What Should Have Been

Part 91

Connie wandered across the room packing her things away into her bags finally ready to leave the hospital for home. Belle was awake in her bed just looking about as Connie spoke quietly to her. "Where's your Daddy got to hmm? He was just supposed to get your sister, not go awol with her."

She lifted her head to the window with a frown as she heard their voices from outside the room. Connie picked Belle up cradling her to her chest before pushing the door open to her room, seeing Grace up ahead. She ran across the hall disappearing along another corridor, only to be followed moments later by Sam.

Connie watched on, a look of amusement and disappointment across her face. Sam came and went in a moments notice as he rode across the hall on a scooter leaving Connie entirely speechless. Storming ahead she rounded the corner to see him coming back along the corridor, oblivious to her watching.

Sam pushed harder, moving himself faster as her voice rang out around him. "Sam!" He instantly lost balance falling off as he hit the trolley beside him. Looking up from the floor, he saw Connie standing with Belle a short distance away, an unreadable expression on her face. "What are you doing?" "Grace and I were just coming to get you." "On that?"

She nodded towards the scooter that was now on the floor beside him as he quickly scrambled up to his feet. "Well, not exactly... I walked with Grace to the hospital and she insisted on riding this here." "So you thought it would be a good idea to ride it around the department?" Arching a brow he brushed down his trousers before sighing. "Yeah... Exactly what I was thinking."

Connie rolled her eyes turning away as she wandered back to her room to pack the final few things. Grace sniggered across the hall to where Sam was still standing before watching her. "What you laughing at Beauchamp?" She laughed before rushing along the corridor towards Connie's room.

"So, you ready to come home?" Turning her head to the side with a smile she nodded gently. "We're walking I take it?" Sam nodded before shrugging. "Unless you don't think you can manage it, I'll get Elliot to take you." She smiled with a shake of her head as she finished zipping up her bag. "Do I even want to ask what state my car was in after the accident?" "Probably not..." She released a heavy breath sitting down onto the bed as Sam quickly joined her.

He placed a hand to her thigh watching her intently as she stared down at the floor. "It's all superficial Con, it can be fixed... You on the other hand had a lucky escape. I would taken a broken car over a broken you any day of the week." She let a smile pass her lips quickly before lifting her head to look at him.

"Now... Think you're ready to spend six months with me?" "Six months!?" He got up from the bed as Connie's eyes followed him. "Yeah, I might have made a pretty big decision that I probably should have run past you-" "Er, you're telling me. Sam why the hell are you talking about six months?"

Sam picked up her bags while Connie stood beside Belle's bed. "I've decided to take some leave, Con I missed one child's life I'm not about to miss the others." Another forced smile passed her lips as he watched her. "Besides, might mean you could get back into the ED a little earlier." He winked as she smirked before lifting Belle from the bed.

"She's still so small. Did you bring any blankets to keep her warm?" "It's all in my office." She smiled as Grace skipped out of the room ahead of them, humming to herself as they all went. They passed a few people on their way but barely stopped until they reached the office. "Connie, how are you doing?"

Elliot stood up walking towards them as Connie smiled over at him. "I'm good, and Belle's doing well again." He smiled looking down at her as she wiggled about slightly. "Do you want to take her?" Connie transferred her daughter over to him before turning to find Grace. "Right missy, how about you come and say hello properly now?" She grinned widely before running into her mothers arms.

Connie wrapped Grace up, standing as she held her. "Have you been behaving yourself for Daddy?" Grace nodded with a sweet smile that made Connie doubt her daughter's behaviour. "Something makes me think that's not so true." Grace laughed as Connie tickled her waist before placing her back down to the floor.

"Sam tells me you've agreed to let him have leave?" She folded her arms against her chest as she eyed Elliot across the office. "Yes... He wants to help at home-" "Well it will be unnecessary-" "Con." She turned around holding her hand up stopping Sam dead in his tracks. "No Sam. You're not giving up your job for this, okay? A few months I can understand but this, this is ridiculous."

Rubbing a hand across his forehead he wandered towards the door and back again. "Connie this isn't your decision." Folding her arms tightly to her chest she turned to look at Sam properly. "But it's yours to make without me?" Walking closer he unfolded her arms taking her hands. "You might not think so, but I want to spend my life with you and our girls... It's about time I put that first, if it means I leave this place for a while then it's what I'll do."

Connie pushed her tongue into her cheek fighting with herself. Part of her wanted nothing more than to know that she could spend the next several months with him, waking up beside him each day, no work to worry about. The other part of her wanted everything to be as normal as it could be. "I'll compromise." "I'm listening." Rolling her eyes she laced her fingers through his glancing down to their hands and the silver engagement ring he had given her so long ago.

"I'll accept the full paternity leave, and you being home if you agree to work part time hours for the remaining months. Three days a week Sam, because if for no other reason, I will kill you after six weeks of being with you all the time let alone six months." He smirked running his thumb across the back of her hand. "You've got yourself a deal, as long as it fits with the department." "I'm sure we can manage it."

Connie glanced back over her shoulder to Elliot who still held onto Belle. "See. Beauchamp's tend to know best." "Do they now? And what happens when you're no longer a Beauchamp, hmm?" She shrugged wandering over to take her daughter back and place her into the car seat that sat on the sofa. "I'll think of that when it comes to it."

After wrapping Belle up and putting the chair onto the top of the buggy, they were leaving the office together. Sam walked beside Connie as they stepped out into the cold air, Grace jumping onto the scooter beginning to ride off ahead of them. Connie pushed Belle as Sam settled an arm around her waist.

"Where did the scooter come from anyway?" "I was fed up of walking to and from places in the hospital, thought it would be quicker and easier to use that instead." Connie pulled away from him and glanced upwards. "You best tell me you're joking right now Strachan." He laughed pulling her back into his side. "Don't worry, it's Grace's. We went out and she asked for one, figured you wouldn't mind."

Connie nodded as they continued walking past the park. Sam left Connie's side and caught up to Grace who had stopped up ahead. He ran past, getting onto the scooter beginning to ride back down past Connie. "I thought that was Grace's." "It is. Doesn't mean I can't have a go though right?" She tried to hide the smirk as he rode past with a wide childlike grin and back towards Grace.

She had looked forward to coming home and returning to normal, but she was beginning to think it was safer back at the hospital. The smile stayed on her face as she watched Sam and Grace laughing ahead while she walked along with Belle, everything as normal as you could get it.