The ambulance pulled up in Holby City Hospital car park. The back door flew open and Holly helped Dixie get the stretcher out. Nikki could only watch, but followed them into the hospital. Jay and Jessica came to join them as they wheeled the youngster into the side room.
"Nicole?" Jessica asked, shocked.
"You know her?" Ruth stretched out and came over to examine her.
Jessica nodded. "She's Amelia's friend." She bent over Nicole and placed an oxygen mask over her. "This'll just keep you calm, alright, sweetheart?"
"Ok," Nicole agreed. She recognised Jessica, and as such, was happy to let her treat her. "Where's Nikki?"
"What's that?"
"Nikki," Nicole repeated. "The paramedic with the bad arm. I want her here. She's nice."
Holly turned to Jay. "Try and find her. She'll probably be outside somewhere."
Jay nodded and pushed open the door. There were lots of people in the reception, and he didn't know who Nikki was, but he sussed there weren't many paramedics he didn't know. He looked around, but there was only Jeff, leaning on the counter and chatting to Noel.
"Do either of you know where Nikki is?"
"She's with Poll," Jeff supplied. "Getting coffee for me and Dix."
Jay headed along the corridor and, true to Jeff's word, found the two paramedics at the vending machine. Nikki was sitting on the stair, head in hands, and Polly was seemingly consoling her.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Nikki looked up. "How's Nicole?"
"She'll be fine. She's asking after you, by the way."
Nikki nodded to acknowledge this, but didn't move.
"Go and see her," Polly coaxed. "She's only a kid. She needs some support."
"What can I do, though?" Nikki almost shouted. "I feel bloody useless; I don't actually know why I came back here other than, oh, nobody else would hire someone with only one working arm."
"Hey, calm down." Jay reached out a hand, which Nikki rejected with a shrug.
"Easy for you to say. You don't know what it's like, living like this. Nicole seems convinced my arm will be fixed just like hers, and it won't. How can I face her and say that?"
Polly sighed. "You'll just have to be honest with her. You'll know what to say. Go and see her. It'll do you both good."
Nikki nodded, and stood up slowly. "I suppose so." She turned and began to walk along the corridor. Jay and Polly followed, and as they entered the waiting area, Holly approached them.
"We've lost the father," she told Polly. "Ruth's working on Nicole now, but it's looking good. She'll probably regain full use of her arm."
Polly nodded. "I didn't think he'd last long; he'd lost too much blood."
Suddenly, Holly heard her name being called across the hospital. She looked across to the source of the shouting to see Roxy standing in the entrance. Hurrying over, she began to explain everything to the distressed woman.
"I want to see her!" Roxy insisted. "I want to see my baby."
Holly led her into the side room where Ruth had Nicole connected up to a machine and was attempting to move her arm.
"Mummy!" Nicole shouted, attempting to sit up but was restrained by the machine.
Roxy threw her arms around her daughter. "It's alright now sweetheart, I'm here. You're going to be alright, I promise."
Sitting beside them, Nikki felt a tear roll down her cheek.