"Just take a seat in there, and I'll go and get him."

Ange smiled as she closed the door behind her. Her relationship with Dom was still a bit rocky since her identity as his birth mother was revealed, but hopefully a surprising reuniting with an old friend would score some points in her favour. Spotting him at the nurses' station, chatting to Essie, she quickly headed over.

"Can I borrow you, Dom?" she asked, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

Nodding, he quietly followed her over to the staff room, furrowing his brows slightly when she opened the door with a flourish, before stepping back in horror when he saw who was behind the door.

"No," he gasped, stepping backwards in horror.

"Dom?" Ange asked, confusion evident in her voice.

Dom turned and ran, only freezing when Hanssen, appearing out of nowhere, shouted his name as a warning to stop running.

"Mr Copeland, this is a hospital, not a playground," the CEO chastised him. "What is the meaning of this?"

Pointing shakily towards the staff room, Dom said just one word.

"Isaac."

Ange watched as Hanssen appeared to take care of a situation that apparently appeared out of nowhere.

"Nurse DiLucca, call security, and have them remove Mr Mayfield from this hospital. I want him off the grounds and away from here right now. Mr Copeland, let's go somewhere quiet."

As Hanssen escorted Dom from the ward, Ange couldn't shake the look of terror in Dom's eyes from her mind. He looked terrified. But the man, who she now knew was called Isaac, had said he was an old friend of Dom's who he had lost contact with.

As she saw two burly members of the security team come to remove the mystery man, she headed outside to find her son.

"I thought it was over," Ange heard Dom say as she approached the Peace Garden.

"It is over," replied Hanssen. "His coming back was just a blip on the radar. You saw him for a second, and he is being removed as we speak. You have moved forward since this. You've moved past so much in such a short time. Him turning up changes nothing."

Unable to bear eavesdropping any longer, Ange cleared her throat as she stepped into their eye line.

"Are you okay, Dom?" she asked.

Nodding, Dom smiled up at Hanssen, who stood up, placing a reassuring hand on Dom's shoulder before stepping away, Ange quickly taking his place on the bench.

"He said he was an old friend," she tried to explain. "He said he'd left the hospital under a bit of a cloud, and had gone travelling, and lost touch with you. He said he wanted to surprise you when he came back to Holby."

"Did he?" asked Dom, flatly.

"Who is he?"

"My ex."

Ange paused, before asking her next question.

"So why the immediate call for security by Hanssen?" she queried.

Running his hands through his hair, Dom paused before answering his mother's question.

"Because he mentally and physically abused me for a long time. By 'travelling', he meant he was in prison. By 'lost touch', he means temporary restraining order. He caused so much damage. I got hooked on steroids, because I was terrified of being unable to protect myself. After Hanssen helped he come off them, I enrolled in self-defence classes. For ages, I was terrified of disagreeing with Lofty about anything in case he hurt me. He never did, but I was still scared."

"Dom, I'm so sorry," Ange whispered, relieved when Dom allowed her to hold his hand.

Sitting in silence, Ange read the plaque in front of them.

"Who is he?" she asked, nodding to the plaque.

Dom smiled as he read out the name.

"Arthur Digby. My best friend. Well, him and Zosia," Dom elaborated. "He died a couple of years ago. Cancer."

"Dom, I'm so sorry," Ange said, her heart breaking as she thought about everything that her son had gone through.

"Well, he's gone now, and Zosia will be going back to America. Lofty's still off with his Gran, I don't want Isaac anywhere near me, and there's nothing I can do about any of that."

"I'm here," Ange whispered, threading her fingers between his, and grasping his had tightly.

"For now," Dom muttered, pulling his hand away and standing up. "People leave. It's fine. I'm used to it.

Ange paused, trying to decide what to say, but when Dom broke down in front of her, his body wracked with sobs, she couldn't help but step forward, pulling him into a tight embrace.

She held on when he initially tried to resist, but when she felt his body sag into hers, his arms gripping on to her back, she ran a hand through his hair, whispering reassurances into his ear, guiding them back to the bench. She waited as he let out all the emotion that he had bottled up, not only over the last few weeks, but the last couple of years, until eventually he fell silent, and she felt his shaky breathing against her neck.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, until Dom pulled back.

"Sorry, this isn't very professional," he muttered, wiping his eyes.

"Professionalism has nothing to do with it," Ange replied. "As far as I'm concerned, we're family, and I know you're still sorting things out in your head, but I'm here. Whether that's as a consultant, a friend, or a – a mum. Whatever you need."

Dom nodded, and Ange waited as she watched his weigh it all up. She was surprised when, out of nowhere, Dom threw his arms back around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She immediately snaked her arms up his back, rubbing soothing patterns across the surface, until he pulled away again.

"I'm just working through it all," he said.

Ange nodded.

"That's fine," she said, "But I've missed so much of your life, and you've been through so much. I'm here; for whatever you need."

"Thanks," Dom replied.

As a comfortable silence fell over them, they eventually stood up and headed back to the ward. There was still work to do, after all.

A/N: I've seen the spoilers about how Isaac comes back, but I thought this could be a bit of a bonding moment for Dom and Ange (I'm hoping for several of these during the upcoming episodes!). Please review!