What Should Have Been

Part 63

They ran through the entrance doors of the ED coming face to face with a flustered Charlie. "Where is she? Tell me my baby's okay-" "Connie calm down, she's alright." Sam stepped up looking to Charlie after having glanced around to try and find her. "What happened?" "She had a fall at school, slipped from the climbing frame."

Connie's face fell as she raised her voice. "Where were her teachers? How could that happen if they were watching her-" "Accidents happen Connie." She glared at Sam before hearing cries coming from resus.

Rushing forwards she ran through the doors not stopping until she was beside the bed. Her eyes fell to all the wires attached to her daughter as she moved about refusing to stay still. "Grace you need to stay still for me sweetheart, we can't help otherwise." Connie lifted her eyes to Elle as she reached forwards hearing Grace cry out for her.

"I'm here baby- " "Connie you shouldn't be in here-" "I'm clinical lead and I'll go wherever I want to." "And you're also a relative of the patient so I need to ask you to give us some space to work." Connie leveled her eyes glaring at the other doctor before Sam was behind her pulling her backwards.

She shrugged his hands off before standing by the doors biting her nails worriedly. Her eyes ran over her daughters body still unsure as to what was wring with her. "Okay she's becoming tachycardic..." Everything felt surreal as she watched her daughter laying before her, machines beginning to beep and whirl to life.

"What's happ- What's going on?" Moving forwards again she watched Elle getting to work ignoring Connie's pleas for answers. "MRS BEAUCHAMP. I need you out of resus now!" "What?" She sounded breathless as she looked up at Elle again. "I need you out before I lose this patient."

She felt her world beginning to tumble down, her legs wobbling beneath her before Sam was catching her stopping her from hitting the floor. "Let's get you some water." He wrapped an arm around her waist leading her from the room to her office.

Neither were sure of what was going on and Connie certainly wasn't in the mindset to try and find out. All she wanted to know was that her daughter was going to be okay. "Sam?" He continued pacing across the room before dropping to his knees in front of her. "She will be alright won't she?"

He forced a saddened smile placing a hand to her cheek. "Of course she will, she won't ever give up." The door opened behind him causing him to jump to his feet immediately. Connie was standing in seconds as they both looked towards Elle who was standing in the open office doorway. "She's stable for now and gone to CT-" "What happened to her?"

Elle closed the door coming inside properly before nodding her head towards the sofa. Walking with them she sat beside Connie, her stethoscope in her hands. "She fell from a small height and hit her head. We're unsure of how long, but she was unconscious for a few minutes. We believe there could be a small bleed on the brain, but we won't know until she's back from CT."

Connie clasped a hand over her mouth as tears threatened to fall again. Sam paced back across the office, his hands placed behind his head as he released a breath. How had things taken such a turn today. She dropped her head into her hands while Elle looked across the room to Sam. "If I find out anything else I'll tell you straight away."

Sam turned to Elle thanking her before she left the office. Connie sat silently staring at the same spot on the floor. He moved to sit beside her placing a hand to her back rubbing it up and down gently. "We'll be okay... And Grace, well she's as strong as you." Connie leant into his chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry for being rude earlier, I'm just so scared Sam. I can't lose my little girl." "I know. And you won't, okay."

What felt like hours passed, Connie and Sam keeping the other company in her office awaiting any news on their daughter. Just as Connie was beginning to loose patience Charlie entered the office. "Charlie?" "Hey, Grace is being taken up to theatre now. The CT showed small shadowing on the brain so they're going to operate now. It's a simple operation, and you know that the survival rate for this is higher than anything else Connie."

She breathed a slight sigh of relief despite knowing they weren't quite out of the woods yet. "Thank you Charlie." He smiled stepping forwards as she wrapped her arms around him quickly. "Thank you for being with her." He returned the hug noticing Sam over her shoulder who offered a small smile.

By the time Grace was out of surgery and in a room recovering, Connie was drifting to sleep in the large armchair beside her bed. Her hand was firmly holding onto Grace's while Sam stood at the other end of the room watching them both sleeping. It was so easy to convince himself that that was all it was. The two girls he loved asleep in peace.

He looked up as Charlie came into the room quietly having noticed them asleep. Sam stepped outside with Charlie watching through the window as Connie shuffled in the seat uncomfortably. "You should take her home-" "We both know she won't leave her, and I can't blame her." Charlie nodded turning back to the window as Sam rubbed a hand over his face. "If you want some sleep, or air I can stay with them for a while."

Sam smiled but shook his head declining the offer. "I really need to be here for them when she wakes up, but thank you Charlie." He nodded leaving Sam to walk back into the room taking a seat on the chair against the wall, his eyes fluttering shut every now and then. Nothing but the reassuring noise from the machines telling them that Grace was okay filling the room.