A/N This is a story for Firebird, because she nagged, and nagged and nagged...

And I don't own The Bill

Millie Brown knew there had to be something wrong. This was the second time in as many weeks that she had seen DI Neil Manson and a young boy, whom she concluded must be his son, together at St Hugh's Hospital. But Millie had her own reasons for being there on the two occasions she had spotted Neil, and had made sure that Neil had not caught sight of her. Still, her curiosity and her concern were raised by their repeated presence at the hospital.

She wondered if perhaps she were doing the wrong thing not going over and asking the DI what was happening. She knew Neil Manson to be a bit reserved, and felt he wouldn't be the type to welcome interference or help even if he needed it. Then again, did she know that for sure? Maybe he would appreciate a friendly face? Maybe he was alone simply because he was waiting for someone to offer him the hand of friendship?

This led Millie to think about her own situation, and how she would feel if someone were to approach her and ask about that. She was trying to fly as low under the radar as possible. If she had her way, she wouldn't be coming to this hospital, with its associations with her past and its constant influx of officers from Sun Hill, the station at which she had previously worked. But in her current circumstance she simply couldn't afford to go to a more exclusive hospital, so she had no choice but to move furtively each time she came here, and try to make her appointments at the times she thought the hospital was least likely to be busy.

Maybe this was the very reason she had seen Neil these two times? Perhaps he was visiting his son when he felt he would be least likely to be discovered? Whatever his reasons, Millie had successfully avoided encountering him again. It was time for her to leave now. Her bladder was telling her she would be wise to make a stop before heading for home, so she made her way to the nearby women's toilets.

As luck would have it, as she was leaving the toilets she found herself bumping straight into someone who was approaching from behind her. She turned around to apologise and found herself face to face with Neil Manson and his son.

Neil looked just as awkward as she felt.

"Millie!" Neil said in a way that expressed both his surprise and his desire to hide the fact he was not pleased to see her.

"Hello sir," replied Millie, smiling at Neil and then at his son.

"Millie, this is my son Jake. Jake, this is Millie. She used to work at my station."

"Hello Jake," said Millie kindly. She looked at him and straight away saw that he really did not look well.

Jake looked her up and down. "You're having a baby," stated Jake, voicing the very thing that Neil was so desperately trying not to acknowledge he had noticed.

Neil gave Millie an embarrassed smile and said nothing.

Millie saw plainly that her secret was out. "Yes, I am!" she said, trying to make it sound like she was happy that he'd pointed it out.

"Congratulations," said Neil, uncertainly. "When's the baby due?"

"Still three and half months to go yet!" said Millie brightly. Then she just stood there smiling, because she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Well," said Neil, determining to end this awkward situation, "we'll let you get on your way then. It was nice to see you, Millie, and good luck with, um, everything."

"Yes, good luck to you too, sir," Millie attempted to catch Neil's eye so she could make it clear she was wishing him good luck with whatever was wrong with Jake, but Neil wouldn't meet her gaze.

Neil put his hand on his son's shoulder and led him back to the children's ward. After giving Jake a little lecture about how there are some things you just don't say to people, his mind started to reflect on the situation. So Millie was pregnant eh? Why didn't he know that? Of course, he remembered, she had left Sun Hill some months ago. Neil wondered if her leaving Sun Hill was in anyway connected to her pregnancy. He calculated in his head when she must have got pregnant, and concluded it could have been at around the same time she left Sun Hill. Interesting…

Neil had never heard of Millie having a boyfriend, so he wondered who the father was. The only man he had ever been aware of Millie having any interest in was Max Carter. He prayed to God Max wasn't the father of this child. He remembered well the way Max and Millie had stared each other down across the briefing room when they had disagreed about a case. Both he and Rachel Weston noticed it, but neither of them wanted to admit that they read anything into it. Then Millie had been kidnapped and Max had been clearly worried and of course guilty.

Neil had no idea what had happened between them after that. Maybe Max had offered her some sort of consolation and one thing had led to another? Neil hadn't heard of them having a relationship though, or even an affair, and this type of thing was hard to keep quiet at Sun Hill. He imagined that Max would be the type of man who wouldn't be keen on fathering a child. Maybe unplanned fatherhood explained Max's increased belligerence and alienation from his workmates of late? Perhaps he had dumped Millie when she told him? But then he could be misjudging Max. Maybe Millie just hadn't wanted to tell him?

Millie had got to the bus stop when it occurred to her she should have asked DI Manson not to mention her condition to anyone at Sun Hill. She knew the conclusion everyone there would jump to. But she didn't think the DI was the type to gossip. And anyway, he clearly had other things on his mind.