To Catch a Falling Star Chapter Four, a casualty fanfic

Author: Raven Shadowrose

Title: To Catch a Falling Star

Rating: M

Pairing: Dixie/Hannah, Jeff/Emilie, ?/?

Summary: A sequel to The Ties That Bind. What will happen to the Holby paramedics and their partners when a traumatic event tests the bonds of their relationships and friendships?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Casualty, any dialogue from the show belongs to the writers and I claim no ownership. All original characters and the story are my property and I do not give permission for them to be used.

A/N: There will be some chapters in this story that may upset some people, a warning will be placed at the start of each chapter that contains sensitive/upsetting material. Reviews are welcome :)

Thank you to BeethovenRIP, DixieandJeff forever, cenalover and olivia. c. king1 for your reviews, your support means a lot to me :)

A/N2: This chapter contains some subjects that might upset people, if you wish to stop reading at any time then please do.

Chapter Four.

The fire alarm was sounding its shrill cry from inside the college as the first of the Holby ambulance crews pulled up outside. Distressed and scared students were running out of the doors at the front of the college towards safety, some of them were crying or in shock, and others had blood on their clothes. Some of the injured staff and students were sat or lying on the floor outside of the building, the police were trying to get them all as far away from the college as they could. They had set up barriers around the college to keep all of the bystanders and the news crews back from the building. Dixie surveyed the scene as she climbed out of the ambulance, she could hear screaming and the sound of gunshots coming from inside the college. She shook her head, the sound of people in distress always got to her. There were armed police officers at various points around the college and on the roof, she wondered if there were any more of them inside the college. Dixie was vaguely aware of her team unloading the ambulances of the bits of kit that they would need to treat the casualties that were brought to them. Some of the crews that had arrived from other stations had already started treating the injured people that had already escaped the college. Sirens were approaching from all directions, more police and paramedics were on their way. Dixie quickly surveyed the scene and noted that some volunteers were setting up an area for those that had escaped the college without harm. There were a few students already there and they all looked upset, some of them were being comforted by their tutors. The students and staff of the college were going to need some counselling after everything that they had been through.

Dixie looked around when someone called out to her. 'Are you in charge of this crew?'

'I am, Kathleen Darbyshire-Dixon, I'm the duty manager of the station.'

'I'm Graham Weatherby, I'm the major incident commander, you will report to me today. Some of our officers are about to go inside, they will establish that the reception area of the college is safe before going further into the building. We have reports of several injured students and tutors that are still inside the college. We will need some of your crew to go inside and help the injured that are still inside, our armed officers will find those that need medical treatment and bring them to the medical team. When the reception is cleared, it will be made into a designated safe zone to treat those that need immediate medical attention. Four armed officers will cover your staff at all times just in case the gunman tries to return to the reception area.'

'How many of the paramedics do you need to go inside the college?'

'Four to start with, we may need more as time goes on, it all depends on how many of the students and teachers that need medical attention inside the building. Those that have minor injuries will be escorted from the college for treatment away from the teams that remain outside.'

'All right, I'll assign four members to go with you.'

'Good, the team will be briefed before they go into the college.'

'All right, I'll send the team over to you when the decision has been made.' Graham went over to the armed response team to prepare them for going into the building. Dixie sighed, she didn't want to put any of the paramedics in danger, it would be very dangerous inside the college.

Dixie turned back to the team of paramedics that she had command of, how could she choose who to send inside the college? How could she choose who was to risk their lives? Jeff and Polly were stood behind Dixie, she just knew what they were about to say when she saw them. 'Dix, we want to go in.'

'Jeff, Polly, it is dangerous in there.'

'It's our job Dixie,' Polly said. 'We want to go in and help those that need us.'

'Okay,' Dixie said slowly, 'on one condition, you must look after each other.'

'We will.'

'Be careful, both of you.'

'Of course we will,' Jeff said. Dixie nodded, she hoped that Polly and Jeff being careful would be enough to keep them safe. Two of the other paramedics from the station at St. James' also volunteered to go in with Jeff and Polly. Dixie watched them all go to the police so that they could be briefed on what would happen when they went into the college building. She wasn't happy about any of the paramedics going into the college, she knew that it was necessary, there were people inside that needed help. Dixie quietly prayed that everyone who went inside would stay safe and make it out unharmed.

Hannah watched Polly and Jeff as they stood with the rest of the people that would be going into the building, she was worried about them both. The gunman was still at large and they hadn't caught him yet, every so often someone would scream or there would be a sound of a gunshot. A few of the police marksmen had gone into the building ahead of the main team, they had the duty of disabling the gunman. Hannah had heard them talking, if they couldn't stop him then they had permission to shoot to kill. 'Hannah, are you okay?' It was Dixie's voice. 'You're very quiet.'

'I'm worried about Polly and Jeff, they're both going into a very dangerous situation.'

'I know, they will look after each other. Jeff and Polly have both promised me that they will be careful when they're in there.'

'Of course they will. It reminds me of when we went into the bank together, I finally understand what it must have been like for Jeff and Polly having to wait for us. I know that they were worried about us being in a dangerous situation.'

'I know, I'm worried too.' Hannah and Dixie stood together in silence as they waited for the first of the walking wounded to come to them for treatment. They hoped that their friends would be safe while they were treating people inside the college.

Jeff and Polly stood behind the line of police marksmen that were to go into the college and secure the reception area. Each of the officers were wearing heavy body armour to protect them from any bullets that were fired their way, they were armed with a rifle each too. Polly found herself not wanting to look at the guns, they made her think of the damage that a bullet could do to people. Polly shuddered and Jeff turned to look at her. 'Are you all right Pol?'

'Yeah, sort of. It's hard knowing that people are in there and that they are being hurt. I know that many more people will be hurt be hurt or killed by the time this shout is over with.'

'We'll help them, stick close to me, I'll protect you Pol.'

'What about you, who will protect you?'

'Don't worry about me Polly, I am a tough man, I always come out of these situations without a scratch on me.'

'I'll protect you.'

'Polly, it is my job to protect you.'

'Even so, I've got your back Jeff.'

'Thanks princess.' Jeff put his arms around Polly and he hugged her. 'I won't let anyone hurt you princess, I promise. I won't let him near you, ever, you know that, right?'

'I know.' Polly leaned into Jeff's embrace, she trusted him to protect her and look after her. She wanted to protect Jeff too, she had meant it when she said that she had his back. Jeff squeezed Polly's shoulder as they walked into the college together, it was time for them to do their job and help the people that needed them.

Cyd watched as the college doors closed behind the team that had gone into the college, they were out of view now. She hoped that Jeff and Polly would be safe inside the college, the look of worry on Dixie's face was clear for everyone to see. Cyd looked at the few students that were sat in the treatment area; they were wrapped in blankets to protect them from the cold. A lot of them were in shock from their ordeal inside the college. Some of them had seen classmates shot in front of them, others had run as fast as they could to avoid the carnage that had started to unfold in front of them. Some of them had been injured as people had fled the college in terror. Cyd hoped that their parents would come and get them soon, they needed people to take care of them and support them after their ordeal. Some of the students were huddled in groups, their shared experiences inside the college had brought them together. Nobody spoke, a lot of the students were lost in their own thoughts. Cyd understood how they felt, she had seen a few young people with very serious injuries, how many of them would survive? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, it was days like these ones that she hated the most. It was always the innocent people that got hurt.

Hannah took another pair of gloves off and put them in the yellow clinical waste bag, another of her patients had just been helped into an ambulance. Simone had seen her boyfriend shot in front of her, she had been silent all of the time that Hannah had been treating her. She hadn't been injured, but she was in shock, the poor girl was so upset. Hannah rubbed her hand over her eyes, she was finding it tough to keep going, the emotions of the day were getting to her. Many of the students and tutors had gone to hospital, some of them had been shot more than once. One of the tutors had told Hannah that the gunman was a young boy, she wondered what had driven him to want to kill people. The tutor had gone on to say how one of her students had tried to stop him firing into a room of younger students. He had been shot in the chest and had been in a very bad way when he had been put into the ambulance. Hannah felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Dixie stood behind her. 'Are you all right?'

'It is tough, so many people have been hurt.'

'I know, all we can do is do our best for them.' Hannah sighed, she nodded, Dixie was right, she would do her best for everyone that she treated.

'There are some people that won't make it to the end of today, some are already dead. Why do bad things happen to good people?'

'I don't know, I wish I did.' Dixie hugged Hannah and they both took comfort from the closeness that they had with each other at that moment in time.

Polly looked around at the students that were being escorted from the college by the armed police, they all looked frightened and some of them were crying. The more severely injured ones were being brought to the reception for immediate treatment. Polly had heard that a few of the students had been found dead, the news of it made her sad. She wished that something could have been done to prevent all of this from happening. It had been a few minutes since the last patient had been brought to them, he'd been shot in the stomach and Polly wasn't sure if he would make it or not. She had stabilised him the best that she could and then handed him over to the other crew so they could take him to the hospital. The armed police were talking on the radio, it looked as if the boy with the gun had disappeared. He obviously knew the college well, Polly wondered if he was a student . 'Polly,' Jeff said quietly and she looked up at him. 'Are you all right, do you want to leave? Dixie will swap with you if you want to have a break.'

'No, I'm here to help the people that need us.'

'You look sad.'

'I am, I don't know what drives someone to go on a killing spree.'

'I don't either.'

'I'm not sure that I want to know.' Polly felt Jeff's arm move around her shoulder, he gave it a gentle squeeze and she hugged him back. She really hoped that they would find the boy soon and that nobody else would be hurt or killed.

Jeff sensed Polly's distress, he felt it too, he had lost count of the people that he had treated. How many of them were still alive? Had any of them died after they had left his care? Jeff didn't have any answers to those questions. He briefly wondered where the boy with the gun had gone, it had been quiet for a very long time. Had one of the police been able to disarm him? Jeff also wondered what had motivated him to start killing people. There must be a reason for him wanting to hurt anyone that crossed his path. Why the college? What had the people here done to him? Jeff squeezed Polly's shoulder, he knew that she was finding it hard. He wondered if he should insist on Polly going outside and swapping with Dixie. Jeff wondered how Dixie, Hannah, and Cyd were coping outside, how many people had they had to treat? He knew that they would be worried, that they would be hoping that all of the paramedics and police came out of college unhurt. Jeff wasn't sure if it was worse being inside the college, or being outside and not knowing what was going on. He looked around the reception, all of the police had their guns at the ready, would they have to shoot the kid? Jeff sighed, the world could be a very messed up place at times. He squeezed Polly's shoulder as the police brought another injured teenager over to them, he really hoped that there wouldn't be too many more, seeing them hurt was beginning to get to him.

The majority of the students outside had been picked up by their parents, those that needed treatment had been put into an ambulance and taken to hospital. Dixie had heard from Tess, some of the students had been sent home and others had been kept in for further treatment. She wished that there had been some good news from the hospital, but one of the students had died on the way to the hospital. It had fallen to Sam to pronounce him dead, the mood in the hospital was very low. Dixie sighed, she saw Hannah and Cyd moving in her direction and she tried to put on a brave face for them both. 'How are things back at the hospital?' Cyd asked.

'Not good, a lot of the students are having to stay in and everyone is under pressure. Some of the students have died, they weren't able to save them. Tess and Charlie are just about holding it together, I don't think that I've ever heard Tess sound so defeated though. If ever we needed some good news then it is now.' Hannah and Cyd both nodded their agreement, everyone at the college had gone through the same experience. They had seen one of the police officers crying, it turned out that his son had been shot. Dixie had checked for him, his son was in a critical condition at Holby and would need an operation to fix his injuries. They all jumped as two more gunshots sounded in quick succession, someone screamed and then it all went quiet. Dixie, Hannah, and Cyd looked at each other, clearly the boy had found another victim. Another gunshot sounded, all of the shots had sounded very close by, had he returned to the reception?

Dixie turned around when the front door to the college opened, she saw Jeff come out of them and he was carrying someone in his arms. She looked over at Hannah and Cyd, both of them were looking in Jeff's direction, they had a stunned look on their face. Dixie was barely aware of the fact that she had started to walk towards Jeff, he had blood on the front of his uniform and was carrying a barely conscious Polly. 'Jeff, what happened?' Dixie's voice was low, she blinked her eyes in the hope that she would see something different. Jeff didn't answer, he just walked towards the barriers, he looked as if he was in shock. Hannah and Cyd brought a trolley over to where Jeff was stood, he didn't move, he was rooted to the spot. 'Jeff, it's okay mate, you can put Polly down. Come on sweetheart, let us treat her.' Dixie watched Jeff gently put Polly down on the trolley, he just walked away and sat down on one of the chairs. Jeff put his head in his hands, he looked as if he had aged several years in the short walk from the college to the barriers. Dixie went over to Hannah and Cyd, she hated having to leave them, but she knew that Jeff needed her. 'Hannah, Cyd, are you two all right here? I know that treating Polly is asking a lot of you both.'

'We'll do our best for her, she's our friend, we're not going to let her go,' Hannah said as she worked on putting a line into Polly's arm. 'Go to Jeff, he's going to need you.'

'Okay, thanks beautiful.' Dixie had heard the trembling in Hannah's voice, treating a friend was the hardest job that could be asked of any of the crew. She was so proud of Hannah and Cyd, Polly was safe in their care, they would try their best to save her life.

Hannah tried her best to keep her hands steady as she worked on Polly, it hadn't escaped her notice that Polly was in a bad way. She vowed that Polly wouldn't die, she would do her best to keep her alive. 'Hannah,' Polly whispered.

'Hey, how is my partner?'

'It hurts.'

'I know, the morphine will take care of that, I promise.'

'Jeff?'

'Dixie is with him.'

'Oh, is he hurt?' Polly's voice cracked on the last word.

'No, he isn't.'

'If I don't get through this, tell the twins that I love them, tell Jeff that it isn't his fault.'

'Polly, you are going to get through this, trust me, I'm not going to let you die.'

'Promise me that you'll tell them.'

'I promise.'

'Thank you.' Hannah tried her best to smile at Polly, tried to keep the tears back from her eyes, she didn't want to think about Polly dying from her injuries. Polly was far too young to die.

Jeff kept his head in his hands, the sounds from everything that was going on around him had been muted. He was sort of aware that Dixie had put her hand on his shoulder and was talking to him. He didn't respond, he just wanted to be left alone, he didn't deserve anyone being nice to him. Jeff tried to sort out what had happened, he was trying to remember, it was hard, it was as if all the memories were in a jumble. He slowly lifted his head and he looked around, he saw Hannah and Cyd helping Polly, he just watched them as they worked. Dixie was still talking, some of her words were starting to make sense. 'Jeff,' she said softly. 'What happened?' He just shook his head, he didn't want to remember, didn't want to talk about what happened. 'Come here mate, you're in shock.' Jeff just let Dixie hug him, his arms by his sides. He closed his eyes, he hoped that it would keep back the memories of what had happened inside the college. If he could just convince everyone that he was okay, that he was fine, then nobody would ask him any questions. Jeff stood up as Hannah and Cyd put Polly in the ambulance, he was trying to ignore the voice in his head that was telling him what happened to Polly was all his fault.