Even though the Scotsman was a little bewildered and felt well out of his depth he knew Elliot was right; Jac needed their support not people fighting against her. Although she couldn't face seeing her daughter the Consultant had decided to keep the private room to be close to the newborn and it meant Jonny had somewhere relatively close to sleep.

It was dark outside, and the ward lay quiet. Jonny had fallen asleep hours beforehand having spent the evening with their daughter, deciding to let the new mum calm down alone. He'd eventually dragged himself away from NICU, back to the private ward and surprisingly found Jac occupying the hospital bed once again.

'She needs a name' muttered Jac to herself before raising her voice and shaking her ex-partner a little 'Jonny! She needs a name!'

'What? What's going on?' he replied, woken from his peaceful sleep 'What's wrong Jac?' he questioned, sitting forward in the chair.

'She needs a name' the red haired woman repeated again

'Who needs a name?' he queried the incoherent ramblings.

'The baby. She needs a name' she replied bluntly. 'She hasn't got a name'

'I know she hasn't' comforted Jonny, not bothering to mention to ridiculous time. Instead trying to fulfil Jac's difficult needs 'Have you thought of any?'

'No, but she needs a name. A baby has to have a name'

'You're right. She deserves a name' he laughed slightly 'We can't keep referring to her as Baby Naylor'

'Emma'

'Pardon?'

'Emma'

'Emma Naylor?' questioned the Nurse, thinking about the name for a while- completely oblivious to the fact he had just given their child her mother's surname 'Yeah, Emma Naylor has a ring to it'

No sooner had Jac woken Jonny up had she laid her head back down on the pillow and shut her eyes. Jonny couldn't help but worry about the mother of his child; for her mental state at least. He stared at her tired body, wondering how things had got to this stage. But a name for their baby daughter was a start. Baby steps and the great unknown.

'She has a name!' cheered Jonny as he entered NICU the next morning 'My daughter has a name!'

'She has indeed' smiled one of the Nurses 'Emma Naylor, we believe?'

'How'd you know?' he asked puzzled, heading for his daughter's incubator.

'Ms Naylor came down herself, first thing this morning...actually it hadn't long turned five'

'Did she go and see Emma? Did she sit with her?'

'Sadly not' uttered the woman. It hadn't gone unnoticed the clear struggle Jac was having bonding with the baby 'But a name's a start. It's an encouraging move at least'

The small nurse left Jonny to be with his child. 'Hello Emma' he whispered opening the incubator flap 'How'd ya like that then? Emma Naylor? Mummy picked it herself' The male noted the hospital band on her leg had been changed, a new one had replaced it complete with her name. 'It's a good strong name for a beautiful girl...I can already hear your mum shouting it now' he paused, smiling to himself 'Emma go and tidy your room! Emma do your homework!'

'Jonny!' called an approaching voice 'I see we have a name for Baby Naylor-Maconie now'

'Yeah. Jac woke me in the middle of the night panicking about her being nameless'

'How is Jac?' enquired the male gynaecologist.

'Y'know...tired...working. I don't know really. My main focus is on baby Emma here. I'm trying. I'm really trying'

'It's obvious she's er struggling to er bond with your young madam' he continued 'All of us are well aware of it. And it was to be expected, you know that? The pregnancy and delivery was hugely traumatic for you both'

'I know-I know but I don't want her to waste a single second away from our daughter' his voice trailed off a bit 'What happens if she doesn't make it through the surgery? I know Jac'll live to regret it'

'We're going to do all we can to get Emma through it. It's a slow process on both counts. I've got a few ideas up my sleeve to help Jac, leave it with me' he supported the man through words, smiled and then walked off.

'Hey. We'll get mummy down here soon, I promise' uttered Jonny to his daughter 'And then she'll see what she's missing out on'

A knock on the door broke Jac's trail of thought 'Come in!' she called. The door opened to reveal Mr T he stepped into the room, shutting the door after him. 'What do you want?' she questioned.

'I was just passing and thought I'd come and check on you' he explained, standing in the corner, afraid of the consultant 'How are you Jac?'

'Fine' she replied, looking back at her computer screen 'Anything else?'

'I like the name Emma. Emma Naylor. Great pick.' Commented the male in short sentences 'Have you been to see her today?'

'No; far too busy to leave Darwin'

'Right... well I'll just quickly fill you in on her progress.' he insisted 'Stats are stable and looking fairly positive. She's still sedated and ventilated... obviously. As you know she's having the first part of her surgery on Monday'

'Thank you' forced the red-head

'Okay...Well, I'll see you on NICU later' he pushed the topic before walking out sharply. Jac leant back in her chair, staring at the ceiling. Her body still ached, her lower stomach painful from the raw surgery scar. Opening her drawer she pulled out an ultrasound scan; the foetus was just about visible. Back when it had been taken Jac had allowed herself split seconds here and there to imagine life as a mother with her child; before she had been diagnosed with CDH. Now she was essentially a mother without her child; or at least that's what it felt like.

'Someone's cheery!' laughed Mo , noting Elliot's happy exterior- knowing full well why 'Any particular reason?'

'My granddaughter has a name Mo. I couldn't be happier!' replied Mr Hope out of earshot of Jac 'It somehow makes her presence far more real'

'Absolutely. Although it didn't strike me as a name the two of them would pick' she reasoned

'Emma Naylor. It's simplistic, short and snappy.' He explained

'And it means whole or universal. Whichever one you want to choose' interrupted Jac, entering the office.

'Jac...' muttered Ms Effanga, swiftly looking at Elliot. The surgeon gave the bubbly woman a recognised stare to which she acted immediately and exited the office.

'Jac, we were just saying how well Emma suits her name'

Jac collapsed in her office chair, fiddling with her fingers 'She doesn't suit anything Elliot. She's a seriously ill baby trapped in an incubator with a machine breathing for her.' The red haired woman took a deep sigh before carrying on 'For all it's worth she could have remained as Baby Naylor but she needed a name'

'I was going to pop down in a while and see her- give Jonny a break' gently pushed Elliot 'How about you come with me? We could go together?'

'I don't think so. I haven't got any time to even think about grabbing a coffee let alone trekking down to NICU'

'We'll make time Jac' insisted the grey haired male 'I'm sure Mo will happily keep an eye on your patients. If you're needed back on the ward she'll page you'

All Jac could do was stare at Elliot- her well known death stare. But the eyes made no difference to her former mentor. He could see through the ice-cold the exterior to the pain etched beneath.

Along the journey which had become so familiar to the four professionals from Darwin, Elliot greeted numerous people with his usual warm words. Jac lagged behind, trying to delay each step she made. It had taken barely any persuasion to get Ms Naylor to accompany the aging man- not wanting to fight or seem ungrateful. Using his pass as normal, Elliot let himself onto NICU and then held the door open waiting for Jac to catch up.

'I'll just go and get two chairs from over there' he whispered whilst Jac stood staring at the tiny infant under all the wiring. Placing a chair behind the woman she eased herself into it carefully; still sore from her emergency C-section. He then placed a chair next to her and sat down.

'Where's Jonny?' questioned Jac

'Mo sent him home to get some rest. He's been keeping a bed side vigil for most of the day'

'Unlike me' She retorted quietly

'Jac you mustn't think like that. You kept her safe for nine months and then gave birth to her' soothed the caring gentleman in his recognisable low voice. 'If she was anyone else's child her chances of survival would have been far slimmer. She survived because of you'

'Now there's nothing I can do' grumbled Jac 'Her future is out of my control Elliot'

'Sitting with her is enough. Emma recognises your voice Jac, she knows you're here- you of all people know that' he explained 'As a surgeon there's nothing you can do but as a mother your role is endless'

'So come on then Elliot, what would you do if you were me!?' she questioned, her voice raised.

'I'd enjoy every single precious moment I could with her. She's fought this far, the least you could do is make memories with her' he suggested 'Emma won't remember them, of course, but you will Jac' Elliot pulled his hand away from the small infant's hand and nestled back into the chair behind him. After a handful of silence Jac lifted her tired body off the chair and stepped closer to her daughter. Emma lay in what can only be described as a clear tray, slightly tilted, her body covered in wires and her breathing still fully controlled by a machine.

Naylor leant over slightly, careful of her stitched incision on her abdomen. For the first time she touched her daughter, stroking her small tuff of hair backwards before gently clinging onto the bare tiny hand. Elliot sat back and watched, a small smile creeping across her face.

Maybe he was right. Maybe nothing else mattered apart from the here and now. No amount of work Jac did could replace every second she spent with her seriously ill daughter.