Hello!

Thank you so much for the lovely reviews on the previous chapter! I really hope you enjoy this one, and I put in a little Holby City reference for those of you who watch that too :) Reviews are welcomed as always! -Sophie x


They walked through the doors and into the busy hustle and bustle of reception. The ice on the pathways created by the freezing temperatures during the night had caused many slips and trips, meaning they were swamped with patients waiting to be seen. Connie internally groaned as she surveyed the room and went over to reception to sign in. Noel turned to say good morning, but stopped when he noticed the little girl clinging onto her hand, eyes looking around in wonder. She looked up to see Noel staring at her, and she smiled brightly.

"Are you a doctor?" She asked, eyes moving to rest on Louise who stood next to him, equally taken aback.

"Um, no, no-" He began, but Connie finished signing in and cut him off.

"He's a receptionist. Noel, Louise, this is Eleanor. Now, if you'll kindly excuse us…"

She tugged at the girl's hand for her to carry on walking, and with a quick wave, followed the clinical lead to her office. Connie unlocked it and went inside, motioning to the sofa that sat against one wall.

"Sit down Eleanor, I just need to get my computer started up then we can sort you out, ok?"

"Ok." The little girl looked around the bleary office, eyes scanning the various pictures and health posters she had up on her walls. When she got to the desk, she noticed a small photo frame stood next to Connie's computer monitor, and without thinking about it, she got up and wandered over to look at it.

It was a picture of a young girl, about 3 or 4 years older than she was, and she had long brown hair which was partially covered by a pair of ear muffs. She was grinning, her eyes dancing and cheeks rosy. She looked a lot like Connie actually…

It was then that it clicked who the girl was.

"Is that Grace?" Eleanor asked, prodding the photo frame gently. Connie looked away from her computer screen and to where the girl stood, before letting her face soften and she smiled, reaching a hand out to move the frame back in place.

"It is. She lives with her father in New York now, which is where the photo was taken."

"Where's New York?" She asked curiously, going to sit down and pulling her bag onto her knee.

"It's in another country called America. It's a very long way away, about 12 hours on an aeroplane." Connie explained, eyes very slowly moving back to the computer monitor.

They both sat in silence whilst Connie typed on her computer, looking over to Eleanor every few minutes. She was a very good child for her age; she sat very still and just gazed about the room, her little hands clutching her lion tightly. The clinical lead watched as she rubbed the fabric between her fingers, and flicked the zip forwards and backwards as if to comfort her. Connie sat back in her computer chair and clasped her hands together in her lap.

"What's in your bag?" She asked, looking down at it then back to the girl's innocent face.

"Just some things I didn't want to leave behind." She replied, "Do you want to see?"

Connie hesitated for a moment then nodded, standing up and going to sit on the sofa. With a bit of luck, there might be something in there that could be a clue as to what she was doing sat in her office. Eleanor tipped out the contents of the bag, and placed it gently on the floor before going through each item in turn.

"This is just the spare key so I could lock the door." She flashed the small piece of metal before slipping it into her pocket.

"This is the letter I showed you. It's the only thing I could find that could tell me were mummy was. I still don't really know."

She put it down next to her and picked up a necklace with a small dragonfly on it.

"This is what my nanna gave mummy before she died. Mummy gave it to me then so I could look pretty."

She handed it to Connie who turned it over in her fingers. The dragonfly caught the light from the ceiling and glinted; it's different colours making a pattern on the wall. She put it to one side and looked to Eleanor again who was holding a crumpled picture in her hands.

"This is mama and me when I was born."

She passed that to Connie too, who looked down into the tired, yet loving eyes of who must be Eleanor's mother. In the photo, her long blonde hair lay matted and knotty on her pillow, and her face was pale, exhausted from child birth. She was a very thin woman, but there was no denying she was very beautiful. In her arms sat a small white bundle, with a small tuft of hair peeking out from the blanket.

"You were very small when you were born." Connie commented, placing the picture on top of the dragonfly necklace. The little girl just nodded, before picking up her lion.

"This is Jac the lion. She's named after the really fierce tiger I saw at the zoo when I went with nursery. It roared really loudly, and scared most of us but I kept watching her. She was really pretty."

Connie laughed slightly.

"I know someone called Jac that sounds a bit like that." She murmured, and Eleanor looked up.

"What?" She said, but Connie just shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. So, what's this?" She asked, picking up the remaining item- a small, purple notebook. Eleanor immediately looked panicked and snatched it off of her before cradling it to her chest.

"This is my diary. I'm the only person allowed to touch it, ok?" She said, eyes worried as she looked at Connie who put her hands up quickly.

"That's fine, I won't touch it I promise. Though can you actually write? You're only 4."

The little girl smiled slightly, running her thumb over the edges of the notebook.

"I'm the best writer in my class at school." She said. "Miss Moses says I could be a writer someday. But I've already told her I want to be a doctor." She clarified, before picking up her bag and putting everything back.

"That was really interesting, thank you for showing me." Connie said softly, before standing up and going back to her desk. Eleanor just looked round, swinging her legs to and fro.

"Am I staying here all day?" She asked, just as Connie picked up the phone, ready to phone social services. She paused, hand hovering over the number pad. This wasn't really a phone call a girl of 4 should be listening to, she thought, looking through her window and out into cubicles. Dylan stood at the nurse's station, typing away at a computer. She raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, before standing up and going over to where the little girl sat.

"I just need to make a phone call, so you're going to have to go elsewhere for a bit. Luckily I know just the person. He's a doctor here, and he really loves kids too." She held out her hand and the girl took it, picking up her bag as Connie lead her out of her office and over to the nurses station. Dylan looked up at the sound of heels, and his face dropped slightly when he noticed the girl clinging onto Connie's hand.

"Good God, I thought you only had one child? Don't tell me there's two of them." He pulled a face and Connie just rolled her eyes.

"Dylan, this is Eleanor. Eleanor, this is Dylan, he's a very important doctor here. You're going to stay with him for a while until I've finished on the phone."

Connie leant over her blonde locks and murmured "Lose her and you'll know about it." Before turning and going back to her office, leaving Eleanor delighted and Dylan mortified, together at the nurse's station. Connie grinned as she shut her door behind her.