It's Nothing Personal

A Raging Temperature

Jack sits at his desk recovering fingerprints from a laptop when his phone starts to ring, he looks at it and sees that its Nikki again, he decides to ignore it as he has his hands full. Once again the phone starts to ring and he slides it and answers the call, "Yeah?"

"Jack?" Nikki says sounding rather relieved he's answered.
"What is it now?" Jack questions.

There is silence before she replies, "I don't think she is well at all Jack..."
"Why?" Jack questions sounding concerned.
"She keeps going limp, her temperature is 100.1 degrees... oh and now she's just brought up her milk... Jack what do I do" Nikki panics.

Jack looks around the office, "Nik, I'm going to try and get away but if not call the 111 services" Jack replies.
Nikki looks down at Poppy and cleans up the sick, "Jack should I give her water?" Nikki asks.

"Nikki, you're the one here with a medical degree... I don't" He replies.
Nikki thinks to herself trying to remember everything she had learned about childhood illnesses.

Jack comes back to the phone once he has spoken to Thomas, "I'm coming now" He speaks to her reassuring her. He puts the phone down and grabs his car keys, Clarissa returns from the toilets and looks at Jack as he puts his jacket on.
"Where are you going?" She questions.

"Poppy isn't very well" Jack replies in a hurry.
"Wait Jack want me to come with you? I'm clocking off now, Nikki needs all the support she can get" Clarissa smiles and Jack nods.

Clarissa quickly gathers her things and heads out to Jack's car, he helps her into the car before putting her wheelchair into the boot.
Jack gets into the driver's seat and gets ready to go when Nikki calls again. Clarissa grabs the phone off Jack and answers it.

"Nikki? It's Clarissa, we're on our way!" She says to Nikki.
"Oh good, please hurry..." Nikki pleads.

Soon, they arrive at the house and Jack helps Clarissa out the car and gets the chair before locking his car and heading into the house. "Nikki?" Jack calls taking his jacket off and walking into the hallway.

"Jack!" Nikki calls from the lounge.

Jack and Clarissa head into the lounge and Jack comes to Nikki's side as she has knelt on the floor. "She won't keep her milk down, I've tried both breast and formula and she won't keep it down" Nikki explains in a bit of a panic.

Clarissa watches them fuss over Poppy, Jack then gets up and heads into the kitchen and comes back with a bottle with some water in. "Maybe try her on water. Like us... it's fluids" Jack suggests and hands Nikki the bottle.

Nikki lifts Poppy up and sits on the sofa with her in her arms, She gives Poppy the bottle and she takes it. "This is so much better. I think she's keeping it down" Nikki replies removing the teat from Poppy's mouth every so often.
Jack looks up at Clarissa and she gives a slight smile, "Nik do you want me to have her? you can go have a drink or something?" He suggests.

"I think her temperature is coming down now, I gave her come calpol" Nikki replies.

"Is that a yes or no then?" Jack questions.
Nikki smiles and passes Poppy to Jack, "Thanks" She smiles and stands up, Nikki looks at Clarissa and smiles, "Would you like a coffee?" She questions and Clarissa nods, she follows Nikki to the kitchen.

Clarissa sits and watches Nikki make them drinks, "How are you, Nikki? and I mean how you're really feeling... you seemed pretty distressed on the phone for a doctor..." She says.

Nikki doesn't reply and just makes them a drink, she brings the drinks to the table and sits down, "So?" Clarissa says leaning forwards.

"Awful, If I honest" Nikki replies.
"Awful how?" She asks.

"Just exhausted, she is hard work Clarissa... but this is something different, she is never like this. I can put her down for an hour or two and she sleeps, but she won't sleep... I've had several dirty nappies today... I want this nightmare to end and then I can go to work" Nikki sighs.

Nikki sits quietly sipping at her drink, "I'm always here if you need to chat... Jack is like my best friend, and you're equal to him" Clarissa smiles.

"Yeah, but I really don't know if Jack is going to stick around very much longer" Nikki replies.

Clarissa looks at Nikki in shock, she couldn't believe she had just said this. "What! Nikki, why are you thinking this?" She almost shouts.

"Just so many things..." She says shaking her head.
"Nikki, Jack is in the same boat as you... he's a first-time father, He didn't even know he had a child a month ago," Clarissa says trying to reason with Nikki.

Jack walks through into the kitchen, "Where is she?" Nikki says getting up from her chair.

He smiles and walks over to her, Jack embraces her in a hug.
"Asleep" He mumbles as he looks over at Clarissa and nods.

Clarissa smiles and watches them, Nikki pulls back first from the hug, "I think Nikki has something to ask you Jack" She smirks knowing they really need to talk.

"What about? Nik?" He says holding Nikki's shoulder.
Nikki looks at Clarissa and then back at Jack, she couldn't believe Clarissa had dropped her in it after confiding in her.

Nikki looks down at the floor and plays with her sleeve. "It's nothing really" Nikki mutters.
Jack raises an eyebrow and looks at Nikki, "Please can we move on" Nikki adds awkwardly.

"No!" Jack says, he lifts his hand to her chin and nudges her chin up, "Nikki?"

She looks at Clarissa again who is watching them, "Jack, are you going to stay? Because recently I've felt like you don't want to be around me... you're secretive... Why Jack, is there another woman. Because if there is Jack please tell me, I don't mind being a single mother... you did try" Nikki replies.

Jack looks at her completely stunned, "What! you think there is someone else" Jack says choking on his words.

"Jack tell me!" Nikki says as she starts to get emotional.

"There is someone" Jack sighs as he looks at her.