I refuse to believe that I need to go back to work tomorrow; in my head it's still Christmas Day in Holby - which is where this has come from.
Set after series 19, ep 64
And also because I thought Jac needed to see Emma more than anything else. Sorry it's another long one! This is what two weeks without Holby on our screens does to me. Any comments/ suggestions/ requests, let me know!
Happy New Year everyone!
All I want for Christmas
'I need to speak to you'
He had read it over and over again, each time his mind falling on a different scenario of how he would have responded: If he had looked at his phone when the text had come through. If Fredrik hadn't turned up at the hospital. If he had focused on what it said instead of quickly glancing at the message and pushing it from his thoughts as he had stood outside the hospital, desperately trying to contact her.
Not knowing then what was happening on the other side of the doors he had been fighting to get through.
From anyone else those six words would have meant nothing. They would have seemed perfectly normal and wouldn't have caused him so much worry over the past few weeks.
But they weren't from just anyone. They were from Jac Naylor. The same Jac Naylor that had planned on leaving the hospital after breaking down in his arms. And he had been too much of a wimp to ask her about it now that she was awake and almost back to her full confrontational self.
Almost.
He knew what the text had been about, of course. He had heard about the letter that had been found in Raf's back pocket, and he wanted desperately to ask her about the last conversation she had had with his best friend. But he could see how much she was still hurting, when she though no one was watching. And he didn't mean physically.
Christmas Eve on the ward has been a nightmare. He had been expecting it to be busy, it always was, but he hadn't been prepared for the chaos that had descended on the ward.
Not that he would complain about a busy day again after the actual nightmare they had lived through a few weeks previously.
And he would be the first person to admit that he may not have made it through the day unscathed without Jac's help. Even if she had shown him just how stubborn she could be for the majority of the day.
He had woke up on Christmas day with an uneasy feeling in his stomach, and it hadn't taken him long to work out why.
He had spent the best part of the last month with Jac, listening to her as she directed her frustrations and pain in his direction. He had become her verbal punch bag while Sacha wasn't available, and he had done so gladly; because he knew that inside, she was using all her remaining strength just to hold it together.
She was one of the best surgeons he had ever met, but she was also a mother. A mother who was unable to see her daughter, or tuck her in at night. Fletch had spent more time with Emma than Jac had over the past month, and he now knew why she refused for Emma to visit her in hospital.
Because she was scared. Scared that her daughter wouldn't be able to see past the pain in her eyes. But Fletch knew first hand that all Emma would be wanting was a hug from her mum. He had had the same thoughts during his time in a hospital bed, and he could genuinely say that his kids didn't care how battered and bruised he had looked; they just wanted a hug.
It hadn't taken him long to convince his kids that he had to pop back to the hospital for a few hours on Christmas day, with the promise of being back in time for his turkey dinner. He was just glad that they all got on well with their grandparents and didn't seem to mind him slipping away; then again, Evie and Mickey had been plugged in to their new electronic devices since nine that morning, and Ella and Theo were engrossed with a bucket of Lego.
Darwin was eerily quiet when he stepped foot on the ward, which worried him slightly. He would have been much happier to hear a nurse crying or demands being yelled across the ward, but there was nothing.
And when he stopped at the nurse's station, he could see the small form of Jac Naylor tucked up in bed, staring blindly across the ward.
Fletch sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had hoped that getting to speak to Emma properly the night before would have helped her slightly, but he could tell that being stuck in hospital on Christmas day was taking it's toll.
Fletch only hesitated for a second before logging in to the computer system and looking up Jac's notes.
Nobody deserved to be apart from their child on Christmas day.
It was Fletch that had had to make the last phone call to Jonny. He had made countless calls in his time as a nurse, many to distraught relatives who were expecting their loved one to be home from work any minute.
But that one had been particularly difficult.
"Hi, am I speaking to Jonny Maconie?"
"Yes, speaking."
Fletch could hear the busy ward behind him on the other end of the phone and knew that Jonny would have been rushed off his feet the majority of the day.
"Jonny, it's Adrian Fletcher. I'm calling from Holby City Hospital. I don't know if you remember me-"
"Fletch, yeah of course. What's up?"
What's up? How was he supposed to answer that question?
"Jonny, you need to get to Holby. Now."
"What's happened? Is Emma ok?"
"She's fine, but we need you here," Fletch tried to hide the emotion from his voice but knew that he was failing.
"Fletch, you're worrying me. What's happened? Jac dropped Emma at the crèche this morning, didn't she? What's wrong?"
Fletch had tried to think of how to explain that question, but couldn't think of the words.
"You haven't seen the news?"
"What?" Jonny's voice had picked up the same wobble of fear as Fletch's and Fletch could hear Jonny scrabble around on the other end of the phone. "I've been rushed off my feet all day, this is the first time I've been able to step away from the ward. Hang on, there's a TV in the staff room."
There was a pause and Fletch could hear the voice on the TV explain some of what had happened at the hospital over the past few hours.
"Fletch-"
"We need you to get here, now."
He couldn't bring himself to say the words. If he said them, it would make it true. And at that moment, he couldn't bear to imagine the lifeless body of the once strong consultant lying in ICU.
"The shooter was targeting staff?" Jonny asked, and yet Fletch was sure he was speaking more to himself.
"Yes."
Another pause.
"Jac?" Jonny asked, no other words required.
"Emma needs you, Jonny."
The pause was longer this time, filled with questions that neither one wanted to ask.
"She's not-"
"No," Fletch finished before Jonny could. "No, but it's not good."
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
Fletch knew that if he was to call Jonny now, he would have to spend the next hour trying to convince Jac that he had done so for the right reasons. But he could deal with a Jac Naylor tantrum; he had been doing so all week.
He was one of the few people who had mastered how to defuse an expert level argument with Miss Naylor rather than running away to hide.
"And why are you moping around on Christmas day instead of terrorising my nurses?" Fletch asked loudly as he made his way to the foot of Jac's bed. "That's particularly un-Naylor like behaviour."
"What are you doing here?"
Her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, but Fletch didn't miss the hint of a smile play on the edge of her lips.
"Nice to see you top. I came to bring you your Christmas present," Fletch grinned, trying to hide the uncertainty from his features. This could go one of two ways.
"What are you talking about," Jac frowned, pushing herself to sit up and wincing. "You should be at home with your kids."
"There's only so many times I can listen to Theo's new light saber, or Evie's Little Mix CD, before I go mad," he grinned. "And everyone deserves a present at Christmas."
"I don't do Christmas," Jac rolled her eyes. "I've told you before."
"Yeah, and I didn't listen. Because I know for a fact that you now do enjoy Christmas," Fletch continued to smile, the butterflies spinning in his stomach. "And your present will be here in approximately an hour and a half."
There, he'd said it. There was no going back.
"What?" Jac asked, confusion evident on her features before the realisation set in and her eyes widened. "No. Fletcher, you didn't!"
"Jac, she needs her mum. Today more than ever. Believe me, if I could give my kids just one more Christmas with-"
"Don't you dare start trying to make me feel guilty!" Jac warned, her hands shaking in anger. "You know why I don't want her here."
Fletch frowned and placed his hands on his hips, his eyes not leaving hers. This had gone as well as he had expected.
"You've made three of my nurses cry in the last week, have diagnosed then saved a patient from your bed, and single handedly made sure this place was kept running during the Christmas Eve chaos," Fletch said seriously. "So stop moping around, put your warrior paint on and get ready to see your daughter. She's missed you just as much as you've missed her."
There was a pause.
"No," Jac shook her head, crossing her arms defiantly. "Call Jonny back and tell him not to bother."
"I'm not doing that," Fletch shook his head in return. "I'm not going to let you sit here and feel sorry for yourself."
Jac glared at Fletch before turning away and taking a deep breath.
"I didn't buy her any presents. I hadn't even thought about Christmas," Jac refused to look him in the eyes. "Why would she want to visit the mother that let her down on Christmas day? Shes supposed to believe in Santa for years yet, and he didn't bring her the one present she's been asking for, for the past three months."
"Emma will be fine."
"She wanted a bike, Fletch. Not to spend Christmas day in hospital."
"Well, good job she wrote her Santa list when she was round at my place then, isn't it," Fletch smiled. "And I can promise you that it was personally delivered to Father Christmas himself.
Jac raised an eyebrow, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.
"I gave it to Jonny," Fletch shrugged. "Her bike has been in my garage for the last week and Jonny picked it up on his way home yesterday."
Jac opened her mouth to respond then closed it again, lost for words.
She could feel the lump forming in her throat and tried to swallow the sob that was threatening to spill over. She wanted nothing more than to see her daughter, to hold her tight and kiss her soft skin. But Emma needed her mum, strong and dependable, not the broken woman who had been stuck on Darwin for the past month.
Jac didn't cry. She just didn't. Not when she had been left alone in the world at twelve years old, and not now. So the fact that the tears had sprung to her eyes so readily since she had broke down in front of Fletch scared her more than anything else.
She was weak. And Emma needed someone better than that.
"No," she shook her head again. "Tell Jonny to stay at home."
"Jonny. Hi," Fletch smiled as the Scottish nurse made his way on to Darwin, mini-Naylor in hand. "Eh, change of plan. Can I meet you in the staff room? Ten minutes? Hopefully."
Jonny nodded and directed his daughter to the staff room with a smile and a knowing look, Emma waving at Fletch as she went.
Fletch hadn't called Jonny to cancel. He refused to. Over the past few months he had learnt a lot about Jac Naylor; she didn't like mushrooms, she could hold a grudge like a sponge held water, and she was the most stubborn person he was ever going to meet.
She was still scowling at him when he went back to visit her, her arms crossed over her chest.
"She's missing you, Jac. She just wants to see her mum on Christmas day," Fletch tried to reason, gripping the bottom of her bed.
"I told you, Fletcher," her eyes swam with unshed tears that Fletch knew were from a mixture of worry and anger. "I told you to call back. I don't want them here."
"I know you did," Fletch nodded. "And believe me, I'd rather be at home with my kids right now instead of being glared at by you, but no one should be away from their family on Christmas day."
"This isn't about pride, Fletch. Or stubbornness," Jac's voice wobbled. "Don't you get it? I'm trying to protect her. She's doesn't deserve to be here, today of all days."
Fletch sighed and put his hands on his hips again.
"That letter to Santa, the one she wrote when round at mine. Do you know what was top of the list?" Fletch asked and Jac looked away, not trusting herself to keep it together.
Fletch moved from the foot of her bed and perched on the edge, next to Jac's knees.
"It was you, Jac. Top of her list was for mummy to come home. I mean, I had to decipher the letters a bit, but she explained the list to me in detail to make sure Santa got the message," Fletch placed his hand over the top of hers but she pulled it away.
"That's what I want to give her," Jac's voice was so quiet Fletch had to strain to hear her.
"Jac," Fletch tried his hardest to sound assertive and yet Jac refused to look at him. "She wants a cuddle from her mum, that's all. She misses you."
"I know she does."
"I can even keep Jonny locked in a cupboard if you just want to see Emma," Fletch grinned. "I'll make it look like an accident."
Jac smirked slightly, knowing what else had happened in the store cupboard with Jonny, many years ago. But she still refused to look in his direction.
"What if we get out of here?" Fletch asked tentatively. "We can go to your office, then she won't see you around all the machinery?"
Jac paused, thinking through his proposal before finally turning to face him.
"She just needs a hug from her mum."
Fletch could see Jac's jaw clench as she pushed away the tears again, before she nodded slowly.
"Ok," she blinked, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Fine. But I can still change my mind."
"Of course you can," Fletch grinned, stepping in front of her and letting her place her hands around his neck as he helped her to her feet and to a nearby wheelchair.
"Don't worry, she's currently eating all my chocolate biscuits in the staff room," Fletch reassured her when he noticed the uncertainty in her features. "I won't get her until you're ready."
Jac sat nervously on the sofa in her office, picking at her nails mindlessly as she tried to focus on something, anything, other than what had happened in the hospital the day she had planned on leaving.
The last time she had held her daughter was the day she dropped her at the crèche, which now felt like a lifetime ago. She would never voice her worries to anyone, but she was terrified that her daughter wouldn't want to see her. That she had built up her hopes for nothing. That Jonny would decide she was better off away from Jac and had refused to bring her in.
But all her concerns evaporated as Fletch opened the office door and a flash of reddy-blonde hair came hurtling towards her, her small arms instantly wrapping around Jac's waist.
The pain that shot through her ribs was agony, and she could see Fletch hesitate from the doorway, but everything blurred away into insignificance as she breathed in the scent of her daughter, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Hello, baby," she smiled, no longer trying to hide the tears that were running down her cheeks. "I've missed you."
She didn't know how long she held her daughter tightly to her chest, letting her warmth radiate through her aching body, she just knew that she never wanted to let go,
Eventually Emma wriggled free and Fletch lifted her on to the sofa beside Jac, where she immediately snuggled into her side.
It was only then that she noticed Jonny stood at the threshold, a small smile on his lips.
"Hey," he grinned. "Nice to see you looking like you again."
"Thanks, I think," Jac frowned but didn't miss the I-told-you-so look from Fletch.
Jonny made his way into the office then, as if he had only just been invited in, and inwardly shook his head at his own behaviour. Old habits died hard; it wasn't that long ago that he would have been reprimanded for entering Jac's office without permission.
"I'll leave you to it," Fletch announced, passing Jonny on the way out, and caught the worried look from Jac. "I'll be back later, ok?"
She nodded, no longer caring what Jonny thought; nothing seemed to matter now that her daughter was tucked safely under her arm.
Jonny pulled the chair from under her desk and sat down opposite her, leaning forward slightly.
"How are you feeling?" he asked and Jac could see the genuine concern in his eyes.
"Better," she smiled.
"Fletch said that physio is going well," Jonny continued. "Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
Jac smiled slightly, stroking her daughter's hair.
"I was thinking we could maybe do something on Emma's birthday," she said, meeting Jonny's gaze. "Just the three of us. Maybe round at my place?"
Jonny gave her a questioning look.
"I have a deal with Fletch," she smiled. "I might be stuck in here today, but I'm going to be home for her birthday. No matter what."
Jonny flashed his lop-sided grin and laughed slightly.
"That sounds good," he agreed, smiling at his daughter who was playing with the ends of Jac's hair. "All she has asked for since that day is to go home and be with you."
Jac blinked and looked away again.
"Don't worry, she's been fine, Jac," Jonny said reassuringly. "She likes spending time at my place, but she's missed you. Apparently she has more toys at mum's house and Pepper Pig on demand."
"That she does."
"And Fletch has been great at helping out," Jonny said, a playful tone in his voice. "I'm glad he's been around."
"Me too," Jac said quietly, not realising the words had escaped her lips.
But Jonny had noticed, and couldn't help the smile that flashed across his features. He may have had his arguments with Jac over the years (which was putting it politely), but he would never stop caring about her.
Just because they'd never be a couple again, didn't mean that he didn't want to see her happy. And Fletch had been around to help her when she had needed it the most. When Jonny had been caught up at work and banished from the hospital from his stubborn ex.
He would never tell her, but he had visited her the day of the shooting, just before he picked Emma up from the crèche. He could tell from Fletch's voice when he had called that things weren't looking good, but he wouldn't believe it until he had seen for himself.
He cared for Jac Naylor more than he would ever admit, but the sight of her wired up to the tubes and machinery in ICU had been terrifying. She had looked so small, so vulnerable, that he had refused to believe that it was her at first.
The woman lying in front of him was lifeless, void of any spark that made her Jac Naylor. He had been too afraid to ask anyone exactly what had happened, but Sacha had filled him in the best he could, before he could stand it no longer and had gone to collect Emma.
He could tell then, from the way he looked at her, that Fletch was there to stay. That he would look after her and make sure she got better, even if it looked impossible at that moment.
He looked at her with more than just a concern for a colleague. And there were very few people in the world that were allowed a glimpse of the real Jac Naylor, let along become her friend.
He hadn't doubted for a second that she would be ok, eventually. She was strong. She had survived experimental surgery in a non-sterile lab, excessive blood loss and make shift anesthetic; according to Sacha.
If she could survive all that, there was no way she'd give up now. He knew that she would do anything to get back to her daughter.
Jonny pushed the thoughts of that day from his mind and focused on the Jac sat in front of him, clutching Emma tightly with a content smile.
She looked up at him, only now noticing his swollen lip.
"What happened to your face?"
Jonny glanced at Emma who buried her head into Jac's shoulder.
"Let's just say that I'm surprised Emma wasn't on the naughty list this year," he raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, pigs can fly."
Jac frowned.
"But Sarah is a soft-"
"Yes," Jonny interrupted, nodding in agreement. "But it wasn't Sarah she threw. It was s ceramic pig from her Uncle Alistair."
"Oh," Jac replied, trying hard to hide the smile that was threatening to make an appearance. Emma continued to hide in the crook of her shoulder and Jac bit back the pain that ran through her ribs.
"Emma?"
No response.
"Emma, look at me please."
Emma did as she was told, her bottom lip wobbling slightly.
"Did you throw your piggy at daddy?"
Nod.
"Why?"
Shrug.
"Are you sorry?"
Nod.
"Are you going to do it again?"
Pause. Then nod.
Jac couldn't help but smile this time and heard Jonny laugh.
"Told you, she's been missing her mum," he raised an eyebrow. "It's not like her to throw things."
Jac shook her head, deciding not to remind him of the block that had been launched at Theo's head in the crèche.
There was a small knock at the door before it swung open.
Fletch stopped at the doorway, leaning against the frame as he watched Jac stroke her daughter's hair, the first real smile on her lips in weeks.
"Anyone need a cup of tea?" he asked, more as a distraction than anything else. He received a shake of the head from both Jac and Jonny.
Jac's eyes caught his and she smiled again, an unspoken 'thank you' passing between them. As well as something else.
She was in pain, he could tell. She would never admit to the fact, but he knew how long it had been since her last lot of pain medication, and she hadn't spent this much time out of bed since the shooting. She was sat awkwardly on the sofa to let Emma cuddle into her side, but Fletch knew that she was suffering for it.
"Emma, I think Santa might have left you a present under the Christmas tree," he smiled and watched her eyes light up. "Why don't you go have a look while mummy goes back to her room?"
Emma hesitated, her eyes falling on Jac's.
"It's ok," she smiled, pushing her daughter's hair away from her eyes. "I'll still be here when you get back."
Emma nodded and ran out the office towards the tree at the nurse's station.
"Right, bed," Fletch practically demanded, moving to stand in front of Jac with outstretched arms. "No arguing."
"I wouldn't dare," Jac rolled her eyes, and in that instant Fletch knew that he had been right. Jac Naylor wouldn't have agreed with him to readily if he had been wrong.
Fletch could hear Jac's breath catch in her throat as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and stood up again, and he could feel how much of her weight he was supporting as she moved towards the wheelchair.
Jonny hesitated, unsure of how to help. He had seen Jac in pain before. He had watched her double over in agony in theatre, had held her hand through her contractions with Emma, had even stitched her head back together after she had slipped in one of the treatment rooms.
But he had never seen her like this before.
He had been right, of course. She had got better, despite the odds against her, but she wasn't out of the woods just yet.
Jac noticed the concern in his eyes.
"Please don't say anything, Jonny," Jac looked away, her hands gripped together. "Just go make sure Emma's ok."
He nodded once and left, not trusting himself to say anything else.
"You ok?" Fletch asked, placing a hand on her shoulder and Jac nodded slowly, refusing to look at him.
"I'm fine."
Fletch helped Jac back into bed and pushed the wheelchair away, moving her pillows until he knew she was more comfortable.
"You need pain meds," he stated, looking at her chart.
"No," Jac shook her head. "I'm fine."
Fletch placed his hands on his hips again and lowered his voice.
"I thought you didn't want Emma to see you in pain," he frowned. "I know they make you tired, but what's the alternative?
Jac frowned before rolling her eyes.
"Why do you always have to be right?" she whispered, and Fletch chuckled as he checked her notes again.
"Technically, I'm not working today," he smiled. "So I need to find someone to sign this off."
"I know," Jac tilted her head and nodded. "This is still my ward, remember?"
"I do," Fletch nodded. He knew this probably wasn't the right time, but he had to ask her at some point. "You sent me a text message. The day of the- well, you know when."
Jac fell silent and nodded slightly.
"You were going to tell me you were leaving, weren't you?"
She nodded again before giving him a sad smile.
"I was," she said quietly. "But, I've changed my mind. I'm staying. Which is why you're going to help me get back to work by next week. Remember?"
"Good," Fletch said simply, replacing her notes and not missing the sarcasm she added to the last word. "Because I think Darwin would descend into chaos without you."
Jac tried to hide the grin from her lips, and Fletch knew not to push it any further. Not right now. He could ask about Raf later.
Fletch smiled as Jonny appeared at the door again.
"Hey, you found it," Jac grinned as Emma came bouncing back into the room, a small, scruffy present clutched in her hands.
Emma nodded and ran to the edge of the bed for Jonny to lift her up. She instantly moved to snuggle beside her mum and Jac wrapped an arm around her as she tore open the paper to reveal a small, soft purple pig inside with a bright pink nose.
Jac opened her mouth in amazement and Emma giggled, clutching it tightly to her chest.
"Aren't you a lucky girl?"
Jac smiled and hugged her daughter tighter, stroking her hair as Emma examined her new pig in more detail.
"What's this one called?" Jonny asked as he sat in the chair next to Jac's bed, his own smile evident.
"Fletchy," Emma smiled, holding it up for Jonny to see and giggling.
"Good name," Fletch nodded as he reappeared, and Emma hugged the pig again.
"And at least Fletchy is nice and soft for when he's launched at your head," Jac grinned as she turned to Jonny, who rolled his eyes in response.
"She has her mother's patience," he raised an eyebrow and Jac smiled.
"That she does."
Jac sighed as she stroked her daughter's soft hair again.
"Did you do her hair this morning?" she asked Jonny with a smirk.
"Yes. Why?"
"It's a mess," she raised an eyebrow before addressing her daughter. "I think daddy might need some lessons, what do you think?"
Emma grinned before tucking herself back in beside her, bouncing her toy pig along the edge of the bed.
Fletch stepped aside as a nurse entered the room with Jac's pain medication, which she took without argument.
"Thank you," she smiled at Fletch as he caught Emma's pig that had tumbled from the side of the bed. "For ignoring me earlier. You were right. This is better than any Christmas present I can think of."
Fletch nodded and Jonny laughed.
"What did Sacha Levy do to you?" he smirked. "I don't think I've ever heard you say 'thank you' before and mean it."
"Shut up, Jonny."
"Nope, you're still Jac," he smiled again and Fletch laughed, which earned him a stare from Jac.
Emma, oblivious to the adult conversation around her, tucked herself in tighter to Jac's side and bounced her pig up her mum's chest until it was under Jac's chin, giggling as she did so.
Jac tickled her daughter who squirmed into her side, and Jac flinched again. This time it wasn't missed by Fletch or Jonny who both seemed to move in her direction, but she waved them away.
Instead Jac repositioned herself and handed the pig back to Emma, yawning slightly.
They fell into silence as Emma bounced the pig on her knee, and it wasn't long before Jac's breathing became heavy as her eyes drifted closed, her daughter still tucked under her arm.
"Thanks," Jonny smiled, turning to Fletch. "I hadn't realised how much Emma needed to see her. Properly, I mean. Not just over the phone."
Fletch nodded in response.
"I think Jac needed to see Emma even more."
Jonny frowned as he leant back in the chair beside her bed, letting out a heavy sigh.
"And thank you for looking after her," Jonny added seriously. "I know we're not together any more, but she's Emma's mum. She's a good mum. And I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't made it."
"It's my job," Fletch smiled, but Jonny shook his head.
"No," he frowned. "I know what she's like, remember. She would have pushed you away, told you that she didn't need help when she obviously dis. Still does. Not many people would stick around."
Fletch laughed, and tilted his head. He had heard almost the exact same words from Jac herself just last week.
"You really do know her, don't you?"
"Sometimes, I think I know her too well," Jonny sighed again, looking back at her sleeping form. "She's not all bad. After everything we've been through, I know there's some good in there. A vulnerability that she won't ever let anyone see."
Fletch nodded in agreement, a small smile playing on his lips.
"But I think you know that too, don't you?" Jonny smirked, catching Fletch off guard.
Fletch hesitated, his mouth hanging open slightly, but Jonny let out a throaty laugh.
"When you get the real Jac Naylor, it's something special," he smiled sadly. "And I think you've seen a lot of that the past month. Just remember that when her defenses come back up, she becomes the most stubborn woman on the planet."
This time it was Fletch's turn to laugh. Had he just been given advice from Jonny?
Jonny stretched and checked his watch.
"I think we should get going, I still need to attempt some sort of Christmas dinner," Jonny frowned, watching his daughter as the continued to play with Jac's hair. "Come on Emma, give mummy a kiss goodnight."
Emma moved and Jac stirred, her eyes instantly focusing on the wriggling form under her arm.
"Night night, mummy," Emma grinned, standing up so she could wrap her arms around Jac's neck and give her a kiss. "See you soon."
"See you real soon," Jac said sleepily, clutching Emma close to her chest. "I promise."
Jonny smiled as he lifted Emma from the bed and took her hand.
"Let me know the plans for her birthday and I'll be there," he said, picking up Emma's coat and turning to Fletch. "You're more than welcome too."
Fletch nodded again as Jonny guided his daughter from the room, who waved to Jac the whole way out.
Jac sighed heaving and repositioned herself again, suddenly feeling lost now that he daughter was no longer tucked in beside her.
"Thank you," she smiled, her eyes meeting Fletch's. "I mean it. Thank you."
"Any time," Fletch responded, perching on the side of her bed and rearranging her pillows. He could see her eyes drifting closed again and knew it wouldn't be long before she was asleep.
"Now go away and be with your kids," Jac yawned and Fletch laughed. It still amazed him how quickly she could snap back into the Jac Naylor everyone else knew. Or thought they knew.
"Merry Christmas, Jac," he said softly, his hand finding hers as her eyes fluttered closed.
"Merry Christmas, Adrian."
She fell asleep again without pulling her hand away from his.
It was the best present Fletch had received all day.