We told the kids.
They hadn't said anything yet, just stared at us.
George and I had gathered them in our second living room where we sat. I sat on one side of the sofa and George sat on the armrest.
"Aren't you in menopause or something?" Fred asked, and George snorted with laughter.
"Menopause?" I asked. "How old do you think I am?"
He shrugged.
"I don't know... forty-five."
"Forty-five?" I scoffed. "I am younger than your dad."
"Well, isn't that like... fifty?"
George stopped laughing.
"Fifty?!" He exclaimed. "I'm far from fifty!"
"You're such an idiot." Roxi told Fred. "Mum's thirty-five, not forty-five."
Fred looked at her, then looked at me.
"What? You're thirty-five?" He asked. "That means you're only... seventeen years older than me."
"Can we focus on the important thing here?!" Leah asked. "Mum is pregnant. I'm not sharing my room with a baby."
"Leah..." George sent her a look.
"No one is going to share their room." I said. "We'll figure something out."
"But you already have so many of us! I don't want another sibling!"
"Leah, right now isn't about you." Elsie said. "Stop acting like a baby."
"I am not a baby!" Leah yelled before she got off the sofa and marched out of the room.
I sighed.
"Leah!" I called, getting off the sofa before following her. "Darling, I know you're upset so why don't you try and talk to me so we can resolve this?"
"No!" She screamed at me as she stormed up the stairs but I still followed her.
When she reached her room, she slammed the door and it was too close to hitting me in the face.
My heart skipped a beat at how loud the slam was, and how much it frightened me.
I took a step back, letting out a heavy breath.
Relax.
After standing there for a moment, relaxing my nerve system, I knocked on the door and opened it carefully.
Leah was laying on her bed, face buried into a pillow.
"Leah, baby." I sighed, walking into the room.
I closed the door behind me as I walked over to sit on the edge of the bed.
"You're very angry most of the time." I said, rubbing her back. "Do you want to try and talk to me about it?"
She turned her head to look at me, sniffing while she ran the back of her hand over her nose.
"Why do you never get angry at me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Dad gets angry at me. He yells when he gets upset but you never do."
I sighed.
"I want you to be able to come to me without being scared of making me mad." I said. "Yelling increases fear."
She sniffed again.
"Another baby makes seven." She said. "You'll forget about me."
"What?" I chuckled. "No, Leah... that would never happen, you hear me? No matter what number you are in the line, you will always be my little girl."
Leah rolled onto her back and sat up, wiping her eyes.
"I miss dad." She said. "When can I see him again?"
I sighed and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"I don't know, sweetheart. When he's better."
"Better? But he isn't sick. Elsie said he loves alcohol more than he loves us."
I shook my head.
"That is not true at all." I assured her. "Your dad is struggling with addiction. Addiction can be a very hard thing to overcome but he does not love alcohol more than you and as soon as he gets better, you can see him, yeah?"
Leah nodded, then hugged me.
"I'm sorry for yelling."
I smiled and pressed a kiss to her head.
"It's okay. You're allowed to show emotions." I told her, hugging her tightly. "Do you want to come back downstairs?"
"No." She said as she leaned back on the bed. "I want to be alone."
"Okay." I nodded. "I'll come get you before dinner."
Leah nodded and turned over on her side while I left the room, closing the door behind me.
George came walking up the stairs, looking at me.
"Is she okay?"
I nodded, smiling at him.
"She's scared to be forgotten with us having seven kids soon." I sighed. "She wants to be alone right now."
"Okay." He nodded and walked over to me, placing his hands on my arms. "Are you okay?"
I continued to smile up at him.
"I am."
"Yeah?" A smile spread on his lips. "You are completely okay? With everything?"
He glanced down at my stomach and I shrugged, placing a hand against it.
"I don't feel as trapped as I did before we told the kids." I said. "I don't know... maybe it'll be nice to have another one."
George wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"But I'm still scared as hell about birth." I said. "After the twins... I don't want to be in pain in the majority of this pregnancy."
"Well, that was a multiple pregnancy. This is a single." He said. "How did your pregnancies go the two first times?"
I shrugged.
"Elsie's was... I was anxious all the time, absolutely terrified and I ignored my contractions which is why I gave birth in the matter of five minutes in a hallway. Leah's on the other hand... well it actually went well. No complications. It was an easy pregnancy."
"Then maybe this will be one as well." George said. "You are healthy. Meg said that the baby is healthy."
I nodded and wrapped my arms around George's back, hugging him back.
"Do you want to look at the ultrasound pictures?" He asked. "I promise you she's really cute."
I let out a small breath.
"Not yet. I don't— not right now." I pulled out of the hug and made my way down to the ground floor.
I walked back into the living room where the rest of the kids sat.
"Mummy?" Liam asked as he now sat where I had been sitting before.
"Yes, handsome?"
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
I brushed my fingers through his hair as I sat down next to him.
"It's a girl."
"Seriously?" Fred asked, causing me to look at him. "I swear, this place is going to be filled with hormonal girls."
"Why do you care?" Roxanne asked. "You'll be leaving by the end of September so you won't be here to experience all these hormonal girls."
