Chapter 1

There was a cold chill in the air this morning, unusual for this time of year. I pulled into my usual parking space, "the good thing about have a motor bike is that you don't have to worry about the idiot who parks next to you whacking their door off yours" I thought to myself. Today's idiot was Oliver Valentine. I lifted off my helmet so I could be heard clearly, "new car Valentine?" I asked eyeing up the blue Honda civic, five door, 3 years old according to the number plate.

"Yeah, I got her yesterday," Ollie replied, patting the car with affection.

"You've done well there."

"Belonged to a friend of mine so I didn't pay as much as I should have," he boasted

We walked up to the ward together; neither of us wanted a conversation so we walked in silence. It gave me chance to think, Ollie isn't that bad actually. Nice guy, good looking, polite and as much as it pains me to say but he is a brilliant doctor, wouldn't have got there without me of course.

The lift reached Darwin and as we were exiting I said, "I'll be in my office most the day if I'm needed," and turned off into there. Elliot isn't in today so I had a bit of piece and quiet at least; id soon get through this paper work, depending on if I was interrupted or not.

It had been about 2 hours before I was disturbed by a knock on the door, "come in!" I called and Ollie's head appeared from around the door.

"Err, there's someone here to see you," he hesitated.

I'm not expecting anybody so who could it be? "Okay, fine. Send them in." Oliver opened the door fully to reveal Mrs. Winters and baby Freya on her hip, she walked in and he closed the door behind them.

"Uh, hi. Is everything okay?" I asked

"Oh, yeah. Freya's great, all thanks to you." Well obviously.

"So why are you here then?"

"Well, you see, I've come here to give Freya to you. You were right. I am a terrible mother and you clearly care for her and saved her life so I thought she would have a better life here," she blurted out.

"What?" I was shocked, why on earth would a mother want to give up her child. Such a beautiful and magnificent one too.

"Jac, Freya is yours now." Well I kind of guessed that.

"I can't take your baby off you!" is this woman mad? Well that was a bit of a silly question.

"You tried to before. Either you take her or I leave her on the streets on my way back home. Your choice." Freya was staring at me now with her big, bright, blue eyes; completely oblivious to what was happening. I couldn't let this child be left on the streets. I just couldn't. "Fine." She storms out with the baby still in her arms.

"Wait!" I shout after her. I can't get up and move quick enough to run out my office where outside stands a confused Oliver with Freya in his arms "where did she go?"

"That way," points Ollie, "Jac, what's going on?"

I don't bother to reply I just run after mad Mrs. winters, I'd just missed the lift but milliseconds so I took the stairs instead, yelling and barging past people that were in my way. I was just past half way down when I saw her running out the building and towards the exit. I knew she had gone and there was no way I would catch her so I just collapsed on the stairs holding my head in my hands. And then it hit me. I, Jac Naylor, the emotionless snow queen, has a baby. A real, live, breathing baby. I hate children; they do nothing but make lots of noise and mess. Freya seems to be one of a kind though, I can't help but think about her some days when I have nothing else to do (which hardly ever happens as I spend most of my time here and I'm nearly always busy).

"Jac?" Someone had appeared behind me, I knew the voice belonged to Oliver but I turned just to check, he was still awkwardly holding Freya in his arms. I sigh and turn back around but Ollie comes and takes a seat on the step next to me, placing Freya in his lap. "What just happened?"

"Mrs. Winters decided to abandon her child. Well, give her to me."

I knew Ollie knew I was emotionally attached to Freya by the he acted and spoke to me when she was around. "I'm sorry, what?" Ollie sounded as shocked as I first was.

"I know," I sighed and looked down at Freya who was happily sucking on Ollie's ID tag, I could see the dribble running all down it, "come on, don't do that," I told her and gently took it out of her mouth. I sensed Oliver was looking at me so I looked up to reach his gaze. He'd never looked at me like this before, all warmth and gooey eye contact. "What?"

"Nothing," he grimaced and the turned his attention back to Freya who was once again sucking on his ID tag. "No," he corrected and took it out her mouth, wiped the saliva off and put if where she couldn't reach it. "Are you hungry?"

I was sat deep on thought about babies and what they do, need, want, and what I was going to do with one when the answer came to me, "Sean," I say aloud

"Pardon?"

"Sean. The paediutrition. Come on," I jump up and make my way to paediatrics, closely followed by Valentine.

"Well what's the occasion?" Sean says as I walk into paeds and then he sees Freya, "oh. Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Well no. Freya is in good health but she has just been abandoned again but this time for good as her mother handed her to me."

"Actually she handed her to me," Ollie pipes up but I sort him out with a glare.

"I have no idea what to do Sean; she's a baby for Christ's sake-"

"And you're Jac Naylor, I can see the problem," he jokes

"Ha. Ha" I make the sarcasm in my voice clear.

"Seriously, I think between you, you could handle this," he nods towards Ollie who looks like he is handling Freya pretty well. Great, something else to add to the list, can this man possibly be perfect?

He looks up at us, "what have I done now," he sighs

"Nothing. You just seem to be in control." he shrugs in reply.

"She needs feeding."

"I'll sort you out with some food and a list of what she needs at her age," Sean jumps to the rescue

"What's this? Babies for dummies?" I reply

"You want my help?" I didn't think this required an answer as it was pretty obvious

"Yes." Oliver answers on my behalf, "thank you."

"Smart kid, she's taught you well." She has a name you know.

Ollie's attempt at amusing Freya wasn't going to well as she started to cry (see what I mean about the noise?), but he was straight on to it trying different tactics to stop her from crying; he had resorted to swaying with her on his hip but she was having none of it. I find my feet taking over me and start taking me over to where Oliver is standing, then they stopped moving and my arms were reaching out for the still crying baby who was put in my arms and now I'm the one doing the comforting which surprisingly is successful (I had placed her on my hip and jumped her up and down a little patting her bottom). I smile to myself at the success.

"Jac Naylor has a heart" Ollie whispers in my ear, laughing at the same time.

"No one hears of this Valentine or else ill send you packing back to the bone monkeys." I threatened

His voice changed and this time he whispered to Freya "I wont tell if you won't,"

"I think the secrets safe with her." I wonder if it's possible for me to go a day without using sarcasm. Probably not.

"Just for the record, I think this Jac Naylor is better that the heartless one," he stays, looking at Freya all the time.

"Thank you for your input but I have a reputation to uphold so not a word."

He looks up and stares at me for a while before saying "of course."

"And stop looking at me like that." He just grimaces in return and continues cooing over Freya. Now I'm the one doing all the lovey dovey gooey staring at him and Freya.

I need a man like this in my life. I had one once but I let him go. I miss Joseph Byrne so much it makes my heart ache but he's most likely moved on by now, married a beautiful woman, living the perfect life, with a family, running a doctors surgery. I turned that life down for this place. It will be the death of me one day I'm sure.

"Here you go. These are all the things you will need in the short term but you'll need to get the things on the list I've written ASAP," Sean re-appeared with a shopping bag full of baby things and a folded piece of paper in his hands and handed them to Ollie. "Call me if you need anything okay?"

"I will. Thanks Sean,"

"No problem. Well I best be back to work, I'll see you soon." He turned and walked away.

A pager bleeped and made almost sleeping Freya cry. It was mine. I awkwardly balanced Freya in one arm and grabbed my pager to check what the problem was this time. "Damn! Cardiac arrest back on Darwin. Valentine, she's all yours" I handed Freya to him and ran back the way I'd come to go and save someone's life.

TO BE CONTINUED