"Excuse me, is Joanna Parish in?" A woman asked, as she stood at the
enquiry desk, cradling a baby in her arms.
Evan smiled at the woman. "I'll see if I can find her for you. Take a seat if you like." He gestured to the chairs, and then left her.
He tapped on the door of PJ's office before entering.
Jo stood in front of the desk, her hands resting on the desk, and looking at him. PJ sat in his chair, arms behind his head, looking more like he was relaxing at home than being at work and in the middle of an enquiry.
"Help you, Constable Jones?" PJ asked, laying his hands flat on the desk.
"Someone to see you Jo." He told her.
Jo looked at PJ a second. At her look he stretched his arms out behind him. "Go on then. This can wait."
A smile on her face, shaking her head at something Evan didn't quite understand Jo left PJ's office, Evan close behind her.
Seeing the woman standing there, Jo pushed her way through the barricade and hugged her friend, careful not to harm the baby in the woman's arms.
PJ, curious about the visitor stood in the door way of his office, leaning against the frame.
Noticing that the stares of the others were on her, Jo turned to them and introduced the woman. "Everyone, this is Georgia, and my god-daughter Holly."
Georgia offered baby Holly to Jo, and smiled to see the infant in her arms.
"So what are you doing in Mount Thomas?" Jo asked, once she'd studied the baby's features and cooed to her how beautiful she was.
"Mickey's over in St. Davids speaking at a meeting. I thought you might like to see Holly so we came along for the ride." Georgia told her.
"That's so nice. It's nice to finally see Holly." Jo told her.
"Come and meet Mickey and I for dinner if you're not busy. We're staying in Mount Thomas for the night, at the Imperial in town." Georgia said to her. "Everyone else is welcome to join us, too."
"That sounds great." Jo answered. "I'll be there. Tell Mickey I said hi, would you?"
"Will do." Georgia took Holly from Jo's arms. "We'll see you at about 7- ish?"
"Sound's good. Seven at the Imperial." Jo repeated.
"Have a good day all right?" Georgia told her. "It was nice meeting everyone."
"Bye Georgia." Jo called after her.
"How do you know her?" Ben asked. "I could swear I've seen her before."
"She's a cop. We used to work together, her husband Mickey's a cop too. We were all in the same squad." Jo said, straightening a few papers on her desk.
"What squad was that?" PJ asked, eager for a glimpse into her past, which she rarely talked about.
"Rescue." Jo didn't even look up from her tidy up.
"You were in the Police Rescue Unit?" Jonesy asked, incredulously.
She looked at him and nodded, then shrugged her shoulders.
"It's so hard to get into. They take about...." Jonesy began.
"Two a year, depending on the other staffing, and those two are hand picked from a specially selected group of officers from around the state." Jo told him.
"What sort of training did you have to do?" Jonesy asked.
"Abseiling, rock climbing, scuba recovery, heavy machinery, orienteering. Anything and everything basically." "How long were you with rescue?" Ben asked.
"A little over two years. It's physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Most people either stay in, or transfer out. When Mount Thomas was offered to me as an application, I guess I couldn't resist. It reminds me of where I lived when I was growing up. Like sanctuary." Jo stopped speaking and moved to replace some files in their cabinets. The others waited for her to continue, but she didn't speak.
"Why did you leave?" Ben asked.
"I got tired of kids, people my own age throwing themselves off buildings, even after we'd tried to talk them down. I felt sick to my stomach every time we had to retrieve the body of someone else who's been washed off dangerous rocks, or thrown themselves into the sea, or tried to. Mostly I got sick of cutting little kids out of cars because people just can't seem to drive properly." Jo snapped, not meaning too.
PJ rubbed his hand on her shoulder, and down her arm. "It's okay."
"No it's not. I watched one of my colleagues pull his two younger brothers out of a car wreck. One dead, one paralyzed for the rest of his life. I was at the big train wreck in Melbourne a few years ago. I helped carry out the fifteen children, little kids who were killed, and I consoled their parents. You have no idea the horrible things I've seen, that I saw in that job."
"That happens with every job, Jo." Jonesy tried. "It's okay."
"Have you ever been to a shooting?" Jo asked him.
"Yeah, there was that drug bust that went wrong a couple of months ago." Jonesy told her. "Remember, when you shot that guy."
"Not a shoot out, an actual shooting, when you turn up and there's dead people everywhere." She answered. "I remember being called out to a lock out. Simple enough. The woman who'd been locked out we found in the back yard belted to death with a brick." Uncertainly she sat down on one of the desks. "We went inside. Frog took the first floor, and I went up to the second. Three little kids. None of them older than about ten, and they were all dead. Just lying on the bed, dead. I called Frog upstairs, and as he stood on the landing with me there was a shot fired, and we found the guy, the kids father with his brains splattered over the back wall of the study." She looked up at them. "That doesn't happen on every job. It's one of the many reasons why I'm in this one."
Jo spoke no more about Rescue that afternoon.
****************
Later that night Jo dragged PJ and Ben down to the pub with her.
She smiled when she saw Mickey already sitting at a table with Georgia, Holly, and Evan.
"Hey Jo!" Mickey said to her, and wrapped her up in a bear hug.
"It's nice to be missed." Jo laughed.
"Yeah, well we have missed you." He chided her.
"Mickey, Georgia, my house-mates, PJ Hasham and Ben Stewart." Jo introduced them. "It seems you've already met Evan Jones."
"Nice to meet you." Mickey said to them, offering his hand, one arm still wrapped around Jo's shoulders. "Steve McClintock."
"Nice to meet you." PJ answered.
"You all ready to order?" Chris asked, coming over to them with a pen and pad of paper.
After they had eaten Jo carried Holly over to one of the windows, and chattered away to her pointing out things in the darkness. Fascinated by the way Jo acted with Holly, PJ found that he could barely take his eyes of the pair. "They look cute together don't they?" Georgia said, reading his mind.
"Yeah," PJ said, feeling a little guilty he'd been caught watching them. "They look so peaceful."
Georgia nodded. "It's about time I was in bed I think, Holly too." She yawned.
Jo carried baby Holly back over to them. "She's sleeping." Jo told Georgia as she passed the baby back to her mother.
"Well, then we should call it a night." Mickey said to his wife.
"We should get home too." PJ told Jo. "We both have an early start in the morning."
"I'm going to stay a bit longer okay." Ben told them. PJ nodded and passed him his car keys, he and Jo would take her car home.
"It was nice meeting all of you." Georgia told them.
"Likewise." Evan said, smiling.
"Good night." Jo said to them as she shrugged her jacket over her shoulders.
*************
Once they'd pulled into the driveway and gone inside, both curled up on the couch, tired, but not tired enough to go to bed.
"Holly's cute isn't she?" Jo said to him, leaning back against his chest.
"It looks like you might like to have a couple of those." PJ told her
"Are you offering to be their father." Jo asked him, half teasing.
"I might be. Are you about to tell me something?" He asked in return.
"Depends on whether or not you're ready to hear it." She answered, not giving him a straight answer.
"It that a yes?" He asked.
"Are you going to tell everyone else about us?"
"Do we really need to?" PJ asked her.
"You want me to do this by myself?" Jo sounded a little hurt.
"No, Jo. God no. I'll be with you all the way through." He reassured her. "I want to be there for you, and for any baby that we have."
"But I'd still be alone." Jo said, sounding him out.
"I'll be here for you all of the way through, all of the time, as long as you want me there. Everyone will just think we're good friends." PJ told her.
"But I don't want you to be my friend. I want to be with you. I want to be able to love you." Jo's bottom lip quivered.
"You'll be able to. We can still be together, we'll just be apart some of the time."
"Do you love me?" She asked, her voice small and uncertain.
PJ pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her "Do you even have to ask? You know I love you."
"Will you still love me when I'm really fat, and then afterwards, when our baby's born?"
A little surprised, PJ managed not to let the shock show on his face. "When our baby is born?"
"In seven months." Jo bit her lip again, looking up at him to see his reaction.
"I'll still love you, when you're pregnant, when you're in labor, when our baby is born. I'll love you when our next baby is born, and all of the time in between." PJ promised her.
Jo reached up to touch his cheek and stared deep into his eyes. "You aren't lying, I can see it in your eyes."
"I love you, so much. Before I loved you, and I didn't think I could love you anymore. How is it you keep bringing out the best in me?" He asked her.
"Because I love you, just as much as you love me. Maybe more." She told him, brushing her forefinger lightly over his bottom lip.
He leaned down and kissed her, savoring the warmth and taste of her mouth. Carefully, not breaking off their kiss, Jo twisted her body slightly and leaned backwards until her back met the couch, pulling PJ down with her.
When they broke off the kiss PJ gazed deep into her eyes. "I'm gonna be a dad." He told her, as though the thought had just occurred to him.
"Yeah you are." She told him, trembling slightly.
"Are you cold?" He asked, sitting back, and helping her up.
"Tired I think. It's been a really long day." Jo told him.
"You know that all of the decisions about this baby are yours to make, Jo." PJ told her. "I'll do whatever makes you happy."
She smiled at him. "Then come to bed. I don't feel like sleeping alone tonight."
A huge grin on his face, PJ scooped her up from the couch, and carried her in to bed.
****************
Over the next six or so weeks, they managed to keep their relationship a secret, even from Ben. Jo said nothing about the baby to anyone except PJ.
Finally on another Friday night, curled up in front of the TV watching a video, Jo stopped the tape, and turned the TV off.
"I'm going to have to tell people soon." She said to PJ. "I'm starting to show."
He smiled and ran his hands over her belly again, feeling the bump there. "It's pretty good isn't it."
"I don't know what to tell them." Jo told him. "What do I say when people asked about the father?"
"Tell them he's a nice guy, and he's going to be a part of this child's life. Tell them that you love him." PJ said to her.
"What about when they want to meet him?" She asked.
"Tell them to stuff it."
Jo glared at him, and waited for a proper answer.
"Say that he's not around as much as he'd like to be. I'll never be around as much as I'll want to be." He told her, his voice sincere.
"You are great you know." She told him, brushing her hand over his cheek.
"I think you're the great one." He told her. "You're a lot braver than I am."
She smiled and rested her head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating behind his ribs.
***********
"Hey Jo, what are you drinking?" Ben called from the bar.
"Orange juice please." She called back from the pool table. She turned away from him and lined up her shot, sinking one of her last balls.
"Since when have you been such a pool shark?" Jonesy asked her, stunned. She'd already beaten him in two games and she was about to take a third.
""Since always." Jo answered sweetly, turning as Ben offered the tray of drinks to her.
Instead of taking the tray, she removed her juice and took a sip. "Thanks Ben."
"What's with you lately?" Ben asked. "You only ever drink soft drink or juice now."
"Maybe she doesn't like the taste of alcohol." Tess defended her.
"Maybe I'm pregnant." Jo told him, looking up.
"You're joking." Jonesy said, sounding shocked.
"Well if I was, it worked, but I'm not." Jo told him.
"Not pregnant, or not joking?" Ben asked.
"Not joking." Jo told him, sitting down on one of the chairs.
Tess hugged her. "That's so great. When are you due?"
"Five and a half months." Jo answered her.
"How long have you known?" Ben asked, shocked that Jo hadn't said something sooner.
"About eight weeks."
"Congratulations." PJ told her, reaching over to hug her, she smiled at him and whispered in his ear, "Congratulations to you as well."
"So when do we get to meet this guy?" Ben asked. "We have to make sure he's good enough for you, right PJ?" He teased.
PJ smiled, playing along. "Yeah, I hope he's a nice guy Jo, or there's going to be trouble."
"Who is it?" Tess asked her.
"He's a nice guy. He already wants to be involved in our baby's life." Jo smiled at them, lost in thought for a moment. "I love him."
"That still doesn't answer the question." Jonesy told her.
"I can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't." She said to them.
"Are you okay about that?" Tess asked her, full of concern.
"We're both okay with it. It's something we both decided on, and we think it's best that way, for everyone." Jo told her.
"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters." Tess told her. "So when are you taking maternity leave?"
"Not for a while yet. Probably not until I end up in labor." Jo said.
"Isn't that really risky?" Evan asked.
"No, it's actually better if you stay active. It's supposed to be easier then."
"Do you lot want another round?" Chris asked them.
"Yeah." Evan told her. "But instead of everyone's usual, bring us a bottle of champagne and four glasses, and another orange juice."
"What are you celebrating?" Chris asked, wanting the gossip.
"Jo's pregnant." PJ told her.
Chris put down the tray and hugged her. "Congratulations. Jo that's great."
"Thank you." Jo told her.
"That means this round's on the house." Chris told them. She called for Nigel to bring their order.
"So who's the lucky guy?" Chris asked.
"They're not 'together, together'." Tess told her.
"Isn't it going to be hard for you on your own?" Chris asked, going straight to the practical questions.
"What do you mean, 'isn't it going to be hard for her on her own?'" PJ asked. "We'll all be around to help out. How many times other than this am I going to be Uncle PJ?"
Tess and Jo both laughed.
"Yeah," Ben jumped in, "And I'll be Uncle Ben."
"It's simple, we just clear out the 'junk room', which I haven't touched since I moved in, most of the stuff can go into the shed anyway." PJ said.
"Sound's like a plan then." Chris smiled at Jo.
"We can paint it and everything." Evan said, getting in on the 'doting uncle' act.
The others all laughed, as Nigel brought over their drinks.
Ben pulled the cork from the bottle and poured, five glasses of champagne, one for Chris as well. Together they toasted to Jo, and to the baby, and to doting uncles, and everything else they could think of.
**************
The next morning at work Jo was fairly quiet, as though she was deep in thought.
PJ touched her shoulder and sat down next to her. "What's going on?"
"I have to go to an ultrasound today." She told him.
He waited, expecting her to say something else. "That's okay isn't it." He said after a while.
"I'm scared to go on my own." She confessed.
"Do you want me to go with you?" He asked, still concerned.
"Would you do that?" She asked him, despite the fact that they had pre- arranged this.
"Yeah, I'll do that." He laughed and smiled at her.
************
As Jo got ready to leave the station, PJ told Tess that he'd drive Jo to her ultrasound and wait for her. He paused to look over his shoulder to see where Jo was.
She stood at the sink filling up one of her gazillion drink bottles again. "Come on Jo, I know that pregnant women are supposed to get cravings, but water?"
"I'm supposed to drink at least a liter, or so of water before the scan." She told him.
He blushed slightly. "Well, now I know why you're drinking so much."
"Go on." Tess told them. "Have fun, and bring back pictures."
**********
PJ waited with Jo in the waiting room until she was called in.
"Up on the table then." The doctor smiled at them both.
Jo sat up on the table and leaned back. "That's it," The doctor told her. "Is this your first child?" She asked.
"Oh, um, I'm just a friend." PJ told her, "You know, here for moral support."
"It's my first." Jo told the doctor.
"Well I'm Dr. Anderson, and I'll be your obstetrician." The doctor introduced herself.
"Joanna Parrish, this is PJ Hasham." Jo introduced them both.
"Okay, according to this, you're three and a half months pregnant." Dr. Anderson said.
Jo nodded. "That's right."
"Let's do the scan then." The doctor said.
She gestured for Jo pull her top up, exposing her belly. Then Dr. Anderson slipped on a pair of gloves and rubbed some gel over Jo's stomach.
Jo gasped. "It's cold."
"Sorry about that. We have to refrigerate it." She apologized.
"It's okay." Jo told her.
"Nervous?"
"I've never done this before." Jo confessed.
"It's nothing, just a checkup." Dr. Anderson reassured her, turning on the monitor and firing up the body of the machine.
Sitting next to her, PJ squeezed her hand to reassure her.
The doctor picked up a small device, and began to move it slowly over her belly. "Okay, Joanna, here we go. Watch the screen."
Both Jo and PJ stared up at the screen. "There's a foot, and a leg. That's an arm." Dr. Anderson kept a running commentary of what they were seeing. 'There we go, baby's first portrait."
"Is everything okay?" Jo asked, still a little worried.
"Everything seems to be in the right numbers, and in the right proportions. You have a very healthy baby." The doctor told her.
Jo breathed a visible sigh of relief.
She looked at PJ, "Would you like to listen to the baby's heartbeat?"
PJ looked at Jo, "Can I?"
She nodded, "Sure."
Dr. Anderson, slid the headphones over his head, and he paused, listening.
"That's amazing. It's just..." PJ sat there, looking at the monitor with awe.
The doctor shot her a sideways glance, "Do you want to know if it's a boy or girl?"
"Uhh, I don't know." Jo answered.
"Come on Jo, it'll make decorating easier, and you'll be able to pick a name." PJ tried to convince her.
"I'll leave it for now. I think it can just be a surprise." Jo told the doctor, "Maybe next time."
"That's fine." Dr. Anderson told her.
*****************
They were still bickering between themselves when they walked back into the station.
"I can't believe you didn't want to know." PJ told her.
"Sometimes it's nicer to get a surprise at the end, rather than in the middle." She reminded him.
"How'd it go?" Ben asked.
"She didn't want to know if it was a boy or a girl." PJ told him.
"Did you get pictures?" Tess asked.
Jo nodded, "Baby's first portrait." She held the photo out to Tess.
"That's so cute." Tess looked over at Jo, "Were you scared?"
Guiltily Jo nodded. "I was afraid it would hurt."
"Even I could have told you it doesn't." Ben told her. "If you get worried, ask. It's never that bad."
"Does labor hurt?" She asked.
Ben looked at her speechless. "Umm, I think so."
Jo laughed at the expression on his face.
"My ex-wife looked like she was in a lot of pain." Ben said, looking defeated.
"Lucky me then." Jo said to him. Then she stopped, and put her hand on her stomach.
"Are you all right?" PJ asked, alarmed.
"Yeah." Jo nodded, a huge smile on her face. "It's kicking. Feel." She told them.
PJ and Tess both pressed their hands to her stomach. "That's amazing. Evan, come feel this." Tess told him, moving her hand so that Evan could feel.
"I bet baby's dad will be disappointed to miss this." Ben said.
"I think he's okay with it." Jo told him. "We both made decisions, this is one of the down-sides of his."
"What's going on?" Tom asked, coming out of his office. "Oh, Jo, how did your scan go?" He asked kindly.
"It was really good. Baby's kicking now. Do you want to feel?" Jo asked him. "Everyone else has."
He nodded and placed his hand on her belly, smiling as he felt the baby kick. "I remember when Nell was pregnant with the girls." He said reminiscently.
**********
Many months on Jo stomach was so big she'd given up going on calls, and simply pottered about the station, taking care of paperwork, and filing forms. As she walked over to the filing cabinet with another pile of forms that needed to be sorted she felt a tightness in her stomach. The feeling passed quickly and she paid it no mind, passing it off as a muscle cramp.
Later, when she was talking to Ben about some paperwork of his that she couldn't find, the tightness came again, this time stronger, and painful. As it came she dropped her hand to her lower belly, rubbing slowly over the pain spot as she listened to Ben's explanation.
"Is the baby acting up again?" He asked as her watched her rub her stomach.
"Something like that." She replied. "Now help me find that report, or you'll have to do it again."
He shook his head he cleared off his desk top, looking through the loose papers for the report they needed. Smiling, as he pulled it out of his desk drawer he held it up. "Jo, I found it."
She was facing away from him, one hand on her desk, as though supporting herself. She said nothing.
"Jo?" He asked again. "Are you all right?" He walked up beside her, still holding the report. Her face was pale, and her knuckles were white, gripping the edge of the desk tightly. "Jo, talk to me would you, you're frightening me." He tried again.
As he spoke the others came in, just back from a call out. At once they stopped talking and just stood there. Jo took a deep breath, relaxing her grip on the table. "I'm either in labour, or there's something wrong." She told them, her voice tinged with fear.
"But you've still got eight weeks to go." PJ told her.
"It's okay." Ben reassured her. "All we do is drive you down to the hospital, and get you checked out."
Taking another deep breath she nodded. "Let's go then." Unsteadily she began to walked towards the front exit, with Ben close behind.
"Call us from the hospital." Tess told Ben as he picked up a set of car keys, and his police hat.
As he went to catch up with Jo, who was waiting for him by the front door, two men came barrelling in, shouting at each other at the tops of their lungs, knocking Jo over. She made no sound as she hit the floor.
At once PJ and Ben were kneeling over her. "Jo, are you okay?"
"I think, if wasn't in labour before I most definitely am now." She told them, her voice strained.
"It's okay." Ben reassured her. He wrapped her arms around his neck, and picked her up.
"I'll meet you at the hospital as soon as we're done here." PJ promised them.
Jo nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying out again.
***********
At the hospital Ben used the receptionist's phone to call the station. Tess picked up on the first ring. "Mount Thomas -." She began before Ben cut her off.
"Tess I need you to put me through to PJ, now."
"Ben he's busy, he's questioning someone." She told him.
"Can you hear that it the back ground?" He asked her, referring to the agonised screams from down the corridor. "That's Jo, she's in labour and I am not telling her that PJ can't come." Ben told her.
"Jo's in labour? Like the real thing?" Tess asked.
"Very much so." Ben told her, "My hands are feeling it."
"Why is she asking for PJ?" Tess asked blankly.
"She asking for him because he went to birthing class with her." Ben told her. "Could you please get him."
"Just hold on a minute." She told him.
************
Tess knocked softly on the door and walked in, gesturing PJ over to speak with her.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Ben called, Jo's in labour. She's asking for you." Tess told him quietly.
"I'll just finish up here, and then go." He told her.
Within five minutes PJ was out of the interview room, with Tess trailing behind.
**************
At the hospital Ben sat by Jo's side, holding her hand and talking to her. "You're doing fine. Tess said PJ should be here really soon. Just take it easy."
"No one told me it would hurt this much." She whimpered, her exposed skin glistening with sweat.
"Remember to squeeze my hand when the next contraction comes okay?" He told her.
Jo nodded, then winced in anticipation of the next contraction, squeezing Ben's hand in hers as it came. The contraction was the strongest one she'd had yet, and she squeezed as hard as she could, lost in the in pain which consumed her mind, blocking out everything else.
When she opened her eyes, and released Ben's hand he yelped and shook it out, crying out in pain.
At once a nurse entered the room and examined it. "It looks like it's broken." She told them in her thick Irish accent. "I'll take you down to X- ray."
*************
When PJ and Tess got there Jo was sitting crying, all alone.
At once PJ sat down next to her and picked up her hand. "Shhh, it's okay. Just calm down, remember deep breaths." He reassured her.
"Where's Ben?" Tess asked her, surprised he wasn't sitting with her.
"The nurse took him down to X-ray. She thinks I broke his hand." Jo whimpered. "I didn't mean it."
"I'll go look after Ben." Tess told them. "PJ are you all right here?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine. Go find Ben." He answered.
************
Once Tess had left Jo's doctor, Dr. Anderson appeared. "How are you feeling Jo?"
"You have no idea how much this hurts." She answered, her voice strained.
"It shouldn't be too long now." The doctor reassured her.
"Will the baby be okay though?" Jo asked. "It's so early."
"The baby will be just fine. Wait and see." PJ told her.
************
By the time Tess and Ben had come back from X-ray, and having Ben's hand plastered Jo was in the delivery room.
All the time PJ held her hand, calming her, reassuring her, and keeping her focused on the impending birth of their first child.
"I can't do it." She moaned. "I can't push anymore."
"Sure you can." PJ told her. "You're doing great."
She glared at him. "If I push once more I'm gonna push myself inside out."
"Okay Joanna." Dr. Anderson began, "Here comes another one, push."
There was a pause, then the doctor said. "Baby is crowning. I can see the head."
Only a few minutes later the sound of baby cries filled the room.
Exhausted Jo leaned back against the pillows and squeezed PJ's hand gently.
"No problems here. Congratulations mum. You have a beautiful baby girl." Dr. Anderson laid the infant in Jo's arms.
She stared down in wonder at the tiny baby. "Oh God, she's so beautiful."
"She's going to look just like you." PJ told her, staring down at the baby.
"Any thoughts on what you're going to name her?" Dr. Anderson asked.
Jo shook her head silently, still taking in the sight of her new-born daughter.
"I'll leave you to it then. Well done." The doctor said.
"Thank you." Jo looked up at her. "For everything, thank you."
Dr. Anderson just smiled as she left the room.
************
With gentle fingers Jo touched the baby's small face. "What are we going to call her?"
"Anything you like." PJ answered. "Except you know, something silly."
Jo smiled, "Are there any names you like?"
"I like Brianna. That's the name that sticks with me." He confessed.
She nodded, thinking it over. "It sounds pretty. Brianna. Now all we need are a couple of middle names. What about Elsa?"
"Elsa?"
"You don't like Brianna Elsa?" Jo asked.
"It needs something else. I don't know it just doesn't flow right." PJ shook his head in frustration.
"Your mother's middle name was Rose wasn't it?" She asked, considering how it would sound.
"Brianna Elsa Rose." He smiled. "I like that. Do you like that, beautiful?" PJ asked the baby, his and Jo's new daughter Brianna.
Almost on cue the baby began to wail. As Brianna cried a nurse came in, "You've got visitors already. There's a couple of people waiting outside."
"Do you want me to go and see who it is?" PJ asked her.
"Let them wait, come help give Brianna her first bath." Jo smiled at him.
"They can wait." He agreed, looking thrilled that he was being included.
**************
Soon after, when Jo and baby Brianna were both clean and dressed, PJ disappeared, and returned with Tess and Ben, who had been waiting for some news.
What did you have?" Ben asked. "PJ wouldn't tell us."
"A little girl. Her name is Brianna." She told him.
"Little is right." Ben agreed looking at her.
"She is eight weeks premature, remember." PJ told him.
"How are you feeling?" Tess asked.
"Not too bad. How are you Ben?" Jo asked.
"Two bones. You don't do things by halves do you?" Ben teased her.
"Just remember, you reminded me to squeeze your hand." She defended herself.
"It's okay." He laughed. "At least I can prove I did my bit."
Jo just shook her head at him, then turned to PJ, "Hold her?"
"With pleasure." He carefully manoevered the baby into his arms. "Hey gorgeous."
"How come he gets to hold her first?" Ben asked indignantly.
"Benny I've already held her." PJ laughed. "I helped give her a bath."
"That's so sweet." Tess said aloud.
"You know what else is sweet?" A voice asked from the door way. "Being told that your friend has had a baby."
"Jonesy don't be like that." Jo said to him. "It's been very busy here, we just forgot to call."
"And how is our new mother and baby?" Tom asked.
"So tired it's not funny, but we're both good, and if you can wrest her away from PJ you'll be able to meet Brianna." Jo smiled at him.
"So she's all right?" Tom asked again.
"Are you kidding?" PJ asked, carrying Brianna over so that they could see her. "She's got a really good set of lungs."
"She's so... she looks like Jo." Jonesy said, taking a good long look at her.
"It's nice to know they haven't switched my daughter on me then isn't it?"
"You know what I mean." Jonesy told her.
"What happened to you Ben?" Tom asked, seeing the cast on his arm.
Ben held it up. "It's a very interesting story, and short version is Jo happened."
Jo sat there trying not to laugh. "I broke his hand."
"You didn't." Jonesy shook his head.
"Oh I did. I still feel really bad about it." She confessed.
Brianna began to cry. "I've got this 'uncle thing' down." PJ told them. "When she cries she goes back to her mum."
Everyone laughed as he passed Brianna back to Jo. At once Brianna quieted and lay cooing in her mother's arms.
"Okay, now how did you just do that?" Jonesy asked.
"I'm multi-talented." She said sarcastically.
"You couldn't have been in labour very long." Tess said.
"Oh it was plenty long enough. Believe me. If you ever have kids, and they offer you drugs when you're in labour, take the drugs."
"Did you?" Tess asked.
"No." Jo answered. "But I wish I did."
Everyone laughed.
****************
Several weeks later Jo, with baby Brianna in her infant carrier, strapped to PJ's chest, walked around the Mount Thomas market.
"Hi." Chris called to them.
"How's things?" Jo asked, gesturing to the raffle ticket book in Chris's hand.
"Good, we've already raised a lot of money for the new playground equipment."
"Playground equipment?" PJ asked, playing with Brianna's hands.
"I'll take a couple of tickets." Jo told her, taking some money for her wallet.
"Thanks." Chris said, while Jo wrote her details on several of the ticket stubs. "Isn't she a little cutie?" Brianna giggled as Chris reached out to tickle her toes.
"We certainly think so." PJ told her, bouncing so that Brianna laughed again.
"So how are you finding breastfeeding and late nights?" Chris asked.
"That's our exit cue isn't it baby, yes it is." PJ baby talked to Brianna walking away.
"That's a sight I thought I'd never see." Chris smiled.
"He's great with her." Jo agreed.
"You know, at the Imperial, people have been talking. I don't want to upset you, but they're saying that PJ's a little more than just your friend." Chris said quietly. "It's just people talking though, I wouldn't pay it any mind."
"What other things have they been saying?" Jo asked her, seemingly unfazed at the though that half the town was talking about her.
"Some people have been spectulating on Brianna's father as well."
"He and I are still... very much in love, and very much together. He's never far from our side." Jo told the older woman.
"And PJ's okay with that?"
"He couldn't be happier." She answered.
"So then, are you telling me that PJ is..."
Jo nodded. "It's hard for us, I'm still deciding whether or not I'll go back to work, and in the beginning we were afraid that one of us would be transferred."
"But that wouldn't happen now would it?" Chris asked.
"I'm due to go back to work next week, for a meeting with the Boss, then work. I'm going to talk to him then."
"I can't get over this," Chris shook her head, watching PJ 'showing' Brianna the ponies. "PJ as a father."
"He's pretty good at it. Shocked me too." Jo smiled at them both. "He loves her so much. She's the only real family she has."
"That must make it hard on you, though." Chris shot her a sideways look, but instead of seeing someone who was trapped in her circumstances, all she could see was a young woman glowing with health, radiating life, energy and love.
Chris kept watching them as Jo walked over to them, smiling as PJ wrapped one of his arms around her, the other protectively around his daughter. Watching them walk away she realised that they represented an image of love and family that she hadn't seen in years.
Evan smiled at the woman. "I'll see if I can find her for you. Take a seat if you like." He gestured to the chairs, and then left her.
He tapped on the door of PJ's office before entering.
Jo stood in front of the desk, her hands resting on the desk, and looking at him. PJ sat in his chair, arms behind his head, looking more like he was relaxing at home than being at work and in the middle of an enquiry.
"Help you, Constable Jones?" PJ asked, laying his hands flat on the desk.
"Someone to see you Jo." He told her.
Jo looked at PJ a second. At her look he stretched his arms out behind him. "Go on then. This can wait."
A smile on her face, shaking her head at something Evan didn't quite understand Jo left PJ's office, Evan close behind her.
Seeing the woman standing there, Jo pushed her way through the barricade and hugged her friend, careful not to harm the baby in the woman's arms.
PJ, curious about the visitor stood in the door way of his office, leaning against the frame.
Noticing that the stares of the others were on her, Jo turned to them and introduced the woman. "Everyone, this is Georgia, and my god-daughter Holly."
Georgia offered baby Holly to Jo, and smiled to see the infant in her arms.
"So what are you doing in Mount Thomas?" Jo asked, once she'd studied the baby's features and cooed to her how beautiful she was.
"Mickey's over in St. Davids speaking at a meeting. I thought you might like to see Holly so we came along for the ride." Georgia told her.
"That's so nice. It's nice to finally see Holly." Jo told her.
"Come and meet Mickey and I for dinner if you're not busy. We're staying in Mount Thomas for the night, at the Imperial in town." Georgia said to her. "Everyone else is welcome to join us, too."
"That sounds great." Jo answered. "I'll be there. Tell Mickey I said hi, would you?"
"Will do." Georgia took Holly from Jo's arms. "We'll see you at about 7- ish?"
"Sound's good. Seven at the Imperial." Jo repeated.
"Have a good day all right?" Georgia told her. "It was nice meeting everyone."
"Bye Georgia." Jo called after her.
"How do you know her?" Ben asked. "I could swear I've seen her before."
"She's a cop. We used to work together, her husband Mickey's a cop too. We were all in the same squad." Jo said, straightening a few papers on her desk.
"What squad was that?" PJ asked, eager for a glimpse into her past, which she rarely talked about.
"Rescue." Jo didn't even look up from her tidy up.
"You were in the Police Rescue Unit?" Jonesy asked, incredulously.
She looked at him and nodded, then shrugged her shoulders.
"It's so hard to get into. They take about...." Jonesy began.
"Two a year, depending on the other staffing, and those two are hand picked from a specially selected group of officers from around the state." Jo told him.
"What sort of training did you have to do?" Jonesy asked.
"Abseiling, rock climbing, scuba recovery, heavy machinery, orienteering. Anything and everything basically." "How long were you with rescue?" Ben asked.
"A little over two years. It's physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Most people either stay in, or transfer out. When Mount Thomas was offered to me as an application, I guess I couldn't resist. It reminds me of where I lived when I was growing up. Like sanctuary." Jo stopped speaking and moved to replace some files in their cabinets. The others waited for her to continue, but she didn't speak.
"Why did you leave?" Ben asked.
"I got tired of kids, people my own age throwing themselves off buildings, even after we'd tried to talk them down. I felt sick to my stomach every time we had to retrieve the body of someone else who's been washed off dangerous rocks, or thrown themselves into the sea, or tried to. Mostly I got sick of cutting little kids out of cars because people just can't seem to drive properly." Jo snapped, not meaning too.
PJ rubbed his hand on her shoulder, and down her arm. "It's okay."
"No it's not. I watched one of my colleagues pull his two younger brothers out of a car wreck. One dead, one paralyzed for the rest of his life. I was at the big train wreck in Melbourne a few years ago. I helped carry out the fifteen children, little kids who were killed, and I consoled their parents. You have no idea the horrible things I've seen, that I saw in that job."
"That happens with every job, Jo." Jonesy tried. "It's okay."
"Have you ever been to a shooting?" Jo asked him.
"Yeah, there was that drug bust that went wrong a couple of months ago." Jonesy told her. "Remember, when you shot that guy."
"Not a shoot out, an actual shooting, when you turn up and there's dead people everywhere." She answered. "I remember being called out to a lock out. Simple enough. The woman who'd been locked out we found in the back yard belted to death with a brick." Uncertainly she sat down on one of the desks. "We went inside. Frog took the first floor, and I went up to the second. Three little kids. None of them older than about ten, and they were all dead. Just lying on the bed, dead. I called Frog upstairs, and as he stood on the landing with me there was a shot fired, and we found the guy, the kids father with his brains splattered over the back wall of the study." She looked up at them. "That doesn't happen on every job. It's one of the many reasons why I'm in this one."
Jo spoke no more about Rescue that afternoon.
****************
Later that night Jo dragged PJ and Ben down to the pub with her.
She smiled when she saw Mickey already sitting at a table with Georgia, Holly, and Evan.
"Hey Jo!" Mickey said to her, and wrapped her up in a bear hug.
"It's nice to be missed." Jo laughed.
"Yeah, well we have missed you." He chided her.
"Mickey, Georgia, my house-mates, PJ Hasham and Ben Stewart." Jo introduced them. "It seems you've already met Evan Jones."
"Nice to meet you." Mickey said to them, offering his hand, one arm still wrapped around Jo's shoulders. "Steve McClintock."
"Nice to meet you." PJ answered.
"You all ready to order?" Chris asked, coming over to them with a pen and pad of paper.
After they had eaten Jo carried Holly over to one of the windows, and chattered away to her pointing out things in the darkness. Fascinated by the way Jo acted with Holly, PJ found that he could barely take his eyes of the pair. "They look cute together don't they?" Georgia said, reading his mind.
"Yeah," PJ said, feeling a little guilty he'd been caught watching them. "They look so peaceful."
Georgia nodded. "It's about time I was in bed I think, Holly too." She yawned.
Jo carried baby Holly back over to them. "She's sleeping." Jo told Georgia as she passed the baby back to her mother.
"Well, then we should call it a night." Mickey said to his wife.
"We should get home too." PJ told Jo. "We both have an early start in the morning."
"I'm going to stay a bit longer okay." Ben told them. PJ nodded and passed him his car keys, he and Jo would take her car home.
"It was nice meeting all of you." Georgia told them.
"Likewise." Evan said, smiling.
"Good night." Jo said to them as she shrugged her jacket over her shoulders.
*************
Once they'd pulled into the driveway and gone inside, both curled up on the couch, tired, but not tired enough to go to bed.
"Holly's cute isn't she?" Jo said to him, leaning back against his chest.
"It looks like you might like to have a couple of those." PJ told her
"Are you offering to be their father." Jo asked him, half teasing.
"I might be. Are you about to tell me something?" He asked in return.
"Depends on whether or not you're ready to hear it." She answered, not giving him a straight answer.
"It that a yes?" He asked.
"Are you going to tell everyone else about us?"
"Do we really need to?" PJ asked her.
"You want me to do this by myself?" Jo sounded a little hurt.
"No, Jo. God no. I'll be with you all the way through." He reassured her. "I want to be there for you, and for any baby that we have."
"But I'd still be alone." Jo said, sounding him out.
"I'll be here for you all of the way through, all of the time, as long as you want me there. Everyone will just think we're good friends." PJ told her.
"But I don't want you to be my friend. I want to be with you. I want to be able to love you." Jo's bottom lip quivered.
"You'll be able to. We can still be together, we'll just be apart some of the time."
"Do you love me?" She asked, her voice small and uncertain.
PJ pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her "Do you even have to ask? You know I love you."
"Will you still love me when I'm really fat, and then afterwards, when our baby's born?"
A little surprised, PJ managed not to let the shock show on his face. "When our baby is born?"
"In seven months." Jo bit her lip again, looking up at him to see his reaction.
"I'll still love you, when you're pregnant, when you're in labor, when our baby is born. I'll love you when our next baby is born, and all of the time in between." PJ promised her.
Jo reached up to touch his cheek and stared deep into his eyes. "You aren't lying, I can see it in your eyes."
"I love you, so much. Before I loved you, and I didn't think I could love you anymore. How is it you keep bringing out the best in me?" He asked her.
"Because I love you, just as much as you love me. Maybe more." She told him, brushing her forefinger lightly over his bottom lip.
He leaned down and kissed her, savoring the warmth and taste of her mouth. Carefully, not breaking off their kiss, Jo twisted her body slightly and leaned backwards until her back met the couch, pulling PJ down with her.
When they broke off the kiss PJ gazed deep into her eyes. "I'm gonna be a dad." He told her, as though the thought had just occurred to him.
"Yeah you are." She told him, trembling slightly.
"Are you cold?" He asked, sitting back, and helping her up.
"Tired I think. It's been a really long day." Jo told him.
"You know that all of the decisions about this baby are yours to make, Jo." PJ told her. "I'll do whatever makes you happy."
She smiled at him. "Then come to bed. I don't feel like sleeping alone tonight."
A huge grin on his face, PJ scooped her up from the couch, and carried her in to bed.
****************
Over the next six or so weeks, they managed to keep their relationship a secret, even from Ben. Jo said nothing about the baby to anyone except PJ.
Finally on another Friday night, curled up in front of the TV watching a video, Jo stopped the tape, and turned the TV off.
"I'm going to have to tell people soon." She said to PJ. "I'm starting to show."
He smiled and ran his hands over her belly again, feeling the bump there. "It's pretty good isn't it."
"I don't know what to tell them." Jo told him. "What do I say when people asked about the father?"
"Tell them he's a nice guy, and he's going to be a part of this child's life. Tell them that you love him." PJ said to her.
"What about when they want to meet him?" She asked.
"Tell them to stuff it."
Jo glared at him, and waited for a proper answer.
"Say that he's not around as much as he'd like to be. I'll never be around as much as I'll want to be." He told her, his voice sincere.
"You are great you know." She told him, brushing her hand over his cheek.
"I think you're the great one." He told her. "You're a lot braver than I am."
She smiled and rested her head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating behind his ribs.
***********
"Hey Jo, what are you drinking?" Ben called from the bar.
"Orange juice please." She called back from the pool table. She turned away from him and lined up her shot, sinking one of her last balls.
"Since when have you been such a pool shark?" Jonesy asked her, stunned. She'd already beaten him in two games and she was about to take a third.
""Since always." Jo answered sweetly, turning as Ben offered the tray of drinks to her.
Instead of taking the tray, she removed her juice and took a sip. "Thanks Ben."
"What's with you lately?" Ben asked. "You only ever drink soft drink or juice now."
"Maybe she doesn't like the taste of alcohol." Tess defended her.
"Maybe I'm pregnant." Jo told him, looking up.
"You're joking." Jonesy said, sounding shocked.
"Well if I was, it worked, but I'm not." Jo told him.
"Not pregnant, or not joking?" Ben asked.
"Not joking." Jo told him, sitting down on one of the chairs.
Tess hugged her. "That's so great. When are you due?"
"Five and a half months." Jo answered her.
"How long have you known?" Ben asked, shocked that Jo hadn't said something sooner.
"About eight weeks."
"Congratulations." PJ told her, reaching over to hug her, she smiled at him and whispered in his ear, "Congratulations to you as well."
"So when do we get to meet this guy?" Ben asked. "We have to make sure he's good enough for you, right PJ?" He teased.
PJ smiled, playing along. "Yeah, I hope he's a nice guy Jo, or there's going to be trouble."
"Who is it?" Tess asked her.
"He's a nice guy. He already wants to be involved in our baby's life." Jo smiled at them, lost in thought for a moment. "I love him."
"That still doesn't answer the question." Jonesy told her.
"I can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't." She said to them.
"Are you okay about that?" Tess asked her, full of concern.
"We're both okay with it. It's something we both decided on, and we think it's best that way, for everyone." Jo told her.
"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters." Tess told her. "So when are you taking maternity leave?"
"Not for a while yet. Probably not until I end up in labor." Jo said.
"Isn't that really risky?" Evan asked.
"No, it's actually better if you stay active. It's supposed to be easier then."
"Do you lot want another round?" Chris asked them.
"Yeah." Evan told her. "But instead of everyone's usual, bring us a bottle of champagne and four glasses, and another orange juice."
"What are you celebrating?" Chris asked, wanting the gossip.
"Jo's pregnant." PJ told her.
Chris put down the tray and hugged her. "Congratulations. Jo that's great."
"Thank you." Jo told her.
"That means this round's on the house." Chris told them. She called for Nigel to bring their order.
"So who's the lucky guy?" Chris asked.
"They're not 'together, together'." Tess told her.
"Isn't it going to be hard for you on your own?" Chris asked, going straight to the practical questions.
"What do you mean, 'isn't it going to be hard for her on her own?'" PJ asked. "We'll all be around to help out. How many times other than this am I going to be Uncle PJ?"
Tess and Jo both laughed.
"Yeah," Ben jumped in, "And I'll be Uncle Ben."
"It's simple, we just clear out the 'junk room', which I haven't touched since I moved in, most of the stuff can go into the shed anyway." PJ said.
"Sound's like a plan then." Chris smiled at Jo.
"We can paint it and everything." Evan said, getting in on the 'doting uncle' act.
The others all laughed, as Nigel brought over their drinks.
Ben pulled the cork from the bottle and poured, five glasses of champagne, one for Chris as well. Together they toasted to Jo, and to the baby, and to doting uncles, and everything else they could think of.
**************
The next morning at work Jo was fairly quiet, as though she was deep in thought.
PJ touched her shoulder and sat down next to her. "What's going on?"
"I have to go to an ultrasound today." She told him.
He waited, expecting her to say something else. "That's okay isn't it." He said after a while.
"I'm scared to go on my own." She confessed.
"Do you want me to go with you?" He asked, still concerned.
"Would you do that?" She asked him, despite the fact that they had pre- arranged this.
"Yeah, I'll do that." He laughed and smiled at her.
************
As Jo got ready to leave the station, PJ told Tess that he'd drive Jo to her ultrasound and wait for her. He paused to look over his shoulder to see where Jo was.
She stood at the sink filling up one of her gazillion drink bottles again. "Come on Jo, I know that pregnant women are supposed to get cravings, but water?"
"I'm supposed to drink at least a liter, or so of water before the scan." She told him.
He blushed slightly. "Well, now I know why you're drinking so much."
"Go on." Tess told them. "Have fun, and bring back pictures."
**********
PJ waited with Jo in the waiting room until she was called in.
"Up on the table then." The doctor smiled at them both.
Jo sat up on the table and leaned back. "That's it," The doctor told her. "Is this your first child?" She asked.
"Oh, um, I'm just a friend." PJ told her, "You know, here for moral support."
"It's my first." Jo told the doctor.
"Well I'm Dr. Anderson, and I'll be your obstetrician." The doctor introduced herself.
"Joanna Parrish, this is PJ Hasham." Jo introduced them both.
"Okay, according to this, you're three and a half months pregnant." Dr. Anderson said.
Jo nodded. "That's right."
"Let's do the scan then." The doctor said.
She gestured for Jo pull her top up, exposing her belly. Then Dr. Anderson slipped on a pair of gloves and rubbed some gel over Jo's stomach.
Jo gasped. "It's cold."
"Sorry about that. We have to refrigerate it." She apologized.
"It's okay." Jo told her.
"Nervous?"
"I've never done this before." Jo confessed.
"It's nothing, just a checkup." Dr. Anderson reassured her, turning on the monitor and firing up the body of the machine.
Sitting next to her, PJ squeezed her hand to reassure her.
The doctor picked up a small device, and began to move it slowly over her belly. "Okay, Joanna, here we go. Watch the screen."
Both Jo and PJ stared up at the screen. "There's a foot, and a leg. That's an arm." Dr. Anderson kept a running commentary of what they were seeing. 'There we go, baby's first portrait."
"Is everything okay?" Jo asked, still a little worried.
"Everything seems to be in the right numbers, and in the right proportions. You have a very healthy baby." The doctor told her.
Jo breathed a visible sigh of relief.
She looked at PJ, "Would you like to listen to the baby's heartbeat?"
PJ looked at Jo, "Can I?"
She nodded, "Sure."
Dr. Anderson, slid the headphones over his head, and he paused, listening.
"That's amazing. It's just..." PJ sat there, looking at the monitor with awe.
The doctor shot her a sideways glance, "Do you want to know if it's a boy or girl?"
"Uhh, I don't know." Jo answered.
"Come on Jo, it'll make decorating easier, and you'll be able to pick a name." PJ tried to convince her.
"I'll leave it for now. I think it can just be a surprise." Jo told the doctor, "Maybe next time."
"That's fine." Dr. Anderson told her.
*****************
They were still bickering between themselves when they walked back into the station.
"I can't believe you didn't want to know." PJ told her.
"Sometimes it's nicer to get a surprise at the end, rather than in the middle." She reminded him.
"How'd it go?" Ben asked.
"She didn't want to know if it was a boy or a girl." PJ told him.
"Did you get pictures?" Tess asked.
Jo nodded, "Baby's first portrait." She held the photo out to Tess.
"That's so cute." Tess looked over at Jo, "Were you scared?"
Guiltily Jo nodded. "I was afraid it would hurt."
"Even I could have told you it doesn't." Ben told her. "If you get worried, ask. It's never that bad."
"Does labor hurt?" She asked.
Ben looked at her speechless. "Umm, I think so."
Jo laughed at the expression on his face.
"My ex-wife looked like she was in a lot of pain." Ben said, looking defeated.
"Lucky me then." Jo said to him. Then she stopped, and put her hand on her stomach.
"Are you all right?" PJ asked, alarmed.
"Yeah." Jo nodded, a huge smile on her face. "It's kicking. Feel." She told them.
PJ and Tess both pressed their hands to her stomach. "That's amazing. Evan, come feel this." Tess told him, moving her hand so that Evan could feel.
"I bet baby's dad will be disappointed to miss this." Ben said.
"I think he's okay with it." Jo told him. "We both made decisions, this is one of the down-sides of his."
"What's going on?" Tom asked, coming out of his office. "Oh, Jo, how did your scan go?" He asked kindly.
"It was really good. Baby's kicking now. Do you want to feel?" Jo asked him. "Everyone else has."
He nodded and placed his hand on her belly, smiling as he felt the baby kick. "I remember when Nell was pregnant with the girls." He said reminiscently.
**********
Many months on Jo stomach was so big she'd given up going on calls, and simply pottered about the station, taking care of paperwork, and filing forms. As she walked over to the filing cabinet with another pile of forms that needed to be sorted she felt a tightness in her stomach. The feeling passed quickly and she paid it no mind, passing it off as a muscle cramp.
Later, when she was talking to Ben about some paperwork of his that she couldn't find, the tightness came again, this time stronger, and painful. As it came she dropped her hand to her lower belly, rubbing slowly over the pain spot as she listened to Ben's explanation.
"Is the baby acting up again?" He asked as her watched her rub her stomach.
"Something like that." She replied. "Now help me find that report, or you'll have to do it again."
He shook his head he cleared off his desk top, looking through the loose papers for the report they needed. Smiling, as he pulled it out of his desk drawer he held it up. "Jo, I found it."
She was facing away from him, one hand on her desk, as though supporting herself. She said nothing.
"Jo?" He asked again. "Are you all right?" He walked up beside her, still holding the report. Her face was pale, and her knuckles were white, gripping the edge of the desk tightly. "Jo, talk to me would you, you're frightening me." He tried again.
As he spoke the others came in, just back from a call out. At once they stopped talking and just stood there. Jo took a deep breath, relaxing her grip on the table. "I'm either in labour, or there's something wrong." She told them, her voice tinged with fear.
"But you've still got eight weeks to go." PJ told her.
"It's okay." Ben reassured her. "All we do is drive you down to the hospital, and get you checked out."
Taking another deep breath she nodded. "Let's go then." Unsteadily she began to walked towards the front exit, with Ben close behind.
"Call us from the hospital." Tess told Ben as he picked up a set of car keys, and his police hat.
As he went to catch up with Jo, who was waiting for him by the front door, two men came barrelling in, shouting at each other at the tops of their lungs, knocking Jo over. She made no sound as she hit the floor.
At once PJ and Ben were kneeling over her. "Jo, are you okay?"
"I think, if wasn't in labour before I most definitely am now." She told them, her voice strained.
"It's okay." Ben reassured her. He wrapped her arms around his neck, and picked her up.
"I'll meet you at the hospital as soon as we're done here." PJ promised them.
Jo nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying out again.
***********
At the hospital Ben used the receptionist's phone to call the station. Tess picked up on the first ring. "Mount Thomas -." She began before Ben cut her off.
"Tess I need you to put me through to PJ, now."
"Ben he's busy, he's questioning someone." She told him.
"Can you hear that it the back ground?" He asked her, referring to the agonised screams from down the corridor. "That's Jo, she's in labour and I am not telling her that PJ can't come." Ben told her.
"Jo's in labour? Like the real thing?" Tess asked.
"Very much so." Ben told her, "My hands are feeling it."
"Why is she asking for PJ?" Tess asked blankly.
"She asking for him because he went to birthing class with her." Ben told her. "Could you please get him."
"Just hold on a minute." She told him.
************
Tess knocked softly on the door and walked in, gesturing PJ over to speak with her.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Ben called, Jo's in labour. She's asking for you." Tess told him quietly.
"I'll just finish up here, and then go." He told her.
Within five minutes PJ was out of the interview room, with Tess trailing behind.
**************
At the hospital Ben sat by Jo's side, holding her hand and talking to her. "You're doing fine. Tess said PJ should be here really soon. Just take it easy."
"No one told me it would hurt this much." She whimpered, her exposed skin glistening with sweat.
"Remember to squeeze my hand when the next contraction comes okay?" He told her.
Jo nodded, then winced in anticipation of the next contraction, squeezing Ben's hand in hers as it came. The contraction was the strongest one she'd had yet, and she squeezed as hard as she could, lost in the in pain which consumed her mind, blocking out everything else.
When she opened her eyes, and released Ben's hand he yelped and shook it out, crying out in pain.
At once a nurse entered the room and examined it. "It looks like it's broken." She told them in her thick Irish accent. "I'll take you down to X- ray."
*************
When PJ and Tess got there Jo was sitting crying, all alone.
At once PJ sat down next to her and picked up her hand. "Shhh, it's okay. Just calm down, remember deep breaths." He reassured her.
"Where's Ben?" Tess asked her, surprised he wasn't sitting with her.
"The nurse took him down to X-ray. She thinks I broke his hand." Jo whimpered. "I didn't mean it."
"I'll go look after Ben." Tess told them. "PJ are you all right here?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine. Go find Ben." He answered.
************
Once Tess had left Jo's doctor, Dr. Anderson appeared. "How are you feeling Jo?"
"You have no idea how much this hurts." She answered, her voice strained.
"It shouldn't be too long now." The doctor reassured her.
"Will the baby be okay though?" Jo asked. "It's so early."
"The baby will be just fine. Wait and see." PJ told her.
************
By the time Tess and Ben had come back from X-ray, and having Ben's hand plastered Jo was in the delivery room.
All the time PJ held her hand, calming her, reassuring her, and keeping her focused on the impending birth of their first child.
"I can't do it." She moaned. "I can't push anymore."
"Sure you can." PJ told her. "You're doing great."
She glared at him. "If I push once more I'm gonna push myself inside out."
"Okay Joanna." Dr. Anderson began, "Here comes another one, push."
There was a pause, then the doctor said. "Baby is crowning. I can see the head."
Only a few minutes later the sound of baby cries filled the room.
Exhausted Jo leaned back against the pillows and squeezed PJ's hand gently.
"No problems here. Congratulations mum. You have a beautiful baby girl." Dr. Anderson laid the infant in Jo's arms.
She stared down in wonder at the tiny baby. "Oh God, she's so beautiful."
"She's going to look just like you." PJ told her, staring down at the baby.
"Any thoughts on what you're going to name her?" Dr. Anderson asked.
Jo shook her head silently, still taking in the sight of her new-born daughter.
"I'll leave you to it then. Well done." The doctor said.
"Thank you." Jo looked up at her. "For everything, thank you."
Dr. Anderson just smiled as she left the room.
************
With gentle fingers Jo touched the baby's small face. "What are we going to call her?"
"Anything you like." PJ answered. "Except you know, something silly."
Jo smiled, "Are there any names you like?"
"I like Brianna. That's the name that sticks with me." He confessed.
She nodded, thinking it over. "It sounds pretty. Brianna. Now all we need are a couple of middle names. What about Elsa?"
"Elsa?"
"You don't like Brianna Elsa?" Jo asked.
"It needs something else. I don't know it just doesn't flow right." PJ shook his head in frustration.
"Your mother's middle name was Rose wasn't it?" She asked, considering how it would sound.
"Brianna Elsa Rose." He smiled. "I like that. Do you like that, beautiful?" PJ asked the baby, his and Jo's new daughter Brianna.
Almost on cue the baby began to wail. As Brianna cried a nurse came in, "You've got visitors already. There's a couple of people waiting outside."
"Do you want me to go and see who it is?" PJ asked her.
"Let them wait, come help give Brianna her first bath." Jo smiled at him.
"They can wait." He agreed, looking thrilled that he was being included.
**************
Soon after, when Jo and baby Brianna were both clean and dressed, PJ disappeared, and returned with Tess and Ben, who had been waiting for some news.
What did you have?" Ben asked. "PJ wouldn't tell us."
"A little girl. Her name is Brianna." She told him.
"Little is right." Ben agreed looking at her.
"She is eight weeks premature, remember." PJ told him.
"How are you feeling?" Tess asked.
"Not too bad. How are you Ben?" Jo asked.
"Two bones. You don't do things by halves do you?" Ben teased her.
"Just remember, you reminded me to squeeze your hand." She defended herself.
"It's okay." He laughed. "At least I can prove I did my bit."
Jo just shook her head at him, then turned to PJ, "Hold her?"
"With pleasure." He carefully manoevered the baby into his arms. "Hey gorgeous."
"How come he gets to hold her first?" Ben asked indignantly.
"Benny I've already held her." PJ laughed. "I helped give her a bath."
"That's so sweet." Tess said aloud.
"You know what else is sweet?" A voice asked from the door way. "Being told that your friend has had a baby."
"Jonesy don't be like that." Jo said to him. "It's been very busy here, we just forgot to call."
"And how is our new mother and baby?" Tom asked.
"So tired it's not funny, but we're both good, and if you can wrest her away from PJ you'll be able to meet Brianna." Jo smiled at him.
"So she's all right?" Tom asked again.
"Are you kidding?" PJ asked, carrying Brianna over so that they could see her. "She's got a really good set of lungs."
"She's so... she looks like Jo." Jonesy said, taking a good long look at her.
"It's nice to know they haven't switched my daughter on me then isn't it?"
"You know what I mean." Jonesy told her.
"What happened to you Ben?" Tom asked, seeing the cast on his arm.
Ben held it up. "It's a very interesting story, and short version is Jo happened."
Jo sat there trying not to laugh. "I broke his hand."
"You didn't." Jonesy shook his head.
"Oh I did. I still feel really bad about it." She confessed.
Brianna began to cry. "I've got this 'uncle thing' down." PJ told them. "When she cries she goes back to her mum."
Everyone laughed as he passed Brianna back to Jo. At once Brianna quieted and lay cooing in her mother's arms.
"Okay, now how did you just do that?" Jonesy asked.
"I'm multi-talented." She said sarcastically.
"You couldn't have been in labour very long." Tess said.
"Oh it was plenty long enough. Believe me. If you ever have kids, and they offer you drugs when you're in labour, take the drugs."
"Did you?" Tess asked.
"No." Jo answered. "But I wish I did."
Everyone laughed.
****************
Several weeks later Jo, with baby Brianna in her infant carrier, strapped to PJ's chest, walked around the Mount Thomas market.
"Hi." Chris called to them.
"How's things?" Jo asked, gesturing to the raffle ticket book in Chris's hand.
"Good, we've already raised a lot of money for the new playground equipment."
"Playground equipment?" PJ asked, playing with Brianna's hands.
"I'll take a couple of tickets." Jo told her, taking some money for her wallet.
"Thanks." Chris said, while Jo wrote her details on several of the ticket stubs. "Isn't she a little cutie?" Brianna giggled as Chris reached out to tickle her toes.
"We certainly think so." PJ told her, bouncing so that Brianna laughed again.
"So how are you finding breastfeeding and late nights?" Chris asked.
"That's our exit cue isn't it baby, yes it is." PJ baby talked to Brianna walking away.
"That's a sight I thought I'd never see." Chris smiled.
"He's great with her." Jo agreed.
"You know, at the Imperial, people have been talking. I don't want to upset you, but they're saying that PJ's a little more than just your friend." Chris said quietly. "It's just people talking though, I wouldn't pay it any mind."
"What other things have they been saying?" Jo asked her, seemingly unfazed at the though that half the town was talking about her.
"Some people have been spectulating on Brianna's father as well."
"He and I are still... very much in love, and very much together. He's never far from our side." Jo told the older woman.
"And PJ's okay with that?"
"He couldn't be happier." She answered.
"So then, are you telling me that PJ is..."
Jo nodded. "It's hard for us, I'm still deciding whether or not I'll go back to work, and in the beginning we were afraid that one of us would be transferred."
"But that wouldn't happen now would it?" Chris asked.
"I'm due to go back to work next week, for a meeting with the Boss, then work. I'm going to talk to him then."
"I can't get over this," Chris shook her head, watching PJ 'showing' Brianna the ponies. "PJ as a father."
"He's pretty good at it. Shocked me too." Jo smiled at them both. "He loves her so much. She's the only real family she has."
"That must make it hard on you, though." Chris shot her a sideways look, but instead of seeing someone who was trapped in her circumstances, all she could see was a young woman glowing with health, radiating life, energy and love.
Chris kept watching them as Jo walked over to them, smiling as PJ wrapped one of his arms around her, the other protectively around his daughter. Watching them walk away she realised that they represented an image of love and family that she hadn't seen in years.