4.30 in the morning…too early to get up…too late to still be awake…

Jackie moaned and laid her head on her pillow again. Another night of no sleep and it wasn't doing her any good. She felt extremely tired, and she could probably sleep for days, if it wasn't for those pictures entering her head each time she closed her eyes. The shed…the picnic…the kisses…the whisperings in her ear…the cheating…the pain…the anger…the hurt. She wished she could just make the memories disappear, but the more she tried, the more she remembered.

She decided to get up and pour herself a cup of hot milk in the kitchen. Maybe that would allow her to fall asleep. Cause she needed to get some sleep. She had an early shift that day and she just needed the sleep.

A yawn escaped her mouth while she reached for her robe. Quietly she opened the door and went downstairs to the kitchen. There she grabbed herself a mug, put some milk in it and put it in the microwave for a few seconds. Luckily, these were all things she could do with her eyes closed. Cause her brain felt non-functional at the moment.

She had a sip from the hot milk and expected to have the sleep knocking her over. But it didn't, of course. Nothing happened actually, except that she was starting to get cold, and she shivered. So she walked back to the stairs, carrying her mug. She walked through the hallway, then opened the door to her room…Great…it was now a little past 5 in the morning. Still too early to get up and still way too late to be awake. She placed the mug next to her bed, placed her robe back and got back to bed. She had another sip from the milk and then closed her eyes.

Sleep…sleep…sleep…nothing. Counting sheep didn't help either she'd tried that before. So she allowed her thoughts to drift away from her again. It had been a few weeks now since the proposal and Guy admitting to her he had been unfaithful to her. To the outside world she had since then acted as if she hadn't been too bothered by it, that she always had known this was in his nature etc…Her relationship with Guy appeared to have not changed much, except for them not being together anymore. She even lied to herself for a while, until she figured that her sleepless nights had a reason. Of course she always had known he wasn't to be trusted. Heck, how long had it taken him to tell her he had feelings for her and wanted to be with her? And had he not shown with Fern how he really was with women? Had he not told her in the shed what his true nature was? But fact was it still hurt. She had always hoped she would be different, that he would love her forever and ever. Of course his relationship with Penny didn't last, but how long before he found another woman to chase? How long till he decided Coopers Crossing wasn't the place to be anymore and he would return to the city again? He never loved it here as much as she did and what did hold him here now? Of course it would be for the best if he left, because it would make things so much easier for her. But at the same time she would still miss him. She looked at the clock. It was getting closer to six now and she almost had to get up. Her tiredness was overwhelming though and she closed her eyes. She may not get any sleep, at least she was resting, right?

Thirty minutes later she had gotten up. When she arrived in the bathroom she stared at her own face. It didn't look too good. She tried her best to remove most dark marks around the eyes and make her look representable again. It didn't really work, but had to do. Despite not having had any sleep that night she was now running late for work. Typical. She put on her uniform and rushed downstairs. She grabbed a quick toast and some coffee and walked to the radio station as she had a clinic run waiting for her. First person who she was greeted by was Clare, as always.

"My, you look terrible Jackie."

Jackie grinned.

"Thanks Clare, lovely as always you are."

"Rough night?"

Actually, no sleep at all Clare. But of course she didn't tell her that.

"Something like that yeah. Hopefully it will be a calm day today."

"Better not be counting on that one, it's actually supposed to be a busy clinic today."

Typical, of course. Then again, why did anything surprise her when things hadn't been on her side for quite some time now. It would make her day even more perfect when Guy would be swinging through the door ready to do a clinic run with her.

"Good morning everyone!"

Jackie sighed. But of course.

"Ready for a day full of…Oh my, Jackie, you look awful this morning!"

And of course you would have nothing to do with that Guy. Of course you would not even think for a second it could have anything to do with you. But she said nothing, just gave him a faint little smile.

Clare was right about the clinic: it was busy. People from all around had made it to the clinic and since they were still understaffed, that meant a lot was required from Jackie. As the day progressed she grew more and more tired. Her eyelids felt heavier and heavier and her whole body was screaming at her that it needed a rest. Just 2 more hours till the clinic would be over and then she could give her body the rest it so anticipated. Just not now.

She looked down at the woman in front of her and gave her a faint smile.

"It will only take a minute Maggi, then you'll be up and going again." She rolled up the sleeve and tried to find the right artery to take some blood from. It was something she'd done many times and shouldn't be hard. Somehow she just couldn't seem to find the artery. Her eyes had a hard time trying to focus and her vision became blurry. Maggi looked up to her.

"I'm sorry Maggi, usually should take no time at all."

"Are you alright dear?"

Before she could answer her body decided to take control in its own hand, because she failed to simply listen to it. Before she well knew what was happening, everything turned black in front of her eyes and she fell to the ground.

"Jackie, are you with us? Jackie?" She opened her eyes and looked into his concerned eyes. For a moment she couldn't remember where she was and what had happened. She tried to get up, but Guy pushed her back.

"Take it easy Jackie, what happened?"

What happened was that I proposed to you, but you had been unfaithful to me which resulted in our break-up which eventually resulted in me not getting any sleep for weeks finally resulting in my body switching off because it needed rest and sleep. That's what happened.

"I have no idea actually." Liar.

"Well, you're not getting any more work done here today. I'll do a complete check-up on you after I've handled our last few patients. In the mean time Johnno will take you to the plane and you lay down there, okay?"

She couldn't even find the strength to argue with him. She was just so tired and she really wanted to get some sleep.

"Can you walk?" She nodded and tried to get up. But her muscles were still against her and didn't cooperate.

"Guess not. Right, let me help you then." Before she could argue with him, he had already lifted her up and held her in his arms.

Oh god, to be held in his arms again, even if it was just like this…

He walked her to the plane and gently laid her on the stretcher.

"Try to get some rest, looks like you need it." And with those words he walked away. Her eyes became tired again and she closed them. And before she knew, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

When she opened her eyes, for a moment she didn't know where she was. Then she recognized the familiar surroundings of the hospital. Last thing she remembered was closing her eyes in the plane, so that had to mean she'd been out the entire time. For how long though, she had no idea. Her body did feel rested though, so she assumed she'd been out for a couple of hours. She turned around and got out of bed. Her legs still felt a bit wobbly, but at least she had some strength in them again. Before she could make a move though, she was told to get into bed again. Rowie.

"You know that doctors and nurses make the worst patients?"

"I'm fine Rowie, really."

"Yeah, you're doing so fine that you collapsed at work and then slept for 15 hours straight." She gave Jackie a smile. "Just go back to bed."

Ah, so she managed to sleep for a good 15 hours. No wonder she felt so rested.

"Guy did some tests on you, but we're still waiting on the results to come back. In the mean time I want you to just stay in this bed till I or Guy tell you otherwise. Understood?"

She nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, I'm fine right now. Thanks."

"Right, well, I leave you to it then."

Somehow she managed to get some more sleep, to her own surprise. When she woke up she felt more rested than ever and was wondering if the tests Guy had done on her would bring anything else back. She didn't believe it would, though it didn't mean she would be alright again. Because how long till the sleepless nights would arrive again? Before she could think about it much, she got a visit again from Rowie.

"Ah, you're awake. Good. Mind if I sit down?"

She shook her head.

"How are you feeling?"

"A lot better, sleep has done me well."

"Yes, about that. The tests we ran on you didn't show anything wrong with you, so my guess is that you collapsed from exhaustion. You've slept quite a few hours since, which confirms my feelings. I also think I know what may have caused the exhaustion, though feel free to tell me if I'm wrong."

Jackie nodded. "Go ahead."

"I think you've suffered more from the cheating and break-up than you made us, and yourself, believe. I think it caused you many sleepless nights and in the end your body decided to shut itself down in order to get the rest it needed to function again. Am I right?"

She looked up to Jackie, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"I think you are right. So now what?" Because she'd know this already, but how could she move on, get regular nights of sleep again?

"Maybe try to not be so stubborn, don't think you have to be strong."

"That's easier said than done though."

"And why is that?"

"Because in the end Guy warned me about all this long before we even got together for real. He showed me his true colors twice, and yet I still allowed myself to fall in love with him and be with him. I knew he would never commit himself to anyone but I was still stupid enough to believe I could change him, I could make him love me and stay with me forever. So why should I feel so hurt and upset about the cheating?"

"Because you loved him Jackie. Because even though you knew what his true game was, he told you he loved you. And we all want to be loved. You have every right to feel hurt and upset Jackie, don't hide it, don't fight it, don't feel ashamed. No one will tell you how stupid you've been. No one. We all care deeply about you Jackie. Guy's the one who's been in the wrong, not you."

A moment of silence followed. Rowie was right of course, she should just allow her feelings to be there and deal with them. But a big part of her still blamed herself for what happened. And those confusing thoughts had kept her awake before, how could she prevent it from happening again?

"Look Jackie, I'll keep you here overnight just so you'll be able to get fully rested. There's no reason for me to keep you here any longer though, but I do think that sleep might still be an issue for you, so I'll prescribe some sleeping pills. You know how addictive they can be though, so use them wisely. And talk Jackie, talk. You know where to find me, don't hesitate."

"Thanks Rowie, I really do appreciated it."

"And take a few days off from work, you need to get things sorted out first, get fully rested again. You're not much use to us anyway when you're in this state." She grinned. "You're going to be fine again Jack, just might take a while."

The next morning after her discharge, Jackie arrived back at the pub where she was given a warm welcome by Nancy.

"Good to have you back here again love. I'm sure you must be hungry, cause that hospital food is no real food. What would like to have?"

Jackie smiled.

"I'm fine actually Nance, but thanks. I'd like to go upstairs first and refresh myself, if that's alright?"

"Of course dear, but if you need anything, just call."

"Will do!"

She walked upstairs to her room. A nice, long, hot shower was just what she needed and she felt relieved Rowie gave her a couple of days off, so she could just take it easy. She grabbed her things and headed for the bathroom. The shower was as nice as the imagined it and she took her time. When she got out of the shower she felt a lot better and refreshed. She was almost back at her room, when someone called her name. Guy.

"Oi, Jack, good to see you out of the hospital. All is well again with you?"

Typical of course he would so casually talk to her. All was not well, not by a mile. Better, yes, not well though. She shrugged.

"Well enough to leave the hospital so that's good, right?"

"Rowie told me you'll not be coming back to work for a couple of days?"

"Yes, she gave me a couple of days off, thought I could use a few days off from work."

"Just take it easy, alright?"

The look on his face made her feel a bit uneasy. He had shown her the same look just after he confessed to her he had been unfaithful to her, just after she had proposed to him. It was the look of remorse. She hadn't seen it since, but here it was again today. Maybe, she thought, maybe she did mean more to him after all. And maybe he never fully realized it until after she broke up with him. But no, that was just silly thinking. Her hand reached for the door to her room.

"I will, thanks."

A few days passed. Days in which she still felt tired, despite the fact that she managed to sleep all through the night without sleeping pills. She even managed to just sleep well. She just still felt tired. Her exhaustion must have been worse then she thought. Her mind was less with Guy those days, which was nice. She was able to take her motor out for long rides to quiet, beautiful places, which also helped to clear her mind. She enjoyed her days away from work, away from Guy and the memories. Penny had also left town to return to the big city. She had always liked the girl, until the day she learned that she got a little to close to her then boyfriend. She'd never been more hurt before. She was hurt by Guy, of course, but she was more hurt by Penny, who she always considered a friend. She wasn't mourning when Penny went back to the city, though she was civil enough to say goodbye. Penny had told her she was sorry, but she wasn't ready to forgive and forget just yet.

And now her final day before work was coming to an end. She had just ordered food at the pub and was waiting for it to arrive. To pass the time she picked up a magazine from the counter and started to flip through it.

"Mind if I join you?" She looked up.

"Guy?"

"Sorry if I startled you, but mind if I join you?" This was the behavior they continued after their break-up: casual diner or lunch, sometimes a drink. It hadn't happened after her hospital stay and somehow it didn't feel right anymore. Actually, it never felt right, but for the longest time she had lied to herself, which had been the reason for her hospital stay in the end. A lot of things were unspoken between them, still. Pretending nothing ever happened wasn't right.

"Jack?"

"Sorry, I just…does this not seem awkward to you Guy?"

"Eh?" Guess not.

"Guy, ever since the break-up we've been doing this dance together as if nothing happened and all is well. We have diner or lunch together, sometimes have a drink. Does that not strike you as odd? We broke up, we both went our own ways and that was that."

"But I thought that's what be both agreed on?"

"We didn't Guy. The only things that were said was that it was in your nature to hurt people and it was in my nature to allow it to happen."

"Isn't that just the same though?" Really now? Really Guy?

"Guy, I asked you to marry me! And then you couldn't answer me because you had been unfaithful to me with one of my best friends. Yes, you did warn me this was who you were and yes I still decided to get on with it. But you told me you loved me too. How can you just move on, and how can you expect me to just move on and forget? Did I really mean that little to you?"

The look on his face changed and turned into the same look from a couple of days before: remorse.

"No." His voice was soft, almost whispering. Before he could continue though, Nancy arrived at their table with Jackie's food.

"Oh, I'm sorry Guy, didn't know you were here as well. Do you want to order some food as well?"

"No, thanks Nancy, I should be going." He quickly got up and was about to walk away.

"Guy?" Jackie's eyes tried to find his, but he looked away. "Are you really going to walk away, just like that?"

Without saying another word, that was exactly what he did. And once again he managed to hurt her.

When morning arrived Jackie got out of bed. Despite the night before, she had slept well. She still couldn't believe how Guy could have just gotten up and left her. Then again, why was she even surprised. She was though, because he was sending out mixed signals. She decided to not let it get to her anymore. Work was calling for her again and she needed to focus on that. She brought a quick visit to the bathroom, then changed into her uniform. A yawn escaped her mouth. After all the sleep she's had the past week you'd think she felt rested now. And she did, just still tired as well. She went downstairs into the kitchen to quickly have coffee and toast there before she left for work. She was just having a sip from her coffee when Guy walked in. For a moment she saw him hesitate a bit before he entered the kitchen. Without looking at her he mumbled a "morning". Was he now trying to avoid her? If anything, she should be the one avoiding him. It was too early to have an argument about it though, and at work things would be better anyway.

Though they weren't. Guy snapped at her more than usual for no real reasons. He had been acting that way before, days after their shed adventure. Again he lashed out on her for not knowing how to handle his feelings. Four hours into work and she had enough.

"Guy, if you got issues handling your emotions and stuff, fine, but don't take it out on me. If anyone has a right to snap and act bitchy, it should be me."

She walked away from him not awaiting a reply.

Another two hours later and she felt exhausted. She felt like she'd been working 2 days straight without any sleep, while in fact it had been quite a calm day so far. She sat outside in the sun on her coffee break and drank from her mug. She still had 15 more minutes to go, what could it hurt if she just closed her eyes for a few seconds?

She got woken up by a loud voice shouting. When she opened her eyes they met two other, furious looking eyes.

"Unbelievable, really, just unbelievable! I've been waiting and calling for you for over 10 minutes only to find you here asleep."

"I'm on my coffee break!"

"You were on your coffee break. It ended 30 minutes ago."

Oh. Closing her eyes must not have been such a good idea after all.

"I'm sorry, I must have dozed off."

"You're at work for crying out loud!"

"Sorry! It won't happen again!" Wouldn't it though?

Guy stormed off. "I want you to go check up on Mrs. Haylee now, if you can."

She got up on her feet but instead of checking up on her patient, she went looking for Rowie. Something was just not right with her.

She found her in an examination room.

"Can I bother you for a second?"

Rowie looked up from her papers.

"Yes, sure. Everything alright?"

"Actually, no. I've been sleeping well for days now, but I still feel so tired. I even actually fell asleep outside just yet. I know the tests that were done on me didn't show anything wrong with me, but this can't be normal either, right?"

For a moment Rowie said nothing, then she got on her feed.

"Just wait her for a second, I'll be right back."

Five minutes later Rowie returned with some papers in her hand.

"These are the results from the tests that were done on you. It just occurred to me that I might have overlooked something that didn't seem to be worth looking at then. I can't even believe I overlooked it last week because it actually can hardly be missed."

"What?"

"Well, there still isn't anything wrong with you technically speaking." She paused for a second, observing the look on Jackie's face. "You are however pregnant."

Bam. She had not seen that coming at all.

"I…are you sure?" Her head was spinning.

"I am Jack, and I can't believe how I could have overlooked it the first time."

This was not what she was expecting, not in the slightest. Looking back now there had been signs though, signs she'd mistaken for other things. How could it have happened though? Well, besides the part that involved sex of course. Then she remembered. There had been a week in which she'd been sick, the same week Guy took her on a trip to the outback where they had spend the night. That must have been, what, 3 weeks before she proposed to him and found out about the cheating? The images entered her mind as if she was just there again. One of the last times they had been intimate, 2 days in which she fell even more in love with him, in which she decided she wanted to marry the man. She was just forgetting about it all, but now everything, every memory, every feeling she ever had for him returned to her full force.

"Oh god." Oh god, oh god, oh god.

"Are you alright Jack?" She doubted she would ever be.

"Yes, I just…need some time to let it sink in."

"If you want I can do an ultrasound, see how far along you are?" She knew exactly how far along she was.

"No. No, I know. I know." She got up on her feet. "I better get back to work again."

"I do want to check you out soon though Jack."

"I know, just not today, okay?" Rowie nodded.

"I understand. Come visit me when you're ready, okay?"

When she arrived to check up on Mrs. Haylee, Guy was there. Before he could have a go at her again, she interrupted him.

"We need to talk. Now."

Somehow something about the way she looked made him go with her without arguing. She took Guy into the x-ray room and closed the door behind them.

The confidence she had felt just moments before, had now left her completely. She held on to the table for a bit to re-find her strength.

"Jack, are you alright?" His voice sounded soft and concerned. She tried to stand up straight, but decided she could better sit down.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I don't feel too well at the moment. Give me a sec."

She sat down on the table and then looked up to Guy. He was looking down on her with a concerned look on his face. That look was soon to be replaced though, she thought.

"About just yet, when you found me sleeping outside, there's an excuse for it."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh really now?"

"I'm pregnant."

There, she dropped the bomb that had been dropped on her just minutes ago.

"Eh?"

"You heard me just fine yes. I'm pregnant." She got up on her feet and opened the door to go outside. Guy grabbed her arm.

"Oi, you can't just drop that and then leave!"

She shook her arm free. "No? Isn't that the way you prefer to communicate though, by simply walking away?" And with that she walked through the door.

She turned 3 corners until she reached the outside again. There she took three deep breaths and tried to find her strength back again. Oh god, oh dear god.

It didn't take Guy more than 5 minutes to find her outside, for the second time that day.

"Jack? What is going on here?" The look on his face was telling her he was still trying to comprehend what he had just heard. "Are you really pregnant?"

"Yes." Though wouldn't it be so much more convenient if she just wasn't and she had just told him that as a joke? She immediately and instinctively moved her hands towards her waist. 'Sorry!'.

"But…how?" Though those had been her exact thoughts as well, she couldn't help but just roll her eyes at him.

"Well, it usually requires 2 people and sex to begin with, if that's what you were wondering about. Though you were there, so I think you know how it works."

She couldn't help but smile a little at the look on his face.

"When did you find out?"

"Just before you did. I actually thought you would have known before me since you'd all these tests on me."

"I…" He never even looked at those, he let Rowie handle the job. "So when did this happen?" Did he really need to ask her that? Didn't he remember?

"I think you know. Though, maybe not, seeing how you'd been unfaithful to me around that time already." She could tell from the look on his face that he did remember. His expression changed from surprised to hurt and remorse (again).

"It was our last night away together." He almost whispered.

"Yes." Her voice seemed to have left her. All hidden emotions decided to come out at once. The images of that night, Guy with Penny, her proposal, their night at the shed. An overwhelming sense of emotions took over her feelings and thoughts. And for the first time since she broke up with Guy, she cried. Uncontrollably the tears streamed down her face. All the hurting, the pain and the anger found their way out. And Guy did what he had done twice before, the last time just after those 2 kids were found dead: he took her in his arms and just held her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not treating you the way you deserved to be treated. I'm sorry for hurting you. I love you." Hearing him say that he loved her allowed the anger that was inside of her to come out full force. She pushed his arms away.

"I so don't need this Guy. I really, really don't. I've been hurt more than enough by you. I won't ever allow anyone to ever hurt me anymore. I won't ever allow you to hurt me ever again. People treat you the way you allow them? Well, this is the line I draw. Don't try to lure me back into your life again by using sweet, apologetic words that actually don't mean anything."

She was about to walk way, but he stopped her. She looked up into his eyes, eyes that she could so easily drown in. If he just never would have loved her at all, it would have made things a lot easier to handle. But she knew he really did love her, she could still read it in his eyes. He just couldn't ever commit himself to anyone, to her. He would try, but he would always end up hurting her. It was who he was, like the scorpion, it just was in his nature. But she didn't want to be the frog anymore.

She was waiting for him to say something to her, but when he didn't, she turned around and walked away.

The next morning Jackie made sure the first thing she did was to make an appointment with Rowie. She needed some kind of visual proof that showed her that she was indeed pregnant and it wasn't just something from a (bad) dream.

The image on the screen in front of her showed it was as real as it could get. The heart was beating. She stared at it for what seemed hours. She was carrying a child. She was indeed pregnant. And she had been right about the date it was conceived, which made her now 8 weeks pregnant. She couldn't help but smile.

"Is it okay if I switch the monitor off now? I'll make sure to get you a good print."

Jackie abruptly looked away from the monitor. She'd almost forgotten where she was and that Rowie was with her.

"Oh yes, sure, sorry."

Rowie smiled. "No worries."

After Jackie got dressed again she was given some prints of her unborn child. You couldn't make out much from the pictures, but she didn't care.

"Thanks Rowie."

"Anytime. Just happy all seems to be well with the baby. Happy to see you smile as well, because I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you."

It was difficult, but this baby allowed her to have something to look forward to again as well.

Straight after her visit to Rowie she went to find Guy. She found him outside in the patio.

"Guy?"

He looked up from the book he was reading.

"Jack?" Don't try and lure me back into your life. Yet here she was trying to lure him back into her life.

"I want to talk to you if that's alright."

He put the book away. "Yes?"

"I'm pregnant Guy."

"Yes, so you told me before."

"No, what I mean is: I'm really pregnant. With your baby."

He looked at her with a puzzled face. "Ehm…yes?"

"Look…I'm carrying your baby Guy. Yesterday I told you I don't want you to ever hurt me again. But I've just returned from Rowie, who did an ultrasound. And I realized this: I won't ever, ever allow you to hurt this baby. I don't care how many commitment issues you have Guy, right now I could even care less about myself. But whether you like it or not, you're going to be a father. The biggest commitment of your life. I'll give you two options right now: either you deal with your issues and be there for this baby 100%, or you decide now that you won't ever be able to do that and not have anything to do with this baby. I want you to really think about this Guy." She handed him the photos Rowie had just given her. "Just look at them Guy and ask yourself if you're really ready to do this."

He took the pictures from her and silently looked at them.

"I'll give you till the end of today to make up your mind."

"I don't need…" She shushed him.

"I think you do. Biggest commitment of your life Guy. I'm not asking you to marry me, I'm asking you to be a father to our baby, for the rest of your life."

That evening, just when she was getting ready for bed, she heard a knock on her door. Guy.

"Come in." She opened her door a bit further to allow him to enter.

He handed her back the pictures. "I won't be needing those anymore."

Her heart skipped a bit. Did he really just walk away from his responsibilities?

"I won't be needing those anymore because I'll have this." And he placed his hands on her stomach. A tinkling went through her body upon his touch.

"You are really sure about this Guy? Because if you ever hurt this baby, I'll hurt you."

He nodded. "I will not abandon this baby. I promise." And then he kissed her on her mouth. It felt so good, she had missed this so much. But then she came to her senses and backed away.

"Guy!"

"I'm sorry." He looked guilty.

"I'm really happy you will be there for this baby, I just don't know if I want to get back together again. Too much has happened between us. And I also have this baby to think of first now."

He nodded. "I understand. Again, I'm sorry."

He opened the door to leave.

"Guy? Thank you." Maybe things would get better after all, maybe he was able to change. She hoped he would. She really hoped he would.

Flash forward

"Oh god Rowie, where is he? Where is Guy?" So typical of him to not be found anywhere while she was about to have their baby. All through her pregnancy he had been there for her, just as he had promised. But now that she needed him the most, he wasn't there.

"I'm sorry Jack, I'm sure he'll be there any minute now."

She said that an hour ago as well. Where was he? Another contraction took her breath away. God, she never realized how painful it was to have a baby. Where was Guy?!

"Jack? Jack? Oh god, I'm so sorry!" Guy came rushing in.

"I found him asleep in the examination room." Johnno smiled at Rowie.

Another contraction prevented Jackie from saying anything. Guy told her to squeeze his hands. He whispered all sorts of sweet words into her ear. He stroked her hair. He was there.

Three hours later Madeline was born, a healthy baby girl. She was placed on Jackies breast and was sound asleep. Jackie rested her head on the pillow. This was by far the most exhausting thing she'd ever had to do in her life. But looking at Madeline, well worth it. She smiled.

"She's perfect." Guy stood over them, giving little kisses to his daughter.

An overwhelming sense of happiness came over Jackie. She loved this man more than anything and the past couple of months he had proofed to her he felt the same way as her.

"Marry me Guy." This time he didn't have to think about it twice. He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I thought you'd never ask."