The hot weather that London had been experiencing broke with a massive thunderstorm about a week later. Clive and Martha were driving home after Martha's victory in her latest case, although it was hard to tell she had won from the atmosphere in the car. Neither was talking to the other, each in their unhappy worlds. The weather outside perfectly mirrored their own moods. The only sound that could be heard was the rhythmic swish of the windscreen wipers as they cleared the multitude of small rivers of rainwater, running down the windscreen for a couple of seconds before they reappeared again. To make matters worse, the weather was also responsible for the horrendous traffic jams that filled most of the streets in London, and the car was only inching forward a couple of metres at a time.
Clive was upset with Martha because she had refused to listen to anything he had to say about her client. He had been so proud of her stubbornness and bullheadedness at the start of her extradition appeal, throwing the whole case into utter chaos, but it had quickly backfired when it had caused the judge to appoint him as special counsel. He had accepted it as it was very rare that an opportunity like that arose, but was soon regretting it.
Martha had been as mad as hell at him for accepting as it allowed him access to information about her client that she would never be able to see. Trying to deflate his ego, she had told him that the only reason he had been appointed was that they were using him to 'wind her up'. She took her fury out on him by giving him the silent treatment at home. To add to his list of worries he also had a sneaky suspicion that Harriet was partly responsible for creating the current problem in his relationship but couldn't prove it. He was getting the impression that Harriet had feelings for him, but there was no way he was going to leave Martha and Olivia for her. He just hoped she would get that message soon.
The evidence Clive got to see convinced him that Martha's client was guilty. He had tried making her see reason several times, but she had ignored it, choosing instead to plough on with her defence, and that had worked Clive up as well. Her stubbornness could sometimes be a complete pain in the arse. After the verdict, he had been so mad at her, he had disclosed what he knew and told her that she had been totally gullible regarding Rashid. He perhaps hadn't told her in the gentlest of fashions, but sometimes that was the only way to get through to Martha. He knew she believed him now, judging from her behaviour. He just felt a bit guilty over how he had told her.
The reason for Martha's silence, was that she was mad at herself. Mad that Rashid had played her like a fool and now she was responsible for allowing a guilty person to never have to face questioning on his part in a terrorist plot. Clive had planted the seed of doubt in her mind after the verdict and she had known for sure by the way Rashid had looked at her as he left court with his uncle a free man again, taunting her that there was nothing she could do to stop him leaving.
It was an occupational hazard being a defence lawyer that you could sometimes allow guilty people to go free, and she hated the way she felt when it happened. Luckily for her, it wasn't all that common an occurrence. She prided herself on being able to tell whether someone was guilty or not, just by looking in their eyes. She searched through her memory, trying to recall the last time it had happened...and stopped dead. How could she forget Gary Rush? He was responsible for putting Martha through one of the worst times in her life.
It had all started when she had got him off his aggravated burglary charge. It was only after that, that she had realised he had been guilty. He had taken his appreciation to a whole new level- something that bordered on creepy for the next couple of months. Somehow he had found out she was pregnant, and he hadn't taken the news very well, punching her in the stomach at an opportune moment. It had all happened very quickly during a break in the murder trial she was involved in. Gary was up in front of another judge charged with another violent crime.
She had known something wasn't right as soon as he had hit her when she developed a sudden sharp pain in her stomach. She hadn't know what to do and so had run away. She had just reached outside, when she became aware that she was bleeding. Finding the nearest step she sat down and dissolved into tears. She couldn't believe she was losing her baby like this, especially after all the turmoil she had gone through before she had decided to keep it. Clive caught up with her soon after. Until that point, it was a bit of an understatement to say he had been more than a bit disinterested in the pregnancy, but over the next two hours, he became her rock.
He travelled with her in the back of the ambulance to the hospital. It had been a very sombre journey, with Martha retreating into herself, preparing herself for the bad news she was convinced she would be told. He had waited with her until the doctor had arrived, talking all sorts of nonsense, just to cover the silence from Martha. When the doctor arrived, he got ready to leave, but Martha hadn't wanted him to. "Stay with me please," she had begged. "I don't think I can do this on my own,".
Thankfully it wasn't long before she had received the best news ever from the doctor. She was still pregnant. He had turned the ultrasound machine around allowing Martha and Clive a chance to see their baby, with it's heart still beating. For Clive, it was his first time seeing his baby, and he was mesmerised. The doctor explained that it seemed as though the punch to her abdomen had caused some of her placenta to come away from her uterine wall. She had suffered something called a partial abruption and it would explain her pain and bleeding. "But it looks like you have a little fighter in there," the doctor had commented.
Martha was kept in overnight so they could keep a eye on her and the baby. However, the next morning, she discharged herself, anxious to get back to her murder trial. Clive had gone ballistic when he found out what she had done after the trial had finished, and frogmarched her back to the hospital, where he made her apologise to the doctors. Another scan revealed everything was still ok with mother and baby, and with orders of strict bed rest she was allowed home. With Billy's help, the two men had drawn up a rota, ensuring that she followed the doctors instructions to the letter.
Since seeing the scan of his child, Clive turned over a new leaf, and became quite involved in the pregnancy. He helped Martha pick out a scheme for the nursery and helped her decorate it. He bought a load of magazines, determined to find out the best car seat and pram for his child. He also worked up the courage to inform his parents that they were going to be grandparents as well.
With Clive's new attitude, Martha invited him to be her birthing partner. In preparation he attended some antenatal classes with her. He had paid great attention to everything that had been told to them, which became apparent when Martha finally went into labour. She was glad she had asked him as he was a great comfort to her throughout the labour and was really encouraging when she began to think the baby was never going to come out.
It was the early hours of the morning that Olivia had finally made her entrance into the world, catching everyone a little on the hop as Martha had progressed very quickly though the latter stages of her labour. It still felt like only yesterday when the pink, squawking bundle had been placed on her chest. Both Martha and Clive had fallen instantly in love with her. "She's certainly got a lot to say for herself!" commented the midwife as Olivia's hearty cries persisted for some time.
Any fears Martha had over Clive's suitability as a father for her child had been dispelled soon after her birth. Exhausted after her strenuous labour she had fallen asleep, but she remembered waking to the sight of Clive holding Olivia in his arms. He was talking to her, explaining all the wonderful things that the two of them would do together when she was a bit older, and then promised her that he was going to try to be the best father ever. As he had made this promise, he had run his little finger over one of Olivia's hands, and she had grasped his finger tightly in response with her tiny hand. It was like the two of them had been shaking hands.
After one day in hospital where they had quickly learnt how to change a nappy, and bathe their daughter safely, as well as allowing Martha to become confident at breast feeding, the new parents had been allowed to take their daughter home. Clive had been a proud papa as he carried his peacefully sleeping daughter out of the hospital in her car seat, Martha walking gingerly beside him, still slightly sore in muscles that she hadn't known existed before then. She had been very surprised when Clive drew up to a vehicle she hadn't seen before.
"What's this?" She had asked.
"My new car," he had explained. "I sold the motorbike as I can hardly carry her around on the back of one of those. This SUV has the best safety record for a vehicle" he continued as he had opened the car and expertly loaded his daughter in. Martha had joined her daughter on the backseat for the journey home. It took much longer than normal as Clive insisted on driving at about 10 mph all the way home.
"Are we going to get out of second gear at all Clive?" Martha had teased from the back seat.
"Excuse me for driving safely when I have a precious cargo in the car!" Clive had defended.
Clive was going to stay with Martha for his paternity leave, so they had all travelled back to Martha's flat. Once there, the trio had locked themselves away for a couple of days in order to get acquainted with one another, and the rest was history.
Martha was pulled from her thoughts as the car engine became silent. Looking around she noticed they had finally made it through the traffic and were home. Whilst the rain had eased somewhat, her bad mood persisted, and once inside she retreated to the sanctuary of her bedroom. Clive left her to it.
Not long after, the doorbell sounded as Clive was starting to make dinner. Answering the door, he greeted his daughter, who had been brought home by Ruby's mother from nursery.
"Where's Mummy?" Olivia had wanted to know as Clive was removing her raincoat and wellingtons. The bad weather had been predicted and Martha had dressed her daughter in preparation that morning.
"In our bedroom. I think she's a bit sad," Clive explained. Olivia was worried when she heard that. "I know what will cheer her up though,".
"What Daddy?" His daughter had wanted to know.
"One of your hugs is bound to do the trick," advised Clive.
"Ok Daddy, I go give her a hug," announced Olivia as she headed off to her mothers bedroom. Clive followed slowly behind.
As Olivia entered the bedroom, she saw her mother curled up on her side on her bed, her back to the door.
"You ok Mummy?" Asked Olivia as she approached.
Martha heard her daughter and quickly wiped her tears away, hoping to hide them from her daughter.
"Daddy said you needed a hug," Olivia announced as she climbed onto the bed and proceeded to carry out her fathers suggestion.
"Daddy's a very clever man. I'm already feeling better," declared Martha. "You give the best hugs,".
"Even better than Daddy's?" She asked her mother.
"I think so. But we won't tell him that," Martha replied.
From outside the bedroom door, Clive was pleased to note that Martha was a bit more cheerful. Hearing the phone ring, he decided to leave mother and daughter to it.
Forty five minutes later, dinner was ready and there was still no sign of his girls. He decided to brave it and see if they were up to joining him for dinner. Approaching the bedroom again, he could hear Liv chattering on to her mother about her day.
"Sammy tried to kiss me today. I think he wants to be my boyfend," he heard Livvy tell her mother. Glancing through the small crack in the door he saw them curled up together in the middle of the bed. Olivia deeply ensconced in her mothers arms now.
"Do you like Sammy?" Enquired Martha as she brushed her daughters hair.
"Not really," answered Olivia, "and his kisses aren't as nice as Daddy's. In fact they were absolutely disgustin'!" She declared.
Clive couldn't help himself, and butted in on their conversation. "Glad to hear it Liv," he said as he pushed the door open and entered the room as two sets of blue eyes turned towards him. "You just keep thinking those thoughts until you are at least about 30 years old. I think Daddy will be able to handle you having a boyfriend by then," he continued as he joined them on the bed and started tickling his daughter.
"I cheered Mummy up," Olivia announced to her father once the tickling had stopped and Liv was in her fathers arms.
"So I see," replied Clive whilst giving a small smile to Martha. "I've got some news as well that might cheer her up," he offered.
"What's that then?" Asked Martha curious.
"The phone call was the Estate Agents. Our offer has been accepted on that house!" He revealed.
"What dat mean Mummy?" Asked Olivia as she saw her mother smiling at the news.
"It means we are getting that nice house we visited," she explained. The three of them had visited the house Martha had fallen in love with on the internet. It had been just as nice, even nicer, in reality, and they'd quickly decided to put an offer in.
"Does that mean we are going to get a puppy?" Asked Olivia excitedly, more concerned with future pets than homes. She had remembered her father had promised her a pet when they had told her about moving.
"I thought you wanted a sister?" Replied Clive.
"And a puppy. Then I'll be like Ruby," Olivia explained.
"Why do you have to be like Ruby?" Asked Clive not really following his daughter.
"Because we're best fends!" She explained patiently.
"Well me and Mummy will have to think about it," Clive answered delaying any answer to the pet question. "In the meantime dinners ready, and I want to know if anyone is going to join me in eating it,".
Martha found Clive stretched out on the sofa, arms behind his head, totally engrossed in the Chelsea football match that was on the TV when she had finished putting Olivia to bed. Without warning, she stretched out on top of him and buried her face into his neck. Clive's arms immediately circling her.
"I'm sorry, for not listening properly to you," she finally ventured. "It's just that I have to believe my client whilst I'm defending him, or I won't do my best and I'll feed bad about it,".
"But now you are feeling bad about letting him walk free. Is that any better?".
"No, but I've got you and Liv to help make me feel better," Martha explained whilst leaning in to give Clive a kiss. "Liv's right," she commented, once the kiss had concluded. "You do give very good kisses,".
"That reminds me," Clive said. " I'm going to have to have a word with Sammy. Find out what his intentions are regarding my daughter!" Joked Clive. "Who knew nursery was such a hot bed of sexual tension," Clive murmured whilst leaning in for another kiss. It quickly escalated and Clive rolled them over, eager to swap positions with Martha so that she was under him.
Unfortunately, he had forgotten they were on a sofa, and as they rolled, Martha fell to the floor.
"Sorry Marth," was all he could say as an apology, before she reached out and pulled him on top of her.
A little while later as they were returning to earth after a passionate coupling, they heard a massive cheer from the TV, which had been left on. Both turned to look at the screen.
"I think they liked my performance," joked Clive.
"As did I," replied Martha, "...and Jose," she added as the Chelsea manager appeared jubilantly on screen. It appeared Chelsea had won the match.