For All Eternity

Kicking

This was originally a super long chapter but I wanted to split it and add more detail so this is the first 'half'. Hopefully, depending on if I can get it edited before work, the other half of the original character will be up tomorrow. If not it will be hopefully be over the weekend, (though I'm working then too) or definately on Monday. 

Also, absolutely blooming loving all of our chats in the comment section, so please keep going with that! I love you all and I'm blown away with how this little *not so little anymore* series is doing! 

"Oh," Tracey cooed, arms outstretched as Connie hurtled towards her with no shoes on. The little girl giggled, as her Nanny scooped her up and began holding her desperately close, "my darling girl, you're just so grown up."

"I was good and Mamma straighted my hair like hers. But my hair is beautiful with curly too," she explained, as Joe and Dianne walked over. They were currently at a service station that was pretty equidistant between Corsham and London, dropping Connie and her school work off with Nanny and Grandad Graham, respectively, for a much-needed child free week. Slowly the country was righting itself, with the government in the process of restoring the economy, the sanctions that had them locked down slowly lifting, allowing necessary travel. His mum and Dad both felt happy enough to take Connie off their hands, especially because it had been a long time since the pair of them had seen their granddaughter.

"Hi mum," Joe said, smiling, arms open, ready to have physical contact with someone who wasn't his girlfriend or daughter.

"My boy," she clutched him tightly too, having missed being able to hold him, "you look," she pulled back, studying his face.

"Tired?" Joe offered up how he was feeling as a suggestion.

"In need of a break with your girl, speaking of..." The person Tracey had been arguably most eager to see was Dianne. The matriarch put her granddaughter, who was wriggling, down and pulled Dianne into a tight hug. She had missed her as much as she had missed her son and his daughter. They rocked from side to side and Tracey noticed that she could feel a bump under the loose clothes the Australian was wearing. She pulled back studying her face too, similar to Joe, she looked a little tired but it was obvious there was a glow there. The couple, who had their arms wrapped back around each other, which was common, had an aura of excitement, happiness and most importantly, love like Tracey had never seen, emanating from them. They looked well.

"You look incredible, can I?" She asked, hand hovering over the bump. She remembered from her own pregnancies that sometimes she simply didn't want people touching it and other times she couldn't care less. No matter how desperate she was to feel her youngest granddaughter through the bump, she would completely understand if the answer was no.

"Yeah course, she's trying her hardest to kick so Daddy and sissy can feel but she's not quite there." Dianne said, guiding Tracey's hands, that weren't all that different from those of her mum's, who would likely never feel this bump, to where their daughter was kicking up a storm for only her mum to feel.

"Bless, yeah Joe was saying you thought it was trapped wind again, didn't you?"

"Mmhmm. Then he suddenly guessed she might be kicking and when I described it, it matched," Dianne said, as Tracey rubbed her stomach. The couple had just had their 20-week scan and were in the final stages of editing in order to get their announcement out whilst Connie was safe away from the paparazzi who would inevitably storm the moment the news broke.

"Popcorn Nanny, mummy told me it feels like popcorn popping in her belly!"

"Yes, I remember Auntie Zoe liked to kick, but Daddy was calm and rolled around more." Tracey said, rubbing her Son's shoulder.