I've really found this is beginning to flow properly now so have the motivation to continue and write chapter 4. Hope you enjoy and please review :)

As Jac opened the door of her apartment she could feel the cold December wind was truly in full force. Making sure that Freya was wrapped up extra warm she turned back inside to pick up her scarf and gloves before heading out of the door ensuring she locked it behind her. Why had she suggested that she meet up with Dylan today!? It really was freezing and despite having fixed her car only the week before, Jac decided her best bet was to walk to the mooring where Dylan resided. The roads were covered in ice and the throughout the morning she had heard numerous accounts of accidents caused by cars skidding on this naturally produced ice rink.

Thankfully by this time of the morning sufficient numbers of people had used the path outside of her home so pushing Freya's along in her buggy was relatively trouble free. It was at times like these that Jac was thankful that Freya was such a contented baby. She never really cried except for when she fell over attempting to stand, which was unfortunately becoming a regular occurrence. She was one determined little girl much like the woman raising her. Jac loved the fact that she was raising Freya as her own now and that they even shared some of the same personality traits. This however did worry Jac. She had become anxious that her ice queen side would rub off in Freya and she did not want any child of hers to irritate people the same way in which she knew she was capable of. That is why Jac wanted to speak to Dylan. He would be the only person to understand what she was going through and although Jac knew honesty was important maybe sometimes she was to honest? Dylan knew what she was going through and despite his clear social awkwardness and her brutal honestly they had managed to form some kind of friendship, whatever that meant to the two of them.

Around 20 long minutes later Jac arrived at the tow path at the top of the docks where Dylan's boat was moored. Despite the bitter cold it was a beautiful morning and the fresh air had done them both good. After searching around, Jac arrived at Dylan's front door. With the three loud knocks, Dervla began to bark, as she always did with people at the door whom she did not recognise. Faintly the Cardio- consultant could hear Dylan telling Dervla that it was ok before opening the door to reveal him holding tightly onto the collar of the agitated dog.

"Hi"

"Hi Dylan" Once again Dylan paused just like he always did during phone calls, or any conversation for that matter. "Well are you going to let us in its freezing out here?!"

"Urmmm…yeh sorry"

Jac proceed through the door handing Freya to Dylan in the process. He stood there not really saying or doing anything.

"You can talk to her you know"

"I don't know Layla that well"

"It's Freya… and she doesn't care Dylan she is 7 months old"

"Hi" he spoke tentatively

"Is that the best you can do?" At this pointed Jac was desperately trying, and failing, to collapse the buggy. "Don't worry Freya he is just scared of you gorgeous"

"I am not scared of a baby Jac"

"Well stop acting like it then, now go put her down and give me a hand with this will you"

Avoiding all eye contact with anybody else in the room, Dylan walked over to where the red-head was sanding in order to help her. Not that he would be much good either. This parenting thing was not made easy by companies who insisted on so many security measures that you needed a degree in rocket science just to figure out. Clearly 2 doctorates and a combined 18 years of medical training were not enough to figure out the complex contraption.

"Why do they make these things so complicated!" she exclaimed

"It's a natural test of who is fit to be parents Jac and clearly we are not"

"That is most certainly not… ahh got it!"

Once the buggy had been collapsed, Jac carefully placed it to one side an entered the living room where Freya and Lucy were lying. Jac had really settles into her role as a mother brilliantly. Never in her life before had she imagined having children of her, though this was mainly to do with the fact that anyone who had ever entered Jacs life would inform her that she was going to die alone someday. The only time the young medic had actually considered having a family was the times when she was with Joseph. They had been so in love and had many times brought up the subject of children. Anne-Marie had expressed great interest in wanting to become a grandmother. Although this wish had eventually come true it was not quite in the way she had wanted. She had even pretended to be pregnant with his baby.

On the other hand Dylan was still finding parenthood a challenge. When he said he would need Sam to carry him through… he meant it. Everyday seemed to be a struggle and despite constant reassurance, he never seemed to believe in his natural ability to be a good dad to Lucy. For once in his life Dylan was open about these feelings of failure and inadequacy. Much like the old times he could only trust one person… the irony was the fact that this one special person happened to be a certain ice queen Ms Jac Naylor. They were going through everything together so he was pleased when she had phoned him that morning and asked to meet up with him.

"Would you like a cup of tea or something?"

"That would be lovely, thanks Dylan"

Once Dylan had finished the tea, he placed a few chocolate biscuits on a colourful plate and headed for the noisy front room. Carefully, he stepped over Lucy and Freya where they were playing on the floor, placed the plate and mugs on the coffee table and clumped down on the sofa next to Jac.

"They grow up so fast don't they" The young cardiothoracic consultant reflected

"It's only been a few weeks"

"Even so Dylan it really has changed me, you cannot say that you have not grown to love that little girl as your own"

"It's just hard"

"It will get easier"

"I don't think I can do this anymore, I have tried and now she deserves better"

"You are the best that has ever happened to her and there is nobody better suited to look after her than you"

After pausing for a minute Jac realised it was going to take hard work on her part to bring him round.

"Why don't you come and stay with me for a couple of weeks until this all settles down again?"

"I can't do that"

Dylan rarely spent a night away from his boat. Even throughout his time dating Sam, they had spent most of their time at his place, usually following the excuse that he needed to feed Dervla. In reality Dylan had always been afraid of making a commitment to anything that was apart from his dog and eventually Sam. He liked his own space and had never been the type to share with others. Jac however was very persuasive so Dylan relented and compromised allowing himself to spend 6 days with Jac trying to figure out the whole situation that they had both been thrown into.

Until next time

Becky :) x