Hello everyone, here is the latest chapter! Thanks for being patient, just started a new job so being working crazy hours and caught a cold! I swear every time I start a new job I get sick lol! Anyway enjoy and please comment xxx

Chapter 28 – Say it with Flowers:

High up in the trees, Tarzan and Annabelle stood excitedly on two perpendicular branches. Tarzan looked at his daughter and his lips formed into a mischievous smile. "You ready?" he asked as she busied herself with flexing her calf muscles.

"Born ready!" Annabelle turned her head to glance at him and the corners of her mouth turned up into an irrepressible grin, "Prepare to lose Papa!"

"You're on Belle!"

"So guys," Keke said to them as she hung upside-down from a branch above them, "you two are to race other along this course of branches and vines and whoever bring back Auntie Jane's favourite flowers to her first is the winner! Any questions?" When the two competitors shook their heads, Keke held out a large leaf like a racing flag. "Ready," she commanded and Tarzan and Annabelle geared themselves up, "steady…. GOOOOOOO!" Keke dropped the leaf and the two competitors eagerly set off!

"Wahoooo!" Annabelle cried as she sped down the twisting branch with her father in hot pursuit. The gorillas whooped and cheered on them from below with the younger ones immediately racing off to watch further down the racecourse.

"Look at Anna fly!" Terk commented to Jane, "Isn't T a great teacher or what!"

"Yes," Jane nodded proudly, "Tarzan is the best." After their daughter's grounding, Tarzan started to teach Annabelle the jungle skills that she should have known years ago. He taught her how to climb trees, surf branches, swing on vines, make and use a spear and so much more.

Despite her consent to all of this, Jane secretly couldn't help feeling anxious. It was completely natural for a mother to worry over the possibility of her child getting hurt but she was more worried over the possibility that she had left it too late for Annabelle to learn.

However, Jane had no reason to fear as Annabelle took it all like a duck to water. She picked it up as easily as her father did when he was a boy. It seemed that she inherited both her mother's love of learning and academia and her father's quick wits, athleticism and fast reflexes. Tarzan, throughout the whole process was a thoroughly patient and calm teacher, making sure that Annabelle didn't move on to the next step until she mastered the first one. He made every lesson feel like a game, giving Annabelle a target or something to find like a particular flower, animal, feather, tree or rock.

She did suffer a couple of minor cuts and bruises but Jane would hide her panic and calmly apply magolo ointment and bandage the injuries and a moment later Annabelle would be back up in the trees, eager to continue learning, the wound barely an afterthought. After a couple of months or so of training it seemed Annabelle had mastered it all… and was now giving her father a run for his money!

"Aren't gonna come with us?" Kala noted as all the gorillas went to follow the racers but Jane remained seated, "They should be heading to the waterfalls and then the flower groves soon."

"I need to stay here, I am the finish line," Jane's smile was one of pure contentment. "But go ahead Kala dear. I'll see you all when they head back." Kala nodded and rushed off into the jungle to catch up with the others. Jane sighed as she leaned back against the smooth tree trunk and opened up her sewing box. Normally she would have joined her husband and daughter in the race. Tarzan teaching Annabelle had given her the opportunity to refresh her own skills. But she had been feeling a little funny for the past few days and decided to sit this one out.

Jane threaded a needle and used the time waiting for everyone to come back by repairing the collar and a sleeve on one of her father's shirts and when that was done, she took out some fabric and paper templates. Jane was making another quilt using 'English paper piecing', folding and basting scrap fabric around hexagon paper templates before whip-stitching them together to create a quilt-top.

She often worked on it when she had some free time in the evening. Sometimes it was a peaceful activity just for her, other times it would be a family event, Tarzan would happily help her cut out the paper templates and Annabelle assisted in sewing them together with her nimble little fingers. Every hexagon was made out of old grown out clothes, each shape a story all stitched together to create a quilt filled with memories and love.

Tarzan swung from vine to vine before leaping onto a twisting and turning branch, surfing it with an expert grace. Annabelle was not far behind him and they had been neck and neck most of the racecourse. A few times in the early days he had deliberately let his daughter win so that she could taste the wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Once she started to get a good grasp on things Tarzan would then make sure he won a lot of the tasks that he had set. He did this so that she would develop a bit of a competitive streak and a desire to push her talents further.

All of his hard work had paid off, Annabelle had become his protégée, a star pupil who was always willing to learn more and take on constructive criticism. He couldn't help but be full of pride not only at his daughter but also at himself for moulding Annabelle into the perfect jungle child. Whilst his wife excelled at teaching with facts and books, he taught using motion, nature and sharp instincts.

Tarzan landed neatly like a cat in the flower grove. It was a sensory paradise, full of flowers of different sizes and shapes, colours ranging from the bright exotic reds, oranges and yellows to soft pastel blues, purples and pinks interspersed with flashes of white. A heady, sweet aroma filled the air; Tarzan usually came here to get flowers for Jane who would always put them pride of place in a vase on the dining table. There! In his peripheral vision he saw them! A large cluster of pink and white jungle lilies growing not too far from him. Tarzan dashed over and reached to pick them, a generous bouquet. For a split second he closed his eyes and breathed in their heavenly scent, the perfume almost intoxicating.

Just as he opened his eyes Annabelle swooped through the grove on a long vine, scything the flowers from the ground using her rock knife, swiping the prize just seconds before her father could claim it!

"Belle!" he cried, half in frustration but the other half couldn't help but admire her sheer cunning! Definitely like father like daughter!

"Wahoo!" Annabelle hollered as she flew through the air back towards the finish line, "So long sucker!" Tarzan couldn't help but smile as he grabbed another bunch of lilies and desperately tried to catch up with his daughter. She may have got the prize before him but he was determined to win the race!

Meanwhile Jane packed away her sewing as she could the gorillas' whooping coming back towards her and she knew that either Tarzan or Annabelle would be arriving any second. She was right as she hear Annabelle give out a cry just like her father's and suddenly appeared in front of her, hanging upside down on a vine, holding out the beautiful bouquet of pink and white jungle lilies.

"I won!" Annabelle was utterly triumphant, "I beat Papa! I beat Papa!"

"So you have sweetheart!"

"Here, these are for you," Annabelle eagerly held out the lilies as Jane pulled herself up.

"They are beautiful Anna," Jane leaned in and sniffed, "they smell so, so -" But as she breathed in the sweet vanilla like scent that she always loved… they now smelt like to her… rotting fish! "Excuse me Anna!" Jane gasped as she felt her stomach ominously churn, "Must dash!" Annabelle looked on in confusion as her mother ran off into the nearest bushes.

"Well done Belle!" Tarzan landed expertly on the ground beside her, "I guess you're the winner… where is your mother?"

"She is in the bushes," Annabelle replied a little hurt, sticking out her bottom lip a little, "I gave her the flowers but she ran off and -"

"HHHHUUURRRGGHHH!"

"Jane?" Tarzan's head whipped round in panic at the sound of his wife being sick in the nearby bushes. "Wait here," he instructed his daughter as he went to see what was wrong. As he pulled back the foliage, he saw Jane kneeling on the ground, coughing and spitting up the last of the vomit that lay in a small puddle before her.

"Jane dear? Are you alright?" Tarzan crouched beside her and gently rubbed the small of her back.

"Hey love," Jane gave him a weak smile, "sorry, I don't know what came over me just now."

"What have you eaten?"

"Nothing that you or the family haven't. Nothing out of the ordinary. I just smelt Anna's flowers and then -" Jane felt the hot bile rise up again in her throat and Tarzan quickly scooped her hair back before she threw up again.

"Are you alright?"

"Never felt better," Jane quipped but then quickly vomited again, "now I have never felt better!"

"We'll go back to the tree house," Tarzan decided and helped Jane onto her feet, "your father will help you."

"No it's fine, I'll go myself. You and Anna stay the night in the jungle."

"Jane it's fine I'll take you."

"No, no I don't want to spoil your day with Anna and you haven't spent the night with the gorillas for a while so stay, please."

"Are you sure?" Tarzan looked cautiously at his wife. She didn't look too good and her face was a little pale.

"More than sure," Jane smiled back and they placed their hands up against each other.

"Did I ever tell you that I love you?" Tarzan looked down at her and smiled in admiration at his wonderful wife.

"Yes, a million times but it never hurts hearing it," Jane smiled back and blew her husband a kiss, "I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Where's Mama going?" Annabelle asked as her parents emerged from the bushes, Jane waving to her as she headed off into the jungle.

"Your mother's feeling a little unwell," Tarzan explained calmly, "she's going back to the tree house to rest but we are staying here tonight. Say why don't we play a game of treetop tag and then we can build a fire and grill some river crayfish? How does that sound?"

"Sounds great Papa!" Annabelle's worries were quickly quelled by her father's smile and the offer of playing treetop tag, her favourite game. "Can't catch me!" she giggled as she swung off into the treetops. Tarzan shook his head and laughed heartily before going after her, determined to win the game this time!

As the sun began to set, Tarzan made a little fire to cook their catch whilst Annabelle gathered fruit for dessert. They ate alongside the gorillas and when it got dark they all gathered around the fire where Annabelle entertained them all with a story, using the light of the fire to create shadow puppets. When it was time to sleep, Tarzan and Annabelle shared a nest. They curled up together; Annabelle wrapped up in a blanket as well as using the body heat of her father to keep her warm. She was still not as used to sleeping outside as her father did.

"Night Papa," she yawned as Tarzan held her close.

"Night Belle," Tarzan felt his eyelids begin to droop and they soon both fell asleep under the soft canopy with the stars twinkling like tiny diamonds above them.

As the strong rays of the dawn penetrated its way through the canopy both Tarzan and Annabelle woke up, stretching their arms and yawning widely. "Morning Pap-" Annabelle started but was cut short as Keke suddenly leapt onto her and they rolled out the nest as they began a wrestling match!

"Bit of an early start eh Keke?" Tarzan mused as they rolled around on the lush jungle floor.

"Professionals need to train as soon as the sun rises Uncle T!" Keke grinned as she held down her cousin for a moment but Annabelle soon slipped out of her grasp and they were rolling about again.

"Morning son," Kala smiled as she came over to him, "sleep well?"

"Did I always wake you this early?" Tarzan asked as the children continued to wrestle, crashing through the other gorillas' nests and waking them all up!

"No," Kala replied with a sideway smile, "much earlier!"

'Mum would you mind watching Belle? I'm gonna check on Jane. I should be back this afternoon."

"It's alright I'll bring her to you by sundown," Kala patted his arm, "you go and see Jane, I'll watch over the girls."

"Great! Thanks Mum," Tarzan nodded as he went over to a vine, "just make sure they don't do any chokeholds or headlocks!"

"Will do!" Kala replied as she watched her son swing effortlessly through the jungle.

It took no time for Tarzan to reach the tree house. As he opened the front door, he saw Jane curled up asleep in their bed with a bucket next to her. "Morning Professor," Tarzan said in hushed tones as he sat down beside his wife and noticed Archimedes coming over with two cups of tea.

"Morning Tarzan," Archimedes smiled warmly as he placed a cup on the bedside table for Jane and Tarzan gently stroked a piece of hair off her face.

"How is she?"

"Still a bit queasy. She was sick a little just before you arrive actually."

"Is it something she ate?" Tarzan was puzzled by it all. Jane had a very strong stomach and would never try anything in the jungle that she didn't know was truly safe.

"Possibly," Archimedes replied and Jane stirred in the bed.

"Morning," she said somewhat groggily and Tarzan helped her sit up, "where's Anna?"

"With the gorillas," Tarzan softly stroked his wife's cheek, "Kala is looking after her."

"Did you both have a nice time?"

"Yes we did, we played treetop tag and we cooked some crayfish-" Tarzan started but was interrupted by Jane suddenly grabbing the bucket and retching into it. "Jane?!" he said with great concern when she finally stopped.

"Sorry love," Jane's face was truly apologetic, "just the mention of those crayfish made me feel… sick to my stomach."

'Janey dear," Archimedes' bushy eyebrows was furrowed in thought, "how long have you been feeling nauseous?"

"A week or two."

"And have you… missed any courses?" There was an unabated silence. Both men looked intently at Jane, desperate for an answer.

"Yes," Jane finally admitted, giving Tarzan an apologetic look. "I've missed two. I wanted to wait until I missed a third one just to be absolutely sure."

"Oh Janey-Jane congratulations!" Archimedes cried in delight and hugged his daughter and son-in-law, "You must be so happy!"

"Jane?" Tarzan's eyes widened as he realised what was being said, "You're… pregnant?"

"Yes," Jane beamed and took his hands in hers, "we're having a baby!" Tarzan took Jane into his arms and they felt the tears of joy welling in both their eyes.

"It worked!" he whispered into her ear, "Our wish worked!"

"Jane is having some morning sickness," Archimedes said when the couple parted, "a common side effect of pregnancy."

"But I didn't have any with Anna," Jane replied, "I only had it with the… first one." They did not talk much about the baby that they had lost all those years ago. They had Annabelle now and Jane did not like to revisit those painful memories.

"It doesn't mean anything serious will happen," Archimedes tried to soothe her, "it's common to have morning sickness in the first few months. Your mother had it when she had you. It will past in a month or so."

"I hope so," Jane couldn't help sounding doubtful and Tarzan squeezed her hand. Despite the wonderful news, the past tainted their happiness and they couldn't stop the worry and doubts creeping like a snake into their minds.