‘I’ve got his back, Mrs. Davenport, and so has Stuart, don’t you worry,’ he smiled, handing me the seat belt and shutting the door. I let out a heavy sigh. I did worry. Dan was approaching the culmination of months of work on this top secret project, which was almost at live testing phase. My operation really couldn’t have come at a worse time for his stress levels. I soon perked up when Jonas called for me and waved a chubby hand from his car seat opposite. I blew him a kiss and felt some tears prickle my eyes. He looked so like my dad. Blond-haired, with those deep green eyes. I still missed my parents like crazy, especially around important events like this.
‘Ellie, are you ok? Would you prefer I put Jonas next to you?’ Jenny asked, immediately reading my sadness.
‘I’m fine, Jenny, thank you. Just feeling more emotional than normal. He’s happy where he is. He adores you, they both do.’
‘Well, I love them too. I know I keep saying it, but I feel so lucky that you got me to shadow you after your accident. It’s the best job I’ve ever had and I’ve gained an amazing friend out of it as well.’
‘Don’t,’ I moaned, dabbing at the corner of my eyes. ‘You know it doesn’t take anything to set me off at the moment. Besides, I’m the lucky one to have you. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Jenny.’
I quickly wiped my eyes as Dan got in next to me. Andy shut his door and went to go and join James and Oliver in the front.
‘Ellie, what’s wrong?’ Dan frowned as he twisted to grab his seat belt and looked at my face.
‘I’m fine. I’m just so excited to meet our little girl, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and emotional.’
‘Me, too,’ he confirmed, placing his big palm gently on my stomach. ‘I know I’m stressed about it, but I can’t wait either. Come on, close your eyes for me. You know how crazy things are going to get when everyone turns up. I want you to have plenty of rest so you can make the most of seeing them all.’ He buckled up and put his arm around me. I did as I was told, resting my head on his shoulder as he picked up one of my hands from my lap and held it tightly.
I woke up from my afternoon nap to hear raised voices outside of the bedroom door.
‘Don’t make me put you on your arse, Davenport. I haven’t seen her in weeks.’
‘You’re not going in, Brooke, she needs her rest. You can see her when she’s up.’
‘You’re not the boss of me, Mr. …. Mr. … Bossy Britches. I’ve known her longer than you. She’d want to see me the moment I got here, I just know it.’
‘Did you just poke me?’ Dan uttered, making me giggle. I could just imagine Brooke, standing about level with his pecs, giving him a load of sass.
‘See, you’re so damn bulky with all those muscles, you’re not even sure if I did. Here, feel this.’
‘Owwww,’ he protested, making me giggle again.
‘O poor Dan. Can’t take a good poking by a woman. If you can’t handle a finger, you’d be no fun if Ellie wanted some strap-on action, would you?’
‘How the hell did we get from you not seeing Ellie, to me getting a strap-on up the arse, Brooke Hanson?’
‘Don’t you Brooke Hanson me, trying to intimidate me with your CEO domineering glare and your … Ben Affleck Batman-sized chest.’
‘Why, what are you going to do about it?’ he scoffed. I struggled to sit up as I enjoyed listening to their banter. ‘Owwww, fuck! What the hell was that?’
‘The Hanson double-fingered, one-handed poke. Don’t make me use the two-handed poke, as that’s a whole four fingers worth of pain that you’re just not equipped to endure. I like to call it The Quattro Handson, it’s brought many a man to his knees. Let me past, Davenport.’
‘No, Hanson. Poke all you like, with as many fingers as you can, because I can so handle it. Ok, that came out sounding so much more sexual than I meant it to. Ellie needs her sleep and you’re going back down to the lounge until she’s ready.’
‘Like hell I am. What the hell are you … Put. Me. Down. Davenport,’ she screeched.
‘You know, I usually smack Ellie’s arse when she’s over my shoulder,’ he chuckled.
‘Just you try it and it will be the last move you ever make. If you don’t let me down right now, I’m going to bite you. Hard. I might be little, but I have teeth like Dracula.’ I burst out laughing at the thought of Brooke hanging over his shoulder, struggling to get down. ‘ELLIE, it’s me, let me in,’ she screamed when she heard me.
‘Jesus Christ, you just deafened me,’ I called, throwing the duvet off me.
‘How do you think I feel,’ called back Dan. ‘Christ, Brooke. You’ll have woken up the boys as well and you know how grumpy Ollie gets if he’s tired. Anyway, she’s only awake because of you and your loud bloody mouth.’
‘My loud mouth? You can talk. I don’t scare the boys when I sing.’
‘Hey Brooke,’ I called, as the bedroom door opened and Dan strode in with her over his shoulder, her mane of red hair hanging down and covering her face.
‘Ellie? I can’t see you, where are you? You’ll tell your arse of a husband to put me down if he knows what’s good for him.’
‘I always quite enjoyed it when he carried me like that, though it’s been a while.’
‘As soon as you’re ready, I’ll do it again, baby,’ he grinned. ‘Did you get enough rest, or shall I carry her back downstairs and leave you in peace for a while longer?’
‘Don’t you dare!’ hissed Brooke. ‘And hurry up, my face is probably as red as my hair from hanging upside down like this, and I’m so excited to see my preggers girl that I’m about to pee my pants.’
‘That’ll do it,’ I giggled, as Dan’s face turned to one of horror and he quickly set her down.
‘I give up,’ he sighed. ‘She stays, but I see one hint of a yawn later, Ellie, and it’s back to bed, no more visitors all night,’ he warned me with a pointed finger. I blew him a kiss as Brooke tried to get her hair out of her eyes and straighten her clothes. She broke into a massive grin when she saw me and ran over, stopping herself just in time from leaping onto the bed and instead scrambling on and grabbing me into a bear hug from the side.
‘You missed me then?’ I teased.
‘So, so much. So much so that I need to borrow a pair of your clean knickers. We have excitement leakage,’ she mumbled into my neck.
‘I seriously give up,’ muttered Dan, rolling his eyes as he shut the door and left us alone.
‘Well, I wouldn’t give you a pair of dirty knickers, Brooke.’
‘Like you have dirty pairs, the rate caveman there rips them off you. Saves on laundry, I guess.’
‘O, Brooke. I have missed you,’ I sighed, rocking her as I hugged her back just as tightly.
‘Move back to London, please. Seeing you every few weeks isn’t the same.’
‘Much as I’d love to see you and Molly more, I love it up there, Brooke. I wouldn’t want to live in London all the time anymore. Speaking of Molly, where is she?’ I asked, letting Brooke go.
‘Downstairs, in the lounge. She wasn’t going to argue about trying to come up, Dan intimidates her,’ she huffed, sitting back on her heels and letting me see her properly.
‘Not you, it seems,’ I observed.
‘Nor you,’ she grinned. ‘Does him good to have some feisty women to ground him now and then. So, how are you? Really? You look amazing.’
‘Other than impatient to meet her, I’m just great.’
‘I still can’t believe you’re having a girl,’ she clapped. ‘I know how much you wanted one. How are my boys? I can’t wait to see them, too.’
‘They’re perfect. Oliver is really talking now, he’s a real mini Dan and sulks when he can’t have his own way. Jonas is coming on in leaps and bounds. Jenny’s probably getting them up if you’ve woken them. Why don’t you go and help her while I freshen up?’
‘I need to freshen up, I wasn’t joking about leakage,’ she warned.
‘Give me a hand up then, getting out
of bed is a task and a half.’ I couldn’t stop laughing as she failed miserably to help pull me up. ‘Come on, Jenny makes it look so easy.’
‘Jenny, Jenny, Jenny,’ she scowled, putting her hands on her petite hips. ‘I swear she’s replaced me as your best friend, you talk about her that much.’
‘No one could ever replace you, Brooke. You’re the first, the original, and the best. But I do love Jenny, too. I spend a lot of time with her, we have become really close.’
‘Because she’s around you all the time, like I used to be. It’s not fair,’ she whined, with a petulant stamp of her foot. ‘I’m missing so much. I bet Jonas doesn’t even remember me.’
‘No one could ever forget you, Brooke. Come on, don’t let Jenny outdo you, get me out of this bed and we can both go and get changed. I want to see Molly as much as you want to see the boys and I’m bloody starving. Tell me Dan’s ordered the Cantonese already?’
‘Honestly, he may as well have hired the restaurant to cook in for us, he’s ordered that much food. Treble portions for him, double for you. It’s a wonder you aren’t both the size of elephants.’
‘Hello, look at me?!’ I giggled. ‘I can’t even get out of my bloody bed, fat lot of use you are. Go and call Jenny for me.’
‘No way,’ she uttered. ‘The Brooke can do anything Commando Girl can do. Ok, let me Hulk up.’ I burst out laughing as she pulled a face of concentration and took on a Sumo wrestler stance, trying to make herself look bigger.
‘Stop, you’ll make me pee my pants, too.’
‘Hey, you’ve squirted a baby out of that vagina, you can be forgiven for a weak bladder. I have no excuse. How did you get yours to spring back to full tightness so fast?’
‘Lots and lots of daily pelvic floor exercises. Ones I’ll need to use right now if you don’t get my fat arse out of this bed.’
‘Ok, brace yourself,’ she warned, crossing her hands over to take mine, then pulling with all her might as I did my best to help her by using my thigh muscles. She screeched with joy as I rose up off the bed, but let go of me too fast and we both screamed as I toppled over and landed on top of her in a heap on the floor.
‘Shit, Ellie, are you ok? The baby?’ Brooke gasped, as I tried to catch my breath while I palmed the floor on either side of her shoulders.
‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ I panted, getting over the shock. ‘I can feel her moving, you cushioned the fall, but you woke her up as well, that’s for sure.’
‘Thank God. I think I need help though, you’re bloody heavy, woman,’ she grimaced, trying to roll me off her.
‘‘Ellie?’ yelled Dan, the sound of his feet taking the stairs two at a time getting closer and closer.
‘O shit, he’s so going to smack me, isn’t he?’ Brooke groaned.
‘You never know, you might end up liking it, I did,’ I laughed.
‘I’ll love it as much as he’d love my Quattro Handson,’ she giggled, waving her fingers at me. ‘O crap.’
‘What?’
‘I don’t just need some clean knickers now. Do you have any clothes that might fit me? All that pressure on top of my bladder has caused a bit more than a leak,’ she moaned, her cheeks bright red. We both burst out laughing, just as Dan stormed in and gave us a disapproving look.
‘Honestly. Five bloody minutes I leave you alone,’ he huffed. ‘Ellie, are you ok?’
‘Is Ellie ok? I’m the one trapped beneath her, I can hardly breathe.’ Brooke grimaced when she saw the look Dan gave her. ‘Sorry, sorry, insensitive. She said she was fine, but get her up and make sure.’
I managed to roll onto my back and held up my hands for Dan to grab, offering him an apologetic smile to see how stressed he looked. His eyes widened in horror as he looked down at us.
‘Fuck, Ellie, we need to get you to the hospital, now. Your waters have broken all over Brooke.’
‘No, Ellie’s fine,’ she whispered, covering her eyes with embarrassment. ‘That would all be me and my pitiful bladder control.’
‘Jesus Christ,’ he groaned, shaking his head as I burst out laughing again. I’d really missed my best friend.
We ventured down when we were both changed and Dan grimaced amidst the screams of excitement as I hugged Molly, and Brooke grabbed both of the boys for cuddles and kisses.
‘Molly, I’ve missed you so much,’ I exclaimed, wiping more tears from my eyes. These damn pregnancy hormones got me every single time.
‘We’ve missed you, too. And the boys. I can’t believe how much they’ve both grown in a few weeks. I hate that we’re missing out on seeing them growing up every day.’
‘They miss you, too. Look at Oliver, he’s so excited to be in Brooke’s arms.’
‘Why’s she in different clothes?’ Molly frowned as she cocked her head, looking at Brooke. I pulled a face and giggled. ‘No! Not again? She really needs to see a doctor, that’s not normal. I keep telling her I’m worried about her, but she doesn’t listen.’
‘Well, we’ll work on her together this week, ok?’ I clasped her concerned face and kissed her forehead. She was right to be worried. For someone Brooke’s age, who hadn’t had children, it wasn’t normal. I frowned myself when I scanned Molly’s face, she was hiding something. ‘Is there more that you’re not telling me?’
‘It’s nothing,’ she shrugged. ‘You have enough on your plate with a baby due any moment.’
‘Molly,’ I warned. ‘She’s my best friend, I need to know.’
‘She’s lost weight and she seems to be more tired than normal. She has a nap when we get home every day. What if she has cancer or something, Ellie? What if she’s left it too long to be seen?’ Molly’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at me for answers, but I was more shocked that there’d been a problem and no one had said a word.
‘O, Molly, how long have you been worrying about this?’ I asked, taking both of her hands in mine.
‘It’s been more noticeable for about the last two months,’ she sighed, looking over at Brooke again. She was on the floor playing with Oliver, Jonas, and Jenny, totally oblivious that we were talking about her.
‘Why didn’t you say anything?’ I chastised. Molly went red and looked at the floor.
‘I asked her not to, I didn’t want you to worry,’ Dan stated. I gasped as I fixed him with my most disapproving stare. He immediately held his hands up in the air in surrender. ‘I’m sorry, I knew you’d worry and I didn’t want your blood pressure going up. I didn’t realise how bad it was with Brooke. Molly, get her to a doctor straight away and if she needs to see a specialist, I’ll pay to get her looked at immediately, ok?’
‘I’ve been trying, but she keeps telling me I’m fussing over nothing,’ Molly sighed, wiping her eyes. ‘I can’t lose her, Ellie, I just can’t.’
‘No one’s losing anyone,’ I said firmly, pulling her into a tight hug, though inside I was feeling completely sick. After the death of my parents, I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to lose someone else that I loved. ‘We’ll ring up for an emergency appointment tomorrow without telling her. James can take the three of us while Jenny looks after the boys. She won’t know where we’re going until we get there, ok?’
‘Ok, thank you,’ Molly smiled as I released her. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes, trying to compose herself.
‘What can I do?’ Dan asked, looking lost. He was never comfortable with womanly talk.
‘Nothing, until we know what it is,’ I replied with a shake of my head. ‘I understand you being stressed about me, but if you ever keep anything like this from me again, I won’t be so forgiving. You’re lucky we have company or I’d be raising my voice right now.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he grimaced.
‘Go and chase up the food, I’m starving. After dinner, why don’t you go and work in the study and leave us to have a girls’ night, to take Molly’s mind off it?’ I suggested, doing my best to rein in my anger. I was furious with him. This was my best friend who might be seriously ill. He ha
d no right to hide that from me.
‘You really don’t mind me working?’ he asked, looking relieved.
‘Not at all, I know how behind you are. In fact, I’ll insist on it, as I’m so angry at you, I’m liable to do something I won’t regret,’ I scowled.
‘It was my choice not to tell you, too,’ Molly interjected. ‘Don’t blame Dan, he’s as worried about you as I am about Brooke.’
‘I get that, but as my husband, there shouldn’t be any lies or deliberate concealment of facts between us. Especially not after how we met, he should know better,’ I stated, throwing a poignant look his way. He sighed and ran his hands over his face, knowing there was no way he was going to win this argument.
‘Mummy,’ squealed Oliver, making us all jump and look around. I soon forgot about my worry, and my anger, when I saw Brooke had him pinned down to the floor, tickling him as he writhed and giggled his head off. Jonas was clapping his hands with a big smile on his face as he sat between Jenny’s legs, watching.
‘Ellie, they’re such handsome boys,’ Molly advised, linking arms with mine. ‘Can you imagine how pretty your little girl is going to be?’
‘If she looks anything like her mother, breath-taking,’ Dan murmured softly.
‘Don’t think flattery will get you off the hook, Oliver Daniel Davenport,’ I replied, narrowing my eyes. ‘And where’s dinner? I wasn’t lying when I said I was starving.’
‘Can’t wait for the cranky hormones to subside,’ he muttered, disappearing to the kitchen with a shake of his head.
‘You and me both,’ I called. I waited until he was distracted making his phone call at the kitchen island before I excused myself and headed to the guest bedroom bathroom. I shut the door behind me, not bothering with the lock as I held my stomach and winced. These cramping pains had just come out of nowhere while I was talking to Molly, but I didn’t want to worry him, so I’d said nothing. Then the shock of Molly being so upset about Brooke maybe being ill overrode them. I couldn’t ignore them now though. I grabbed the sink and pulled myself over to the toilet. I sat on the lowered seat, closed my eyes, and practiced some deep breathing, and they slowed and stopped just as fast as they’d come on. ‘What are you trying to tell me, Eva?’ I whispered, placing one hand on my stomach. ‘Are you ready to come out to meet your brothers? Please just hang on for a few more days.’
31 Days of Autumn Page 4