Edward
The helicopter was too quiet on the way back to Ashford.
That was not normal. Normally, flying with Connor meant a running commentary about everything - the clouds, the pilot's license, whether I was actually qualified to fly this thing, which I was - with his Scouse accent getting louder the higher we got. I expected Melanie would be with us in the back adding her own American commentary over his, and I would have had to threaten to land the thing in a field just to get two minutes of peace.
However it was just us. Melanie had stayed behind with Denny and Catydid for one more night. She said she wanted more baby time, which was true, but I knew she also wanted to give Connor space. She had squeezed his arm before we left, her eyes soft, and he had just nodded, his jaw tight.
So it was just me and Connor in the cockpit. And he had barely said a word the entire flight back.
