Thanks for the reviews guys. This chapter was really hard to write, as I've explained what's wrong with Ethan. I hope its alright, if not tell me! Please R&R!
Jac hardly slept that night knowing her little boy was in intensive care all wired up, just to imagine Ethan laying in the ward alone broke her heart. Joseph did his best to cheer Jac up, even he was hurting. Their little boy had to pull through, he had a sister to protect, a sister that needed her brother. Jac just laid in the bed staring at the blank ceilings, she didn't breath a word to anyone, she just simply attended to Amelia's side. Comforting her daughter made Jac realise how important it was for Ethan to pull through, after all Joseph, Jac and the twins were a family. Ethan belonged home in the comfort of his family.
Connie had came round that morning to see the couple, through-out the time she was there Jac didn't speak, she just gazed into thin air. Connie was worried about Jac. She knew Jac had so much heartbreak and bad luck in her life that this would break her into a million pieces once again.
'Joseph what's going on with Ethan?' Connie asked as she stood in the door frame watching Joseph comfort a vulnerable Jac while she cradled their little girl.
'We're going to see him today and see what the score is, whether he has to stay in an extra few days or whether he is free to come home' Joseph replied while stroking Jac's soft red hair.
'Connie' Jac whispered in her frail voice ' Can you take Amelia' Jac stood up and handed Amelia to Connie before she returned to her bed and brought her legs up to her chest.
Joseph and Connie just stared at each other, this was the first time Jac had spoken within hours. Connie slowly walked around their bed and sat on the corner still cradling Amelia. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Jac sobbing into her pillow. This was the very first time Connie had seen Jac Naylor break down into tears. Inside Connie's heart was aching for Jac. Joseph moved closer to Jac before taking her in his arms.
'Joseph we cant lose him, I'm being punished aren't I? For all the things I messed up in my life' Jac sobbed.
' No you aren't being punished Jac, don't ever think that Ethan being unwell is your fault. We weren't to know. Joseph answered as he held his fiancée in his arms carefully rocking her body back and fourth.
' Do you want me to look after Amelia, while you get some rest before seeing Ethan? Connie asked.
Joseph nodded at Connie with a faint smile on his face ' Thanks Connie' Joseph smiled as he arose from the bed and reached for the baby bag which was perched in between the two cots. He gave Connie the bag, kissed Amelia's forehead and showed her out.
Connie was working today, but luckly she was working back at Holby for a couple of days while Spence was away on a course, when they all knew Michael had most likely booked a hotel for himself and his latest lover. She had missed working at Holby, the lovely atmosphere between all the colleagues was definitely the highlight of her day. Who was she trying to kid? The atmosphere was always so tense, if it wasn't between Chrissie and Irish heartthrob Greg then it was between Hanssen and Ric, but boy did she miss it. She didn't have a patient for a few hours meaning she could take Amelia to Elliot's office and look after her there. Connie missed the days when her Grace was a baby, the sleepless nights, the proud moments where she first smiled or when she took her first steps at the ground of Holby. Looking after Amelia today was for sure going to make Connie broody.
As she arrived at Holby, her phone started to flash. It was a message from Jac simply saying 'Thanks xx' it was enough to make Connie smile. She unbuckled herself before taking baby Byrne out of the car and walked towards the Hospital. She was greeted with a bunch of staff asking her what was going on between Jac and Joseph. As much as it hurt her to see people spreading unnecessary gossip about her friend, she had to hold her self back for Jac's sake. Connie placed the baby bag in Elliot and Jac's shared office which was once hers and Elliot's. She then walked out to Darwin carefully holding Amelia in her arms before making her way to reception desk to collect her De-cafe Latte , when she was Consultant here at Holby this was made for Connie everyday without fail. Connie was approached with some glances and whispers.
'Isn't that?' Sahira began to say.
' Yes it's Amelia Byrne' Connie finished Sahira's sentence 'I offered to have her so the pair cold rest before Seeing Ethan'
A stab of jealousy hit Sahira, the thought of Connie looking after Amelia and not herself. She thought was the closest person to Jac.. maybe not.
'How are they doing?' Sahira asked
'OK I suppose. Well Jac is being Jac shutting herself away, its really hurting her. Poor Joseph is doing all he can to comfort her and be as much as support to her as he can. I mean he's hurting just as much.
'and Ethan?' Sahira continued
'Far as I know he is still in intensive care, but the pair are seeing him today so I'll kept you informed' Connie replied as she rocked an unsettled Amelia.
Connie could see it in Sahira eyes that she was worried about Jac, who wouldn't be worried? Jac deserved some happiness in her life, something she could wake up to apart from work. As Connie took Amelia back into the office Sahira slumped back down in her chair and buried her head in her hands. She prayed that Ethan would pull through. She wanted to let the couple know that she was there for them and that Ethan was going to pull through. She had brought them a simple 'thinking of you' card, Sahira informed the wards plus other wards to sign the card for Jac and Joseph. She had managed to get everyone on the wards to sign it some what included ; Dan, Frieda, Oliver, Elliot, Malick, Chrissie, Elizabeth, Connie, Mary-claire and herself.
'Connie, Do you know what time Jac and Joseph will be home?' Sahira asked.
'Um No I don't know. Visting hours finish at 3 but they are coming here to pick up Amelia after' Connie replied as she peered over a sleeping Amelia. Sahira nodded and returned to her ever lasting list of surgery patients!
Once again Connie found her phone flashing it was Jac again 'we're up at ICU, they are letting us see Ethan, could you bring up Amelia please' Connie put her phone back in her back pocket of her jeans. Amelia was sleeping in her car seat, tucked up in a pastel pink blanket and a small bear wedged underneath her arm. Connie picked up the car seat and the bag before making her way to ICU. As she walked around the corner to the unit she spotted the private room in which Ethan was in. Jac and Joseph were standing over the incubator, they both had one hand inside the holes stroking Ethan's dainty face. Joseph took his hand away and walked around the other side of the incubator where Jac was, he placed both hands around Jac's body and pulled her in. Jac didn't hold back the tears, she just let them escape. Joseph felt his whole world was turnt upside down, he was hurting for his son, but he was hurting more for his fiancée. Jac was in pieces she couldn't wait until the twins were here. They were to find a new life, but instead she spent the first few days of motherhood huddled around an incubator watching her son who looked lifeless.
Jac wiped away the tears when she noticed Connie was standing in the doorway. Jac tore herself away from Joseph and walked towards Connie. She then picked up Amelia from her car seat to were Ethan was laid. Joseph left Jac alone for a few moments and went and stood with Connie. They both watched as Jac as she had Amelia in one arm and her other arm was in the incubator stroking Ethan's dainty face.
'How is she?' Connie asked.
'I don't really know, she doesn't talk to me. You know how Jac is' Joseph replied
'Yeah I know what she's like, have they said when he can come home or what's wrong with him?
' They say its just a case of Ethan being the smaller twin, his organs weren't growing at the pace they were meant too. Jac isn't convinced though. Finger crossed he should be home tomorrow. The sooner the better for Jac's sake' Joseph sighed as he rested his body weight on the wall.
' At least its nothing serious, Jac should start to be herself again' Connie muttered as she walked over and placed an arm around her friend before quietly saying 'Sahira is going potty, she's worried about you two and the twins'
'I'm fine, we're fine, that's it' Jac whispered a she rocked Amelia in her arms.
Joseph slowly strolled back over to where Connie and Jac was standing. He carefully lifted up Amelia out of Jac's arms and went and sat in the chair which was sat in the corner of the room. Joseph placed Amelia in his arms and gently rocked her small body. Without realising, Joseph had nodded off to sleep. Jac wasn't paying attention to Joseph, she and Connie were having a womanly chat while they were huddled over Ethan, still taking in every detail of his dainty face. Jac could feel little Ethan's grip on her little finger, she felt a small smile. Ethan knew who his mum was.
Connie and Jac's conversation was cut short, every monitor in the room started to beep. They couldn't understand why. Jac felt Ethan's grip loosen and then he was no longer holding onto his mum's hand,before they knew it a swarm of nurses and doctors bombarded Ethan's incubator. They wheeled in a trolley, like what the crash team use. All sorts of things were racing around Jac's head at this moment. A nurse ushered Jac, Connie and Joseph out of the room. Jac tried to fight back and make her way back to Ethan, but Connie pulled her back and held Jac's face in her hands before saying ' Jac, Jac, he's going to be ok' Jac wouldn't accept it, she just shook her head and broke from Connie's hold before racing up to the window and placing both her hands upon it watching the nurses and doctors injecting liquid into Ethan. Joseph was the opposite, he just sat on the chair cradling Amelia. He didn't want to make the situation worse, so he just sat with Amelia trying to calm her down. He received a few filthy looks from Jac as if to say 'Your just sat there? Doing nothing? When Ethan is in danger?'
Joseph stood up and handed Amelia to Connie and went and stood behind Jac. He turnt her around, looking directly into her eyes that was full of hurt and emotion. Her face was glistened with freshly shed tears. Jac's heart was pounding, she couldn't stop. She just lay her in Joseph's shoulder and let her sobs escape. Connie didn't know what to do with herself, she was holding Amelia while staring into the room where Ethan was, she needed to get back to work. She was due in theatre in 30 minutes, but she couldn't leave them plus who would look after Amelia while Joseph was comforting Jac? Connie knew it was time for her to leave, she handed Amelia to Joseph, she hugged Jac and left for theatre. What seemed like hours of waiting around and pacing up and down the ward corridors the nurse allowed them back in to see Ethan
' So, so what happened?' Jac asked
'Ethan is showing symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux, Ethan is on a food drip the stomach acid was brought back up to his oesophagus making him gag and basically choke. It's common within babies in the first three months of their life. Ethan's case isn't serious at the moment, we are praying that it is just reflux and doesn't progress into anything more critical' The midwife replied.
After Jac heard what the midwife said, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It was still bad that Ethan had symptoms of reflux but at least it was anything serious or life threatening 'Does that mean he can come home?'
'I will go and check with the doctor, he is still a bit fragile but he's not in any danger. However, there is no required antibiotics. It should start to fade away within three months, here is a leaflet. It tells you everything you need to know about Gastroesophageal Reflux, the one thing you need to know is when you have fed him either through bottle or breast make sure he's sat up right for at least 30 minutes to reduce the chance of him refluxing ' The midwife replied as she handed Joseph the leaflet and left.
For the first time in 48 hours Jac started to smile, she knew she shouldn't get her hopes up but she couldn't want to get Ethan home today. She knew there was that 50% chance that Ethan would have to stay in, but she couldn't help but believe that he was coming home. She walked over to her fiancée and daughter who were overlooking their son. She wrapped one arm around his side and gently kissed his cheek. Jac could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time in 2 days, they were going to be a family.
'Miss Naylor Mr Byrne' The midwife muttered as she entered the room
' Yes?' Joseph and Jac both replied in unison
'Your son is free to go home today, he has to come back a week tomorrow just to check everything is alright' The midwife smiled.
Jac spun around and place her hand on Ethan's incubator before smiling and saying ' Did you hear that baby, your coming home'