Chapter 1: RTC

It was 21st December. The residents of Holby had all put up their decorations, lights twinkled from every window and the landscape was white with a thick fall of snow that had taken everyone by surprise the night before. In spite of this minor setback, however, the people of the city seemed determined that the unexpected bad weather wasn't going to deter them from completing their Christmas shopping and the high street was heaving with people.

Noel Garcia stepped out of the sweet shop and pulled his scarf more firmly around his neck. "Blow secret Santa," he thought darkly. "In fact, blow Christmas!"

He hated this time of year. No, that wasn't quite right. He didn't mind the compulsive consumption of junk food, the copious amount of alcohol to be drunk, the department's Christmas party and its custom of the old tradition of secret Santa, but he hated not having anyone to share Christmas day with. It was the same every year – a Christmas ready meal from Marks and Spenser's and a couple of mince pies. As for decorations, bah humbug! There was no point. He was the only one in his house to appreciate them and he was the one who had to do all the bloody hard work putting the things up and taking them down after the celebrations were over.

He turned his back on the high street and began to tramp laboriously along the pavement through 3 inches of snow away from town and in the general direction of the hospital. The way this weather was going, he considered, he'd probably end up in there over Christmas with a severe case of hypothermia. Still, it was much safer walking than taking a car when the roads were this bad – well, unless you had a 4 by 4!

As if to prove this correct, a red Escort suddenly flew past him far too quickly and skidded on to the pavement as the driver stamped on the brake. Noel only just managed to jump out of its path in time as it skidded to a stop centimetres from him. Slightly shaken and very angry, he waded through the snow to the driver's window and knocked on it hard. The man wound his window down and stared out at Noel who began, "you idiot! 3 inches of snow on the ground and there are still people who think they can drive like morons!"

The driver didn't reply – just stared at the man shouting at him on the other side of the window.

"Noel?" he asked uncertainly, "is that you?"

Noel looked at the man more closely and then beamed in recognition.

"Graham! What on earth are you doing in Holby?"

"just passing through," shrugged the man called Graham – a sad expression on his face. "Me and Sophie fancied a change this year."

Noel looked over at the little girl with curly brown hair and big blue eyes who was sitting in the back of the car and appeared to be looking down at her feet.

"Hi ya, trouble!"

"Hello uncle Noel!"

Though Sophie said the words with apparently enthusiastic recognition, she continued to look down at her feet. Noel wasn't surprised or phased by this. She had been blind since she was born and he had spent enough time with Graham in the past 6 years to watch how she'd grown up adapting to this disability.

"Hop in. I'll give you a lift. It's freezing," offered Graham but Noel shook his head.

"It's only a couple of minutes walk from here, mate. I'll be alright. We'll meet up for a drink over Christmas though!"

He waved enthusiastically and shouted a cheerful goodbye to Sophie as the car drove away and then waded on towards the hospital.

Graham drove much more carefully along the road after leaving Noel. After a few yards, he turned onto a fast-moving duel carriageway and tentatively picked up speed until he was level with the rest of the traffic. Everything went smoothly for a couple of miles, then he noticed the long stationary queue ahead of him at another roundabout. He braked … not quite quickly enough, smacking into the back of the car in front of him. Unable to find any purchase on the icy road under their wheels, the two vehicles smashed into a third car, then a fourth before finally coming to a catastrophic and incredibly noisy stop – the drivers of the vehicles behind staring out of their windows at the horror unfolding before their eyes.