When the skyfalls

Chapter twenty: Here's to the future and our little peanut

Her plan was simple: say good-bye to her giggling sister-in-law, kiss her daughter goodnight whilst she slept and finally, leave the positive pregnancy test (currently stuffed in her hoodie pocket) in plain sight in their bedroom, waiting for her husband to come up and join her. Now, all Dianne had to do was actually implement it. From the moment Zoe knew of the results, she had giggled helplessly, vibrating with excitement as the two girls shared a tight hug on the bathroom floor, tears flowing freely and wordlessly; she truly wished the couple all the happiness in the world after the rough couple of months they had been through, her previous bitterness disappearing with every passing second. Having left the bathroom nearly 45minutes earlier, both girls flopped down in front of some trashy tv show to calm their hyperactivity whilst Joseph was preoccupied with Lottie's bedroom routine.

"Hey, Di? I'm really sorry for the way I came across earlier...I know you reacted the way you did because you were hurting, you were scared. I shouldn't have unloaded my troubles on you or taken it out on you...I was...it was selfish of me but I am genuinely happy for you and I can't wait for baba number two, I already love it." Zoe leans across the sofa, placing her hand gently on Dianne's knee and rubbing it. Unbeknownst to the young woman, those words she had uttered made Dianne's blood run cold, coupled with a sharp, stabbing pain in her chest as her anger bubbled. "Number three, Zoe." She spat, icy daggers hitting the woman sat opposite her. Confusion etched in her face, Zoe struggled to understand the sudden change in atmosphere, choosing to blame raging hormones for the blunt tone, "Three what's Di? Huh? Are you okay?" she pressed, settling back a bit and bringing her hand back to her own body. Rationally, Dianne KNEW that it wasn't Zoe's intention to cause her this pain, she didn't truly understand the weight of her poor choice in words but that didn't stop the anger rising to the top.

"I have THREE babies Zoe, THREE. Just because I was too weak, just because I FAILED MY OWN CHILD! It doesn't mean that baby wasn't real, isn't real! So, next time, love all THREE of my children." Standing up, shaking with anger, Dianne made her way to the door just as her doting husband came into the room, having been alarmed by his wife's raised voice. "Dotty love, what's going on? Zo?" Looking between the two most important women in his life, looks of frustration and confusion all-round.

"Dia..."

"Save it Zoe. Just leave. GO!" Barging past her poor husband, Dianne stormed off upstairs, ready to shut the world out for the night. Watching her go, Joe decided against following her, choosing to turn to his sister again and silently praying that her outburst didn't wake their child. "Zoe?! What the hell happened? Did she open up? Or did she just lash out? I'm so sorry Zo, she doesn't mean it, whatever she said." He sighed, reaching over to draw his older sister into a tight hug, knowing that Dianne's outburst probably left her feeling rather shitty. Relaxing under her brothers strong grip, she smiled softly, "Its fine, it was my fault, Broseph, just go and be with that beautiful wife of yours...she needs you. I'll see you all tomorrow but...i'd recommend you working from home tomorrow maybe...Love you Bro!" And with that, she was gone, leaving Joe in a state of permanent confusion.

With his sister gone and his wife upstairs, he set about his nightly routine of locking up the household, desperately wondering what could have gone on between the two most important women in his life to cause the level of animosity from his wife, towards his sister. Checking in on their sleeping child, a soft smile resting on his lips as he spies both the rainbow bear and her favourite baby doll, grasped tightly in her little hands. Tiptoeing to her bed, he gently tugged the tiny, colourful bear from her grip and pulled it close to his face, pressing a kiss to it's tiny face before tucking it tightly in his pocket and walking the familiar path up to his marital bedroom, where his wife lay musing and waiting for him. Knocking on the door lightly, Joe could hear the emotion in Dianne's voice, just from those two simple words; "Come in." The first thing he sees upon entering their bedroom, is his beautiful wife looking extremely fragile, perched on the end of their luxurious bed with something clutched in-between her hands. The woman infront of him was pale, exhausted and drowning in her own emotion, that much was obvious. What was slightly less evident, is what caused this sudden meltdown. Getting to his knees, he sat before his wife and placed his hands carefully on her knees. "Oh Dotty, angel, what's happened? You...Zo... I don't understand?" Stretching up, the doting husband cups her face in his hand and absent mindedly brushes the stray hairs from her face.