Too Good To Be True?

Disaster Strikes

The shift had been quiet meaning Connie hadn't been required to do much which made a nice change. Several staff were sitting around the nurses' station without much to do as Connie emerged from her office. They all suddenly sat up grabbing paperwork causing Connie to roll her eyes walking the other way.

They all put them back down glancing to one another. "Did she really believe that?" "No she didn't!" Connie continued walking away as she called back overhearing them. Robyn ducked her head walking away with David following her.

Connie made it to reception before being stopped. "Mrs Masters?" "Yes?" Noel passed over several letters including one from Hansen. Connie skimmed through them rolling her eyes at his handwriting. "If anybody wants me I'm on a break, tell them to find Dr Keogh." Noel nodded as she finished walking out of the building.

Jacob was at home with the children today while she worked a set of ridiculous hours, much to Jacob's disapproval. Connie leant against the wall as the cool breeze blew over her. Ethan was walking into the hospital noticing Connie outside. "Everything okay Mrs Masters?" Connie looked up with a smile to Ethan.

"Yes, sorry... How's Alicia doing?" "Better, she's been given something for the sickness now." Connie smiled sympathetically walking back inside with Ethan. "And how about your brother, started acting like a grown up yet?" "Really?" Connie shook her head. "No I knew that was a stupid question." Ethan smiled walking into the staffroom while Connie moved to the nurses' station.

Once again everyone was sitting around trying to look busy. "Nurse Freeman I'd appreciate it if you could go over last weeks protocol with Nurse Miller and Nurse Hyde-" "We did that last week." Connie looked over at her with her hands on the desk. "And I'd appreciate if you could sit in your office, to discuss so that if Mr Hansen were to come down there are no questions about why it is being done out here." Rita nodded in realisation before heading to her office with David and Robyn.

"Dr Chao, are you okay leading cubicles?" "Yes Mrs Masters." Connie nodded with a friendly smile turning to Louise. "Nurse Taylor can you help there." She nodded wandering away leaving Charlie and Ethan beside her at the nurses' station. "I think there was something that needed your attention in the staffroom..." Charlie smirked placing a hand to Connie's arm as he and Ethan wandered away.

The department was so quiet that Connie had just sent her staff in different directions to avoid scrutiny from Hansen if he decided to come down and annoy her. Connie walked towards her office leaving the door open as she didn't really have anything to do herself.

A few hours had passed and everything was much the same still. Connie had done all the paperwork she had to have done for the rest of the week and was sitting in her office taking it slow. It was nice to have a calm day for a change. She decided to leave her office wandering through the department to see how everything was.

Lily and Louise had cubicles controlled with no issues which she had expected anyway. Charlie and Ethan had migrated out to the nurses' station again going through the patient documents from today, saving a job for tomorrow.

As she passed the desk the phone began to ring and seeing as nobody else was moving to answer it, she dropped her folders on the desk picking it up. "Holby City emergency department... Yes speaking." "Connie we're bringing Emilie in, I just wanted to ring ahead." Connie lifted her eyes to Ethan and Charlie who were now looking at her seeing as she'd gone quiet.

Turning her back to them she finished the call. "Thank you, I'll meet you out the front." Putting it down she picked the folders up heading to her office. Charlie smiled at Ethan moving after Connie. "Everything alright?" Connie jumped looking up to Charlie. "Yes... No, I need you to keep Ethan away from resus." "Emilie?" Connie nodded as Charlie sighed doing as she asked.

Connie waited outside as Jez came around the corner. Opening the doors she smiled up at the other woman who was struggling for breath. "Emilie, good to see you again. I just wish it wasn't like this." She smiled holding the mask shakily to her lips. "I-is my s-son here?" Connie nodded solemnly. "Ethan is here, but Caleb isn't working. I'll call him for you."

They began walking through the department as Iain reeled off her stats. Charlie clocked Connie as did Ethan whose eyes were on his mother. "No, Ethan you can't treat her-" "She's my mother Charlie." He walked past him heading for Connie who shook her head immediately. "No." "Mrs Masters-" "I said no Dr Hardy! Dr Chao with me in resus, Dr Hardy take over in cubicles. Charlie I'm going to need you."

The three headed into resus together starting tests and treating Emilie's condition. "Can't keep away from me can you?" Charlie smiled as he stood beside the bed causing a laugh to come from Emilie. "N-no, you can't ke-ep away from-m me..." Charlie smiled as Connie listened to her chest. "Okay can I get a chest x-ray ordered... Emilie can you tell me what happened?"

Emilie began to cough struggling slightly before looking up to Connie. "I f-fell, I was... fed up, of... people f-fussing over me... Now l-look at me." Connie smiled warmly noticing her breathlessness. "Have you got any pain." All Emilie did was nod as Connie gently pressed against her side. "Okay and get 5mg of morphine too."

Connie had been with Emilie for 20 minutes when Cal and Alicia arrived. "Ethan? Where's Mum?" "Connie's treating her in resus." Cal walked past him pushing the doors open rushing inside. "Is she okay?" "I am here..." Cal smiled looking to Emilie hearing her talk. He stopped beside her taking her hand in his tightly. "Good, why didn't you call me? I'd have come to help you, we got a phone call from the agency."

Emilie sighed shaking her head. "I-I'm not your... responsibility-" "You're my Mum, I care okay." Connie stood back as Alicia stood beside her. "Is she okay?" "She'll be alright. It'll take some time, but this time yes." Alicia smiled moving closer to the bed with Cal and Ethan. "Right well you're in safe hands here so I'll leave you for a while. Give me a call if anything changes Cal, I mean it." He nodded as Connie turned to leave the room with Charlie.

Cal held onto Emilie's hand as he looked down at it. Alicia placed a hand to his arm causing him to look to her. "W-what's wrong? You're too quiet... No-body's d-dying." Cal looked up at her rolling his eyes. "You best not be, you've got a grandchild to meet." Cal held Alicia's hand as they looked to Emilie.

Her eyes brightened as she looked to Cal then Alicia. "You're h-having a baby?" Alicia smiled with a laugh as Cal nodded. "Yeah Mum, Alicia's pregnant... Here." He pulled something from his pocket showing her. Emilie took it into her shaky grasp smiling at the photo. "Oh Caleb... You're going to be an Uncle." Ethan laughed from the other side of the bed nodding. "I know."

Connie stood by the windows of resus looking in at them. Things were far from perfect for them but it was an opportunity she never had with her mother. She sighed before hearing someone running towards her. "Auntie Connie!" "Hey sweetheart, you here to see your Grandmother?" Amy nodded as she pointed inside resus. "Go on..."

Amy pushed the doors open cautiously as everyone looked to her. When Emilie smiled across she ran to the bed before Cal lifted her onto it. She hugged into Emilie carefully as they all began talking again.

"You okay?" Jacob wrapped his arms around her waist from behind as she sighed again relaxing into him. "I will be." Connie nodded as Jacob loosened his grip placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll be in your office when you're ready sweet cheeks." She ran her fingers over his hands before he dropped it from her shoulder wandering away. She found it hard to tear her eyes away from the family as she wished Grace and Charlie had had the chance to meet their grandmother.