PART FOUR

Jac knocked on Hanssen's door loudly. The sound of moody classic piano music could be heard from within and Jac knocked again, louder. Hanssen's voice issued above the din,

"Enter!" Jac pushed open the door forcefully. Hanssen looked up from his desk. "Ah Ms. Naylor, glad you could make it," he said softly. "Do please take a seat," Jac scowled at Hanssen's forced politeness.

"I'd rather stand, thank you," Jac replied equally softly.

"Please yourself," Hanssen said sternly. Jac did so. A momentary silence hung over the office, a silence you could have cut through with a knife. Hanssen cleared his throat. "I got your email Ms. Naylor."

"Did you," Jac muttered, bored.

"Can I ask what motivated your decision?" Hanssen looked up at Jac, for the first time, interested. Jac seemed briefly taken aback. She hadn't fully expected this.

"My decision was motivated by many different factors Mr. Hanssen," Jac told him, looking straight into his eyes. Whatever she expected, nothing fazed Jac Naylor.

"So I take it you don't have a rival offer?" Hanssen pressed on, curiously. Jac was beginning to wonder what this was all about.

"Look, I'm resigning for purely personal reasons, nothing to do with another job offer or anything quite so bloody mundane," Jac said, her voice raised ever so slightly. Hanssen lifted his hand for calm.

"I'm just wondering what would motivate you to leave your post so soon after winning it. There may not be the same opportunities somewhere else," Hanssen informed her.

"I'm intending to take time out from cardiothoracics altogether," Jac told him. Hanssen raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"For how long?" he asked slowly. Jac fixed him with her most piercing of gazes.

"For as long as I want. There's only so many broken hearts you can stick together in a career, it's time to take a look a my own..." Jac tailed off, realising she had said too much.

"Of course. Mr. Byrne," Hanssen said, his lips twisting into a cruel smile. "In that case Ms. Naylor, your resignation is not accepted."

"You can't do that!" Jac cried out, affronted.

"As Director of Surgery I reserve the right to reject or approve resignations," Hanssen lied. Jac felt indignant. She turned on the spot, ripped open the door and stormed out. Hanssen returned to his music.

Jac was in a rage. She practically barged Mary-Claire out of the way as she stormed her way around the ward and Michael narrowly avoided having the staffroom door slammed in his face.

"Woah! What's up with her?" Michael asked Elliot as he trundled past. Elliot looked forlorn.

"Hanssen didn't accept her resignation. She's had enough," Elliot informed Michael, who looked shocked and bewildered.

"Jac Naylor, resign? You have got to be kidding me," Michael told Elliot. "She's a great consultant, unorthodox maybe, but great."

"Well the word is, she fully intends to resign but Hanssen has some sort of hold over her," Elliot muttered. Michael raised his eyebrow.

"I'll talk her out of it. This hospital cannot afford to lose Jac Naylor!" Michael looked over just in time to see Jac give the computer a violent kick. "Even if she takes a little getting used to." Elliot nodded. Michael smiled vaguely and strode over to Jac, who was now smacking the keyboard with such force the keys were practically falling out. She looked up as Michael approached her.

"What do you want?"

"You know if you keep smacking it like that it'll never work," Michael told her sarcastically. Jac ignored him.

"Bloody system! Piece of junk!" Jac slammed the keyboard down and turned to Michael. "Well?"

"Can we talk?" Michael asked her.

I have a feeling we're about to," Jac said exasperatedly.

"In private," Michael added, indicating the on-call room. Jac nodded. They left discreetly.

"I'll page Sahira," Jac said suddenly. Michael shrugged.

"Whatever, can we just talk?"

"What could possibly be so important?" Jac asked.

"You're not resigning," Michael told her sternly.

"Why not?"

"Because this hospital...I need you," Michael said. Jac looked at him curiously.

"Well with that offer, I can't possibly refuse," Jac said, smirking.

"Be serious Jac, why do you want to leave?" Jac's smirk faltered. She sighed.

"After my mother died and I saw my half-sister at the funeral, I realised I needed to get out."

"Why?"

"I have nobody Michael! The only family I have hate me, Joseph's buggered off to the country to be a sodding GP and I'm not exactly the most popular of people here!" There were tears glistening in Jac's eyes. Michael bit his lip, thinking.

"Well maybe you should take a look at your attitude?" Michael suggested. Jac thought about this.

"I have considered this, but to be honest Michael, I just don't think people would like me even if I was as sickly sweet as Sahira Shah." Michael stepped towards her. Jac eyes gleamed shiny as the tears started to stream down her face. Michael placed his arms around her. Jac did not push him away. They looked into each other's eyes and moved closer together.

"You are amazing Jac, just the way you are," Michael murmured.

"High praise indeed Michael," Jac said softly. They leaned in towards each other and began to snog.

"Hello is that Mr. Byrne?" Hanssen said into the phone loudly. "I have a proposition for you. It involves Ms. Naylor..."

TO BE CONTINUED