Roxy's eyes widened in sheer terror. "Wh-what?"

"She's coming," Ronnie stated before crying out in pain.

"Veronica, Veronica sweetheart," Archie began, stepping forward and laying his hands on Ronnie's shoulders. "It's going to be okay, Roxy phone an ambulance-"

"Don't touch me!" Ronnie growled, flinching away from her father.

"Ronnie-"

"You make my skin crawl!"

"Veronica, I'm your dad. I love you-"

"Dad – phone an ambulance, will yer?" Roxy demanded, placing herself between Ronnie and their dad. She grabbed hold of her sister's hand and held it tightly. "Tell them she's thirty two weeks pregnant and her waters have broken." Archie just stood in front of his daughter for a moment. "Well, go on!"

Their father nodded, picking up the phone receiver in the hallway and calling the emergency services.

"It's gonna be okay, Ron. It is, I promise you, she's gonna be okay," Roxy told her older sister.

But Ronnie shook her head. "Eight weeks, Rox – two months. She's not ready, she's not ready-"

"She is a Mitchell – she's ready for anything, okay?" She insisted, cupping her sister's face in her hands. The tears streamed down Ronnie's cheeks. She bit into her bottom lip, trying to stop her sobs. "It's okay, Ron – just breathe, okay? Breathe, remember in the classes? Three short breaths, come on. Breathe," Roxy urged her sister even as her thoughts turned to her unborn niece.

Please darling, just sit tight, okay? Stay where you are for another couple of months. Be late even. Just don't be . . . now.

"Ambulance is on its way, V. It's coming, not long now darling," Archie said, hanging up the phone and approaching his eldest daughter.

"Get him away from me!" Ronnie screamed through her tears, putting up an arm to form a barrier between herself and her dad. "I don't want him anywhere near me. I don't want him near her."

"Dad – can you just step back, yeah?"

"'Ere what's goin' on down here?" Peggy asked, descending the stairs. "You can hear the shouting from-" She stopped as she saw her niece's crumpled form. "Ronnie?" Peggy's eyes darted to Archie, accusation written within them instantly. "What did you do?"

"Not now, Aunty Peg!" Roxy exclaimed, wincing as Ronnie crushed her fingers before letting out a howl of pain. "Breathe Ronnie, just breathe through it." Roxy used her free hand to push back her sister's sweat soaked fringe. "Where the hell is that ambulance?"

Roxy watched Ronnie through the glass window of her hospital room. She was lying on her back, staring into the white of the ceiling. Every few moments, a crystal droplet would cling to her bottom eyelashes before trickling from the corner of her eye.

"Come on Ronnie, just one more. Just one more push."

"I can't, Rox. She can't come now, she can't. She'll be so hurt. She's not ready. She'll hurt," Ronnie sobbed, her heart breaking in two at what she would be doing to her precious daughter.

"She's nearly here, Ron. You can't keep her with you anymore, she needs to come out. One more push, Ronnie and she'll be here. Come on, you can do this. You can do this for her."

Roxy wiped at her eyes, roughly scrubbing away the tears that were ready to spill from them. "No!" She muttered to herself as she pushed down on the door handle and entered Ronnie's room.

"Ron? You okay? D'you want me to get the nurse?"

Ronnie shook her head.

Roxy sat down in the chair beside her sister's bed, instantly scrambling for Ronnie's hand and holding it tightly.

Ronnie pulled her head into her chest and pushed as hard as her exhausted body would allow her. Her clenched hands trembled from the force of her determination before she fell back onto the oversized pillows. "Did I do it?" She asked between gasps of breath.

"Yeah, you did it Ron," Roxy whispered, looking at her sister briefly before turning to watch as the midwife bundled the newborn in warm blankets.

"She's here?" Ronnie asked breathlessly, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips.

"She's here," Roxy answered, her voice cracking with emotion. Her eyes were fixed on her tiny baby niece. Staring intently at her still chest.

"Why isn't she crying, Roxy?"

"Ron?" Roxy whispered. Ronnie just blinked, continuing to stare into space. "I know you can hear me." No response. "You should see her . . ."

Ronnie closed her eyes.

"Amy cried, Roxy. Why isn't she crying? Why isn't she crying?"

"She's beautiful, Ronnie. So, so beautiful."

A single tear slipped out from beneath Ronnie's closed lids and traced a path down her porcelain cheek.

"Ronnie, please. Just see her. She needs her mum."

Ronnie opened her eyes and turned to her younger sister. "And what good am I to her? I couldn't even keep her safe inside of me."

Roxy shook her head. "No, Ron – you can't, you can't think like that! It just happened, it was nobody's fault."

"Yes, it was. It was his. It was his fault and now she's, now she's . . . " Ronnie stopped, clamping a hand over her mouth as she tried to contain her anguish.

"Fine, it's his fault. It's dad's fault. Blame him, I don't care anymore. But please, just see her. See your little girl."

"I can't Rox, I can't see her-"

"Why not?" Roxy demanded through gritted teeth. For the last hour she had stood outside the Special Baby Unit, hoping and praying to a god she had never acknowledged that that little girl would be okay.

"I can't love her just to lose her. I can't, Roxy," Ronnie whispered, her voice breaking as the sobs stumbled from her throat.

"You already love her."