Chapter Six

Joseph had probably the worst nights sleep on record. Having tried unsuccessfully to sleep in the rocking chair in Harry's room, he made the sensible decision to try and get his head down on the sofa. Granted it wasn't as luxurious as sleeping in his own bed but it was better than trying to sleep sitting up in that chair.

He was pretty sure that if he had attempted to get back in his own bed Jac would have kicked him out. God he was such an idiot. He really handled the situation last night badly. Comparing her with her mother had been a really awful thing to do. He regretted it as soon as he said it; he just hadn't had the bottle to go after her last night.

Deciding he had to put it right he headed into the kitchen. He'd apologise with breakfast in bed. Retrieving the sausage and eggs from the fridge Joseph went about making Jac her favourite breakfast sausage and egg sandwiches.

Popping the sausages under the grill he made the tea or coffee in Jac's case. He'd have a proper chat with Jac after breakfast, explain himself properly. They had to work it out, especially with the baby due at any time. He wasn't going to throw everything away over a silly argument.

Having fried Jac's egg he took the sausages out of the grill and preceded to make her sandwich. Taking the red sauce out of the fridge he wrote I'm Sorry on top of the sausages leaving the top piece of bread off until Jac had seen his message. He knew it was cheesy but he was hoping that it might soften Jac. He knew she'd be pissed with him, rightly so, but he hoped his would thaw things between them.

Having presented everything on a tray Joseph headed upstairs. Out of politeness he knocked gently on the door.

"Jac,"

No answer!

"Jac sweetheart," he called again.

Still no answer!

Balancing the tray on one arm he open the door. He knew he should have shocked at what he saw, but he knew her well enough not to be. The room was empty! Jac Naylor did what she always did when things got uncomfortable. She ran!

Greg Douglas awoke with an incessant ringing in his ears. His head felt like the cast of River dance were rehearsing on this brain and he knew that he was in hell!

Picking up his phone he didn't bother to check his caller id "Hello," he barked.

"Bastard!" Jac yelled down the phone.

"Excuse me?" Greg answered sitting up slightly alarmed. Oh god it wasn't the cute barmaid from last night was it?

"I said Joseph Byrne is a bastard,"

"Jac is that you?"

"No it's Madame de Pompadour," Jac spat sarcastically "Is that not Louie XV?"

"What?" Greg answered confused, clearly not grasping her humour this early in the morning," "I'm so confused,"

"How can you be confused?" Jac bit "How is Joseph's a bastard so hard to understand?"

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes Greg tried to keep up with the conversation. "Ok start again," he told her yawning "First of all what time is it? And secondly what has Joseph done?"

"Ok firstly it's half seven..,"

"What! Wait! Half seven in the morning? Why the hell are you ringing me this early for?" He asked rather miffed.

"Call it payback for calling me at one thirty this morning,"

"Ok fair dos,"

"And secondly," Jac picked up from her previous sentence "He told me that I was just like my mother and that I would treat our child the way she did me. She abandoned me when I was twelve Greg. I would never do that to a child of mine,"

"What on earth made him say something like that?"

"I declined his offer to move here. I told him I didn't want to leave Holby,"

"He expected you to leave Holby?" Greg repeated.

"Yep," Jac sighed, "Look I'm going to pack up my stuff and head home,"

"No wait!" Greg jumped out of bed and started looking for his jeans "I'm coming up there,"

"There's no point," Jac told him "I'm going to head home," I should be back in Holby in a couple of hours,"

"No Jac," he answered trying to find away of getting his t-shirt on without his ear losing contact with his phone "You need to sort this out between the two of you. The baby is due soon and you want Joseph to be apart of the baby's life…as well as your own," he added.

"But…"

"No arguments Jac," by now he was tying his shoe laces "Besides I need a holiday. So I'll be there in a couple of hours. Ok?"

Groaning she knew she wasn't going to win. "OK,"

"Good," Greg grinned "I shall see you in a bit then," He hung up his phone as he began stuffing a few clothes into a small bag before heading out the door and in search for Jac.

Of all the days Joseph needed to go quickly this one wouldn't. He couldn't leave the surgery until lunchtime and Jac wasn't taking his calls. He had left her several messages pleading with her to call him back but alas she hadn't. If he were honest he didn't think she would. Jac could hold a grudge forever and he had a terrible feeling that that their baby would be in university by the time she had forgiven him.

Noticing that the clock on the wall said twelve he knew it was his queue to leave. To go and find her and sort this mess out.

Jac had been sitting on the windowsill looking out her hotel window for the past hour now. She felt a soft kick from inside her stomach and instinctively put her hand there. Smiling she began to imagine her baby, would they look more like her or Joseph. She wondered whether they'd have her fiery temperament or be more laid back like him. God help her if the baby turned out like her. She remembered how much of a pain she had been in her teenage years and prayed that Karma wouldn't bite her in the arse and give her a wild child.

She hoped her baby would be happy and not have to deal with the same sorrow that had plagued her own life. Joseph's comments had hurt her so much because the thought of her child growing up thinking they weren't loved would break her heart. She didn't want her child to end up damaged like her. She had spent so many years making so many mistakes as a result of Paula's neglect. She had gotten herself caught up in so much trouble in her youth in an attempt to get some attention. She hadn't cared whom from; it didn't matter as long as someone noticed her. It had been the same with men, flitting from one disastrous sexual encounter to the next. It was like she had convinced herself that the more men she slept with the more she was loved. How wrong could she have been! Even with all the men she had slept with only one had ever caught her heart. Joseph had made he feel like she didn't need to put up a wall. He had been so kind and gentle with her that to be treated this way seemed like an alien concept. The first time they made love taught Jac that she was important, that she was wanted. She had been so used to the men she had slept with taking what they wanted and not thinking about what they could give her that when Joseph attended her needs both in and out of the bedroom she had been very surprised.

Nobody had ever touched Jac's heart like this and it had scared her. So she did what she always did when she was scared. She put her wall back up and ran. Granted she had not gone missing but she had shut Joseph out and started having an affair with his father. The thought of Lord Byrne made her skin crawl. Yes she had used him in an attempt to get what she wanted, but if she were honest it wasn't all about that. Part of her had done it as away to subconsciously push Joseph away by replacing him with someone who would have destroyed their relationship, and in fact had. The second reason was that if she were honest with herself she saw Lord Byrne as a sort of father figure. She looked up to him; he had been there to guide her like a father should. She had always craved the affection of a father, not ever having one. Yes it was a different type of affection to the one she had received, but it was something.

Jac heard a small tap on the door, which pulled her from her thoughts and made her way over to it. Opening it she came face to face with a very nervous looking Joseph.

"What do you want?" she snapped

"To talk!" He answered dejected "Can I come in?"

"No," Jac spat bluntly before attempting to close the door. Joseph's hand stopped it though. He was a lot stronger than her, even when she was not in the condition she was in. If he had wanted he could have forced his way in but he chose not to.

"I don't want to talk to you Joseph,"

"Please Jac," he begged, "Here me out, then if you still hate me I'll go,"

A noise from behind Joseph distracted him making him turn around. With the opportunity granted and without saying a word Jac slammed the door shut in his face.

"Jac!" he yelled banging on the door "Jac,"

She ignored him.

"Jac,"

His banging went on for several minutes with Jac still ignoring him before it went quiet. Enjoying the peace Jac sat back down on the windowsill, but it wasn't longing before the door was being knocked again. Frustrated Jac quickly got up and made her way back over to the door. Her face was like fury; Joseph Byrne was about to feel her wrath. Mustering up all the strength she had she swung the door open.

Her usually pale face was red with anger "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" she screamed at the person before her.

"Well a hug and a pint would be nice," A familiar Irish accent told her "Not necessarily in that order mind,"

"GREG!" Jac squealed jumping into his arms. She wrapped herself around him and he kissed her hair tenderly. "I'm sorry I thought you were Joseph,"

"Nah," he laughed "I'm much more handsome," He looked down at her, arms still wrapped around her. "How bout we go get something to eat? I'm starving,"

Jac nodded enthusiastically "Ok,"

"It'll give us chance to sort out your way too complicated love life," he joked as they headed out the door.