Chapter 1

Thank you for reading :-) This is a little something I've been thinking about for a couple of weeks now so I've almost got an entire plot sorted out. Please review to let me know your thoughts as to whether or not you think I should continue.

Jac Naylor-Maconie smiled as her phone rang and she saw the name of her husband on the screen of her mobile. She'd paged him minutes earlier asking him to call her. Urgently.

'Is everything ok?' Jonny's Scottish accent sounded anxious as Jac answered the call.

'Couldn't be better' Jac grinned as she answered him 'I was just wondering how you are enjoying the people skills course?'

'Jac your page said urgent!' Jonny now sounded a little annoyed 'I rushed out of the lecture because I thought something bad had happened!'

'Something bad has happened; you're on that ridiculous course when you could be spending time with me' Jac teased him 'but if you're enjoying it that much then just go back to it.'

'I'm not enjoying it. Its bloody awful and as dull as dish water.' Jonny could help but laugh a little now 'it's even worse than the one we met on.'

'Oh dear that bad huh?' Jac continued to tease her husband.

'An hands down winner for punishment course for any nurses who get on the wrong side of me'

'Would you, by any chance, be in need of an escape plan?' Jac decided to get to her reason for her page.

'Where are you?' Jonny's voice held a note of suspicion.

'I'm upstairs in room 114. I've checked in for the night.' Jac informed him casually.

'Seriously?' Jonny laughed 'what about Ava?'

'I left her home alone. A twelve year old should be alright for a night right?' Jac answered him with sarcasm

'She's with Mo and Sacha isn't she?'

'Of course she is you halfwit' Jac rolled her eyes 'my current spontaneity didn't make me forget my parental responsibility. So are you in need of an escape plan or not?'

'Of course, I'm in complete agreement with your proposed plan' Jonny grinned at his wife's sudden change from playfulness to grumpy directness 'What would I tell them?' he thought wildly 'I can't look too unprofessional, I'm meant to be director of nursing'

'Jonny this is your wife telling you she is stark naked and waiting for you in a hotel room' Jac spoke bluntly to her dithering husband.

'I'll think of something' Jonny spoke hurriedly as he hung up the phone.

'Well that beats stolen moments in the on call room or a quickie in the shower' Jonny broke into the contented silence that had engulfed the couple as they lay exhausted and entangled together in the bed sheets.

'Hmm' Jac agreed with him as she gently kissed his cheek. 'With work and Ava we have rather neglected us recently.'

'I know' Jonny ran his fingers through Jac's long thick auburn hair. 'I thought this last promotion would be easy but there's so much more to the job than I realised. I promise I'll try harder to find time for us.'

'Jonny do you not think I understand?' She smiled caringly at her husband 'I spent years working my way up to senior consultant, using every spare hour I could. I understand what you're going through. It is as much my fault hence why I organised this' she kissed him gently on the lips, whispering 'I love you' as they parted.

'I know' Jonny smiled as he kissed her back.

'I'm proud of you. You know that right?' Jac spoke quietly as she lay her head against his neck.

'Well I haven't heard you complaining so I guessed you were fairly content with the situation' Jonny suddenly yelped as Jac pinched his arm in retaliation for his smart quip. 'Talking of marital pride Guy wants to know if Hertizig six is ready for international unveiling yet?'

'No you don't' Jac lifted her head and gave her husband a steely glare 'no shop talk. This is our time, Mr Guy bloody Self can wait until our meeting on Thursday'.

'You know he asked me to try to talk you into stepping up your hours to full time?'

'What did you tell him?'

'No way. I like having my wife home four days a week to keep house and cook my dinner' he laughed as Jac playfully pinched his shoulder again.

'What did you really tell him?' she kissed his shoulder where she'd pinched the flesh.

'I told him my wife, the magnificently talented Ms Jac Naylor, was most definitely her own woman who makes her own decisions regarding her career and I, her wonderfully caring and charismatic husband, will have no bearing on nor refute any decision she may make.'

'You told him he'd have to talk me himself didn't you?' Jac rolled her eyes at her husband.

'Pretty much' Jonny nodded.

'I don't want to go back full time and crazy hours. Ava still needs me, you'd think having a headstrong daughter would help him understand that.' Jac leaned her forehead against Jonny's as she spoke.

'I get the feeling his wife dealt with the teenage years whilst he hid out in the operating theater.' Jonny laughed softly 'you do realise that with the asset you and Elliot have jointly developed you technically own his arse?'

'Look at you, delving into hospital politics at long last' Jac sounded impressed as she looked up at her husband.

'Do what you do best; negotiate with him, but be prepared for him to suggest Darwin needs another part-time consultant.'

'What like a job share?' Jac screwed her face up in disgust 'we've managed this long with just Elliot and I.'

'I know but it would seem you are becoming the victims of your own success. Do you even know how many requests for referrals to Darwin you get each week?'

'Maybe Mo would step up?' Jac asked hopefully.

'You wanna try that road again?' Jonny laughed he remembered how stressed out his best friend had become during an unsuccessful trial of job sharing with Jac a couple years ago. He'd been impressed his wife had managed to keep her temper during the chaotic two weeks until Mo had tearfully resigned herself from the post declaring she didn't know how Jac did it, her patient load was ridiculously heavy.

'Maybe not.' Jac moved in for another kiss which Jonny happily obliged with. 'Now enough about work' Jac smiled as they broke apart.

'Ok' Jonny kissed her softly 'let's talk about how beautiful you are.' He kissed her again, smiling to himself at the way she squirmed embarrassedly in his arms. She hated complements and attention even from her own husband.

'That should be a fairly short conversation' Jac rolled her eyes at him.

'Why is it you tell Ava every day how beautiful she is but won't believe it about yourself?' Jonny traced the sharp ridge of one her cheekbones with his finger as he spoke.

'Because Ava is beautiful and I worry that bitchy school girl comments are going to convince her she's not perfect just as she is.'

'What bitchy school girl comments?' Jonny frowned, his face now full of concern for his little girl.

'It was nothing really Jonny, just some toffy nosed rich kid making jealous comments about Ava's red hair and pale skin on the last day of term' she kissed his worried frown 'Ava just walked away from it but she was still pretty upset by it.'

'Which kid was it?' Jonny was feeling a bit put out neither his wife nor Ava had discussed this with him 'was that nasty little blonde frizzy haired kid in need of braces and possible nose job? Because if it was her she's in no position to be judging anyone.'

'Her name's Julia and I'm sure she'll grow into that nose' Jac laughed 'to think it was you who's always taught Ava to turn the other cheek.'

'Is that why you let Ava get her ears pierced?' Jonny grumbled still not happy the girls had done this without telling him and cross with himself it'd taken him two weeks to notice.

'Will you ever let that go?' Jac sighed 'she's twelve Jonny and I thought the eight weeks of summer vacation would give them chance to heal before she has to take them out to return to school.'

'I guess I just feel like I'm missing out on stuff' Jonny grumbled 'I miss the way she used to tell me everything.'

'She's growing up Jonny and this is all just girl stuff' Jac tried to make her husband feel better 'and I'm the one at home mostly' she kissed him lightly 'and a few weeks ago in France she spent pretty much all her time with you exploring, swimming and trawling the local food markets.'

'But that was the whole point' Jonny couldn't help but smile as he remembered the fortnight they'd spent in a picturesque villa in France 'to give you a break from worrying about Ava, your patients and the Hertzig' he kissed her cheek 'which judging by the amount of sleeping you did you more than needed. I guess I just don't want my little girl to grow up.'

'And yet it's happening so deal with it' Jac laughed at her husband. 'She'll always need her Uncle Jonny though. Especially when she starts dating and brings her boy troubles home.'

'Argh!' Jonny groaned dramatically as he rolled onto his back with his hands over his ears 'don't even joke about that, I don't want to think about that yet!'

Jac laughed as she rolled herself so she was on top of her husband, propping her head up on her elbow. 'You know I think we're doing ok with Ava. She's growing up into a fairly level headed kid'

'I told you we would' Jonny tucked Jac's lose hair behind her ear for her 'I think Jasmine would be proud of how she's turning out.'

'I guess she was right to trust us' Jac spoke softly as she thought of her deceased sister.

'She was right about a lot of things, especially regarding you and me' Jonny smiled as he shared in memories 'remember the way she railroaded us into marriage?'

'The best decision she helped me make' Jac laughed softly as she kissed her husband. She allowed Jonny to roll their bodies over as the kiss deepened, running his hand up her thigh as lay himself on top of her.

'I love you' he whispered to her trailing kisses down her neck 'and you are beautiful even if you won't believe it'. He could feel Jac relaxing beneath him as his hands and kisses caressed her body. The moment was suddenly halted by the ringing of Jac's mobile. 'Leave it' he murmured as he nuzzled her neck feeling her body now tensing up again 'they'll leave a message'

'I can't' she spoke apologetically as she firmly pushed him off herself 'it could be important' she reached out and picked up the phone from the bed side cabinet sitting up as she answered it. 'Jac Naylor' she spoke briskly into the phone despite the fact her husband had sat up behind her and resumed kissing her neck. Her face fell into a worried frown as she listened to the person on the other end of the conversation; she moved away from Jonny slightly and placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him from kissing her. 'Ok we'll be right in' she spoke as she hurriedly hung up the phone. 'Its Granddad' she informed Jonny her eyes conveying the worry and panic she denied herself from feeling 'he's in A&E with a suspected heart attack'.