The Double Silence Read Online Free PDF

nipple. He was such a greedy little thing.
    ‘He peed straight up in the air,’ said Johan with a yawn as he sank back against the sleep-warm pillows and covers.
    ‘He did? What a rascal,’ said Emma tenderly, caressing the baby’s soft cheek. ‘Aren’t you going to work?’
    ‘Sure. Just give me five minutes,’ murmured Johan, turning his back and pulling up the covers.
    For the past month he’d actually been on paternity leave from his job as a reporter for Swedish TV’s regional news programme, but his editor, Max Grenfors, had phoned from Stockholm and asked him to come inover the weekend. They hadn’t yet found a replacement for him at the local editorial office on Gotland, and so far they’d solved the problem with temporary substitutes who flew over from the mainland. Johan had nothing against going into the office. Spending his days with a baby was wonderful in many ways, but it could also get a bit tiresome.
    But he had to be happy for every small step forward. For instance, now he shared the bed with only two others. A few months ago Elin had been relegated to her own room, and lately that had worked fine, without any fuss. When they brought Anton home from the maternity clinic, their three-year-old daughter had been extremely jealous and refused to sleep anywhere but with her parents. For two months they had all crowded into the same bed. Gradually Elin had calmed down and realized that things were going to continue as usual, even though the family had increased in number. Besides, she had her older half-siblings, Sara and Filip, to play with. It was so touching to see how they took care of Elin whenever Emma had to feed Anton or change his nappy.
    Emma stretched out in bed and smiled at her son. She was relieved that everything was going so well, even though she’d been shocked to discover that she was pregnant again, and even though both she and the baby had been through a life-threatening experience before he was born, when Emma had accidentally ended up in the middle of a police manhunt.
    During the spring she’d been on maternity leave from her job as a teacher at the small Kyrk School in Roma. Now the school was closed for the summer holidays, and Johan was also on leave. Elin had eventually agreed to go back to the day nursery, where she actually loved being with all of her friends, and Emma treasured her time alone with the baby. She could cuddle and feed her son as much as she wanted, without the risk of any jealous outbursts from his big sister. At the same time, she was longing for her adult life. She wanted to go back to teaching, spend time with her colleagues, and work out again. Even the teacher conferences now seemed attractive. But first she and Johan were going to enjoy a whole summer together. When Elin was born, everything had been in such turmoil. Back then she had lived alone in the house and taken sole responsibility for the newborn while Johan worked in Stockholm. It was true that shehad chosen the arrangement herself, and Johan would have liked nothing better than to move in with her and share in caring for their daughter. But at the time Emma had felt so insecure, after the divorce and everything else. Now the situation was totally different. Her ex-husband, Olle, had met a new woman, the children had settled down, and her relationship with Olle functioned well. And besides, her kids loved Johan, who treated them as his own.
    She sighed and looked down at her baby. Anton abruptly let go of her breast and his head fell back. The hair on his forehead was sweaty from the effort, his cheeks flushed. He was sound asleep.
    His father was too.

ANDREA DAHLBERG OPENED the front door and lugged her suitcase out to the car. Would she never learn? Afraid of being without something, she always packed too much. Sam laughed at her as he passed, carrying a simple sports bag, which he elegantly tossed into the SUV. He had quickly removed half of the things she had packed for him.
    ‘Is it