Georgie lay flat on her back and stretched out, feeling replete. That was the longest block of sleep she’d had in days. Liam had arrived about twenty minutes after she’d called and taken Nicholas from her, insisting she go to bed. But still she hovered, until Liam decided to go for a drive. He’d heard of people driving their babies around in the middle of the night to get them off to sleep, and besides, that way the flat would be quiet and Georgie could get some rest. It made sense. She fussed around, packing a bag of emergency supplies for Liam to take along, and then they were gone. Which was when she realised it was the first time she’d been separated from Nicholas by any distance. Georgie panicked and was about to ring Liam’s mobile, but then she imagined him answering the phone while he was driving, and then she imagined him having an accident, and then she couldn’t catch her breath, and finally she had the sense to recognise she was being ludicrous. So she got into the shower and let the warm water run onto her neck and shoulders while she breathed in and out slowly. Gradually she started to relax, and then she felt tired, so tired. She climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep, telling herself that Nicholas was in safe hands. He was with his father, and she knew she could trust Liam with his son, if nothing else.
And now lying here, she became aware that she couldn’t hear anything, not a sound. She peered across at her bedside clock. It was almost eight, surely they were back by now. She sat up in bed. Her breasts felt full and a little tender. If Nicholas didn’t need a feed, she certainly needed to feed him. She checked in his room first before walking out to the living room. And then she saw them both, curled up asleep on the floor. Nicholas was lying on his lambskin rug with a half-circle of cushions around him. Why, Georgie didn’t know, it wasn’t as if he could fall off the floor. Liam was lying beside him, another cushion tucked under his head and one arm protectively arched across his son. Where was her camera? She scanned the room; she was always taking pictures of Nicholas, it must be around here somewhere. She finally spotted it on one of the bookshelves. She crept over and picked it up, and slowly got down on her knees, crawling closer to them. She positioned the camera, focussed, and took the shot. Liam stirred as the flash went off. He rolled over onto his back, rubbing his eyes, staring up at the ceiling, probably wondering where on earth he was for a second. He hadn’t noticed Georgie yet.
‘Good morning,’ she said.
He looked across at her. ‘Shh, he’s sleeping,’ he whispered.
‘It’s okay,’ said Georgie, ‘He’s going to have to wake up soon anyway, or else this dam’s going to burst.’
Liam frowned while he processed that piece of information. He levered himself up to sit, resting his back against the arm of one of the sofas. She saw him flinch as he flexed his shoulders in a circular motion.
‘The floor’s not exactly the most comfortable place to sleep,’ Georgie commented.
‘It’s okay, I’m just a little stiff.’
‘Why didn’t you put Nicholas in his cot, or lie up on the lounge or something?’
Liam shrugged. ‘He grizzled whenever I went to put him down and I didn’t want to wake you, so I brought him out here. I couldn’t have slept on the lounge, I would have worried the whole time he’d roll off, or I would.’ He shuddered at the thought. ‘The floor was fine, it’s only been for an hour or so.’
Georgie sighed. ‘Well, I appreciate you coming over, I shouldn’t have summoned you like that.’
‘I’m glad you did. I told you to, any time.’ He considered her for a moment. ‘You look like a new woman.’
‘I feel like one,’ she said, leaning back on one arm. ‘I had no idea it would be this hard. I mean, people tell you, but I don’t think anything can prepare you for the relentlessness. There’s just no time out.’ She paused to yawn. ‘It’s the little things that are hardest. Like having a shower, or making a cup of tea, or even finishing one. I found three half-full cups of cold tea around the flat yesterday.’
‘How about I make you a cup of tea now, so you get a chance to finish it?’ said Liam, lifting himself up off the floor.
Georgie seemed to come out of a reverie. ‘No, I’ll be right from here.’ She picked up the camera and got to her feet, replacing it on the shelf. ‘I’ve taken up enough of your time anyway.’
‘I wish you wouldn’t say that.’ Liam rubbed his forehead. Every time she started to relax around him, she’d suddenly snap out of it, like she’d been caught off guard.
‘But you’ll have to be getting to work, won’t you?’ she asked.
‘Not on a Saturday, Georgie.’
‘Is it Saturday?’
‘It is,’ he nodded, smiling faintly at her. ‘Let me make you a cup of tea. I was going to call you anyway this morning, there’s something I need to talk to you about.’
He didn’t wait for an answer, he just walked around to the kitchen. She heard him run the tap for the kettle as she picked up Nicholas, still sleeping contentedly on the floor. When she held him against her he began to stir and Georgie carried him over to the sofa. She wondered what Liam wanted to talk about, and it made her a little uneasy.
She was feeding Nicholas when he returned from the kitchen with a cup of tea and a glass of water for her. He set them both down on the end table closest to Georgie and took a seat on the sofa opposite. He looked a little uneasy as well as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping and unclasping his hands.
‘What is it, Liam?’ Georgie asked eventually.
‘Well, yesterday,’ he began, before clearing his throat. ‘Last night it was actually, in the evening . . . anyway, Anna rang me, at home.’
‘Oh.’ Georgie paused. ‘How long is it since you heard from her?’
‘Months and months,’ he replied. ‘I hadn’t heard from her since I told her you were pregnant.’
‘That’s right, you said.’ She nodded vaguely, wondering what this had to do with her.
Liam breathed out. ‘Anyway, she asked if you’d had the baby, she’d worked out that he must have been due. She was a little surprised to find out he was already nearly four weeks old.’
‘How did she take the news?’
‘Okay, you know, there were a few awkward moments. But she congratulated me, asked after you . . .’
Georgie was waiting for the bombshell. She assumed one was coming by the way Liam was building this up so painstakingly.
‘So, she said she needed to see me about one or two things. Apparently she’s planning to take a trip overseas, she’ll be away for a while.’ He paused, swallowing. ‘And, well, here’s the thing, she asked if she could see the baby.’
Georgie hadn’t seen that coming.
‘She said she knew it probably sounded odd, and she promised she wasn’t going to do anything crazy, and it was only if you were completely comfortable with the idea.’ He paused, still waiting for some kind of response from Georgie. ‘She said she just wanted to see what he looked like, that it would give her . . . oh, what did she call it . . . ?’
‘Closure?’ Georgie suggested.
‘That’s it, that’s the word she used.’ Liam nodded, watching Georgie carefully. ‘How do you feel about it?’
‘Look, it’s fine with me, if that’s what she thinks she needs to do,’ said Georgie. ‘I only hope it won’t upset her too much. But I don’t have a problem with it. Whatever she needs.’ She paused. ‘I think of her often, you know. I still feel bad about the way things turned out . . . so unfair,’ she murmured, gazing down at Nicholas. Then she looked directly at Liam. ‘So, when does she want to do this? She’s welcome to come here if she wants.’
Liam cringed slightly. ‘I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.’
‘Sorry, of course, she wants to see the baby, not me,’ Georgie grimaced. ‘She’d hardly want to see me . . . I’m the villain of the piece.’
‘No, I assure you, Georgie, that’s my part.’