Thank you for your reviews which I love getting but I am thinking about deleting this now because I am not getting as many reviews as I would like on this. It's a shame to delete this because I really do love writing this out of all my stories. If you know any fans of Linda and they love fan fiction then please tell them about this story thank you .

Linda paid the bill at the café and could not wait to leave and go home and cry her eyes out but she promised Zoe a drink so she headed back to Holby but only to step in the pub to see Zoe, Tom, Sam , Jeff and Dixie sitting there quietly talking until they saw Linda approach them.

"Hi guy's anyone needing a top up" they all shook their heads.

"Ok, just grabbing a drink" Zoe took this opportunity to ask Linda how it went with Grace.

"Hey how did it go?" Zoe whispered as they walked to the bar.

"Well, Grace thinks I smoother her" Zoe nodded.

"Well just back off ok"

"Yeah but I am her mother, who's going to tell her about boy's, about life? When did I give up that right?" Linda could feel the tears wanting to slip down her cheeks but she held them back.

"Look she will come round just give her time ok?" Zoe placed her arm round her friend.

Linda put the hurt from Grace behind for the night and had a good time with her friends as they shared stories but Linda sat there listening to their past mistakes and regrets. Linda sat quietly as she listened told their stories.

"You're quiet tonight Linda, anything you regret or made any mistakes you want to take back?" Sam asked as she grabbed her beer and took a sip waiting Linda's response.

"No, not really" Linda was lying through her teeth hoping Sam would just leave it at that and lucky enough Sam left Linda alone seeing she wasn't herself.

An hour later Linda called it a night and left the group as they did shots and drinking games and cheering when they won. Zoe winked at Linda before she left and Linda knew that Zoe cared about her and she was lucky to have her as her best friend. Once Linda arrived home she showered letting the water wash over her as she thought about today's events with Grace which broke her heart seeing Grace walk away rather than spent any time with her. Maybe Grace would be better without her in her life, should Linda just walk away and let Grace be without her mother because she clearly didn't want or need her in her thought about it but she couldn't walk away from her daughter who she loved more than anything in the world not matter who much Grace tried to push her away Linda was going now where.

Once Linda was dried and changed into her PJ'S and gotten something to eat she sat down on the sofa and watched a bit of television but her mind was elsewhere. Linda grabbed her phone and dialled her mother's house number and waited for someone to answer but it went to voice mail so she left a message.

"Grace, I'm sorry for today and well everything, I just wanted to say that I heard you today and well I am going to back off. I know I am not good at this but I so want to be, well I'll wait to hear from you bye" Little did Linda know Grace was sitting at the bottom of the stairs as she listened to Linda leave that Message and she smiled knowing Linda was doing what she wanted and that must mean she cared about Grace.

Linda put the phone down and sat there with a smile on her face hoping that Grace would want to contact her when she was ready and that Linda was happy to be there for her when she needed it. Linda's mind was at rest now and it felt like a weight had been lifted off of her and she was excited to wait and hear from Grace at anytime and this sent her to a deep slumber that she desperately needed.

A few days later on Saturday Linda's day off she was having a nice lay in and was sound asleep when she heard her home phone ring so she jumped up out of bed stubbing her toe on the door frame cursing as she rushed into the lounge to answer the phone.

"Hello" Linda said sounding still half asleep.

"Linda, I have well actually Grace has a favour to ask, could you possibly pick her and her 2 friends up from dance class today? There was no answer until Linda thought about it.

"Why can't you pick her up mum?" Linda wasn't sure why she asked Linda to do it when her mother was quite capable of doing it.

"If you don't want to be part of Grace's Life then fine Linda"

"No of course I do"

"Well then what is the problem? you are providing transport for your child which is a parents job"

"Nothing, I know and what time do I need to be there?"

"Be there about 11, I need you to look after them and drop Grace's friends home and possibly could you have Grace over night, it's just I have to go on a business meeting and could be gone all day"

"Ok but, is Grace ok with this. I mean me looking after her?" Linda had a worried look on her face.

"She'll understand and anyway you wanted to spend time with now here's your chance"

"Ok, yes that's fine, bye mum" Linda's mother hung up leaving a nervous Linda rushing about the apartment tidying up everything until it looked spick and span throughout the apartment. Linda looked in the fridge to see that she had a mould covered orange, a small amount of cheese and out of date milk.

"god I better go shopping" Linda said to herself as she shut the door to the fridge and began to get ready as it wasn't long until she would pick Grace up from dance.

Linda left the house and jumped in the car because she was running behind. Once she arrived outside the dance school she saw Grace and her friends sitting on the steps waiting for her. Linda approached the girls and they got up off the step and made their way over to Linda dumping their bags in front of Linda for her to pick up.

"Hi, I'm Grace's mum"

"your late" Grace said bluntly as she chucked her bag on the floor and got in the front of the car and her friends followed behind and got into the back of the car leaving Linda to pick up their dance bags and put them in the boot.

"Grace, you shouldn't be so hard on your mum" Katie Grace's friend said as they sat in the car waiting.

Linda got in to the car and the girls told her the address of their houses and then they headed off to drop the girl's home. The ride in the car was quiet until Linda spoke "how was dance girls?" Linda looked at Grace and then in her rear view mirror at her friends who answered straight away.

"It was so much fun" Grace just looked out the window rather than look at "her".

"What do you do?" Jade asked the tall girl with long blonde hair with olive skin.

"I'm a nurse at Holby"

"Wow, that's such an amazing job" Grace rolled her eyes in annoyance.

They dropped Katie off and then a few blocks away they dropped Jade off and so it left Grace and Linda.

"We have to go food shopping before we head home ok?" Grace nodded and continued to look out the window.

"My friends think you're cool" Grace said randomly out of now where.

"They do, really?" Linda was surprised that Grace had finally spoken to her.

"Yeah they do which is kind of weird"

"Yeah" Linda and Grace giggled as they shared a smile.

They pulled up outside Asda and grabbed a basket and entered the store. Linda walked down the aisles with Grace walking beside her.

"Can get some of these Linda" Linda hated it when Graced called her Linda instead of mum but she knew she would say mum when Grace was ready.

"Yeah of course you can, oh do you like these?" Linda asked holding up some double chip cookies

"Oh I love them they are my favourite, can we get some?"

"These are my favourites too, yeah chuck them in" Grace gave a genuine smile for first time in a long time.

"I want to say thank you for picking me and my friends up today I Know it was uncool of Nan to ask you last-minute"

"You are welcome of course I would do it and you didn't have to ask" Grace smiled at Linda as they walked down the aisle grabbing what they needed. Once they paid and left the store they headed home.