The South West Series Box Set

by Rebecca Paulinyi

  “So,” said the doctor, and they waited for whatever it was she had to say. “I have to say Miss Davis that everything is looking fine, with a nice strong heartbeat and the size is what we’d expect. I think, although I can't say for certain, that this was probably just some normal changes and you should go on to have a healthy pregnancy.

  “Ah, that's a relief!” said James, smiling. Lee felt tears sprouting from her eyes that she couldn't control but she was smiling too.

  “We’ll want to keep an eye on you, just in case,” she said. “I’ll book you in for another scan in four weeks, but obviously come back if there's anything that really bothers you, or get in touch with your midwife or your GP - but we certainly don't need to be thinking of bed rest now.”

  “Is there anything I shouldn't do?” Lee asked. “I really don't want to cause any problems.”

  The doctor smiled; “This wasn't something you did wrong, Lee. The advice to take it easy was just a precaution, not because you’d done something wrong. I'd say don't do anything you wouldn't normally during pregnancy - no crazy roller coaster rides, no horseback riding, but on the whole, carry on as usual. Avoid heavy lifting, but I'm sure you are already, and try to enjoy it - if you're stressed the whole time that's not going to help things.” Lee nodded, trying to take in everything she was saying. “I know,” the doctor said. “I know that's easier said than done!”

  As they exited the hospital, both of them felt like a weight had been lifted. The threat of imminent danger seemed to have gone and as they kissed on the street outside the hospital, they whispered ‘I love you’, not caring who was watching them.

  Where are you? All good! X Lee text Beth as they left the hospital. The reply was almost instant: In Dartmouth eating fish and chips. Lee glanced at James in the driver’s seat.

  “Fancy Dartmouth?” she asked and James nodded instantly.

  “Might as well make the most of the day off not stuck in the house, eh,” he said, with a grin.

  Stay there, Lee text. We’ll come and meet you. Beth simply responded with a kiss and in no time at all they were on the front by the water, sat on a luckily empty bench overlooking the brightly coloured houses of Kingswear. James dashed off to get fish and chips for the two of them, while Lee just enjoyed being out of the house and sitting in the May sunshine.

  “I can't believe how stressful this has all been,” she admitted to her sister.

  “I bet,” said Beth. “I'm just glad that things are looking okay.”

  “Well, fingers crossed,” said Lee. “We’ve still got to be careful, but she said I don't need bed rest anymore - just need to keep an eye on it, and I've been told not to stress, so that's what I'm trying to do.”

  Beth smiled. “You've never been great at that, Lee, have you - not stressing about things is not your strongest point!” Lee nodded; her sister certainly knew her well. James reappeared with some of the most delicious chips Lee had ever tasted, freshly cooked from a little shop overlooking the water, and together they sat and discussed taking a trip to Kingswear one day to see those pretty multi-coloured houses up close.

  “I hear Agatha Christie's estate is there as well,” James said, “Although I've never been, even though I’ve always lived round here.”

  “Sacrilege,” said Beth. “I love Agatha Christie. I wish I had time today but I’d better be heading off fairly soon. Work tomorrow and all that,” she sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’ll have to leave it till next time, hey, when I come down for a bit longer.”

  Lee nodded; “I'll hold you to that.”

  “Maybe I could bring Mum.” Lee grimaced a little but then laughed.

  “Yeah, I guess so. I think she's come round to the idea of me having a baby without being married.”

  Beth nodded. “Oh yes, I was talking to her last week and she was asking about you. I think she'd rather hear it second-hand than have to ask you direct for some reason!”

  “I should ring more often, I know, just sometimes - you know how she can be.”

  “Don't I ever. You've been used to being the perfect child for too long. I always get asked about my life plan and why I'm not doing as well as you - well up until recently that is!”

  Lee giggled. “Maybe it's your turn - maybe I deserve a bit of grilling. She hasn't asked me why I don't follow in your footsteps yet though…”

  “That's because, dear sister, I don't have a plan. I go where the wind takes me, where the feeling blows me - but then that's what you did, isn't it, and look where you’ve ended up!

  “Oh yes, why sister you are definitely right. I should have taken advice from you a long time ago.”

  “It's not all living the dream, said Beth. “Believe me, I wish it was. You end up in a job you hate and not quite sure where the wind is going to blow you next - but never mind, I'm sure something will come up.”

  Chapter 21

  John had texted James, and he head to the bottom of the stairs knowing Lee was busy putting clothes away upstairs while he vacuumed downstairs. “Janet’s gone into labour!”

  Lee hurried to the top of the stairs but took the stairs themselves carefully, very wary of not having an accident. She felt a lot clumsier now that her bump was growing so much bigger.

  “So exciting!” she said. “Will they tell us once the baby’s been born?”

  “I'm sure they will, and hopefully we can go and visit pretty soon after - the first niece or nephew!”

  “And in not that many months they'll have a cousin too.” James placed the palm of his hand on her stomach and grinned.

  “Two Knight babies, in the same year!”

  It was the next day by the time the announcement came: John phoned his brother and Lee listened in excitedly to hear that they'd had a little boy, seven pounds exactly, with dark hair and a good set of lungs.”

  “Has he got a name yet?” Lee asked and James shook his head. Since Janet was being discharged that afternoon, they arranged to go over and visit just briefly that evening to their house in Exmouth which overlooked the sea. Lee had visited once before, when she and James had gone round for a family catch up over tea and had marvelled at the cute little bungalow - and especially its amazing views.

  They stopped off on their way to Exmouth at the large baby shop - the same one that they had visited not that long ago to stock up on things for their own impending arrival. They enjoyed picking out a gift for the newborn baby Knight, deciding in the end on a cute baby-grow covered in lambs and clouds and a stuffed elephant which James chose.

  It was a pleasant drive in the sunshine and her first sight of the sea still took Lee’s breath away, even though she saw it much more regularly than she had done when she lived in Bristol.

  “Can we go down after?” she asked James. “Just for a little bit?”

  “Course we can,” said James.

  “I just want to dip my toes in the water. I love the feeling of the sand between my toes.”

  “Most people find that annoying, you know.”

  “Most people who grew up on a beach, maybe,” said Lee. “For those of us who didn't have that privilege, it's still exciting. Just the vastness of the ocean, right there in front of you. The miles of sand, stretching into the distance, especially when it's not covered in holidaymakers… I don't know. There's something amazing about it.”

  “I know, I know,” said James. “I know I was a bit spoiled growing up here. To me, though, something amazing was the bustling streets of the city; shops that stayed open past five!” “

  Lee giggled. “It's a good job you've never lived in London then!” she said. “You would have been amazed every second of the day!”

  James laughed. “That I would. I think I'm a Devon boy at heart - even if the locals can drive me a bit barmy sometimes.” They pulled up outside John and Janet’s little cottage with breath-taking views and the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs. James knocked softly, clearly mindful of waking the possibly sleeping baby and then tried the handle; finding it o
pen he walked straight in. He found himself face to face with his sister-in-law trying to breastfeed her new son; she was sat in a reclining chair in the kitchen, staring straight out of the window at the beautiful view.

  “Oh god, I'm sorry,” said James, blushing bright red, not knowing where to look. He tried to back out of the door but Lee shut it behind him and Janet laughed, covering herself slightly with a muslin cloth.

  “It's fine. I was just having another go at feeding the little one. I'm not sure we've 100% got the hang of it yet, but it just makes me feel calmer to sit here and look out there at all that - the beauty of the sea.”

  “I just said the exact same thing,” said Lee, laughing a little to herself at James's embarrassment.

  John entered the room at that moment. “Lee, James, lovely to see you… why are you so red in the face, James?”

  “He walked in on me breastfeeding,” said Janet, and if James could have done he would have gone a deeper shade of red.

  “That’ll teach you to knock,” said John, but it was clear he was only joking. Janet did up the buttons on her pyjama top and John put on the kettle, inviting them all to sit down. The little baby slept in Janet's arms, seemingly not too bothered about them not having got the hang of feeding just yet.

  “So tiny,” said Lee, feeling the sight of him snuggled into his mother's chest tugging at her heartstrings.

  “He's quite big, really,” said Janet. “Bigger than I was expecting, anyway, considering how short I am.”

  “Do you want a hold of your first nephew?” John asked his brother and James nodded, although he looked a little nervous.

  “I don't think I've ever held a baby this young before,” he said and John laughed.

  “Probably no one would have trusted you,” he said, giving his brother a good-natured elbow to the ribs - before he took his son, that was. “Best get the practice in now though because it will be your turn next - and there's no saying you don't know what to do when it's your own, or so I've been told.”

  James took the little bundle from Janet and, other than making a few snuffling noises, he didn't seem too fussed at the change from his mother to his uncle. “Hey there, little one,” he said stroking his tiny little rosy cheek with one finger. “Has he got a name yet?” he asked, and John and Janet shook their heads.

  “We can't make up our minds. We had a few ideas, but none of them were definite and we don't know now whether we should stick with the whole J thing - you know, because we both have names beginning with J - or whether that's a bit corny.

  “I don't know,” said Lee. “I think corny can be quite nice, really. Besides, he won't know your real names for a long time - you'll just be Mum and Dad!”

  “True,” said Janet with a laugh.

  “And how are you doing?” Lee asked her.

  “Pretty well. It was fairly exhausting, and I'm not going to lie - it hurts. But you forget about it quite soon after - I'm just exhausted now, but I think that's going to be the case for a good while to come!”

  “Apparently that's what we signed up for,” said John, and they all laughed, knowing full well that the within the next few months all of them would be suffering from the same sleepless nights.

  “And you’re doing okay, Lee?” John asked, handing them both a cup of tea.

  “Yeah. Tired, although nothing compared to you two, I'm sure - but all the sickness has stopped and the scan’s all look great, so I'm hopeful that everything's going to be okay.”

  “Of course it will,” said John. “Knight babies, they're pretty tough.” He glanced over at his own little son and beamed. James handed the baby to Lee; she wasn't quite expecting it yet, and putting her tea down, she held onto the small bundle. He felt incredibly soft and warm in her arms and so trusting, like he would happily lie there, trusting Lee to take care of him, forever.

  She put her finger on his palm and he gripped it in his sleep; she could almost feel tears welling up in her eyes at how precious this newborn little life was.

  They didn't stay long, not wanting to tire the new parents and the new baby on their first day at home. Besides, they knew that John and Janet would soon be inundated with all the family trying to visit. Somehow, other than their mum and dad, James and Lee had been the first family to visit - but they were sure they would by no means be the last. With hugs and kisses goodbye for all the family, Lee and James headed down to the sea as promised.

  As soon as they reached the beach, Lee removed her shoes and socks and crunched her feet into the sand, feeling each little grain as it washed over her feet.

  “You're strange, you know that?!” said James with a hearty laugh.

  “This is completely normal,” said Lee. “Come on, I'll race you to the sea!”

  “Are you sure you should be racing in your condition?” he said.

  “Probably not, so you better let me win!” and he clearly did because Lee’s race was nothing more than a fast walk - as in truth she was concerned about falling over and doing damage to herself or the baby - but she was still giggling when she got to the sea. “Ah, it's cold!” she gasped.

  “What do you expect? It's the sea in England!”

  “Come on, get your feet in it!” she said and with a laugh and a sigh he pulled off his shoes and socks and joined her, paddling in the salty, freezing ocean.

  “He’s gorgeous, isn't he,” she said and James nodded.

  “Obviously he takes after his mother not his father!”

  Lee took hold of his hands with a giggle. “I can't quite believe we're going to have one of those in a few months,” she said. “It doesn't quite seem real – you know, kind of like a dream.”

  “But it's a wonderful dream…”

  “Yes. It really is.” Lee looked out into the distance, watching a sailing boat on the horizon for a few moments and feeling a sense of calm washing over her. “Do you think we'll have a boy or a girl?”

  “I'm not sure I mind,” said James. “Maybe it will be nice to have a girl, since John’s got a boy…but as long as you're fine and he or she is fine, I will be over the moon.”

  Lee smiled, meeting his eyes; “I suppose we better start thinking seriously about names,” she said. “We don't want it to get here and have to call it baby until we can decide on something!”

  And so they discussed names as they strolled back up the beach and put their shoes back on and all the way as they drove back to the cottage in Totnes. In spite of that long discussion, nothing could quite be agreed on and so the conversation was tabled for another day - a day hopefully not too far in the future, or else their baby could end up nameless for as long as their indecision lasted.

  Chapter 22

  Spring melted into summer and summer into autumn almost as quickly as the tides going in and out. Lee’s stomach grew increasingly larger and without any further panic-stricken drives to the hospital, she began to feel much more confident in the pregnancy.

  As September drew to a close, Lee sat in the little garden at the back of the cottage, with a hand resting on the bump that suggested she could go into labour any day, not in four weeks’ time glancing over some paperwork. It had been a while since she had worked in the café; she'd slowed down her shifts after the scare and then she’d become too tired to be on her feet all day. By seven months, she decided to let Gina and Tom take the reins - a task Gina was stepping up to quite fantastically. In fact, unless she rang to specifically ask about the café, her and Gina’s chats were solely about their personal lives.

  She did miss the place and she was looking forward to doing some shifts once she'd had the baby, once she’d recovered, but getting her teeth into law work again was becoming more of an obsession. After their chat some months earlier, Lee had decided she was going to set up her own business and had been using her time at home to start putting the wheels in motion. She had found a little office on the outskirts of the town that she could rent in order to run the business. She’d made sure her qualifications were in date and that t
he authorities knew where and what name she was operating under. The money from her divorce settlement had finally come through and so she could finance this dream - and even though she knew she shouldn't start seriously until after the baby was born, when she had some time to dedicate to it, she hadn't been able to resist a few cases that seemed to have just flown into her lap. She knew she needed start charging; it was all too easy to agree to things because people were struggling but she couldn't do that for everybody - otherwise she’d have no time and no money. She had been, however, looking into the possibility of doing some legal aid work - something that could give back to the people in the area that didn't have the means to represent themselves with a decent lawyer.

  The latest case that had come to her through word of mouth was a custody battle - something she was unfortunately all too familiar with. She had fought many of these difficult cases in court, but she found being pregnant she was struggling with the fact that really it seemed as though the custody should go to the father. She put the papers aside and decided to leave it for the day; after all, if she couldn't be impartial, there was not much point in her doing it at all - it wasn't going to be much use to the couple in question.