Hello everyone. Thank you for clicking! This is a sequel to my story 'One Week'. I wanted to keep that separate as a stand alone piece but I also wanted to explore my take on Alicia's story line a little bit further. This follows on immediately from 'One Week', so if you haven't already you should read that first. I hope you enjoy.

Alicia spent the short drive from the house to the hospital trying to think of what she was going to say to Mrs Beauchamp. It wasn't only her hasty departure mid-shift yesterday that she needed to explain. It was her behaviour during the past weeks, her short temper and the countless tiny mistakes she'd made, the majority of which, thank goodness, had done no real harm and went unnoticed. She tried desperately to formulate a plausible explanation that wasn't the truth, because despite the resolve she'd had when she was at home, Alicia didn't want anyone else to know. She'd told Bea and she was glad of it, but the more people who knew the harder it would be to keep secret from everyone.

Alicia stared out the window and tried to pretend she hadn't noticed Bea glancing over at her every time they stopped at traffic lights. Neither of them said a word. When Bea pulled into a parking space in front of the hospital and switched off the engine Alicia finally turned to her. "Right then" she said, taking a deep breath. "I won't be long. At least, I hope not."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?" The concern in Bea's voice was obvious.

"No, I'm f…" Alicia stopped herself. She wasn't fine, not even close, and she knew Bea would tell her off if she tried to pretend. "I should face Mrs Beauchamp alone."

"Maybe" Bea said. "But do you want to?"

Alicia didn't want to be here at all. But she had to be if she wanted to keep her job. "I'm a big girl Bea" she said, but not in a malicious way. She offered Bea a smile, or tried to. "Thank you though."

Bea nodded. Something like disappointment crossed her face. Disappointment and worry, but also understanding. She reached over to the passenger seat and gave Alicia's hand a quick squeeze. "I'll be waiting here" she said. Alicia nodded and opened the car door.

She made it across the carpark no problem, striding resolutely towards the entrance to the ED. But when she reached the sliding automatic doors Alicia froze. She didn't panic, she didn't cry, she just couldn't move. It was as though she'd used up all her energy walking the 30 meters from Bea's little yellow car to these glass doors and had no more strength left to make it the final two metres.

Alicia didn't know how long she'd stood there before she felt a hand touch her shoulder and Bea was beside her. This was one more thing to add to the list of things Alicia couldn't do alone. Now she'd let Bea in on her secret she realised how much support she actually needed and how much she was fooling herself that she could cope alone.

Bea's hand moved to Alicia's back and she gently guided her forward and the doors parted obediently to let them inside. It was still early and the ED was surprisingly quiet. Alicia was thankful she didn't run into any of her colleagues on the walk to Connie's office.

"I really do need to do this bit alone though" Alicia said to Bea when they reached the door. She took one more step forward before she lost her nerve and knocked. Alicia felt Bea give her arm one final squeeze in encouragement, before retreating a little way down the corridor. Alicia was alone.

"Come in" Mrs Beauchamp said without looking up. She was hunched over her desk. Alicia closed the door quietly behind her and waited for Connie to look up. She didn't want to speak first, she needed every precious second she could get to make some sense of the thoughts in her head. She still had no idea what she was going to say.

It felt like an age before Mrs Beauchamp took her eyes off her paperwork. She seemed surprised to see Alicia standing there. She put the cap on her pen and sat up straighter. "Dr Munroe" she said. "I didn't expect to see you today."

Alicia fidgeted awkwardly. "Is now a bad time?"

"No. Please sit down."

Alicia hesitated. She would have liked to have been able to gauge Connie's mood from her tone of voice but she wasn't able to focus and her boss was hard to read at the best of times. Alicia's hands were still shaking and she hid them underneath the desk as she took a seat. "Mrs Beauchamp, about yesterday, please let me apologise." Alicia's words spilled out in a hurry. She wanted to be calm and in control and was failing already. "I'm sorry I walked out in the middle of the day. It won't happen again." Connie opened her mouth to speak, but Alicia carried on. "And please don't punish Dr Kinsella, it's my fault she didn't go back, I didn't give her a choice."

Connie took a deep breath. "You really have Dr Kinsella to thank that I'm not suspending you on the spot" she said. "Whatever she said to Dr Hardy yesterday convinced him to give you a chance to explain, and he can be persuasive when he wants to be. You have to thank them both."

Right, Ethan was working today. Alicia knew this. It's a good job she had forgotten as she didn't think she would have made it inside at all if she remembered there was a chance she could run into Ethan.

"But you do owe me an explanation" Connie said. Her voice was gentler than it could be when she was reprimanding someone, but the no nonsense tone was still unmistakably present. "You put us all in a very awkward position yesterday by disappearing without a word."

"I know" Alicia said. She looked down at her lap, anywhere but at her boss. Tears sprang in her eyes and she wiped them away with her sleeve, angry at herself for not keeping her composure. "I'm sorry" she said again, shaking her head furiously. "I don't know what to say."

"The truth?" Connie moved the file she was working on aside and leant on the desk, waiting. Alicia had her eyes shut. Connie sighed.

"The truth is, I don't want to tell you the truth. It will change everything and I'm not ready." Alicia found it hard to speak, every word was a struggle. "But I don't think I have a choice."

Through the little window in the office door, Bea watched the silent scene play out. Alicia had her back to the door so Bea couldn't see her face, but the moment Alicia admitted the truth, Bea could tell. Alicia's head fell forward and her shoulders shook and all Bea wanted to do was hold her.

She could see the stunned expression on Connie's face, and the way she jerked upright at the moment of Alicia's revelation. Mrs Beauchamp didn't strike Bea as the touchy feely type, and the older woman hovered awkwardly, seemingly deciding what she could possibly do to offer comfort. In the end she stood up and walked around the desk and placed a hand delicately on Alicia's shoulder.

Bea walked towards the door without really realising it and the movement caught Connie's eye.

When Mrs Beauchamp opened the door and gestured for her to come in Bea was weary, but she wanted to badly to see how Alicia was that she followed obediently.

"You're not in any trouble, Dr Kinsella" Mrs Beauchamp said. "Dr Munroe has told me everything."

Bea looked down at Alicia. She looked hollow, broken, as though telling another person about her ordeal so soon after confiding in Bea had taken some of the life out of her.

"But if you need to leave for an emergency again, please let someone know, ok?"

Bea nodded. She didn't know what to say, and felt strange and vaguely intimidated in Connie's presence, even though the older woman was being nothing but kind and understanding.

"Dr Munroe, you have my support. If you decide you want to go to the police, I'll back you up. I'm on your side."

"Thank you Mrs Beauchamp" Alicia said in a small voice.

"Take a few days off" Connie said to Alicia. It wasn't a suggestion, but nor was it an official suspension and for that Alicia was more than grateful.

Mrs Beauchamp made her excuses and left the room. Bea wasn't listening to the excuse she gave. When Connie left the room, Bea pulled up a chair next to Alicia and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Alicia didn't cry, she didn't have the energy.

"You told her?"

"Yes."

"How was it?"

Alicia shrugged. "Awful" she said. "That's is, my secret is out."

"Mrs Beauchamp won't tell anybody, and I certainly won't."

Alicia touched Bea's arm. "I know. That's not what I meant." Alicia looked like she was about to say more but whatever it was, she decided against it.

Bea also had something she wanted to say and struggled with herself on whether or not to bring it up. Down the road tough love would be what Alicia would need, but right now when she was so fragile, Bea was afraid that pushing too hard would do more harm than good. But she had to try. "About going to the police…"

"Bea, please don't."

"He can't get away with what he did to you."

Alicia turned away from Bea then, hiding her face in her hands, and Bea immediately regretted her decision to push her. "I know you're just trying to help me, and in a few days I might feel differently, but I'm just not ready. Please don't ask me again."

Bea sighed. "Alright, I won't. For a few days."

Alicia knew then that Bea wouldn't give up. She looked into the face of her friend and saw a steely determination and fierce loyalty and knew that she would no longer be able to hide.

The house was quiet when Bea was not home. Sometimes Alicia liked it, enjoyed the solitude and the peace that came with not having to think about another person or worry about keeping up appearances. But sometimes it was too quiet, and in those moments when the only company Alicia had were her own thoughts all she wanted to do was scream and cry and make them go away.

Yesterday Alicia had cleaned the house from top to bottom, washed and folded all her laundry and had even weeded the garden. She should have slowed down and saved some chores for today. Because now she had nothing to do but sit.

When she was at work Eddie was an ever-looming presence and she was on edge from the moment she arrived at the hospital to the moment she left. But at least she felt useful. When she was with a patient she had someone else to focus on besides herself and that provided some relief. She couldn't spend another day on her own. Alicia needed to get back to work. Even if it meant seeing Eddie. But in the meantime, she ran.

She was still alone as she ran, but it was a lot better. She was well aware of the benefits of exercise on mental health and gave this advice to her patients often, but she'd never had reason to apply the theory to herself before. While she was running, Alicia didn't have to think about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other, she didn't even pay much attention to where she was going. Until she had run so far and so hard that she'd used all her energy then she began the much slower journey home before collapsing on the sofa numb and empty and so tired that she didn't have the energy to think. This was the escape she craved.

When Bea returned from work, this was the state she found Alicia in, crashed out on the sofa. She gently shook Alicia awake. "Hey" she said softly as Alicia blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light shining through the window. "Are you ok?"

Alicia sat up, clutching a cushion to her chest. "Yeah, not bad."

"Been for a run?"

Alicia was still in her running gear. As much as she craved a long warm shower the desire to sleep had won out. "Yeah. How was work?"

Bea put her backpack down and pulled off her trainers. "Same as always. I'm happy to be out of there. Listen, I've got plans tonight but I can cancel them if you want company."

"Don't be silly."

Bea smiled. "Ok. I better get ready then, wash the hospital smell out of my hair."

Half an hour later Bea ran down the stairs. "Have you seen my keys?" she said in a hurry. "I'm sure I put them down somewhere when I got home. I'm going to be so late." There was a rustle as she moved aside the post on the hallway table and then a jangle of metal. "Never mind, I've found them. I'll see you later." Bea popped her head around the door to say goodbye.

"Where are you off to anyway?" Alicia asked, noticing Bea's hair and make-up and the sleek striped jumpsuit she wore. Alicia was genuinely interested. She wasn't so inside her own head that she didn't have time to repay the support that Bea had shown her and show interest in someone else's life and happiness.

Bea blushed. "I have a date actually."

Alicia smiled. "Anyone I know?"

Bea thought she hadn't seen Alicia look this happy in weeks. She was touched. "Maybe. She works at the hospital. Her name's Lilah, she's a midwife."

"Is it a first date? You haven't mentioned anyone."

Bea made a face. "Third."

"Bea! You didn't tell me you were seeing someone." Alicia was a little shocked but also excited for her friend and for a moment she felt like her old self sharing gossip with a mate. "It's serious eh?

Bea shrugged, bashful all of a sudden. "We'll see. I really like her."

"You should have told me. I'm happy for you." Alicia leant over and gave Bea a playful punch in the arm.

Bea hitched her bag onto her shoulder. "The timing is crappy. I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"Just because my life in a mess right now doesn't mean yours has to be. Don't be miserable on my account. I'm fine, don't worry. I'm going to run myself a bubble bath and get and early night. I am feeling better, I promise."

"Ok." Bea stood up although she wasn't entirely convinced. She looked at her watch "I'm so late." She hesitated and opened her mouth to say something else but Alicia cut her off.

"Go!" Alicia said. She nudged Bea towards the door with her foot.

"Ok ok" Bea said. "I'm going. Wish me luck." Bea grinned, clearly excited.

"Good luck." Alicia couldn't help but be cheered. She threw the cushion on her lap aside, determined that tonight she wouldn't wallow in self-pity and guilt. Self-care was the name of tonight, and she began longing for that bubble bath.

"Bea" Alicia called and Bea turned around. "You look lovely by the way."

Bea grinned. "Cheers. I hope Lilah thinks so too."

"You're back at work." Bea looked up from her patient's notes, stifling a yawn, and was surprised to see Alicia on the other side of the reception desk.

"And you're alive" Alicia said with a smirk. "Your date went well then?"

Bea pretended to be embarrassed but she was doing a bad job of hiding her smile. "You could say that, yeah."

"I didn't hear you come home."

"I didn't."

Alicia knew this but was quite enjoying watching Bea squirm. It felt normal, to be teasing a friend about her love life. But then the smile on Bea's face morphed from one of embarrassment to one of quiet concern and the feeling or normality vanished.

"But what about you, are you sure you'd ok to be back here?"

Alicia lowered her voice and looked around to see if anyone was in earshot. "I was going crazy at home. I need to be here."

"And Mrs Beauchamp is alright with that?"

Alicia nodded, but before she could answer Robyn walked up. "Mr Davidson's test results are back" she said to Bea and handed over a sheet of paper. Bea took it, still watching Alicia, and made no attempt to read the lab results.

"Better get back to work Dr Kinsella" Alicia said, glancing at Robyn to see if she showed any signs of having overheard their conversation. She didn't. Having delivered the results to Bea she walked away. Alicia gave Bea a reassuring smile and picked up a patient chart of her own before walking into the overcrowded waiting area to find her first patient of the day.

"She's back?"

Eddie was outraged. Standing outside Resus staring at Alicia with contempt, he barely even flinched when Connie Beauchamp followed them both out of the double doors.

"You better be glad she is" Connie said, her voice quiet but as cold as ice. "She just saved you from making a mistake that could have cost that patient her life."

"It was under control" he said, not backing down. "I can't believe you haven't suspended her. She walked out on shift and left us all in the shit. Whatever drama she's got going on she should keep it at home. It's unprofessional."

Connie took a threatening step towards Eddie and looked him straight in the face. "Are you telling me how to run my department, Dr McAllister? If I were you I'd take a long hard look at myself before I accuse someone else of inappropriate behaviour."

Eddie exhaled deeply and shot Alicia a look filled with disdain before he stalked past both women down the corridor, shaking his head as he went.

Alicia had backed herself away a good few feet away from where Eddie and Connie had tood and was frozen. Connie turned to Alicia and saw her bent over slightly, breathing sharply "Are you alright?"

Alicia nodded quickly, as if that would make the statement true. She caught her breath and smoothed her hair and nodded again, more emphatically. "Yes. I just want to get back to work."

She pushed the double doors open and walked back into Resus, not waiting for Connie's reaction. The older woman watched her go, far from convinced about Alicia's mental stability but given the brilliant save she's just made, decided to trust her ability to do her job. She'd have to keep and eye on Alicia to make sure it stayed that way. Normally she left the supervision of junior doctors to her consultants and registrars but this was different. She could only imagine what Alicia was going through, she owed it to her to be discreet.

Alicia had carried on, putting more effort into her work than ever, trying not to let her earlier encounter with Eddie get to her. And it had worked for a little while. But now there was a lull she realised it had shaken her more than she'd like to admit.

She wanted to run to Bea, to the only person she felt comfortable confiding in and feeling vulnerable around, but Alicia was beginning to think it wasn't fair to rely so heavily on her housemate at every little setback. Bea told her she'd be there and Alicia believed her, but Bea had her own life and her own troubles. So instead Alicia was taking a minute alone to make a coffee and collect her thoughts.

The coffee machine beeped to let her know her drink was ready and she grabbed the warm mug feeling like maybe all she needed was five minutes to reset. But as she turned around the door to the staff room opened and the last person in the world she wanted to see was standing on the threshold.

Alicia stepped back instinctively and spilled her coffee in the process. She gripped the counter behind her to steady herself.

"What the hell was that?" Eddie asked angrily. He closed the door behind him hard and the bang of wood meeting wood made Alicia flinch. "I don't know what that was with Mrs Beauchamp but it isn't on. Dr Munroe, whatever slanderous lies you've been spreading about me it has to stop."

Alicia let out a bitter laugh and suddenly her anger outweighed her fear. "Lies? Are you joking?"

"If you're going to ruin my career I deserve to know why."

Alicia took her hands off the counter and stood up straight, feeling braver than she had for weeks. "You really have no idea do you?"

Darkness flashed across Eddie's face then. It was a darkness Alicia had seen before on the worst night of her life. The resolve she's found only minutes earlier eft her as quickly as it had come. She couldn't speak, she just wanted to get out but Eddie was standing between her and the door.

Alicia darted for the exit but she was too slow. "We need to talk about this" Eddie said in a quiet low growl. He grabbed her arm hard as she passed and turned her towards him. Alicia let out a cry of surprise and pain and closed her eyes.

"Get your hands off her."

Alicia and Eddie both turned to see Dr Kinsella standing in the doorway. The fierce look on her face surprised them both.

Bea didn't touch Eddie but she was ready to deck him if he didn't do what he was told. She came within inches of him before he finally released Alicia's arm roughly and turned away.

Alicia left out another cry and cradled her arm, the marks left by his fingertips were visible on her skin. Bea pulled Alicia away protectively. She kept one hand on Alicia's shoulder and acted as a barrier between her and Eddie.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?" Eddie shouted. "All the women in this place have gone insane." He turned to Bea with a savage laugh. "I know you hated Men but this is something else."

Bea saw red. She let go of Alicia and flew at Eddie only stopping when Alicia called her name.

"Bea, don't. He's not worth it."

Bea caught a hold of her senses just in time before she did something that would get her suspended. Instead she squared up to Eddie and looked him straight in the eye. "You are scum" she said. "Stay away from us."

"Gladly."

"What's going on here?"

Dylan had entered the room and none of them had noticed. He looked at the three junior doctors with bewilderment and a bubbling anger on his face. He was about to tell them off as the whole patient waiting room could hear them shouting but he took one look at Alicia cowering in the corner, the rage on Bea's face and the fear on Eddie's and thought better of it. He surveyed the scene quickly and made a snap decision.

"Dr McAllister, out. Now."

Eddie thought better than to protest now and left without another word. Bea calmed down, breathing slowly. Alicia sank to the floor.

Dylan, socially awkward at the best of times didn't quite know what to do. He slowly closed the staff room door and watched as Bea went over to Alicia and picked her up off the ground.

The two girls walked to the sofa, Bea had her arm around Alicia's shoulder. Dylan picked up a box of tissues and held them out gingerly.

"Thank you Dr Keogh" Bea said, awkward herself at having to explain what the consultant had just witnessed without actually explaining why. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know what's going on and it's none of my business but... Are you alright?" He looked from Bea to Alicia, his brow furrowed.

Alicia wiped her face with a handful of tissues. "Not really, no. I think..." She paused, taking a deep breath and glancing at Bea quickly before looking back at Dylan. "Can you please go and get Mrs Beauchamp?"

Dylan was clearly confused and unused to being given instructions by F2s but didn't say so. He was just grateful for the opportunity to leave.

Alone with Bea finally, some of the tension left Alicia's body. Her hands were squeezed into fists so tight her nails had dug into her palms. She was still shaking though, and Bea hugged her, offering comfort which Alicia was more than willing to accept.

Bea wanted to ask what had happened, even though she had some idea, but her own curiosity wasn't important.

"I think I'm ready" Alicia finally said, hiccoughing. She took a couple of deep breaths to try and make them stop. She looked up at Bea. "I think I'm ready to go to the police."

Bea was relieved. She wanted to say that it was great, but it wasn't really. She wished her friend didn't have anything to go to the police about. Seeing Alicia so vulnerable and broken made Bea want to cry herself.

Mrs Beauchamp entered the room and Alicia lifted her head from Bea's shoulder. She wanted to compose herself, because unless she pretended to feel strong there was no hope she'd keep it together. She stood up and Bea was right behind her.

"I think I'm ready to go to the police" Alicia said again to her boss. There was only a tiny change in Connie's expression but Alicia noticed her eyes soften. "But I need to do it now before I bottle it."