A/N: I wrote this a few weeks ago now and just realised I used 'knight in shining armour' in this which is kinda spooky after saturday's ep!


Autumn: part 2

Ten minutes later the pair were sat on a bench outside the hotel's reception, Rita having requested the fresh air and to be away from the prying eyes of strangers in the busy lobby. They'd watched the approaching ambulance negotiate its nearest parking spot to the front of the building, leaving the male and female paramedic still a fair jog up gravel paths and stone steps to meet them. Rita looked up long enough to see them exchange a glance as they headed over before she gasped and doubled over in pain again. Jeremy stood up in case there was any doubt remaining as to who their patient was.

"Alright sweetheart, ambulance service. Are you able to tell us your name please?" the male paramedic got to Rita first and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as he crouched down next to her. Grabbing his hand the woman looked up at him, the pain and fear obvious in her features.

"I...it's Rita…" she whispered "Can you help me please? I'm… I'm not okay… my baby...I don't think this is okay…" tears were spilling out of her brown eyes now and the paramedic struggled to keep his smile fixed.

"It's okay" he reassured her gently squeezing her hand back "We're just going to get some details from you and make you as comfy as we can then we're going to get you to the best people possible to help okay?"

"I'm 28. 22 weeks pregnant. First baby so I've not got labour as a comparison but the pain is pretty off the scale..." Rita rattled off breathlessly.

"And she had one gram of paracetamol thirty minutes ago" interrupted Jeremy.

"Blimey Dix, these two have done this before" the paramedic said lightheartedly to his blonde colleague who had been standing a step back so as not to crowd the woman any more than necessary. Jeremy stepped forward.

"Umm… Rita's a nurse and I… I want to be. I'm Jeremy by the way. She just told me she's an ED nurse at St James'. Is that where she'll be going?" Rita looked up with an even more panicked expression on her face.

"No, no I'm afraid you'll have to make do with Hoby City today Rita, they haven't got a maternity unit at your place anyway have they?" the medic couldn't help noticing that the woman seemed to relax slightly at the confirmation she wasn't being taken to her own place of work. Jeremy shifted nervously on his feet and spoke up again.

"Erm… I also noticed that there's… that Rita is… she's bleeding." he spoke more quietly and directed his comment towards the female paramedic in the hope it would be less in Rita's earshot.

"Okay Rita, well you'll know the drill - we'll just need heart rate, blood pressure and your blood sugar levels and Dixie's got gas and air in that bag. If the pain's too much, just say the word. Do you think, erm could you manage to just slip that inside your dress for me so I can..." Dixie raised an eyebrow at her colleague, observing his cheeks colour slightly as he plugged his stethoscope in his ears. Shifting her attention she addressed the teenage boy directly while her partner went about his job.

"Are you a relative kiddo?"

"Umm… No but everyone else here had been drinking. I mean… I didn't mean" he shot a worried glance at Rita in case he'd offended her "I wanted to help. I was with her when the pain started. Her husband's here but it's his brother getting married… He knows… about this but..."

"He's busy and drunk. In no particular order" Rita interjected sadly as the other three exchanged looks above her head.

"Okay Rita, you're tachy so with that and everything else we really should get you in soonest. Dix I think we'll be best off getting the stretcher to get Rita down to the ambo, if you can get that please?"

"Oh I have to get it do I?" Dixie countered, eyebrows raised again, sending a sarcastic smile in Jeremy's direction.

"You drove. I lead. You're the gopher. Them's the rules. I can keep an eye on Rita"

"Yeah I bet you can" Dixie mumbled as she set off back to the vehicle.

"Err...well I guess I should leave you guys to it then? Rita do you want me to check with Mark again before…?" Jeremy crouched down next to Rita and the paramedic. Rita's head snapped up.

"No. You saw him before. There's no point. Could you… are you still okay to come with me though? I don't want to go on my own" her eyes pleaded with him again.

"Of course. If you're sure? I'll just nip in and tell my mum what's going on. She can give Mark my number if he needs it. I won't be a second…" Jeremy turned and jogged off in the direction of the wedding.

The paramedic noticed Rita shivering and slipped his jacket off to put it round her shoulders on top of Jeremy's.

"Now you've had two gentlemen give up their jackets for you" he said gently.

"Yeah two knights in shining armour hey? Shame neither of them were my husband" she mumbled before starting to sob "I'm losing our baby and he doesn't even care"

"Come on, I'm sure that's not the case. And we are going to do our best to make sure you and that baby are okay" he wrapped his arm round her shoulder as Dixie returned with the stretcher "Right let's get you tucked up on here" he said unfolding the blanket that his partner was holding out.

"Okay I've radioed this in and the bad news is that the maternity unit closed its doors about an hour ago. Which means the good news is that you'll be personally seen to by the lovely bunch in Holby ED. You honestly couldn't wish to be in better hands I promise" Dixie squeezed Rita's hand as she spoke "Okay Jeremy are you okay to bring the kit while we carry Rita down the steps please? On three. One..two..three"


"Drink up before it gets cold then mate" Dixie nudged her partner "penny for them?"

"Oh you know, just wondering if that lass from earlier was alright. Didn't look that promising for her baby did it?"

"Well no but she couldn't have been in better hands with Zoe and Tess. Who knows eh? We rarely find out. Come on you - is it too much to play "date the patient"? She winked at her colleague

"Nah never too much. Paramedics code innit? How we get through the shift. Whaddya reckon then Dix?"

"Totally on my yes list but married and pregnant suggests she wouldn't be on mine" the woman shrugged.

"I dunno Dix, unhappily married and pregnant and that could be right up your street." Her partner smiled ruefully "Man it makes me sick. What was he even playing at leaving a kid to pick up the pieces when his wife was potentially losing their baby? If I had a wife that beautiful carrying my kid I don't think I'd ever leave her side."

"Iain Dean, don't tell me that's you giving thoughts to settling down at some point in your life?" Dixie teased. The man didn't have time to answer as they both spotted a familiar face at the bus stop adjacent to the bench they were occupying "Isn't that…?"

"Come on let's offer the lad a lift back. It's not like we've anything better to do" Iain said as the pair made their way over.

"Hi darlin' everything okay? Do you fancy a li..." Dixie stopped as the boy shook his head sadly.

"She lost the baby" he whispered. "Just one of those things apparently. They've induced her so she can deliver it. There's no mobile reception at the wedding so I've got to go back and let her husband know."

"Oh the poor darlin'" Dixie sighed "That settles it then. You're not going back there on the bus and facing this on your own. Come on we're giving you a lift, you've done enough today I reckon"

"I dunno how you guys do it. I'm beginning to think I'm not cut out to be a medic after all." the boy picked at the label of his jacket as he spoke.

"Well if we don't, who will? That's what we tell ourselves innit Dix? And not at all, you did brilliantly today. Kept Rita calm and made our job a lot easier. Come on fella let us give you a lift then and we can do the talking for you" A relieved looking Jeremy accepted the hand that Iain held out to him to pull him up and the trio headed back towards the ambulance in silence.


"How are you feeling Rita? Are you in pain at all?" The consultant's gentle voice broke the silence in the room.

"No nothing now. Thanks Doctor" Rita replied quietly without even turning her head to look at the other woman.

"Call me Zoe, please. I can't begin to think how tough that must have been for you and I'm so sorry we couldn't get you up to maternity any sooner. Tess will be back to check on you again before we transfer you up to the ward for the night okay? Is there anything else you need?"

"Um. I don't suppose you know how long it will be before… before it'll be safe to… to be intimate with my husband again?" She asked quietly, turning her head on the pillow to look at the doctor.

Zoe frowned at the question and the desperation in the Rita's eyes as she waited for a reply. She pushed aside the concerns she had at the reasons why she might be asking as she reminded herself that everyone had different ways of coping with grief and loss.

"Well… you'll know yourself when you feel ready I think" Zoe offered. She continued conscious that the younger woman was still staring at her for more concrete answer "but I would say after what your body's just been through, the bleeding you'll experience... physically it's going to be at least a couple of weeks"

Rita didn't reply. She simply ran her hands through her hair and closed her eyes causing another tear to spill down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry Rita. I'll leave you to it. Just call Tess or one of the nurses if you need anything. You take care of yourself okay" Rita listened to the sound of heels clicking across the vinyl floor and waited until she'd heard the door to her side room open and close before exhaling a shaky breath.

She didn't feel any pain. She just felt numb. And though it seemed to be something she was experiencing more and more recently, she had never felt so alone.