‘Thank you.’ She smiled, a bit tearfully. ‘Do you think a midwife would help me?’
‘Definitely.’
When the midwife arrived, Dan said, ‘So, I’m going to leave you to it.’ He looked at his watch. ‘It’s five thirty. You must be exhausted. Would you like me to keep an eye on her while you get some sleep after you’ve fed her?’
The time that Dan sat with and cuddled and watched and marvelled at Katie in the visitors’ room along the corridor from Hannah’s room were possibly the shortest two-and-a-half waking hours he’d ever experienced. He now knew that you’d literally be able to watch a baby twenty-four/seven and not get bored. Well, not any oldbaby.Yourbaby.
At around nine o’clock, Julia showed up.
‘Good morning,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to intrude, so please do just tell me to go away if that’s how you feel, and I also don’t want to be rude, but you do look tired, so would you like me to take my beautiful granddaughter while you go and get some sleep?’
Dan didn’t want to relinquish Katie but he had in fact now been awake most of the time for twenty-six hours. It would probably be better for everyone if he had a rest and came back later. He also needed to take a few minutes to tell everyone he knew about his daughter. Shout the news from the rooftops, basically.
‘That’s such wonderful news,’ his mother said. He’d called her the second he left Katie. ‘I can’t wait to meet her. Tell me everything.’
At the end of the call, she said, ‘Darling, I don’t want to interfere, but I just wanted to let you know that I do think that for your sake you should probably tell your father, even if you don’t really want to speak to him.’
Yeah, Dan had been thinking about that. ‘I might text him,’ he said. ‘With a photo.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ his mother said. ‘Perhaps do it this morning? Do you think?’ Yep, she was probably right. So right that he wasn’t even annoyed that she was interfering so much. While saying that she didn’t want to interfere. He’d include his father on the group text he was going to send to friends.
He called Lucie and Sasha to tell them in person, and then Max too. He always found it hard to talk to Max but that wasn’t Max’s fault and Dan would never want to hurt his feelings. By the time he’d finished the three calls, his ear was almost ringing from his siblings’ loud excitement.
Going through his phone to decide who to include in his group text, he hesitated on Evie’s name. It felt like she was someone who he should tell about such a big event. Given that he had her number. But at the same time… she wasn’t exactly his friend; she wasn’t even really an ex. Sasha would tell her, anyway. He carried on scrolling down without adding her to the list.
The congratulatory replies started flooding in pretty much immediately, obviously.
There was one from Max.
So many congratulations!!!!!!! I was too overwhelmed on the phone to say that Greggy and I would love to visit SOON to meet my NIECE!!!!!!! Today????? Let me know when would suit.
And one from his father.
Congratulations.
Quite a contrast. Dan bashed out lots of replies – other than to his father – and then put his phone on silent to grab some sleep.
Sasha was FaceTiming him when he stepped out of a fast shower after a three-hour nap.
‘There’s a group of us here having lunch,’ she said. ‘We had to phone and congratulate you again. My first niece! I’m putting the phone in the middle of the table so everyone can say hi.’ She disappeared from view and was replaced by first a pepper pot and then a view of several faces, including Evie’s, which gave Dan a jolt.
He said a lot of thank yous and then set off back to the hospital.
Becoming a father was mind-blowing.
Twenty-Two
Now – August 2022
Evie
‘Are you all ready?’ Tiff, the wedding boutique owner, poked her face out from behind the changing room curtain.
Lucie, Fiona, Evie and Dervla, Sasha’s university friend who was the other bridesmaid, all nodded.
‘Okay then, she’scoming out.’ Tiff pulled the curtain sideways and up, and Sasha stepped out.
‘Oh my goodness.’
