Apologies for the ridiculously long interval between updating this - I've been having laptop trouble (it's now an ex-laptop) and as a consequence am having to write everything long-hand and have very limited internet access. Still, better late than never. I hope you enjoy it, and as ever please, please review - I really do like to know what people think...

Wednesday afternoon, Holby City Hospital

Darwin

Jonny exited Bay 2 and glancing up the ward saw a couple enter through the doors. He realised who they must be - the resemblance was just too striking to be coincidental - and set off to meet them as they came down the corridor. "You must be Jil's parents," he said, realising that he had no idea what Jil's maiden name had been.

"Yes, that's right," the woman responded, a slight questioning tone to her voice.

Recognising this, Jonny explained, "Oh, I'm Jonny" and held his hand out for her to shake.

"Jac's Jonny?" she replied, and when he nodded, put down the bag she was carrying, and spurned the hand he was holding out to her, instead enveloping him in a hug. "Jil's told us so much about you and how happy you're making Jac. It's really good to meet you at last." she said, beaming as she released him

"Yes," the man beside her said, holding out his hand to Jonny, "it's so good to finally have a face to put to a name now. Jil's said such a lot about you."

"All good I hope?" Jonny asked as their handshake finished.

"Exemplary!" Jil's mum replied, "although she was a little concerned that you might be working too hard. How is she, by the way?"

"Well," Jonny replied carefully, "she's gone down for some more tests..Totally routine" he quickly reassured them, noticing the concern in their faces, "and hopefully they'll give us a better idea. But she is getting the best possible care here, as you'd expect with Jac on the case. Speaking of whom, she is on the ward somewhere, so if you'd like to take a seat here," he said, leading them over to the comfy chair corner of the ward, "I'll go and see if I can find her for you."

"Oh right, thank you." Jil's mum said, "and you'll let us know if Jil comes back in the meantime?"

"Of course." Jonny assured her, before setting off to try and find Jac - a not unwelcome task.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jac approached the nurse's station but before she reached it was distracted by the sound of two very familiar voices, and began to smile even before she saw the people they belonged to. Jac supposed that most people would find it odd that, even before Paula had left, the place that she had felt most like herself was somebody else's house. But that it how it was for her - Jil's house had always felt more like home than her own house ever could. And it had taken her a long time, much longer, she was sure than it would have taken most children, to realise that it was nothing to do with the house itself. That the building itself did not possess, as she had once thought, magical powers. That the reason she felt like she could breathe more easily as soon as she stepped through the gate of the Santini's front garden, was the people who lived there. The people who offered her, unlike Paula, a sense of constancy - that she could count on them to be there for her, whatever she did, however she was. Throughout her childhood and beyond, and perhaps most when Paula had left, the Santini's home, and more precisely the Santini's, had been her sanctuary, her safe haven. And it was for this reason that, even under these circumstances, when she saw Mr and Mrs Santini (as she always thought of them, no matter how many times they told her to call them Tony and Rosa) Jac felt a sense of relief, of coming home

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Jac!" Jonny heard a male voice exclaim as he rounded the corner and realised that his search for Jac was no longer necessary as she had, it would seem, found Jil's parents. He looked on as she was enveloped in a hug, first by Jil's dad and then her mum, and marvelled at how her normally so strict rules about public displays of affection didn't seem to apply to anyone who was connected to Jil. It was strange for him to see her so at ease with it, but strange in a good way he decided, and in a way he hoped one day to be able to emulate with her himself. 'That's something to work towards, a goal to aim for' he thought to himself, determinedly. "Patience and persistence, patience and persistence' he repeated to himself, remembering Jil's advice.

"She found us," Jil's mum said, noticing Jonny as she finally released Jac.

"So I see," Jonny commented. Before continuing, noticing the slight look of confusion on Jac's face. "I went to look for you, to tell you they'd arrived."

"Oh right," Jac replied, "so you've been introduced then?"

"Yes, well...sort of."

"Which means what exactly?"

"Well, they know I'm your Jonny and I guessed they were Jil's parents, but I haven't been officially introduced" he tried to explain.

"Right," Jac said, her expression making it clear how unimpressed she was with his explanation, "well that's as clear as mud then!"

"I think," Jil's mum interrupted, trying to help Jonny out "what he means is that we know his name but he doesn't know ours. Right?" she asked, smiling over at him.

He nodded gratefully, returning her smile and wondering how, even after all this time, Jac still seemed to have the power to turn his thoughts to mush before saying, "That's it exactly."

"Well why didn't you just say that then?" Jac asked exasperatedly, before continuing, "Oh never mind, I don't suppose it matters really. And I suppose I'd better do the honours - Jonny this is Tony and Rosa Santini - Jil's parents. And this idiot" she continued, smiling affectionately at him, "is Jonathon Maconie - Jonny, who I'm betting you've heard all about from Jil.

"Oh yes," Rosa said definitely, "she hasn't really stopped talking about him since she got home after visiting you last time."

"And I expect it was all good?' Jac asked, to which Rosa nodded. "Nothing about his idiocy and general annoyingness, then?" she continued, smiling across at Jonny again to neutralise her words.

"No, nothing about that," Rosa agreed.

"Well I suppose she doesn't know you as well as I do," Jac said, addressing Jonny. "And she's always been a sucker for a Scottish accent, so maybe that's understandable.

"How is Jil?" Tony asked, 'Jonny said she'd gone for some more tests."

"That's completely normal." Jac said, giving Jonny one of her looks as she said it.

"Jonny told us that," Rosa interrupted hurriedly, trying to diffuse the tension that had suddenly arisen. 'Totally routine' he said".

"Yes, that's right," Jac said relaxing again, "she's gone down for a more detailed ultrasound than we can do on the ward, and for a stress echo too. And they're just to help us get a more complete picture of what's going on with her heart at the moment."

"And what is going on with it Jac?" Rosa asked, more than a hint of anxiety evident in her voice.

"Well, if you can just hang on for a minute I'll go and get Elliott - Professor Hope - and we can explain it to you together, if that's OK with you?"

"Yes, of course," Tony said, but the uncertainty in his voice belied his words.

"It's just" Jac, hearing this, explained, "he's the one who's in actual charge of her case, and who'll be doing the operation, so it's probably best if he's here too. That way you hear everything straight from the horses mouth, you see?"

"Yes, of course," Rosa said, taking her husband's hand in hers "we understand perfectly. Honestly"

"It's just..." Tony began

"I know" Jac said softly, "you have no idea how much I wish I was doing the op."

"Oh Jac," Rosa said definitely, "of course we do!" And with her free hand she caught one of Jac's and gave it a comforting squeeze, repeating as she did this. "Of course we do..." Before, after a short pause, continuing, "so we'll wait here whilst you go and find Professor Hope. Yes?"

"Yes," Jac said, grateful for the opportunity Rosa had given to her to think about practicalities again, "Do you want a drink or something?" she asked.

"Oh, a cup of tea would be lovely" Rosa replied.

"Jonny, could you..?" Jac asked.

"Of course," he replied, "how do you take it."

"White, no sugar, not too strong" she said

"And for you Tony?" Jonny asked.

"A strong black coffee, one sugar please."

"Coming right up" Jonny said, wheeling around and heading off towards the kitchen area.

Jac fell into step beside him and said, totally unexpectedly, well at least to him, "My Jonny?"

He stopped to look at her and saw the quizzical expression she had perfected well, "They said it not me," he said quickly, "And what's wrong with it anyway?"

"Did I say something was wrong with it?" Jac replied, totally wrong-footing him, before bamboozling him further by stealing a kiss before she walked off towards her office to find Elliott, looking back just once and smiling her best 'knew that would surprise you' smile.