Casualty Ruby and Archie

Falling

I woke up well rested for the first time since I had gotten Harmony, Archie was cooking breakfast, I smiled at her she had promised to drop Harmony off this morning after looking after her last night, she had the day off so was looking after Harmony today. after a long shift I return home to a slightly burnt lasagne "hey how was work?" she asked and it struck me how quickly I had gotten used to this routine it had only been a few nights.

"good, Will was flirting with Anna today" I laugh remembering his stupid teasing of the nurse earlier. Archie wrinkles her nose laughing softly as we settle into opposite ends of the couch after miraculously getting Harmony to sleep.

"So, Ruby I realised I don't know a lot about you, tell me more" Archie asks shifting to face me, I tip back my wine and pull a face, "well, Violet basically looked after me all through my life, my mum, she wasn't the best. Vi started using and we got into a huge fight, she left just before I went to college to be a paramedic, when she first showed up at college I was so happy to see her, she swore blind she was going to get clean, go to rehab. I believed her. I gave her all my savings and then she disappeared, it happened more and more to the point when I saw Harmony when she was born and she was yellow.." she trailed off. "you assumed the worst" Archie said. "I mean after everything it was a fair assumption given everything". "yeah, but I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions I tend to get a bit hasty when I'm upset a bit like Mrs. Beachaump" Ruby replies.

Archie frowns at the mention of the consultants name, Ruby notices "what happened between you two you were always around her and then just before she went away you acted like you didn't know her" Ruby questions the crew cut doctor. Archie weighs up the pros and cons of telling the blonde paramedic everything it would be nice to have someone else know about it other than Will. "You really want to know" she asks, Ruby nodded. And the young doctor begins the story about, how she found out about Connie's addiction, how she and Ciaran worked together to prove it. The several people she had thrown under the bus including Duffy. "..and then at the chemist she was looking for diazepam and there was a girl in the shop looking for drugs, she stabbed me as you know, I never would have been there if Connie hadn't been popping pills. She finished looking over at Ruby who's expression had gone stormy.

She was calm when she replied "what she did was awful especially to Duffy and I totally understand why you don't trust her,, but she went to rehab and it worked, your trust will be hard to gain and rightfully so, I'll keep an eye on her make sure that old habits don't die hard"

"thanks red" Archie smiles "I really should begoing we've both got working the morning" she hugs Ruby giving her a smallaccidental kiss on the cheek laughing and leaving. Ruby touched her cheeksoftly smiling faintly and waving the young doctor goodnight.