There is no excuse for how long this took to post up but now I'm back on track so the next one won't take as long :D

Hope you enjoy!

"Neil, you should go." Phillipa sighed massaging her head as she did so, which Neil always took to mean she was upset,(something he had picked up on when they were married) he paced the ward again; the only way he could vent out his annoyance was by moving or doing something.

"No. I'm staying by his side. I'm not going to leave him. Work can do without me for a few days."

He frowned shaking his head, not believing that she could think he would leave his son at his deathbed, his phone still ringing in his hand. They (being everyone other than Banksy and Grace) were calling asking where he was. Though both Banksy and Grace had already gone to work but both had the sense not to bother him.

Phillipa snorted derisively. "Shame you didn't think that when we were still married, it would have saved a lot of hassle." For a moment they shared a shocked look at each other, both as surprised at each other at what she had said. "I'm sorr-"She began before Neil cut her off.

"Don't worry Pippa, we've both been here all night, you're bound to be stressing out. I suppose you're right though, I call by home, get a change of clothes before stopping by work and telling them I'll be off a couple of weeks and then I'll be right back. Okay?" He sighed again as Phillipa nodded. "And when I come back you can go home for a while. But you HAVE to call me if anything happens okay?" After another nod he looked back down at Jake, who was just out of surgery, and kissed his forehead, whispering as he did so, "Love you Jakey, please wake up, I'll be back soon."

He felt as though invisible puppet strings were pulling him as he forced himself to get up and after another pained look at Phillipa, he left. He hated the nurses, as he passed them he saw their sympathetic stares and felt like shouting at them, 'my son's not dead. So quit staring.' He glared at them as he entered the car park, looking back wondering if Jake was awake.

His phone started ringing again startling him as he was pulled out of his trance, he eyed it nervously as he got in the car before realising that it was Grace calling.

He answered it, knowing that if he had been in a good mood he would have rolled his eyes as as soon as he did so he heard the barrage of questions that Grace's voice was saying. "Neil, Are you Ok? Is Jake Okay? What's happened? How's Pippa coping? How are you coping?" She paused before shouting down the phone, "NEIL WHAT HAS HAPPENED?"He didn't have the energy to smile but sighed instead which only made her sound more nervous and high pitched. "Nei-"

"Grace." She went quiet immediately. "Nothing's happened yet he's still unconscious and the doctors think that he won't be awake for a while yet so Pippa and I are taking turns to go home and get ourselves sorted.

"Oh, well..." Grace said, and he could hear Banksy in the background asking about him.

"Tell Banksy and I'm stopping round the station as soon as, "He interrupted her before she could interrupt, "actually tell him I'm outside now." He said as he parked his car, thinking I used to think prison was hell for criminals but I'm living in my own personal hell.

He walked purposefully towards CID, ignoring the worried looks he was getting from his colleges.

"Guv, you look like shit." Was Mickey's greeting as he opened the doors of CID but he ignored him and walked into his office without a backwards glance at him, slamming the door behind him.

As soon as he got in he fell into his chair, with his head in his hands, sparing a moment for the gratefulness that the blinds were already closed. He did not want to look week infront of his team. He had spent the whole weekend at Jake's side and had only left once to change, he had not even had time to eat yet due to the hassle of the previous couple of days, so he probably did look as Mickey had so gracefully said 'shit'.

He bit his lip, holding back the tears that threatened to fall, but started to shake and he did not have the energy to stop himself, until a knock at the door pulled him to his senses. Taking a deep breat, he tried to no avail to make himself look unshitted before he called in a voice trembling with unshed tears 'come in'.

The door opened to reveal Grace who looked at him disapprovingly. "I thought we told you to go home." He might have rolled his eyes at that before, the forces of the ex and the present girlfriend combined, there's no way I'd survive. But instead he found himself glaring. "What I need to do is sort work out." He refused to look her in the eye as she walked over to him and hugged him. After a few moments of staying like that he finally sighed, "I'm sorry, you're right, I just need some time to think this through, anyway you should be getting on." She planted a kiss on his cheek and he watched her as she left without hesitation.

Grace walked straight over to Banksy fully aware that all of CID's gaze was on her, save Stevie who might be a gossip queen but knew the limits of others privacy, all of whom were talking about their DI's unprofessional exterior, though most ignored the loudest slanderer as Stevie glared at Max.

"Any news?" He asked his frown deepening as she shook her head.

"No and he refuses to listen, he says he needs to work." The whole of CID was watching them now, all trying to use their detective skills to decipher what was happening.

She scowled as she heard the snide remark from Max "Well it's not like he's been doing much work recently."

Stevie, as the ever interfering detective felt it was her time to intervene. "I bet he just had a late one, eh Grace?" Stevie grinned, turning to the rest of CID, hands on hips. "But it's not our buisness to know, so keep your snobby noses out of other people's buisness."

Grace smiled as she watched everybody hastily look down at their work, pretending to be busy. She shot Stevie a grateful look and in return got a very familiar 'watch-your-back' look, that everyone who knew her well knew that she was planning something, accompanied with a "I'll keep Max off your back." And watched as Stevie skipped out of the room, probably to indulge Smithy in the latest gossip, she thought before turning to a great pile of reports on her desk, sighing inwardly.

"Bugger off Stone." Smithy said for what seemed the hundredth time, grabbing a bacon sarnie and sitting down next to the rest of the relief, who were all watching the conversation between the two Sergeants with great interest. He tried to ignore Callum as he pursued in asking him questions about what had happened after he left the pub because he 'could tell something big had happened'.

"Come on Dale..." Callum whined, "you're a shit liar, trust me." At this Smithy along with half the relief (being: Tony, Roger, Sally, Ben, Nate, Millie and Mel). "Please Dale..." Callum said, pulling at his shirt, looking quite retarded as he did so.

Smithy heard Tony mutter to Roger, "doesn't this remind you of an old married couple." They both snorted into their cups as Smithy glared at them and Callum along with the rest of the relief look at them confused. He turned back to Callum, groaning as he saw Callum's intensified questioning stare.

"Don't worry Dale, I'll find out, I always do..." Callum reassured him smirking and most of the relief nodded, having all suffered Callum's knowledge beforehand.

"Firstly," Smithy said, moving to the opposite side of the table so that he didn't have to be near him, ignoring Tony and Rogers' renewed laughter, "nothing happened," Callum let out a disbelieving snort that was echoed around the table. He continued firmly, "and secondly don't call me Dale, its Smithy to you. Only my girlfriends or ex-girlfriends call m-" A loud shout drowned the rest of his sentence. "Dale!"

Callum, Roger and Tony burst into fits of laughter as Smithy turned around to see Stevie standing in the doorway of the canteen. He ignored Callum's laughing comment of "Are you SURE nothing happened DALE?"

"Ignore them." He said as Stevie looked from one to the other, questioningly as Tony, Roger and Callum once again burst into fits of laughter. "What do you want?"

Stevie sat down pouting, "can't I have a reason for talking to you Dale?" He ignored the jeering from down the table and turned his back on them.

"No, otherwise you'd have been fired already for the amount of times you've been in my office."

Stevie grinned, "suppose so, though we have managed to get through a lot of cases together." A new fit of laughter issued from down the table as Callum managed through his laughter to say, "Do you mean cases or do you mean cases?" He winked suggestively but upon seeing Smithy's unamused face he ran from the canteen mumbling about 'finishing his shift', causing Roger and Tony to laugh hysterically.

Rolling his eyes he turned back to Stevie, who was looking quite amused and at ease with Callum's teasing. "Well we do love our cases together, don't we?" She winked wickedly at him as the relief laughed at their sergeant's surprised face. "Anyway, I actually needed to talk to you about something Smithy!" Smithy, shook himself from his stupor, trying not to focus on how pretty Stevie looked when she was planning something and rolled his eyes as he recognised the tone of her voice.

"Go on then Moss, tell me the latest gossip on our resident Romeo." He grinned as he saw the glint in her eye and the confused faces around the table.

"Well, he looks like crap this morning," Stevie said seeming unusually solemn, "so I promised our resident Juliet" He grinned knowing that she was talking about Grace but was slightly unnerved by her tone, "that I would get Max off her back. So are you up for another bet?"

Everyone around the table stopped eavesdropping at once; they had all learned the hard way never to be included in their bets as they usually led to a long punishment of paperwork and an earful from Gina Gold.

He raised his eyebrows, "When am I not? What shall we do?" She grinned mischievously.

"Let's see who can pull the best pranks on him." She held out her hand which he took, and they both grinned from ear to ear.

"You're on."

"Neil?" Neil glanced up, cursing himself for not noticing the door opening as Jack in the doorway office, watching him concernedly as he had sat there with his head in his hands. "You look like shit." Some other time he would have laughed out right, but he only managed a dry snort as he thought like father like son, I just wish my son was as healthy as Mickey."I've been told." He replied sighing.

"Are you going to tell me what's been bothering you these past few months?" Jack stared at him, full on in the eyes, frowning Damn! Have I been that obvious? He cursed inwardly, glancing at the door he wondered what Jack would do if he made for the door, probably rugby tackle me. Something must have shown on his face as Jack placed himself between the door and Neil. "Tell me. I'm not leaving until you do, you've been acting weird for months."

Neil sighed and resigned himself to the worst as he met Jack's gaze, "Jake has Leukaemia." Whatever Jack had been expecting, it was evidently not this as he stared wide-eyed and open mouthed at him.

Please review :D

Lucy

Next chapter should be up soon !