The New Girl

[March] - Family Infiltration (2)

"Di, can you grab--"

"Already did," Dianne chirped, waving Joe's granddad's slippers in his face as she twirled past him down the hall, a cheeky smile on her face.

"She's beginning to read your mind, Joseph," Joe's mum teased, squeezing his shoulder as she walked behind the sofa, where he was currently perched working through some paperwork that would finalize his family's plan to have an in-home physical therapist visit his grandparents home twice a week until his granddad was a bit more stable on his feet. It probably wasn't enough, he thought with a frown, but at least it was a good start.

"Alright Mum, I just need you and Nan to co-sign this document," he cleared his throat, ignoring his mum's continued teasing look as she came around and sat next to him. "It just means that you're both aware of the schedule and you're the emergency contacts...I can also put myself on there, but London is a bit far--"

"Shh, Joseph," Tracey patted his arm. "No need to explain again, honey. We completely understand how it's going to work."

Joe released the breath he had been holding, nodding toward his mum who signed the document quickly. It had been four days since his friends had made their surprise drop in visit - and while at first he had wanted nothing more than to see them turn around and leave, he was now more than grateful they had miraculously appeared on his mum's doorstep, eager to help.

Smiling to himself as Dianne re-entered the living room, his granddad's empty breakfast dishes in her hand, singing under her breath, he realized she was the real reason why things had gotten easier. Sure, Caspar and Oli were superb dish washers and toilet scrubbers...but Dianne had somehow figured out exactly what Joe and his family needed and then quietly managed to get it all done, without even breaking a sweat.

If it was even possible, Joe had felt his feelings for her grow even more - practically ballooning out of his chest every time they shared a glance or she sat next to him at dinner. He had tried to keep it discreet, still unsure where she stood with everything since they still hadn't had that heart to heart talk they'd been trying to have for weeks. But - he knew he was failing in that area, since everyone in the house seemed to know exactly how he felt for the little Aussie redhead, just by the way he looked at her.

"She really is something," Tracey smirked, breaking Joe out of his spell as he watched Dianne retreat into the kitchen. "I hope she knows how thankful we are for her help. She's a proper Mary Poppins. An Aussie Poppins."

Joe smiled at his mum, happy to see the wrinkles of worry around her eyes significantly lighter.

"Yeah she's alright," Joe quipped, dodging his mum's playful slap to his arm.

"Honestly, Joseph," Tracey rolled her eyes. "She is such a breath of fresh air. And so caring. It's like she's known your granddad and nan all her life."

Joe nodded, realizing the truth his mum's words held, "She has a way with people, that's for sure. It's like she wants to take care of everyone she meets. I've always compared her to Snow White...and we're her three dopey dwarves."

Tracey laughed quietly, "What an accurate comparison. She seems to put in a little extra effort when it comes to caring for you though, Joe."

"Nah," Joe waved off his mum's pointed words. "I mean...yes. She made me go to the doctor that one time..."

Tracey shot him a stern look, "As I would have done too if I'd known about it!"

"But we all pull our own weight in the flat," Joe shrugged, ignoring his mum's glare as he reminisced about the potential health scare Dianne had forced him to follow up on.