Hi everyone - thanks for all the lovely reviews - please keep them coming. Hi World there will be (I promise!) some Jac/Jonny loving but not till the final chapters really - sorry (hopefully it will be worth the wait though). Main aim of this was to explore the Jac/Jil friendship and to see how someone who has known Jac since she was very small (before all the rubbish happened to her) and who loves her feels about her and more crucially WHY she feels like that - it will all become clear in the later chapters. Anway, enough explanation on with the next chapter...Enjoy!


Friday, 12.47. Staff Room, Darwin.

Tara entered the staff room at her usual breakneck speed, but stopped suddenly at what she saw as she entered. "Oh," she said, recovering quickly "Have you got bored of Miss Naylor's office?"

Jil looked up from the chair she was sitting on and smiled. "Not exactly, the nesting instinct's kicked in early I think" she explained looking down at her bump, "and now there's only so long I can look at mess without experiencing an overwhelming urge to organise it, and I didn't think Professor Hope would appreciate my efforts."

Tara smiled, "Yes, organised isn't the first word I'd used to describe Professor Hope, have you met him yet?"

"Not yet no," Jil answered, "Jac told me he was at the university this morning. I'm hoping he's back this afternoon though – I'd really like to meet him, from what Jac's told me he sounds lovely."

"Oh he is", Tara enthused "he's really wonderful – so friendly and helpful, he's definitely my favourite consultant. Not that Miss Naylor isn't fantastic too," she added, hurriedly, "it's just that…"

"It's OK Tara," Jil said reassuringly, "I've known Jac for, well I don't really like to think how long I've known her for, but it's long enough to know she's not exactly the most cuddly person on the planet, or the easiest to get on with"

"So, how long have you known Miss Naylor for?" Tara asked, keen to change the subject.

"Practically forever," Jil replied, "we went to the same nursery, Jac started the week after I did."

"Wow," Tara said "and you've stayed friends ever since?"

"Yep – went to the same schools and were both down in London for uni – not doing the same course I hasten to add – I wasn't clever enough to do medicine"

"So what do you do?" Tara asked interestedly. She liked Jil – she'd saved her from the wrath of Miss Naylor earlier on, and as such, had earned her eternal gratitude.

"I'm a clinical psychologist – I work with Looked After Children in Hillingdon."

"Wow, that sounds…heavy"

"It can be, but it's not a matter of life and death like your job, well not normally anyway. I could never do what you and Jac do – it's just such a massive thing. I mean, you literally hold people's hearts, people's lives in your hands – that's just amazing!"

"I'd never really thought about it like that before," Tara said, "it's just what I do, I suppose. Simple as that, and I can't imagine ever wanting to do anything else"

"Well, that's got to be a good thing" Jil said, "you spend well over half your waking life at work so I always feel incredibly sorry for people who don't like their jobs."

"So you like your job too then," Tara surmised.

"Most of the time..yes . Although I could do without all the paperwork that seems to go along with it"

"Tell me about it," Tara agreed, "it's just so annoy…" She stopped mid-sentence as the door opened and Oli came in. "Hey" she said, smiling broadly, "have you met Miss Naylor's friend yet?"

Oli shook his head and said "No"

"Oli, this is Jil and" she said looking at Jil, "this is Oliver Valentine."

"Delighted to meet you," Jil said, offering him her hand, "you're pretty much how I imagined you from what Jac told me. Maybe a bit more handsome, she didn't tell me how blue your eyes were for example, but otherwise she described you pretty well." Oliver, who had started to blush, quickly turned away from her, and began to look wildly around the counter. "They're in the cupboard," Jil said.

"What?" Oli turned round, confused.

"The cups, they're in the cupboard" Jill explained. "Sorry - I've got cleaning-itis, just can't stand mess anymore. Never used to be like this – I've never had such a clean house! It's an interesting symptom of pregnancy – the swollen ankles I was expecting, the overwhelming urge to tidy everything, not so much."

"Jac and Jil," Oli suddenly exclaimed, and then, seeing the look on Tara and Jil's startled faces, continued, "Oh, did I say that out loud?."

"Yep, I'm afraid you did," Jil said "but Tara and I have already had this conversation. I wouldn't mention it to Jac though, she doesn't have such an er…. relaxed view about the comedic potential of our names as I do"

"Ooh," Tara said suddenly, reminded of something , "if Jil isn't your actual name, what is it?"

"Would you believe it's Julianna…" Jil replied, "but my brother couldn't manage that when I was first born, so I've been Jil pretty much since I came home from the hospital. It's really funny actually, some of my friends thought the priest had said the wrong name when I got married – they'd just assumed my name was Gillian I think. You wouldn't believe the number of people who said something about it to me in the line-up. But like I said to you Tara I personally think it's just another sign that me and Jac were destined to be best friends – it was written in the stars!" she finished dramatically.

"Absolute tosh," a voice from behind them said. Jac was standing at the door, "I can't believe you're repeating that drivel again. Fate has absolutely nothing to do with it – I'm stuck with you now, you know far too much about me for me to ever be able to dump you!"

"Mmm, its true," Jil agreed, "it could cost you thousands to keep me quiet! You're definitely better off keeping me on side – I work with children so I've had lots of practice with cutting out things from magazines, I'm sure I could create some wickedly good blackmail letters if I put my mind to it!"

"I've absolutely no doubt you could, but right now I'm more concerned about the fact that you appear to be keeping my doctors from whatever it is they're actually meant to be doing, which I'm fairly sure is NOT having a cosy little chat with you!" Jac said pointedly. "Come on you two" she said to Oli and Tara, "the patients won't cure themselves – go and doctor!"

"But I was trying to make a cup of coffee," Oli objected.

"And what's your excuse St Trinian's?" Jac demanded of Tara

"I came to get my lunch out of the fridge!" she replied.

"And yet there is no food in your hand" Jac retorted, sarcastically, "come on you two get moving I'd like to get home sometime before midnight today". At this, Tara scurried over to the fridge to retrieve her lunch and Oliver hurriedly finished making his coffee and then they both rushed out of the door that Jac was still standing by. "You'll be alright here for a bit longer?" she asked Jil, "I should be done in about 20 minutes, half an hour tops, and then you can buy me lunch."

"Yep, I'll be fine" Jil said "think I've just spotted something else that needs cleaning."

"Right….good," Jac said sounding puzzled. She thought about asking her friend to explain what she meant but reasoned that there wasn't really any point – it was probably something to do with her hormones!

Friday, 13.11. Darwin.

Jonny just couldn't stop smiling – he didn't think he'd ever been so relieved! He hadn't realised quite how much all the worry about what Jac had been up to had been affecting him – it felt like he'd been holding his breath for the last week. He had taken great pleasure in telling Mo that all her stupid theories about Jac had been completely wrong, and that there was no Harley Street surgeon after all. Mo had actually tried to say that it could still be true – Jil could be covering for Jac, lying to Jonny so that Jac could keep playing away, but even she didn't sound that convinced.

Jonny was actually surprised by just how happy he was feeling, surprised and, if he was honest a little bit worried too. I mean he'd always known, from the first time he'd seen her on that people's skills course, that she was his kind of girl – feisty, able to stick up for herself and a little bit naughty, but he hadn't realised until now just how much she was beginning to mean to him. He had, he knew, long ago seen through her frosty, ice exterior but this past week he thought he had begun to understand the real Jac Naylor – the person she could be, should be. As he'd watched her sleeping early on Wednesday morning, he'd been astonished by just how different she looked from normal – still beautiful (breathtakingly so) but strangely relaxed, vulnerable even, which was just not usual for Jac, even when she was asleep. And this strange new Jac was doing incredible things to him and he was just starting to recognize how much trouble he could be in. But for now he was still smiling!

Jac passed Jonny sitting at the nurse's station, on the way to Bay 3. He looked up at her as she went by and literally beamed at her. She didn't know what was up with him today – he'd been grinning like a Cheshire cat who'd got the cream for most of the morning, although not, she suddenly remembered for the whole of it, he'd seemed quite down when she came in this morning. Although, she reasoned, he'd been acting weird all week – he was normally so laid-back he was almost horizontal (which frequently drove her mad) but he'd seemed really on edge, tense even, this week. And he'd not been giving her any of his usual back-chat and hadn't come out with any of (what he, but definitely not she, would call) his 'witty one liners' at all. It was like he'd been on a different planet for most of the week – the number of times she'd caught him looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite read on his face, which just wasn't like Jonny – his feelings were normally so transparent they were almost see through. Still, it looked like he was back on Planet Earth for the moment, which she supposed was a good thing – 'must be the Jil effect' she concluded.

Friday, 13.16. Staff Room, Darwin

Jonny walked into the staff room whistling. "Somebody sounds happy" a voice said. Jonny stopped dead and looked around the room for the source of the comment. He was somewhat surprised to see, through the legs of the table, Jil crouching by the open door of the fridge.

"Are you OK", he asked concerned, walking over to her.

"Oh yes, I'm fine" she replied. "I started off just throwing away all the out of date food, but then I just had to wipe all the shelves down and clean out the drawers too," she explained, showing him the cloth that was in her hand. "Honestly, I don't know how nobody's caught food poisoning yet – I'm always amazed by how disgusting hospital fridges are, especially when everywhere else is so clean – it's really bizarre. "

"Erm…yeah" Jonny said, not really knowing where this conversation was going, "I suppose it is…Do you need a hand?" He asked, as he saw Jil preparing to get up.

"Oh, yes please." Jil said, gratefully, holding out her hand, "it's not so easy for me to get up these days. Still," she continued, as Jonny helped her up, "it does give me an excuse to hold handsome strangers hands, so it's not all bad. Thanks"

"So," Jonny said "you and Miss Naylor. A little bird told me you'd been friends since you were tiny?"

"Yep, since we were three," Jil replied, "but Jonny you can drop the pretence of formality with me and call her Jac – like I said earlier, we talk about everything."

"Oh right, so she's told you about me then?" Jil nodded. "What's she said?"

"Sorry, no can do," Jil said smiling, "what Jac and I talk about – it's confidential. Jac wouldn't have it any other way! In fact," she continued, her smile growing into a face-splitting grin "you could say I'm the graveyard of her secrets – you know I heard that on TV once, been waiting for a chance to say it ever since."

"So, you're not going to tell me anything?" Jonny exclaimed.

"Nope, wouldn't risk it, not even for a muscular, rugged Celt" Jil replied, smiling as she saw Jonny blush.

"Right, OK then." Jonny said, and decided to change tack, "So you and Jac have been friends since you were three, right?" Jil nodded, "so you must be some kind of magician then, or a saint?" He saw the confusion on Jil's face, and explained "I mean, it's hard work getting close to her!"

"Yes, it is, she is" Jil agreed, "but then" she continued after the slightest pause, "the best things normally are, and so very worth it." And then she looked at Jonny with an unreadable expression on her face, and he, starting to feel uncomfortable, attempted to defuse the situation.

"What?" he exclaimed.

"It's just so weird" Jil explained, looking towards the open door- Jonny followed her gaze and saw Jac turning the corner heading towards the staff room, "it's like you have absolutely NO idea how extraordinary she is, and I just don't get it!"

"Oi, Tubby," Jac called smiling, as she reached the staff room door, "you ready to go to lunch?"

"Yep, ready, willing and able." Jil replied, smiling back.

"Come on then, let's go – I'm starving" Jac said.

"You're starving!" Jil countered, "I'm meant to be eating for two, and I've only had a couple of biscuits since breakfast, and they weren't even chocolate ones!" She followed Jac out the door, and with one last backward look at Jonny, set off down the corridor to catch up with her.

Jonny gazed after them – he couldn't shake the feeling that he had just been told off but couldn't think what for. He didn't think anything he'd said had been particularly controversial, and Jil had agreed with him, so he couldn't think why she'd be annoyed. Although, 'maybe annoyed isn't quite the right word' he thought, as he replayed the conversation, disappointed was probably a better description. Yes, that was it, Jil was disappointed with him, in him – she thought he didn't know how special Jac was. But that just wasn't true 'of course I know how brilliant she is, that's been part of the problem this week – I know exactly what I could lose,' he tried to convince himself. But doubts began to crowd in, maybe he didn't, maybe he wasn't completely aware of how, what was the word Jil had used…. how extraordinary Jac was. And if that was true then that posed a question - what was he going to do about it? Or perhaps, more to the point what could he do?...