Chapter Two
A few weeks later...
Zoe and Max were on their break, sharing a cigarette outside the ED when an ambulance drew up.
"Stir your stumps" Zoe said, whipping the cigarette from her husband's grasp and promptly stubbing it out with her shoe.
"Hey! I was enjoying that!"
"Yeah yeah, there will be plenty more." Zoe replied before turning to the ambulance.
Dixie and another paramedic who she didn't know the name of were unloading a patient in a trolley from the ambulance. Iain was no where to be seen.
Zoe followed them into the hospital and began walking beside Dixie.
"Iain's coming with another patient, I'll take this" said Ethan.
"Alright" Zoe nodded, making her way back outside.
"I thought that you had a patient to treat?" Max enquired.
His wife shook her head. "Ethan's offered to do it instead."
He smacked her on the backside. "Lazy!" He teased.
"I am not." She huffed. "Ethan offered to take the case for me, and don't do that whilst we're at work!"
"Grumpy" her husband laughed.
"I'll get you for that" she scowled, before the blare of an ambulance drawing up interrupted their exchange.
Iain came out of the ambulance, holding a little girl.
"This is Flora, she's the daughter of the lady who was involved in the RTC. She's absolutely fine, not a scratch on her. Her Dad's in the ambo, could you take her please?" The paramedic asked.
"Um... Okay." Zoe held her arms out. She made it a rule to never treat babies or young children for fear of getting upset or too attached.
Iain gently placed the little girl in the Doctor's arms.
Flora had curly red hair, her skin was fair, and she had the brightest blue eyes that Zoe had ever seen.
"Er, hello" Zoe felt rather awkward.
"Zoe, I can get someone else to keep an eye on her if you want?" Her husband asked.
"It's okay. She's adorable" Zoe said.
"She is!" Max agreed with a smile.
Flora giggled at the couple. "Zo-e!" She said.
"Aww, she knows my name!" The consultant beamed. "Flora, can you say Max?"
"Ma-ma." The toddler frowned.
Zoe laughed. "Maybe we'll try again later. For now, Missy, let's go and check you over, just to make sure that you're fine."
Max watched the pair go, a smile on his face. Zoe was a natural with children.
A couple of hours later...
Zoe had checked little Flora over, and she was absolutely fine.
"What shall we do now?" The Doctor wondered aloud.
She decided to go to her office and do some paperwork for a while.
The Doctor sat at her desk, Flora on her lap.
The toddler idly observed the computer screen for a while, but eventually got bored.
"I know, I know" Zoe sighed when the little girl began to wriggle around. "Let's go and see how your Mum and Dad are, shall we?"
They went to Resus, Flora walking this time. Zoe held the toddler's hand, in case she ran off.
"Where are Mr and Mrs Johnson?' Zoe asked Charlie.
" Mr Johnson is having an X ray, Mrs Johnson is having a CT scan. They are going to be fine." The nurse replied.
"Okay, are they getting discharged today d'you think?"
"Yes. The little one's taken a shine to you, I gather." Charlie said.
Flora clung to Zoe's hand, looking up at her.
"She has" said Zoe, stooping to lift the child up.
"Zo-e!" Said Flora again, prompting a smile from both members of staff.
"Anyway, I've got some patient notes to type up, I'd better be getting back." Zoe said.
"Zoe, Flora's parents are ready to go." Max informed his wife a while later.
"Okay." Replied Zoe
Flora had fallen asleep on the Doctor, her small hands clinging to Zoe's shoulder.
"Flora" Zoe gently woke the little girl up. "It's time to see your Mummy"
Zoe walked Flora back to her parents.
"Mummy!" Said the little girl when she saw her Mum.
"Bye bye" Smiled Zoe, a tear in her eye.
"Zoe, I've got some information on IVFtreatment. I saw how happy you were with little Flora. I was thinking that maybe we could look into it sometime?" Max said on the way home.
Zoe sighed. "Okay, but not tonight, I'm exhausted. I hope that you didn't get into trouble with Connie for not doing any work whilst looking for aforementioned information?"
"No she was too busy flirting with Jacob."
Zoe snorted. "Yeah as if!"
"I'm serious. They've been making eyes at each other all day."
"Well I never. Maybe he'll be the person who warms the Ice Queen up." Zoe mused.