Author's Note: Just a little idea that came to me as I thought that lovely Ruby desperately needs a friend and Alicia will do too with Bea gone (I'm still sulking!). Anyway, I thought these two could form quite a sweet friendship :)
She reached the door and hesitated, not really knowing why she was there. Why would Alicia want to see her? She would not, of course. They had never really spoken before being trapped in the back of the ambulance together, not properly, anyway. Ruby had no reason to think that she and Alicia were friends. Why would they be? Alicia was a doctor and she was a paramedic. Those thoughts whirled around Ruby's mind as she stood at the door, looking into the ward. Alicia was sat dressed and cross-legged on her bed, engrossed in her phone. Suddenly, she looked up, spotted Ruby and motioned for her to come in. Ruby's face flushed, she had been caught. She had to go in now.
"Hi!" Alicia said cheerfully, as Ruby approached the bed.
"Um…hi. I'm sorry to disturb you, I…" Ruby stammered awkwardly. Alicia shook her head and smiled welcomingly.
"You're not disturbing me at all." She reassured her. "Have a seat." Ruby sat on the edge of the visitor's chair, still feeling rather awkward.
"How are you?" She asked.
"Well, I've been better but then I've also been worse so I can't really complain." Alicia replied. "And how about you?" Her concern was genuine.
"Me?" Ruby questioned in astonishment. "I'm fine. It's you that's in hospital, not me."
"But you were in the crash too and I heard about Sam." She told her gently. "You don't have to put on a brave face all the time, you know, or at all if you don't feel like it. I know you've only been here a few weeks but you've lost a colleague, Ruby, we all have. You're allowed to be upset." Ruby's face fell and tears stung her eyes.
Alicia slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed, flinching slightly at the pain that shot up her arm. She stood up and seated herself in the chair next to Ruby, putting her arms round the paramedic's shoulders. Ruby tensed slightly, having never really been entirely comfortable with human contact, but soon relaxed.
"I'm sorry, Alicia. I only came to see how you are. You don't need this on top of everything else." Ruby said guiltily, pulling away.
"If there's one thing that…everything has…" She faltered over her words momentarily. "…has taught me recently it's that we all need a friend. We all need someone to talk to."
"Well I'm not really sure that I exactly have any friends yet." Ruby admitted downheartedly. "I think everyone thinks I'm just that annoying paramedic who talks way too much and doesn't have a sense of humour."
"Hey you daft thing, what about me? I'm your friend." Alicia grinned.
"Really?" Ruby thought she was just being nice.
"Of course! I know we didn't really get off to the best of starts and I know I've not exactly been the best person to be around lately but I'm your friend. You did save my arm and my life, after all." Alicia reminded her. Ruby returned her smile, unsure of what to say but hugely grateful. "And for the record, I never thought that you're that annoying paramedic who talks way too much and doesn't have a sense of humour. The only thing holding you back is your lack of belief in yourself, Ruby, but at the end of the day, you're good at your job and you're a lovely person. That's all that matters."
"Thanks, Alicia." Ruby said, touched.
"Do me a favour and pass us that bar of chocolate next to you?" Alicia prompted. Ruby did as she had been asked and handed the chocolate to her friend, who broke off two strips and passed one to the paramedic, who took it appreciatively.
"I'd better get going now else my mum will be phoning to find out why I'm not home yet." Ruby announced after a while, hating to feel like she was being rude when Alicia had shown her such kindness.
"On a curfew are you?" Alicia asked.
"No, I…it's just she worries. A lot." Ruby explained.
"I was joking Ruby." Ruby could have kicked herself. Of course Alicia was joking.
"Oh, sorry!" Ruby stood up hurriedly to get out before she could embarrass herself anymore. Alicia also stood up.
"I wish you'd stop apologising." Ruby opened her mouth to apologise yet again, luckily her brain processed Alicia's words in time. "Hang on a minute." Alicia told her, tearing off a piece of the paper wrapper from the chocolate and scribbling down her phone number before handing it to Ruby. "Here." She said. "If you want to talk or if you just need a friend, text or call me. Don't be nervous about it or stress that I'll think you're just some annoying paramedic, do it. I don't think that and I never would. We all need a friend, okay?"
"Thanks so much, Alicia." Ruby thanked her slowly, with the first genuine smile that Alicia had seen on her face that afternoon. "I'll come again." She said. "Tomorrow. Is that okay?"
"That would be lovely. Thank you for coming, I've enjoyed the company. See you tomorrow."
"Bye!" With that, Ruby had disappeared out of the door.
Alicia felt glad that she was able to properly help someone for the first time in weeks, rather than leaning on people as she had done far much more than she liked to. At least, she hoped that she had begun to help Ruby a little and that she could continue to do so. Alicia hated the thought of anyone having to struggle on their own as she knew how awful those feelings could be. She was lucky to have had Bea and Alicia decided in that moment that if she could be even half the friend to Ruby that Bea had been to her, then she would be satisfied. Above all, she had told herself that the hell she had been put through recently could not be for nothing, something good absolutely had to come out of it and she was determined to make that happen.