Halcyon

Evening Routine

Jack is currently sat playing with Poppy after her birthday party at the soft play center earlier today, It's currently 7 pm and Nikki is attempting to prepare the girls for bed. "Jack please, she needs to calm down now, don't wind her up any more than she is already!" Nikki huffs as she carries a sleepy Maddison in on her hip. 

Jack looks up at Nikki from where he is sat on the floor with his four-year-old daughter clinging to his back wrestling him. He gets up off the floor causing Poppy to slide off his back to the floor, She looks up at her Dad and sighs before getting up and walking over to her toys and picking up her new baby born and playing with it, "Poppy, five more minutes and bedtime!" Nikki speaks as she heads back into the kitchen to prepare a bottle of milk for Maddison to have. 

Nikki comes back through to the lounge and sits on the sofa with Maddison and hands her the bottle, Nikki looks across at Jack who is looking down at the iPad mumbling to himself, she then looks at Poppy who is lying on the floor with her baby born still in her arms, "Poppy sweetie, do you want to go to bed?" Nikki asks her daughter. 

Poppy groans and sits up and looks at her mother before rubbing her eyes and continuing to play with her toys, clearly fighting her tiredness. Nikki chuckles to herself as she watches Poppy fight her tiredness. "Jack can you take her to bed please" Nikki sighs as she gently rocks Maddison. 

"Why me?" He snaps as he looks up from his iPad. 
"Because I have Maddie" Nikki speaks softly as she rolls her eyes at her partner. 
"Fine" He huffs as he stands up and scoops Poppy up who whines dramatically as she is forced to drop her toys. 

"What is wrong with you recently Jack? You're being such an arsehole" Nikki huffs as she looks away from Jack.
"I don't know, you're the doctor, you tell me!" He huffs as he carries his daughter off upstairs and puts her to bed. 

Nikki rolls her eyes and lies Maddison back into her arms again as she's sat herself up, Nikki rocks her side to side and smiles down at her youngest daughter. 
Around ten minutes later Jack comes back downstairs and looks at Nikki as he sits back down in the armchair opposite her, "I'm sorry Jack, I wasn't being funny with you, you just haven't been yourself recently" Nikki speaks. 

Jack slams his iPad down on the arm of the chair and looks at her, "Just leave it, Nikki! You're the one who's poking their nose in!" He snaps. 
"Me? Jack... I have a right to ask you! Jack, you want to marry me right? well, you will have no joy at doing that if you talk to me like something off the bottom of your shoe!" Nikki huffs as she gets up from the sofa and carries Maddison upstairs and puts her down to bed. 

Nikki soon returns downstairs and turns the monitor on and starts to clean up and put Poppy's toys away from the day, she sorts out the cards which are on the window ledge and then closes the blinds. before drawing the curtains too. 

Once she has tidied away she makes herself a cup of tea and then sets herself down on the sofa for the evening. There is a deadly silence between Jack and Nikki, although she doesn't want to say anything she finds herself speaking. "Are we okay?" She asks. 

Jack looks up from his iPad and nods, "Why wouldn't we be?" He responds. 
"Because you never want to be with me, you always push me away recently" Nikki sighs as she curls her legs underneath herself. 

He looks at Nikki with a sigh and locks his iPad before placing it down on the coffee table, "I'm all yours now" He smiles and she shakes her head. 
"No Jack, you just can't click your fingers are we be okay..." She huffs. 

Jack sighs and looks at her, "What do you want me to say Nik?" He asks.
"I don't want you to say anything, I want my old future husband back, the man who's always begging me for sex and talks to me" Nikki explains as she sips her tea. Jack just looks at her and shakes his head, "Is there another woman Jack? Because if there is, I don't mind. She's probably younger and prettier than me, good for you if so, but if that's true let's not continue playing happy families Jack, because I-" Nikki speaks as a few tears threaten to slip down her face. 

"Nikki, there isn't anyone else, it's you and will always be you I love, honestly I'm just not in the mood for sex and that type of funny business at the minute" He speaks and instantly Nikki gets up and takes her cup of tea with her and heads for the stairs. "Where are you going?" Jack asks as he stands up and watches Nikki walk up the stairs. 

"I'm going to bed," Nikki huffs from the top of the stairs. 
"Nikki, it's half eight" Jack sighs.
"An early night has never done me any harm. Anyway, it's exhausting looking after two girls on your own..." She responds as she walks into the bedroom and shuts the door before climbing into bed with her cup of tea, she grabs her book and begins to read it.