Gail didn't answer, causing Paul to look at her; he looked to where she was looking and rolled his eyes. "I don't believe it" he said
Gail looked at him "Paul what he doing here with her, I told him I didn't want to see her"
Paul was baffled by Gail's sudden change of temperament "Who" he said, looking and seeing Ian walking towards them "Who is that woman?"
"It's her" Gail hissed angrily at him "Who else would he be with"
Paul took another look at the woman with Ian, and saw an older version of his wife; turning back to Gail he whispered "What do you want to do?"
"Get out of here!" she said angrily "Can't believe he brought her here" The children started crying as Gail hurried them along, Paul gently put his hand on her arm "Stop it you're scaring them"
Gail sighed and sat back in her chair, Paul looked towards the other side of the bridge where Ian was watching the unfolding scene. "Okay, Listen" Paul spoke softly "Take the children inside the coffee shop and wait for me"
Gail nodded as Paul stood up, together they got the triplets off their chairs and led them into the Coffee Shop "Be back in a minute" Paul said kissing Gail, at the door he looked back at his family before going outside again. As he saw Paul approach the bridge, Ian walked towards, Paul walked angrily towards him.
"What the hell are you playing at Ian" he said angrily. "Why couldn't you do the one thing I asked you to...respect Gail's wishes especially today of all days, which you have just ruined now"
"I've done nothing wrong, we just arranged to meet here for breakfast, it's not my fault that you decided to bring Gail here too" Ian replied
Louise looked shocked at Paul's anger "I really don't see what the problem is...after all I am her real mother" she said
Paul spoke to her for the first time "I understand that, Gail and I have spoken at lengths about this and she doesn't want to meet you, I'm sorry but that's just the way it has to be. I respect her wishes and ask that you do the same especially if Ian wants to remain in contact with her as he is already risking that"
"I don't want to cause any trouble" Louise said "I just want to meet her; surely I have a right to do that"
Paul sighed and closed his eyes, he remembered Gail's words to him, the fact that Louise gave up any rights to her when she gave her away "I'm sorry but you need to stay away"
Ian sighed "This is ridiculous...what about tonight...the party?" he said
Paul shook his head "Ian all you two had to do was stay away from here...as for the party maybe it would be best if you didn't come tonight" he said
"She really hates me doesn't she?" Louise said
Paul looked at the ground not sure what to say, he knew Gail didn't hate her, just preferred not to see her "No" Paul said finally "She doesn't hate you...just give her some space and time, I'm going back into the Coffee Shop to collect my family and when I come out I want to see both of you gone from here"
"You can't throw us out of here" Ian said
"I'm not...I'm just asking you to leave...if you care about your daughter you will do as I ask" Paul said calmly.
Ian took a step forward "No, I'm going to go in there and talk to her...she needs to grow up and face the fact that her real mother is here and wants to see her"
Paul stood in front of him blocking his way "No Ian...you go in there now and I promise you, I will make sure you neither of you see her again...she's my wife and I will not have her upset"
Louise sighed "Ian let's just get out of here" she said with tears in her eyes "Arguing is going to do anyone any good."
Ian looked towards the coffee shop "Okay..." he said
"Thank you" Paul said before turning and going back towards the coffee shop, Ian and Louise watched him go before deciding to head off in the opposite direction. On opening the coffee shop door, Paul was greeted by the two boys running towards him.
"Daddy!" They squealed in unison
Paul crouched down and lifted both of them into his arms "Okay what have you been up to" he said as he spotted Gail and Elle at a corner table, carrying the two boys he smiled as he walked towards them, on reaching the table he placed the boys on the floor and stroked Elle's head, she looked at him and handed him a sugar lump.
"You're not supposed to be eating those" he said, turning to Gail he continued "Hey they've both gone, do you want to go home"
"I think so...before these three wreck the place" Gail said
"Just let me pay the bill" Paul said
"Already done it" Gail said
Paul frowned "Hey I'm supposed to be buying you breakfast today" he said
"Don't worry darling...I took the money out of your wallet" she said smiling
Paul laughed seeing his jacket on the chair beside her "Remind me never to leave my jacket with you in future" he joked trying to make light of the situation "Come on let's go"
Gail got up from her seat picking up Elle, whilst Paul guided Cameron and Robert to the door, as they neared the door Paul was surprised to suddenly feel Gail's hand in his squeezing it gently; Paul turned looking at her and smiled
"Thanks" Gail said quietly
"For what?" Paul asked curiously
"For always being here, for being you" Gail said
Paul smiled "Always" He said, looking down he could see the children getting impatient "Come on let's go before we have a riot on our hands"
Laughing and shaking their heads they walked out of the coffee shop and turned towards the car park. Paul was relieved not to find Ian or Louise anywhere in the vicinity and was grateful that they had at least respected his request on this occasion.
Gail was unusually quiet on the way home and Paul remained concerned after Ian's stunt at Lassiters. He occasionally glanced across at Gail, wondering what he was thinking but he couldn't tell from her blank expression; she appeared to be in deep thought and didn't notice his sideways glances. The children were quietly chattering to themselves in the back.
Paul settled the children down playing on the floor as Gail put the kettle on. He wandered over to join her and gently put his arms around her, feeling her relax against him as he did so.
"You alright?" he asked softly
"Mmm" Gail confirmed nodding her head although Paul didn't feel convinced.
He suddenly felt the need to go and check how his youngest daughter was with Helen and said he would be back shortly. He didn't know why but he wanted to know that HIS family were all ok.
Paul knocked on the door and walk into the kitchen of Number 26, Helen was stood at the sink washing up the last of the breakfast dishes.
"Hey" she smiled "What are you doing here?"
"Just wanted to check how our little one is" Paul said
Helen laughed "She's fine..Nick is watching her in the living room, in fact he's trying to do a drawing of her" she said
Paul laughed "Well you did tell him the best time to try and do a portrait of any of our children was when they were asleep" he said
"How was breakfast at the Coffee shop?" Helen asked "Did the triplets behave"
Paul smiled "As well as you can expect any two year old to behave." He said quietly causing Helen to look up questioningly and ask "What's wrong?"
"Oh, we had breakfast outside and of course Ian Chadwick turned up with Louise in tow" Paul said
"You mean Louise . . . . . . . as in Gail's biological mother?" Helen said taken aback
"Yes, the one and only" Paul said "That upset Gail and ruined the morning for us" smiling slightly as he heard cooing sound coming from the living room "Anyway I told Gail to take the children into the coffee shop whilst I spoke with Ian, oh Gran he was so arrogant!"
"Well, I hate to say it but he does give that appearance at times" Helen said sympathetically
"He blamed me for taking Gail there...but then went on to say that my wife should grow up as Louise was her mother and had every right to see her" Paul said angrily "He's not prepared to see her point of view and is treating her like an object not a person"
"How was Louise?" Helen asked
"She seemed shaken by how upset Gail was at seeing her" Paul said "I think she just wanted to get out of there whereas Ian was just intent on getting his own way...I told him if he didn't respect Gail's wishes he'd end up losing contact with her"
Paul sighed "It's difficult, Gail feels that her mother abandoned her after she was born so now she has no right to see her or the children, on the other hand her mother was 17 at the time and in those days too young to be given the right to decide if she wanted to keep her baby. I love Gail more than anything and respect her decision but another part of me feels sad that she can accept Ian but not Louise" he said "What do you think Gran? I mean about how Gail is reacting regarding Louise"
"One day she may change her mind" Helen said
"And it might be too late" Paul remarked
"I think she possibly doesn't want to betray the memory of her adopted mother" Helen said "When she met Ian, Rob was still alive and it wasn't easy then remember...after Rob's death she didn't see Ian for a year either"
"I guess there could be something in that" Paul said "So what do I do?"
Helen smiled "I can't answer that...the only thing you can do is support her as you have been doing, maybe she will come around who knows" she said "Is Ian still coming to the party tonight"
Paul shook his head "No" He said "He ruined Gail's birthday breakfast and he's adamant that her and Louise should meet up so I don't want him around tonight trying to hassle Gail"
"Do you still want us to look after the triplets this afternoon?" Helen said
"Yeah, only if it's convenient, I still want to take Gail for lunch, but we'll have to see" Paul said as he walked towards the living room "It's been ages since we've spent time alone"
"That's parenthood for you darling" Helen laughed as Paul nudged her playfully.
"Hi Nick" Paul said as he walked into the lounge and looked at his daughter fast asleep in the carrycot.
"Ssshh don't wake her" Nick said as Paul gently stroked her face.
Paul let out a laugh and looked at Nick "Do I get a preview of what you've done" he asked walking over to him, Nick held his sketch pad close to his chest "Not until I've finished you don't"
"How has she been?" Paul asked
"Perfect" Helen said "She woke up once and then went back to sleep"
"ah good, right are you sure you're okay with her or do you want me to take her back with me"
"Haven't finished my drawing yet!" Nick said "She's fine here"
"Okay" Paul said as he planted a kiss on the baby's cheek, she stirred briefly but then settled, Paul smiled at how peaceful she was.
"Bye you two...see you in about an hour with the triplets?" he asked
"Sure" Helen said smiling contently
Paul looked back at his daughter before leaving number 24 and going back home where he found the triplets happily playing on the floor after relieving the toy box of half its belongings "You three are clearing that mess up" he said as he passed them. Gail laughed as she came out of the laundry carrying a basket of washing.
"What are you doing?" he asked exasperated
"Just going to put the washing on, I've hung out the load that was already in there whilst you were across the road"
"It's your birthday...you're not supposed to be working" Paul said smiling
"Darling it needs doing, just going to put some more washing on then I'll make a drink" Gail said kissing him on the cheek in affection. Shrugging Paul started to make their drinks.
As they sat drinking Paul turned to Gail "How are you feeling?"
She looked at Paul "Confused . . . . What did you say to Ian by the way?"
"I told him that he should respect your feelings or risk losing contact with you." He said "He wanted to walk into the coffee shop with Louise and confront you but I told him he'd have to get through me first"
Gail smiled "My Hero" she said resting her head on Paul's shoulder as he nuzzled her hair.
"Do you think I should see Louise" Gail asked "I mean honestly"
Paul looked at her then at his daughter playing quietly on the floor "Not if you don't want to, the decision is yours, however I do want you to be absolutely sure that you don't want to meet her" he said
"What is she like?" Gail asked
"She seems okay...I didn't really speak to her to be honest but she did seem concerned at how upset you were and didn't want to cause any trouble" Paul replied smiling as Robert walked towards them.
"I don't know what I want to do...that's the problem" Gail said "She didn't bring me up and if I see her then. I don't know it seems as though I have no respect for the mother who did bring me up" She said
"Hmm fair comment but remember your mum wrote you that letter so that you would know the truth. She must have known that at some point you would have tried to trace your biological parents. I think she wanted you to be happy" Paul said
Gail remained quiet, turning her face away from Paul and glancing at her children happily playing on the floor, Paul smiled, turning her back to look at him.
"Darling...you're convinced that Louise didn't care about you..." Paul said
Gail frowned interrupting "She gave me up" she argued
Paul sighed "I know...but the only person who can tell you the real reason behind that is her" Paul said
"She wasn't even on the adoption register...so she never looked for me" Gail said "It's only because of Ian that she wants to see me now"
"Okay" Paul said, deciding that this conversation was going nowhere but upsetting Gail "Whatever you want is fine with me however if you want the answers to why she gave you up and why she never looked for you then Louise is the only person who can tell you"
Gail rested her head on his shoulders "I'll think about it" she said
Paul kissed her "Hey" he said
"What" Gail looked at him smiling
"I love you so much" He said "So how about we take the children over to dad's and enjoy the day together"
Gail laughed "I'm sure Jim and Helen would appreciate the house being turned upside down by these three" she said
"They offered" Paul said
"So what do you have planned?" Gail asked
"Wait and see" Paul said, as he moved to stand up and collect the mugs from the table "First of all though we have to get these three to tidy up the toys"
"That will be fun!" Gail smirked
Paul took the empty mugs into the kitchen and placed them in the sink, turning he glanced at Gail who was kneeling on the floor with the children. Laughing he walked towards them
"Okay you three, playtime is over" he said, picking up some of the discarded toys "Time to put the toys away. Cameron immediately stood up and began walking away, Paul caught hold of him and tossed him in the air
"Oh no you don't matey...you played with the toys...you have to put them away" he said tickling him
Cameron squealed trying to push Paul's hand away, finally he lowered Cameron to the floor in front of him "Right clear up time!" he said ruffling the boy's head. Gail and Paul began putting the toys back into the box, much to the triplet's annoyance as they tried taking them back again. Finally Paul gave a sigh of frustration "Okay...no more games, it's time to put the toys away"
Gail stifled a laugh and encouraged Elle to help her tidy up, finally after ten minutes the floor was clear of the toys, "Right now it's time to get these three changed" Gail said
Twenty minutes later, Paul and Gail walked into the kitchen of Number 26 with the triplets, the children raced into the living room, following them Gail and Paul looked at each other
"They have far too much energy" Gail laughed
"Hi" Nick said as he looked up from his drawing and put it to one side "Helen's just changing the baby in the other room, she's just woken up.
"Has she been okay?" Gail asked
"Fine" Nick said gently grabbing hold of Elle as she walked past "Almost as good as this one" he laughed tickling the little girl
"No!" Elle giggled trying to push Nick's hand away
"Hey, what's going on here!" Helen said walking out with the baby in her arms. Gail smiled
"Oh just the triplets causing chaos...you sure you want to look after them for the day" Gail said
"Of course...you two hardly get any time to yourselves" Helen replied, placing the baby onto the sofa. Robert crawled up to sit next to her, Gail smiled at how gentle he was with the little one.
"I'm afraid they're a bit hyper today" Paul said
"Don't worry...Jim will be back shortly and we'll take them to the park to wear them out a bit" Nick said
"Are you going to let me see that picture you were drawing" Paul asked
"Not yet!" Nick laughed "Haven't finished it completely"
"Okay you two why don't you go and enjoy yourselves and leave us to look after your children" Helen said
Half an hour later, Paul and Gail stepped outside into the warm sunshine.
"Why do we always have such a hard time saying goodbye to them" Paul laughed "It's not like we're leaving them forever"
Gail smiled "It's called parenthood, I always feel guilty for leaving them" she said
Paul pulled her closer to him "Yeah but we can't be with them all the time and we do need some times to ourselves" he said
"So what have you got planned?" Gail asked
"I can think of a number of things I'd like to do" Paul laughed "However I thought to begin with we could find a nice secluded area and have a nice picnic…just the two of us"
"mmm sounds good" Gail replied, kissing him
"Then tonight we could have a quiet night in, did think about going out but figured that being 30, you might feel too tired to go out now you're getting old" Paul smirked
"Watch it Robbo" she said smacking him on the arm "I might just go and spend the day with my children"
Paul laughed "Yeah right….I was only joking, quite like being the younger man with the older woman" he said
"I have no idea why I put up with you" Gail said
"I do" Paul smirked, Gail looked at him, raising her eyebrows, Paul laughed "Because you love me…come on let's go and get ready" he said as they reached the drive of their house.
Twenty minutes later, Paul opened the passenger side of his car and Gail got in. Shutting the door he quickly walked around to the driver's side and got in. "Right first of all we have to go to Lassiters" he said
"Don't tell me we're going for a picnic on the lake" Gail remarked
Paul laughed "I did think about it but thought you might like somewhere more secluded. I've just ordered a picnic basket lunch from the hotel" he said "And I've got all your favourite foods"
"mmm sounds good….we could always find a nice shaded spot near the lake" Gail said
"You really want to" Paul said
"I don't care where we go as long as I'm with you" she replied
Paul laughed "Okay"
Twenty minutes later, after collecting the picnic basket, they found a nice quiet place not far from the lake that was shaded by the trees. Gail helped Paul put down the picnic rug and they sat down.
"What's in the basket?" Gail asked, as she made to pick it up, Paul pulled her away from it.
"Don't be so impatient" he said, taking hold of the picnic basket and placing it next to him on his side of the rug "Not time for lunch yet"
"Who's birthday is it today?" Gail reminded him
Paul laughed as he pulled her closer to him and kissed her "Still doesn't mean you don't have to behave yourself" he said
Gail laughed and laid down on the rug, Paul followed her, sighing he turned to her "This is nice" he said
"Would be even nicer if you let me get my hands on that basket" she said
"All in good time" he said, a moment's silence then Paul spoke "Where do you see yourself in 30 years time"
Gail looked at him curiously "What brought that up"
"Just thinking…at every milestone in our lives we look to what we want the rest of our lives to be like he said
"Gail thought for a moment, you know what my 21st birthday, all I thought about was my future with Jeremy, we were going to get married, have a family and rule the world" she said laughing "But at 24 I was divorced, so I don't really have any plans for now, I think you can make plans but life sometimes steps in and changes it"
"So you have no plans" Paul asked
Gail smiled "It depends where life takes us, whether you decide to want to try and branch out the Lassiters brand into the US and Europe or whether you want to stay in Australia" she said "But whatever else happens what I really want is us together bringing up our family"
Paul smiled and reached for her hand, kissing it he turned on his side to look at her "That's what I wanted to hear, but whether we take Lassiters to Europe or the US would be a joint decision. One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was arranging to buy the Daniels Corporation without talking to you" he said
"Water under the bridge now" Gail remarked "But it was a bad time for us"
"I didn't consider your feelings once, I was too caught up in my own selfish ambition" He said
"I know" Gail said quietly "I think what hurt at the time was that you wanted to cancel the IVF, you knew how important it was to me"
"We got there in the end though" Paul said gently running his finger up her arm
Gail smiled, looking at him. She knew in her heart that he was the only man for her, she loved him with her all her heart. He still had a need to succeed but she knew that the most important things in his life were her and their children. She was proud of him. "I love you so much and I know that will never change, so how about you let me look inside that picnic basket" she said
Paul laughed "You never give up…come on then let's eat" he said, reaching over to pick up the picnic basket and placing it on the rug.
Gail's eyes lit up when she looked inside "You have found all my favourite foods" she said
Paul laughed, kissing her he replied "Only the best for the love of my life…come on" he said
They removed the food from the picnic basket and started eating. Paul left the wine in the cooler. For a while they ate in a comfortable silence until Gail broke it.
"What do you think I should do about Louise?" she asked Paul
"Darling, as I told you already, I don't want to influence you in this, it has to be your decision" he replied
"But you must have an opinion" Gail replied
Paul sighed "I just don't want you to regret the fact that you never met her, only she can tell you why she gave you up for adoption, if you can live with not knowing then don't see her" he said
"Mmm I know you're right, and I would like to hear why she gave me up, when I know I would fight to the death to keep my children however I feel that if I see her then I betray the mother who brought me up" Gail said
"Darling what you have to remember though is that she didn't have much choice but to give you up, she was 17 years old." Paul said
"Wonder what she was thinking when she gave birth to me, did she ever wonder what it would have been like if she had kept me" Gail said
Paul moved closer to her and pulled her into an embrace, kissing her he said "Stop torturing yourself darling, just talk to her!"
Gail rolled her eyes and laughed "Okay..I will think about it, anyway changing the subject what are we doing after lunch" she asked
"Well I thought a nice walk around the lake and then maybe a visit to the cinema" Paul said
"The cinema in the afternoon!" Gail laughed
"Well that new movie you wanted to see is playing, thought it would be nice birthday surprise"
"Ghost" Gail said "That would be perfect, do I get popcorn as well"
"I'll buy a bucketload just to keep you satisfied" Paul said
"That's what I like to hear" Gail said
"Good" Paul smiled "Now let's finished eating"
Meanwhile back in the coffee shop, Louise sat opposite Ian, quietly eating her lunch. Ian sensed that she wasn't happy, but then neither was he especially after the way Paul had treated him.
"I can't believe that man...telling me I can't go to my own daughter's birthday party" he fumed
"He is her husband" Louise replied "You knew they would be here this morning didn't you!"
"Well if they were going to have a family breakfast with the children, this was the obvious place" Ian replied "I did nothing wrong...you have every right to see your daughter on her birthday"
"Ian please...never do that again, I'm not her mother...I'm the woman who gave her up" Louise said, "I gave up any rights I had to her when I did that" she continued sadly.
"It wasn't your fault...there was no need for Gail to react like she did" Ian said
"She obviously didn't want to see me and you knew that, you put both of us in a difficult position" Louise said "Please don't do that again"
"Thought you wanted to meet her" Ian said
"I do but only if she wants to meet me, I don't want to force her and no way do I want to see her upset as she was this morning" Louise said "Maybe one day she will change her mind"
Ian looked at her sadly, knowing how stubborn Gail could be, he wondered if she would ever want to see her birth mother, or whether Louise would ever forgive herself for giving her daughter up.
Meanwhile Paul and Gail were taking a leisurely stroll around the lake, Paul held Gail close to him as he put his arm around her.
"So when does this film start?" Gail asked
"Not for another hour and half, so we have time for a nice stroll around the lake..." Paul replied, stopping as he saw the woman approaching them "What is she doing here?"
Gail looked to where he was looking and frowned "Why do I get the feeling we're not going to like this?"
"Don't worry I'll get rid of her, today is about us" Paul said
"Hello Paul, Gail, your secretary told me where to find you" The woman said
Paul rolled his eyes "What do you want Nina, I didn't think we had anything to talk about"
"We have a daughter remember, or have you forgotten that" Nina said
Gail looked at her in surprise as Paul replied "Ehm I thought your new husband was adopting her" he said "As far as I remember my name isn't even on her birth certificate"
"He has adopted her, but he has a exciting career prospect that will take us to Europe for the next 6 months and we felt that we didn't want to uproot Amy as she's just started school" Nina said "We think that it would be best if she stayed this side of the world"
"So you thought you would dump her on us" Paul said "Who are you going to say I am...Her father?"
"Of course not" Nina said "You could be an uncle, an old friend of her mum"
Paul rolled his eyes and looked at Gail, she squeezed his hand in support "I don't think so Nina, you're unbelievable, first you don't want me to know about her, and then you tell me that she is being adopted by your new husband. Now you want me to look after her while you and your new husband go off to Europe for 6 months" he said angrily "What about my other four children, I'm sorry Nina but their welfare is more important and I don't want to deprive them off me by having to spend more time with Amy"
"So you're saying that you not going to look after her" Nina said "That's hardly fair Paul, you wanted to be her father...now you have the other children you don't want her"
"Nina...that's not fair, I didn't know that Amy existed until she was 3 years old, you didn't have the decency to let me know...I'm sorry I'm not prepared to discuss this today." Paul said
"Nina, why don't you give us your contact details and we will get back to you" Gail said, sensing Paul's anger
"Fine...but don't leave it too long, we have to know whether Bruce can take the job in the next couple of weeks and if you won't take Amy we can't' go" Nina said, before turning her back on them and walked away
Gail felt Paul's anger and placed her hand on his back "Don't worry, we'll sort something out" she said quietly.
Paul looked at her and pulled her closer to him for a kiss "Let's not think about this today, it's your day and she's not going to spoil it for us"
"Okay..so what do you want to do now?" she asked
Paul smirked as he pulled her closer to him "I can think of a number of things" he said
Gail laughed "What here...I don't think so do you" she said
"Spoilsport" he laughed "How about an ice cream before the film"
"Fine but I still want popcorn" she laughed.
Meanwhile back at Ramsay Street, the triplets were chasing Nick and Todd around the garden. Jim and Helen watched from the kitchen window.
"Those three are enjoying themselves, not sure we will get them down for a nap anytime soon" Helen said
"Todd and Nick are more likely to need one, speaking of napping, how's the baby?" Jim asked
"She's fine, Lucy's in the front room with her, strangely enough she's doing homework as opposed to playing with the triplets and the boys" Helen said
"Ah...she told Robert she'd play with him later" Jim said "I have a feeling she has a crush on a certain young man"
"You mean Todd" Helen asked
Jim shook his head
Helen rolled her eyes "Ah no" she said "Mind you I wouldn't worry about it as these teenage crushes don't usually last, and Nick's going to be going to college next term"
"Wouldn't want to be that age again" Jim said
"You were almost married and a father by the time you were Nick's age" Helen reminded him "I think I'll get Gail to have a chat with Lucy, see if she will open up to her"
Suddenly the phone rang, interrupting their conversation, Jim walked over to the phone in the kitchen "Better answer this in here before it disturbs little one" he said, picking the receiver up. Helen walked into the living room and sat down on the settee next to Lucy.
"Who's on the phone?" Lucy asked
"Not sure, we'll find out when your dad has finished" Helen replied "Why are you in here and not enjoying the sunshine outside with the triplets"
Lucy looked at her "The boys are looking after the triplets and I'm keeping an eye on the baby" she said "Beside I have some homework that should have been finished by now"
"I see" Helen remarked "We're going to take the triplets to the park in a bit, try and get rid of that excess energy...are you going to join us?"
"Can I push Helen's pram?" Lucy asked
Helen laughed "Of course you can" she said
"She's so good, the total opposite of Elle when she was a baby" Lucy stated
Helen laughed "It's funny Elle always reminded me of you in some respect, she never wanted to go down for a nap just in case she missed something, you were just the same" she said "I think Helen is similar to Robert, both seem really placid babies"
Jim walked into the lounge and sat down beside the Moses basket and sighed, looking in he smiled at the peaceful baby.
"Who was on the phone dad?" Lucy asked
Jim grimaced "Des.."
"You don't seem to happy about hearing from him" Helen remarked "I thought he was coming back today for Gail's birthday party tonight"
Jim shook his head "Changed his mind, in fact he's asked me if I could organise the sale of the house" he said
"Seems a bit drastic" Helen remarked
"It seems that since he's been at Eileen's he's been doing a lot of thinking, he feels that it would be best for him and Jamie to move closer to Eileen, so she help out with looking after Jamie. He feels that he will never be able to move on from Daphne if he stays in Ramsay Street." Jim replied
"That's a shame..." Helen said "He's been feeling down for a long time though"
"Hmm" Jim said "I did tell him that Jane was back for a visit
"That was tactful" Helen said shaking her head "Can't imagine that changing his mind though"
"True...just told me to wish Gail a happy birthday and begin procedures for getting the house sold" Jim said "Looks like we're going to have new neighbours"
Meanwhile Scott and Charlene arrived at Madge and Harold's house, finding the door locked, Charlene rolled her eyes and dug in her purse for her key "Good job I kept hold of this" she said pulling out the spare key "So much for the welcome home" as opened the door.
"Well to be fair we didn't tell them the exact time we were coming" Scott said, as Charlene walked past him, "Where are you going?"
"To get the luggage" Charlene replied "It's hardly going to get out of the car and walk up here.
Scott quickly grabbed hold of her arm "Oh no you don't, not in your condition" he said
Charlene turned and hit his arm "Would you like to shout that a little louder so that everyone hears you" she said "We agreed not to say anything until tomorrow, after Gail's birthday"
"Sorry" Scott replied, rubbing his arm, his wife had a strong punch "However I will get the luggage"
Charlene rolled her eyes and walked back into the house, sitting down, she took her shoes off and rested her head against the back of the sofa. She felt tired, also a bit apprehensive about telling the rest of the family their news, she couldn't help thinking back to when they announced they were getting married, and she hoped this news wouldn't be received in the same way.
"Wonder where everyone is?" Scott said as he walked back inside with the luggage, "Not exactly a welcome committee"
Charlene laughed "Probably at the coffee shop" she said "How about we go across the road and see who's home at yours"
"Think dad said that they were looking after the triplets whilst Paul and Gail spend the day together" Scott said laughing
"It'll be nice to see them, so glad we can stay for the triplets birthday" Charlene said
Scott looked at her "You look tired, you sure you wouldn't like to rest before we go over there" he said
"Don't fuss Scott, I'm fine" she said "However I would love a coffee"
Scott smiled "Coming up"
Paul walked out of the cinema, Gail following behind him finishing off her tub of popcorn. His legs felt restless after spending two hours sat down, it wasn't something he was used to. Turning he waited for Gail to catch up.
"Come on slow coach" he said as Gail caught up with him.
"Where to now?" she asked
Paul looked at his watch "How about we go home and have some peace time before we take the children back" he said
"Sounds okay to me" Gail replied
Ten minutes later they arrived back in Ramsay Street, getting out of his side of the car, Paul rushed round to open Gail's door for her.
"Always the gentleman" she laughed, kissing him on his cheek, "How about I make some coffee"
Unlocking the door, Paul let Gail go in first then following her closed the door behind them, Gail put her bag on the sofa then went over to the kitchen. Paul picked up the newspaper that was on the worktop.
"So what did you think of that film?" Gail asked as she made the coffee.
Paul looked at her and laughed "Well it wasn't bad, a bit too sickly sweet for me" he said "Mind you think of getting a potter's wheel"
Gail shook her head and smiled, picking up the coffee mugs she handed one to Paul as she walked over to the sofa, Paul followed her.
"Don't tell me that you believe in all that rubbish" Paul said as he sat down.
Gail took a sip of her coffee and put the mug on the coffee table "No not necessarily but it still doesn't mean that I don't think it's a nice idea" she said "That even when someone is gone, they are still looking out for you"
"Motherhood has made you soft, where's the hard headed business woman I married" Paul said
"Ha ha, it's just a nice idea, doesn't mean I actually it believe it could happen" Gail said "Speaking of family we don't ever see, what are you going to do about Amy?"
Paul rolled his eyes "Can't believe t hat woman, first of all she doesn't tell me I have a daughter, that my name isn't on Amy's birth certificate, then says her new husband is going to adopt Amy and now just because they need a break she wants me to look after her, she's only going to think that I'm a friend of her mother's" he said angry
Gail put her hand on his arm "I know where you're coming from darling, I'm just concerned that if you say no to her now, if Nina keeps her promise and tells Amy about the adoption when she's 21 she might also say that you wanted nothing to do with her" she said
"We can't look after her, the triplets are going to be 2 and Helen's only a few months old" Paul said "Our children are my priority, what happens if she doesn't get on with them?"
"I'm not suggesting she stays here, maybe we could see if Jim and Beverly would take her in" Gail said
"I don't know, they've got Lucy, Todd and Nick to look after.
"Those three are used to having small children around, I'm sure they could help out, it's worth asking" Gail said "I'm just not sure we can say no to her without it causing problems later"
Paul thought for a moment then put his arm around Gail pulling her closer "We'll sort it out but not today" he said "By the way I forgot to tell you we're having dinner with the family tonight"
"Ah Paul the family have done enough today looking after our four, they will probably need a rest" Gail replied
"Nope they insisted" Paul said, smiling thinking of Gail's surprise to see Scott and Charlene as well as Des and Jamie.