"Urgh, hello…." Max answered his phone without fully waking up or checking the caller ID.

"Max? It's Dylan at the ED."

"What time is it? Am I late?"

"No, Max, it's 5.15am, I'm calling about Zoe. She's ok, but she was brought in last night after a fall and she's been asking for you."

"I'm due in at 7am, I'll come and see her then."

"Are you sure you couldn't get here any sooner than that?"

"I'll be in for my shift." He ended the call and Dylan stood holding the phone wondering how to tell Zoe. He hated seeing his best friend hurting when he was at least partly responsible.

"Rita, has anyone called Max?" Zoe called across resus to get the nurse's attention on her way out of the room.

"Yeah, Dylan was just calling him when I left him a couple of minutes ago."

"Thanks." The consultant managed a weak smile from her hospital bed.

Rita passed Dylan on her way to the relatives room to get someone for her other patient in resus. "Oh Dylan! Zoe wanted to know if you'd called Max. I told her you were just doing it."

The doctor didn't respond to Rita, she just rolled her eyes and put it down to Dylan's lack of people skills, not realising that Dylan was still worrying about how to explain to Zoe that her husband was making no effort to come in to see her. He soon realised he didn't need to explain, as soon as he walked back into resus and Zoe saw his face she knew.

"He's not coming, is he?"

"He's starting his shift at 7am and he said he'd come and see you then. It's only in a couple of hours."

His attempt at comforting words did nothing to stop the tears falling and eventually Zoe succumbed to the sobs that were now taking over her body. "I love him Dylan, I really love him."

"I know." He stroked her hair and let her cry.

"What am I going to do?"

"I know this isn't what you want to hear but I don't think there's anything you can do."

She dissolved into convulsing sobs while Dylan got up to give her some privacy with her grief.

"Please don't leave me…" she managed between sobs.

He bent over and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I have to go and see some patients Zoe but I'll come back." He squeezed her hand gently and walked out of the room, her sobs following him as he went.

Max couldn't fall asleep after Dylan's call but he wasn't going to go running. He knew Zoe's pattern, she hadn't got what she wanted so she threw a strop, went out and got bladdered and hurt herself. She was like an 18 year old and he wasn't going her lap dog. He knew that he'd been harsh and that the mistake she'd made on the night before their wedding was hurting her as much, if not more than, him but he couldn't help how he felt every time he looked at her. All he could think about was that betrayal, the thought of her with another man, maybe enjoying herself more than she did with him. He knew it was a macho thing, he couldn't bare the idea that he wasn't enough for her.

Arriving for work at 6.50am he knew he should go and see her, almost to get it out of the way but he wasn't sure if he could face it. Unfortunately for him as soon as he approached the building he was hounded by Rita, "Zoe has been asking for you."

"Thanks mate, I'm just on my way" was all he could manage by way of response.

They had been keeping their marital problems very private, not even Robyn knew, only Dylan and he wasn't exactly known for gossiping.

Max made his way in to the building via reception. The night shift receptionist recognised him immediately as he came in the door.

"Max, Zoe is in cubicle 5. She's been asking for you."

"So I'd heard, thanks mate." He managed a smiled for the woman who was always a friendly face on night shift.

Sliding open the curtain he slowly peeked around it to see the woman he had married lying in the hospital bed, bruised and tear stained. Guilt crept up inside him, unable to shift the thoughts that this was his fault. If he'd made her stay she wouldn't be lying here.

"Hey! You came." She reached out for him and he let her take his hand. "It's not what you think by the way, I just needed to forget, I didn't go out to cheat."

"I know. Shh we don't have to talk about that now" he soothed her.

"We do Max, I know you don't trust me but I know you still love me, somewhere, deep down."

"Zoe, stop, please. I came to see how you were, not to have this conversation."

"I'm better now you're here." She managed a weak smile but that soon faded from her when she saw the darkened expression and furrowed brow of her husband.

"I'm moving out. It's not fair on you, me being there."

"Please don't do this" was all she managed to get out before he was gone, leaving her once again to the mercy of her sobs.