Author's Note: Hi all! So, I wrote this fic a little over two years ago now I believe and I tried and tried to continue it but I wasn't liking the direction it was going in as I feel it all moved a little too fast. I wanted to try and change that and so I decided to re-write it and try and make Banna's love more of a slow burn like in the show, but it will be quite an obvious attraction between the two because I need that, haha! Happy reading x

'Richmond Road please, Nurse Smith, the Jones baby appears to be on its way,' Anna's eyes flitted open as Sister Harriett spoke to her after opening the door to her bedroom and stepping inside, a deep sigh escaping her as she glanced hazily over her shoulder and watched as the elder woman set a cup of tea down on her nightstand before padding over to the window to draw the curtains.

She nodded with a yawn as she pushed her hair out of her face. 'Thank you, sister.'

'You're welcome,' The elder woman replied. 'Oh, and good morning.'

She then turned on her heel and exited the room, closing the door after her, before Anna propped her pillow up against her headboard and reclined against it while reaching for her teacup. As she took a sip she smiled. Even though being a midwife as well as a district nurse meant late nights and extremely early mornings, she was certain that there was no other job in the world that could bring her half as much joy and happiness as this one did. Her mother and grandmother had both served as midwives at her age. Her grandmother had retired after almost forty years and her mother had stopped serving when she had fallen pregnant with her and her stupid boyfriend had left her to deal with it.

She had known from a very early age that she had wanted to be a midwife once she had completed her schooling.

Several members of her family had told her that it was much harder to become a midwife nowadays than it had been when her mother and grandmother had been doing their training and that getting her hopes up would have been foolish, but she had ignored them. She was just like them, determined and prepared to put in the time and effort needed to reach her goals, and with their support she had finally qualified.

She highly doubted she would be where she was today if it wasn't for them, honestly.

Once she had drained the last of the tea from the teacup she set it back down on the nightstand, pulled the covers back and climbed out of bed before padding over to her armoire. She then removed her uniform and cardigan from their respective hangers before returning to the bed, laying them both down neatly at the end of it and wandering out of the bedroom in order to head down to the bathroom to freshen up.

It didn't take long for her to wash her face and brush her teeth before returning to her bedroom to dress for the day and make herself look slightly less dead. Once she had shed her pyjamas and pulled her dress on over her head she buttoned it up, a soft huff escaping her as she sat down on the edge of her bed and began to roll her stockings up her legs. The knock on the door followed just a few moments after that. When the door opened and her best friend as well as colleague, Gwen, stepped inside she smiled. 'I told you…' The redhead shook her head with a tut as she folded her arms over her chest. 'I told you that you were cursed. For some reason, you're always the first to be called out.'

Anna laughed. 'Because you love me, will you please make me some toast when I get back?'

'Sometimes, loving you can be so exhausting,' Gwen groaned. 'But I suppose so.'

'You're a life-saver, that's all there is to say.' Anna told her while buckling her shoes.

Gwen smiled. 'Jones or Kelly?'

'Mrs. Jones,' Anna winced. 'I delivered her last two babies and she still scares me.'

'Really?' Gwen frowned. 'But she's lovely!'

Anna reached for her cardigan and quickly pulled it on, fastening the top button. 'Oh, I know, she's a treasure. I'm not scared of her in that way, I'm scared of her because the last time I held her hand during a contraction she ended up spraining one of my fingers. I thought I had a low pain tolerance, but hers is basically non-existent! She truly has the most horrendous pain threshold and strongest grip I've ever known.'

She noticed the twitch in the corner of Gwen's mouth as she tried her hardest to keep a straight face, but after the two of them had looked at each other for a moment they burst into laughter. 'Oh, I have to go, she's probably worked herself into a right state by now.' She sighed.

'I'll have the kettle on by the time you get back.' Gwen reassured her.

'You might actually be my soulmate.' Anna admitted.

'You're just now figuring that out?' Gwen placed her hands on her hips.

After rolling her eyes in a good-natured fashion and giving her friend a hug, Anna stepped around her and made her way down the corridor to the staircase. She then descended the stairs and retrieved her medical bag before hurrying to the front door, leaving Downton Place and heading towards the bicycle shed. 'Here we go…' She muttered gently to herself while strapping her bag securely to the back of her bicycle. Once she had gotten her bicycle out of the shed and mounted it, she put her long hair into a bun and began cycling towards Richmond Road.

'Sorry…' Beverly Jones whimpered as she laid slumped on the bed, completely exhausted.

'Beverly, you have nothing to apologise to me for because you're doing tremendously,' Anna replied as softly as she could, letting her hand run along her lower leg while she shook her head. 'Baby has moved down beautifully and I can see the top of its head now, but I don't have to tell you what that means because you've done this twice already and you're a natural. Just lie back and try to rest while we wait for this next pain, my lovely, because the more energy you have for this last part the better. Would it help if I got you some water? You're very red.'

The elder woman gave her a weak nod. 'Please.'

Rising from the bed, she brushed down the skirt of her dress before walking over the chest of drawers near the window and pouring a little water from the pitcher into a glass. She then opened the window to allow some air into the room before returning to the bed, sitting herself down beside Beverly and waiting for her to sit herself up slightly. 'I've opened the window a little because the air might help.' She explained while handing the glass of water to her, a smile crossing her lips as she watched her bring it to her lips and start to drink somewhat eagerly.

'But I don't want to be a nuisance. I woke up half the street last time with my James.' Beverly panted once she had finished drinking.

'Quite frankly, I couldn't care less about the other people in this street at this moment in time because they aren't the ones in the middle of giving birth and they aren't my patient. What have I told you? If you think that screaming is going to help you through this, then you scream as much as you like and don't give anyone else a second thought. They can come to me if they have a problem with it and I'll tell them all to mind their own because how you choose to control the pain is none of their business. You can do this, Beverly, you've done it twice already.'

Beverly smiled. 'Do you have any children, nurse? Just out of curiosity?'

The stab of pain that went right through her heart caused Anna to remain silent for a moment and she made herself swallow the lump that came to her throat before taking her hand in her own. 'Not at the moment, but I hope to someday when the right person comes along. I'm not in any rush to have them though because I adore my work and helping to bring new life into the world is just as rewarding, believe me.'

She felt Beverly squeeze her hand tenderly in response, but when she gasped and her grip tightened suddenly she realised what that meant. Moving back down to the end of the bed, she pulled the warm towels closer before taking a deep breath to calm herself down and checking her progress. 'All right, my lovely, so all this pain you're experiencing now is because Baby has decided it wants to start crowning. This part is absolutely horrid and I know you hate it, but think about how much closer we are to the end. The rest of the birth is going to be a breeze once this part is over, so all I want you to do is take some deep breaths and picture yourself holding this baby. Forget about everything else.'

She watched Beverly nod her response as her eyes were closed and her hands were curled into the sheet underneath her, nothing but pride in her own eyes as she gave her lower leg a stroke and turned her attention to the baby. She watched carefully as it crowned little-by-little, her hands coming up to cradle its head in her palms before she ran her fingers around its neck and smiled at finding that it hadn't wrapped the cord around it. In no time at all, the baby's head was completely out and she looked up at Beverly once again before giggling when her eyes opened. 'You would not believe how much dark hair this little one has. I now know why you had such a hard time with your heartburn!'

Despite her exhaustion, Beverly chuckled. 'Not bald like the boys, then?'

'Not in the slightest, it's got a full head.' Anna revealed.

'You would think that that part would be a breeze since this is my third, but I still can't stand it…' Beverly groaned.

Anna shook her head. 'My grandmother had nine children and to this day she swears that there's no pain on earth as bad as crowning.'

'Nine children?' Beverly's eyes widened. 'No, I think three is plenty for me. This is definitely the last one.'

Anna laughed. 'I think three might be my limit as well. Four if my future husband is lucky enough.'

'It won't be long until someone snaps you up,' Beverly said. 'I can't believe it hasn't happened already, to be completely honest.'

'Beverly Jones, you're a flatterer!' She teased. 'No, there have been a couple of men who have tried their luck, but no-one has taken my fancy just yet.'

'Well, he's going to be extremely lucky when he does come along. You're wonderful, nurse.' Beverly's tone turned slightly serious.

Anna was unable to keep herself from blushing. 'That's very kind of you, thank you.'

The next couple of seconds passed in silence as Beverly allowed herself to rest and Anna kept an eye on the baby as she continued to cradle its head in her hands, but soon enough another contraction began to build and the elder woman let out a gentle groan. 'You listen to what your body is telling you to do now,' Anna coaxed. 'Your body knows exactly what to do, so you push when it tells you that you need to push.'

Rather than answering her with words, Beverly just grasped the sheet in her hands and pushed her chin into her chest before bearing down. She pushed through the contraction for as long as she could before slumping against the headboard and groaning with relief when she felt her baby leave her body, tears beginning to scroll down her cheeks as she listened to its first feeble wail. Soon enough, that tiny wail turned into a sharp cry and she couldn't resist the urge to open her eyes. 'Frederick and I settled on the name Raymond. What do you think, nurse?'

'I think it's lovely,' Anna glanced up from the baby she was busy wiping down with a towel. 'Although I don't think it suits this little lady.'

Beverly felt tears of joy spring to her eyes. 'Wh…what? I…I have a little girl?'

'You do and she is so beautiful…' Anna replied while laying the baby girl down on one of the warm, clean towels and swaddling her securely in it. She then brought her into the cradle of her arms, shushing her as she continued to scream blue murder, before rising from the bed and moving closer to Beverly so that she could ease her into her waiting arms and sit down beside her once again. Her heart swelled within her chest as she watched the elder woman stare down at her daughter with tears of pure happiness in her eyes. 'So, was she worth all of that?'

'I'd do it all again ten times over if I had to,' Beverly sobbed. 'I love my boys to bits, but I prayed for this little one to be a girl.'

Anna smiled. 'Well, your prayers have been answered. Tell me, do you have a name in mind?'

'Just one,' Beverly tore her gaze away from the fussy newborn in her arms to look at her for a second. 'I'd like to name her Anna. After you. Frederick always said that I could choose the name if we ever had a girl and I just think it suits her so much. You don't mind, nurse, do you?'

'Mind?' Anna breathed. 'Goodness, I'm honoured!'

Beverly let out a relieved sigh. 'Her full name will be Anna Emilia Jones, after you and my mum.'

'Well, just like her it's beautiful.' Anna whispered while reaching out to stroke the baby's cheek with the back of her palm.

The placenta was delivered in the next couple of minutes and once she had checked it over to ensure that it was intact, she packed her bag once again and snapped it closed. 'I know that he won't be home until late tonight, but would you please pass on my congratulations to Mr. Jones when he gets home from work? And the boys when they come home from school?' She asked as she moved to stand beside her again.

'I will, I promise.' Beverly nodded.

After offering her a smile, Anna reached out to give the now settled baby's cheek one last stroke. 'I need to get back to Downton, but I'll pop in at some point in the morning to see how you're both getting on.' She explained before she and Beverly said goodbye to one another and she turned on her heel to walk out of the bedroom and then out of the little flat. Once she had left the building and closed the door behind her she placed her bag on the back of her bicycle, secured it and neatened up her hair before starting to make the journey back to Downton.

It was just after lunch when she made it back to Downton Place and after taking her bicycle back to the shed she unclipped her medical bag and walked up the steps to the door, a tired sigh leaving her as she opened it and walked into the building. Once she had closed it again she decided that her instruments needed sterilising before she was called out again and so she headed for the autoclave room in order to do so.

It took quite some time, but soon enough she had completed her task and was just about to start putting the instruments back into her bag. Before she had the chance to do that, however, the sound of footsteps grasped her attention and she turned in place just in time to watch a man walk into the room. 'Excuse me, I do apologise for intruding, but I'm looking for Sister Hilda and I'm afraid I'm a tad lost.' He chuckled.

'Oh, she'll be up in her office about now,' She replied with a smile. 'Shall I go and fetch her for you?'

'No, I won't bother her if she has things to do because I can always come back later,' He shook his head, returning her smile as he began to approach her. 'Since I'm here though, I should probably introduce myself. I'm John Bates, the new G.P. I just arrived in London this morning.'

'Yes, of course,' She gasped. 'Sister Hilda said that we would be getting a new doctor. I'm Anna May Smith, district nurse and midwife.'

'How do you do?' He said while they shook each other's hand.

A silence then fell over the two of them for the next moment-or-so.

'Sister Hilda is quite caught up with some things at the moment, but I'm sure she'd love for you to join us for lunch.' She looked up at him.

'Oh, I wouldn't want to impose.' He told her.

She tutted. 'You wouldn't be! It would also give the others a chance to meet you before clinic tomorrow afternoon. We all sit down to eat at 12:30, so if you can get here for 12:15 then you should have enough time to introduce yourself and chat with her before lunch is brought in.'

'All right,' He agreed. 'As long as you're sure that Sister Hilda won't mind, Anna.'

'She won't,' She reassured him. 'She's as grateful to you for coming here as the rest of us.'

John looked at her in silence for a moment. 'Was Doctor Browne's death as horrific as it sounded?'

'Yes…' She shuddered at the memory. 'They never did manage to find the driver that hit him. They looked for months.'

'But they're certain that he was drunk?' He inquired.

She hummed. 'Witnesses at the scene said that the driver was swerving all over the place beforehand.'

'I'm so sorry.' He sighed.

'We're all sorry,' She explained to him. 'But there's nothing that anyone can do about it now, no matter how much we may want to.'

He knew that she had a point. 'I hope that I'll do him proud.'

'I think you will,' She smiled. 'Just remember that I'm always here to lend a hand if you need me.'

'I'll bear that in mind,' His eyes twinkled. 'Now, I had better be going. I'll be back at 12:15 as you said.'

'Brilliant. I'll see you then, Doctor Bates.'

Once she had watched him leave the room her stomach growled and she remembered that Gwen had promised to make her some tea and toast. The thought of being able to have something to eat after such a long morning made her smile and so, after closing her medical bag, she made her way out of the room before wandering through the halls to the little kitchen. 'Oh, you are an absolute dream!' She squealed.

'Tell me something I don't know,' Gwen smirked. 'Jam or marmalade?'

'Surprise me.' She replied while sitting down at the table and making herself comfortable.

As soon as Gwen had finished making the toast she carried the plate over to Anna and set it down before her, a smile gracing her features as she pulled out the chair beside her and sat down. 'How did things go with Mrs. Jones this morning?' She asked after a couple of seconds.

'Honestly, much smoother than I thought,' Anna replied after swallowing her first bite of toast. 'She even named her little girl after me.'

'That doesn't surprise me,' Gwen said. 'She won't let anyone other than you touch her.'

Anna smiled before taking another bite of toast and groaning happily as she savoured it. 'I never thought that I'd love toast so much.'

'You deserved it after this morning,' Gwen reached out to brush several blonde hairs out of her face. 'I'm going to check the call-board.'

The redheaded midwife then rose from the table before leaving the kitchen, Anna glancing over her shoulder at her as she sighed quietly.

She didn't tell her often enough, but sometimes she truly adored her best friend.

It was late that evening when Anna was stood in front of the sink in the bathroom while she brushed her teeth, her gaze fixed on her reflection in the little mirror whilst she moved the toothbrush back and forth. Lunch with Doctor Bates, the nurses and the Sisters had gone well earlier on. She had learned quite a lot about him in that hour and was growing to like him.

He had told her and the others about what it had been for him as a doctor whilst the war had been raging. Knowing that he had been the one to take care of children and others who had failed to get into air-raid shelters in time had broken her heart. The thought of people getting hurt because of a stupid war angered her more than she could ever hope to put into words.

Even though it had saddened her to hear about the horrors that John had seen in the war, she had to admit that getting to know him had been so nice. He was such a gentle and kind man and he had made her and the others chuckle more than once with some of the funnier stories he had told them all. There was no doubt in her mind that he was going to be a good doctor.

After spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing her mouth, she turned off the tap before starting to leave the bathroom. She turned off the light before closing the door and walking towards her bedroom, a tired sigh escaping her when she entered and closed the door in order to start getting dressed for bed. She was relieved when she was able to snuggle beneath her covers.

She laid in the dark for a while after turning off the light on her bedside table, thinking about what Clinic was going to be like tomorrow. John was new and yes, the two of them were still getting to know each other, but she hoped that things worked out for him. She hoped that the mothers showed him the same kindness and respect that they had shown to doctor Browne.

Doctor Bates, even though he had told her things about himself, was still a mystery to her.

She had never met another man like him before and…and she just longed to find out more.

A/N: Thank you all so much for taking the time to read chapter one and I truly hope you enjoyed! I will be updating Our Miracle and Long Live the Queen at some point, but I just want to be sure that there's still interest for them before I create more. Please let me know! I'd also be grateful if you would let me know what you thought of this first chapter. Thank you in advance and I'll see you all soon x