Just A Kiss Goodnight

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Sophie laughed and cast a glance at her husband, busily chatting with Nick, James and Mike. "Ben's exactly the same; he spends so much time talking and being distracted it's a wonder he gets anything done."

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At the Barbican our seats were in row 12 at the front half of the centre orchestra section. Tom had explained that these seats put us at the same eye level the director and playwright had during the performance's development—therefore we would essentially see the play as it was "meant to be seen."

I felt another twinge as I took my seat but as it was no longer or more forceful than the one I had earlier, I paid it no mind. Baby Hiddles was still being fairly active, though I had hopes that would settle soon so I could enjoy the show without distraction. Davey was seated on my right and Diana on my left, so I chatted quietly with them as the audience flowed in and found their seats, sending a quick text to Tom telling him we were here and giving him my love before turning off my phone.

The curtain rose to a scene in front of a noble house in Messina with three of the main characters on stage. After a few minutes Tom came on as Benedick and my heart surged with pride, but I soon forgot he was my husband, finding myself lost as always in the magic of Shakespeare and the skill of the players on the stage. I laughed along with the rest of the audience at Benedick's attempts to outwit, outsmart and out-insult Beatrice and his use of witty hyperbole to express his feelings and silently applauded when Beatrice exploded with fury at Claudio for mistreating her cousin.

When Tom and Kate Winslet – who played Beatrice – came to take their bows after the curtain fell I joined everyone else in giving them a standing ovation. As I rose from my seat I put a hand to my abdomen as another twinge stabbed at me; I saw Diana notice. Once we were making our way backstage she expressed her concern. "Kate, are you having labour pains?"

"No, I'm fine. Just some twinges."

"Are you sure? I know it's too soon but you can't be too careful."

"My doctor said to watch for pains in my lower back that increase in ferocity and become regular and these twinges aren't like that, so I'm sure they're nothing to worry about."

Of course our conversation was overheard and select parts of it repeated by the others in our group, so by the time we reached Tom's dressing room it was all they were talking about and when he came out to greet us the first thing he was told was "Kate might be in labour."

"Darling, what –" He looked so concerned I was annoyed at the others for making him worry about an inconsequential matter when this moment should be about him.

"I'm definitely not in labour sweetheart, just some small twinges. My doctor said it's all perfectly normal and told me how to tell real labour pains from false ones, so please don't worry."

"If you're sure..." His furrowed brow told me he wasn't completely convinced so I promised to call the doctor if they persisted and he seemed reassured.

"Now can we please talk about how incredible my husband's performance was and focus on him?" I glared meaningfully at everyone and they all complied, showering him with the praise I felt he deserved. While he accepted it all as gracefully as he usually did, he kept a supportive arm around my shoulders and glanced my way so frequently I knew he was still concerned. I put an arm around his waist and snuggled into his side, kissing him lightly and murmured, "I'm fine, stop worrying."

"It's much too soon."

"Tom." I looked at the fright in his eyes then turned to the others. "Excuse us for a moment please," and taking his hand, led him back into his dressing room and shut the door.

"Kate, what ..."

"I'm calling the doctor so she can put your mind at ease." When Heather answered I explained the twinges I had been having and after asking me some questions she agreed they were nothing to worry about. "I'm putting my husband on, Heather, please tell him what you've just told me."

"All right?" I asked him once he'd hung up; he nodded in answer and hugged me tightly. I could hear his rapid heartbeat through his costume and stayed close to him as it slowly returned to its normal rate. "I love you."

"I love you too." His voice was muffled as his face was buried in my hair. There was a short pause before he said, "Kate, is it a boy or a girl?"

I drew back to look at him. "I thought you didn't want to know?"

"I didn't but ... now I do. It seems important somehow – I can't explain how or why, it just is."

"Are you sure?" I looked into his eyes again, unable to put a name to the raw emotions I saw there.

"I'm sure."

So I wrapped my arms tighter around his waist and told him.