THIS CHAPTER FEATURES A SMALL AMOUNT OF CHILD ABUSE, DO NOT READ IF THIS IS UPSETTING, I WILL PUT A SMALL CHAPTER SUMMARY AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER FOR THOSE WHO CHOSE NOT TO READ IT.

The following morning Rita ran into the department, she had 30 seconds to get to the locker room and get changed before she was officially late.

Thankfully due to her genius outfit choice, she was changed and still had 3 seconds to spare.

She had no time for a coffee, but at least she wasn't late.

She made her way to reception to see what the back log was like from the night shift, surprised to see the reception area almost empty.

She smiled at Noel who passed her the waiting patient's files, Rita sifting through them until she found the most urgent.

"Was this little girl not brought in by paramedics?" Rita asked, looked at a 8 month old baby's chart, the notes indicating the little girl had breathing difficulties on arrival.

"No, the mother said she was happy to wait." Noel told her, not seeing what the problem was.

"Ms Richards?" Rita called, a middle aged woman walking up, a seemingly tiny baby in her arms.

"Is this Melody?" Rita asked.

"Yes, she's been a bit wheezy, but our Doctors had to close so he told us to come here." She told Rita, Rita offering to take the baby as she led the woman through to cubicles.

"I thought the notes said Melody was 8 months old?" Rita asked, Melody looked no older than 3 or 4 months.

"Oh she was premature." The older woman said nonchalantly, Rita worried about how laboured the baby's breathing really was.

She changed route to paeds, seeing Connie on her way.

"Mrs Beauchamp, could I borrow you for a consult?" Rita asked, the woman's till following Rita, but slightly unconcerned about her baby's welfare.

"This is Melody Richards, 8 months old, born premature and displaying severe breathing difficulties. On arrival she told Noel she was 'happy to wait', so she could have been sitting in reception for goodness knows how long." Rita lowered her voice, so the mother couldn't hear her.

"Mrs Richards, could I ask you to wait outside please? Whilst we examine Melody." Rita asked, ushering the woman outside, as Connie had taken hold of the baby.

"She is extremely small, Grace was small, but she is tiny." Connie laid her on the bed, the baby making little effort to move or do anything for that matter. "She can barely do anything."

"She's curled up, like she's been kept in a really small space." Rita observed, Connie nodding worriedly.

"Our main priority is her breathing, then we can sort out the mother." Connie told Rita who agreed. "I think the best course of action is to get a portable x-ray in here, so we can figure out what is causing her to have such laboured breaths." Connie said, Rita nodding, stroking the little girls head gently.

"Uhmm… Mrs Beauchamp?" Rita asked, her face going pale as she continued to gently run her hands over Melody's head. "I know babies have soft head, but it feels like she has holes in her skull." Rita moved her hand so Connie could feel, brushing Melody's relatively thick hair out of the way to reveal huge bruising and indented marks on her skull.

Connie pulled up Melody's baby grow to reveal even more bruising and red marks, her whole body some shade of black or blue.

"This makes me sick." Rita whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she saw the little girls battered body.

"I think she's most likely got irreparable brain damage, and internal bleeding." Connie said. "Why don't you hold her? I'm going to book a portable CT."

"Won't I hurt her?" Rita asked, brushing her cheek as a tear rolled down it.

"No, I think if she could feel the amount of pain she should be in, she would be crying." Connie told her, softening her tone as she watched Rita bundle the little girl closely to her chest, rocking her gently.

"This is Mrs Beauchamp from the ED, could you send down a portable x-ray, ASAP?" Connie asked, glancing over at Rita who was talking to the baby quietly. "Appreciated." Connie put down the phone.

"They're just using it in main Resus next door, then they're going to send them straight through to here." Connie told Rita who hadn't heard her, Connie leaving her in her own world with the poor baby.

A few minutes later and the portable x-ray was wheeled in, Rita was forced to put down the baby.

She immediately looked around for the mother, who seemed to have disappeared.

"The mother has gone." Rita told Connie.

"Good riddance." Connie muttered under her breath.

"The x-rays will be accessible on your system in a few minutes." The technician told Connie who nodded, gesturing for Rita to pick up the baby again.

"I thought, since we both finish reasonable tonight we could grab a bite to eat?" Rita asked, both of them metaphorically biting their finger nails as they waited for the result of the scans. "I've booked a table at this pizza place in town." Rita smiled, knowing Connie couldn't back out if she said she had already booked somewhere.

"Sounds good." Connie nodded, her focus turning to her iPad as it started to vibrate.

"Oh God." Connie placed a hand over her face as she saw the scans. "How is this child even alive?" Connie questioned. "Oh you poor, baby."

Rita walked around the back of Connie, peering over her arm at the scans.

"We need to call paeds, but there is nothing we can do." Connie locked the iPad, pulling the phone to her ear and asking someone to come down.

"People like that shouldn't be allowed to have kids." Rita said, Connie nodding.

"You wanna take a rain check tonight?" Rita asked, not knowing it a meal out was such a good idea after the horror of Melody today.

Rita had handed over the baby to paeds, who looked even less hopeful that the two women who had deemed Melody was un-saveable.

Rita was currently following Connie back to her office, where Connie had invited her for a coffee.

"No, I'm looking forward to it." Connie half smiled, looking at Rita who nodded, but couldn't bring herself to smile after holding that little girl earlier.

Rita sat down on the sofa in Connie's office as Connie clicked on the coffee maker, sitting down next to Rita as she waited for it to heat up.

"How are… things?" Connie asked, trying to make conversation.

"And what things would they be?" Rita asked, smiling as Connie blushed. "My busy social life that only exists in my head, or work, where peoples moral standards seem to be slipping lower every single day?" Rita asked, Connie sighing.

"Probably not the best question." Connie mumbled, getting up to pour the coffee.

"Thanks, I didn't have time for one this morning." Rita accepted the steaming hot mug, holding ti carefully as Connie sat back down.

"You're welcome." Connie smiled, Rita grinning at Connie who looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Why are you staring at me like that Nurse Freeman?" Connie asked.

"Because you have a lovely smile." Rita told her, laughing as Connie rolled her eyes and tried to cover her blushing cheeks.

"So this 'pizza place', what's it like?" Connie asked, not really one to go out for pizza, she preferred to eat it in the comfort of her own home.

"Oh it's so nice, it's right by the beach front so you can see the beach from the shop. And it's all made to order, it's my favourite place to eat." Connie nodded, Rita deciding to tease her some more.

"I mean it's not a 5 star wine bar but…" Rita drawled sarcastically as Connie prodded her in the side, Rita almost dropping her coffee.

"That is expensive coffee!" Connie half joked, watching Rita bite her lip like a child who had just been told off.

RITA AND CONNIE TREAT A PATIENT TOGETHER. RITA THEN ASKS CONNIE OUT ON A DATE TO A PIZZA RESTAURANT AND CONNIE AGREES.