed with delight.
"Paul, be careful, he's heavy you know you've still got to take care" Gail said
Paul groaned "I know...but the six weeks are up" he said as he sat down beside her, putting his arm around her he kissed her "You worry too much"
Gail laughed "By the way I saw Des earlier, he thought you might like to go to the Waterhole with him this evening" she said "Oh but that's not an invitation to do a detour to the office...you're still banned from there for a little while longer"
"You're a hard woman, Mrs Robbo" Paul replied
"Just looking after my interests" Gail said "You know perfectly well you're supposed to be resting stress free"
Paul laughed "What with three babies"
Gail rolled her eyes "You know what I mean" she said
"What time did Des suggest I meet him?" Paul asked
"About seven thirty, Bronwyn's babysitting Jamie so he'll come around her e and pick you up" Gail replied
"You sure you don't mind?" Paul said "We could always ask dad and Beverley if they'll babysit for us and you could join us"
Gail shook her head "It's fine...besides I can watch tv or curl up with a book" she said
At number 26, Jim Robinson slammed the phone down, Beverley walked in from the kitchen carrying some coffee mugs, seeing the look on his face she said "What's wrong?"
"Oh that was Julie, she's thinking of leaving Phil and wants to know if she can come and stay here" Jim replied "After Christmas...I just don't believe her...just hope that her and Phil can patch things up"
"Well she's your daughter...I guess if she needs a place to stay we'll have to find a way to accommodate her" Beverley said
"How?" Jim replied "We've already got a full house, she's the limit she really is, expecting everyone down here to welcome her with open arms"
"We'll manage...Todd can go home and I'm sure Nick can find somewhere to stay" Beverly said
Jim went and sat down, feeling a headache come on her rubbed his hands over his eyes. "By the way where is everyone? He asked
"Helen's at Madge's and I think the two boys are out with Sharon and Matt and Lucy is at Emma's" Beverley said "So we have the house to ourselves...what's really going on between you and Julie, apart from Christmas."
"What do you mean?" Jim asked
"With you and Julie, I know she behaved really badly at Christmas but she's family and I guess if she leaves Phil then we'll have to accommodate her" Beverley said "If you're worried about Lucy I'm sure she'll be okay...you know what she's like probably forgotten all about the argument at Christmas"
"No she hasn't" Jim said "Her birthday's coming up and she hasn't mentioned it once which isn't like her"
Beverley picked up her coffee mug, Jim looked at her,
"If you want the truth I'm not sure I'm ready to forgive Julie for what she did to Lucy or for the way she treated Paul and Gail and I certainly don't want her here" Jim said
"But she's your daughter, Hannah is your granddaughter" Beverley said
Jim sighed, shaking his head, tired of living a lie "No she isn't" he said
Beverley looked at him, shocked by his admission, but waited for him to continue.
"Before Julie was born, I was still studying and had to be away from home quite a bit, we used to be friendly with my boss and his wife and they used to take care of Anne and Paul while I was away, Roger always had an eye for the ladies and I think his marriage was an open one. One weekend he came onto Anne when she told him she wasn't interested he raped her" Jim said "Unfortunately she got pregnant"
"Are you sure...I mean are you certain that the baby wasn't yours" Beverley asked
Jim nodded "Yes...Anne and I were careful, we didn't want another child so soon after Paul, I also had to think about my studies" he said "When we found out she was pregnant, I was angry...then she told me what happened...at first I didn't believe her...I knew what Roger was like and just thought they'd been carrying on behind my back...she even left me and took Paul with her" he said "Then I heard him one afternoon, bragging about what happened and the fact that I was away"
"What happened?" Beverley said
Jim picked up his mug "I wanted to kill him, I should have trusted Anne but then I was young and a hot head, I know where Paul gets it from" he said
Beverley smiled
"Anyway she wanted to get rid of the baby...but I didn't want her to go through that after everything else so I said that I'd bring it up as my own, I mean I was still hoping there was a chance that it was mine...anyway when the baby was born we had a blood test, I think we both needed to know the truth...but it proved that the baby couldn't be mine" Jim said sadly "It was okay though, I convinced myself that the baby was still part of Anne and I could love it regardless of who the father was, for the most part that worked, in fact I had a better relationship with Julie than Anne did, but at Christmas that changed, I suddenly saw Roger Bannon in her, the cruelty in which she told Lucy the truth about her mother, how she was forever sniping at Paul and Gail, to be honest I was glad when she went home"
"I noticed" Beverley said
"As for Hannah she's just spoilt, it looks like Julie gives her everything she wants, there's nothing about either her or Julie that resembles Anne" Jim said "Anne would never have done anything like what she did to Lucy...I always thought that Julie had her mother's compassion but it's gone, she doesn't care what she says or who she hurts and to be honest I don't want her back here"
"Does Helen know?" Beverley asked
Jim shook his head "No...at the time Anne's father was ill so we didn't want to worry them with any of our problems, it's only at Christmas that I found out that Rosemary knew the truth, Anne stayed with Rosemary after she left me" he replied
Meanwhile back at Number 22 Paul was washing the dishes while Gail finished putting the triplets to bed, walking into the kitchen she crept up behind Paul and placing her arms around him kissed him.
"Hey I was going to do that after all you did the cooking" she said
Paul smiled and turned in her arms "its okay, how's Elle...settled yet?"
"Yeah Gail said
"I heard you talking to her over the intercom" Paul said
Gail laughed "Wasn't ready to give into sleep...but she's fine now"
"It's just sounded so cute over the intercom, the way you gently soothed her and her gurgling" Paul laughed
Gail smiled, as they were interrupted by the doorbell.
"That will be Des" Gail said
"You sure you don't mind me going out?" Paul asked
Gail shook her head "No...go and answer the door!" she replied.
Gail finished the washing up as Paul went to answer the door, Des walked into the house and waited while Paul went to get ready. Before going back downstairs he checked on the Nursery.
"Well the babies are asleep" He said as he got downstairs, "Hopefully they'll stay like that"
"Yeah and just you remember to stay away from the office" Gail said
Paul rolled his eyes "Yes sir"
"You sound henpecked Paul" Des laughed
"Am not!" Paul said "Once I'm out of here she won't know what I'm doing"
Gail picked up the cushion and threw it at him "Behave" she said "Des, make sure he doesn't do anything he's not supposed to"
Paul walked over to her and kissed her "Would I dare?" he laughed before walking out the door.
Later that evening Paul and Des sat in the waterhole.
"So how's its going?" Des asked "I mean you coping with being away from the office"
Paul laughed "Well I don't mind to be honest, its Gail that's had to cope with looking after the babies and the office...not that she's complained" he replied
"I think she's just happy that you're okay" Des said "She was really worried about you"
"She's been amazing, I want to do something really special for her birthday, I thought about taking her back to New Zealand for four days, for the weekend of her birthday." Paul said "I phoned Scott and he said he and Charlene would come and look after the triplets. Just think we deserve a little time to ourselves"
"You really want to leave the babies?" Des said
Paul shook his head "Of course not, I love those three so much but I think Gail needs spoiling especially after I forgot her birthday last year" he said
"It's a nice idea but I think New Zealand would be a little far for four days, why not somewhere along the coast or even Tasmania"
Paul thought for a moment "Tasmania might be a good idea, I know she hasn't seen Ian in ages and although I've kept in touch with news every so often, he feels he's lost his daughter" he said "Maybe if I take his contact details with us, and Gail feels the time is right to meet up then we can do that"
Des smiled "Do you think she'll be happy to leave the babies?" he said "They're not even a year old"
Paul sighed "I'm not sure how I feel about it but they will be in good hands, and dad and Beverly are next door and don't forget Madge and Harold will be around, not to mention you and of course Bronwyn...so there's enough people with experience to help Scott and Charlene and it's just four days" he said "Not to mention that we can phone home regularly."
"I'd check it out with her first, speak to Jim too and see what he thinks" Des said "I'd hate for you to book it and then her not want to go"
"I already spoke with dad, and he's happy to keep an eye on things but he also thinks I should discuss it with Gail first...just in case she doesn't want to go" Paul said, picking up his drink.
Des looked at Paul's half empty glass "Do you want another drink?" he asked
"Sure" Paul said "Then it's time to head home I think"
Des laughed "It's still early....Don't tell me you're going to do a detour to the office"
"Of course not!" Paul said
Meanwhile back at Number 22, Gail walked into the nursery to check on the triplets, smiling she saw that everything was quiet, looking down in Robert's cot she saw he had kicked his covers off again, gently she covered him up again, she stood watching him sleep for a while before turning and checking on the other two. Looking down at Elle, she smiled at the look of innocence on the child's face, Elle's thumb was in her mouth and her other arm securely wrapped around her favourite koala bear, Gail knew her daughter was going to be a character, she was already showing signs that she could wrap both her father and her grandfather around her little finger, this one was going to be feisty, her brothers didn't stand a chance. Gail's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Looking at her watch she saw it was still early, taking one last look at the babies she went downstairs to answer the door.
"Hi Jim" she said on opening the door "Come in"
"Are you alone" Jim asked "Where's Paul?"
"He's gone to the Waterhole with Des" Gail replied "I thought he needed to get out"
"Oh..just thought I'd come and see how things are...Beverley got called into the hospital and everyone else is out tonight" Jim said
"Do you want a coffee?" Gail asked, walking over to the kitchen.
"I'd love one" Jim replied "How's the babies?"
"Asleep..Robert and Elle started crawling today, Cameron doesn't seem that interested...although he seems to like rolling himself over and over. It was funny, we placed Robert's favourite bear in the middle of the living room and tried to coax him to go to it but he wasn't interested and Elle decided to go and get it, although she threw at him and manage to get it to hit him, then Robert retaliated, picked up the bear, crawled to Elle and promptly hit her with it. Your granddaughter was not amused" Gail said laughing
"She's a character" Jim said "I remember her christening when she screamed the place down"
Gail laughed "Yes and she knows just how to wrap both you and Paul around her little finger" she said
"Just like Lucy" Jim said "Speaking of Lucy, I had a call from Julie today"
Gail picked up the coffee mugs and walked over to the living room, placing them on the coffee table she sat down on the sofa while Jim sat opposite her.
"Oh" Gail said
"Yeah, she's thinking of leaving Phil and wants to come back home" Jim said, picking up his coffee mug.
"Are things that bad between them?" Gail said picking up her mug and taking a sip of coffee
Jim sighed "Apparently so" he said
"You've already got a full house" Gail said
"I know, but she just thinks that we can ask both Nick and Todd to leave, well I guess Todd could go back to Adelaide but Nick has no one and I promised him he would always have a family with us, so I'm not prepared to push him out" Jim said "She's become so much like Hilary, doesn't care about other people's feelings"
"What are you going to do?" Gail asked
Jim laughed "I'm hoping her and Phil sort things out" he said "The other thing is that Lucy isn't going to be happy if Julie comes home"
Gail looked down at her coffee mug "I know...what Julie said at Christmas hurt her deeply"
"Her birthday is coming up and you know what she's like...she used to remind us every day for a month beforehand about what she wanted, this year she hasn't mentioned it" Jim said
"Paul and I were talking about it a while back, he's noticed the change but like I said to him unfortunately that date holds a different meaning now as it's also the date her mother died" Gail said
"But we never made an issue of it...always made sure that her birthday was a happy occasion" Jim said
"I'll talk to her" Gail said "But it still won't change the fact that she isn't going to be happy if Julie returns"
"Yeah, I don't think Julie realised that she's now lost her sister" Jim said "They never had a close relationship as Julie was always bossing her around but now I would say that Lucy wouldn't want to go within a mile of Julie"
"It's sad really" Gail said
"Families" Jim said rolling his eyes.
Meanwhile back at the Waterhole, Paul and Des were finishing their drinks "Another one?" Des said
"You're joking" Paul laughed "I'm on orange juice mate, don't think I can drink anymore"
"Yeah sorry I forgot you couldn't drink" Des said
"It doesn't matter...but I think it's time we made a move" Paul said
"It's still early...oh don't tell me you're going to check the office out" Des said "Gail is going to kill you and me if she hears about it"
Paul got up out of his seat "No...just don't want to leave Gail alone for too long" he said
"Okay" Des said
Half an hour later, Paul and Des arrived back in Ramsay Street, after saying goodnight they parted company. Paul opened the front door, Gail looked up and smiled.
"Hi Darling you're home early" she said
"Yeah well I was on orange juice all night, doesn't have the same appeal" he replied
Jim stood up
"Hi dad" Paul said
"Hi yourself, I was just about to leave" Jim said
"Night Jim" Gail said as she walked towards the door. On closing the door, Paul took her in his arms and kissed her. Gail laughed
"What's got into you" she said "You haven't been to the office"
Paul looked shocked "How could you even think that?" he said "I just wanted to come back and see you...thought we might get an early night"
Gail laughed "Well our offspring are asleep" she said
Paul went to pick Gail up but she stopped him shaking her head "Oh no you don't...you're not carrying me upstairs, you're still recovering remember" she said
"Spoilsports" he said, taking her hand, he led her upstairs, Gail switched off the downstairs light on her way upstairs. As he reached their bedroom, Paul opened the door and kissed Gail tenderly.
"I love you" he said
Gail smiled "I know I love you too" she said
"I really love you" Paul said
Gail looked at him, "Paul what's wrong?" she asked
Paul laughed "Nothing I just want you to know how much I want you" he said as he gently lowered her onto the bed.
Later they lay cuddled tightly together, Gail kissed Paul, "It's been a long time Mr Robbo" she smiled
"Too long" Paul said "All I could think about tonight was you, Gail you're the most important thing in my life"
"Paul...I feel the same way about you; what we have is so special" she said "I never felt this way about anyone...as long as I have you and our children I'm happy"
"How was your evening?" Paul asked
"Fine..Jim popped around for a coffee...apparently he had a phone call from Julie, she and Phil are thinking of splitting up and she wants to come back home" Gail said
Paul groaned
"Jim also concerned about Lucy" Gail said
"Well Lucy won't be happy if Jules returns but she'll get used to it" Paul said, snuggling up closer to Gail
Gail sighed "It's not just that....he's concerned that she's dwelling on her mum's death, you know what she's like with her birthday...well this year she hasn't mentioned it" she said
"I know...but like I said before there's nothing we can do about it" Paul said "The date has a different meaning now, a meaning we never wanted her to know about"
"I'll talk to her" Gail said "See if I can make her see things differently that her birthday should still be celebrated"
Paul thought for a moment "I had a thought about your birthday" he said
"Oh you remembered it's coming up" she said, nudging him slightly
"Ha ha, of course I remember, wouldn't dare not" he said kissing her "But I had a thought, I wondered if you wanted to go away for the weekend, just the two of us, I phoned up Scott and he and Charlene will come and look after the triplets for us"
Gail looked at him "It's a nice idea but the babies are so young and Scott and Charlene have no experience, it will be like throwing them in at the deep end." She said
"I know but there's dad, Beverly, Gran and Madge and Harold who'll be around if needed and it's only for four days" Paul said "I want to do something really special for you"
Gail smiled "Four days alone with you would be heaven" she said "I have to admit that"
"Then say 'yes'" Paul said "I want to make up for what happened last year. The babies will be okay and we get back we can start thinking about their first birthday party"
Gail smiled "I love you so much...okay but where are we going?" she said
"Ah that part I'm not telling you" he said "Haven't decided yet, but wherever it is it will be special I promise you that"