That One Night Stand

4.

Picking up my bag from the terminal, I walked head high through security, leaving the section before seeing someone I missed immensely waiting for me.

"Harry!" I yelled out, giggling as I ran to him and wrapped my arms around him.

"Hey, May, god I missed you!" He squeezed back at me.

I grinned widely at my big brother.

"How's the modelling?" He asked as he took my bag and we started heading for the exit.

"Good!" I nodded, still on cloud nine on seeing my brother. He slung an arm around my shoulder as we walked and caught up on what I had missed in the past three months. "Fun."

"I can tell. Do you know how disturbing it is to see your baby sister everywhere in nothing but skimpy underwear?"

I slightly blushed at him, feeling a tad embarrassed. Harry, or also known as Harrison, was my protective big brother. He always has been. He is twenty seven and always scared any boys away from me.

I chuckled as we went to the carpark, pulling away from each other. "How is my sister in law, Susie?" I asked him.

"Huge." Was his answer as he unlocked his car and opening the boot.

"Yeah, with that attitude, I might claim I only came back home for her." I pointed out to him getting in the car.

Harry smirked, starting the car.

I did actually come home for her. Susie was about to give birth to my first niece or nephew. I was beyond excited and I couldn't wait.

"How long are you home for?" Harry asked me. I sat back and relaxed, looking around me to see what was different. Even if it was a new highway or even a signboard. I missed home.

"Uh, two or three weeks. So bub better make an appearance very soon!" I pointed out, pretending to be stern.

"Two or three weeks? Obviously you aren't that busy then." Harry teased me.

I bit down on my lips as I looked at my lap. "I might have a job as well. If I get it, then two weeks. If not, three weeks." I said to him, feeling guilty. "But the job is only an hour away from home for the week." I added quickly.

Harry chuckled. "It's okay, May, I understand. Work is work. So you are in luck. Susie has been booked in for a cesarean in three days. So bub will be here very soon."

"A cesarean? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, some medical term, can't remember what it's called. The doctors just wanna keep an eye on her, apparently she has a chance of bleeding too much or something."

"Oh, that's horrible, I think."

"Don't sweat it too much, Maya, the doctors know what they're doing. They have studied in this kind of thing." Harry sounded confident and I liked that. He always thought of the positive, always confident.

"Well, I'm concerned now."

"We all are, May." Harry sighed. That was a crack in his confidence. I didn't blame him, this is his first child and he would be nervous as anything.

"So, three days away? Excited?" I grinned, trying to lighten the mood again.

Harry nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! The nursery is all set up, we have months worth of nappies, enough clothes to last a while. Susie has been going hard and heavy this past month."

The drive was a long one from the airport to back home and I was nervous upon seeing my family. I usually am when I fly back home but I don't know why.

As we left the highway, I noticed some bushland had been cleared and what looked like the beginning of new houses being marked out.

There was a new shopping complex that was now opened, last time I was home, they were still building it.

Some roads were new and I took in everything, remembering everything about home. Harry took another exit, and we drove through a fancy estate, through the suburb and then before I knew it, I was recognising the houses, the familiarity of it all.

"Oh, Mrs Parker got her house painted." I pointed to the low level cottage.

"New owners." Harry told me. "Mrs Parker passed away a few weeks ago."

My face dropped. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" But I got no answer. Mrs Parker was a lovely widow in her eighties and we use to go to her place a lot as children. She would wait on the verandah every afternoon with a basket full of goodies, freshly packed muffins, giving them to all the kids that walked past coming home from school.

Harry pulled up at home. The house we grew up in. It was nothing fancy, a very seventies styled house. It needed another paint job, the gardens were slightly ran down but the grass was freshly mowed.

Getting out off the car, I went to the boot and got my bag, closing the boot and went to the front door.

I was a bit disappointed that mums gardens were looking ragged and made a memo to do them while here.

I didn't knock on the door. I opened it with no warning and waltzed in, excited and nervous that I was home.

I went through the small entry and one the left I saw the kitchen and the right was the dining room. Taking a few more steps, I saw the lounge room and I dropped my bag and ran to my dad and enveloped my arms around him.

My dad, Billy, is actually my step dad. He helped mum however a while after my real dad died. He raised Harry and I since I was about seven. My father, Robert, died in an accident at work when I was four ad Harry was nine.

"Hey, bumblebee." He laughed, turning around and hugging me. I hated that name but now relished it because I don't hear it enough anymore.

"Hey, dad." I grinned, stepping back and looking at him. Dad was in his fifties and wasn't as active as he use to be. I went over to Susie and hugged her as well, trying to do it properly without squeezing her baby bump. She was huge alright.

Once Harry was inside with us, I smiled proudly at my little family. This is all I have left and gawd, I missed them immensely.