Well, I slightly bored myself with this chapter(although think it does pick up towards the end) so apologies in advance if you find this one a bit tedious. The next chapter is looking a little better (so far) so please try to stick with it...

Wednesday morning, Holby City Hospital

Darwin

Jil watched as Daniel and Jac spoke at the nurse's station, she wondered for a moment what they were talking about before concluding that if it was anything she needed to know about one of them would let her know. Although, she reconsidered, perhaps not actually. She felt Robin move inside her and looking down at her bump began to repeat the silent prayer she'd been saying on and off since she'd begun to realise how serious the situation the two of them were facing could potentially be. '28 weeks, 28 weeks. Please God, let me get to 28 weeks.' Although, she felt herself it might be a prayer too far – she knew it was highly unlikely that even with all the marvels of modern medicine and the skills of everyone here, that they'd be able to delay her operation for another three weeks, but she reasoned, it couldn't hurt to try.

She glanced over at Jac and Daniel again and was struck by the same sense of relief and gratitude as ever that they got on so well. She knew it shouldn't matter but from experience, knew how much it actually did, remembering how difficult it had been when she had been with Tom. To be fair Jac had done her best to keep a lid on her feelings about him, never once really letting on how she actually felt about him until the 'Terrible Tom' party they'd had. But Tom had never made a secret of his dislike for Jac which, looking back, Jil could now see was because he knew that she didn't trust him, and what was more that she had every right not to. A guilty conscience could, she had found, manifest itself in many different ways, an intense dislike of the ones who pricked it being one of them. So she was extremely grateful that Jac and Daniel had got on so well right from the start, remembering with a smile, Jac's verdict of 'He's a keeper' when she'd literally just met him all those years ago. Jil watched them talking for a few moments more and once again followed a much travelled train of thought….

She knew that most people said girls were attracted to men who reminded them of their dads but this had never rung true for her with Daniel, who was so very different from her dad. And it had taken her a few months to figure out who it was that Daniel did remind her of. Although, when it had dawned on her it suddenly seemed so obvious, she had no idea how she had missed it before. Daniel was like Jac or, perhaps, like a tempered version of Jac – a male version of how Jac might have been if she'd grown up in a secure and loving family like Daniel had. He had the same drive and motivation to do his best, and the same work ethic but wasn't plagued by the notion that he had to constantly prove himself. He was as fiercely loyal as Jac and would, like her, always fight the underdog's corner. And he had the same brave and generous heart but, unlike Jac, did not feel the need to keep this hidden, for fear of appearing weak. And of course they shared the same sarcastic sense of humour, although Daniel had never, in Jil's experience, been as cutting and cruel as Jac could sometimes be. And then, she thought with a rueful smile, there was their tempers and whilst she had to admit it took a lot more to get Daniel riled than it did Jac, when he was it was just as explosive and formidable. She stopped considering the similarities between her husband and her best friend as she noticed that their conversation had ended and that Daniel was walking back towards her. "So what's the news?" she asked.

"Well," Daniel replied, "it seems like you're going up in the world Mrs Lovell."

"What?"

"You're being upgraded. You're being moved to one of the side rooms. And, before you start," he said, trying to pre-empt Jil's expected objections, "Jac has not wangled this for you, apparently you're the person on the ward with the greatest clinical need. So, you will just smile and say thank you when they come to move you."

"But," Jil began.

"Smile and say thank you," he repeated again, slightly louder, "OK?"

"OK," Jil reluctantly agreed. Although, if she was honest it would be somewhat of a relief. Rosie had been discharged yesterday evening and Beth was all set to go as soon as her husband arrived and although she was sure that Mrs Jennings was a lovely woman it was, she had to admit, taking it out of her having to speak so loud so that she could hear. Also, she knew that being in a side room would make it easier for her to circumnavigate the rules about visiting or, more accurately, help her to feel less guilty about Daniel blatantly flouting them as he had been since he'd arrived yesterday. And this would she knew be even more important when her parents arrived today, as there was no way anyone would be able to persuade them to leave if they didn't want to. And she couldn't really face the thought of the hoo-ha that might result if anyone tried to.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jil woke and wondered, for a moment, where she was until she remembered her move to the side room earlier that morning. She looked round expecting to see Daniel in the chair by her bed, and was surprised to see Jonny there instead, out of his uniform but still checking her drip. "Where's Daniel?" she asked him.

"I think he's gone to the canteen to get something for lunch," he replied. "And he said something about making some phone calls whilst you were asleep."

"What time is it then?" Jil asked confused.

"Twenty to one" Jonny answered, after checking his watch.

"I didn't think I'd missed lunch." Jil said, before continuing, "So what are you doing here then? I thought you were on a late today."

"I am," Jonny said, and seeing the expression on Jil's face went on to explain. "I had to run Jac in this morning and then do a few bits at home. But when I'd finished them I thought I might as well come in and spend some time with my favourite patient."

"Jac didn't ask you to, did she?" Jil asked suspiciously, "because if she did you ca…"

"No, no," Jonny hurriedly, and truthfully, assured her, "it was all my own idea, honestly. And anyway, how do you know what shift I'm meant to be working?"

At this question, Jil closed her eyes – an expression of intense concentration on her face and after a brief pause said, "Late, early, late… long day, off….erm.. late, off" and then opened her eyes. And seeing the astonished look on Jonny's face explained, "Jac's got a copy of the rotas at home."

'Of course she has!' Jonny thought to himself, only to be astonished yet again when after a perfectly timed for effect pause Jil continued,

"Your shifts are highlighted," and then smiled over at him. The most knowing smile he had ever been given by anyone, even Jac.

"Really?" he said, after a short pause, as the information sank in, and he felt his smile grow into a grin. 'Who would have thunk it?" He thought to himself.

"Really," Jil confirmed, as her own smile transformed into a beam, as she saw the effect this news had on Jonny.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"..and obviously Daniel's interested in the S.P.L. too but, well there's not so many chances to watch that down here. And to be honest I've never really got his interest in it – I mean it's always been a two horse race hasn't it? And neither of them are his team, although now that Rangers aren't there I suppose there will at least be a bit more of a fight for second place. But, well do you remember anyone who won silver in the Olympics?" The talk of Scotland reminded Jonny of something he'd been meaning to ask Jil about but before he had the chance she threw him by suddenly saying, after she'd noticed him frowning slightly at the readings on the monitors by her bed, unable to completely turn his nurse's head off as they discussed football, "I do know,"

"Know what?" Jonny asked, confused at this sudden change of topic.

"How serious this is," she answered, indicating first the monitors and then the room as a whole. "How bad it could be. It's just…well, if I let it show then that'll make Daniel and Jac worry even more, and I don't want that," she continued earnestly.

And Jonny was, once again, struck by how very special Jac and Jil's friendship was, must be. They were both trying to protect each other from worrying about the other but were potentially both adding to the stress they felt by doing so. He had seen the toll putting a brave face on things was having on Jac and now it seemed like Jil was also feeling the extra pressure of pretending everything was OK for Jac's benefit too. "But," he said carefully, "I'd have thought you of all people would think that bottling your feelings up isn't a particularly clever thing to do. I mean, isn't that what you get people to do every day – talk about how they're feeling, because you know that's the only way to get things sorted."

"You've got me there Jonny," Jil said smiling, "but then that's work and this is my life, our lives, and I never said I always practice what I preach. Just like you I bet," she added, before seeing the quizzical look on Jonny's face, continuing. "I mean how many times a day do you tell your patients about the benefits of healthy living – giving up smoking, cutting down on alcohol, eating their 5 a day - before going out to Albie's knocking back a few pints and then stopping off for a kebab on the way home?"

"Mmmm, fair point" Jonny conceded, "but, still, I can't help thinking it can't be good for you keeping all this…..stuff…worry…inside, and I know Jac would hate it if she found out you'd been keeping it from her."

"But she doesn't need anything else to worry about at the moment," Jil argued. "Although I have to admit it does feel weird not talking to her about it. We're normally so honest with each other – I bet I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've lied to her since uni. No, really" she insisted, seeing Jonny's disbelieving expression, "we don't do little white lies, because there's no need and there are very few occasions when you actually need to tell huge whoppers to someone you've known as long, and love as much as Jac and I do each other. And in our case it's always been like now, when I've been trying to convince her of something that I knew wasn't the case but which I really wanted her to believe. That I was alright when we were on holiday in Madrid, or after I had the miscarriage. That everything would be OK when her mum stole her kidney and then buggered off again or when Joseph left for the Lake District. You know, those lies you tell because you don't want the person you'd told them to to miss out on something, or because you can't bear to see them hurting any more, which you know they would if you told them the truth. Those kind of lies – the protective ones, the good ones! You do know, don't you?"

"Yep, I know" Jonny admitted, thinking back to some of the lies he had told which would definitely fall into that category. "I really do, but."

"But you still think that it'd be better for me if I told Jac how I was actually feeling about everything? Not least because that might encourage her to be honest about how she's actually feeling about everything"

"Erm" Jonny didn't know what to say to that, realising that Jac would never forgive him if he revealed anything to Jil of how she really was feeling.

"It's OK," Jil said, "I don't expect you to answer that. Anyway I already know how worried Jac is – we've been friends for way too long for her to be able to hide that from me, no matter how hard she tries to disguise it. And I'd bet you any money she knows exactly how I'm feeling too – those lies I told, she never did believe me, she knows me too well too."

"But then why bother with the whole lie thing?" Jonny asked, completely confused.

"Because it's what you do. It's stupid, but true – sometimes those 'good lies' are the only thing you can give to someone you love so much, you'd do anything rather than hurt them, or see them hurt. The same goes for me and Daniel, we're bo…"

"You talking about me again," a voice interrupted them from the doorway, "I knew there had to be a reason my ears were so hot."

"You must have been standing with your head in the sun then," Jil replied, "because that's the first time I've mentioned your name in ages. Right Jonny?"

"Ermm," Jonny, his head still reeling from what they'd just been talking about, struggled to answer, having trouble switching from the previous topic of conversation, "erm, I, I really couldn't, don't know"

"What've you done to him?" Daniel asked Jil. "He was having a perfectly sensible conversation with me earlier, and now after ten minutes with you he can't even seem to string a sentence together."

"Ah, well I've dazzled him with my brilliance you see! Isn't that right Jonny?" Jil replied, looking at him with a smile on her face, and a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite place.

"Oh, yeah," he replied weakly, still trying to get his head together. "Yep, that's right" he continued, with slightly more confidence, "she's befuddled me." Which was, he realised, not too far from the truth.

"Aye, well she's good at that." Daniel said, "I've been bewitched, bothered and bewildered by her since the day I met her, so I'd say befuddled's actually quite good."

"You love it really." Jil interjected

"Never said I didn't," Daniel retorted.

"And you missed one descriptor off," she continued, as if he hadn't said anything, "besotted. You're also besotted with me – in a good way," she emphasised looking at Jonny.

"Yep, suppose I am." Daniel admitted, "but then a bit of besottedness is alright, isn't it?"

"Well, it's fine by me" Jil said, "especially because, if I'm honest, which I always try to be, the feelings mutual."

"Oh you say the sweetest things," Daniel said, moving round to the other side of the bed and kissing Jil's forehead, before sitting down on the chair by her bed.

"I do, don't I?" Jil replied, smiling. "Did you have your lunch? Jonny said you told him you were going to get something."

"Well I did, but I haven't eaten it yet. Got some sandwiches and stuff cos I thought it might be nice to have lunch with my wife. That is if you haven't got any other plans obviously?"

"Hmmm, well I'll have to cancel on George, but I'm sure he'll get over it eventually." Jil replied smiling. "Ooohh, actually, Jonny" she said, turning to look at him, "you've not had your lunch yet have you?" Jonny shook his head, "and your shift doesn't start till 2, right?" He nodded, uncertainly. "Excellent, so all I need to do now is ascertain Jac's availability and then my plan will come together nicely. You're alright to get something for lunch that you can bring back here aren't you?" she asked

"Best to agree mate" Daniel said, "it never does to get in the way of one of Jil's plans, believe me!"

"Erm, yes, sure I can do that." Jonny said, having no idea what was going on really but deciding that Daniel was probably right.

"And can you get something for Jac too?" Jil continued, "Don't worry" she said, noticing the look on Jonny's face, "I'll tell her it was my idea – she'll be fine."

"Erm, yep, why not?" Jonny said, even as he said it, thinking of at least three answers to that question.

"Great," Jil said smiling. "I love it when a plan comes together"