"Blood test" Doctor Nate stated, they needed to get to the bottom of Evie's dilemma.

Nate was thorough and generous, John gave him that. No appointment and well before opening hours, nothing was a bother. Evie was poked softly and measured and weighed and had her temperature taken, now this, the horrid needle.

"Leaving John?" Challenge offered.

"No Nate, I will be staying" Challenge accepted. 

Then John added "I'll even hold her arm"  very effectively upping the ante.

"You'll need a firm grip not a weak wrist John" Lou smiled at his attempt to harness the lethargic yet still strong wiggly baby "You don't have a weak wrist do you John?" John caught Lou's eye and rolled his own, her insinuating he masturbated, or was that didn't masturbate...was a bit rude, seeing as he had her wrapped round his waist last n--

"Right here we go. Steady. Hold still little darling" Nate spoke in an even and soothing voice. Pushing the needle in the soft skin and everybody working to contain her limbs as Eve struggled and bawled loudly. "So strong little one, just a little more sweetie.... There all gone. Good lass!" Nate handed Eve a toy from his desk and taped her delicate skin with a small sticky plaster. "I'll take this down to pathology and have a look-see. Sit tight ..... Louise it's ok don't cry, look at Eve she's not going anywhere" Nate looked over Lou's teary face at John "..... John ..." Nate and John nodded in understanding, he took his cue and looked after his family as Nate went to pathology to run a barrage of tests.

John hugged Louise to him as he jiggled Eve on his lap. God, he loved them now, before he was underwater wondering if he'd ever surface from a bad dream now he wanted the current to float him along with them, keep the dream, stay close, be safe in love.

But Johns temper could be a powder keg and his patience as short as a record player needle, he knew he was impatient and blew his stack more often than not, every single time he attempted to curb his tongue he put his foot in his mouth anyway.

Louise took Eve in her arms, kissing and cuddling the little miss.

I need to relax, he argued with himself as tension began to brace his shoulders, letting his eyes wander over the bland room he  slowly counted to twenty, then rubbed a hand over his face as his knee bounced, his fingers pinching his leg as he hankered for a smoke.

Finally bringing his eyes down from the pasty yellow ceiling he decided to let the girls calm him, he knew they could, just with a look he could be brought back to happiness. Taking in Evie as she snuggled, finally asleep on Louise, then Louise who's head bounced a little on his shoulder where she lent.

He stopped bouncing.

Nate returned carrying an arm load of thick tomes, all bookmarked, and a sheet with Eve's test results. Lou sat up and clutched her handbag, then feeling Johns fingers by hers she let him intertwine them with his, safe, better.

Evie, having woken, found her thumb and sucked as Nate opened the three medical books, rereading before he addressed the two sat waiting for his news.

"Ok, first of all this isn't life threatening if treated, ok Lou..." Nate wanted to get that bit out first, to settle Louise nerves "She has a blood disorder" Lou cried out and John grappled her close to his side, wishing he could hide her away from the words. Keep them safe from harms way.

It wouldn't matter if ten doctors said your baby was not suffering a 'life- threatening disorder' your child was still ill, still in pain or still going to go through some sort of trauma and so would you. You the parent taking every needle along with your child, the pain, the frightening rooms, the frightening words, strange places, strange smells.

"Louise please let me get it all out then we can understand" Nate rubbed her knee and John didn't even bother glowering at him. "It's called Hereditary Spherocytosis and it affects the blood, she will need a blood transfusion which will take a half day in hospital and she will be better, this time"

Louise heard the 'this time' and felt her heart drop, her pulse weaken.

"Her blood is weaker, different shaped to yours and mine, so the spleen, a line of defence in everyone's body, sees this difference and says 'enemy- attack' so that's what it did. Her bones make more blood but presently she needs a top-up, some help with some donated blood. If we give her an operation, take the spleen she can have a full and happy life, no doubt about it. This means though, until her operation, she will need regular blood tests for monitoring of her blood count, her haemoglobin count"

Silence fell over the three and Evie looked up her Ma patting Lou's face for attention. Louise kissed the little fingers "So it's not my blood given her this .... I haven't got this problem"

Nate bit the inside of his cheek, this was where he was most worried, dredging up old wounds and Evie's background, he tread a careful line and explained "This can be one of two things Louise. Her blood mutated in a one-off random act of nobody's fault during development in the womb or .... it could be handed down from a parent"

Louise looked down, everything she hid from the world, everything John had done for her was burnt charred ashes. Evie was a perfect angel and now this was biting at Lou's heels like a dog with a bone it would never leave her, ever. Now another bump in the road, another nailed sign hung on Lou's door 'You were raped', and the worst, that she always knew in her heart was true, 'you let them'.

"Get them to the hospital John, I'll make the call. Everything should be ready when you go in" Nate stood then decided to kneel in front of Lou. Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, making her look at him "This is not you Louise. It's alright to cry but you mustn't let the darkness of that night take away your sunshine today. Look at this little one, so gorgeous she is, like her mummy ...and you have a husband that plainly loves you both. Now off you go, get the treatment, I'll come see you this afternoon"

Lou nodded blindly and wandered after John feeling so small and insignificant to the ways of being a mother, she was much too inexperienced for all this, the burden of Evie's illness and pain, looking after her. Would she ever be a good mother.... would she ever be free of the past.

"She'll be fine Louie darlin" John fetched the door of the taxi and guided a mute Louise inside, she hadn't said one word, just held Johns hand so tight and Evie so delicately. Evie reached for John as he slid in beside them both, holding his hands out Lou let Eve wriggle free.

He hugged the pair of them and realised however strong Lou seemed, it wasn't strength enough where Evie was concerned, he needed to front up and carry the load for her, with her. Step in when she was weak because in Evie's case Lou, he felt, was feeling the ails and ills near as much as Evie was and would again and again as Eve underwent blood tests and the impending surgery.

Making good time the two sat watching Eve's tiny body held down as another needle was pushed far into her skin and a bag of blood hung above her, flowing into her, temporarily fixing her body and pallor.

John was edgy and annoyed with the snail like pace that surrounded them in the hospital but his fingers secured Lou's the entire afternoon and his eyes watched over their daughter.

Every fifth day it was decided, until Nate knew how stable Evie's blood count was and each time Louise cried as much as her daughter. More bags of blood were used and hours spent sitting idle beside the small cot in the children's ward. Louise going alone after the first day or two, it was so much more hassle if John went along. Journalists hankered them and fans assembled in the most obscure posts about the hospital grounds and sometimes hidden in the ward, Louise managed her fears better though, knowing John would be home waiting for them to return.

From being a cad and nutter he rose to the challenges of a ill baby and a wife that worried for her daughters health, he cooked simple meals and made tea, washed the dishes and hung washing on the line. He accepted her fears and hugged her a little longer, hugged them both a little more.

And when it was revealed that the blood counts were steadily worsening the decision was made to go through with surgery sooner rather than later. That little girl, that was so adorable and attempting to cling to the furniture to stand, would be a tiny figure on a hospital bed built for adults.

But the Beatles train stopped for no one not even Evie, and they were the worst of days, the days he wasn't there when she walked in the front door of an empty house, exhausted and upset from the many hours surrounded by illness and pain.

They were more together yet still very alone... when the bands commitments interfered.

A/N: 

So yeah Hereditary Spherocytosis is a real blood disorder. My hubs had his spleen taken at 4 years of age and 2 of my 4 sons (2 are HS free) were 'lucky' and kept their spleens til they were around 11 years old. Apparently it's more common in European countries.