The three women walked side by side down the street, passing shop after shop until Frankie finally spotted the shop she was looking for.
"There it is." Frankie exclaimed, stopping at the traffic lights to cross the road.
"Frankie, you dragged us all over just to find Next!" Mel said exasperated, Shaking her head as Frankie smiled.
"Mel, pregnant I may be, but buy maternity clothes is definitely not on my list of things I want to do. All I need is bigger sizes than normal, that's it." Seeing Grace laugh as she listened to them talking.
"Isn't that the point of being pregnant though, the whole growing and changing body, the maternity clothes, baby clothes shopping." Seeing Frankie looking at her utterly disgusted at the suggestion.
"Mel, I'm just over three months. If, and only if, I become the size of the titanic, will I consider shopping in mothercare and buying maternity clothes. Now come on, I need new jeans, and tops that don't say shit like does my bump look big in this." The door to Next opening as Frankie approached the sensor.
Twenty minutes later Frankie was becoming annoyed, Mel was finding the situation a little more humorous than she should be, and poor Grace was attempting to pacify Frankie.
"Frankie, how about we go get some lunch, then try a different shop. You have managed to get a couple of pairs of jeans, and a nice top." Grace attempted to reason with Frankie.
"As long as there is cake, and coffee, or coffee cake." Frankie huffed out as she pulled on her blue pants.
She stepped out the changing room and saw Grace standing giving her a sympathetic look, while Mel was sat smirking.
"Come on, let's pay for these and find costa." Throwing a pair of jeans at Mel as she burst out laughing.
Frankie flopped back on the couch, her hands coming to rest on her stomach just above her bump. Costa wasn't as busy as Frankie had expected and they had found a table by the window, a brown couch either side of it. Mel had offered to treat them to lunch, so Grace and Frankie had found a table and were now relaxing as Mel ordered lunch.
"Grace, can I ask you something? Since you've done this whole pregnant thing before." Her voice a little uncertain as she looked at Grace.
"Of course you can, Frankie." Grace smiled, knowing how much it was costing Frankie to reach out and ask questions.
"Is it normal to have sensitive skin, or more to the point, a sensitive abdomen?Like my pants, the waistband is just annoying unless it's pushed low down. This t-shirt is driving me mad now, it feels so restricting and tight. Have I got this to look forward to for the next seven months, or does it get better?" Trying to explain as best as she could how she was feeling.
"Oh yes, it's all normal. So is the huge boobs, the increased sex drive, the mood swings, and the need to eat your body weight in food. It's gets better, I promise." Reaching for Frankie's hand and giving it a squeeze.
"Great. And this is why I said I wouldn't do this." Closing her eyes and letting her head fall back to the back of the couch.
Grace just laughed, knowing Frankie would be just fine. Mel appeared carrying a tray covered in cakes and coffee mugs, a food number attached to a stick.
"Coffee with a dash of caramel, coffee cake, and a cheese toastie is on it way." Placing the coffee and cake in front of Frankie. "Here's your coffee Grace, and your cake, plus a ham sandwich." Placing Graces lunch in front of her before sitting down on the couch opposite Frankie and Grace.
"Thank you, Mel." Grace said as she picked up her coffee and took a sip.
"Yeah, thanks Mel." Frankie managed to say through a mouth full of cake.
Mel made a start on her sandwich as she watched Frankie devour the cake, licking her fingers when she was done. She had just finished when the barista brought her cheese toastie over, which Frankie attempted to eat as soon as it was on the table.
"Did you eat breakfast this morning Frankie?" Mel asked, watching as Frankie ate the salad that came with the toastie while she waited for it to cool.
Frankie just raised an eyebrow as she picked up the toastie and nibbled at the corner.
"The joys of being pregnant Mel. Food either makes you as sick as a dog, or you could eat and eat and eat. Frankie's hit the eating stage. It doesn't last long, maybe a few months, or it's didn't with me anyway. When I was pregnant with Kate," Grace starting telling Frankie and Mel, Mel hanging on her ever word while Frankie only half listened.
Frankie loved Grace dearly, but as she found out first hand many years earlier, the woman could talk, and talk, and talk. When Frankie finished her toastie she sat back with her coffee, listening to both Mel and Frankie talking.
"So, you ready to go look for more clothes, or shall we call it a day and head back?" Mel asked, looking at Frankie as she finished her coffee.
"One more shop, unless you ladies have anywhere you want to go?" Seeing Mels face light up.
"Can we have a look at the market, they have some lovely stalls I haven't had a chance to see." Mels face lighting up at the prospect.
"Course, lead the way." Frankie gestured as she went to stand up.
They followed Mel through the shopping centre until they reached the market, Mel dragging them along in her wake as she looked at all the stalls. Grace stopped at a stall selling beautiful hand sculpted wood ornaments, buying one that looked like a flock of birds. Mel came away from another stall with a beautiful pair of earrings and matching necklace. Frankie looked over them, the girly things Grace and Mel liked being of no interested to her. Frankie did find a stall selling men's hoodies and sweatshirts, which instantly lead to her buying two, both in extra large.
Once they were done at the market Frankie managed to get Grace and Mel to do one more clothes shop. Instead of going to the women's section this time she went straight to the men's. After a mere ten minutes she had four new t-shirts, two pairs of jeans and a pair of cargo pants, all with growing room.
"See, who needs mothercare and their stereotypical logos when we have the men's section." Smiling as she paid for the new clothes.
"Only you could be pregnant and find the men's section the most appealing place in the world, Frankie." Mel said shaking her head.
"Coffee before we head back? My treat for having to suffer shopping with me." Giving Mel and Grace big puppy eyes so they would say yes.
Just then Frankie's mobile rang, all three women stopping so she could answer it.
"Hey Boyd, what's up?" Mel and Grace heard Frankie say as she answered the call.
"No, everything's fine, just took longer than I thought to find clothes. Has a case come in? Do you need us back?" Frankie quired as she looked at Grace and Mel.
"Okay, we're going for coffee then heading back." Seeing Mel and Grace give a sigh of relief knowing they didn't have to rush back.
"Yeah, me too. Bye." A slight blush coming to Frankie's checks as she ended the call.
"What! No I love you." Mel managed to say before bursting out laughing, which earned her a quick clip from Frankie as her cheeks went redder.
"Piss off, Mel." Frankie attempted to growl as she took another aim at Mel.
"Ladies, where are we going for coffee?" Grace chipped in trying to break up the mini squabble that was breaking out.
"Nero's is around that corner." Mel pointed out.
"Let's go, they do an amazing gingerbread flavoured coffee." Frankie squealed as she headed in the direction Mel had pointed.
Once seated, Frankie ordered the coffees and more cake.
"Frankie, them new jeans you just bought, you want to go get the next size up now, or after the cake?" Mel quickly ducking out the way before Frankie could take aim.
"I swear Mel, I may just revoke your provisional godmother licence before the kids even born." Seeing Mels face light up at the word godmother.
"Really? You're going to ask me to be godmother?" Mel said sounding genuinely shocked but pleasantly surprised at the idea.
"Well yeah. You, Grace, and Spence of course. You're like family." Taking a drink of her coffee to hide her sudden imbaressment.
"Thank you, Frankie. I'd be honoured to take on the roll." Grace responded before reaching across and hugging Frankie.
"Awwww Frankie. Thank you, I loved to be godmother." Mel beamed as she squished on the couch beside Frankie and hugged her.
After hugging Frankie Mel returned to her seat, the three women talking about the roles of godparents and what had changed over the years.
"God, I'm stuffed." Frankie protested as she went to stand up. "Don't even think about it Mel." Pointing a finger at Mel before she could come up with a smart arse comeback.
Mel held her hands up in mock innocence's, but Frankie and Grace knew better. The walk back to the office was taken up with the random conversation of baby names, which Frankie only barely joined in. She didn't want to discuss baby names yet, especially not with Mel and Grace. She wanted to discuss baby names with Boyd first, pick out a colour scheme for the nursery with him, buy baby clothes with him. A sudden a surge of protectiveness rushed over her, like a wave breaking on a beach. She had a new life to protect, to nurture, to help grow. She felt herself welling up, blinking rapidly to try and stop the tears building up. Grace noticed, her hand resting on Frankie's arm.
"Frankie dear, what's wrong?" Squeezing her arm in reassurance.
"I'm pregnant, Grace. I'm grow a new life, a new tiny person." The tears slowly rolling down her face as she spoke.
"That you are Frankie, and you have all the raging hormones to go with it." Seeing Frankie rest her hand on her abdomen. "It's quite a overwhelming feeling when that thought hits you. When you realise your life will never be the same again now you have another life to think of. Welcome to motherhood Frankie." Sliding her arm around Frankie's shoulder as they continued to walk.
By the time they reached the stairs leading down to the cold case units suite of offices Frankie had stopped crying, Grace cheering her up with her own tales of emotional meltdowns from when she was pregnant. Her eyes were still red but she had cheered up considerably by the time they pushed the double door open and stepped in the squad room.
"There goes the neighbourhood." Spencer called out jokingly as Grace, Mel, and Frankie stopped and looked around.
"Have fun ladies?" Boyd asked as he stepped out his office and came to face the three women.
He noticed Frankie's red eyes instantly, fighting the urge to go up to her and find out if she was okay.
"We did. Especially when I had an hormone-driven emotional breakdown and poor Grace and Mel had to feed me coffee and cake to cheer me up." Winking at Grace and Mel before smiling at Boyd.
"I'm not sure I want to know, and neither does poor Spence by the look on his face." Seeing Spencer shrink behind his computer screen.
"Thanks for the support, Spencer," Frankie shouted at Spencer, the humour evident in her voice.
"Well, thank you, ladies, for a lovely, if somewhat tiresome, and emotional shopping trip. We'll have to do it again in a few months." Seeing Grace nod in agreement as Mel went to say something.
"Is that when you reach titanic size?" Hiding behind Grace as she started to laugh.
Frankie just shook her head, before turning and heading for the doors leading to her lab. She would get Mel back at some point, but for not just yet. For now, she had more important things to think about, like baby names and colour schemes for a nursery.