Every Breath You Take

by Raven Shadowrose

An alternate take on the Casualty episode Every Breath You Take. A companion piece to The Ties That Bind and To Catch A Falling Star.

Author: Raven Shadowrose

Title: Every Breath You Take

Rating: K+

Pairing: Jeff/Emilie, Dixie/Hannah

Summary: An alternate take on the events of the Casualty episode Every Breath You Take

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or any of the dialogue that is from Casualty. Any original characters and the story are mine and I do not give permission for them to be used. Reviews are welcome :)

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'Hello, ambulance service,' Jeff called out as he walked down the alley, nobody answered him, he wondered if the call he was on was a hoax. 'Hello,' he called out again. He sighed, he was alone in the alley, it was obvious that someone had called for an ambulance when they didn't need one. 'Bloody time wasters,' he muttered to himself, he was fed up of people wasting his valuable time. Someone out there might really need an ambulance and he was here, he was looking for a patient that obviously didn't exist. 'Holby control to 3004, are you available to respond to a back up call?' Jeff took his radio out of his pocket and pressed the call button.

'Yeah, 3004 to control, I'm available. Time wasters.' He started to walk back down the alley to where the bike was parked, he was fed up of people making hoax calls. Jeff momentarily wondered what the next call would have in store for him when he felt something heavy hit him on the back of the head. He dropped the radio as he hit the ground, he was vaguely aware of footsteps running away from him. Jeff tried to keep his eyes open, he needed to stay awake, he needed to get help. He was aware of the pain that was coming from the back of his head, it made him want to close his eyes. He thought of Emilie, he tried to stay awake for her. 'Emilie,' he whispered as his vision blurred and everything went black.

Dixie walked through the hospital, she was on the phone to Jeff, he was supposed to have arrived at the shout as back up but hadn't turned up. She was worried about him, his phone had rung off and she was listening to his message. 'Jeff mate, where are you, I thought you were coming as back up? If you get this message then call me back, let me know that you're all right.' Dixie put the phone down and she joined Polly in the ambulance. 'Is Jeff still not answering?'

'No, I don't know where he is, control haven't heard anything either.'

'Maybe he is stuck in traffic.'

'He might be, I thought that he would have let us know though.'

'Maybe he can't, if he is on the bike then he can't use his phone.'

'True. I hope that he is all right, he's out there by himself.'

'Jeff will be fine, he'll turn up here with a good explanation as to why he didn't come to help us.'

'I hope you're right Polly.' Dixie took out her phone, she checked to see if Jeff had called her and then pulled his number up again. She hoped that he was okay, she had a very bad feeling that Jeff was in some kind of trouble.

Jeff opened his eyes, he felt the blood that was dripping from his wound, his head was hurting and he knew that he'd been unconscious. He wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious for, had anyone missed him, had anyone come looking for him yet? 'Help, somebody help me.' He was aware that unless someone came down the alley then he wouldn't be found, he had to try and summon help. 'Help me,' he whispered again, he knew that his voice wasn't loud enough for anyone to hear him. Jeff looked for the radio and he saw it lying on the ground behind his head, he slowly turned over and gasped as pain inched its way through the back of his head. He put his hand to where the injury was and he felt the blood that was still coming from his wound. Jeff reached out for the radio, his fingers barely touched it and he moved forwards to reach it, trying to ignore the stabs of pain that speared into his head. He pulled the radio towards him and summoned the strength to press the call button. '3004 to control, priority call.' His voice failed him on the last words and pressed the button again, he had to make himself heard. 'Priority call.' He dropped the radio to the floor, he barely heard control telling him that someone was on the way to help him. Jeff's mind was on Emilie, he wished that she was with him, that she was there to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be all right. He put his hand on the back of his head and tried to stem the bleeding that was still coming from the wound. He shifted himself into a sitting position against the wall and waited for someone to come to his aid.

The radio on Dixie's belt signalled that a call was coming through, she picked it up and listened to the message. 'Holby control to 3006, priority call from 3004, last known location was the alley by Holby Docks. No further details, radio contact was lost shortly after the first message.'

'3006 to control, all received and mobile.' She was worried, she should have gone with her instinct and tried to contact Jeff again. Dixie looked at Polly, she looked worried. 'Come on Polly,' she said.

'Right behind you Dixie.' She quickly got into the ambulance and started the engine, Jeff needed help and she was going to make sure that he got it. Dixie hoped that Jeff wasn't badly hurt, what would she tell Emilie? She was reminded of the time that Polly had ended up in hospital, it had nearly destroyed Jeff. She shook her head, she would get there in time and Jeff would be fine. Dixie resisted the urge to bite her nails, she was nervous about what she would find when she got to Jeff.

Jeff looked around when he heard Dixie shout his name, he was glad that it was her, Polly was with her too, he was happy to see them both. They put the medical kits on the ground and he felt Dixie support his neck with her hands. 'All right sweetheart?'

'Yeah,' he just about managed to reply. He saw Dixie looking at his head and trying to figure out where he was hurt.

'What happened?'

'Someone hit me.'

'Who?' He heard Polly ask.

'I don't know.'

'Didn't you see who it was?'

'They... hit me round the back of the head.' He tried to show Dixie where the injury was, he wasn't sure if he was pointing in the right direction or not. 'Okay love,' Dixie said. Jeff felt himself struggling to breathe and Polly put the elastic of the oxygen mask over his head. He groaned in pain and he felt Dixie stroking his cheek with her thumb to try and calm him. 'All right?' Polly asked.

'Yeah,' he said quietly. He felt Polly put a dressing on the back of his head and she taped it in place to put some pressure on the wound.

'Dixie, this wound is going to need stitching.'

'I know. Jeff, does your neck hurt?'

'No, my head hurts a lot though.'

'All right, Polly get the spinal board and collar from the ambulance, please.'

'I'll be back in a moment.' Jeff heard Polly run off and he was left alone with Dixie.

Dixie kept her hands in position on Jeff's neck, she didn't want to move him about too much in case there was any damage to his neck or spine. She looked closely at Jeff's face, he had gone very pale because of the blood he had lost. She hoped that his colour would come back soon. 'Jeff, are you all right mate, you've gone a right funny colour?'

'Cheers Dixie,' she heard him say through the oxygen mask and she smiled at him. 'Do I have to be put on a board?'

'Yes, you do, you've been hit over the head, who knows what other damage has been done.'

'Dixie, thanks for coming for me, I'm glad that you're here, even if you are going to strap me down to one of the boards.'

'It's for your own good, you only have to stay there until we're sure that your neck and spine are okay. You're my best mate, I'll be here for you when you need me.'

'Emilie, I need to see her.'

'Okay mate, I'll call her for you when we get you to Holby.'

'Thank you, tell her not to worry, tell her that I'm okay.'

'I'll tell her. Try to stay still until we get you on the board.'

'Okay, I'll try.' Dixie smiled at Jeff, she was trying to keep her emotions in check. Someone had attacked her best friend and hurt him quite badly, she was angry, if she ever found who had attacked him then she would make sure that they felt all the pain that Jeff was going through right now.

'So, we've got Jeff,' Dixie said when she pushed Jeff into the emergency department.

'Whoa, what happened?' Zoe asked, she looked shocked at seeing Jeff strapped to a board. 'Come on Evil Knievel, we'll give you the five star treatment.'

'Okay,' Dixie said. 'This is Jeff, he's been hit on the back of the head with a hard object. He was found lying on the ground, he was conscious, but he stated that he had been unconscious previously. He's complaining of a severe pain in the back of his head. On three please, one, two, three.' Dixie helped the team to lift Jeff onto the bed, she saw him wince in pain when they put him down. 'GCS is fifteen and all obs are stable.'

'Is anything coming back to you yet Jeff?' Polly asked when she got close to Jeff.

'No, not yet, sorry,' he replied.

'Have the police been informed?' Zoe asked Dixie.

'Yeah.' Dixie turned to Jeff. 'You're going to be fine sweetheart.'

'Yeah, I know, stop fussing,' Jeff said and Dixie sighed, she wanted to make sure he was all right.

'We'll shove you in a cubicle in a minute, don't worry,' Zoe said.

'No, I just need a stitch.' Dixie knew that Jeff wasn't happy about being a patient.

'Oi,' Zoe said, and she pointed at Jeff. 'You patient, seen and not heard.' Dixie smiled, Zoe had managed to shut Jeff up with one sentence. Dixie saw that Polly looked worried about Jeff, she put her arm around Polly's shoulder and she squeezed it gently. She guided Polly out of resus to give the team some room whilst they worked on Jeff.

The police had been waiting for Dixie when she came out of resus, she told them everything that she knew about what had happened to Jeff. They'd written down everything that she said and they had given her a number that Jeff needed to call to give them his statement. Dixie watched the police leave and then she turned to Polly. 'I'm going to have to tell Emilie that Jeff has been injured, it is going to be a hard conversation to have with her.'

'Be honest with her, she's less likely to panic if you tell her what you know.' Dixie nodded, what Polly had said made sense to her. She took a deep breath and walked out of the department, she was going to have to tell Emilie what had happened, Jeff needed her there with him. She remembered Jeff saying that he wanted to see Emilie, she had obviously been on his mind. Dixie took a deep breath and she headed off towards the station, she heard Polly filling Cyd in on what had happened as she walked past them.

Dixie saw Hannah walking over to her, her wife had a troubled look on her face. 'Is it true that Jeff has been attacked?'

'It's true.'

'Is he all right?'

'He's got a bit of a nasty cut on his head, he's going to be fine though, Zoe is looking after him.'

'Oh, that's good to hear. Does Emilie know yet?'

'No, I'm going to call her now.'

'Are you all right Dixie?'

'I'm angry, they attacked him from behind, he had no chance of defending himself.'

'That's horrible, I'll drop in and see him soon.'

'I think he'll like that.'

'Come here Dixie, give me a hug, you look like you need one.' Dixie let Hannah hug her, she hoped that it would give her some courage to tell Emilie what had happened to Jeff.

Emilie was supervising some of the children as they were playing when her boss came into the room. 'Emilie, there's a call for you.'

'Oh, who is it?'

'She said that her name is Kathleen Dixon.'

'I'll take it.' Emilie was worried, she wondered why Dixie was calling her at work. She took a deep breath and she picked up the phone. 'Hello.'

'Emilie?'

'Yes, it's me.'

'I need to tell you something, promise me that you'll try not to panic. Jeff was on a shout and he was attacked, someone hit him over the head.'

'Is he all right?' Emilie was trying to stay calm, she was worried that Jeff was severly injured.

'The bleeding from his head wound has been controlled, Zoe has sent Jeff for a scan to check his head, neck and spine for any other injuries.'

'What if there are any other injuries, what then?'

'It is just to be on the safe side, Zoe wants to make sure that Jeff is fine before she takes him off the board. I know that you're worried, but Jeff is being looked after by the team, he is in good hands. He asked for you earlier, he wants to see you. He asked me to tell you not to worry about him.'

'I'm on my way, can you tell him that I'm coming?'

'Of course I will.'

'Thanks Dixie.' Emilie put the phone down, she was worried about Jeff, he had been attacked and he needed her. She told her boss what was happening and went to her car, she hoped that she would be able to make it to the hospital quickly.

When Emilie made it to Holby she found Dixie waiting outside for her. 'Dixie, I got here as quickly as I could. Is Jeff all right?'

'The scan cleared Jeff of any other injuries, he has been very lucky. The wound on the back of his head is being stitched up and he's waiting for you, I think he's annoyed half the department already. Jeff hates being a patient.'

'I know, he's bad enough when he gets a cold. Can you take me to him?'

'Of course I can.'

'Thank you.' Emilie followed Dixie into the hospital and to one of the cubicles, the curtain had been pulled around it and Tess came out of it. 'Hello Emilie, Jeff has been talking about you as I've been stitching his wound up.'

'Hi Tess, is Jeff all right, can he go home?'

'He is fine, he can go home now that you're here, you will have to drive him as he cannot drive for the rest of the day.'

'Is there anything else I need to know?'

'Keep an eye on Jeff for the next day or so, I have some information on head injuries for you, if Jeff shows any of the symptoms listed then bring him back right away.'

'Okay, I will, thank you.'

'You're welcome.' Tess left and Emilie turned to Dixie.

'Are you coming in?'

'You should go in, Jeff needs to see you, I have to file a report about what happened today. I'll inform the trust that Jeff needs a few days off.'

'You and Hannah should come and see us when you have the time.'

'We will do, we'll come and see how the wounded soldier is getting on.'

'Thanks Dixie, I'll see you soon.'

'See you soon.' Emilie watched Dixie leave, she was grateful to her and the hospital staff for looking after Jeff for her.

Jeff saw Emilie come into his cubicle, he was glad to see her, he had wondered how long it would take for her to get to the hospital. He saw her looking at the bandage on the back of his head and the blood that was on his shirt. 'Emilie, you're here.'

'Dixie called me, she told me what happened.'

'I am glad to see you princess.'

'I'm glad to see you too, are you in pain?'

'A little bit, I've just had my head stitched up.' Emilie sat on the bed next to Jeff, he felt her stroke her fingers over his head.

'Look at you, my poor knight, what have they done to you?'

'Can I have a hug princess?'

'Of course you can.' Jeff closed his eyes, he felt Emilie's arms wrap around him, he felt comfortable in her arms.

'My princess, thank you for coming to get me.'

'I love you, I will always be there for you.'

'I love you too.' Jeff hugged Emilie closer to him, he was grateful that she had come for him when he needed her to be there with him.

Emilie was careful to avoid the wound on Jeff's head, she didn't want to hurt him. Dixie had brought Jeff's stuff from his locker a little while ago. 'Jeff, are you ready to go?'

'Yeah, I want to go home.'

'Come on then, when we get in you're going to sit down and rest, you've had a stressful day.'

'Does that mean you're going to look after me?'

'It does, I think you need a bit of TLC.'

'That sounds nice, thank you princess.'

'You're welcome.' Emilie put her arm around Jeff's waist as he stood up, she was going to look after him and take care of him as he recovered from his injury.

The food that Emilie made went some way to helping Jeff feel better, he was lying on the sofa with his head on her lap. He felt her gently stroking his head and he closed his eyes. 'How are you feeling, has your headache eased?'

'It has, a little bit anyway.'

'Good, I'm glad to hear it.'

'Emilie, I thought about you after whoever it was had hit me. I was determined to get help so that I could come home to you.'

'You are home, you're here with me and you are safe.'

'I know, I like being here with you, I like it when you look after me.'

'You deserve it, you've had a rough day.'

'I have to give my statement to the police tomorrow.'

'Don't worry about that now.'

'I don't remember much, I didn't see anything, they hit me from behind.'

'Hush love, relax, don't stress yourself out, you've had a tough enough day already.'

'Okay, I'll try to relax.' Jeff yawned and he closed his eyes again.

'I think it is time for bed, you're tired.'

'I think so too princess.' Jeff let Emilie help him up off the sofa. 'Can I have a hug or two when we get into bed?'

'Of course you can.' Jeff smiled and he rested his head on Emilie's shoulder, he was glad that she was here with him and looking after him. He felt her arm move around his waist and he put his arm around her shoulder. Jeff smiled, he couldn't wait to get into bed with Emilie and cuddle up to her.

Jeff sat on the bed, Emilie had carefully changed his dressing and she was putting a new one over the stitches. 'How does it look, does it look bad?'

'It looks like it is sore.'

'It is, only a little bit though.'

'You'll be okay.'

'I will, I have you.'

'Of course you do.' Emilie got into the bed and Jeff joined her, he rested his head on her shoulder and felt her put her arms around him. 'Are you comfortable?'

'Yeah princess, I am.'

'Good, get some sleep, I'm here if you need me.'

'I know you are, I love you princess.'

'I love you too.' Jeff cuddled himself close to Emilie, being in her arms brought him comfort.

Emilie stroked Jeff's head, she avoided the wound as she didn't want to hurt him, she heard Jeff's breathing quieten and deepen, he was slowly falling asleep. She watched him closely, he needed to sleep, the rest would do him good. Emilie gently kissed Jeff on the head, she was glad that he was resting, he'd had a very tough day. She hoped that Jeff would sleep through the night. She moved her arms further around Jeff and held him close to her. 'I love you, I'll always be there for you Jeff, always, I promise.' She kissed his head again and lay back on her pillow, she closed her eyes and fell asleep with Jeff in her arms.