Hey everyone! I started writing this fic ages ago but abandoned it when I started "It was like seeing a ghost". But now that's finished, I thought I might carry on with this one!

Update days will be Wednesdays, and the main pairings are Max/Zoe and Connie/Cal at the minute (even though I'm not big in that ship). Charlie and Tess are very close friends in this so bear that in mind too ^.^

Hope you enjoy, and please review if you can! (This gets better as it goes along I promise- I've laughed out loud as I've written a few times). -Sophie x

"God I need a holiday." Zoe groaned as she kicked her heels off and collapsed onto the sofa.

It was almost November, and the newly instated clinical lead had been working non-stop for 8 weeks, trying to do her job as well as manage her staff on a personal level.

It had been a tough year for the ED staff. Rita and her husband, Dixie and Big Mac (as well as the rest of the department) and their loss of Jeff, Ash blaming himself, Cal Lily and Ethan's little love triangle, Charlie and his retirement plan, Tess and the loss of Fletch. There was Max and his not-so-fun job, Lofty's constant stream of bad luck, Robyn being on the receiving end of Tess' lectures, and Connie with the complaint and her stint as clinical lead. Also her daughter, but she didn't tell anyone about that.

What they all needed was a break. A nice, long, stress free, worry-less break. Zoe came up with a brilliant thought, and idea that everyone would love. She thought about it for a while before she did anything, mulling it over with a glass of red in her hand, trying to find a way round the many loopholes her plan contained. There were so many it was like Swiss cheese, but she knew there just had to be a way.

There had to.

"Hi Colette, do you know where Guy is?" Zoe asked, smiling. She was holding some papers and wandering round the wards, looking for the CEO.

"He was in his office when I last saw him."

"He isn't answering his phone. I'll go have a look. Thanks."

Zoe made her way to his office and knocked on the door. Sounds of loud fumbling and swearing came from inside. The clinical lead waited until she was called in.

"Zoe, what can I do for you?" He grinned. Jac Naylor from Darwin stalked out, smiling at Zoe confidently as she did so. Zoe looked at Guy and tried desperately to ignore the lipstick marks on his cheek as she spoke.

"Are you busy? I have an idea I want to propose."

"I've got an hour." He said, motioning to the seat in front of him. "Hit me."

"Wish I could..." She muttered under her breath as she sat down and began to talk.

When there was a lull in patients, Zoe called her staff and the paramedics to the nurses station with a wide smile.

"Right, I need you all in the pub after work, there's something I need to tell you all. I can't do it here, it would take too long, but I have a feeling it might be taken a bit better with a drink. Ok?" She said, looking round at them all.

Most were confused, many of the F2's started to gossip, Max couldn't take his eyes off of the speaker and Connie just sighed.

"Even me, Dr Hanna?" She asked, looking at her icily.

"Even you Co-" she began before correcting herself, "-Mrs Beauchamp."

She sighed before stalking off, grabbing some papers as she went.

"Right you lot, back to work! We'll rendezvous at the pub at 7:30 yeah? Gives you all half an hour to get sorted."

"Zoe-" Charlie asked, coming over. "Is this good or bad news?"

"Good, well, for the majority of you anyway." She winked at him, "don't worry."

It was soon the end of their shift, and the staff were getting changed in the staffroom. Most left, leaving Robyn, Max and Lofty to finish dressing and collect their things.

"What do you think Zo wants?" Max said, sliding over to Robyn and Lofty.

"Zo?" Robyn grinned, raising an eyebrow.

"Dr Hanna, whatever. What do you think she wants us for?"

"Probably sympathy drinks or something, I don't know." Lofty replied, pulling his scrubs over his head and replacing it with a trendy shirt.

"Well whatever it is, I hope it's good- I don't think I could take anymore bad news if I tried." Robyn said, smiling. "Come on Lofty we're waiting for you now!"

"Sorry, sorry." He muttered, quickly jumping out of his trousers and trying to pull on his jeans just as quickly. However, that didn't go to plan, and he ended up tripping over and falling backwards, jeans around his ankles, right onto Connie's 5inch heels.

"Mrs Beauchamp, I'm so- oh god I- sorry." He gulped looking up at her. She rolled her eyes and took a step back, as if there were road kill on the floor.

"Lofty? Get up." She said coldly, putting her hands on her hips as he climbed up. "And for gods sake pull your pants up."

She grabbed her papers that were left on the table and stalked out, visibly shuddering at the fact that her feet had collided with Lofty's comic book underwear.

Robyn and Max were in peals of laughter, tears streaming down Robyn's face.

"Oh my god, you're never going to live that one down mate." Max grinned, clapping him on the back as he finally managed to pull his jeans up.

"Yeah yeah." Lofty sighed, pulling on his jacket and leaving, followed closely by his two housemates who were still laughing. "I know."

By the time the trio got to the pub, everyone was there. Zoe had got the first round and was stood at the bar, looking at her watch.

"Finally you three!" She said, waving them over. "What're you having, quickly."

"A white wine and lemonade please." Robyn said, looking for a seat.

"Aaand two lagers?" Lofty asked, following Robyn to where everyone else was sat.

"Hey." Max smiled when they were finally alone.

"Max, now really isn't the time." Zoe shot a pointed look over to the others who were looking at them curiously.

"Right, right. Later?" He asked hopefully.

"If you're lucky." She winked before grabbing the last few drinks and going to sit down.

"Right, now everyone's finally here, we can get started!" She said brightly, pulling a chair up and sitting in front of them all. Most looked at her intently, but Connie (who was sat nearest the door so she could get straight out) looked bored, scrolling through her phone.

"Connie?" Zoe asked, "you need to listen."

The woman put her phone down and sighed heavily.

"Fine."

"Right, now I know we've had a really crappy year this year, what with Jeff-" she said, glancing over to Dixie who promptly took a large gulp of cider, "and the crash. But I think I may have a little treat for you all."

Zoe pulled out a folder from her bag and pulled out a picture of a large hotel.

"This is The Great Barrier Hotel, situated on the shore by the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I've been talking to Guy and he's agreed... to let us go for a holiday there!" She grinned, waiting for a response.

There wasn't one.

Her audience sat open mouthed, including the wicked witch herself, looking at their clinical lead.

"Details, Zoe?" Tess asked, first to speak.

"Oh yeah, right." She said, quickly pulling out some of the other papers from the folder.

"We'll be going for 10 days, from the 10th of December to the 20th next year, and the original cost each was £950." The doctors and nurses started talking at that point, horrified at the large sum.

"However-" Zoe shouted over the noise, "with the grant from the Lottery fund and the fundraising we did last year, combined with the money Jeff left for us, there's quite a tidy sum left over."

"But that's for medical supplies!" Connie exclaimed, "not to send the staff on their jollys!"

"I know I know, which is why we'll only be using a small amount. There's enough to pay £200 each off of your prices, so you'll only have to pay £750. But then the travel company phoned to say there'd been a reduction, which took your totals down to £500 each. But then after looking at cheap hotel deals, I found some rooms at the same hotel for the same times this year at a much lower price- £200 each. With the money left over from the grants etc, it would only be £100." She finished.

"Do we have to go?" Lily groaned.

"No-" Zoe hesitated, "but it's a great opportunity and it's a real treat that you all deserve."

"Why Australia? Why not Spain?" Ethan said, confused.

"It's somewhere not many of us have been- I know I haven't, and it's somewhere people are always saying they want to go. I know when Charlie came back from visiting his son you were all pretty jealous." She raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"I suppose it doesn't sound too bad actually." Robyn admitted.

"What about rooming?" Max spoke up, a glitter in his eye.

"The rooms range from 2-4 beds each, some with doubles but mostly singles. Depending on how many of you are interested, we can sort that out at a later time. So, out of interest, which of you are in so far?"

Robyn, Max, Lofty, Charlie and Tess put their hands up. The others dithered.

"There's a cheap bar in the hotel?" She added, and many more hands flew up.

"Great." Zoe grinned, standing up and pulling a clipboard from her bag and giving it to Max. "The way to a medical professional's heart is through their alcohol intake. Write your names down here if you're thinking of going, then can the last person leave it on my desk please. Thanks. I've got to get going, I have an appointment with the doctors in 15 minutes."

"I'm just gonna go for a cig." Max said to his companions who were deep in conversation, and followed his boss out, snaking his hands round her waist when the doors had swung shut.

"Do you really have a doctors appointment?" He whispered in her ear as he span her round to face him.

"Course I don't." She scoffed before grabbing his hand and pulling him to her car.