A/N Jac and Jonny aren't together, Jonny doesn't know about Jac's endometriosis and she's not pregnant. Mo does know about Jac's condition and this is set a few weeks after Jac had slapped Jonny. Thank you for reading :)

She knew that something hadn't been right for weeks; the weight loss and poor appetite had been the first symtoms. Sure, she had only lost a few pounds but it was a significant amount when her normal weight has been maintained for quite some time. Then there was the increased need to urinate in much smaller frequencies, especially at night which had lead her to suspect a pregnancy when combined with her accumulating exhaustion. But that possibility had been ruled out by a simple white stick that had presented only one line, not two.

Yet for ages, she had done nothing about her symptoms because she was a doctor - a consultant in fact - and she believed that she knew better than anyone else. Unfortunately, she'd 'dealt' and 'managed' everything herself so it wasn't until she had been unable to do something, that usually came so naturally came to her, that she knew something was seriously wrong. Water retention had caused her hands and her 'nimble' fingers to swell so much that she couldn't operate; she'd had to page Elliot to take over.

Once she had left theatre, she had slipped into an empty toilet cubicle, locked herself away and taken a blood and urine sample. She'd sent them off using an alias name and then hidden in her office where she anxiously and impatiently waited for results.

She sat there, bored out of her skull when there was a knock on her office door. Mo swiftly entered with an orange envelope in her hands.

"Mrs Evans' results." Mo announced as she handed the consultant the unopened document. Jac grasped the envelope then sat back in her chair only to realise that the registrar wasn't leaving her.

"Thank you. You can go now." Jac said in a patronising tone, but the blunt request - or rather, the demand - had not been met as Mo folded her arms across her chest. "Anything else?" She snapped sarcastically.

"Is your endometriosis playing up? 'Cause if so, you can go home and I'll cover for you." Mo stated.

"What?" Jac raised a questioning eyebrow as she placed the results that she longed to read on her desk.

"Jonny said you had to leave theatre." Mo declared.

"Of course he did." Jac muttered to herself.

"And I just thought that-"

"Well you thought wrong Mo!" Jac shouted as she placed her hands on her desk and stood up to assert her authority. "And let me guess, he sent you because he's too scared to come and see me himself?"

"Well do you blame him?" Mo asked rhetorically before she left the office and closed the door behind her, leaving Jac to ponder on her thoughts.

She let herself fall back into her chair and sighed when her eyes fell upon the orange envelope. She picked it up and ripped it open to find an unbelievable, and almost ironic diagnosis. However, being a cardiothoracic consultant meant that she wasn't an expert at what she was dealing with so she'd have to go and see someone qualified in that department. But it couldn't just be anyone because she knew more than most about how quickly gossip could spread even with the legally defining 'Patient Confidentiality' so she'd have to go to someone that was qualified and someone she trusted. It didn't take a second thought because she had the perfect doctor in mind: her best friend, Sacha Levy.

Sacha was just in the midst of completing a stack of paperwork in his silent office when there was a firm knock at his door.

"Come in." He called cheerily - any distraction from his paperwork was welcomed with open arms. "Ah, I was just thinking about going to get a coffee. Want to join me?" Sacha asked as his best friend approached his desk.

"No um, could you just take a look at these please?" Jac asked as she placed the orange envelope on his desk.

"Sure." Sacha sighed because of the work-related task however he sat up properly, opened the envelope and took a few minutes to analyse the results of the blood and urine tests. "Well the eGFR is at 19ml per hour so it's almost certainly stage four chronic kidney disease. She's one stage away from renal failure." Sacha stated which only confirmed what she had already suspected. "They'll need a referral to urology to see a specialist and discuss their treatment there." He added.

"Can't you treat them?" Jac asked curiously.

"Well I am qualified to, but it's not really in my job description." He replied. "Why? Do you know Mrs Evans?" He asked and Jac nodded before she shrugged.

"They're my results" Jac blurted out.

"I'm sorry?" Sacha frowned in confusion - he couldn't immediately accept what he had just heard.

"You heard me." Jac muttered and Sacha's face fell as the information sunk in.

"Oh Jac-"

"Don't." Jac ordered simply. But nevertheless, he rose from his seat, stepped around his desk and pulled her into a tight hug. She remained in his arms for a long minute before he finally pulled away and looked into her usual, blank face - though she couldn't hide the glisten in her eyes at the confirmation of her condition. "Will you be my doctor?" Jac asked eventually. "I need someone to sign off my notes." She added clinically.

"Of course I will." Sacha stated as he forced a smile. "And I'll need to start with an ultrasound to check your kidney. It might be caused by the same growths that Paula had." He explained, he knew better than to call the woman who had abandoned Jac time and time again, her mother.

"I think I know what the cause is." Jac stated after she shook her head at his offer. "Chronic kidney disease can be caused by excessive use of NSAIDs can't it?" Jac asked.

"Yes, but 'excessive use' means like, daily use." Sacha replied.

"Then that's the cause."

"Why do you take them? And how often?" Sacha asked.

"I um... Look forget I asked, I'm due in theatre." Jac lied after glancing at the clock on the wall.

"No. No Jac, you're almost in renal failure. We need to discuss your lifestyle and-" Sacha explained but Jac just turned on her heel, left the office and slammed the door behind her.

Sacha sighed as he knew better than to chase after her; it would be best to let her digest the news herself before he got involved because the was clear that she was putting her defences up completely which was unusual when she was around him. Anyhow he was still intrigued as to why she was regularly taking NSAID painkillers so he decided to check her medical records and see if there was anything on there. If anyone asked, he was technically her doctor now and he needed to log her blood and urine results on her files so he typed in 'Jacqueline Naylor' on the medical records database. Once he had access to her file, it took him a while to realise why she was constantly taking painkillers - she had endometriosis.

Sacha felt so guilty about raising his voice to Jac because she was obviously embarrassed or ashamed of her condition. Anyhow, he decided that he needed to confront Jac because she needed to know the severity of her kidney problem - she was approximately one drunken night away from kidney failure - so after fighting a battle in his head, he decided that he would go around to Jac's flat after his shift. But would his visit be a welcomed one?

6pm

Jac had just sat down on her sofa in a pair of tracksuits and a cardigan when there was a knock at her door. She huffed as she got up from the comfort of her seat, then she padded to the front door. She opened it to reveal the friendly doctor standing with an apprehensive look on his face.

"Can I come in?" He asked and the consultant gave no reply. She just turned around and headed back to her living room where she got comfy on her sofa again so Sacha closed the door and then went and sat besides her. "You know you need to reduce the medication you're on." Sacha said softly, but he was once again met with silence. "Does Jonny know about the endometriosis?" He asked and Jac shot him a glare before she shook her head. "Is that why you broke up with him?" He asked and Jac had to think things through carefully before she replied, but in the end she decided to avoid a straight answer. It didn't surprise Sacha that she changed the subject.

"Why are you here Sacha?" She asked.

"Because my best friend is ill, and I thought she could do with some support." He replied. "Well that and the fact that you walked out before I could explain what happens next." He added which made a smile tug at Jac's lips at her own immature action.

"Well then, what is going to happen next?" Jac asked as she rested her tired head on his shoulder.

"Firstly, you need to reduce your medication-"

"Not gonna happen." Jac interrupted.

"Well if you don't, you're gonna go into renal failure within months. Maybe even weeks." Sacha explained solemnly which caused Jac to think about possible alternatives because a reduction in her current pain relief wouldn't suffice her needs at a certain time of each month.

"Alright, I'll make an appointment with Mr T then, talk to him about it." Jac nodded.

"Well I'm sure that'll buy you some time. And I'm also sure that if you told Jonny then-"

"Don't even go there." Jac sighed. "I slapped him." She admitted. "And the bad thing is... I don't even regret it. He deserved it."

"Why?" Sacha asked.

"Because... He just did." Jac muttered. "Look, can you just go please. I need an early night." Jac requested as she sat up properly.

"Sure. But come and see me tomorrow yeah?" Sacha said as he stood up, and then headed to the door as Jac shuffled him out of her flat.

"Yeah yeah." Jac said meaninglessly as she closed the door after him and then locked it for the night. She had no intention of visiting his office the next day. In fact, she had every intention to avoid him because she was Jac Naylor, the Ice Queen. And she didn't need anyone's help. Besides in her opinion, anyone that she would let help her would only end up leaving her more damaged than she was in the first place so she was just saving herself the heartache in the long run.

But what she wasn't realising was that along with blocking out others, she was neglecting her health. And following the diagnosis that she had received earlier that day, she hadn't realised that her health was no longer something that she could ignore if she wanted to survive.

A/N This is my first fan fiction story that I think will be more than a few chapters long so all constructive criticism is welcomed :)