The light in the bathroom and the sound of the shower running wakes me up. Instead of rolling over and returning to my sleep, I force myself awake and out of bed for the morning. I walk into the bathroom to surprise Blake. He has back turned until he hears the door opening.

"What are you doing, Ava?" he asks, looking over his shoulder.

"I want to shower with you," I reply.

Blake nods his head and opens the shower door. Slowly, I remove my clothing before stepping into the shower. Blake wraps his arms around my body and kisses my cheek affectionately. With a glowing look in his bright green eyes, he smiles at me.

"I love you, Ava," he says.

"I love you." I smile back.

Blake's lips meet mine in a passionate kiss that sends my stomach flipping and churning. The tingles of his kiss leave my legs wobbly and my heart racing.

He grabs the soap from the holder and rubs it over my shoulders, gently caressing the skin between his fingers. While his hands move over my body, I hold a steady gaze into his eyes. I love the feeling of his skin against mine.

I rinse my skin and turn the water off. Blake steps out and passes my towel so that I can join him on the floor mat. Before he leaves the bathroom, he kisses my nose. As Blake walks into the bedroom to dress, I'm left wanting more of Blake Rivers.

Drying off my body, I redress in my clothes and walk into the bedroom. Blake is dressed in his work outfit – bright fluro gear and heavy boots that always seem to make too much noise.

"I'll see you this afternoon. Rest up and don't worry about the house." Blake crosses the room to hug me. I squeeze him back and nod my head.

"I think Angela is coming by with another nutritious smoothie," I reply.

"Good." He smiles.

I walk with Blake downstairs. He goes into the kitchen to grab his lunch and I walk towards the front door. Before he walks out, I lean up and kiss his cheek.

"Have a good day." I smile.

"Make sure you rest!" He demands.

"I promise." I smile, laughing on the inside. I don't think I could sit by for a whole day without cleaning something. London wouldn't allow me to rest either, she'd be demanding to do something.

I'd better start now, or I'll never get what I need don't. I can rest when I'm dead, or so they say.

Walking into the kitchen, I grab the clean dishes to put away. As I close the cupboard door, the sound of London crying flails down the stairs. Abandoning the dishes, I head upstairs to tend to London.

Grabbing her out of the cot, I check her nappy before cuddling her. The horrible smell of poo wafts up which makes me sick. Some smells I can deal with, but not this one today. It's rather terrible.

"You could get your father to do this, you know." I half laugh. "Just think, Tori will be changing all these poo nappies soon." I'd miss London during her time away, I won't miss nappy changes though.

I quickly change her nappy and find another jumpsuit to dress her in. As we go through her draws, I notice the large pile of clothing gathering on the floor. I need to do the washing before I do anything else in the house.

"I don't think you want to be naked, do you?" London looks away and puts her hand in her mouth. London starts crying which puts me on edge. Today isn't going to be good. I rub her back and smile down at her. She half settles herself by sucking on her hand.

"You can be my special little helper." I dress London into a clean jumpsuit before placing her on the ground. I gather the washing into a basket and place her inside. Her eyes go wide with excitement as I pick her up and walk downstairs with it.

As I reach the bottom of the stairs, London starts screaming her lungs out. I place the basket on the floor and pick her up. Pressing her against my chest, I pat her back and go into the usual routine – reassure she's okay and talk about everything and anything. But even that doesn't seem to settle her.

"Come on, baby, you're okay." Her screams quiet and she's reduced herself to sobbing. I grab a tissue from the bench to dry her tears, but this upsets her again.

"You know, you don't actually have to do the washing with me," I tease, trying anything to settle her.

I press the back of my hand against her head to check her temperature. The top of her head is warm, but nothing alarming. Maybe I've passed my cold onto her and she's beginning to feel the symptoms now?

Feeling a little flustered, I head towards Angela's house with the washing basket in one arm and London in the other. She holds onto my top and continues to cry. Despite my usual routine, nothing seems to be working. It's like she's a whole new baby.

I put the washing basket on the ground so that I can open the door. I then flick the washing basket inside and close the door behind me.

"Angela, are you home?" I call out.

I don't hear anyone until I see Angela rushing into the room with a panicked look on her face. The sight of her makes me even more worried. I don't know what I'm doing, I suck at looking after children.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"She was fine when she work up, but now she's gone mental," I explain. "I don't know what to do." My chest feels like it might explode. I burst into tears and look towards Angela with a desperate plea. Help me.

"Babies aren't too good when they're sick," replies Angela. "Especially London."

"What do I do?" I ask.

"You should start your washing and I'll settle London," says Angela.

I don't need to be asked a second time. I pass London to Angela and grab the washing basket. I hurry down the hall and into the laundry. I drop the basket on the ground, I lose the door and slide down the back of it.

Babies are stressful.

I don't stop myself from crying, I just cry. I can't have a second baby, I really can't. One baby ruling my life is hard enough. A second one that will destroy me completely.

It takes a little while but London stops crying. When the house falls silent, I get off the floor and throw the washing into the machine and head back. Angela is sitting on the couch with a tired London in her arms.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"For now." Laughs Angela. "She's going to be just like her mother, a drama queen."

"Really?" I chuckle with her.

"I've put a wet wash cloth on her forehead to bring down her temperature, but she should be fine."

"I feel like a failure," I say.

"Being a mother takes time, Ava. Babies are all different to each other. You just keep learning and trooping on. You should have seen Benjamin, the boys peed all over him before he realised how to change a nappy."

"It feels so much harder because she's Blake's daughter and I don't want to mess up."

"You've been more of a mother to her than Tori, so cut yourself some slack. Everyone has a breakdown point."

"You're so wise."

"I was once young and foolish too. Now I'm just old and wise." She shivers at the thought of being old.

"You're a young and hip grandmother, though." I point out.

"So hip." She giggles. "Don't worry about telling Blake, I don't want him to worry at work."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's nothing to worry about."

"I should probably go then."

"You can sleep in the guest bedroom down the hall if you like. I'll watch Ava and take care of the washing."

"No, I really couldn't ask you to do that." I shake my head.

"Good thing I'm not asking. Now off you go. Strict instructions from Blake."

"If you're sure."

I get up from the couch and walk towards the guest bedroom. As I walk into the plush room, I notice in the mirror that I'm still wearing my pajamas. At least I'm dressed for sleeping. I hate sleeping in uncomfortable clothing.

As I snuggle under the covers, my mind wanders back to the usual debate. I cancel out all the thoughts of being pregnant. It must have been cold since I've passed it along to London. I hate that I was the one to make her sick, but I'm glad it's not symptoms for something else.