Thanks everyone! Great reviews, and here's a longer chapter. Gold star goes to those who guessed a new character...

"Do you want me to wait for you sir?" the driver asked.

"Er, no don't bother," Harry replied after a moment. "I don't know how long I'm going to be." He got out of the car at the hospital entrance, not waiting for a reply and hurried through to reception.

"How can I help?" a friendly face asked behind the hospital desk.

"I'm looking for Claire Robertson? I got a call saying she was here?" The receptionist started looking through the computer database but a passing doctor had heard his enquiry.

"Are you Mr Pearce?" he asked, stopping by the desk.

"Yes," Harry said. "How is she?"

"Its not good," the doctor said. "Can you follow me please?" Harry nodded and followed, while his mind was working a thousand miles an hour.

"I'm a little confused," Harry said in the silence. "Why did you call me? I haven't even spoken to her in years, why did that merit a phone call to say she was in critical condition and I should come down here?"

"Miss Robertson has no direct family," the doctor explained. "Her parents are dead and she's an only child. You were on her file as her next of kin should something happen to her.

"Its that serious?" Harry asked. Next of kin surely meant that death wasn't far behind.

"Yes it is," the doctor said, pushing through a set of double doors. "I'm sorry to tell you, but I don't think she'll live out the night." Harry sighed heavily and the doctor looked at him sympathetically. Harry was just thinking how none of this made any sense at all. Why was he on her contact list? Was he really the closest person she had? Someone who she hadn't spoken to in four years? He felt a fleeting dart of sadness, but it was quickly eclipsed by confusion. He didn't have to dwell on it too long, because he quickly found himself next to her hospital bed and he instantly realised the doctor was right. The readings on her machines were terrible. Claire wasn't going to live through this car accident. Even without medical training he knew that.

"I don't mean to sound heartless," Harry started. "But what do I do when she dies?"

"I thought you might ask that," the doctor said with understanding all over his face. "I've been speaking to our legal advisor and there's not a lot to do with regards to her assets. She didn't own any property or anything. There is one rather large thing though."

"What?" Harry asked instantly.

"She has a three year old daughter."

"What?" Harry asked in a much different tone. Hushed and shocked rather than curious now.

"She has a daughter. Now if Miss Robertson does indeed die, as next of kin…" the doctor trailed off but Harry didn't need him to finish. He understood what he was being told, that he would have to look after this girl.

"You seem shocked," the doctor said accurately as the silence became heavy, only interrupted by the beeping machines.

"I am terribly shocked," Harry agreed.

"I know its not my place, but… your name is on Lucy's birth certificate," the doctor said. "I expected you to be aware of her at the very least."

"I had no idea," Harry said in a hushed voice. "None." He tried to keep his breathing even while he comprehended what he was being told. He had another daughter. He wasn't even going to argue that she might not be his. If she was three years old… well, it fit the time frame, he thought to himself shrewdly. "Oh God," he breathed.

"There's something else."

"What else could there possibly be?" Harry snapped. "Sorry," he added in the silence. "I seem to be having a very eventful day."

"Lucy. She was in the car crash…"

"Is she alright?" Harry asked instantly, interrupting him.

"She's absolutely fine," the doctor assured him. "She has a cut on the side of her face. It needed a couple of stitches, but she's fine."

"Good," Harry said as that worry was eased from his mind. He also realised how quickly he'd been concerned about this girl who was brand new to his life. "Can I see her?"

"Of course," the doctor said. Then his pager went off and he sighed. "I have to go. Take the lift up to the third floor and turn right. You'll be on the children's ward, and someone will help you find her."

"Thank you." Harry suddenly found himself left alone with Claire, whose face remained impassive and unaware of the bomb that had just been dropped in Harry's life. "How could you not tell me?" he whispered to her. "I deserved to know." No reaction, but then he hadn't really expected one. "I'll look after her, I promise." He quickly left her and headed up to the third floor.

"I'm here to see my daughter," Harry told the nurse behind the desk on the children's ward, feeling a slight lump in his throat as he said it.

"The child's name?"

"Lucy Robertson."

"Ah," the nurse said. "Well, I need you to fill out these forms first."

Harry looked at the rather large pile and sighed. "Is this really necessary?"

"Protocol on the children's ward," the nurse said. "Sorry, but nothing I can do about it. Especially given this girls… circumstances." He stayed looking at the pile while deep in thought. "If you don't want to be… responsible for her, I'm sure social services will…"

"No," Harry interrupted. "I just have to make a call first." He left the desk and pulled his phone out of his pocket and called straight through to the grid. He was disappointed when Erin picked up rather than the brunette he wanted to speak to.

"I hear I'm moving out of your office," Erin said.

"So it would seem," Harry replied. "Can I speak to Ruth?"

"I'm in charge when you're not here," Erin said with a touch of irritation.

"I know but this is… personal," he said. There was silence on the phone as he was patched through to Ruth's desk phone.

"If you didn't want to work here anymore, I'm sure they'd have let you retire," she said with a smile which lifted Harry's heart in spite of the situation he was currently dealing with.

"Something's come up which I wasn't expecting today," he said. Or ever, he added in his mind. "I'm going to be a while. Longer than I thought. Can you make sure everything's okay?"

"We survived for eight weeks without you, I'm sure we won't fall apart in a few hours," she said, even though her heart was sinking. "You are coming back aren't you?"

"Yes," he said surely. "Don't worry, you won't be without me for long."

"Glad to hear it," she said and he knew she was smiling. "Bye Harry." He put the phone down feeling his heart sink further. How on earth was he going to tell her that while she'd been in Cyprus he'd fathered a child? It would just about ruin any chance he had with her from now on.

"Sir?" Harry turned and saw that the forms were still waiting for him, so he dutifully walked over and began to fill them out.