Tom O'Dowd pulled up in the car park of Holby City hospital driving the same VW golf as he had driven since he started medical school. It had been a year since he was last at Holby and it didn't exactly hold many happy memories for him. Just before he left his Dad had discovered that he was a recovering heroin addict from Ric Griffin. Later that day his Dad was involved in a serious car accident and died in ITU. Tom never forgot how it felt to watch his father's life slip away. However, there were some good memories, and Tom was back for them. The time he spent with Maddy, Maria and Donna had been the best. For a while all they did was come to work, get drunk and have fun. But he didn't want the memories anymore. He wanted it to be real again. Only this time Maddy would know his true feelings for her. She would know that he loved her.
Tom walked into the hospital reception wondering where Maddy was likely to be. AAU? Kellar? Tom didn't have to ponder for long. Over by the far side of the coffee bar was Maria and Donna. Probably gossiping about something or someone. "Hey" said Donna as Tom drew nearer. "Long time no see."
"What are you doing back here?" asked Maria "I thought you were fired by Ric."
"I was" said Tom. "But that doesn't matter because I haven't come back to work."
"Oh, so why have you come back?" Maria asked.
Tom did not want to tell her that he wanted to see Maddy so he settled for asking a question rather than giving an ansewr. "So how's Maddy? I'm surprised she's not with you."
Maria and Donna looked at eachother. Tears welling up in Maria's eyes. "Maddy's dead." said Donna.. "It's been almost six months now."
Tom couldn't believe what he was hearing. It couldn't be possible. It couldn't be true. He turned and ran. In each room he passed he checked to see if Maddy was in there. But she was nowhere to be seen. He stopped at the staff bored. Maddy's name and picture were no longer on there. He slowly sank down to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Donna's words ringing through his mind, "Maddy's dead."