"Hey, hey, you're okay" Dylan carefully lifted the tiny baby into his arms as she whimpered slightly a while later, he'd never admit it but he'd been sat watching her sleep for a while. "Mummy's right there" he pointed to Rita who was laid on the bed beside where he sat, "but you've worn her out so I'm afraid you're stuck with me for the time being" he said, the baby settling in his arms and gazing up at him as he spoke softly to her, "come on, let's leave her to sleep."

Rita woke almost two hours later to find the bed beside her empty, she rubbed at her eyes and pulled herself from the bed, padding sleepily into the living area of the boat she couldn't help but smile as she saw Dylan asleep on the sofa,their tiny baby curled up on his chest as she too slept peacefully, Dervla napping by Dylan's feet. Rita reached out to stroke the baby's back, and smiled as she watched her daughter stir slightly, yawning and nuzzling against Dylan's shirt before she began to whimper quietly, "shh" she whispered, "you're okay" she said softly as she carefully lifted the baby into her arms, "are you hungry hey?"

Dylan frowned and stirred slightly as his daughter's tiny weight was removed from his chest, "what…" his eyes fluttered open before closing firmly again when he realised that the baby was now curled into Rita, suckling quietly at her exposed breast, "I erm…" he mumbled, cheeks flushing red as he rolled over to face the back of the sofa, "are you erm, are you okay?"

Rita chuckled slightly and rolled her eyes, "I'm okay" she said softly.

"We're back in Holby. I was going to let you have half an hour before going to the hospital, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay" Rita said softly, smiling down at the baby who was gazing inquisitively up at her Mummy, "I think she's doing just fine."

"Have you got a car seat for her?" Dylan asked, still facing the back of the sofa, "I mean do you have it with you or would you like me to go and fetch it for you?"

"No, it's in my car with the hospital bag" Rita said softly as she adjusted her top, "she's finished feeding, would you like to wind her?"

"I erm, I…"

"You can turn around she's finished eating."

"Are you…?"

"I'm decent" Rita rolled her eyes as Dylan rolled onto his back and sat up, "do you want to wind her?" Rita asked again as she gently rocked the baby.

"I, I don't know how to...I mean I read the books...I don't want to not do it properly and make her uncomfortable."

"You won't" Rita said softly as she stood up and got the tea towel from the kitchen counter, "and this is new to us both, if we make mistakes we'll learn from them" she said as she sat beside him, "put this on your shoulder" she said softly as she handed over the tea towel, waiting until Dylan had done so before carefully passing the baby over, "rest her chin on your shoulder and put one hand under her bum, and now you just pat and rub her back."

"I don't want to hurt her" Dylan confessed, not really knowing how much pressure to use."

"I'm sure she'll let you know if she's not happy with what you're doing"

"Do you, have you thought of a name for her?" Dylan asked before smiling as the baby burped quietly, "well done" he smiled, kissing her head softly.

"I like Ava, I'd like her middle name to be Elizabeth, it's a family name."

"Ava" Dylan said quietly.

"Is that okay? I mean, she doesn't have to be Ava if you don't like it."

"Ava was my mother's name" Dylan said solemnly as he continued to rub his daughter's back.

"Oh" Rita whispered, "well there are a couple of other names I like…"

"No" Dylan interrupted, "I'd like to call her Ava, if you wouldn't mind?"

Rita nodded, "Ava Elizabeth Freeman-Keogh"

"Keogh?"

Rita nodded, "she's as much your daughter as she is mine, we don't have to use both though, she could be Ava Keman or Ava Freogh."

"Ava Freogh" Dylan cracked a rare smile, "I mean Freeman-Keogh is a bit of a mouthful, we don't want her to hate us when she has to learn to write her name."

"I suppose not" Rita chuckled, "Ava Freogh it is."

Dylan smiled, "I erm, I think she's done" he said as Ava yawned and snuggled into his shoulder, "do you want to take her and I'll go and get the things from your car?"

Rita nodded and carefully took her daughter back from Dylan, "my keys are in my handbag, her car seat and my bag are in the boot, I'd like to get changed before we go."

Dylan nodded and left the room, Dervla slipping from the sofa to sit by Rita's side as she gently rocked the baby, "here we go" Dylan put the bag and car seat on the sofa a few minutes later.

"Thank you, do you want to get her settled in there?" Rita gestured to the car seat, "and I'll get changed."

Dylan nodded as Rita passed Ava to him, the baby whining slightly as she was moved before she curled into Dylan, reaching out to clutch at his shirt with her tiny hand, "oh" was all he could say, he was speechless, there were no words to express the amount of love, of adoration and pride that he felt towards the tiny little girl he'd help make.

Rita couldn't tear herself away from the scene in front of her, Dylan's gaze focused only on his daughter. She knew, after seeing him with his own father, why he'd wanted to walk away, she knew he was terrified that history would repeat itself and that he'd rather miss out on Ava's life completely than let her down the way his father had let him down. But she also knew, after seeing him interact with their daughter in the few short hours since her dramatic appearance, she knew he wouldn't, he wouldn't let her down. Rita could see that Ava would be able to wrap Dylan around her little finger, he was besotted by her. She'd never say it out loud but she was sure Ava would change Dylan for the better.

"We'd better get you settled before Mummy gets back hadn't we?" he asked as Ava gazed up at her father with the biggest blue eyes he'd ever seen. "Now stop that" he warned the baby, "I can't cuddle you all day, no, you have to go in this car seat so we can take you to the hospital and make sure you and Rita, I mean Mummy are okay." He carefully loosened her grasp on his shirt and sat her in the car seat, adjusting the straps to secure her and tucking a blanket around her tiny little legs.

"Is she okay?" Rita asked as she slowly made her way back over to Dylan.

Dylan nodded, "perfect" he whispered "I wasn't expecting her to be so alert" he confessed, finally dragging his eyes away from the baby who was still gazing up at him to look at Rita, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, still tired and I hurt in places I didn't know existed but I'll be okay" she said softly as she leant over the car seat to gently stroke her daughter's cheek.

"It's not much but I've got paracetamol if you want some" Dylan offered.

Rita smiled at the gesture but shook her head, "I'll be okay thanks. Can you carry her out to the car?"

Dylan nodded, "of course…" he picked up the car seat before gesturing to the bag Rita held, "do you want me to get that too?"

Rita handed over the bag, "thank you" she smiled, watching as Dylan told Dervla they'd be back soon and to behave before carrying Ava out to Rita's car.