The Next Chapter – Chapter 1
As requested (and long overdue) here is another story based on Zoe, Max, Sophia and little Sophia as they continue as a family. It is set around a year and a half after little Sophia's birth and so we will see how birthday parties happen in the Walker/Jordan household! This first two chapters are slightly darker than my usual stuff but I've tried to base parts of it around Saturday's coming episode. As always, reviews are most welcome as are any suggestions you may have. Enjoy! G xxx :D
It's the early afternoon and Holby City's Emergency Department is as busy as ever. Max walks through the doors with his typical cheeky smile plastered across his face as the little girl dressed in white tights, a sparkly T-shirt and pink fluffy skirt with little ankle boots to match, is sound asleep on his shoulder. Her almost shoulder length dark hair has been pulled up into two pigtails on the top of her head – uneven of course as Max hasn't quite got to grips with the difficulties of tying up a soon to be toddler's hair.
As he turns the corner to head into cubicles he is met with a sight of absolute panic. There are at least a dozen police officers stood in the middle of the corridor with each key member of staff surrounded and being interrogated by them. Max spots Sophia out of the crowd and heads over to her gently covering Little Sophia's ears so the noise doesn't wake her.
"What's going on?" he whispers in her ear.
Startled and clearly on edge, Sophia turns around with her fingertips just covering her lips. She checks her watch and suddenly realises that he is here to drop Little Sophia off with Zoe as her shift should have ended. This was the arrangement that they had all agreed on soon after she was born; one of them would take care of Little Sophia until another finished their shift and so on.
"Where's Zoe?" Max asks desperately.
"Come with me," instructs Sophia as she leads him into Connie's office and closes the door behind them, "lay Sophia down on there." She points to the sofa that Connie still has in her office.
Max places the little girl ever so delicately at the very back of the sofa and pauses to see if she stirs before turning towards Sophia, "Well?"
"Max." She starts, "Zoe…uhm…Zoe's missing."
"What?!" Max's slightly raised voice causes Little Sophia to jump slightly and they both stop with Sophia holding her hands up as a sign for him to be quiet. "What do you mean missing?" he whispers.
"Okay, just calm down Max. Please."
"Calm down? You've just told me my wife is missing and you want me to calm down?"
"Okay, look. We had a patient in here earlier – a prisoner. Somehow he managed to slip by his guard and…well…he kind of went AWOL on us. Zoe was the last person to be seen with him and they haven't been able to get a hold of her since. They don't know where she is."
"How can they not know where she is? I mean didn't anybody see which direction they took off in?"
Max heads towards the door and snatches hold of the handle. Sophia grabs his arm and pulls him back as Connie glares through the door.
"Max. Stop." Pleads Sophia.
"Why isn't anyone doing anything?"
"Max. Didn't you hear what I said? They don't know anything. They haven't been able to get a hold of her." She smiles somewhat encouragingly at Max.
"But you do. You have."
Sophia nods.
"Well what are you doing just standing here? Tell them where she is so they can go and get her!"
Sophia shakes her head violently and pushes Max back yet again. "Max! Connie and I have a plan – we just needed a good enough reason for me to leave their sight. You and Sophie are the perfect reason. The police can't get involved just yet, Max."
"Wha- How?" Max holds his head in both hands confused and anxious about the whole situation.
"If the police go barging in there he will almost definitely hurt her. If I go, I can try and persuade him, convince him that I can help him escape and then, when I do, the police will be ready to grab him and we'll be safe."
"But how? How will the police know? What if he hurts you? How are you going to get there?" Max desperately asks as his concern grows not only for his wife but for Sophia too.
"Here," starts Sophia pulling a pager out of Connie's drawer and handing it to him, "I have mine. I'll get the message to you and then you can tell the police when to come and where we are. Just keep this on you. Please."
"I can't let you do this Soph."
"Max, you have to. Now, follow my lead and trust me."
Max nods and reluctantly follows Sophia out of the door and towards the police. As Sophia approaches them, she begins to explain that her little sister is soon to wake up from her nap and will need some food. Max helps her convince the policeman by handing over a ten pound note and instructing her to go to a specific shop nearby. The policeman nods his head and turns back to question Rita.
Just as Sophia reaches the swing doors she turns back to look at Max and Connie who are staring at her with deep concern. Connie winks at her with a slight smile and Sophia nods in response. She then mouths the words: TRUST ME back to Max with a nod and a smile before walking out of the area.