"How are you feeling?" Joe asked Rebecca quietly. His wife was sitting at the kitchen table staring into space as Joe bounced Lucas in his arms.

"Okay," she replied faintly.

"You must feel better, now we've had the DNA test." Joe slid Lucas into his high chair and strapped him in. "Now you know he's ours."

"I still can't feel anything." Rebecca looked blankly at her son.

"That's the post-natal depression, sweetheart," Joe tried to reassure her. "It'll just take time..."

"I don't feel anything for my own son. I didn't even believe he was mine." She gave a low bitter laugh.

Joe walked around behind her and massaged her shoulders as she leaned back so her hair was touching his cheek.

"Try not to think about anything. Just relax and let your strength build up. I could ask 'Robron'," Joe made air quotes with his fingers, "to take Seb for a while..."

"No!" Rebecca turned her head abruptly. "Don't take my son away."

"Okay, okay." Joe put his hands up. "It was just an idea, if you needed a break..."

"I don't. I just need all my family here."

Joe sat down heavily in the chair next to Rebecca's.

"Remember the first day we met?" he said conversationally.

"When I whacked you with a golf club?"

"No, before that. You were in this kitchen, and I sat you down here and put some of my socks on you..."

"And made me hot sweet tea," she recalled. "I remember."

"Think how far you've come since then. You've got two more kids, who love and depend on you..."

"You can't make me feel any more guilty, Joseph."

"I'm not trying to. I'm just saying... after everything you've been through, with Lachlan and losing your family..."

"And Kim," she reminded him.

"Yeah, well that was my fault." He winced. "It's okay for you to take some time out. You've been through worse than this, and we can get through this too, together."

She looked at him and finally smiled. "You're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm Joe Tate." She rolled her eyes and he smiled as he stood up. "I'm going to put Lucas to bed."

"Can I hold him first?"

He stopped. "Sure." He lifted Lucas out of his chair and handed him to his mother. "There, Lukey. Go to Mummy."