"Could everyone clear the area?"
"Let us through we're paramedics."
Broken glass, over turned tables, rowdy drunks and plenty of bloodshed. To a paramedic this was just a typical Friday night.
Walking into a bar to see this chaos would set anyone on edge, for Dixie and Jeff it was common place.
One casualty was a walk in the park compared to the half a dozen they saw in the last bar or the street fight they had just got back from.
A blonde woman was lying on the floor after attempting to dance on the tables. She was about thirty five years old, too old for dancing on tables anyway.
Blood seeped from a wound in her head from where she hit the floor and her leg was bent back at an odd angle but other than that she was conscious, intoxicated but conscious.
The pair exchanged looks, a look to say "Just another drunk." Or" It's just going to be one of those nights." Communication had been limited between the two for the past day or so. Other than talking in medical terms to each other, a look or nod in each other's direction seemed the best form of communication to avoid the elephant in the room known as "That email." Or "The John issue."
She would constantly mull over the words she had read and tell herself that it meant nothing and that her feeling of distance from Dawn were unrelated.
He would drive around the city for hours on end in search of his son and when he wasn't he was worrying about him.
Questions ran through both of their minds, fears, worries, concerns and they were both too stubborn to voice them so instead they kept their conversations to work related matters, almost as if they were strangers.
"Hey princess, I'm Jeff this is Dixie, we're paramedics." He introduced as he knelt down beside her.
"One, I'm drunk but I'm not that drunk I know what you are, and two I aint no princess." She slurred her voice clear enough to reveal a Manchester accent.
"Oh he calls all the ladies princess." Dixie smirked, remembering her initial attitude to that particular nickname.
"Thinks he's being flirtatious does he?"
"Oh I dunno, it could be an ego thing you just can't tell."
"Are you going to help me, or are you just going to take the piss?" He asked looking up from strapping up the woman's leg.
"I'm just going to take the piss."
"She got you there."
"Will you dress that head wound?" He requested, putting on a false smile.
"You're forgetting who your supervisor is Jeffrey."
"How could I ever possibly forget?"
"You two are like an old married couple." The woman snorted, observing their bickering.
"So are you going to tell us your name love?" Dixie asked ignoring her previous statement, searching for the dressing as she did so.
"Katherine, all my mates call me K because Katherine don't suit me, too lady like."
"It's a nice name almost as nice as Kathleen." Jeff noted catching Dixie's eye as he did so.
"Ay?" Katherine cut in, ending the moment.
"Oh nothing, similar story ,nicknames and all that." She dismissed, concentrating on wiping the blood from her head.
"How'd you get it?"
"It's just my surname. Dixon, Dixie." She shrugged.
"Oh it's your surname is it?" Jeff bitterly spat unable to hide his anger.
"Professional Jeffrey." Dixie warned lowering her voice as not to be over heard.
"Oh I'm the one being unprofessional, am I?"
"Well you can't accuse me of that."
"Of course nothing is ever your fault."
"Let's just get her in." Dixie sighed, getting to her feet before leaving the room to get a chair from the ambulance.
"Are you two shagging?" Katherine said , drunkenly giggling as she did so.
"You know if you weren't so tanked up, you'd be in agony."
"You fancy the pants off her."
"Seriously what have been drinking?"
"I dunno, but I could do with another."
"I'd happily join you." He agreed, looking over to the spot where his wife had previously been stood.
A few moments later she came back through with chair, wordlessly they helped her into it and wheeled her to the ambulance.
"I'll drive." Dixie stated gesturing for Jeff to get in the back.
"Yes Miss Dixon." He mocked rolling his eyes in distaste.
"Grow up." She retaliated before getting into the drivers seat.
The drive back to the hospital didn't take long, Dixie had put her foot down and they got there within five minutes. Jeff knew the she needn't have driven at that pace, they would for life and death situations but not for a broken leg.
"Watch out I could've run you over." She shouted over to Lenny, who had been on the phone.
She climbed out of the ambulance and assisted Jeff with unloading the patient before wheeling her into the E.D.
"Yeah see you mate, nah I'm fine it's not as if I would've been her first either." Lenny laughed to the person down the phone before hanging up.
"What was that?" Jeff challenged walking over to where he stood.
"Uh nothing I was just talking Yuki." He backtracked.
"You wouldn't be her first, what's that meant to mean?"
"C'mon man it was just a joke."
"Well why don't you explain it? and we'll have a good laugh." He raged in response becoming enraged by the young doctor's insensitivity.
"Well it's just." Lenny started before trailing off.
"Just what Lenny?"
"Nothing, just let it go." Lenny responded before turning on his heel and making to go back inside.
Jeff stepped in the way effectively blocking his path, Lenny was twice as strong as him and could've easily moved out the way however he remained where he was.
"That's my missus you're mouthing off about, so no I will not let it go."
"Like I said it was just a joke." He explained trying to step around him.
"You call what happened on that estate a joke do you?"
Lenny didn't respond, for once the loud mouthed Scots man was silent as he stared down at his shoes in shame.
"That girl is in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, do you think Dixie finds that funny do you?"
Lenny opened his mouth to speak before closing it again, Lenny wasn't often lost for words, he always had some form of comeback or remark to make however this time he had nothing.
"Well do you?" Jeff repeated becoming ever more wound up.
"No." He quietly replied his tone absent of its usual confidence.
"Do you think it was funny how she was harassed by those mobs, all those nightmares she had and her house getting burned down?"
"No." Lenny shook his head looking extremely apologetic.
"Do you think running someone over is something to joke about do you? Do you think she laughs about it?" He continued determined to stand up for her.
"Of course not."
"Then you watch your mouth." Jeff concluded shoving him to the side and entering the building.
Lenny watched on after him stunned by the confrontation. He hadn't realised Jeff had it in him, nobody before had made him back down like this, was Lenny Lyons losing his touch?
Dixie emerged from out of Resus, the team had taken over Katherine's care and it was the end of her shift. She looked around for Jeff, he hadn't followed her in a few minutes previously.
She made her way over to the ambulance bay to sign out, she presumed Jeff had slipped away to avoid speaking to her. She had wanted to reach out and speak to him, she wanted nothing more than to resolve the issues in their life however the atmosphere was tense and he hadn't attempted to make excuses for what she had read the previous day, so surely he meant every word?
Absent minded, she picked up the pen and signed herself out before heading home to Dawn, a prospect that no longer thrilled her like it used to.
She swung her bag over her shoulder and left, she should be out searching the streets with Jeff, not fighting with him.
A few minutes later Jeff entered the ambulance bay, he looked around for Dixie. Disappointment washed over him to find her gone.
He reached into his pockets to retrieve his car keys, another night of trying to get hold of his ex wife, another night of pining for his current one and another night searching for John. He couldn't face it alone he needed Dixie's help.
Picking up the pen he proceeded to sign out, he read the signature above his and for the first time that day he smiled.
From where Dixie had signed out it read,
Signing in: 9.00 am: Miss K Dixon: Signing out: 21.00pm: Mrs K Collier.
It wasn't a big romantic gesture but it was hope.