The events of the previous night still played heavily upon Zoe's mind as she entered the Emergency Department the next morning. Although she wanted to take her mind off everything, she wished there was another way she could go about it. She hated the thought of encountering Nick which Zoe knew was inevitable and unavoidable. With every step, Zoe looked tentatively around reception in case Nick stepped around the corner. Zoe jumped suddenly when she heard someone call her name behind her.

"Zoe!" she span round to see Dr Russell standing behind her. He was dressed head to toe in blue scrubs, his brown curly hair flopping over his brow. Zoe couldn't help but give a little smile.

"Good morning to you Dr Russell" said Zoe moving confidently towards him. Her self-assured appearance certainly didn't mirror how on edge she felt inside though.

"You're not looking too great if you don't mind me saying" remarked Greg. His voice clearly laced with concern as he noticed the bags beginning to form under her eyes. However, his worry wasn't met with the greatest response.

"Thanks for pointing out what I already know!" Zoe replied with slight annoyance in her voice and a small scowl appearing. Greg countered this expression with a smile and gently rested his hand upon her arm.

"Relax, I wasn't criticising. We all have those days" he whispered softly.

"Don't apologize, I was the one who snapped. Look I'm late already, I'll see you a bit later" said Zoe, turning away. Greg grabbed her arm as she took a step forward. Zoe looked towards her arm and then to Greg, wondering what he was doing.

"If you ever need to talk" Greg's voice sounded so genuine and kind but Zoe was still unsure of him.

"No offence Dr Russell but I hardly know you. I'm not sure whether I'm ready to pour my heart out to a complete stranger" Zoe admitted, raising her eyebrows. To her surprise, Greg just laughed in response.

"Nah, I understand. I'd probably be the same but please, call me Greg! Anyway, I've got a proposition for you" he announced, his mouth forming a smile. Zoe narrowed her eyes, speculating over what this request could possibly be. "A drink? Tonight? It will give us a chance to get better acquainted!"

Zoe sighed. It was a nice idea but the last thing she wanted was to go out drinking, especially having had very little sleep last night. On the other hand, it would give her a good chance to get to know Greg and he seemed like he might be good company. It would also take her mind of everything. "Okay, I'll come but on one condition, you'll will be buying the drinks" Zoe winked at Greg who held his hands up and nodded in agreement. He wasn't going to argue with Zoe.

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of letting you pay" promised Greg "Shall we say 'The Hope and Anchor' at 5.30? That is when you finish isn't it?"

"You checked the rota?" laughed Zoe. His eagerness was plain to see but Zoe didn't mind. He seemed a decent guy and the sort of person Zoe felt that she could get along with.

"I just quickly glanced and happened to notice that exact time you finish on this particular day!"

"You're very keen but it sounds lovely anyhow. I suspect that will be the only thing getting me through today" Zoe said, trying to raise a smile. At this comment, she heard the familiar sound of shoes coming around the corner. She immediately tensed up and this was clearly visible to Greg who almost automatically moved closer towards her. He didn't know why but he almost felt as if he were protective of her despite only knowing her a matter of days.

"Morning Dr Hanna" Nick smiled as he approached. He sounded happy and confident but the most eagle eyed of people would have been able to detect the slight hesitation and uncertainty in his voice. The memory of Zoe's kiss upon his cheek and him driving off into the night wouldn't leave his mind.

When Nick had rounded the corner and spotted Zoe, he had paused for a split second, unsure of whether to go over to her. However, his head ruled over his heart at work and he knew that they couldn't act strange around each other, especially considering that he ran the department. The ED staff were quick to catch on to any sort of gossip and the last thing he wanted was for him and Zoe to be the centre of attention. They needed to remain professional and that was exactly what he intended to do.

Zoe took a deep breath and tried to speak but no words came out. She bowed her head and hurried off in the direction of the staffroom, leaving Greg and Nick standing alone together. Greg narrowed his eyes towards his senior colleague but Nick just gave him a friendly smile, determined not to give anything away. "And how are you Dr Russell?" Nick continued, trying to ignore the way Zoe had reacted to his presence and avoiding any questions that Greg was likely to ask.

"What was all that about?" Greg queried, completely disregarding Nick's previous question.

"What was what about?" Nick answered casually.

"Zoe's avoidance with you just then" Greg said, believing he was pointing out the obvious.

"I appreciate your concern Dr Russell but any business between myself and Dr Hanna is nothing that you or any others in this ED need to worry about" Nick's polite but firm reply was enough to make Greg back off but he still wanted, or needed to find out what their issue was.

"Fair enough Mr Jordan"

"Right, now we've cleared that up there's a patient in cubicle 2. A female with a suspected broken ankle. She's waiting for an X-ray" Nick instructed, thrusting the patients file into Greg's hand. Greg raised his eye brows a little, a little peeved at the easier case he was being given. Nick noticed this expression but chose not to notice, he wasn't in the mood for any more confrontation. Greg nodded quickly towards Nick and sauntered off towards his next patient. Nick however turned in the opposite direction; towards the staffroom. As he approached, he could see Zoe through the window, scooping goodness knows how many spoonfuls of coffee into her steaming cup. He paused at the door and knocked. He didn't know why but he felt like he shouldn't just barge in. Zoe immediately span round when she heard the knocks but turned away when she saw who was standing there. Nick carefully opened the door and stepped into the room, closing it softly behind him.

"Are you ok?"

Nick's question was short and simple yet it took Zoe a while to decide how best to answer it.

"What do you think?" Zoe said, turning her head slightly towards Nick.

"We do need to talk Zo. Please"

"Nick, we said all that needed to said last night. Can't we just pretend that last night never happened and move on?" pleaded Zoe, desperately wanting to forget the whole subject.

"No, we need to talk about it. We can't leave it like this." Nick objected but as an afterthought, he added "I'm sorry about how I behaved last night. I pressured you and I wasn't being fair."

Zoe took a deep breath.

"No, you weren't." Her reply was blunt and although Nick didn't blame her, her words still stung. "And if you want an answer to your question last night then it's no" Zoe's voice was raised " No I don't want to get back together. It would just end up badly like last time. Why can't you see that?"

"How many bloody times do I have to say it? We won't end up in the situation we were in last time!" Nick argued. He had thought about not saying anymore about it but Zoe's last comment spurred him into life.

"There you go again! I'm not listening to this, I need to get back to work" Zoe grabbed her coffee from the worktop and stormed out of the staffroom, passing Charlie and Tess who were stood by the door, their faces etched with shock and concern. This altercation between the two of them left Nick speechless. I just proved how raw everything still was. It was clear that it was going to take a long time for them to get anywhere near normal again, not that Nick knew what their normality was anymore. He knew it wouldn't be a good idea to go after her though. She needed space and if he was honest, so did he. Nick closed his eyes and stormed out of the room, despite Charlie trying to pull him back. As Nick walked through the ED, all eyes were upon him. They'd obviously heard his and Zoe's harsh exchange of words but Nick couldn't care less. He just wanted to get outside and get some air to clear his head...

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Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews that were left on the previous chapter. I read and appreciate every one of them.

X Natasha X