Too Good To Be True?

Mrs Masters?

Back at work Connie was giving her orders without a care in world about who she upset or offended. "Christ it's like pregnancy has made her back track a few years to when she first got here." Rita scoffed rolling her eyes at Robyn and Louise as they all headed towards cubicles.

Connie stormed through the department with a face of thunder after a meeting with Hansen. The department was 'falling' and apparently she was to blame. Her personal life was affecting the way she worked but she was determined to show it had in no way changed how she ran her department.

"Dr Knight, plan on doing any work today or going to just stand around doing nothing?" "Funny Connie, you've still got it I'll give you that." Connie stood with her hands on her hips glaring at him. "I wasn't joking Dr Knight. If you've got an issue with your job then by all means feel free to bring your resignation by my office later." "Woah, alright..." Cal began to walk away picking the file up. "And it's Mrs B-" "Masters? I know."

Connie watched him walk away before staring into the distance. She slowly turned around walking towards her office looking at the plaque on her door. Mrs Masters. It just wasn't the same seeing that name on her door. The power she once held, the way her staff respected her before but now there wasn't an inch of that left.

She sighed slamming the door shut behind her alerting everyone in the immediate area to her mood today. Sitting down she pulled up her emails beginning to look through them. As she typed responses she found herself signing them off with Mrs Beacuhamp. She deleted it typing out her name again before getting rid of it completely.

Dropping her head backwards she groaned fighting with herself. A small knock at the door before it opened caused her to sit up right. "I'm busy-" "Too busy for a chat to an old man?" Connie tried remaining serious but just couldn't with Charlie. He closed the door sitting down opposite her desk before noticing a piece of paper in front of her addressed to Mrs Beauchamp.

Charlie looked up at her as she spoke. "I don't need sympathy Charlie-" "I wasn't here for that. Someone tells me you're on a warpath today. Want to talk about it?" Connie shook her head looking out of her window to the nurses' station. "When did they stop listening to what I said? They hardly have any respect towards me anymore."

Connie's eyes remained focused on the window as Charlie waited for her to be ready to talk. "I just... I can't help but feel like ever since I got married people see me differently." "That's because we do. Connie you've been here for over 10 years now and people have gotten to know you. You've got two children, another on the way and married one of the nurses here, of course opinions will change."

She pushed her tongue into her cheek keeping her eyes away from Charlie not wanting him to see how she was really feeling. "Are you regretting what you've done-" "No. No I could never regret everything that's happened. I just wish that maybe I could have had my separate work and personal lives, not all mixed up into one."

Charlie forced a smile as Connie finally looked back at him. "Want my advice?" Connie smiled slightly as he continued. "Tell him, because if he sees all that before you have a chance... It won't be a good reaction." Connie looked down to the letter and paperwork that she had signed with her old name.

When she looked up again Charlie had left the office, leaving her to her thoughts once again. Opening her drawer she took out the old plaque which used to sit on her door. Running her fingers over the engraved name she looked down at it letting go of a breath. Placing it down, she picked up the phone. "Noel send Staff Nurse Masters to my office when he gets in."

Looking around the office again she couldn't help but know where this conversation was going to lead. Of course he wouldn't be happy, why would he? It would feel like she was rejecting him, pushing him back which was sort of what she was doing here. But she couldn't carry on at work as Mrs Masters knowing that her integrity was being called into question.

Connie was pulled from her thoughts hearing the door closed. "Want to explain to me why I'm being ordered in here like a child?" She closed her eyes sighing as she looked to Jacob. "Sit down." He frowned pulling the chair out before looking across at her. "What is this Connie?" She looked down at her desk biting the bullet.

"We need to stop. We can't continue acting the way we do around the ED, I'm clinical lead and I won't have it." Jacob looked up at her in disbelief. "Tell me your joking Con-" "Does it look like I'm laughing? And it's Mrs Beauchamp." He stayed quiet repeating her words in his head as he looked to her, both rage and upset building inside him. "Mrs Beauchamp? Are you for real?"

Connie kept her steely expression as she looked at him for a moment. "Yes, I can't have my leadership called up every time something happens in this department just because I'm married to you. Here I need to be myself, not your wife." Jacob could hardly believe they were having a conversation like this. He didn't have it in him to fight with her over this, if it was what she wanted she'd either do it with or without a fight. "Fine."

Jacob stood up looking back at her. "You know what, I'm actually surprised you lasted this long before something was thrown up about this. Do what you want Connie, I really couldn't care now... Oh and I'll pick our children up from school later, I assume you'll be too busy for them." Without giving her a chance to talk he left the room closing the door behind him.

Connie was left looking to the space he had vacated with tears in her eyes. Before they could fall she composed herself returning to her emails. She couldn't let her personal life control the way she was in all aspects of her world. This was just how it had to be and they'd get used to it.