Disclaimer - I don't own Casualty or Ruth and Jay would already be living happily ever after!

Save Me

Chapter 1 – First Impressions

Another unfamiliar ceiling, another unfamiliar set of bed sheets, another unfamiliar hand on his shoulder, another unfamiliar voice waking him from his alcohol induced sleep.

"Morning sleepy head."

A rather stunning blonde girl was staring deep into Jay's eyes, he forced his most charming smile across his lips.

"Morning beautiful."

He was a charmer and he knew it. A different lady every night living by his own golden rules, no strings, show them a good time and always stay for breakfast.

"I thought you said something about work?" the girl chuckled

Jay glanced at the clock and cursed. He was due to start his new job at Holby emergency department ten minutes ago. He was already late so what harm was a few more hours going to be?

"Nah, maybe later, how about some breakfast first…?" He suggested cheekily

Ruth sighed as she picked up the next lot of patient notes it was another busy shift in the emergency department, though she wasn't one to complain, she actually quite enjoyed working a busy shift as she loved the challenge of keeping onto top of her patients. After losing her orthopaedic rotation to Toby following her suicide attempt she had resigned herself to the fact that she would be stuck in the emergency department for the foreseeable future so she was determined to make the best of it, even if she longed to be up in surgery, secretly though she was beginning to build up a liking for the hustle and bustle of the emergency department and surprisingly its staff.

Today Ruth could see one glaringly obvious reason for the chaos. There seemed to be a total lack of nurses rather than the usual excessive amount of patients causing the trouble. As she wandered towards her next patient she spotted Tess approaching her.

"Where are all your nurses today?" She asked the senior nurse irritably.

Ok she had been getting on better with the staff recently but that did not stop her speaking her mind at times and maintaining her cold and rather harsh reputation.

"I'd like to know exactly the same thing believe me!" Tess responded with a sigh "The new nurse hasn't even turned up! I don't know what Charlie was thinking when he said that he liked him!"

"Well he sounds like he's going to be a great addition to the team!" Ruth said sarcastically

"I'm not saying anything!" Tess raised her hands in defeat, Ruth got the impression that she fully agreed that the new nurse's inability to turn up to his first shift definitely made him seem like he would be likely to cause trouble. "Though if you could stitch up Mrs Peters in cubicle two when you have finished…"

"I'm not a nurse!" Ruth snapped immediately

"I know Ruth but we are short staffed…" Tess pointed out

"Yes ok. Mrs Peters cubicle two, done." Ruth rolled her eyes slightly before heading towards cubicle six and her other patient.

Today was hectic enough without some troublesome new nurse not even bothering to show up. She pulled back the curtain and offered the teenager inside a forced smile. Who was she to complain? It meant more work and a bigger challenge after all.

"When you said you'd give me a lift this isn't exactly what I was thinking of!" Jay yelled over the roar of the motorbike's engine.

"Scared?" She replied

"Not a bit!" Jay yelled back as they pulled off the main road onto the back street towards Holby City Hospital.

They pulled up outside the emergency department on one of the ambulance bays and Jay hopped off the bike pulling off the borrowed helmet.

"Well thanks for a great night!" He winked at the girl and she smiled as she took off her own helmet.

He lent down and gave her one long kiss on the lips before handing her the helmet and wandering into the emergency department without a second glance at the girl he had left behind.

"There you are!"

The voice that greeted Jay was beyond angry. He couldn't help but feel slightly nervous as he approached the strict looking nurse from his interview a few days before.

"Alright…Rachel…?" he asked trying to wrack his brains for her name.

"It's Tess or Sister Bateman to you." She snapped back immediately "Your six hours late."

"Oh am I?" Jay feigned shock "I thought I started at one o'clock?"

"You know damn well…" Tess began "Be here. At seven on the dot tomorrow or you are fired." She added with a sigh "And don't think I won't hesitate to get you kicked out the department if you are a minute late!"

She turned on her head and left Jay stood feeling a little shocked in the middle of reception.

He looked about him.

"You need to stay on the right side of her mate."

The friendly voice of the receptionist echoed through the reception area.

"I guess so." Jay replied putting his hands in his pockets and wandering over to the reception desk. "Bet she's a pussy cat really…" he laughed

"No chance, Tess is like a tiger…" the receptionist informed him "I'm Noel." He offered Jay his hand

"Jay. New nurse, if I make it here on time tomorrow." Jay informed him

"Nice to meet you Jay."

"Where are the patients notes I asked you for?"

The voice was sharp, cold and impatient.

"Sorry Ruth." Noel hurried back over to the other side of the desk and picked up a pile of papers and brought them over to her. She grabbed them from him and looked him in the eyes.

"Doctor Winters." She replied

"Doctor Winters." Noel replied rolling his eyes slightly "This is Jay, new nurse…"

"Oh so you're the nurse that can't even be bothered to turn up on time on his first day?" Ruth replied looking Jay up and down

"I am indeed." Jay grinned "Nice to meet you…" he began as Ruth turned on her heel and walked off "Charming…" he said watching her leave "All the doctors that frosty?"

"Nah." Noel shook his head and Jay breathed a small sigh of relief "Frosty is Doctor Winters speciality."

"Winters by name winters by nature huh?" Jay laughed "Another one I should watch out for then?"

"Definitely." Noel nodded

Not the best first day. Jay decided as he bid farewell to Noel but for some reason he was quiet exited to start working in the emergency department for real, he just had to make sure he was on time and that was easier said than done when Jay was concerned.