Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
‘I need to stop letting you talk me into these things…’ Ottilie panted. She glanced at Stacey, who was jogging at her side wearing a full and proper workout kit, while she was in the first pair of old joggers she could find and a T-shirt that was so ancient it deserved a merciful rebirth as a pile of cleaning cloths.
‘I know, but you said you’d get fit with me. And now that my ankle’s better…’
‘I’m more likely to pass out right now. I don’t feel any fitter.’
Stacey slowed to a walk and dragged a sleeve across her forehead. ‘To be honest, I’m not feeling it either. I was just waiting for you to say so.’
‘I wish you’d told me that a mile back,’ Ottilie said, slowing down too. ‘Should we go back to hiking?’
‘I don’t know…I don’t think I’m cut out to be fit. Simon keeps saying how I need to build muscle mass and get my cardio up, and it will help me look after my bones so I don’t get osteoporosis and all that, and I love him for it, but I wish he’d shut up.’
‘He’s just looking out for you.’
‘Don’t get me wrong – it’s lovely to have someone do that, but it’s starting to feel like hard work. The only upside is I can eat more chocolate in the evenings now.’
‘I’m not sure if that’s the objective of a fitness regime,’ Ottilie said with a laugh. She sniffed. ‘Maybe we should do something a bit more sedate. We could rejoin those wild swimming ladies in Windermere.’
‘They were bonkers. And it was freezing.’
‘Isn’t that kind of the point?’
‘To be bonkers?’
‘No, that it’s cold.’
‘Ugh. I don’t think I fancy that. We could go to the baths, I suppose.’
‘We could, but we’d have to get up early to drive there.’
‘We could join a gym.’
‘Ditto.’
‘Yoga?’
‘Where?’
‘Anyway,’ Stacey said, and Ottilie immediately noticed the subtle shift in tone, ‘I might not have time for any of this soon.’
‘Why?’
She paused. ‘Chloe’s pregnant again.’
‘Is she?’ Ottilie hoped her own tone would convey enough surprise to convince Stacey that she hadn’t known about Chloe’s pregnancy for days now. ‘How does she feel about it?’
‘She seems pleased, to be honest.’
‘That’s good, isn’t it? How about Ollie? Is he happy?’
‘He seems pleased too, yeah.’
‘Then it’s fine, isn’t it?’
Stacey let out a breath. ‘They’re so young and they don’t have anywhere to live, and Chloe has her studies – I suppose they’ll go out of the window now. To me it’s terrible timing.’
‘It was an accident? Or do you think they meant to get pregnant?’
‘I don’t know – I haven’t asked. You know what Chloe is like. She keeps saying how it will be good for Mackenzie and how they’ll be a proper family now because Ollie will have his own child with her.’
‘Then if they’re happy – as they sound – is there any reason to worry? There are obstacles, but if it’s what they both want, then they’ll find a way around those.’
‘You just know I’ll end up getting involved in the childcare. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mackenzie more than my own life, but he’s hard work, and to add another baby to the mix…’ She fished in her pocket for a pack of gum and offered a piece to Ottilie before folding one into her own mouth.
‘You know you have a support network right here you can call on. Everyone will rally around.’
‘I know. I’m sure I’ll get used to the idea and when the time comes we’ll manage.’
‘Presumably Ollie’s parents will want to be involved this time too. Hopefully that will lighten the load.’
‘True. It’s crazy, I haven’t even met them yet and soon we’re going to be connected by a baby.’
‘I suppose you’d better get your finger out and get to know them.’
‘It’s not my fault I haven’t – it’s Chloe. She kept putting me off. Must be ashamed of me or something.’
‘I doubt that,’ Ottilie said. ‘Maybe she’s nervous about it and that’s why she’s been putting it off. I suppose it’s a big deal – what if you and Ollie’s parents don’t like each other? And once you’ve met them, that means their relationship is serious.’
‘I think a baby might make it serious,’ Stacey said with a sideways look.
‘Fair point.’
‘She was hoping to see about getting a different midwife from the one she had last time. I don’t suppose you’d be able to help there?’
‘Funnily enough, it’s a conversation I’ve had with Fliss. Believe it or not, Thimblebury is in the grip of something of a baby boom.’
‘So three women are pregnant at the same time? However will we find the room?’
Ottilie laughed. ‘Anyway, we did talk about how stretched the district resources are. I don’t know if she’s decided what to do yet, but she might try to put something in place for us to have our own midwife, or at least someone to work alongside the existing district midwife. It won’t be for months yet, though. Not sure if it will be soon enough for Chloe.’
‘She says she’s only eight weeks, so she’s got time.’
‘Has she been to see Fliss? Or Simon? Officially, I mean, so they can refer her to the midwifery service.’
‘Not yet. She says she doesn’t want to talk to Simon about it.’
‘I suppose that’s understandable – he’s a man and he’s also your partner. It might feel awkward. But she needs to make an appointment to see Fliss, and the sooner the better. She needs care in place in case anything goes wrong.’
‘I’ve told her that. As usual, Chloe will do what Chloe wants in her own time. If I nag, she’ll leave it even longer, even if she thinks I’m right.’
‘Want me to talk to her?’
Stacey sent Ottilie a grateful look. ‘Could you? I know she thinks a lot of you – she’d have more time for your suggestions.’
‘I don’t know about that, but I could try.’
‘Thanks.’ Stacey prodded the screen of her fitness watch. ‘Hundred and fifty calories.’
‘That’s all we’ve burned?’
‘Yeah. What do you reckon is in a bacon sandwich?’
‘Five,’ Ottilie said, ‘give or take a few hundred.’
‘That’s good enough for me,’ Stacey said with a grimace. ‘I don’t know about fit – this exercise is making me so hungry all the time I’ll be getting fat, not fit.’
‘I suppose if you’re going to be running around after two grandchildren soon, you’ll be getting exercise enough.’
‘Which reminds me, I said I’d pop into the mother and baby group later to give them a hand with the weekend play party.’
‘Is this a new thing?’
‘They started it last week but I couldn’t go. You should come with me; I think you’d enjoy it, and the girls were only saying the other day they haven’t seen you in ages.’
‘Don’t – I feel guilty about that as it is. I started that group and now I don’t have time to go.’
‘Everyone knows how busy you are.’
‘Even so. I should pop in and at least pretend I’m bothered, shouldn’t I?’
‘I know one thing – I’m going to be there a lot more in a few months.’
‘But at least there’ll be a lot of you to help each other out.’
‘Safety in numbers, eh? Right…’ Stacey reset her watch. ‘Let’s try to do half a mile more and then back to mine for elevenses. Sound good?’
‘Sounds good to me!’