Her baby. Every time she remembered, she felt a wash of wonder overwhelm the niggling doubt that was still worming its way through her body. She’d always been so sure she didn’t want a baby, but almost losing this one had thrown everything into sharp relief. So why were her old feelings trying to resurface? This was what she wanted, wasn’t it?

She pulled the fleece throw further up her chest and slid her arms under, reaching across herself in a hug, hands jammed into her armpits as a chill ran through her. A baby.

Nina O’Connell was having a baby.

*

Alice

Alice had expected the house to be quiet when she returned – Ted should have been collecting Wilf from the class party – but as soon as her key was in the lock, she heard scuffling. She opened the door and was engulfed by Wilf and Phoebe, shrieking ‘Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!’ She laughed, her pink paisley print scarf unravelling as she bent over to hug them.

‘Hello, my darlings!’ She crouched down, happy for their sweet-scented skin to be wrapped around her neck. She wobbled precariously, trying to balance within their embrace. ‘How was the party, Wilf? You’re back early.’

‘I didn’t go,’ he said, running off back to whatever he was playing. ‘Charlotte’s fault,’ he added crossly.

Phoebe looked between Alice and Ted fearfully.

Alice turned to Ted, eyebrows raised, a question playing out on her features.

‘Hi,’ she said, removing her coat, but it was clear she was waiting for an explanation.

‘She’s upstairs,’ was all he replied by way of greeting.

Alice climbed the stairs quickly, a knot of anticipation working its way through her back. She felt guilty, already, that she’d gone away. She knocked softly on the door. Charlotte croaked out a hopeful ‘Mummy?’ and she entered. Charlotte had been crying. She was curled up in a ball on her bed, knees to her chest.

Alice sat down on her BTS quilt; it was a subtle pink with the band members on, and Alice had used some of their pastel hair colours – one was purple and one green – as accent colours, framing some of Charlotte’s posters and painting the wooden frames to match. She’d repainted the room to complement the duvet and sourced some Kawaii-inspired pieces: a cloud lamp and a panda rug that she knew Charlotte would love. The room upgrade had only taken a couple of days, but she was really pleased with it.

‘Are you okay, sweetheart?’ Alice stroked her hair and then recoiled in alarm. The top of her arm was covered in an angry bruise, black and flecked with violet. ‘What happened to your arm?’ she asked.

Charlotte looked down at it as if she hadn’t noticed. She shrugged.

‘Charlotte, try to remember. It looks really sore. Were you and Phoebe fighting? Did you climb the Big Tree?’

She shook her head forlornly, her long hair matted. She knew without asking that her daughter wouldn’t have showered, or washed her hair, or brushed her teeth, since Thursday. It required gentle coaxing to encourage her to do these things. Ted would have asked and then shrugged when she said no.