Jeff sat in the rec room at the station making the most of the peace and quiet, at least for now he thought anyway! The months had passed and Dixie and Annie grew closer. Jeff could see how happy Dixie was with most of her free time being spent with her at one of their houses. Jeff was glad that Dixie had found someone that made her feel special but he was beginning to feel slightly left out. He supposed that was inevitable and figured sooner or later he would have to start thinking about finding somewhere else to stay.

Just then Dixie came into the room 'come on mate we've got a shout, Grafton House, apparently it's on Cottage Lane. There is a 70 year old female who is experiencing breathing difficulties'.

'Right you are Mrs Collier' Jeff said before jumping up and following her out to the ambulance.

Jeff climbed into the drivers side whilst Dixie went around to the passengers. As they drove out of the station Dixie turned to Jeff. Looking slightly nervous she began to speak 'Jeff there's something I need to tell you'.

'What's that then?' He asked not liking the sound of this conversation.

'I've asked Annie to move in' she said biting her lip.

'And you want me to move out' Jeff stated saving Dixie the pain of having to ask.

'I don't want to hurt you, and take as much time as you need... I'm really sorry Jeff' Dixie ended quietly.

'Don't be Princess, I knew it was inevitable. It's time I stood on my own two feet' Jeff said trying to reassure Dixie, he knew this was hard for her.

'Like I said, take as much time as you need, find somewhere that you will be happy. I really am sorry mate'.

'Dix don't worry about it. It was only ever meant to be temporary. I can also sort out the divorce proceedings if you want. I could get used to being a single man again, walking around in my pants, not having to share the TV, a different girl every night of the week.'

Dixie could tell he was trying to make light of the situation to make her feel better. 'He really is a good man' she thought before continuing 'Jeff love I don't think being married has stopped you doing any of those things, well it certainly hasn't stopped you walking around in your pants, and I doubt you could get a different girl every night of the week anymore, you struggle with a different girl each year!' She laughed back.

'Na it's you Dix, your were cramping my style' he teased, glad that she appeared to be feeling better about the whole situation.

After driving for what seemed like ages they finally arrived outside a reasonably large house sat alone along a long, lonely country lane.

'Are you sure this is it? There's no-one here to meet us, I would have thought someone would have come out considering how isolated it is up here' Jeff said whilst turning off the ambulance and grabbing the bag from the back.

'This is it. I'm sure of it' Dixie answered whilst getting out and starting to walk towards the house.

Arriving at the front door Dixie tested the handle. Finding it locked she knocked loudly before calling out 'Ambulance'.

After a couple of seconds they heard a noise before the door was quickly opened. Before they could say anything else they were confronted by a masked man pointing a gun at them.

'Get in' he growled motioning them to move with his gun before quickly slamming the door and locking it behind them. Chucking their radios on the floor the man ordered them upstairs with Jeff taking the lead, closely followed by Dixie and the masked man.

When they got to the top they were told to go into the bedroom on the left. In front of them lay the lady at the bottom of the bed next to the window. In front of her was a small singular wardrobe which was opened. As Jeff slowly walked towards her he noticed that there was another masked man in the back right corner of the room standing over an elderly man. When he got to the lady he bent down to her left to check her over and noticed that in the wardrobe appeared to be a safe that she had obviously been about to open.

'Look at me sweetheart' Jeff said to the lady noticing that she was clearly focusing her attention on the man with the gun. The lady turned to look at him and Jeff continued. 'Do you have asthma because that's a bit of a wheeze you've got there?'.

'Yes' she nodded.

'Do you have an inhaler?' He continued.

'Run...out' she wheezed.

'She needs a nebulizer' Dixie said to the masked man behind her 'it's in the ambulance'.

'No, you're not going anywhere' he growled.

'Without it she could die' she explained gently.

'No' he growled louder shoving his gun into her back. Jeff saw this and feared for Dixie. He knew she wouldn't let it go, not when there was a patients life at risk.

'Is it salbutamol you need?' Jeff asked, forming an idea. The lady nodded.

'Dix, I know it's not ideal but do you have your inhaler on you'.

'Yes it's in my pocket' Dixie replied catching on to what Jeff was thinking. 'I'm just going to get my inhaler out of my top pocket and pass it to the lady' Dixie said, making sure the man with the gun in her back knew exactly what she was doing.

Getting it out she walked slowly over to the lady, taking the cap off she passed it over. The lady shook it and took a couple of deep breaths, beginning to sound almost instantly better.

'She still needs to get checked over at hospital' Jeff said although secretly thought it futile.

The man ignored him 'go and stand over there' he said to Dixie, pointing at the corner at the far end of the room, the other side of the bed to the old man. He then turned to the lady 'now open it', his gun moving from her to the safe and back again. The lady crawled over and typed in the numbers hearing the click before turning the little nob that opened it. 'Empty it onto the bed' the man ordered.

Once the lady had emptied the safe she was told to go and sit with her husband. At this point the other gunman took out some plastic ties and began to tie her wrists and ankles together, the same as her husband.

'You, empty your bag' the lead gunman ordered Jeff, which he did, putting all the medical supplies on the floor next to him. 'Right now fill it with them' he said motioning to the jewelry and money that the lady had put at the bottom of the bed.

When Jeff had done this he was ordered to go and stand by the doorway. Fearing what was going to happen next he did as he was told only to find his hands being tied behind his back by the second gunman. Feeling the barrel of a gun in is back he was shoved out of the door and pushed to the ground to the right of the doorway. The gunman then used another tie to attach him to the radiator.

'Right, now for some fun' the lead gunman said whilst smirking. Sitting by the doorway Jeff couldn't quite see inside but could hear everything crystal clearly. The idea of the man now having 'some fun' worried him. Dixie was in there and although he couldn't do much to help he would have felt better being able to see that she was relatively safe.

'Now when we arrived we were a bit disappointed about the entertainment this place had to offer, but lucky for us we now have a nice fresh faced paramedic to keep us company if you know what I mean' the man said before both gunmen started to laugh.

'Don't you dare touch a single hair on her head' Jeff shouted the fear of what they might do to his best friend coursing through him.

'So we have a tough guy' the man mocked before walking out of the room, turning to Jeff and kicking him hard in the stomach. 'What are you going to do about it anyway, all tied up, you're no use to her now' he continued before giving Jeff another kick and heading back into the room.

'Take them off' he said, pointing the gun at Dixie's trousers.

'Please no' she begged, tears starting to fall at the thought of what was in store.

'TAKE THEM OFF' he shouted, this time walking up to her and putting the gun to her head.

Dixie started to remove her trousers. 'Please don't hurt me, please' she begged, her eyes blurring from all the tears.

'Take off yours boots, I want the trousers off all the way, and your pants' the gunman continued.

Once Dixie had done as asked she was pushed towards the door.

Jeff looked up as he heard people moving towards the open door. Out came Dixie, half naked and with a gun in her back. Jeff could see her visibly shaking and her body racking with her sobs.

'HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO HER!' Jeff shouted tears starting to fall down his own face, whilst be pulled against the radiator trying to break free.

'Just thought I should let you see what you're missing out on' the man mocked before shoving her back inside and onto the bed.

'JEFF' Dixie screamed, which broke Jeff's heart in two. As hard as he tried he couldn't break free. He knew he had to calm her down though as the harder she fought the more it would hurt.

'Dixie, Princess, listen to me, I'm here, I'm right here' Jeff called trying to sound as calm as possible.

'NO NO NOOOOO' he heard her scream before she started to sob again and call his name.

'I'm right here Princess, I love you, remember that' he called tears streaming down his face, thinking that this may well be the last time he could say it to her.

Over the next 15 minutes all he could do was talk to her, try to reach her mentally through the pain and fear. He told her to think about Annie and Little Abs, about her friends in the ED, about basic CPR, what to do with a patient who was having a seizure. He went through anything and everything that she could repeat over and over in her head, going through things she knew so well that she could try and focus on them instead of what was happening. Whether it was making even the tiniest bit of difference he didn't know, but at least she could hear his voice and know that she wasn't alone. Inside he thought that control must be wondering where they were, why they hadn't updated them and just hoped beyond hope that they had began to investigate - not that he wanted to mention this to Dixie, not with the gunmen listening that is.

Finally, it all sounded like it was over, and he heard footsteps coming towards the door once more. This time however it was both gunmen, looking at him the lead man gave him one last kick before walking down the stairs with the other man in tow. Jeff bent over double from the searing pain in his stomach, nothing near to what Dixie must be going through he thought though. After hearing them moving about downstairs for about 10 minutes the front door slammed shut and the house fell into silence other than the sobs coming from Dixie in the next room and the sound of a vehicle pulling away,

Dixie lay on the bed, her body bruised and beaten and her spirit ripped in two. More than anything she wanted to feel herself wrapped up in someone's arms, Jeff's, Annie's, the old couple's on the floor next to the bed, she didn't care, she just wanted to be held.

'Dixie' she heard, loud enough to draw her attention but not too loud in case one of the intruders was still outside.

'Dixie, are you tied up' Jeff called.

Dixie tried to answer but she couldn't, she felt paralysed with shock. Jeff called again but this time the old man answered instead. 'No she isn't'.

'Ok Dixie do you think you can move' Jeff called again. He sounded very professional, the paramedic in him taking over.

'She's in shock' the elderly man called. 'We're tied up but physically there's nothing stopping her' the man told him.

'Ok well then Dixie, do you think you can try and sit up'. Jeff called again in a calm, clear voice. Dixie was their only chance of getting free, of radioing for help but with her in such a state he wasn't sure if it was possible.

'Dix, can you hear me? Can you try and sit up' Jeff tried again. He didn't know where the gunmen had gone or if they would come back so it was important they got free as quickly as possible. That said, there was no point trying to rush her, she was in shock so needed to be treated gently if they were to make any progress.

'She's looking your way' the elderly man called again, noticing Dixie turn her head in the direction of Jeff's voice.

'Good girl Dixie' Jeff encouraged, 'now do you think you can try and sit up'.

'Can't' she muttered, the elderly man repeating it so Jeff could hear,

'Yes you can Princess, I know you can, just put your arms back and push up.' He said.

Dixie listened hard to what Jeff was saying. She knew she had to try with all her might but her body felt so shaky that she thought would fall down again any second.

'She's doing it' the older man shouted through.

'Excellent Princess, well done. Now try and move to the edge of the bed'. This she found easier although Jeff's next request sounded a lot harder. 'Now try and stand up'.

'Can't' she began to sob 'My legs are too shaky'. She knew it was important and yet her body was letting her down when she needed it most. Letting them down.

'It's ok, don't worry, you're doing really well. Do you think you can crawl instead?' he suggested, hoping that this basic action would be primitive enough to pierce through her shock and upset.

Dixie got onto her hands and knees and started crawling to the door. Jeff could hear her movement and was so proud of his wife.

'Where do you keep your scissors mate?' Jeff called to the elderly man, hoping that they were close enough for Dixie to fetch without having to wait too much longer.

'There's a pair in the bathroom to the right, in the medicine cabinet. They're only small though. The better ones are in the kitchen.' the man called back.

Jeff was shocked when Dixie came through the door. He had seen people who had been attacked before, but seeing the effects on someone you love, that was totally different. He could see bruises beginning to form on her legs where they had been held open, and blood trickling down the inside of her thigh. Her face was scratched and her hair was disheveled, but it was the damage to her spirit that hurt him the most. He knew Dixie would normally be mortified by the idea of crawling round half naked in front of anyone, but at this point she just didn't care. Getting dressed would take too much co-ordination and Jeff knew that he would have to help her with that after they were all free.

'Jeff' Dixie began to cry.

'You're doing really well Dix, just a bit further, just to that door' Jeff tried to encourage her, not wanting her to breakdown now.

Dixie continued to sob as she made her way to the bathroom. As Dixie got to the door and went inside Jeff began to give her more instructions.

'Ok Princess can you find the medicine cabinet?'

'It's the one with the mirror on the front' called the elderly man. 'There is a radiator underneath that you can pull yourself up on or a sink to it's right'.

Dixie managed to pull herself up on the sink and held onto the radiator whilst opening the cupboard.

'They're on the inside of the door at the bottom' the man called again.

Dixie found the scissors and lowering herself back to the ground once more she began to crawl back to Jeff.

'Fantastic Dixie, you've done really well' Jeff said when she arrived back at his side.

He then leant forward as much as possible so Dixie could reach round and cut the plastic tie that was holding his wrists together.

'I can't, I'm not strong enough' she cried, as her hands were shaking too much to allow her to push down hard enough on the scissors.

'Yes you can Dixie' Jeff urged, not wanting to have to send her down to the kitchen for the better pair.

'I can't' she wept again.

'Princess look at me' Jeff said turning to face Dixie. 'Look at me'. Dixie knelt back and turned to look at him. 'You can do this, I know you can. Look at how much you've done already! Just get the scissors and put the plastic right into them, then keep doing small cuts until I'm free. Ok?'

Dixie nodded. Wiping the tears from her eyes to get a better look she heard Jeff say 'good girl' before leaning forward again for her to have another attempt.

This time she did exactly as Jeff had told her and with one final cut his hands were free.

Knowing that he could take over, her grief finally overwhelmed her and she broke down. Jeff turned around and took Dixie in his arms, cradling her on his lap, leaning against the radiator once more.

'Shhh it's ok, it's ok, I'm here, I'm free' Jeff softly told her, kissing her forehead and pulling her tight to his chest, ignoring the pain in his stomach.

'Jeff' Dixie continued to sob, clinging onto his jacket and feeling his head resting on top of hers, his tears dampening her hair.

After a short while Jeff began to relax his grip on Dixie. Taking her head in his hands and looking her in the eyes he began to speak. 'I need to go and get the radios now so can you try and crawl back through and cut the ties off the couple. If you do the man's wrists first then he should be able to do the rest, ok?'

Dixie nodded so Jeff gently helped her to move off his lap before he stood up and walked down the stairs. At the bottom he found the radios by the side of the front door when the gunman had chucked them after letting them in.

'Control to 3004 are you receiving?' Said a concerned voice.

'3004 to control, we need urgent police and medical back up to Grafton House on Cottage Lane'.

'3004 why have you been unreachable? We have already sent the police to investigate, they should be there soon.'

'There were 2 gunmen who have now fled. Dixie has been attacked, she is in urgent need of medical attention but it is non life threatening. The lady with breathing difficulties has been treated as best we could. There are 4 of us altogether.'

'Ok 3004 I am dispatching 2 more crews now'.

'Thank you' Jeff responded before taking the radios and heading back up the stairs and into the bedroom where Dixie was sitting with the elderly couple, the man currently cutting the ties off of his wife.

Walking up to Dixie, Jeff put out his hand. 'Come on Princess, let's get you sorted' he said, helping her to stand up and slowly leading her to the bed, all the while supporting her with his arm. Once she sat down on the edge of the bed Jeff went searching for her clothes and boots, finding them in the far corner of the room where she had been standing whilst he was taken outside. Picking them up he walked back to Dixie and knelt down in front of her. Dixie was still in shock and although she was a bit more co-ordinated now, he could tell that she would struggle to get dressed alone. Taking her underwear he gently lifted each leg into it before pulling it up to her thighs. Next he picked up her trousers and once again lifted each foot into them before taking hold of her underwear again. 'Dix, do you think you can stand up?' Jeff asked gently and felt her hands on his shoulders as she said 'yes' through her tears before starting to move.

When she stood up Jeff quickly pulled her pants and trousers up, doing them up before getting her to sit down again.

Taking her socks, Jeff carefully put them on before putting each foot into her boots and tieing the laces.

Just as he finished he could hear the sound of sirens and going over to the window he saw a police car arrive and park up behind their ambulance.

'It's the police' he said whilst walking up to Dixie. 'Im just going to show them where we are' he continued before walking out the door and down the stairs.

When he reached the bottom step the front door opened and in came two male police officers.

'We're upstairs' said Jeff turning around and leading them into the bedroom.

Dixie sat quietly, tears sliding gently down her cheeks. She was relieved to see the police officers and was hoping that the ambulance would arrive soon to take her away. She heard Jeff tell them to give her a few minutes so watched as they went over to speak to the elderly couple whilst Jeff made his way back towards her. As Jeff sat down she turned and leant into his arms, feeling him tighten them more than usual. She was glad Jeff was here with her, holding her, protecting her as best he could. Leaning in through his open jacket, she could feel his heart beat through his shirt, the strong beat helping calm her whilst she listened to Jeff's soothing words in her ear.

'Thank you' she whispered, just loud enough for Jeff to hear.

'What for?'

'Everything'. She knew it sounded trivial but he had done so much that she couldn't begin to explain. Reassuring her through the attack, being with her, helping her through her shock and fear, comforting her, loving her, holding her.

'You don't need to thank me Princess, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you'.

'You can't mean that' she said, not after what they'd just experienced.

'I'd rather be here with you, than let you go through it alone' he said back before kissing the top of her head. He might not have been able to protect her, but he could love her and surely, right now, that was the next best thing.