A Casualty Christmas

Part 2

Tamzin sat in the reception, shaking. She watched the people come in and out. Bleeding bruised or collapsed on a stretcher. Rolling her head back she wondered to herself, why was she spending Christmas in a hospital? A hospital that had left her behind.

"Tamzin! What a surprise!" shouted Big Mac, making Tamzin jump out of her skin.

" Oh! Hi there!" she whispered as Big Mac sat next to her watching the patients roll in and out.

"So, what are you doing in her on Christmas day?" he asked. "Don't you want to be with your family?"

Tamzin shook her head. "You guys, you're my family! Plus my uncle hates me and my parents died when I was young"

Big Mac slid closer to her and gave her a hug. "Why does he hate you?"

Hugging Mac back, Tamzin whispered to him. "Mac? Can you keep a secret?"

Mac looked serious but smiled and nodded. Tamzin sighed and gazed into the ward where the little boy had been taken weeping.

"Tamzin?" Mac asked leaning down. "Tell me what's the matter?"

Joey hadn't calmed down yet. He didn't want to hurt them, but the anger that raged through him made him mad. He lifted whatever he could find, jugs, vases, mugs and plates and hurled them at the wall furiously. Dixie got up and gently held his arms by his sides. "Joey…" she whispered trying to calm him down. "I just need you to be brave for me and calm right down"

Joey clasped his hand to his face and sighed. Tears welled up in his eyes and he began to slowly move around as he contained his anger. Eventually, he stopped moving and smiled at Dixie. "Tell me what I can do to help," he said.

"Well!" Jeff began. "You could get Michelle to the Ambulance"

Michelle gasped. "WHY? WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

Joey ran to Michelle hugging her. "BABE! Calm down!" he ordered her.

Dixie hovered above them trying to smile. "Well it seems you've had a bit of a panic attack, and…" she said, pulling back the bottom of Michelle's trouser leg. "This won't come out itself"

Joey looked in horror as he saw a large piece of glass wedged into Michelle's leg.

Jeff hauled the man onto the stretcher and Dixie helped him carry it out to the ambulance. Joey put the phone down and sighed. "Mum will be here and help the guy sort the window," he whispered.

Michelle stared at the glass. "Where did it go wrong?" she started, turning to Joey. "Why did this man come here?"

Joey leaned down in front of her holding her close. "I don't know, maybe he just wanted a place to rob and it was just a coincidence that it was us. I don't know," he said gently pushing her away. "But whatever the reason, I won't rest until we found out"

The two smiled at each other and Joey carried Michelle to the ambulance.

The ambulance pulled out of the drive with its sirens blazing and the nearby spectators still staring.

Dixie left Michelle, Joey and the unconscious man in the back of the ambulance and joined Jeff in the front. She turned to see Jeff's face, red and his eyes welling up. "What's wrong?" she sighed, folding her arms, like she did when she got mad.

"Nothing" said Jeff.

Dixie smiled. "REALLY!"

"OK! You got me there is something wrong," said Jeff.

Dixie grinned cheerfully at her triumph. There was a brief silence and all that could be heard was the wail of the siren. Dixie turned to Jeff frowning. "SO WHAT'S WRONG?" she asked.

Sometimes Jeff was as thick as a wooden plank. When someone asks you "What's wrong?" the proper thing to do is tell them. Jeff slowly sighed. "I saw Tamzin in the hospital," he said turning round the bend ferociously making everyone slide to the left.

"Watch it!" yelled Dixie. "So what did she want?"

"I don't know, but she was crying and watching that boy we brought in this morning"

Dixie shrugged and frowned at Jeff. "SO!"

"So, maybe she knows him and according to Zoe he can't remember who he is. So maybe Tamzin can help us find out who he is," Jeff said glaring at Dixie.

Sometimes her hatred for Tamzin got the better of her.

Back at the hospital, "Santa" was in the ward handing out presents. Jesse lay asleep as "Santa" put some donated gifts into a stocking they had laid at the bottom of his bed. Zoe waited at the door as "Santa" exited. "Thanks for that! I think Jesse just needs something to take his mind off what's happened," she said gleefully.

"No problem!" said Noel pulling down his Santa beard, smiling. "Do you think his name is Jesse?"

Zoe shrugged and stared into space. "I don't know but I hope we find out soon"

In the reception, Mac had fetched Tamzin a mug of coffee and had sat next to her again. "OK!" he said sternly. "Please… just tell me"
Tamzin sighed. "Five years ago my boyfriend and I had a baby boy. My uncle rejected me after that. I was 21 and he said I was too irresponsible, so he threw me out. I stayed with my boyfriend, until he died in a bike crash. From then on, I couldn't cope. I gave my baby into an orphanage and studied to be a paramedic"

Mac smiled and sighed. "AH! So seeing the 5-year-old boy in there, reminded you of your son"
Tamzin shook her head. "No!" she cried sadly, gazing into space. "The little boy IS my son"

Mac looked startled. "Tamzin, are you sure?"

Tamzin nodded slowly. "He's got my boyfriends eyes and he was born with a purple scar under his right eye. I'm telling you Mac it's my boy, it's my Jesse!"

Mac stood up and began to walk to the ward. "We have to tell Zoe!"

Tamzin began to panic. "NO! MAC SHE CANT… NO… SHE CANNOT…. ..SHE!"

Tamzin fell to the floor with a crash. Mac spun on his heels and lifted her into his arms. "TAMZIN!" he yelled.

Dixie and Jeff entered with their patients and handed them to the doctors. "JEFF! DIXIE! LITTLE HELP HERE!" Mac yelled

Jeff grabbed a stretcher and hauled Tamzin onto a stretcher. Zoe came round and started to examine Tamzin. She lifted her eyelids and shined a torch into it. "HMM!" murmured Zoe. "Lets get here into Rescus and we'll run some tests lets go!"
They all began to take the stretcher into the ward and stopped in a cubicle, unfortunately Mac never noticed Jesse was right next to where they put Tamzin. "Lloyd!" yelled Zoe clapping her hands. "I need a BP scan and a full blood count"

Lloyd nodded and ran off like a loyal dog. Tamzin opened her eyelids slowly and tried to haul the oxygen mask off her face. "NO! Zoe please I'm OK! I'm just tired…" she began.

All of a sudden, Tamzin flopped dead and the machine began beeping. "She's arrested! LETS GO! SHE'S NOT WAKING UP WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SHOCK HER! TOM!" yelled Zoe, pounding on Tamzin's chest.

Tom entered with a silver box on a trolley. "Alright, CLEAR" he yelled.

Tamzin awoke with a start as the machine shocked her violently.

Before she could take the oxygen mask off, Zoe pushed back onto her. "Try to relax! We need to know why you keep fainting and why your heart stopped OK!"

Tamzin sighed. She flopped her head to the side, as the nurses and doctors left. As Mac began to leave, she grabbed his shirt. "MAC!" she whispered beckoning him back.

Mac pulled up a stool next to Tamzin. "What is it?" he asked.

Tamzin began gesturing her head to the Jesse, sleeping in the cubicle next to her. Mac spun round and shrugged, his face then went blank, he turned back at the boy, and then turned to look at Tamzin and mouthed, "Is that Jesse?"

Tamzin nodded and clasped her hand to her mouth shaking her head, crying. "I just can't be next to him, he can't know!" she weeped.

Mac patted her shoulder. "Don't worry Love! No-one will know"

Tamzin and Mac sat in silence. Meanwhile Jeff had watched from outside in dismay as Tamzin had been shocked. He entered just as Tamzin noticed the boy and had heard everything. "Who is HE?" Jeff asked walking towards Tamzin. "Jeff! Please you don't understand! I can't take this stress anymore, please just go!" she yelled.

"I thought we were friends" he said. Pointing to Big Mac he continued. "You told Mac is that it! Who is this KID?"

Tamzin grabbed Jeff's hand and began to cry. Jeff hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry! Please you can tell me you know!"

"Mac, could you leave us… please" she asked kindly.

"No Problem!" said Mac, clasping his hands together and walking away.

Jeff sat beside Tamzin on the stool, Big Mac had sat on. "Tamzin, I'm sorry you lost your job. I'm sorry I didn't defend you but please tell me what is going on?"

Tamzin bit her lip and sighed. "The little boy, he is my son, Jesse"

Jeff's eyes widened. "WELL THAT COVERS SOME GROUND!" shouted a voice.

Jeff turned and saw Zoe. "I came to ask Jessie if he could remember his parents or anyone I could call! Turns out he's your son!"

Tamzin and Jeff tried to stutter some excuse and then a small voice piped up. "MUM!" shouted Jesse.

Zoe wiped her eyes. "OK! Before we reunite and work out what's going on, is anyone else eavesdropping into this conversation?"

All of a sudden, Lloyd, Dylan, Sam, Tom, Louise, Dixie, Noel, Mac and Fletch appeared. "Right ok! SO lets get this straight Jesse is your son!" Zoe said to Tamzin.

Tamzin gazed at Jesse who was very confused. "Yes!" she said nodding.

Jesse began to stutter. "MUM! I don…" he began.

Suddenly he flopped dead and began to shake. Zoe rushed to his bed and pushed him up on his side.

"Jesse!" Tamzin weeped.