Hi, this is my first casualty story since writing Latrick fics on the bbc website many moons ago. I'm obsessed with Dylan/Sam BTW have they got a name yet? Salan or Dyam or something? Anyway I wanted to have a go at writing them so here we are this starts off with the fire but things went a little differently as you'll see. I should apologise now for going overboard with the symbolism.

I do not own casualty or any of the characters or situations that you recognise they are property of the BBC and this is not for profit.


Just one day. Not even that, one moment in one day. One little spark and no more ED. To say Lenny blamed himself was an understatement, he watched as the place he'd spent most of his time for the last few years became a blackened empty hill and he felt numb. Someone, maybe Charlie clapped him on the shoulder and moved away as the fire crews continued to spray water onto the pile of smouldering rubble that had once been a busy A&E department.

It was his fault, all of it. Luckily there was no structural damage to the hospital and the fire hadn't spread to the wards above, which would have been catastrophic. He sighed and turned his head to look over to the triage area they had set up in the car park where Sam and Mr Jordan were working on Frank, trying to stabilise him in order to transfer him to st James's. If he didn't make it, that could be classed as manslaughter right? He didn't know, even if it did no-one would know it was his fault. They'd put it down to faulty wiring, there was no Christmas tree left now. No 'snug'... No evidence. Someone started wheeling him towards a waiting ambulance, no warning just suddenly he was moving. Was this how they treated patients? He didn't want the answer to be yes. "wait!" he couldn't go yet "I need to know" he coughed and spluttered a little having refused oxygen for the smoke he had inhaled "I need to know that Zoe and Dylan get out okay." he was overcome once more with a fit of coughs and didn't struggle when an oxygen mask was placed over his mouth and nose pleading with his eyes as he gulped in deep breaths trying to fill his aching lungs with fresh clean air. Lloyd glared at him. Lenny hadn't even registered who it was, looking through him rather than at him.

"Okay but if Mr Jordan asks I tried and you insisted you stay" Lenny nodded his eyes unfocused, the building before them chose that moment to throw out a wall of flame and the world seemed to stop turning as everything shook. Bricks and tiles fell around them, the inane chatter shattered by a colossal sound like a hundred pianos being dropped from a great height. How a mass of metal and rubble could make such a sound none of the observers knew, but the audience didn't applaud this symphony instead the response was an aria. One voice amongst the shocked silence cried out and then all hell broke loose. Lenny was moved, he couldn't protest anymore and was loaded into an ambulance to be moved somewhere safe, as the ambulance doors closed he could no longer hold back the tears and allowed them to cascade down his face. He prayed to a God that he didn't really believe in, they couldn't die. They couldn't.

It was Sam who had screamed, she was now being restrained by Mr Jordan. She struggled to free herself futilely, her energy was drained by shock and worry she failed her arms weakly against her captor while the rest of the staff looked on helplessly. Firefighters stood back waiting for the angry dragon which seemed to lurk in the hospital basement to pause for breath so they could make their attack, brave knights donned fireproof armour and took up swords of foam and water. At a nod from above they plunged into the inferno riding solely on adrenaline searching out the missing doctors.

Outside everything seemed to go in slow motion, Frank had been loaded into another ambulance headed to st James's and despite her resistance Scarlet was sent with him. She was miraculously unharmed but wheezing slightly, and someone needed to go with Frank. Charlie and Nick were trying to calm Sam, assuring her that Dylan and Zoe would be fine. She scowled how could they know that? One of first things you learn in a hospital is not to make promises. She stopped struggling and went limp feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, she knew who it was. Noel was contacting the next of kin and that meant her, not that anyone knew. "Are you going to get that?" Nick could feel it too, he was holding her close comforting not only her but also himself. His fear for his colleagues momentarily pushed aside as Sam stepped out of his embrace to get at her pocket, she glanced and the familiar number on the screen and wordlessly passed the phone to her confused boss who accepted the call.

"Hello Mrs Keogh?" Noel's voice rang out of the phone and also from the tent behind them. "I'm calling from Holby City emergency department, your husband..."

"Noel?" Nick cut him off.

"Mr Jordan?" Nick slowly lowered the phone to his side, Noel's voice still emanating out of it until he realised no-one was listening and hung up running out of the tent to see what was happening.

"Mrs Keogh?" Nick looked at Sam questioningly "Your married?" She nodded then uttered the word that supposedly defined them:

"Separated" she scrubbed at the tears trying to roll down her checks with the cuff of her jumper leaving red raw patches to match the rims of her eyes. Had the situation been different money would have changed hands somewhere but at that moment another roar from the beast that was slowly engulfing the hospital called for their attention, the assembled staff and recue workers watched with awe as out of the flames walked the firefighters one of them carrying a barely conscious Zoe. Nick relaxed slightly but Sam was almost inconsolable until two more figures emerged, one fireman and one doctor refusing to be supported and walking unaided. The collective sigh of relief should have been enough to blow out the fire still raging within the hospital but it continued to burn.

Sam took advantage of the distraction that was Zoe to push past her restraints and run to her husband ignoring the shouted warnings thrown her way, she stopped just in front of him unsure how to act. But as another explosion burst from the depths of the hospital the decision was taken from her, Dylan pulled her to him sheilding her from the blast with his already slightly singed body and cushioning her fall with his arms. The dust settled and Dylan made to roll off her but was stopped by Sam's arms clinging to him "Samantha?" her eyes were squeezed shut trying to block out the images of battlefields and landmines that had been threatening to resurface since the first explosion, but she relaxed her grip allowing him to stand and pull her to her feet. The awkwardness returned and they stood watching each other, "Are you okay?" She nodded but he knew she was lying, her eyes were far away and he guessed they were with her mind in the Helmand province. He stepped closer to offer support, in his world this geture was about as intimate as cuddling.

"I thought I'd lost you" Dylan opened his mouth as though to respond with something equally sincere but mindful of the colleagues around them trying to check them both over instead likened himself to a cockroach. The nurses gave up on them and moved to some more willing patients leaving Sam to fall into Dylan's embrace, he patted her shoulder conscious that they were being watched then leaned closer.

"Now you know how it feels," he practically whispered hoping no-one could hear them. She understood and fresh wave of tears fell washing a clean path down her soot strewn face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to go."

"I know," his voice had returned to its normal annoyed self. "But can we do this later? We have an audience." he straightened his arms pushing her to a more manageable distance, Sam noticing for the first time just how many people had been watching their exchange.

"Oh, They erm know..."

"Know what?"

"About us, you have me as your next of kin."

"Oh, well technically you are." He gave her one of his half smiles that only last a second and walked towards the make-shift triage area where Mr Jordan was waiting for him leaving her looking questioningly in his wake.

Dylan dropped down into a chair next to a far more alert Zoe and let his head rest in his hands, the adrenaline was wearing off and he was running on empty. She lifted her oxygen mask off slightly and turned her head to look at him, "So she's not your daughter then?"


So there we are then, it's not a one shot but I don't want to make promises on when there will be more as I have a heavy workload but I'm sure it will happen. Please let me know if you liked it, and also be aware that I think I've found a clever way to upload from iPad but I am not 100% sure it's working properly.

I would really love to hear from you. X