A/N: Before I even began this chapter I knew that I would need to write another one of these little notes, if you have no problems with this story then please feel free to just scroll down and ignore this - but if you have any feelings about the quality regarding how "real" the events are or how dramatic then please read this small explanation before being too quick to leave a negative review. I'm still getting a lot of feedback regarding how "realistic" this fic is even though I explained my method of writing just a couple of chapters ago. So, for (hopefully) the last time, I'd just like to address this from my own perspective and defend this piece of writing. Firstly, this fic is not meant to necessarily depict a real narrative of events, it is intended to be dramatic and captivating with every chapter - it's the way I've planned it (and yes, it has been planned extensively before being written and it is also edited heavily before being uploaded which is why it sometimes takes a little while to update), and it's the way I, as an author, want it to be. I write this fic for my own enjoyment beyond all else, of course I appreciate feedback and positive comments, they make my day but the negative ones do little but exasperate me since I've already explained my reasoning behind my writing. Secondly, the show in itself isn't exactly the epitome of "real". The show is intended to captivate audiences but it is a lot easier to keep audiences captivated through screen than it is to keep readers coming back to a specific fic which is why in writing I find that things have to be more dramatic. I don't want to write about the drudgery of day-to-day life and I'm sure people aren't particularly interested in it. Even the show lacks elements of realism which I can say as a British person who has ample experience with the NHS (my mother is a nurse and I myself do a lot of research for this fic including speaking to her and sometimes even her colleagues regarding medical practice). The show is not true to life and neither does this fic have to be, because that's what it is, fiction. This all being said, if you're so very uncomfortable with the way I have chosen to tell this story then please, just don't read it. Like I said before, I write this for my own enjoyment above all else and I was overwhelmed when it got such a positive response in its conception. Thank you so much to those who have enjoyed this fic and have been loyal to it, I might not reply to reviews but I read them avidly and I am so grateful to those who take the time even just to tell me they're enjoying my writing. As an aspiring author it means the world to me that people are enjoying my writing, even if it is just Fanfiction, so thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this fic but I have no intention of dialling back the drama nor the events of the story to come. Thank you for reading this, and I hope you continue to enjoy my story and even if you don't, I hope you have a lovely day.

A/N: It's also really hard to write this fic at the moment because of the way John's been acting in the TV series, especially after what's happened with Roxanna. It's very difficult to write about him sympathetically so please bear with me if updates are delayed as they're likely to be and as they have been over the past few weeks. I still love this fic, I adore Hannah and part of me still loves John in spite of it all, but it's really hard to like him right now!

Chapter 18 - A Day to Remember

The next few months were a whirlwind. From the day she could go home, Hannah began wedding-planning, she couldn't stop, she couldn't give her head a chance to mull over anything other than the thought of her impending life of marital bliss. The only things to dampen her spirits were the scars on her arm and the smaller one on her neck but she didn't doubt that that one would heal quickly.

She and John quickly decided that a summer wedding was the best option and this gave Hannah little time to begin making plans, John left her to it. He tried to give his input once and when he said the wrong thing she gave him such a glare as to keep well enough away from then on. Instead, Roxanna took his place and the mother and daughter came together as an unstoppable force of wedding planning whilst John sought Henrik's company as they were both pushed to the side-lines.

Roxanna helped Hannah to find the right church, they both decided it was best to go down the traditional wedding route, and then they found somewhere for the reception and John just let them get on with it. The truth was he didn't much about where or when it happened, all he cared about was marrying Hannah, so he left the women to organising the details.

The next most important thing was to secure Hannah's wedding dress and organise a guest list. The guest list was easy, both Hannah and John had all the same friends and colleagues and the majority of the list was made up of Hannah's friends as John came to the realisation that he didn't really have anyone other than her and her family. The terms of her wedding dress was a little more complicated and no matter how many shops Hannah and Roxanna tried there were none which Hannah felt comfortable in. Trying to find something with long-sleeves for a summer wedding was a nightmare in itself but Hannah couldn't bear to have the scars on her arm showing on her big day which would be memorialised in photographs forever. Roxanna suggested a jacket or a shawl but Hannah couldn't find anything she liked. It wasn't until a week before the big day was planned that she finally found what she wanted. The sleeves on the dress were lace so weren't perfect but she was happy, she felt confident in the dress and that was the most important thing.

John took charge of finding his own suit for himself and one for Danny as well and Henrik helped him as he had no idea where to start. He wanted Henrik for his best man as well but it was logistically difficult as Henrik needed to walk Hannah down the aisle. For her Maid of Honour, Hannah chose Dom who was delighted to play the Patrick Dempsey part but promised not to declare his love for her at the wedding; the rest of her bridesmaids comprised of Frieda (who agreed only if she could wear black) and Nicky as she and Hannah grew close over the few months where Nicky worked under Hannah's guidance.

Eventually the details were ironed out and Henrik worked out a way where he could walk Hannah down and aisle and still act as John's best man; Roxanna thrived in acting as the mother of the bride and slowly, the family began to knit together in alliance with this momentous occasion. Hannah loved the attention, she loved being in charge of all the tiny details and moving from one choice to the next but she never lost sight of her work when she was in the hospital. She glowed and brought new life to the patients, a new health which was easier for them to attain when it came alongside her electric personality. She was her old self again, lighting up the hospital like a Christmas tree in defiance of any attack they might encounter, any drama that might befall them was quickly shied away with her brightness, she protected them all like an envelope of cushioning, she never let her stress show.

The few days leading up to the wedding she began to flag a little as stress and excitement got on top of her. It was difficult to get any time off, it was hard enough to get the actual day of the wedding off in itself so everyone was working right up until the evening before, except for Hannah, Henrik and Roxanna who had managed to get the afternoon before the big day off for preparation. Most of the work had been done and the evening had sped past as Hannah tried to combine her wedding duties alongside her duties as Danny's mother; but now the house was quiet and Danny had been put to bed, leaving the three adults with cups of tea in their hands sitting around in Henrik's study in a comfortable silence.

Once the cups were empty, Henrik left to refill them, leaving Hannah and her mother alone in the quiet.

'I'm glad you're here.' Hannah said suddenly, breaking the silence and bringing her mother's attention to her, Roxanna answered her with a small smile.

'I'm glad to be here.' she said and paused for a moment before continuing. 'I often dreamed about this, about you getting married but I was always worried that I'd be told about it in some email or letter, I never thought I'd actually get to be a part of it. Thank you.'

'Oh stop it you big sap.' Hannah smiled and they both laughed before Hannah got up from her chair and crossed to the sofa where Roxanna had been sitting with Henrik. She took her father's spot and leaned her head against her mother's shoulder.

'I really mean it, mum. I'm glad to have you now, I couldn't have done any of this without you. I love you.' she mumbled and Roxanna pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head.

'I love you too, sweetheart, and I'm not going anywhere ever again.' she whispered into her hair and the two women sat there for a few moments, holding one another. Neither of them noticed when Henrik re-entered the room holding the tea tray and he stopped for a moment to look at them. He smiled softly to himself as he watched his family and he made a promise to himself that one day soon he would pluck up the courage to tell Roxanna about his feelings for her, he wondered if she might feel the same way, if she might want to make things work for the sake of their daughter and grandchild. True, the fact that Hannah was marrying their friend from their student days was a little odd still, disconcerting even, but Henrik wanted to make it all work, he wanted to bring them all together as a family.

He gently set down the tea tray and Hannah and Roxanna noticed him at last and Hannah gently lifted herself off of her mothers' shoulder but didn't vacate the spot. Instead of taking Hannah's abandoned chair, Henrik crossed to his desk and took out an envelope, holding it awkwardly for a moment and sharing a look with Roxanna who nodded slightly. Hannah had busied herself with the tea but looked up when she noticed her parents' sharing a look and looked between them.

'What?' she asked and Henrik came over to the sofa, gesturing for Hannah to budge up closer to her mother which she did, he then handed her the envelope.

'Roxanna and I talked about this and we wanted you to have something to help with the wedding.' Henrik explained slowly and Hannah slid out the cheque from the envelope and her eyes widened as she shook her head.

'No, dad, thank you, really, but I can't accept this.' she said, sliding it back in quickly and trying to press it back into her father's hands but he pushed it away.

'I insist. After all, it's only traditional that the father of the bride ought to pay for the wedding.' he justified but Hannah was still shaking her head.

'John and I can manage, we don't need... you don't need to...' she stumbled but he gave her a glare, the one with the raised eyebrow she knew so well from her childhood, she had lost this battle.

'Dad...' she whispered with tears in her eyes as she looked down at the envelope again.

'I have done wrong by you many times in your life, Hannah, and we haven't always been on the best terms I know that.' he explained slowly and Hannah cringed as she remembered only ten years ago when she had felt like she hated her father with all her heart and here he was giving her a ludicrous amount of money to marry a man he didn't approve of, all for the sake of her happiness.

'If I can do anything for you, I want to, I want you to know that no matter what happens in our lives, if we fall out or if you decide you never want to speak to me again, you'll always be my little girl and I'll always be proud of the woman you've become.' he told her and tears spilled down both of their cheeks. 'You are remarkable, Hannah Hanssen, my ray of sunshine in a bleak, bleak world.' he concluded and Hannah threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek before burying her face in his shoulder as she sobbed.

Hanssen was momentarily taken aback before he held her back and then motioned Roxanna in to join the embrace and comfort their daughter from the other side. The three of them held one another for a long time and tears were shed as each of them wondered if there would ever be another moment like this, and if there was how long it would be before they got to experience it. Hannah's heart was full with appreciation and love for both of her parents and for the first time she had her doubts about the wedding if it meant she would have to leave any part of them behind, she was scared.

She never voiced her concerns of course, she didn't want to put anybody off of the wedding which was only the next day. She kept her mouth shut, but she could hardly sleep that night in her old bedroom with Danny snoring softly beside her as she lay there and stared into the dark, imagining what her life would be like once she was a married woman. Her heart beat madly in her chest and by the time the sun was beginning to creep through the crack in the curtains, she was just dropping off to sleep.

Roxanna awoke her with a cup of tea and Henrik took charge of helping Danny get ready whilst Roxanna and Hannah donned her dress, curled her hair and did her make up. It took a long time but things began to speed up with Dom turned up to help with Lofty in tow. Lofty awkwardly joined Henrik in entertaining Danny and keeping him from roughing up his suit whilst Dom helped the women in preparing Hannah. Once again Hannah felt that inkling of doubt, that twinge of fear, as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror.

'You look beautiful.' Dom told her from one side and Roxanna put her arm around her with a grin and tears in her eyes.

'You look incredible.' she affirmed and as Hannah stood between them she tried to force a smile. Once she began to pretend her excitement flooded back to her and she remembered how much she loved John, how excited she was for this, she was back.

John's preparation was much more solitary. He spent the evening before working in his study and then slept, just as fitfully as Hannah had but awoke feeling more refreshed. He got ready by himself and arranged his transportation to the venue by himself, he hadn't thought to ask anyone to come over beforehand, he knew everyone would be tied up with Hannah. He didn't have time to think, he just got himself to the church and greeted people as they arrived, accepted their congratulations with a small smile, hating the attention but knowing Hannah would love it. He took his place at the end of the aisle, he had given the rings to Roxanna the morning before to give to Danny who was acting as ring-bearer and he had some terrible notion that he had forgotten to do something but he couldn't remember what.

He tried to smile and appear casual, to put on his usual facade which often came naturally to him after he'd been donning it for years as a second face, but today it was so difficult. He twisted his hands together in front of him and hoped nobody would notice, he smiled coolly at his colleagues before turning back towards the officiant and trying to give her the appearance that he was completely in control of himself, she looked less convinced than the people who knew him. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves when he heard Danny's excited voice chattering to Roxanna and Lofty from the front row and he knew that Hannah was near, it was about to begin. He wished he'd picked another best man, anyone really, just someone who could have been there at this moment to help him get through the next five minutes. He took another deep breath and as he exhaled the wedding march struck up around him and he heard the unmistakeable sound of the crowd rising to their feet.

This was it. This was the moment he had been building up to for months. He'd never felt more unsure, more nervous, than he did in that moment. The most difficult surgery of his life, lying about the trial, nothing in his entire career could compare to this moment.

John took a final deep breath as he tried to steady his nerves and he turned around slowly to see his future wife. He was immediately blown away by how beautiful Hannah looked. She grinned at him as she hung onto her father's arm but it was clear that she was the one leading the way, she was so full of youthful vibrance and her face glowed as she revelled in the attention. She laughed slightly as she walked down the middle of the aisle and Henrik walked by her side with a bashful smile, but John could tell it made him genuinely happy to see his daughter so ecstatic.

When they reached John she gave him a slight squeal and a grin before turning to her father and kissing his cheek, Henrik then took her hand and put it into John's and he gripped her hands tightly, grinning at her in turn.

Finally the church was silent again and all eyes turned to the officiant of the ceremony, just before he spoke Hannah leaned towards John and spoke quietly.

'You still like me, right?' she asked and John laughed at her with a look of love, he squeezed her hand gently again.

'Are you incapable of being serious even this once?' he asked playfully and she shrugged with a grin.

'I'll grow up one day.' she justified but the officiant was vying for their attention now and she began.

'Good morning, ladies and gentleman, and welcome to this ceremony to join together John and Hannah.' the officiant smiled, her voice was gentle but it seemed to carry all the way through the church. 'We have gathered here from near and far to celebrate the union of these two people who have proven that through trials and hardships, despite differences and altercations, love can always prevail. They thank you for your support as you are here today to help celebrate the union of these two worthy souls.' the officiant then turned to Hannah and John and addressed them in a slightly quieter tone.

'Hannah and John, you are here to join together as one, to combine your souls together and enter into that sacred and special place that is matrimony. Marriage is the place where love, trust and honour can flourish and we all here today believe that the two of you can endure the rest of your lives alone together with only the other in this harmonious existence. Marriage is the place where you will share all of your joys and sorrows, all of your trials and tribulations and you will battle through each storm together without fear and without loneliness. This relationship will endure even the darkest of nights and the deepest of pits because the two of you are agreeing to share all of life's responsibilities, to trust one another implicitly and to love one another only, unconditionally.' The officiant gave them another secret smile and then turned back to the congregation.

'If anybody has any reason why these two should not be unified in matrimony, please to speak now or forever hold your peace.' she said, her voice was a little firmer, almost like she was threatening. Hannah held her breath and snuck a glance at her father who was sitting next to Roxanna and holding her hand tightly, he gave her a warm smile in return and she knew that there would be no objections. Sure enough, the church was silent and Hannah released her breath with a sigh of relief, John gave her a funny look.

'Excellent.' the officiant beamed before gesturing to Hannah and John. 'Please, stand opposite one another and hold hands, like this.' she positioned them and the two of them looked into one another's eyes with a mixture of nerves and excitement.

'Now, please take a moment to look at one another and simply remember this moment in time, the moment in existence when the two of you were joined together forever.' she said and then paused, giving Hannah and John a moment to commit this exact second to memory.

'Now, John, please speak the vows you have prepared.' the officiant requested and John took a deep breath, keeping calm and Hannah was proud of him but secretly was dreading her own turn.

'Hannah, we have already endured so much and fought through it all. I'm so proud of the woman and mother that you are and I'm excited to see the family we can become. I promise to support you in all things, to inspire you to achieve new heights and to always put you first in everything. You are my whole world and I adore you with everything in me. I promise to fill our home with laughter and enjoyment, I promise to keep you safe and to be grateful for the time we have together however limited it might be. I love you, Hannah, and I will not let anyone come between us ever again, as long as I live.' he spoke softly but Hannah felt every word and felt tears spring to her eyes that she desperately didn't want to cry.

'And now Hannah, if you will speak the vows you have also prepared.' the officiant requested and Hannah took a deep breath as John had done.

'John, things have not been easy but you are the most inspiring man I've ever met. I felt like the whole world was against us when in reality it was just my dad.' she said and the crowd laughed, John should have guessed that Hannah would litter her vows with jokes but he knew it was just her way. 'I vow to provide a happy home for you, one filled with constant distraction and support, one filled with busy days and calm nights. I vow to be the wife you've waited for, to be the girl you fell in love with always, to fight in your corner and act as your second opinion. Know that I will always support you and encourage you to keep on pushing the boundaries, I will never hold you back so long as it's in my power. I swear I will, simply put, do everything in my power to make you happy, and I think that's the best that I can do. I love you John Gaskell, and to be married to you is better than any fairy-tale ending.' she was whispering by the end as she fought to keep the tears from escaping.

There was a brief moment of silence which the officiant allowed to give the crowd a moment to remember the words of these two people and Hannah and John shared a small laugh as the full force of their happiness hit them.

'John, do you take Hannah to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, forever and always?' the officiant asked and John nodded slowly.

'I do.' he affirmed and Hannah's grin spread across her face again.

'And Hannah, do you take John to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, forever and always?' she asked Hannah who struggled to contain herself until she was finished before she burst out with her own affirmation.

'I do!' she giggled and the officiant smiled.

'That is good news,' the officiant grinned and everyone laughed again. 'And now if you could please present the rings?' she requested and Danny was urged forward holding a small pillow with the two wedding bands resting in the middle. He held it up to Hannah who crouched down to his height and kissed his cheek with a laugh.

'Your rings symbolise your never-ending love for one another, your wedding bands are the symbols of the unified, unbroken strength you two give to one another and will share throughout your married life.' the officiant smiled and gestured to John. 'John, please take the ring and place it on Hannah's finger, repeating after me.'

John repeated the words after the officiant but Hannah only heard him, she knew her phrase would be identical but she still felt like the words were coming straight from his heart.

'Hannah with this ring, I express my love to you and my commitment to our relationship. With this ring, I thee wed.' he said and Hannah repeated the phrase as she placed the ring on John's finger. The officiant grinned at them and Hannah felt a buzz of excitement she struggled to contain as she felt the ring firm on her finger.

'John and Hannah, the pair of you have joined together here today, of your own free will and in the presence of friends and family to unify your relationship and affirm it within the boundaries of married life. You have shared your personal vows and you have exchanged rings in the symbol of your commitment to one another. It gives me the greatest pleasure to announce that with the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now share your first kiss as husband and wife. Congratulations.' she grinned and Hannah couldn't wait for her to finish before she threw her arms around John's neck and pressed her lips to his. He caught her, as he was accustomed to do when she got excited and kissed her back as the crowd around them erupted into cheers and clapping.

When Hannah broke away and managed to find her feet again confetti was raining down on them and people were standing, still cheering and clapping for them as music swelled to usher them out of the building. The next step was a blur for Hannah as she was caught up in a whirlwind of pictures and shaking hands and hugs and kisses. She clung to John's hand with one hand and entrusted Danny to her parents so that she didn't need to keep track of him with the other but often found him with her again and had to keep a tight hold on him until she could find her parents again amidst the chaos; but it was magical chaos.

By the time they arrived at the reception venue John was struggled to catch his breath but Hannah was bouncing up and down with excitement, loving the fast-paced nature of it all as she whirled from place to place and person to person. She struggled to stay still and John had to hold her arm to keep her in place as they stood and greeted everyone as they arrived. The meal passed quickly and John began to feel tired as they finished but he knew that in the mind of the younger people the reception was just beginning and he doubted if he would see any kind of respite until late that night.

Staff opened the way through to a dance floor and once again John's heart began to hammer in his chest as he remembered he and Hannah had the first dance. They hadn't prepared anything special, they had both agreed that neither of them were the kind of people who danced and to try and be those kind of people would turn to nothing more than a disaster. The crowd formed and John wanted to run away, he wanted to hide, he didn't want to be there in front of all those people in any other capacity than as their boss, or a doctor, to just be himself wasn't possible. Hannah seemed to notice his discomfort as she quietly slipped her hand into his and gave him a small, reassuring smile. He knew she was nervous too, but she knew how to make a joke of things if it all went wrong, she knew how to be a people person much better than he did.

Hannah led him onto the dance floor as the music started but John could hardly hear a thing. He automatically took her in his arms and she wound her arms around his neck and he was forced to look into her eyes and nowhere else, and then the room melted away along with his fear. As he gently moved around the floor with Hannah in his arms, her gentle eyes smiling at him and her fresh face glowing, he knew there was no reason to be afraid because it would never affect how she felt about him. She looked so happy, and to know that he was the cause of that happiness brought him a joy he couldn't put into words. To be with her was so easy, it required no thought and no effort, she made the world simple, it was just her.

The floor began to fill around them and Hannah became distracted by the people waltzing around them, she smiled and laughed with her friends and John didn't try and stop her. She gripped him a little harder in excitement as she saw her parents dancing together and almost tripped over her own feet in excitement.

'Do you think they'd have a go of it?' she whispered to John, barely audible over the music and he looked at Henrik and Roxanna for the first time.

'Maybe.' he replied, a pain twinged in his chest at the thought. The secret was that Roxanna had really been his first love, even though he did love Hannah, the feeling of Roxanna being the first one to win his affections would never really go away, just like the way Hannah and Ollie were.

'I think it would be great, I keep telling dad he should just tell her he likes her, if she hasn't already worked it out he's not exactly hidden it well has he?' she grinned and John looked back at her with a small smile, even on her wedding day she was putting her father's happiness first.

'I think that they're both already so lucky because they have you.' he said to her and she looked back at him, her cheeks flushing slightly under her make up.

'Well, you have me now.' she laughed and he leaned down to kiss her softly. The dance ended and Hannah was whirled away by Dom who demanded a dance and Roxanna claimed John for her own dance.

The afternoon went on in much the same way and slipped into the evening quickly. Hannah pulled John onto the dance floor far more than he was comfortable with and when he wouldn't dance with her she danced with everyone else. She and Roxanna were a sight to see as their combined energy made the dance-floor electric; she danced with Danny and lifted him high into the air with the risk of ruining her dress. Dom and Lofty claimed her as a third party multiple times and she joined up with Fletch, Nicky, a rather-drunk Meena, she even managed to get Frieda onto the dance floor for a short period. Of course Sacha joined her in a few dances, Essie too; she worked hard on attempting to convince Serena and Ric to join her and she succeeded in gaining one dance from Ric but Serena refused point blank. Donna and she collided a few times on the dance floor and joined forces for a while before drifting apart and then together again.

Old friends and new all joined together, Hannah gelled them all together as she'd been all over the hospital from a young age, everyone knew her and everyone liked her. John watched in awe as she moved from one group to another, seemingly at ease with absolutely everyone, always with a grin on her face. A slow song came on after a while and the dance floor thinned a little but Hannah's energy was unwavering and she stood in the middle of the room, looking around for someone to join her. Someone came up behind her and lightly tapped her shoulder.

'Can I have this dance?' he asked and Hannah turned around to see Ollie stood in front of her, smiling sheepishly. The moment she saw him her face broke into a grin and she flung her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

'I didn't know if you were coming!' she said into his ear as he hugged her back.

'I couldn't miss Hannah Hanssen getting married, could I?' he replied and they kept their arms around one another as they danced easily together.

'I've missed you, Darwin's not been the same without you and...' the memories of Jac filled her with regret and pain so she cut herself short and took a moment to compose herself before smiling at him again.

'She would have loved this.' Ollie said looking around and Hannah laughed.

'I think she probably would be very drunk by now and making very sarky remarks about everything.' she conjectured and Ollie nodded.

'But then she would pull you to one side and tell you that she was proud of you and give you some heartfelt speech about making it all work out.' he continued and Hannah laughed again.

'Something like that.' she said and tightened her grip a little on Ollie, as if she was afraid she might lose him again too.

'You look amazing.' he told her and she smiled at him.

'You still have beautiful eyes.'

'They were never going anywhere.'

'But they did, you never visit, we never see you anymore.' she wasn't angry, but there was disappointment and sadness clearly in her tone.

'It's not that I don't want to it's just... the whole hospital is such a different place now. There are all new people there, people are gone, some people are the same but a little bit different. I just... it's hard for me to be there.' he explained and her smile was tinted with sadness.

'I'm sorry, about everything that happened. But we do miss you, all of us, me especially.' she said and he pulled her to his chest in a tight hug.

'I know, I'm sorry too.' he muttered into her hair, he inhaled the smell of her perfume and memorised the way his hands felt on the curve of her back. 'I'm really happy for you, Hannah, you deserve to have this and be happy. '

'I love you.' she mumbled into his chest and he smiled a little but he knew there was an innocence in her statement, she loved him the way a sister loved a brother, the way two best friend's should. It was just memories flooding back to her, painful recollections of everything they had shared and everything they had lost, there would always be this connection between them and even if it hurt, neither of them would ever sever it.

'I love you too.' he replied and they stood in their embrace for a little while longer.

John and Henrik sat together at a table on the edge of the dance-floor, watching Hannah dance madly with everyone and anyone, it seemed that every time they looked away for a moment they would look back to find she had a new partner. She smiled at them and waved occasionally but they knew it was just a ruse to try and get them to dance with her and neither fell for the bait.

'Where does she get her energy from?' John asked Henrik who shrugged with a fond smile in her direction.

'I have no idea. She's always been that way, full of life and sunshine. She must get it from her mother.' Henrik suggested as they watched Roxanna and Hannah whirling one another around the floor and laughing until they were breathless. John and Henrik watched them for a moment before both laughing as the two women had to cling to one another to stay standing for laughing so hard.

'Hannah's hopeful to see her parents together again.' John confided in Henrik who looked down with an embarrassed smile.

'I don't know about that...' he began but John hit his arm playfully.

'Oh come on Henrik, ever since University you two have had something going on it's been obvious. Just be blunt with her, tell her how you feel and it'll all work out in the end.' John told him and Henrik laughed slightly.

'I don't have even an inkling of your confidence, John.' he said and John raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze back to the mother and daughter.

'But Roxanna has all of Hannah's. Trust me, she won't let you fall flat, she'll help you along the way.'

'I don't know...' Henrik gave John a small smile and John saw in his friend's eyes that he was considering it, no matter what he actually said, and it gave John hope that his friend's might be as happy as he was. The song ended and Hannah clapped and whooped along with the rest of the crowd as the DJ announced over the speakers that the next dance would be the traditional father-daughter dance. Hannah turned to her father with her hands clasped in front of her, grinning from ear to ear at the prospect of dancing with her father.

'I suppose that's my cue...' Henrik groaned and John hid a laugh behind his hand as Hannah came forward to claim her father and the song began.

The two danced in silence for a few moments, Henrik feeling awkward as he became aware that all eyes were on him but Hannah seemed completely at ease as she nestled into him and he was reminded of when she was a very small child and he would allow her to sit on his lap whilst he worked, he doubted she even remembered such a time.

'Thank you for all of this...' she said into his chest, he could only just hear her over the music but the sincerity of her tone and the gratitude in her voice spoke wonders for him and he knew that she meant it with everything she could possibly give.

'Well, I was merely sticking with tradition.' he rejoined and she looked up at him, she had tears sparkling in her eyes and he was slightly taken aback, he thought something was wrong.

'I don't mean the money,' she replied with a small smile which she struggled to maintain through her tears. 'Well, I mean I do, of course thank you for the money, but I mean more the fact that you've accepted that this is what makes me happy. Thank you for accepting me and John, thank you for being there for me, but most of all thank you for being the best dad a girl could ask for.' she smiled as a tear escaped her control and swept down her cheek.

'I promised myself I wouldn't cry, goddammit dad.' she laughed and wiped the tear away hastily. Hanssen gave her one of his best fatherly smiles as tears came to his own eyes, he wanted to say something heartfelt to her, something that would stick with her that she could remember for the rest of her life when she looked back on this day.

'I've never been prouder of you than I am in this moment.' he managed and she laughed a little.

'Not even when I graduated medical school? Or performed my first solo surgery? Or...?' she made to go on and he shook his head, laughing a little in turn.

'Today you showed me that I was wrong, that I was prejudiced, and that you were the smarter out of the two of us all along. I wish I had provided you with a better family structure as a child, I wish I'd been there for you more, and now I am here you seem to be intent on moving away, starting your own family.'

'You'll always be my family, dad. You're always going to be such an important part of my life, Danny's too. I'm not going anywhere, I might have fallen in love with John but I wouldn't be the person I am today without you, I owe it to you not to go running off now.' she explained to him before nestling back into his chest again. He held her tightly and kissed the top of her head, he was glad he still had this one child left. What had happened with Fredrik had been a tragedy and he still mourned the loss of his son every single day, there was no way he could even bear the thought of losing his bright, little ray of sunshine as well.

'I want to say congratulations to the happy couple!' a voice boomed from the edge of the dance floor and Hannah and Henrik came apart as they turned to see who the gatecrasher was, Hannah's face fell and her breath caught in her throat.

Standing, holding Danny firmly in his arms, was Hannah's ex, Liam.