Together

Chapter 13

Her heels clicked across the floor warning everyone around that she was in. The department was busy with patients but everything was under control. She strolled through until she reached her office pushing the door open.

The desk looked immaculate as it had done since she returned to sitting behind it. "Connie? I thought you were taking the day off to spend with Jacob and Mia-" "Yes well I'm needed here, and like everyone keeps telling me there is no point sitting around waiting."

Ethan stopped in the door of the office after noticing Charlie already inside. "Oh sorry-" "No it's fine Dr Hardy, what can I do?" "Could I get an opinion on a patient?" She nodded standing up picking her stethoscope up from her desk and placing it around her neck.

"Connie?" "Charlie, I'm fine." With that she walked away towards resus not looking back. The day continued in much the same way with Connie keeping herself busy with treating various patients until she could no longer continue without some kind of break.

She opened the office door to see someone sitting on her sofa. "Jacob. What are you doing here?" He stood up watching as she moved past him and towards her desk. "Well, we work in the same department and unless you hadn't realised, our daughter is still upstairs in a special care unit."

Connie paused momentarily before continuing to move folders about her desk taking a seat. "I thought you were coming up this morning not running around playing boss-" "I don't play boss Jacob, I am boss."

Jacob nodded turning to the door. "So we've had the upset, the closing down and now we're at the point where your job becomes more important than our daughter." "How dare you. Who do you think you are accusing me of prioritising things over my ba-" "Oh here we go on the defensive, deflect any blame."

They both spoke at the same time before Connie stopped while Jacob continued. "Tell me it isn't true Connie. You come down here and work to distract yourself from everything else in your life. Me and Grace have been sitting upstairs with Mia while you sit here and carry on with your paperwork and politics."

Jacob paced across the room while Connie sat forwards on the edge of her seat. "I don't understand you sometimes, no matter how hard I try... Only a few weeks ago you'd barely leave her side and now you can't face her."

"I'm scared Jacob. I'm scared and fed up of seeing my baby girl, who I haven't even held yet stuck on a hospital ward! I'm sorry if I can't sit up there watching her like that." Jacob dropped his hand moving across the room before crouching before her.

He placed a hand gently on her thigh as she looked down to him. "She's going to be okay you know. Grace is upstairs with her now, I'm heading back are you coming?" Connie sighed looking to all the paperwork before her. She nodded slowly keeping her eyes on the desk. "I'll be up in an hour Jacob."

"Okay, I love you." He leant up placing a kiss to her forehead before slowly leaving the office. She was alone for no more than 5 minutes before someone was knocking at the door. "Yes?" "Mrs Beauchamp patient in cubi-" "I'm coming now."

Connie had become wrapped up in treating a patient downstairs when her phone began ringing. She ended the call before turning it off, despite seeing it was Jacob. She saw the time and assumed he was ringing to complain about her not being upstairs yet.

It was about 10 minutes later when Connie was running through the test results that Grace came running through the department. "Charlie? Have you seen my Mum." "Woah, slow down Grace. Is everything okay-" "I really need Mum."

Connie could hear Grace's voice and excused herself from the cubicle almost bumping into her as she left. "Grace, darling what is it? I told Jacob I'd be up so-" "Mum its Mia, quick come on!" Before Connie could say anything Grace was moving back out of the department.

Charlie watched as Connie threw down the patient file onto the nurses' station before running along the corridor. Thoughts ran through her head as she realised the phone calls from Jacob must have been important.

Worry consumed Connie as she tried to catch up to Grace but she wouldn't stop. Nothing had ever scared her so much before, not knowing what was going on wasn't something she liked. "Grace, please tell me what's happening-" "Just come quick, come on."

Connie's heels came into contact with the flooring as her steps became quicker and quicker once again until she noticed Grace had stopped by the window. She was about to talk before something caught her attention from the corner of her eye.