She walked out the door, past him, and just for the crack he'd made about the number of men she slept with, she headslapped him. It served him right. She walked with him down to the Leaky Cauldron and saw her mother there with Abbey. They were sitting with a couple of her mothers friends, having fish and chips and pints. Well, Abbey apparently was having pumpkin juice in her sippy cup. Khaat was delighted to see her daughter there. It took away even the slightest thought of her new situation. Abbey drove it all out of her mind. She was standing, holding onto Kate's knee. When Abbey turned and saw her mother, she let out a squeal of delight and began to call for her, "Mama! Mama!.." repeatedly.
To Khaat's utter surprise, Abbey let go of Kate. Khaat automatically knelt, ready to catch her if she started to fall. Kate was at the ready, ready to catch her instead of letting her fall on the pub floor. Abbey wobbled a bit, trying to get her bearings and then began to make one awkward wobbly step at a time, towards her parents.
"Rob," Khaat said softly, utterly overwhelmed at seeing Abbey take her first tentative steps towards her and Rob and knowing how little time he ever got with Abbey, "Would you like to do this?" She fought back tears. Her baby girl was walking. For some reason it had seemed like she had waited her entire lifetime to see this, and part of her had never thought it would come. It was utterly overwhelming.