Something Has To Give

Never An Easy Life

So this chapter became waaaay too long by accident... It's now in two parts :)

Connie slammed her office door shut behind her alerting everyone at both reception and the nurses' station. She walked across the office sighing before placing a hand to her forehead as the door flew open before being thrown shut.

"I can't believe you'd do that, why'd you take me off the case?" "Because you couldn't remain professional Jacob! There was a patient's life at risk-" "Yeah one I helped save in the first place because you were ready to give up but I kept going and then you get Cal to take over! That's real shitty Connie."

Jacob continued to raise his voice matching Connie's. "Someone should really go in there they'll kill each other." Zoe looked across at Charlie who nodded holding his hands up. He walked towards the office and knocked just to hear them continue arguing.

"I at least expected you to be able to trust me after everything that I've proved to you!" Charlie opened the door and walked in slowly unnoticed by either of them at first. "This isn't about us, I can't let you carry on with something just because we were together when I wouldn't let anyone else do it!" Jacob scoffed looking across at her. "'Were' together... I guess it's good to know where you stand on this."

"Jacob this has nothing to do with us-" "This has everything to do with us Connie." Charlie stepped forwards after closing the door finally alerting them of his presence. "Not now Charlie." "I think you two should take a break." Jacob looked to Connie once more before shaking his head and walking out of the office.

Connie sighed wandering over to her desk and sitting down. "What did you need Charlie?" He looked over turning to face her properly. "He's right you know." Connie dropped her head back huffing before getting up and grabbing her stethoscope.

"If you just came in here to back him up then I don't have time for this-" "Then make time. You can't go around taking your anger out on staff Connie. You might say that's not what happened but he was right, you were wrong." Charlie left her standing alone in her office after quietly closing the door.

Jacob walked outside and into the empty ambulance bay. He picked up the basket ball which was sat on the floor and began to throw it towards the hoop. Frustration got the better of him as he threw it towards the wall knocking over several buckets.

He lifted a hand to his head sighing and wandered over beginning to pick them up. "Losing your touch old man." Jacob glanced behind him seeing Jez wander inside. "Losing something alright..." The young paramedic began picking things up before standing with the basket ball in his hands.

As Jacob got up he threw his hands up seeing the ball come his way. "Woman troubles?" Jacob scoffed throwing it back. "Something like that." "Want my advice?" Jacob caught the ball turning it in his hands before throwing it back. "Not really-"

"Go sort it out. Don't leave things like this, she'll think you don't care." Jed continued to shoot while Jacob thought over his words, catching the ball and carrying on.

Inside Connie was walking through the department into resus. "Right Miss Oliver, your CT has come back clear but I still want to keep you monitored down here before sending you upstairs. Can we do 20 minute obs, and run bloods again."

As Connie turned her back to walk out she felt her phone vibrating from her pocket. She checked the ID before pushing it back deep into her pocket and continuing through to cubicles. "Where is she!?" Connie pulled back the curtain of a cubicle to find an irate man stood before Robyn shouting.

"Excuse me-" "Where's my wife?" Connie raised an eyebrow as she looked at the man before her. "My patient is being treated which as far as I'm aware is none of your business." He stepped forwards standing face to face with Connie trying to intimidate her.

"It has everything to do with me when she's my wife-" "Ex-wife from what I understand, so I'll ask you to leave my department quietly or I'll phone security." Connie watched smugly as he reluctantly stood back and walked out of the hospital. "Keep me updated on where she is, I want her in a side room as soon as she's back."

Connie walked away to continue with what she had planned on doing before being interrupted. The department had quietened down after earliers chaos. Robyn walked up to the nurses' station looking flustered. "Robyn? Everything alri-" "Where's Mrs Beauchamp? Her patients back and she wants to know straight away but I can't find her anywhere."

Zoe walked towards Connie's office knocking and trying to open the door but it was locked. She glanced through the window seeing her stethoscope on the desk before frowning and wandering back through the department.

Connie was standing with her back pressed up against someone's chest as he held her arm up behind her back keeping her still. His hand was placed over her mouth stopping her form calling out to anyone. She could do nothing but watch as Zoe walked away.

"Robyn I'll keep an eye on her patient, you get back to work." She wandered across to Charlie before lowering her voice. "Have you seen Connie since you spoke to her earlier?" "No I haven't, why?" Zoe held the file looking towards her office. "Can't find her anywhere. Could you-" "Find Jacob, I'll see if he's seen her."

All the while Connie remained quietly in her office. Her blinds had been closed so that nobody could see into them now, but she was sure someone would notice that. "Didn't exactly think this through did you?" "Shut up." Connie fell to the floor as he pushed her forwards.

Sitting up she looked at him shaking her head. "Someone will come here sooner or later, then what?" "Don't flatter yourself, I saw the way people looked at you out there... They don't care whether you're dead or alive. Hmm I guess I do have something in common with them then."

He continued to glance out of the small gap in her blinds as the paramedics rushed someone through the department distracting everyone. "Right get up." Connie was pulled up from the floor before he unlocked the door. "You talk and you're sweet little girl will never see you again."

Connie froze hearing those words and let him push her gently from the office. She looked up praying that someone would be looking. That someone would notice her but there wasn't anybody around. Reception was crowded and everyone had dispersed from the nurses' station with the incoming casualties.

They walked around the corner and down a flight of stairs towards the basement. "This isn't helping anybody you know-" "Yeah and neither was you stooping me from seeing my wife." He continued to push her before she strengthened up a little upon seeing an open door at the end of the corridor.

"Some husband you must have been for her to say she didn't want to see you." "Like you would know." Again he pushed her but she kept walking. "What was it? Found someone better, had enough of you pushing her around. Or was it that she realised she was pregnant and knew it wasn't yours?"

He snapped pushing her up against the wall, his arm against her neck as she looked at him. "I guess it was that one." He pushed harder against her as she continued to antagonise him. "Personally I'd have had enough of being pushed around."

Connie lifted her knee into his stomach before pushing him back slightly and running for the end of the corridor. She reached for the handle before being pushed into it. His grip on her arm as he pulled it up felt enough to dislocate it  before she was pushed to the cold floor.

The door slammed closed behind them as she lifted herself up and meant against the wall taking a few deep breathes. The pain in her arm began to sear through her body, panic beginning to set in as she realised nobody knew where she was.

Jacob wandered into the department with Charlie and headed straight for her office. He pushed the door open and walked in. "I thought Zoe said it was locked." Charlie nodded as he looked around the room but saw nothing strange.

Zoe appeared in the doorway frowning at Jacob. "Did you close the blinds?" "No why-" "Because they were open earlier, that's how I saw her stethoscope on the table." She slowed noticing it on the floor beneath her desk before bending down to pick it up.

Jacob wasn't sure what had happened after he left the department but he knew Connie wasn't one to disappear. Lock herself in her office, yes but disappear, that wasn't her.

He pulled his phone out and dialled her number expecting her to reject his call again until his face went blank, walking from the office to reception with Charlie and Zoe following.