An hour later Grace, Connie and Jacob made their way into the ED. Grace was cuddled into her mother's side, and this worried Connie as she was usually so independent and hated the thought of doing anything remotely childish. Unfortunately for the group, Kate was the first person they encountered, and she approached with a hesitant smile.

"Hi, Grace."

Grace just glared in response, and Connie felt her grip tighten. In an attempt to show her daughter that she held nothing against Kate, though she wasn't sure still if she did, Connie offered the nurse a smile. "Morning, Kate. How was it overnight?"

"Not too busy. I just wanted to ask...Rita gave me the rota, and it seems like I'm on night shift for…well, the foreseeable future..." Kate attempted.

Jacob saw the caught out look that passed over Connie's face and smirked to himself before replying for her. "It's how we do things. Anyone new gets nights so they can learn how this place works when it's quiet."

When Kate had walked way and the trio were again walking towards Connie's office, Grace glanced up at Jacob. "Was that true?"

"Not one bit." Jacob replied, and his smile widened to a grin when Connie let her hair hang over her face so he wouldn't see the look on her face. "Right, I'd better get to work, but you do what your mum says, and if we're not around, call one of us and don't go wandering through the ED."

"Yes Staff Nurse Masters." Grace replied with an eye roll. When he just walked towards the staffroom, Grace caught his hand, "Aren't you going to kiss mum goodbye?" He looked at her, surprised. Connie's face mirrored his, but the expression was directed at Grace.

He couldn't tell if she was joking, or being serious. He would get changed, come straight out and into her office, as they did every morning. He rarely kissed her on arrival as she preferred to keep things as professional as she could around spectators, although occasionally she would relent. She was in love, professionalism didn't always come first but she tried.

"Well, aren't you?" She looked at Jacob, her grip tightening on her mother's hand. Surely he always kissed her before he went to work, she would be shut in the office for hours usually before she would see him again.

In an attempt to mask the strangeness of the situation, Connie looked at Jacob with her eyebrows raised, a haughty glint in her eye as she beckoned him to come back to her. He sauntered over, understanding how she wanted to play this in front of her daughter and sure enough, practically outside of the nurses' station, they kissed, his hand slipping to her waist and pulling her towards him.

Grace looked around her, seeing how the nurses' eyed them and then talked quietly amongst themselves happily, and she quickly let go of her mother's hand and went into the office, closing the door. They broke apart at the sound of the slam, still holding onto each other.

"What the-"

"I don't know, Jacob."

"...Well, I mean, if she wants me to kiss you more often I'm not opposed to the idea.."

Connie attempted a smile, but was unable to wipe the concern from her face. Jacob tightened his grip around her waist and pulled her a little closer again to drop a kiss to her forehead. "She'll be okay." Connie nodded in reply before resting her forehead against Jacob's chest. After taking a deep breath, she raised her head and also managed to raise a smile before she slipped from his arms and into her office.

Grace was already set up on the couch, a book in her hands, pillows piled behind her and a hospital blanket across her knees.

"Grace-"

"I have to read this book for english." Was all she offered, but then suddenly glanced up. "Can Jacob come in and have lunch with us later?"

"I...well, he might be busy, but we can ask him." Connie replied, but when the frown didn't disappear from her daughter's forehead, she added, "We could walk down to his favourite cafe before lunch and get him something in case he's too busy to go out?"

Grace nodded then, and gave her mother a smile before she looked back down at her book. Connie watched her for a while before turning on her computer, though she knew she'd find it difficult to concentrate. When she next saw Jacob walk past, Connie glanced at Grace and then rose to her feet, leaning out the door to call him over. "Staff Nurse Masters, a word please."

Raising his eyebrows, Jacob approached at a slow pace, a smile pulling at his lips. "You know I told you not to wear that skirt to work." Jacob looked down pointedly at the flowing skirt that ended above her knees.

Connie glanced down, and this time a proper smile pulled at her lips. She'd forgotten the effect the skirt had had on Jacob whenever she used to wear it, and had just pulled it out of her wardrobe that morning without looking. "Behave. Grace wants you to come for lunch with us. I know you'll be busy, but-"

"It's ok. I can make time for two of my favourite girls."

Connie took Grace to the café at 11, and when they got back they found him sitting in the hospital garden, lying flat across one of the benches.

"Jacob, what are you-"

"These benches go like that, sweet cheeks." He emphasised his point with a click of his fingers, before taking the bags from them, sitting upright putting them next to him. "Okay, Grace?"

She nodded before sitting down in between Jacob and Connie, leaning into Jacob's side. He peered over her head to Connie, his eyebrow raised in amusement. It was bizarre. One minute she was angry and the next she was fine.

After lunch, Grace decided she would go and help on reception, having convinced her mother that there really was no need for her to go back to school for PE and art, even though she actually had double maths.

"She does a good job on there." Jacob appeared by Connie's side as she walked from cubicles to reception, to check up on her daughter.

"Mmm. I can't help feeling that something still isn't right. You saw how she was with us at lunch compared to earlier. It's like she wants you stuck to me like glue."

Jacob hesitated, aware that it was something Connie didn't like to discuss before he said softly, "She's not had the most stable home life before, Con."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Connie snapped, turning to glare at him. Reaching out, Jacob ran his hands down her arms and then held her hands tightly.

"I just mean...what she's seen in the past is you arguing with people and then those people disappearing from her life. I know we're different, but maybe she doesn't believe that yet. Maybe it will just take time for her to be okay."

"Is everything okay?" Grace had watched them talking for a distance before she finally approached hesitantly.

"I was just trying to convince your mother that we need to go to this ball on the weekend." Jacob held out the invitation he'd been given. "A most auspicious ball, I'm told." The invitation had both Jacob and Connie's name on it, and underneath with the words 'special guest', it had Grace.

Connie glanced at Jacob with a frown, but he gave his head a slight shake, intending to explain it later.

"But what about Ava?" Grace finally asked. "And I'd need a new dress..."

"Ava is sorted, and I have this for you." Jacob held out a gift certificate for Grace's favourite shop. When she glanced towards her mother, Connie offered her a smile.

"A present for being so helpful with your sister on holiday."

After a moment's hesitation, Grace pulled them both into a hug and then rushed away to show her current favourite nurse Robyn.

"Did...Did I just hear you taking credit for my good idea?" Jacob questioned, pulled Connie into him with a smile.

"Maybe." Connie smiled back, adjusting Jacob's shirt. "Are you going to explain to me about this ball and ridiculously expensive gift card?"

"Later. Some of us have work to do, Beauchamp."

"Masters." She tilted her head to look up at him, her fingers paused at his lapel. He took them in his hand and squeezed them before bringing her into his side as they walked to the nurses' station.

"It doesn't have quite the same... Oomph, I must admit. I fell in love with boss lady Beauchamp, it's going to slip sometimes. You don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind, idiot. But, at this ball..."

On her wavelength completely, he produced the invitation and pointed to where it read "Connie and Jacob Masters."

"All sorted." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before releasing her, and she watched as he moved over to where he had been called by Ethan.

"Mrs Beauchamp?"

Her head turned sharply, as did Jacob's.

"Sorry, Masters. Mrs Masters, sorry, I..." Cal shook his head, aware of just how awkward and idiotic he sounded in front of her. She stood watching him, her hands on her hips and evidently impatient, as he fumbled to recover himself.

"Yes?"

"I have a patient in..." He recounted the details and she sighed, glancing back at Jacob who grinned at her.

"Yes, yes I'll have a look." She followed Cal down the corridor, thinking of the insert that still lay on her desk, and wondering if maybe now she was finally ready to put it in place.

An hour later, Grace was pacing the ED just like her mother, with her arms folded and shoes clicking on the floor. "Charlie, have you seen my mum?" When he shook his head, she sighed and returned to the office to call her.

...

"Stop it! I need to get back." Connie laughed as she tried to do up the buttons on her shirt as her husband kept pulling her hands away.

"Five more minutes." Jacob kissed her again, pressing her back against the door to the on call room with a smile as she giggled into his kiss.

"No, I have work to-" She was cut off my Jacob's lips pressing to hers again, and after only a second she gave in, lifting her arms to wrap around his neck so she could pull him closer as his hands slid into her top and wrapped around her waist.