Sorry for the long wait, hope this chapter makes up for it.

Jac

Turns out there was this boring budget meeting I had to go to. I couldn't concentrate, I was fidgeting in my seat and started doodling Triforces on the paper in front of me. It was the same as usual, no money for new equipment, these pills too expensive etc. I didn't even know why I was here. Maybe Elliot didn't want to suffer through this by himself.

I stifled a yawn and blinked. Michael Spence was arguing about something. He looks good with a beard. I thought distractedly. Elliot was looking at me strangely then I realised I'd been staring at Michael. Blushing, I coughed and sat up straight.

"So when is there going to be money then, huh?" Michael was saying. I let my mind wonder to Ollie. We had nearly kissed then, Ollie jumped out of his skin when Tara arrived. He must be feeling guilty.

At that moment there was a knock on the door and he came in. That's a coincidence.

"Miss Naylor's needed on the ward, if she's not too busy." Ollie said.

"No!" I stood up a tad too eagerly. "I mean, I'm not really needed here, Professor Hope can deal with it." I followed Ollie back to Darwin.

"Thanks."

"For what?" he asked puzzled.

"Rescuing me from the meeting, I was about to fall asleep." He smiled.

"Sean is here." he added.

I saw Sean as we arrived at the ward, looking as friendly as ever.

"What is it this time?" I inquired.

"Miss Naylor, I knew you'd be happy to see me. " He handed me the patient file. "His name is Nicholas Gardner, five years old, admitted with dizziness -"

"I can read, Sean." I interrupted him abruptly. I walked over to the bed where the boy was being comforted by his parents.

"It's okay, Nicky. The doctors will make you better." The father was saying to his distressed son, who was clearly not enjoying the harsh hospital surroundings so different from the colourful world of paeds.

"Mr Gardner?" I said, making both the parents look up. "I'm Miss Naylor, I'll be taking care of Nicky and this is Dr Valentine. I need to take his pulse." Taking the stethoscope from around my neck, I bent down and put the end of it on his chest. He flinched away from me at first and his father gave him a reassuring look that calmed him down although he was still very tense.

"Ok, I want to do an X-ray to rule out some options." Ollie nodded and went to find the consent forms and book the X-ray. I found my eyes following him.

"Is he going to be alright?" Mr Gardner asked me.

"We'll know more after the X-ray."

Ollie

It had taken a bit of persuading to convince the parents to wait outside the X-ray room while we took the X-ray. I promised them we'd come and get them if there were any problems. I was standing behind the glass watching Jac talking to the boy. It looked like he didn't want to get in.

"Come on, it'll be like a game." Jac lifted him onto the machine then sat next to him. "There's nothing to be afraid of." She said gently. I was surprised, I'd never seen her act this way. Nicky shook his head. After pausing for a second, Jac lay down with her hand outstretched. Nervously, he took he hand and lay beside her. She smiled at him. She should do that more often.

"Let's pretend we're hiding from..."

"Bad guys?" Nicky suggested.

"Yes, bad guys. We have to stay very still so they don't find us."

"Ok." Nicky seemed content with this arrangement so Jac nodded at me. I started the machine and looked at the monitor. I skimmed over Jac's body, just in case, before zooming in on Nicky's thorax and sending the image to print so Miss Naylor could look at it.

Once Nicky had been settled back on the ward, I went to see what she thought of the X-rays. Jac was staring intently at them, her eyebrows slightly furrowed with concentration. Her auburn hair cascaded over her skinny shoulders and I found my eyes drawn across her cheekbones and down onto her pale lips. There I lingered wondering what it would be like to lean in and kiss her, twirl my fingers in her soft hair, hold her close and tell her how I really felt...

Abruptly Jac looked up, shattering my fantasy.

"I agree with your diagnosis." she said, unaware of my daydreams. "Let's go tell the parents."

And just like that Jac strode off, leaving me to stand recovering for a second before I forced my legs to move. By the time I reached the bay where Nicky was, she had already got the parent's attention.

"The problem is Nicky's got a hole in his heart, which is preventing the heart from functioning properly." Miss Naylor began.

"That sounds serious." Mr Gardner said worriedly.

"It's really not as bad as it sounds." I chipped in. "When babies are in the womb, they get all their oxygen from the mother's blood stream so there is a hole in the heart where the blood can flow straight through. It usually seals up soon after birth but sometimes it doesn't fully heal and when the heart grows the hole gets bigger and the problem gets more severe."

"The operation is very simple; I've performed it countless times before." Jac continued. "With no major complications he could be out within a week of the surgery."

"It's the best option for him." I assured Mr and Mrs Gardner, passing them the consent forms. Mr Gardner took them and looked at them.

"Could we have some time to discuss it?" He asked.

"Of course, whenever you're ready." Miss Naylor replied before smiling at Nicky and walking off. I followed her.

"Do you think they'll consent?" I enquired.

"Yeah, they just don't want to put their son's life at risk." Jac said , matter of factly.

I glanced back seeing them deep in discussion.

"I don't envy them being in a situation like that."

Please review if you enjoyed it! :)

[I'm talking to you Danica Patrick]