"Oi,don't say that, sweetheart....!" Rhonda for her part, grimaced, even as she made some sort of effort to comfort her husband now... Husband, what a funny word that was, really: like animal husbandry...? Indeed, they were all animals, after all....! Rutting animals, that was all they really were, after all!
At any rate, she kissed his cheek, tenderly, and then smiled down at their daughter. "I mean, you're a great father; just look how happy Patricia is in your arms... And Bumby- that is, Jack loves you too.....!" She rubbed his shoulders, gently, trying to relieve some of the tension she could feel in them, possibly because of the care he was taking with baby Patricia, but... more likely, his thoughts of Suicide...!`