first_in_time | This Can Hardly Wait

Barbara glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. Ian's break time had just started. She knew because he sometimes called her instead of going into the staff room and eating with everyone else. Today, however, she wasn't going to give him the chance to eat for the moment, not with such important news.

The dial tone ws loud and clear as Barbara picked up their telephone, and each number she punched in had it's own sound to make. When she heard the ringing on the other end, her heart sped up and almost leapt from her mouth when a secretary answered.

"Yes, hello. I'd like to speak to Ian Chesterton please. This is his wife."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

splendid_roman

Ian frowned, less sure he wanted Harry knowing that.

"No wonder you moved fast," Harry said, taking hold of John's waving hand.

"It wasn't that fast," Ian protested. Although it looked faster, given that they had a baby before they'd been intending to.

From:

first_in_time

"It wasn't," she agreed, "I think that Alan moved faster than we did in the end. Although he did always tend to have an eye for pretty girls."

John latched onto Harry's finger but couldn't do much else yet. Harry helped him move down and up, and draw circles in the air.

From:

splendid_roman

"All the girls I date are pretty," Harry said.

Ian chuckled. "There wouldn't be much point in dating them if they weren't."

From:

first_in_time

"Yes there is. You'd be dating them for their beautiful personality." Barbara tried to keep a straight face but it broke when Harry laughed.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian laughed too. "I only dated your sister for her looks." He grinned at Barbara.

From:

first_in_time

"Well you're stuck with me now and it's all downhill from here," she grinned back.

Harry rolled his eyes and focused on John.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian might have said something about being happy to be stuck, had Harry not been there. "At least we made a pretty baby."

"He's a boy," Harry protested. "You can't call a boy pretty."

Ian raised an eyebrow. "Says the man who wanted to teach him to like ballet."

((OOC: I completely missed this notif this morning, for some reason))

From:

first_in_time

"Not all ballet dancers are pretty," Harry said as though it were a valid argument, then he picked John up.

"Harry, I want him to sleep."

"There's plenty of time for him to sleep. I just wanted a cuddle since you were hogging him before."

"He was being fed, not exactly a thing you're able to do at this point."

"You should start using bottles. Then anyone can feed him."

"Bottles come later when he's weened off breast milk."

From:

splendid_roman

"When you have a baby you can decide whether to breast or bottle feed," Ian said.

John seemed happy to be cuddled, staying still for now and gazing up at Harry.

"You're not going to sleep when your Uncle Harry's come to visit you specially, are you?" Harry said to John.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara sighed but there was little she could do. It wasn't as if Harry saw John all the time, she'd simply have to put up with a tired baby for longer than she usually would.

"So where are you taking this da?" she asked eventually.

From:

splendid_roman

"Just to dinner," Harry replied, still looking down at John. "There's a new Indian restaurant just opened and she said she'd like to try it. So we are." He shrugged. Well, sort of, given that he was holding a baby at the time.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara glanced at Ian before asking: "how long have you been seeing her?"

"I told you."

"Sorry, I've forgotten. Must be my baby brain."

Harry rolled his eyes. "A couple of months."

From:

splendid_roman

"Have you dated any woman for longer than a couple of months?" Ian asked, grinning.

"Just because you're married doesn't mean we all have to be." Harry sighed. "If only I could visit my nephew without you two. He doesn't ask me questions about my love life."

From:

first_in_time

"We just love you and want you to be so happy!" Barbara told him in exaggeration.

"Mum loves you, too. Maybe that's why she was always at you to get married. Or maybe it was just the gender roles she lives by. You know she'll never approve of you going back to work now."

From:

splendid_roman

Ian looked a little concerned about that. "Maybe she'll get used to it," he said hopefully. "Maybe having a grandchild will distract her."

From:

first_in_time

"She hasn't approved of just about everything I've chosen to do. When has that every stopped me?"

Harry thought on that for a moment and awkwardly shrugged again. Johnny, who was still trying to master the control of his arms, managed to poke himself in the eye which made him grizzle and grumble up at Harry.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian chuckled at Barbara's words, but sobered at John's grumbling. He reached out to take John's hand to calm him, but Harry looked worried.

"I think I should go before he starts crying," Harry said, handing John over to Barbara.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara happily took John then kissed Harry on the cheek. "Thank you for coming," she said in all seriousness, "it feels as though we've barely seen you these past few months."

"You haven't. That's the problem with jobs and babies and girlfriends. They all take up so much time."

"But we love them," Barbara added and hugged John a little tighter.

From:

splendid_roman

John grizzled a bit, but mostly calmed down, now he was being hugged by his mother.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, smiling a bit. "I'll come and visit again sometime when you're not in hospital and I'm not going on a date."

"We'd all love to see you again," Ian said.

Once Harry left Ian heard him say, "Hello Mum, got to dash, bye," and Ian frowned, hoping that wasn't Joan Harry was talking to.

From:

first_in_time

Unfortunately that was Joan. She glanced at Harry as he made his quick getaway, then turned to frown at Ian.

"I don't understand why Harry is always in a rush to get places," she said and took off her cardigan to lay it neatly over the end of the bed, "he's barely been home this last little while but look at you!"

Joan gave John a rare smile and reached down to pick him up for a cuddle. Barbara glanced at Ian, looking a little worried.

"We weren't expecting you," she said truthfully, "I'd say that Harry wasn't either otherwise he'd have put more tine aside for you."

From:

splendid_roman

Ian kept quiet, thinking that Joan might just ignore him and be distracted with John.

Joan sighed. "He's always rushing about. I don't know how he expects to get married and have children if he goes from one girl to another." Then she turned her attention to John. "You're such a good baby," she said to him in a baby voice.

John had gone quiet, staring up at her, appearing to be fascinated by her.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara reached out for Ian's hand while Joan was preoccupied with their child. "One day he'll get tired of it and slow down or he'll find Simone who will make him want to slow down. You just have to be patient," she told Joan.

Joan pointedly looked down her nose at Ian. "Yes. Well, we'll see."

From:

splendid_roman

Clearly John wasn't distracting enough. "I'm going to get a coffee," he said, standing up. "Would either of you like anything?"

From:

first_in_time

Joan shook her head and Barbara gave Ian's hand a squeeze before dropping it. "I would love some tea, please."

Barbara smiled at her husband until she couldn't she him any more then turned on Joan; "I know what you're trying to do. Could you please stop?"

From:

splendid_roman

"I'm not 'trying' to do anything," Joan protested, her expression one of innocence as she looked up from John. "I just want you and Harry to be happy."