Author: Raven Shadowrose

Title: To Catch a Falling Star

Rating: M

Pairing: Dixie/Hannah, Jeff/Emilie, ?/?

Summary: A sequel to The Ties That Bind. What will happen to the Holby paramedics and their partners when a traumatic event tests the bonds of their relationships and friendships?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Casualty, any dialogue from the show belongs to the writers and I claim no ownership. All original characters and the story are my property and I do not give permission for them to be used.

A/N: There will be some chapters in this story that may upset some people, a warning will be placed at the start of each chapter that contains sensitive/upsetting material. Reviews are welcome :)

Chapter One.

Jeff stood next to Polly as Dixie went through the usual weekly briefing, the rest of the crew were stood with them and listening to her as she talked. Hannah and Cyd were stood next to Dixie as she assigned them all to their teams. Jeff had just had some time off so that he could spend some time with Emilie. He had taken her away for a couple of days at the new year, he had treated her to a nice suite in a hotel where they could be alone with each other. Jeff's mind drifted off as he remembered some of the time that he had spent with Emilie. He liked being with her and treating her like a lady, Jeff knew that he was deeply in love with Emilie. They had made love to each other in the large bed of their hotel suite, Jeff had spared no expense to treat Emilie. Being alone with Emilie made Jeff happy, he loved her, he knew that one day she would be his wife. Jeff and Emilie hadn't set a date for the wedding yet, they had decided to have a long engagement before they got married to each other. He wanted to take it slowly with Emilie, he wanted to build a proper relationship with her that would last. Jeff smiled to himself, love had made his life complete. He had plenty of people that he loved and cared for and his life was the better for them.

'Jeffrey,' Dixie's voice called out. Jeff shook himself out of his daydream and he looked up to find Dixie stood in front of him. She looked as if she knew he hadn't been listening to her when she had briefed the team. 'Hey princess.'

'Did you listen to anything that I said during the briefing?'

'Yeah, of course I did princess, I listened to it all.' He hoped that Dixie couldn't tell that he was lying to her.

'Okay, so you're all right with posing naked for a fund-raising calendar then?'

'What? Wait a minute, you want me to pose naked in a calendar?'

'Yeah, I thought you would be okay with it. We have to volunteer someone from the crew, we've all decided that it should be you.'

'Wait a minute, why do I have to do it, why isn't anyone else doing it?'

'Because you weren't listening to me, Jeffrey Collier. Yeah, I know that you lied to me. I said that you are working with me as usual. I've just asked you to check the ambulance for me too, every word that I said has gone over your head.'

'Just to check, I don't have to pose naked for a calendar, right?'

'No, Jeffrey, you don't,' Dixie said and laughed.

'You're so mean to me sometimes Kathleen Elizabeth Dixon.'

'My full name, I'm for it now. Awww, my poor Jeffrey. What were you thinking about anyway?'

'The time that I spent with Emilie on our little holiday.'

'I thought so, you have a smile on your face. How did it go?'

'It went really well, it was nice to spend some time with Emilie.'

'That's good, I am so glad to hear it. Emilie looked very happy when we dropped the twins off with her this morning.'

'I hope that she is happy.'

'Of course she is mate, she loves you, anyone can see it. You look happy too Jeff.'

'I am.' Jeff smiled at Dixie, he was pleased that she thought Emilie was happy with him. He wanted Emilie to know that he loved her at all times.

Emilie sat with the children in the nursery as they played together, she watched over them with the other nursery staff. She started to think about Jeff and the time that she had spent with him. Emilie smiled to herself, the weekend away had been perfect. Emilie thought about the day that Jeff had proposed to her, she could hardly believe that it was just over a year ago now. She liked that their engagement wasn't being rushed, they would get married in good time. Emilie loved Jeff, she knew it, she looked forward to seeing him when he came home to her. There were times when Jeff had had a tough day at work, she saw it in his face and she would take care of him. She would cook for him, listen to him when he wanted to talk, and hold him when he needed her to. Caring for Jeff made Emilie happy, she had promised him that she would be there for him no matter what happened. Emilie liked it when Jeff held her, his strong arms made her feel safe and secure. Jeff's love had brought much to Emilie's life, she was looking forward to spending the rest her life with him as his wife.

Dixie got herself a coffee from the machine, she stood against the counter in the rec room as she drank it. Hannah was sat at the small table and she had just got herself a coffee too. 'Hey beautiful, is Polly checking the ambulance?'

'She is, she said that I should have some time with you before the shouts start coming in.'

'Polly is a sweet woman, we are lucky to have her as a friend.'

'We are, she makes a wonderful auntie to the babies too.'

'She does. Hannah, do you miss the twins when we are at work?'

'Of course I do, they are well looked after though.'

'I know they are, Emilie won't let anything happen to them.'

'She won't, she looks after all of the children at the nursery as if they are her own.'

'That she does, I think she might be having a child with our Jeffrey soon.'

'It will be lovely when it does happen, I think they're going to get married first though.'

'I think so too,' Dixie said with a smile. 'I am just happy that Jeff has found a woman that loves him.'

'Of course you are, he is your best friend. You are as happy for him as he was for you when we first got together.'

'I remember, I am pleased that everything has worked out for us all.'

'I hope that Polly and Cyd will find someone special too one day.'

'Me too beautiful.' Dixie drank some more of her coffee and then she put the cup down on the side. Everything was going so well for them all and she hoped that it would continue to do so.

Polly closed the cupboard of the ambulance that she had been stocking up, she put some more equipment into one of the other cupboards and then she shut that one too. She checked the petrol level in the ambulance and then she closed the back doors. Polly waved at Cyd and she came over to her. 'Hi Pol, how are you?'

'I'm good, you?'

'I'm okay.'

'How is your family?'

'They're very well, I am missing them a little bit.'

'That's natural, they're your family.'

'I had a good time when I went home for Christmas, it was very hard to leave them when it was time to come back to Holby.'

'You know where I am whenever you need to talk Cyd.'

'I know, thanks Polly.'

'You're welcome, that's what friends are for.' Polly hugged Cyd and she smiled at her when she moved out of the hug. She hoped that she had helped Cyd to feel a bit better, she felt sorry for Cyd, it was obvious that she was feeling homesick and missing her family. Polly felt lucky that she had her family around her when she was at work and at home. She looked into the rec room and she saw Hannah and Dixie hugging each other, it made Polly smile, they were still so in love with each other. Their marriage had gone from strength to strength and Polly hoped to be as happy as Hannah and Dixie in her own relationship one day soon. Polly's smile turned to a small frown, she had been let down by someone she had started to fall in love with, she wondered if she would ever feel all right ever again. Polly took a deep breath, she was trying to put on a brave face for everyone.

Hannah rested her head against Dixie's shoulder as they shared a hug before the first shout came in. 'Hannah, do you want to take the twins out for a walk after work?'

'I'd love to.'

'They're so big now, I can hardly believe it. They're just over a year old now, it has gone so quickly. They're starting to walk and hearing them say their first words has been so amazing.'

'Awww Dixie, you're so very cute when you talk about our little ones.' Hannah kissed Dixie on the nose and hugged her again.

'Am I cute?'

'Of course you are. The twins love their mummy Dixie.'

'They love their mummy Hannah too.'

'I love you Dixie.'

'Love you too sweetheart.'

'Be careful out there.'

'I will, you be careful too Hannah.'

'Of course I will.'

'I just don't want anything to happen to you sweetheart, our babies need you, I need you.'

'I promise that I will be careful, I will be home with you to take our children out for a walk.' Hannah hugged Dixie again, she hoped that she had put Dixie's mind at rest. She knew that Dixie worried about her when she was out on duty. Hannah had her own worries about Dixie being out there, she knew that Jeff would protect Dixie and take care of her. 'Polly will look out for me, you know she will, nothing is going to happen to me.'

'I know, you're right, my beautiful Hannah.' Hannah hugged Dixie and gently stroked her hair to comfort her.

'Everything will be all right Dixie, trust me.'

'I do trust you, always.' Hannah smiled and she kissed Dixie's head.

Cyd found herself looking around the station at her colleagues and friends, she was still missing her family a little bit. She had spent quite a lot of time with them during her visit, she always missed them when she had to return to work. The cold weather wasn't helping her mood, she wasn't a big fan of winter, she liked the snow whenever it arrived though. It was a grey day, it looked as if it was going to rain, she hoped that it wouldn't rain, it always made her feel a bit down. Cyd spotted Dixie coming over to her and she gave her a small smile. 'Hi Dixie, my mum asked me to say hello to you and Hannah, she asked after the twins too. I told her that they're beautiful children and growing well.'

'Thanks Cyd. How did your visit with your family go?'

'It was good, I really enjoyed myself.'

'I am happy to hear that, you miss them, don't you?'

'Yeah, I'll be all right though, I have some good friends here.'

'You do, we're all here for you Cyd.'

'I know, thanks Dixie.' Cyd smiled at Dixie, she was right, she had some very good friends in Holby and they would be there for her whenever she needed them.

Lawrence walked the corridors of the the hospital, he had some time between operations and he was taking a break. He looked out of the window and he saw an ambulance or two leaving the hospital on a shout. Hannah or Dixie would probably be in one of them, every day he wished that they would be safe. His grandchildren needed both Hannah and Dixie to look after them. Lawrence loved the twins, he spent as much time with them as he could. He was happy that he had decided to make his move to Holby permanent. Being away from the memories of the house he had lived in made him feel so much better. He didn't want to be constantly reminded of the fact that his ex wife had tried to kill him. He had started to rent the house out until he decided what to do with it Once the twins had been born and he had held them both, Lawrence decided that he didn't want to leave them behind. He wanted to be with his daughter and Dixie, he wanted to support them, he wanted to be with his family. Getting the position at Holby had made him happy, it meant that he had been able to put the past behind him for good.

Hannah started thinking about her father, she was very proud of him, he had come so far since he had been stabbed by her mother. The court case and the divorce had taken a lot out of him. She was proud of him for going to a counsellor and talking through everything with her. Talking had been hard for him, it had taken a few sessions for him to open up. Hannah?' Polly's voice broke into Hannah's thoughts. 'Are you all right?'

'I am, I was just thinking about my father. I am glad that he decided to stay in Holby.'

'Of course you are. You've both gone through a lot.'

'I know. There are a lot of men that view talking to a counsellor about their feelings shameful. They think that they're supposed to be able to deal with their own feelings.'

'Your dad is a brave man, I admire him for having the courage to talk about everything that he had gone through. Do you think that he is better now?'

'I think so, he has moved on with his life and I am thankful that he has been able to do so.'

'You love your father, I can hear it whenever you talk about him.'

'I do.'

'I feel the same about Jeff, I worry about him sometimes.'

'Do you?'

'Yeah, he's a brave man, I do fear that he will get himself in trouble one of these days.'

'Jeff is more sensible now, you don't have anything to worry about.'

'I love him like a father, I don't want to lose him.'

'I know you don't.' Hannah saw the love and worry that Polly had for Jeff in her eyes, she hugged Polly and smiled at her. 'Don't worry, Jeff won't do anything silly, he has much to live for.'

'You're right.'

'Yes, I am.' Hannah hugged Polly again, she understood that Polly feared losing the people that meant the most to her, she wanted them all to be safe.

Jeff saw Hannah leave Polly to go and get herself a drink, he had just come back after being on a shout with Dixie and he had heard Hannah and Polly talking. He hadn't meant to stay and listen for as long as did, but, something had made him want to listen. 'Princess Polly,' Jeff said.

'Hey Jeff, how did the shout go?'

'It was the usual, a gang fight on the Farmead, one of them came off worse, as always.'

'Yeah, as always.'

'Polly, I heard you talking to Hannah. Are you that worried about me?'

'I am, I think of you as my father, I don't want anything to happen to you.'

'I promise you Pol, nothing is going to happen to me.'

'Can you guarantee that?'

'I can, Dixie would kick my behind if I did anything remotely dangerous.'

'She would,' Polly said and smiled. 'You'd be on paperwork duty for a year.'

'Exactly. Come here princess Polly.' Jeff gave Polly a hug and he kissed her head.

'I just want you and Dixie to be safe, it's a dangerous world out there. I will protect you if I have to, you do know that, don't you?'

'I know, but it is my job to protect you Pol. Is everything okay?'

'Sometimes I worry that something bad will happen to the people I care about.'

'Try not to think about that princess, everything will be fine, I promise.'

'Okay.'

'Don't worry sweetheart.' Jeff kept his arms around Polly and he hugged her close. 'I will stay safe, for you, so that one day I will get to walk you down the aisle when you get married.'

'That sounds nice.' Jeff smiled and he kissed Polly's head again, he loved her dearly and vowed to keep his promise of staying safe for her.

Emilie had read a story to the children after they had had their lunch, she closed the book and put it to one side. One of the girls came over to Emilie and stood in front of her. 'Clara, is everything all right?'

'Emilie, you have a pretty ring, did someone give it to you?'

'Yes, someone gave it to me. Do you remember Prince Charming in Cinderella?' Clara nodded and Emilie smiled at her.

'Did Prince Charming give you the ring?'

'I suppose you could say that. I live with a man named Jeff, he gave me the ring.'

'Will you marry him?'

'One day, we will marry when the time is right.'

'Okay,' Clara smiled and she ran off to play with the other children. Emilie felt the warmth around her heart, talking with Clara had made her happy. She loved Jeff, he was her Prince Charming, he loved her and cared for her. Emilie looked at the children again, she briefly wondered what a child that she had with Jeff would look like. Would the baby have his eyes? Emilie hoped that he or she would do, she still thought that Jeff had lovely eyes and she liked to look into them.

Emilie looked at the clock, she didn't have long to go before she would be on her way home, Jeff would be home shortly after her and she looked forward to seeing him. She started to think about cooking something for Jeff and Polly, she knew that they would be hungry after their shift. Emilie went back to the children and she started getting them ready for when their parents arrived to pick them up. She made sure that they had everything that they had brought with them and helped them to put their coats on. Emilie helped Thomas and Elizabeth into their coats and got them ready to take them home to Hannah and Dixie. She smiled as she thought about spending the evening with Jeff and cuddling up with him on the sofa. Emilie wanted the evening to be perfect, she was very sure that it would be. Being with Jeff made Emilie happy and she vowed to spend some time with him and cuddle before they went to bed.