When Heidi came into work with Lachie and Chase Lara saw just how much stress Heidi was under with this whole thing with Dean, and how much he was putting her through. Before she had a chance to sit down, Lara pulled her away into the kitchen that was off to the side of the bullpen and told her to spill everything. Heidi understood and because Dean hadn't arrived yet she allowed herself to become vulnerable. Tears made their way down her face and before she said a word Lara pulled her into a hug and told her everything would be okay.
Heidi: 'Will it? Dean won't speak to anyone, and when we try he gets angry. I want the old Dean back so much, and I'm scared of what will happen if this behavior continues. He could really hurt someone, and I'm worried about what would happen if he did.'
Lara: 'You think Dean could end up hurting somebody?'
Heidi: 'If things don't change soon, yes. I'm scared that it might end up reaching that point. And if he does he might not come back from that. You know how he gets when he has to hurt someone deliberately to help them. It kills him. What if he hurt someone just because he lashed out? I'm terrified that that someone might be one of us. I know that he would rather die than hurt us, so what would happen if in a fit of anger he did?'
Lara thought about what Heidi had said and knew what she was saying was right. Dean would never recover if he hurt somebody here just because he was angry. They wouldn't be able to help him get through that. But they could help him now. Before it got to that point.
However Lara wasn't just concerned about what Heidi was saying. She was concerned about Heidi herself. By the looks of it she hadn't been sleeping very well, and she looked quite sick, probably from the stress Lara decided.
Lara: 'Heidi how long have you been feeling sick?'
Heidi: 'Not long. A couple of days. Its nothing, I'm fine. It's because I'm worried about Dean.'
Lara: 'Have you told Lachie or Chase?'
Heidi: 'No, its nothing worth bothering them over. They would just worry and the person they should be worrying about at the moment is Dean.'
Lara: 'That doesn't mean you should neglect yourself. You should take a few days off and get better. Let us deal with Dean. You shouldn't have to suffer because of him.'
Heidi: 'I can't. If he knows I'm sick it will be just another reason for him to get angry over. One less person to help on rescues could be the difference between a patient living and a patient dying. I'll be okay.'
Lara: 'If you won't go home then you will take it easy. I'll get Michelle to pair us together so I can help you if you need it. I would say she can pair someone else with Dean but he hasn't exactly wanted a partner recently. We really need to sort him out, quickly.'
Heidi: 'I know. But how do we do that if he won't even talk to us?'
Two Hours Later
The team had been called out to a multiple car MVA on one of the country roads leading into the bush. The call came in ten minutes after Dean arrived, not even giving him chance to sit down at his desk. His reaction as you can expect was grim to say the least. He swore multiple times and with a single blow knocked half of the items off his desk before storming down to the trucks. Michelle told Lachie and Chase to go with him, if they managed to get to the truck before he drove off, and then told Lara and Heidi to take the other truck with Jordan. Vince and her would follow in her car.
On the way to the scene Lara had told Heidi that if at any time she needed to stop or rest for a few minutes to let her know and she would cover for her. She also told her that Michelle had said that Heidi wasn't to work on a patient alone just in case, and Heidi didn't argue with that. She knew it was too important to make sure that patient safety was upheld and if she messed up because she wasn't one hundred per-cent she would never forgive herself, and neither would Dean.
After that was sorted, everybody was silent for the rest of the journey to the scene. But Lara couldn't stop thinking about Heidi and Dean, and how she shouldn't have to be scared of him especially as they live together. She wished that she could help in some way, but there was nothing she could do until Dean reached breaking point. Lara hoped that would happen fast because she knew that even though Heidi was talking to her about Dean, there was something Heidi wasn't telling her. That something was probably to do with the secret that Heidi and Dean shared. Whatever it was that Heidi was keeping to herself was something she needed to talk to Dean about, and with him acting like a jackass recently, she obviously hadn't been able to talk about it.
Lara had to stop her thoughts there when they had arrived at the scene.
