Ways to Live Forever

Visting Times

A day later. Jack has just collected Emily from the hospital cafe and is taking her to see her Mum who is still on the maternity ward while they keep the baby on the neonatal unit. "How is the baby" Emily asks Jack as they enter the lift.

"She's doing fine, gave the nurses a fright in the night, she pulled of her heart rate monitor, she's fairly strong, still very susceptible to illness," Jack speaks and presses floor three and watches the lift doors close.

Emily just nods and looks down at her phone and texts her Dad to say that she is safe and heading to see her Mum now. "Dad said Mum has terrible timings," She speaks.
"Yes she seems too you know" he replies with a chuckle.
"Dad told me that Mum wanted to call me Ava... but he didn't like the name" She speaks shyly.

Jack looks at her and rolls his eyes, "she likes that name doesn't she... although I had no say in the name Isabella she just came out with it" Jack replies and smiles at Emily.

Emily just shrugs her shoulders and exits the lift as soon as she doors open. They walk along the corridor pass many different wards for different things. "Jack?..." Emily says curiously.
"Yeah?" Jack replies glancing at her.
"How long have you and Mum been together?" Emily questions curiously.

"Around six years, why?" He says after a slight pause.
"I was just checking, like that's a big quick to have a baby together right?" Emily speaks.

He becomes slightly suspicious of Emily but doesn't let it show, "We've been officially together six years but I've loved your Mum for much longer, we were good friends before that" Jack speaks.

"That's stupid... You're not even married and you've had a baby, do you know that's classed as a bastard?" Emily replies knowing exactly what she is saying and trying to get answers from Jack to why they still haven't told Emily they're married.

"Woah, you are your mother's daughter" Jack chuckles avoiding the question.

They get to the ward Nikki is on and Jack presses the buzzer on the door before the doors open and they head inside. "Is the baby with Mum?" Emily asks curiously.
"No she's on the neonatal unit" Jack replies as they walk along the ward towards Nikki who is sat in the middle bed along a small line of beds. Emily instantly realises that Nikki is one of the only mother on the ward without her baby lying next to her.

They walk over to Nikki who looks up from the book in front of her and places it down in her lap. "Hey you" Nikki smiles cheerfully and Emily walks over to her Mum and instantly hugs her tightly. She has no idea what forced her to do this but deep down she had missed her Mum and is now glad to see her. "How have you been?" Nikki adds and kisses Emily's cheek.

"Good thank you, but less about me, how are you?" Emily asks as she pulls away and sits beside Jack.

Nikki begins to talk but Emily gets distracted by the patient name board slightly to the left of Nikki which clearly states her name as 'Nicola Hodgson' this instantly proved her suspicious and Jack catches her looks at the name and raising an eyebrow.

In the process of this Jack glances at Nikki who stops talking and looks at Emily who is in a world of her own, she then follows Emily eyes and realises that they're fixed on the name board.

"When was you going to tell me?" Emily questions not taking her eyes off the board when she senses that her Mum and Jack have noticed what she's looking at.

Nikki and Jack look at each other for answers but neither of them have a reply. "Thought as much, you couldn't be bothered to tell me because you're too rapped up with your silly little lives to remember that I exists" Emily replies and bites her lip to fight back the emotion.

"Not now Emily!" Jack replies.
Emily hugs and rolls her eyes before looking down at her phone and messing on it leaving Jack and Nikki rather stunned.

Nikki sits on the edge of the bed and looks down at the floor, "where do you think you're going?" Jack questions as he watches his wife remove her drip and place the cap on her cannula. "The toilet..." Nikki replies as she gets to her feet and slowly makes her way to the toilet.

The nurses rush to Nikki's side and try to talk her into getting back into bed, "... please Mrs Hodgson, you're doing yourself no favours... we shall get you a bedpan" the older nurse speaks but Nikki keeps walking.

"I'm not stupid nor weak" Nikki speaks
"Please Mrs Hodgson, you're doing yourself no favours, you did loose a lot of blood" the younger less qualified nurse replies.

Emily looks up from her phone, "what do you mean she lost blood?" Emily questions and looks to Jack for answers.
"Retracted placenta," he responds.
"But I saw it, it all came out!" Emily protests.
"No some of it didn't, don't worry now she'll be fine, this is normal Nikki. Being stubborn" he speaks.

Emily stands up and looks across at her Mum who is standing her ground against the nurses. "Mum! Sit down!" Emily shouts and all the other of the mothers on the ward look across at Emily.