Roxanna hadn't wanted to go back to work so soon after Ingrid's birth, but when they found out that Henrik could take a bit of paternity leave, she had allowed Doctor Tate to woo her back after four weeks away. Which meant that he was able to spend a lot of uninterrupted time with Ingrid. It was so wonderful to have this time alone with her, to watch her grow and change from a little potato into a wriggling one month old. And while he knew that she couldn't really understand him, he spoke to Ingrid in both Swedish and English, wanting her to be comfortable in both tongues, even though his tongue felt heavy and thick when trying to speak the tongue of his birth.

"Jag älskar dig, Ingrid," he murmured as he stroked her cheeks softly, watching her yawn before she snuggled into his chest. Once he was completely certain that she was asleep, he carefully got up from the rocking chair and went over to her cradle, placing her inside before folding his legs beneath him and staring down at her. He knew that he had housework and research and reading to do, but all of that seemed so very unimportant at the moment. Finally, though, he reached out and ran his finger down her nose before getting to his feet and picking up the duster, going throughout the whole house before returning to her side, checking to make certain she was still sleeping.

With that confirmed, Henrik made his way into the kitchen and started making supper for him and Roxanna, knowing that she would be exhausted and hungry, still trying to get back in the rhythm of working once more. He made certain to cook her favorite dish for that evening, and then he was heading back into the living room while the meal cooked in the oven. Henrik had just settled into the newest edition of Lancet when Ingrid began to stir in her cradle. Reaching out his foot, he tried to rock the cradle back and forth to soothe her, but she was having none of that, letting out a loud squawk before starting to wail.

Tossing the journal onto the coffee table, he went over to Ingrid's side and scooped her up into his arms, cradling her to his chest as he started to sing to her. That failed to soothe her, so he checked her nappy, finding it wet. Humming to her, he made his way over to the nursery and laid her down on the changing table before gathering all the things he'd need to get her into a fresh nappy. She settled down as he cooed and sang to her, falling back on a Swedish children's song that he remembered from his childhood, and he got her changed in no time at all. Redressing her, he then picked Ingrid up once more and brought her down to the kitchen, pulling out a bottle of milk for her and warming it up before sitting down at the table and feeding her.

Roxanna walked in on that moment, and she gave them a soft smile that never quite met her eyes. Henrik furrowed his brow, and she shook her head as she went over to the cupboard and took out plates and glasses for their meal, setting the table in silence before taking a seat at his side, letting her head thump down on his shoulder as she stared down at Ingrid. "I have had an amazing opportunity fall into my lap, and I have to turn it down," she finally said.

"What sort of opportunity?" Henrik wanted to know why she was upset, but he also didn't, because things had been going so well for them lately. Even Maja had written them a letter, congratulating them on the safe delivery of Ingrid, and saying that Fredrik had loved the pictures they had sent of Ingrid, and that she hoped they could come to Sweden soon and make introductions.

"Well, it's two-fold, maybe. It seems, when you're good in neurological issues, you get scouted when you least know it. Doctor Tate informed me today that there's a very prestigious hospital in London that would like me to join their staff. And if I've proven myself worthy, there's a secondment in America that I would be eligible for as well."

"Oh," he murmured, unconsciously cradling Ingrid closer to his heart. "That is an amazing opportunity."

"It is, but I can't ask you to pick everything up and move in two week's time with no assurance of a job there. London is expensive, so we would both need to be working, and it's just impossible." He could tell that she was crying, since she sniffled every so often as silence descended over the room.

Finally, he knew that he had to say something, to break the tension before it became jagged and sharp, hurting them both. "You need to take the position. We can hire professional movers this time, and have everything taken to our new place…"

"We don't have a new place, Henrik!"

"Not yet, no. But I'm still on leave, and I can bring Ingrid with me for a day, and visit a realtor. If you trust me enough to do that."

"I trust you with my life, Henrik."

He nodded a little before setting the bottle aside and burping Ingrid before handing her over to Roxanna. Once their daughter was in her arms, he leaned over and kissed her cheek softly. "We will get through this, we will make it work, and you will further your career. Okay?"

"Okay. I just wish you didn't have to sacrifice your life for me."

He kissed her once more before looking into her eyes, smiling softly as he shook his head. "This isn't a sacrifice, Roxanna. This is just a change that we will deal with. Even if it pains me to consider having people in our home boxing things up in a less than logical manner."

That caused her to giggle, something he was glad for, and he got up to check the food. Seeing that it was nearly finished, he rummaged around in the drawer for an oven mitt to pull it out. "I don't mean to be a pest, Henrik, but are you truly all right with picking everything up and moving yet again? This will be our second move in less than two years."

"If I wasn't fine with it, I would have said as much, Roxanna," he replied as he portioned out their food. "Yes, it will be a large change. Yes, I will be leaving my colleagues behind. But you will be having a chance to further your career. As a general surgeon, I can hang up my shingle anywhere, really, and do what I most want to do – help people. And who know? Maybe we'll love London."

He was deliberately not mentioning the America secondment, because that was still a nebulous concept to him, since it sounded like there had to be a lot of pieces that fell into place to make that a reality. He supposed that they would cross that particular bridge when they came to it, though he really didn't know how he would react if she truly was selected to go.