"You're okay, you're okay" Rita reassured Jack, rubbing his back as he sat between her legs on the bed, heaving into a bucket. Since he'd started school he seemed to pick up every bug that was going, "it's okay Darling, Mummy's got you." She was mentally going through ways she could boost his immune system when she suddenly felt her own stomach lurch. She'd thought years of nursing had given her an immune system like a steel bubble, she never got ill, but suddenly she seemed to catch almost everything Jack brought home. "Jack Love, I just need to go to the toilet, I'll be right ba..." she didn't make it. She didn't even get to stand from the bed, instead she grasped frantically at the bucket, grabbing it from Jack less than a second before her stomach lurched again and she vomited into the bucket.

Rita put her hand on Jack's arm, squeezing it gently, unable to speak as she was sick a second and third time. "I'm sorry I made you sick Mummy, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Rita heaved into the bucket for a final time before sitting back against the headboard, nothing left in her stomach to bring up, "it's not your fault Darling" she finally said as she wrapped her arms around Jack and held him closely, rocking him the way she had so many times when he'd been younger.

"It is" Jack cried, "I got sick and now you're sick, I'm sorry."

Rita kissed Jack's dark hair, "sometimes people get ill Darling, it's just what happens, it's nobody's fault."

"Mummy" Jack whimpered.

"I know" Rita kissed his head, "I know you're not well and you feel horrible but I promise you'll feel better soon" she said as she continued to rock him in her arms. "It's about time for you to have some more medicine and then you can have a little nap before Daddy gets home then you can have a bath with him if you like?"

Jack nodded, "is it the nice medicine?"

"It is" Rita nodded as she laid Jack on Iain's side of the bed and picked up the bottle of calpol from the bedside table, pouring out the right dose into the measuring spoon, "open" she said with a smile, kissing Jack's head again once he'd swallowed the purple liquid, "good boy. Now you close your eyes and try and get some sleep, I'm going to empty the bucket and then ring Daddy and ask him to bring you a new DVD home as a special treat for being a big brave boy."

Jack nodded as he snuggled down under the duvet, his teeth chattering as he began to shiver despite his fever, "love you Mummy" he mumbled.

Rita smiled and kissed Jack's temple as she tucked the duvet around him, "and I love you too Darling." She sat with her son, running her fingers through his hair until she was sure he was asleep before making her way to the bathroom, emptying the bucket and cleaning her teeth before placing the bucket back by the side of the bed in case Jack needed it. She kissed his forehead again before picking up her phone and making her way downstairs, pouring herself a glass of water and dialling Iain's number.

Iain answered after the second ring, "hiya Love" she could hear the smile in his voice, "is everything okay? How's Jack?"

"He's still got a temperature, he's just had some more calpol and now he's asleep."

"Is he still being sick? Iain asked.

"Yeah" Rita nodded, "and erm, so am I."

"Oh Love."

"I don't feel ill" Rita told him, "I just feel, we'll I just wanted to be sick, I've not been feeling right for a few days, when Jack got ill I thought I was just getting that but I erm, I wondered if you'd be able to pick up a pregnancy test on your way home."

"You... Yeah of course I can."

"I'm not sure, I might just have Jack's bug but I haven't had a period since I had the implant out and the doctors said I could get pregnant straight away. I know we were disappointed last month but..."

"It wasn't a disappointment" Iain interrupted, "neither of us were surprised that it, that we hadn't... I'm in the ambo station, Jez is just cleaning out the ambo." He said, explaining why he hadn't finished any of his sentences, they'd decided not to tell anyone they were trying for a baby.

"Okay, we can talk more when you get home." Rita nodded.

"I'll go to the supermarket, is there anything else you want?"

"I told Jack I'd ask you to get him a new DVD."

"Of course. I'll get us one of those chickens, the ready cooked ones, for tea so you don't have to cook anything."

"Thanks" Rita smiled, "get a tin of potatoes too and I'll do some frozen veg, you were just going to get pasta."

"If you don't feel like..."

"No, no I'm okay, I erm, I feel better now I've been sick."

"Okay Love" Rita heard Jez call Iain's name,

"I've got to go, we've got a shout. Love you."

Rita smiled, "I love you too. See you later."

"See you Love" Iain blew a kiss down the phone and then he was gone, a spring in his step as he raced over to the ambulance, unable to believe that Rita might actually be pregnant.

Jack was curled up on the sofa with Rita when Iain returned home from work, "Daddy" he smiled sleepily, holding out his arms.

"Hello mate" Iain smiled, kissing Rita's head as he lifted Jack to sit on his hip, "how are you feeling?"

"I was sick" he said sadly, "and I made Mummy sick too."

"It wasn't your fault Mummy was sick" Iain kissed his warm forehead, "just like it's not your fault that you're sick either."

"Mummy said I could have a bath with you when I got home."

Iain nodded and smiled, he could see how tired Rita looked, she'd spent most of the night awake with Jack insisting Iain got some rest before his shift, looking after him now was the least he could do. "We'd better go and find your boats then hadn't we?" he smiled before gently kissing Rita again, "you get some rest Love, I'll sort tea out when we're clean."

Rita nodded and yawned, "thank you."

She settled down on the sofa once Iain had taken Jack upstairs for a bath, pulling the blanket around herself but she couldn't settle, she kept thinking about the bag Iain had left on the kitchen side, about what was in that bag. She couldn't wait, she needed to know. She forced herself from the sofa and retrieved a pregnancy test from the bag, smiling as she saw Iain had picked up several different types. She didn't care, simply grabbing the first box she could and making her way into the downstairs toilet.

Rita was sat on the sofa when Iain carried Jack downstairs a while later, Jack in his favourite dinosaur pyjamas and Iain in worn blue checked pyjama bottoms and a white t-shirt, "you look better" she smiled as she held her arms out for Jack, her son snuggling into her as soon as he was passed over.

"My nose isn't icky anymore" Jack told her, "I can nearly breathe properly."

"I ran the shower on the high heat and we sat and read a story before our bath" Iain smiled, "he doesn't sound as congested any more.

"Daddy's clever isn't he" Rita smiled as Jack nodded, "will you be okay watching TV for a little while so Mummy and Daddy can make dinner? Then when we've eaten we can watch the DVD Daddy got you."

Jack nodded and shuffled from Rita's lap, wrapping the blanket around himself, "okay Mummy" he yawned, "I'll be okay."

Rita and Iain made sure Jack had everything he'd need before making their way into the kitchen, "I did it" Rita said once Jack was out of earshot.

"Yeah?" Iain smiled, "and...?"

Rita shrugged, "I don't know, I haven't... I can't."

"Do you want me to...?"

Rita nodded, "please, if you don't mind?"

Iain kissed Rita's forehead, "of course not, you put the kettle on, I won't be long."

Rita did as Iain asked, flicking on the kettle and dropping tea bags into their mugs before deciding to warm up some milk and make Jack a hot chocolate. "So?" she asked as Iain came back into the room.

His face lit up in a smile, "two lines" he beamed.

Rita's jaw dropped, "two, that...no I..."

"Congratulations Mummy" Iain smiled, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her softly.

"No, I... What if I left it too long before checking?" Rita worried, unable to believe it had happened so soon, "the instructions say the results can be false if you leave the test for too long and I did it almost as soon as you end upstairs."

Iain nodded and kissed Rita's temple, "let's forget it for now, we'll eat dinner, watch a film with Jack and then you can do another one once he's asleep if you want" Iain suggested.

Rita nodded, "I want a baby with you Iain" she reassured him, "I just don't want us to get our hopes up for nothing."

"I know love" he kissed her again, "but pregnant or not, it doesn't matter to me, I still love you."

"I love you too."

Iain kissed Rita's forehead again, "take Jack his hot chocolate. I'll sort dinner."

"Have I got time for a quick shower?"

"Yeah" Iain smiled, "of course, it'll only take me 5 minutes, just give me a text when you get out and I'll put it on then."

"Thanks" Rita smiled as she poured the hot chocolate into Jack's mug, "I won't be long."

"Aren't you making dinner?" Jack asked as Iain lifted him from the sofa so he could sit down with his son on his knee.

"It won't take long and Mummy wanted a shower so I'll do it in a bit."

Jack snuggled into Iain, "do I have to eat dinner?"

"It would make me and Mummy happy if you tried to eat a little bit."

"What if I'm sick again. I don't want to make Mummy sick."

Iain kissed Jack's head, "you won't" he said softly, "if you're sick we'll just clean it up and you won't make Mummy sick."

"Is Mummy going to look after me tomorrow if I'm too poorly to go to school?"

Iain shook his head, "Mummy's going to work tomorrow, I'll be staying at home with you so you know what that means?" Jack shook his head, "it means no one can complain if we want to watch robot wars all day."

Jack smiled sleepily, "can we?" he asked, "all day?"

"Yeah" Iain smiled, "we've got all the episodes on the tv box, we can watch them all."

"And Mummy won't be bored."

"That's right" Iain smiled as he ran his hand through Jack's hair, "I think Mummy's out of the shower" he said as his phone vibrated in his pocket, "do you want to come and sit in the kitchen with me Mate?"

Jack nodded, "carry me?"

Dinner was on the table when Rita came down, "isn't Jack having anything?" Rita frowned when she saw just two plates on the table, one fuller than the other.

"I'm going to try" Jack said quietly, clutching his juice as Iain lifted him from the sideboard and carried him over to the table, "Daddy said I could share his dinner."

Rita smiled, her heart swelling with love like it did every time she saw Jack and Iain together, she hoped she was pregnant, she couldn't wait to see him fussing over their baby. "That's nice of him isn't it?"

Jack nodded as he picked up a piece of carrot from Iain's plate, "and tomorrow we're going to watch robot wars all day."

Rita chuckled, "you're a lucky boy to have such a good Daddy aren't you?"

"And you Mummy" Jack insisted, "I'm a lucky boy to have you too."