it very clear that morning that she didn’t want more than their one night. Normally it would have come as a relief to Dominic, an unusual relief because he was not the one working out how to end things.
‘Excuse me.’ Her phone buzzed in her pocket and Bridgette pulled it out, taking a deep breath before answering.
‘Hi, Mum.’
Why did he have to be here when she took this call? Hopefully he’d choose now to leave, but instead he just sat there.
‘I might need a hand a little bit later,’ she said to her mother. She’d left a message for her parents earlier in the day, when she’d realised that Harry might not last out the day in crèche and also she wanted to stay longer for Jessica. ‘There’s a chance that I won’t be able to get away for work on time and it would really help if you could pick up Harry at four for me.’ She closed her eyes as her mother gave the inevitable reply. ‘Yes, I know the crèche doesn’t close till six, but he’s a bit grizzly today and I don’t want to push things—it’s been a long day for him.’
Bridgette looked down and realised she was clicking her pen on and off as her mother reeled out her excuses. She could hear the irritation creeping into her own voice as she responded. ‘I know Dad’s got the dentist but can’t he go on his own?’ She listened to the train of excuses, to how they would love to help, but how nervous Dad got at the dentist, and if he did need anything done when they got there…‘You mean he’s just having a check-up?’ Now Bridgette couldn’t keep the exasperation from her voice. She really wanted to be there for Jessica and didn’t want to be nervously keeping one eye on the clock in case the crèche rang. With a pang that she didn’t want to examine, her heart ached for the long day Harry was having. She wanted some back-up, and despite her parents’ constant reassurances that they would help, she never seemed to ask at the right time.
‘Don’t worry about it’ Bridgette settled for, and managed a goodbye and then clicked off the phone. Then she couldn’t help it—she shot out a little of the frustration that her parents so easily provoked. ‘Why can’t he go to the dentist by himself?’ Bridgette asked as Dominic simply grinned at her exasperation. ‘They go shopping together, they do the housework together…I mean, are they joined at the hip? Honestly, they don’t do anything by themselves.’
‘Breathe.’ Dominic grinned and she did as the doctor recommended, but it didn’t help and she stamped her feet for a moment and let out a brief ‘Aagggh!’
‘Better?’ Dominic asked.
‘A bit.’
Actually, she did feel a bit better. It was nice to have a little moan, to complain, to let some of her exasperation out. Her parents had always been the same—everything revolved around dinner, everything in the house was geared towards six p.m. They were so inflexible, right down to the brand of toothpaste they used, and that was fine, that was how it was, that was how they were, but right now Bridgette needed more hands and their four seemed to make a poor two.
‘Have you got no one else who can help?’ Dominic asked.
‘I miss Jasmine for things like this,’ Bridgette admitted. It was nice that they were finally talking but of course now that they were, Rita buzzed and told her Jessica was in transition and it was time for her to go back.
‘You might be out by four,’ he said, and she shook her head, because Jessica was a first-time mum.
‘I doubt it.’
Dominic’s phone was ringing as she left, and when he saw that it was his father, he chose not to answer it. Stupid, really, because his father would just ring again in an hour, Dominic thought, and every hour after that, till he could tick it off his to-do list.
He finally took the call at three.
‘Hi.’
Dominic rolled his eyes as his father wished him a happy birthday. ‘Thanks.’ Dominic was being honest when he said that he couldn’t talk for long, because he was summoned urgently and headed down to Theatre when paged for a child who was having an allergic reaction in Recovery. There was that theatre nurse, her blue eyes waiting, when he and the anaesthetist had finished discussing the child’s care.
‘Long shift?’ Dominic asked when she yawned, because on certain occasions he did make conversation.
And today was a certain occasion.
It was, after all, his birthday.
‘It’s been busy.’ She nodded.
‘Back again in the morning?’
‘Yes…though I shouldn’t moan. My husband’s away so I can just go home and sleep.’
He was always away, Dominic thought.
‘What does he do?’ He broke one of their rules and he watched her cheeks go pink. There were colleagues around, and they were seemingly just chatting, so of course she had to answer.
‘He drives a coach,’ Blue Eyes said. ‘Overnight, Melbourne to Sydney.’
He gave a nod and walked off, felt a bit sick in the guts really, which wasn’t like him, but he thought of the poor bloke driving up and down the freeway as Dominic bonked his wife. No questions asked, no real conversation.
Maybe he was growing up, Dominic thought. He hadn’t been with anyone in weeks, not since Bridgette, in fact, though he rapidly shoved that thought out of his mind.
Well, why wouldn’t he be growing up? It was his birthday, after all.
And birthdays were supposed to be enjoyed.
Never doubt the power of a woman in labour—Bridgette should really have known better. Jessica was amazing, focused and gritty, and the birth was wonderful, so wonderful that she was still high on adrenaline as she sped down the corridor to daycare.
‘Bridgette.’ He was walking towards her and this time he nodded and said her name—progress indeed!
‘Dominic.’ She grinned and nodded back at him, ready to keep walking, except he stopped in front of her.
‘I was wondering,’ Dominic said. ‘Would you like to come out tonight? You’re right, this is awkward, and I’d really like to clear the air.’
This she hadn’t been expecting. ‘The air is already clear, Dominic.’ Except it wasn’t, so Bridgette was a little more honest. ‘You were right. Harry is the reason that I didn’t want you to come in that first night. My computer didn’t have a virus.’ She gave a guilty grin. ‘Well, it wasn’t Harry exactly, more the cot and the stroller and the rather blatant clues that were littered around my flat at the time.’ And with Bridgette, he did ask questions, and got some answers. ‘I look after my nephew a lot. My sister’s really young.’ He didn’t look away, his eyes never left her face, and she rather wished that they would. ‘So!’ She gave him a smile as his pager went off and Dominic glanced down at it and then switched it off. ‘That’s a little bit what my life is like when Harry’s with my sister—I’m permanently on call.’ Yes, the air had been cleared, and now they could both move on; she truly wasn’t expecting what came next.
‘Bridgette, would you like to come out tonight?’
She
