Havent thought of a name for this yet

[Bee]

"Indy, look at the camera sweetie, come on for daddy" Declan called down to his daughter, "Come on look at mummy India".

Bridget and Declan stood proudly looking at their daughter, unsure of how to make her look up at the camera for the photographer.

"India is a cute baby, but we may need to rethink having her as a model for our company, we need a baby whose attention we can get fast" the photographer told them later.

"Getting the attention of a baby fast? who does he think he is? seriously you cant expect a six month old to be perfect so easily at being a model" Bridget ranted on the way home.

"Well we need to think of something to help come up with the money" Declan commented, "I dont know how this is going to happen Didge, I think we're just too in over our heads".

"No we can't stop living just because we had a baby in year 12" Bridget recited.

"Yes I know we cant stop living, it's just that it's a bit hard to do everything we want to do when we are teenagers with a six month old" Declan said, "Maybe we should just save up for a year then you can go-".

"No, I want this course, I want to better myself for her-" Bridget said.

"She's not going to know Didge, she's six months old, babies don't retain memory til they're 18 months old at least-"

"But when she asks us how we coped with having her so young she'll think we're cop outs".

"No she wont she will get everything she deserves, just give it time Didge".

"We need our own place Dec, she's getting too big and with Ned, Kirsten and Mickey moving in next week she's going to have to stay in our room, she needs her own bedroom-".

"I know Bridget" Declan sighed as they pulled into their driveway, "I'm working on it".

"If you need money just ask" Rebecca told him later that night as he went through his finances.

"I don't want to take your money, you've finally got everything you deserve, i'm not going to take that away from you" Declan told her.

"Declan, you're my son, when I made you I brought upon myself the obligations of helping you with everything you need" Rebecca told him, "Just as i'd imagine you would do with Indy if she was in this predicament in the future".

"She will not be a teen mother" Declan snapped, "She's not going anywhere near boys til she's old enough".

"My father used to say the same thing about me, but hey, if I didnt go near boys there would be no Oliver, or you for that matter".

"You didn't need to go near boys, my freak of a father went for you instead" Declan sighed.

Bridget heard all this from their bedroom, truth be known she was worried that she couldn't prove herself, she was young, only eighteen and three months with a six month old baby but she wanted to prove to everyone that she could cope just as well as any other mother and that she could still get all over her life goals out there.

She proved this a little at the end of last year when her results came back, 88.7 as an enter score, Declan had been so proud of her but she knew secretly that he'd been disappointed with his own 75.2 enter but she'd been very proud of him, last year had been the most disrupted year of his life, year 12, marriage and a new baby, and its a big thing to say when she thought about how he'd grown up.

She knew that he was petrified of turning into his own father, he was so tender and loving with India, never yelled at her, never got angry she was the one person in his life, apart from herself that could calm him down the minute he looks at her. She was glad that he had such a good relationship with their daughter, she was afraid that his anger management problems could keep him from being a good father to India but he'd turned out to be perfect, it was just the financial aspect of things that stressed him out.

Bridget was snapped from her thoughts by crying through the baby monitor, India was awake from her nap finally, she'd slept for two more hours then usual and Bridget knew that this would mean a rough night of sleep as India will no doubt find it to be playtime later tonight, but she didn't care, India was her life, she'd stay awake for the rest of her own life if it meant that India was a happy and bubbly girl with everything she wanted and deserved in life.

"Hey beautiful girl" Bridget walked into India's room to find her daughter sitting up in her bed tears still in her eyes and face bright red, "have a good sleep sweetie?".

India seemed to be grumpy and just cried louder that her mother had not picked her up yet.

"Hey hey hey it's not that bad" Bridget picked her up and India sniffed and frowned at her mother.

"Hey there beautiful" Declan smiled as Bridget made her way through the lounge room to the kitchen.

Bridget put India in her high chair before going to heat up the dinner she'd prepared earlier for India as Declan walked into the kitchen.

"how are you?" He went over to India who frowned up at her dad and whined a little.

"What's wrong with Indy?" Declan asked Bridget, "She looks sick".

"She's fine" Bridget told him, "Just cranky".

"I dont know, i'm going to take her temperature" Declan went over to the medicine cabinet and took out the baby thermometer for India.

"you're such a fusspot of a father" Bridget smiled sitting down to India and offering her food.

"look see she doesnt want food" Declan pointed out when India refused to eat, "here i'll take her temperature".

"It's high" Bridget commented looking at the stick a few minutes later, "maybe she should go to the hospital".

"It's really high for a baby" Declan commented, "It's meant to be two degree's lower then that to even be remotely safe for a baby her age".

"How do you know that?".

"I read the baby books".

"Let's go".

[Bee]

"Mr and Mrs Napier?" the doctor came out of India's hospital room to the waiting room.

"Yes?" they both said.

The doctor seemed taken aback momentarily about how young Declan and Bridget were before deciding that they must be telling the truth and said "India has croup, i've put her on some medication and we'll keep her here tonight for monitoring because her temperature was high for a baby, but next time she is like this you'll just have to give her the medication".

"Can we go see her?" Bridget asked.

"Yeah she's just through there".

The young parents did not need telling twice, both had been stressing out of their minds that their daughter was so sick, they practically ran into the room, India's face lit up when she saw who had come in to see her.

"Ma, Da" she grinned.

"Hello beautiful girl" Bridget picked her up as Declan kissed his daughter on the cheek.

"Feeling better sweetie?" He asked smiling down at her.

"Da" India held her arms out to her father and Bridget reluctantly handed her over.

"Excuse me, seeing as you two dont have private health insurance here is a bill for tonight" the nurse handed the bill over.

"We can pay for that" Bridget looked at it panicked, "Dec what are we going to do?".

"We'll work it out, mum said we can have some money if we get in strife-" Declan started to say.

"-We are not taking money from your mother, or Paul or my parents, Dec we are India's parents we should be able to pay for her".

"Didge, you're eighteen, i'm not even twenty yet, we can admit we need help with her" Declan snapped.

"No, we made the decision to keep her and be her parents and that means doing all of this ourselves-".

"Nobody expects or wants you to be superwoman Bridget" Declan sighed kissing India on the head, "Anyway lets just be a family for tonight, you'll have to stay with Indy I have a shift at four tomorrow morning".

"Yep but dont leave yet, I want you both here with me" Bridget smiled and kissed Declan.

"I wasn't planning too, it's only eight, I can spend a bit more time with my girls" Declan looked down at India, "especially my gorgeous sick daughter".
“Napier you’re looking tired today” Mr Billington exclaimed as he came through the door for work, “Not coping with these early mornings are we?”.
Mr Billington had always been very judgemental of Declan because he was so young and wanted such a high flying job and had gotten it through the connections that Paul had with the hotels.
“Sorry, my daughter was sick last night” Declan mumbled yawning, “I was up at the hospital til pretty late with her and my wife”.
“I didn’t know you had a daughter” Mr Billington’s eyes popped out of his head, “How old is she?”.
“Six months old, what do you want me to start on today?” Declan asked as he sat down at his desk.
“Enter all these into the system and then you’ll have to take some men on a tour later on today” He said, “But say didn’t you finish year 12 last year?”.
“Yes why?” Declan turned on his computer.
“Well you have a six month old daughter, that means you would have had her half way through year 12-“ he said.
“Yes my wife had our baby then” Declan was sick of everyone judging him straight away when they found out about his personal life, “We had her young, anyway I’m going to get started on this so that I can finish earlier today”.
“I’ll be the one who says if you finish early or not Napier” He told him, “You’re not going home until I tell you that you can and if I were you I’d want all the extra money I could get”.
“We aren’t that poor, India has everything she needs”.
“Who’s India?”.
“My daughter”.
Declan looked up and saw Mr Billington screw up his nose at the name that they’d given their daughter knowing that he was thinking that it was a bogan name and that he thought that they were too young and too stupid to be good parents and he snapped.
“Look I’m running off four hours sleep, I’ve been stressed out of my mind that my daughter was so ill last night and you’re not helping by screwing up your nose that I became a dad at eighteen, I’m not a bad father at all, what about you? I heard the things that your son was saying to you the other day, about how you’re never around for him because you’re always working, well I don’t want to be like that, that is why I spent half my night up at the hospital making sure that my little girl was okay before I came to work this morning”.
“you’re on thin ice now Napier” He said, “actually no, you can come to my office in a minute for papers declaring you’re no longer an employee here”.
Declan would have been really sad about losing his job had he not been furious that every single person seemed to throw his efforts of being a good father back in his face, “Fine but I’m quitting, Ciao” He got up, took the photo on his desk of Bridget and India and walked right out the front door, “I just hope you regain a relationship with your son before it’s too late”.
Declan walked down the street furious, he did not want to go home and face his wife who would be even more stressed out and furious so he turned into Charlies Bar and visited his mother.
“Why aren’t you at work? Bridget and India are fine I went and checked on them this morning and Indy is responding well to the medication” Rebecca told him.
“I quit, Mr Billington is an idiot” Declan mumbled, “I need to find a new job before Bridget finds out”.
“You’re not going to be able to keep this one from your wife Dec” Rebecca reminded him, “Why did you quit?”.
Declan explained it but all Rebecca had to say was “You can’t go off at every single person that says that to you, everyone is going to say that you had India when you were eighteen, you just need to learn to bring your anger under control and I really do think you should go back this afternoon when you’ve blown off some ore steam and ask for your job back, you were good at that job and you really loved it”.
“He’s a wanker mum”.
“Even so you have a family to support and did I hear wrong last night or didn’t you mean what you said?”.
“ About that… I’m going to need some money”.
“I know Bridget has already told me”.
Declan looked at Rebecca funny, “Well I got it out of her” Rebecca said.
“Thank you mum” Declan hugged her.
“That’s what mum’s are for sweetheart” Rebecca hugged him, “But I still need you to go back and get your job back soon”.
“Okay” Declan said and stood for a moment, “I don’t know whether to go home or not”.
“You cant keep stuff like this from your wife” Rebecca told him, “She’ll be understanding if you say you’re going back to get your job back this afternoon”.
“If you say so” Declan looked nervous and Rebecca laughed.
“She loves you, the unfortunate girl”.
Declan glared at Rebecca who kissed him on the cheek, “unfortunate because you’re one of the best men in the world today, and I can take all the credit”.
“Modest mum, modest” Declan smiled and Rebecca pushed him away.
“Go on, home time, go give my sick granddaughter a kiss”.

[sophie]

Good start though I can't really imagine Bridget and Declan ever putting India on TV!