As the ambulance doors swung open and Dixie jumped out of the back, Connie and Tess crowded round to help get the patient out and inside. Lofty jumped down before helping Dixie get the trolley out, 'Max!' he'd spotted him by the ED entrance, smoking his cigarette, carefree.

Max looked up and smiled, 'alright pal?' it wasn't a question - more of a greeting.

Dixie started, 'right folks, this is Zoe Hanna, 40 years old. She's tripped and fallen down about 8 stairs, she's 28 weeks pregnant.'

As soon as she'd said the name, he'd started to panic, his ears sealed themselves shut and he couldn't hear anything anyone was saying. Max knew, he knew it was something terrible - Zoe wouldn't have alllowed herself to be in an ambulance if it wasn't serious. She hates being a patient - being looked after by her colleagues, her friends. 'Z...Zoe!' he stuttered, he panicked. 'I'm right here!' he shouted as he ran through the department doors and through to resus, barging past god knows how many people, knocking files out of Cal's and Lily's hands.

'What's the rush?' she'd yelled after him, sighing, picking her files up quickly.

He hadn't heard her, he didn't care. 'Zoe!' he repeated her name. 'Why isn't she answering me?! What's going on?!' he grabbed hold of her hand and looked around the room, 'she will be okay, won't she? The baby! Is the baby okay?!'

Ignoring him, Connie shouted demands to the nurses around the bed, asking for bloods, scans, someone from maternity. She checked Zoe's pupils and hooked her up to monitors and fluids.

'She'll be fine, mate.' Lofty said calmly, as he rubs his friends shoulder supportively.

'You were with her? What were you doing?'

'She came round to drop off those shoes to Robyn' he nodded, smiled.

He couldn't stand it. No one was telling him what was going on, his fiance was lay in a hospital bed, in pain? Maybe? He didn't know, her eyes were closed, her arm in a twisted position. Before he knew what he was doing, Max had punched his friend. His arm swung back once more and he aimed, again, for the poor mans nose. As Cal pulled Lofty out of the way of Max's second attack, Dylan caught hold of his hand, held his arms back and tried, with all his might to keep Max away from his pal.

'You should have been looking after her!' he yelled, as Lofty was taken, by Cal, out of resus, to sort his bloody nose. 'You should have helped her!' he'd fought his way out of Dylan's hold and was staring at his lover, who lay helpless.

'Zoe, if you don't start pushing, you're going to need a C-section' he nodded, 'baby is becoming stressed, we need to get baby out as soon as possible, sweetheart.'

'It's too soon' she cried, begged.

'Babe...' Max held her hand in his. 'You need to listen to Mr Thompson. I'm here, okay? We'll do it together. We'll get to see our little baby soon' whispering 'I love you's' into her hair, he kissed her forehead gently and nodded. 'Not long and we'll have our baby, I promise.'

She nodded slowly. She knew it was too soon. Max knew it was too soon. But he had faith in her, that's all that mattered now, he knew she could do it and she needed to prove him right. Come on Zoe! she chanted silently along with him. I can do this! She pushed and pushed, harder and harder. She screamed and groaned, gripped Max's hand and pushed some more.

With help from Mr T, baby was born, half an hour later. Twelve weeks premature. A girl. Their baby girl. As they cried together, kissing each other tenderly, Max congratulating her over and over, a realisation suddenly dawned on her. She wasn't crying. 'She isn't crying' she shouted. 'My baby! Do something!'

'Zoe' Tess rubbed her arm gently and moved her hair behind her ear. 'Mr T is the best there is. You know that. She's in safe hands.' She nodded and looked over then back to the not-so-happy parents. 'Congratulations' she whispered.

A cry. A tiny cry. Followed by a sigh of relief - from the medics. Then a gasp - from mum and dad. And Mr T finally spoke, he walked over to the pair with their daughter in his arms. 'Hello mummy. Hello daddy' he'd put on his baby voice and smiled at them. 'She's going up to the unit now, you can come up and see her once you're finished down here.' And with that, he was gone. He'd taken their daughter away - rushed her up to the ward.

Hope you like this. If you have the chance, please R&R, let me know what you think of the first chapter :)

Gemma x