Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for the reviews last week they were much appreciated. I always try to take care about writing about the possibility or the reality of losing a child. I have two myself and I know that automatic feeling you get to check on them, especially when they are so very very small. So I always take such care over it. I don't want to ever have that feeling my soul aches and I worry over it something rotten. So it was a hard chapter to write but apparently all the more worth while for it being so hard.

I know I'm focusing more in the past one at the moment, its simply because thats where the story is.

Hope you all enjoy

love

Carrots x

P

Gilbert's arm went out to the alarm clock and he stopped it quickly hoping it didn't wake either Joy nor Anne. His eye cracked open to see a very bemused set of grey/green eyes looking back at him.

"Don't mock me." He croaked getting out of bed. "Your old man needs to go and get an education." He whispered to her leaning over the Moses basket and kissing his daughter on her forehead to which something resembling a laugh and a raspberry escaped her mouth. "That's easy for you to say." He told her. "But your mammy is still asleep see?" he told her pulling on a pair of trousers for the day.

Two months on and the Blythe's were still taking things 'one day at a time' but found them easier, with every passing day Joy became stronger and hope that she would live crept slowly and more surely back into her parents hearts.

At birth it hadn't been clear, her hair still stuck to her head but as they came to bathe her the locks of chestnut curly brown hair became more prevalent on top of her head. By the end of month one you could only identify it as Gilbert's curls.

Gilbert tucked in his shirt and brought up his braces before he heard Anne whisper "Hey."

"Nan." He whispered looking at her with a smile, he knelt on the bed and kissed her "You need to rest some more love." He whispered. "I was trying not to wake you."

"I don't need more rest, have you ever considered its all this resting which is making me so light at sleeping." She said.

He smiled at her and took Joyce from her moses basket.

"I was thinking, maybe Joyce and I could come down to port with you to meet your parents." Anne suggested.

"I was going straight from my lecture." He reminded her.

"I know that." She said shaking her head as Gilbert lay Joy beside her, Anne brought up her top and let the baby take suckling there "I meant I could come and meet you from your class then come to port with you and then we can come back here." She said.

"I don't know Anne." He whispered still so very concerned for Anne.

"Both Joy and I are stronger now Gil." She said taking a deep breath. "You don't need to be so over protective!"

Gilbert took a sigh "If you wrap her up warm and come and meet me from class, we'll still have time to head back here if you don't feel up to coming all the way to port with me." He said with a resolute face.

"I wouldn't head out with her if she wasn't wrapped up." Anne laughed. "I'll bring her in her baby carriage!" Anne said with a happy smile.

Gilbert sighed knowing Anne was resolute with the plan. "Only if you're feeling up to it." He said kissing her on her head again. He shook his head. "I'll see you at eleven." He said with a knowing smile.

"Anne!" Mrs Blythe called in delight as she saw her daughter in law at the port she ran to her holding her in her arms "I didn't know you were coming!" she exclaimed. "Now are you sure you're well enough to come down here and Joy?!" she asked looking round at her granddaughter "Oh Anne!" she exclaimed her mouth ajar "Oh Anne she's gorgeous! Oh look at her!" she exclaimed. "You wouldn't know she was 2 months old, look at her she's tiny!"

Anne smiled "She's almost nine pounds now!"

"Nine pounds!" Mrs Blythe exclaimed. "Oh she's catching up on you Gilbert, has he ever told you 10 pounds!"

Anne looked to him in shock." You never were?!"

"I was, happy and healthy and two weeks late." He said. "You always forget to mention that part."

"I never forget it! Two weeks extra, well you'll know you never forget it." She said to Anne.

"I would rather she was two weeks late then a month early." Anne said quietly.

"Well lets just be glad she is here and is safe blessed be!" Mrs Blythe said kissing her daughter in law. "You don't know she might not have survived if she stayed where she was, we know this way at least."

"We're just taking it one day at a time." Gilbert said with a hug to his father who had finally caught up.

"Is this the little lady?" he asked looking in the baby carriage. He smiled fondly at the child. "Takes after her Ma." He said. "Good job there's none of your mug on her." He teased his son.

"except that hair!" Mrs Blythe smiled. "I always loved your hair." Mrs Blythe said looking at her son the curls which ruffled rebelliously down his forehead.

Gilbert smiled contently. "Come on we should get home, get the ladies nice and warm." Gilbert said with a smile.

"That must be for you little lady." Mrs Blythe smiled to her granddaughter she linked arms with Anne and whispered "You did so well Anne!"

The chicken dinner with potatoes and two vegetables had been in the oven (with Mrs Blythe's help!) Mrs Blythe now sat in the rocking chair holding her granddaughter in her arms.

"Oh, you always forget," she whispered to her son who sat on the floor beside her. "what it's like to hold a new-born." She whispered. "It barely seems five minutes ago that I held you as a baby." She said looking in her son's eyes. "Look what you did!" she told him.

He laughed. "I don't think I could take much the credit ma." He said quietly looking at the babe in his mother's arms, "as much as I would like to. I did my part, Anne carried and grew her, took care of her, felt her move there." He said quietly.

She looked at Gilbert with a smile to each other before the door opened.

"Sorry I'm late!" Bertha said with a smile to her daughter and son in law "last minute staff meeting I couldn't get out of." She said hanging her coat up and putting her bag beside the hook.

Mrs Blythe stood with the baby in arms and embraced Bertha with a smile. "Isn't she wonderful!" Mrs Blythe exclaimed before Bertha could even mutter 'hello'.

"I quite agree" Bertha concurred looking at her granddaughter.

"Bertha quite dotes on Joy I assure you." Gilbert laughed.

"Good, so she should." Mrs Blythe said as Joy started her squeaking for crying. "I think someone is hungry mamma." Bertha said turning to her daughter in law who was sitting on the sofa and giving her the baby. "How was your day Bertha?" she asked her.

"Oh good." She said with a smile. "Sometimes going to work and seeing children watching them grow and then coming home and seeing a baby." She sighed and looked at Joyce. "makes me wish I had another." She smiled sweetly at her daughter. "But one must remember to be grateful for the blessings you have."

"There's still time Bertha, just about." Mrs Blythe smiled.

"No." Bertha sighed happily. "Not without Walter." She said. "And anyway, now I have little miss to dote on." Bertha smiled.

"You're not lonely though are you mamma?" Anne asked her.

"How could I be?" she said with a smile. "Though I won't pretend I don't miss him." She bit her bottom lip "but a teacher! No, I could never be lonely." She sighed "look at me, I have my hands full, my classes of 20 children at a time all different age ranges all different abilities, I come home have to mark their work and then I have a daughter a son and a baby at home, there's no time to be lonely." She finished before Joy pulled away again and started to cry.

Anne gently lay Joy over her legs and rubbed her back.

"Is that colic Anne?" Mrs Blythe asked

"Yes." Anne said quietly as she sat back and kept rubbing Joy's back. "You know she's happy a lot of the time, its just this." She said as Joy let out the wind, Anne moved her position so she was over her shoulder Anne stood with her and wandered into the bedroom with her.

"She does that in the night you know." Gilbert said softly. "so that Joy doesn't wake me so I can sleep for university." He sighed "I worry about her she's up a lot, I sometimes find them fallen asleep on the rocking chair." He said quietly.

Mrs Blythe looked sadly at her son and nodded. "it'll too soon pass." Mrs Blythe sighed. "Have you not considered just coming home?" Mrs Blythe asked her son. "You don't have to be a doctor, that farm is yours if you want it."

Gilbert swallowed and looked at his parents "I'm not going to pretend that isn't tempting." He admitted. "I know I'd make a fine farmer and I know there's no time to get bored." He continued. "Please don't take it as a slight that I prefer to pursue in this path." He bit down on his lip. "I have Anne and Joy, I want what's best for them and in the short term, I sometimes wonder if going home and being a farmer would be just that, but long term, I know I'd regret it, I know I could never tell my children to follow their passions if I gave up on one of mine so easily." Gilbert looked to the bedroom door as he heard Joy cry again. "I'll go and relieve Anne for a few minutes."

When Gilbert entered the bedroom Mrs Blythe sighed sadly. "They seem tired." She said to Bertha quietly.

"Well they both took me seriously when I said it wasn't a free way out for them." Bertha acknowledged. "They take their responsibilities seriously."

"Do they…" Mrs Blythe continued, "I mean they must they had Joy, but do they make time for each other?"

Bertha shrugged. "I think they've abstained."

"You've never heard?..."

Bertha shook her head. "It's a small apartment, they know this, we can hear… I think they care together for Joy and I'm assuming they did when Anne was pregnant but never while I was here." Bertha admitted.

Mrs Blythe sighed "They're so young."

"They didn't marry for the sex they married…"

"So no one could separate them." Mrs Blythe finished.

"Don't despair." Bertha said with a smile. "I think they just have a lot of self-control, I think they miss each other and they want to be together like that but they know this must come first."

"You mean Joy wasn't planned?!" Mrs Blythe exclaimed.

Bertha smiled "I don't think they want it known, but Gilbert was quite flabbergasted when I suggested Anne was pregnant, but no less over-" she smiled "joyed." Bertha gave a knowing smile "their marriage is not without passion Mrs Blythe, they are simply bridling their passions at the moment."

"They're too young." Mrs Blythe commented.

"So says the women who left the island to find them the day they eloping claiming they were too young and foolish." John said with a laugh.

"Oh its obvious they were always in love and you know I was just concerned, it was irresponsible of them just to run off like that."

"I think its romantic." Bertha sighed. "Just needing to be together like that."

"Well its all the same now, they are married and happy." Mrs Blythe smiled.