Disclaimer-I don't own Passions

Mommies

"Mommy!"

"Ooph!" Kay groaned as 6-year-old Maria ran into her. The 1st-grader had just returned from school.

"Mommy, I got a 100 today!" Maria shoved a spelling slip, marked with a red 100 on top, in Kay's face.

"That's wonderful, Maria!" Kay hugged the girl.

"Here, I picked these!"

Yellow flowers.

Two little, yellow flowers.

"Oh…thank you, sweetie!"

"I was thinking that um, um, we could put these…"

"Sweetheart, Mommy is very busy. Lots of nasty paperwork. Mommy has to do this, or else the paperwork will eat her up! We'll talk later, okay, honey?"

"Okay! I'm gonna go show Grandpa my paper!" Maria ran out the door.

Kay ran out after her. She caught her by the arm before she left the sidewalk.

"I'll walk you."

"Mommy, I'm a big girl! I can walk by myself!"

"Sure, you can. I'm just not letting you."

"Aww…"

"Grandpa!"

Sam dodged the little girl. She did a 180 and latched onto his leg.

"I got a 100!" She jumped up and down, the now-crumpled spelling sheet waving.

"That's great, sweets! Go get yourself a cookie."

"Thanks!" Maria bolted for the kitchen.

"She's gotten so big, Kay."

Kay smiled wistfully. "I know. Where does all the time go?"

Maria emerged from the kitchen with 5 cookies in her hand.

"Maria, go put 4 of those back."

"No, it's okay," Sam said. "She can have as many as she wants. Why don't you watch some TV, honey?"

"Thanks, Grandpa!"

Maria jumped on the couch. She turned on the TV with the remote and put the cookies on the coffee table.

"She's in the same position as…" Sam started.

"Don't start. Daddy, will you watch Maria for awhile?"

"Sure, honey. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay. I'll pick her up at 6, okay?"

"That's fine."

Kay sat in her living room.

She had long since moved out of Tabitha's and gotten her own small, two-bedroom house. Only she and Maria lived there. Miguel and Charity were married, expecting twins soon. To the surprise of everyone but Kay, Tabitha up and left town then.

Gracie would have loved this little house.

Kay still remembered the day that had ended a chapter of her life, and had ended the book that was Grace's life.

"I'm sorry." Tears were flooding Eve's cheeks. "I'm so sorry. She opened her eyes for a second, and we thought she might make it, but…she shut her eyes again and…I'm so sorry. We lost her."

Kay felt disrespectful. Everyone around her was sobbing already, but she was standing like stone.

"Did…did she say anything…before she died?"

"Y-yes. I was with her. She opened her eyes…and she was still Gracie. Grace would've been worried, but Gracie knew that we'd be all right. She looked up at me and squeezed my hand…and she said ,"I love you all". And then she shut her eyes, and…and they never opened again."

That was when Kay broke down. She turned and ran towards the nursery. Tears were making rivers down her cheeks as she burst in and ran towards Maria's crib. She knelt down beside the tiny, sleeping baby's crib, and sobbed.

"Who was Gracie, exactly, Dr. Russell?"

"What do you mean, Kay?" Eve asked.

"She was still Grace, wasn't she? Just…different."

Eve sighed. "Yes, Kay, she was still Grace. She was just the inner Grace, the child in Grace. Our Grace was afraid of being rejected if she opened up her heart to you. She was afraid of hurting Sam and David with making a decision. She was afraid of ripping apart the family. But Gracie…children have no fear." Eve looked away.

"So, all that Gracie did…all the hugging and cuddling and smiles she gave me…that was what Grace wanted to do?"

"Yes."

"Well." Kay smiled sourly, tears in her eyes. "I really was no better than what I accused Mom of being…a selfish hypocrite. She had every right to hate me."

"She didn't hate you. I think she thought it was just hard…to be close to you, that's all."

There's an old proverb that says the heart only opens to the heart that opens in return. As Kay carried Maria home, she knew it was true.

"Mommy!"

Kay looked up as Maria ran in.

"You were late! Grandpa brought me home!"

"Thanks, Daddy," Kay said, looking at Sam.

Sam smiled and ruffled Maria's hair. "I figured you'd want some alone time. You seemed sad when you dropped her off."

"Mommy, can we go put the flowers on Grandma's grave? Please? It's still light out!" Maria whined.

"All right, all right," Kay said, smiling.

RING

"That's for me," Sam said, pulling out his cell phone. "Hello? Miguel?"

Kay perked up at Miguel's name.

"What…Now? Seriously? That's wonderful. We'll be right over." He hung up. "Charity's having the babies."

"Yay! Aunty Char'y is having the babies!" Maria squealed.

"Then let's go, sweetheart!"

Losing Gracie had ended Kay's relationship with Miguel, too. The death of Grace/Gracie made Kay realize that her love of Miguel was only a dependency, something left over from childhood to cling to in the ever-changing world. If she had been strong enough, she would've let Miguel go long ago.

"And…they're both girls," Eve announced.

Charity clung to Miguel, sobbing in happiness. The two girls were identical, right down to their screams.

"Do we have names picked out?" the nurse asked.

"We're going to call one Faith, and the other one will be Grace."

"No."

Charity looked up at Kay. "What do you mean?"

"We can't have two baby Graces in the family."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm changing Maria's name." Kay looked down at the little girl clinging to her hand. "How's that, Maria? You're name will be Grace from now on."

"Kay…" Sam looked ready to cry.

Charity, who was already crying, spoke. "Fine. One will be Faith and the other will be Hope."

"Mommy." Maria, now Grace, tugged on her hand.

"Yes, dearest?"

"I like the name Grace, but can my name be Gracie?"

Kay knelt down to eye level with her daughter. "Of course it can. My little Gracie."

"Can we go put those flowers on Grandma's grave now, Mommy?"

"Of course we can…Gracie."

*Throws confetti in the air* This is my first completed story. Thank you all for reading it.

I hope you shut off your computer knowing that there is a Gracie inside you, too, the Gracie that wants to love other people. Be Gracie. Tell your loved ones you love them. Don't wait until it's too late.

Good-bye and Good luck.

PS Review, please!