"A warm welcome to you all, but especially to Charlotte."

Connie diplomatically positioned herself toward the back of the hospital chapel. Despite the fact that Robyn had insisted that she attend the ceremony, to christen Charlotte, Connie automatically felt out of place. Alicia, Charlie, David, Dylan, Duffy, Elle, Ethan, Jacob, Louise, Max; it was a whole social crowd that Connie held herself exempt from as a matter of principle.

Once the formalities had concluded, the party ambled across the road to the 'Hope and Anchor' for the first round on Dylan. Her coat firmly wrapped around her swollen waist, Connie pondered that she should join the team, however, the days events had left her with much to deliberate on. Glen and Robyn walked side-by-side, Charlotte in her pram, and Connie admired the newfound family of three from a distance. It was a very different picture from the one Robyn had envisioned when Charlotte was born. The nurse had shown such bravery and maturity to welcome Glen back into their lives, to show him amnesty for his fault; Connie wondered why she was unable to do the same for the father of her children.

Sam had promised her once that he would always be there, for Grace and for her too. Yet, there were very few times that he honoured that word, and all too many times when he failed to remember it. When Grace was barely two years old, he departed for America the first time with his son. He remained an absentee father until Audrey wormed her way back into their lives, when Connie returned to Holby and accepted the consultancy position. His subsequent involvement admittedly had a positive influence on Grace - she appeared more settled, at home and in school - but it rendered Connie consciously bitter that Sam had always been the one to ride to her rescue. What she had failed to realise, until it was too late, was that it had been her life devotion to medicine that cemented Grace's closeness to Sam. In the eyes of Grace, he was the first one to put her at the very top of his priority list.

"Mrs. Beauchamp," Ethan appeared by her side. He zipped his coat up, to protect from the cool breeze. "Will you join us for a drink?" He sensed her hesitancy to respond, "My round." He flashed her a hapless smile. "It's the least I can do, think of it as repayment for all the revision sessions the past few weeks. Thanks to you, I may actually pass my consultancy exams."

Connie curled her lip upward. He was so self-deprecative. "I have every faith in you, Dr. Hardy." She shied away from the prospect of further socialisation with the team, "Thank you for the invitation but I have a prior consultation with Mr. Hanssen."

It was an effortless lie and one Ethan obliviously swallowed. She paused, until he had entered the pub across the road, before she climbed until her vehicle and drove home. The foyer of the house was inundated with the delivery she had received earlier in the day; a bulk buy of every piece of baby equipment a mother would ever require. The crib hand-crafted, a blue-thistle colour to celebrate the revelation that she would be blessed with a son in less than five months. She had entered what her midwife appointed the 'honeymoon' period, and the second trimester was as sublime as she promised it would be.

There was, however, the mild concern of who would act as Clinical Lead in her eventual absence. Zoe had emailed her personally with blatant confusion as to why Connie required a temporary replacement for the role. Connie responded with the party line that she had decided to invest her time in a research project, which would utilise her full attention and she didn't care to jeopardise the safety of the department for further credit to her name. Nevertheless, Zoe rejected the offer; life in the States had treated her well, supposedly.

As she poured herself a cup of herbal tea, Connie settled on the sofa and typed a vehement refusal to Hannsen's proposition that Sam Strachan be second choice for the position. His work as Medical Director had caused her more trouble than she cared to relive.

Darkness fell upon the house, and Connie passed by the hours in construction mode. She could have built the crib with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back. It bode well for round two of motherhood. The first time, she had been almost detached from the entire process; Grace was loved and wanted from the very start, but a distraction to her work, nonetheless. If she had any hope that she would do better for her son, the issue of who would assume the role of Clinical Lead for the department at the time of her maternity leave would have to be addressed. Her brain clicked into action and Connie searched the number in her iPhone address book.

His voice was audibly bewildered, "Mrs. Beauchamp?"

"I hope I haven't disturbed you, Dr. Hardy?" She remarked upon his dismay at what may have appeared a social call.

"No, of course not -"

"I'm afraid I won't be on-shift next week." Connie hindered his reply with her own continued conversation. "But Mr. Hanssen and I had a brief discussion and he supported my request that you run the E.D. in my absence."

"M-Me?" Ethan stuttered in disbelief, mostly at why he had been chosen.

Had it been Lily or Alicia, they would have jumped at the opportunity to prove their worth. "Yes, Dr. Hardy, if you think you can handle the pressure." In the back of her mind, Connie stored the reminder that Cal's death was still raw for him and, undoubtedly, the memory of Scott Ellison's death rattled around his head. At her request, he had attended a therapy session, to balance the emotions that overruled him on a daily basis and the external counsel appeared to help.

"There's so many other people better qualified," Ethan countered, oppositional to himself, as always.

Connie rolled her eyes, impatiently, "Well, if you would rather I asked Dr. Keo -"

His ambitious nature eventually ruptured his anxiety and he cut her off this time. "No, no, I accept. I am more than happy to accept." Ethan was so ecstatic that he failed to question what had caused her unanticipated leave. "Thank you, Mrs. Beauchamp, for your belief in me." He wasn't quite sure what he had done to earn such confidence. He felt honoured. "I promise I won't let you down."

"See to it that you don't," she cooly warned.