When the skyfalls

Chapter Six: Flutterings

"Right princess! You be good for Nanny, okay? No cheek, no grumps and mind your manners baby. I know you will but I'll remind you anyway!" Dianne sighed, kissing her daughter for the hundredth time as she placed the small backpack on her back and nudged her towards Joe's mother, who was waiting beside the front door to take her granddaughter on an "Adventure". In reality, Dianne had been feeling more drained as she reached her fourteenth week of pregnancy, struggling with the energy their four-year-old possessed and Joe had decided it was time for a break, before their first scan in a few days time. " Yes Mama, one last cuddly and then I go with Nanny. Miss you!" Lottie mumbles, wrapping her tiny arms around her mother's neck, slightly hesitant to let go, despite her earlier excitement. "Oh! I nearly forgot bean! Kiss bean! Mama Up so I kiss!" Charlotte demands, ever so gently kissing her mothers swollen belly, putting both hands either side of the bump and stroking it. Filled with maternal affection and flooded with hormones, the tears threatened to spill over and Dianne wiped her face fiercely before Lottie could notice...Joe however, noticed instantly and smiled at the little emotional display. The moments like this, when Charlotte proved just how loving she is, moments like that make him feel like a good father. Ushering her out of the front door with his mother and waving good bye, Joe shut the door and pulled his wife to his side, enjoying a rare and almost child-free moment.

Whilst Joe tucked himself away in the office, determined to have his new videos edited before the end of the day so he could take the next few days off, leaving Dianne to entertain herself for a few hours. Having tidied Charlotte's room, the toy room, the kitchen and their bedroom, she settled on the loveseat with her laptop, scrolling aimlessly through Netflix in order to pass time until she could interrupt Joseph again. Settling on "Friends" again, she curled up, one hand running across her bump absent-mindedly while she giggled at the jokes she had heard many times before, episodes all blurring into one as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Waking with a jump as the titles ran again, she stretched her lazy limbs, trying to shift the tiredness and the ache in her muscles and wandered towards the kitchen in search of a nice green tea. As she reached above her head, in search of her favourite peach tea, something inside her...fluttered, causing her to drop not only the tea but her mug and the spoon as well, creating quite the commotion in the kitchen-loud enough to draw her husband from the office. "Dotty? What's going on? Are you okay? How come you have dropped everything?" Still in a daze, both hands rested on her bump, Dianne remained silent, leaving room for her anxious husband to stress even more. "Dot please. Tell me." he pleads, reaching out to rub her shoulders as she began to speak. "Joe...I felt it. I felt Jelly-bean move. It startled me that's all, i'm sorry love! I just hadn't been expecting to feel anything yet and then she moved!" She giggles, filling the kitchen with the sound of music. "It's so real Joseph...she's moving!" Getting lost in their own little world, the couple stand, linked in each others arms, swaying gently, like often before.

After the excitement of the flutterings, the rest of the day passed by uneventfully and the couple retreated to the safety of their bed for an early night before tomorrows scan. "It's weird not having to listen for Lottie you know, I miss having her around, even if it has only been a few hours. I think my hormones are making me extra protective of her...I constantly feel like I never want to put her down and realistically I know she's too heavy for me to carry about all the time. She hasn't complained though, so i'll take it while it lasts." Smiling at the sudden confession. he rolls on his side to face his emotional wife, mid-hormone rush. "I've noticed you've been holding her a little longer if i'm honest. It's all those maternal instincts Dot, the ones you were literally born with. I don't tell you often enough but you really are the best mama to her." he whispers, leaning his forehead against hers. "Joe...what if i'm not a good mum. What if I can't care for this baby the way I did with Charlotte. What if my body doesn't work anymore, that's why baby is moving earlier than I thought. Joe, what if something is wrong?" Running a hand up and down his frantic wife's back, moving round to soothe her stomach and hold her tight. Knowing she wouldn't listen to his words, he tried anyway. "Dianne Claire Sugg. You listen to me and you listen good. You are the best mother I know, the perfect blend of both of our mother's and you have done the absolute best job of raising our little Charlotte to be the angel she is. Now, I know this baby is currently kicking your ass a little bit, but I know you'll bounce back once we get through the first trimester. You know why? Because you are the best mother a child could ask for. Now come here you." Pulling her closer to his chest, he strokes her now multi-coloured hair, smoothing the knots and successfully lulling his wife into a deep sleep.

Once asleep, Joe was met with a wave of nervous energy, meaning it was unlikely that he would find sleep anytime soon. Dianne's previous declaration of fear had struck a nerve within him, one that had been raw for a while- since they had found out about the baby even. He had always done his best to support her through the difficult stages of pregnancy, to enjoy the joyful moments and to share the pain. He had tried to raise Charlotte fairly, in co-operation with Dianne, as a team, in order to offer her the most stable childhood- a stability that he felt he lacked, especially in his teenaged years. He vowed to protect not only his child but his wife too, with all he had and that, no matter what, he would never, ever run away from their relationship, no matter how difficult things get. Glancing down at his peaceful wife, Joe began counting his lucky stars that things played out the way they did; that he had accepted the Strictly contract back in 2018, the producers decision to partner him with Dianne, the natural chemistry and all the other magic that had led to their marriage, Charlotte and now Jelly-bean

How could one man be so lucky?