Mixed Messages

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.

The walk down to the pub allowed Rob to smoke his cigarette as well as reel from the headslap. He had smirked at Khaat after she'd done it and remarked, "So...quite a few then?" before jumping ahead and walking off, his long legs making short work of the cobbles. There was a slight spring in his step though, that was undeniable. He made sure to flick the cigarette into a puddle before opening the back door of the Cauldron for Khaat to step through.

Rob entered the pub behind her, just as the squealing began. He looked over the top of Khaat's head and watched as a short blonde child wobbled towards them. Then it dawned on Rob. That was Abbey: his daughter. A lump grew in his throat and he glanced at Khaat. He bit his lip and knelt down, hesitantly extending his hands to the child. He'd probably only held her that one time in the hospital. He'd seen her rarely after that.

The little girl held her arms out to him and he brought his hands underneath her armpits. He rose up to his full height and held her up above his head. He walked a little to the left so she was hovering beside one of the lampshades and he heard her giggle above him. Rob brought her down slowly and he sat her on his hip the way he did with one (or often all three) of Chris' kids.

She seemed to remember him. Sort of. Rob hoped so anyway.

"Hello, baby girl." He murmured. "Look at you. You're all grown up aren't you?"

.""Those were her very first steps," she said softly to Rob. "I'm glad you were here for her." She wanted to kiss his cheek, but she remembered how he had rebuffed her the last time she had kissed him and she pulled back. Perhaps that chapter was over for them forever? The thought of that was more painful than she could even begin to look at. She pushed it out of her mind as she watched him delight in her. Abbey was a gorgeous child, and at least she wasnt' going all labrador on him today. She was laughing and giggling and enjoying every single moment. Khaat watched Abbey start to babble at him as if she was holding an entire conversation with him.

"Abbey," Khaat said, "Da da. Say Da da." Abbey looked at Khaat and back at Rob a bit quizzically. Khaat repeated herself, and then Abbey began to almost shout in Rob's face, "Da da! Da da!" Her tone was one of an utterly delighted little singsong. Khaat was determined that Abbey know her father. In Khaat's book, it was impossible to be too well loved.

She sat down at the next table, so as to not interrupt her mother's lunch with her friends. Kate handed her Abbey's sippy cup of pumpkin juice, and Khaat just sat back to watch. For the moment, it all felt right. For the moment, she felt at peace. As chaotic as it had been moments before, suddenly, it was all good. And more than anything, she wanted Rob to take whatever time he wanted to get to know his daughter.