She nodded a bit at his invitation to call him 'John' and she wondered if she coudl get away with 'Mr. Mallard' Probably not. and she didn't care right now. "Twenty-four?!" she said, a bit of her horror showing. When he went on to say that multiples sped things up she relaxed a little.
The pat was nice, patronising perhaps, but nice. "Forgive me but a close friend just died, my godson nearly so, my best friend is desolate and my husband is in a coma. It's not very easy to clear my mind," she said a little curtly. "I'm sorry," she sighed and took a deep breath. "Shower?" she asked with a bit of humour. "That'd be rather nice," she agreed with a small smile. She wasn't sure it sounded safe- what if she was nude when she couldn't hold off the birth any longer?