chapter 2

Tightly gripping his wife's hand, Max nodded with a gentle smile "Lauren. It's a good strong name. I think Hope should be her middle name" he suggested.

"Yeah" Tanya mumbled against his shoulder, having rested her head there for a few seconds. "Lauren Hope Branning" she continued to stare for a few seconds, hoping deep down she'd see a little movement from her daughter. "she's so tiny Max. When we were told she was small I didn't think they meant this small. Even now…" Tanya took a breath to gain a little composure.

"She was born premature babe… you have to remember that, not to mention the issues before her birth… but she's doing better than the doctor's thought she would".

From quite early on in pregnancy, Tanya discovered there were some complications. At her five month anomaly scan, the technician had seen something on the ultrasound that had concerned her about how baby was forming. She'd instantly gone to fetch a more senior doctor, who completed several more checks. Max and Tanya were told their baby was very small for the progression of the pregnancy, where at 5 months most babies should measure at just over 16cm in length, baby Branning was only measuring at about 14cm. Max and Tanya hadn't seen the immediate issue, knowing that some babies were just a little on the petite side and would catch up in growth. Unfortunately though, that wasn't the worst of the news. After more in depth scanning, it was confirmed that baby Branning's organs; particularly her kidneys, weren't forming properly either. She seemed very underdeveloped in many aspects.

They were referred to a consultant who would be seeing them throughout the rest of the pregnancy, for however long it would last. Max and Tanya were also told because of the slow progress of baby's development, it would be highly unlikely that Tanya's pregnancy would last until full term… if Tanya0 carried to 7 months it would be seen as a good outcome.

As she progressed closer to 6 months; her baby was still behind its development, Tanya was given an amniocentesis in hope they'd be able to identify a cause to the problems. It was partially a relief when the tests came back clear, but also a little more heart-breaking when it was just another way of confirming they didn't know what was wrong.

They had returned home that evening in a very sombre mood. Tanya had sobbed into her husband's arms, blaming herself that the baby they were having might not survive. The two of them hadn't yet told the family about the extent of the problems… it wasn't a conversation they were particularly eager to have. They moped around the house, pausing occasionally outside the room which had been half decorated a few weeks back. Neither dare go into the room, the thought of it never being used was simply too painful.

*L*L*L*

It was a week after their last hospital appointment when the worst happened. In the middle of the night Tanya's waters broke. She was barely 6months pregnant. They made a rapid dash to the hospital where Tanya was quickly prepped for surgery. She was given a dosage of steroids to boost baby's chance of survival and was then taken for an emergency C-section. Max barely made it into the theatre before his daughter was delivered. At 2am on 30th of March 1994 , baby girl Branning was delivered, weighing in at a tiny 2lb 3oz.

Max and Tanya had managed a quick glance before she'd been taken to the neonatal unit. The silence told them things weren't good. It was their worst nightmare… but in reality. They were left in the dark for the next few hours, their consultant only telling them things on a need to know basis.

The next few days had been touch and go, tests and scans confirming that Lauren was very underdeveloped and had very little chance of survival. Max and Tanya were exhausted but refused to leave their daughters side, they wanted to spend every second God gave them with her.

Max's father and stepmother had been to the hospital when Lauren was a week old. She was still unnamed at that point and was just referred to as baby girl, a name that was quickly been adopted by the rest of the family. Dot had prayed for her family, thanking God for the miracle that was Lauren and praying that she'd be around for a while longer yet. Jim had taken it hard, seeing his son upset wasn't something he witnessed very often, but at that time, he'd never seen a man so broken.

The two Branning's were continuing to watch their little miracle. She was two weeks old and had already defied expectations.

"Max!" Tanya gasped suddenly, the chair scraping along the floor as it vacated at such speed. "She's moving" She reached over the incubator and hit the red panic button. Doctors and nurses flooded into the room, Max having to move his wife out of the way to allow nurses access to Lauren. "What's happening?" she cried out "someone tell me what's happening to my baby girl?"

It was Dr Reynolds who spoke to her "your daughter is showing signs of improvement." He watched as their faces lit up, grasping onto the tiniest of hope. "They are very, very tiny signs and it could be down to the medication we've given her. I'm sorry I can't give you anything more, but the good news is that at the moment, your baby girl is stable…"

"Her names Lauren" Tanya said softly, interrupting him. She was sat, once again in the chair at the side of the incubator, her gaze not Leaving Lauren.

"That's a very beautiful name. As I said, for now Lauren is stable, but we don't know what the next 24 hours will hold. We need to stay positive".

"What can we do?" Max asked, needing to make himself feel like he was playing a part somehow, not just watching helplessly from the side lines.

"There's nothing more you can do." Dr Reynolds sighed gently placing his hand on Max's shoulder. "you just keep doing what you're doing… she knows you're here."

Thank you so much for all the reviews for the last chapter... keep them coming ! Poor Max and Tanya... they're really suffering aren't they? We know a little history now too, Back tomorrow xxx