It was 2am when Connie was woken suddenly by a loud crash from outside, sitting bolt up right she realised it was a thunderstorm outside. Creeping out of bed, she tiptoed along the corridor to check on Grace. Once she was satisfied that Grace was blissfully unaware of the raging thunderstorm outside, she headed downstairs to get a glass of water, when she noticed Michael's light on and could here the television blazing and pushed gently on the door to see if he was also awake
"Connie is that you?"
"Yes" she said nervously, stepping into the spare room to see Michael sat on the bed watching television, "I um was checking on Grace when I saw your light on" she explained.
"Do you want to join me?" he offered, "it's just a trashy late night film, but it drowns out the storm."
"Thanks, I wasn't really looking forward to going back to bed," she said joining him on the bed, "I even half hoped the storm would wake Grace up and that would give me something to do." She admitted.
"No such luck" he smiled, "maybe the next one won't be such a good sleeper" he joked.
"Ha," she scoffed, "just wait until our baby's born and you have to spend half the night rocking a screaming brat back to sleep!"
"I will love every second of it!"
"Sure, I'll remind of this conversation in one years time!"
"We'll be fine Connie" he promised
"You and the baby, or you and me?" she asked as she leant up against him.
"Both" he said confidently, as he put his arm around her, "Connie you're freezing! Get under the covers before you catch pneumonia!" he instructed, pulling her closer.
"Just don't go getting any ideas"
"Would I ever?" he feigned insult, as they snuggled down to watch the film.
As the credits rolled, Michael looked down at Connie, who was struggling to keep her eyes open, "I think the storm is easing up now, do you want to go back to bed and get some sleep?"
"Too tired" she mumbled, "can I just stay here?"
"Of course, I'll just turn the light off" by the time he had slipped back into bed Connie was almost sound asleep, "I love he whispered" as he kissed her softly.
"Love you" she mumbled in her sleep as she cuddled up to him.
When Michael stirred next morning, he instinctively reached out for Connie, only she was not there, for a split second he feared that he had dreamed the whole thing, but quickly concluded that if it had been a dream they would have made mad, passionate love before falling asleep. At first he worried that she had regretted falling asleep and had gone back to her own bed, and then he heard the distinct sound of someone throwing up, coming from the bathroom. He went downstairs and poured her a glass of water, returned upstairs and gently pushed open the bathroom door, revealing Connie hunched over the toilet bowel, "morning sickness?"
"What do you think?" she snapped, sitting back and flushing the toilet.
"Sorry, I brought you some water" he said sitting down and handed it to her.
"Thanks" she took and few tentative sips and breathed deeply, "sorry I didn't mean to snap."
"That's ok, are you feeling better?"
"Hmm, a bit, what's the time?"
"About 7am"
"Time to be getting up then" she sighed.
"You don't have to, be a rebel and take the day off"
"Michael, if I take the day off every time I get a bit of morning sickness I might never go to work!"
"Fine" he sulked, "just don't work too hard"
"Sure, now get out of here" as she shooed him out of the bathroom.
Despite the unpleasant bout of morning sickness, Connie had had a fairly good morning, after she had showered and dressed she managed to get Grace up and fed without any tantrums and was sitting the living room floor with Grace playing with the farmhouse animals set. Connie was rather proud watching Grace correctly identify the different animals and their sounds, she was trying to ignore the fact that her daughter was currently making the cow eat all the animals – an explanation of the risks of BSE and CJD would take too long this early in the morning. When Sarah the nanny did turn up, only two minutes late for once, Connie let her in and went to get her shoes and coat on while Grace showed Sarah what animal the cow would eat next.
Coming down the stairs, all set for work, she kissed Grace on the cheek and said, "bye bye sweetpea, mummy's off to work now", Grace's face fell her bottom lip quivered, the farmhouse animals forgotten she burst into tears and grabbed onto Connie's legs.
Sobbing hysterically Grace cried "No mama noooooo!!!!!!!" over and over.
Dumbstruck Connie lifted her up, this had the effect of quietening Grace, she still clung onto her mother with a vice like grip.
"Sweetheart what's the matter?"
"No go" Grace sniffed.
"But sweetheart I have to go to work," Grace just tightened her grip and buried her head in Connie's shoulder, "you like Sarah don't you? She's going to take you to the park later" Connie tried looking helplessly at Sarah and mouthing "did something happen yesterday?" at her.
Sarah shook her head, Grace was usually a perfectly well behaved little girl, and unlike all the other staff from the agency Sarah was able to get along with Mrs Beauchamp without having a nervous breakdown.
"Grace I have to go" Connie said sternly, trying to pull her daughter off her. This only resulted in more histrionics from Grace, "how about I come home for lunch Grace?"
"Noooooooooooo!" she wailed, Connie looked at the time, if she did not leave now then she was going to be late.
"Right" she said sighing, "you are both going to have to come to work with me," this finally calmed Grace down, "but it is going to be very boring Grace!" Grace did not care, she had won this battle, "Sarah you are going to have to follow me to the hospital in your car, then as soon as she gets bored you can take her home."
Strolling onto the ward, carrying a puffy eyed Grace and being followed by Sarah, with Connie's bag and Grace's things, Connie was trying not to attract too much attention and look as professional as possible. When she reached the office Elliot was already there, not a good sign; she must have been really late.
"Morning" Elliot chirped, "Oh I see we have a guest" he said noticing Grace, "Nothing wrong is it?" he added, taking in Grace's puffy eyes, "Nanny trouble?"
"No everything's fine – madam refused to let me go to work." She sighed, "I have brought the nanny," she added turning around to see that she had lost Sarah, sticking her head out of the door "Sarah, in here!" she instructed, frustrated that Donna Jackson had already cornered her. "I hope you don't mind, I thought we could swap today – you take my theatre list and I'll keep an eye on the ward and catch up on paperwork? Hopefully she'll get bored soon and Sarah can take her home."
"That's fine, they can be quite demanding at that age" Elliot sympathised.
"Well trust me this is not going to happen again. She will get bored here and tomorrow she will be perfectly happy to stay at home." Connie said confidently as she put Grace down on the floor and found her plastic farm animals to play with.
"Well Grace, it's lovely to have you with us" Elliot smiled, "Hey Grace – would you like to play with this?" he waved a stethoscope at her.
"Elliot – no" Connie started but Grace had already got hold of it.
"That's a stethoscope Grace, it's what Mummy uses to make people better"
"Shouldn't you be on your way to theatre Elliot?" Connie suggested, before Elliot could give Grace anything else to play with.
"Of course, on my way – see you later Grace" he chirped as he left the office.
"Right I need to go and do a ward round so Grace you can sit here" she lifted her up and sat her at the desk and do some colouring" she added as she put the Winnie the Pooh colouring book and some crayons down in front of her, Grace's face started to drop, "I am just going to be the other side of that door Grace, I will be back very, very soon" Connie promised, grateful that Grace seemed happy enough with that. "Sarah I will just be out on the ward if there's a problem, try to make sure she does not break anything."
Grace had finished her colouring, and decided to go and show her Mummy, she had said that she was just the other side of the door, and she was pretty sure Sarah would not mind as the nanny was chatting on her phone. Slipping down off the chair, colouring book in one hand stethoscope in the other, she pushed open the door and toddled off onto the ward. All too soon it became apparent to Grace that Mummy had lied, she was not just the other side of the door, she was no-where to be seen – running up to the nearest grown up in a pretty blue dress, she shouted "want Mama" and burst into tears.
Connie was just finishing up and giving the group of medical students their last set of instructions before she let them loose on her patients, when she saw Donna Jackson carrying her sobbing daughter.
"Mrs Beauchamp – I think this belongs to you" she said as she dumped Grace into Connie's arms, that Mrs Beauchamp was the only parent she knew who would think a stethoscope was an appropriate toy for a baby.
"Nurse Jackson, do you think you could just take her back to my office – the nanny should be in there."
"Nope – I'm supposed to be on AAU, Mark will kill me if I'm late. Besides you are who she wants, the water works will start again" she grinned.
"Right – where were we" Connie turned to her medical students.
"Ook!" Grace interrupted and shoved the colouring book in Connie's face.
"Yes very nice Grace, but I'm working. Right well I think we are just about done, any questions I will be in my office – don't be afraid to ask; a stupid question is better than a dead patient!" With that she stormed off to the office, furious that the nanny had let Grace escape.
Storming into her office, Connie saw a panicked looking Sarah pacing up and down.
"Oh thank God you found her."
"Actually my nursing staff found her. How exactly did she get out of the office?"
"I was only on the phone for two minutes, she was colouring and I just didn't think she could reach the door handle." She babbled.
"Whatever, just don't let it happen again!" she snapped, "Can you just keep her occupied so I can get on with some paperwork.
The next couple of hours went by slowly, Connie found it hard to concentrate on what she was doing with Grace playing in the background, she refused to join in the games though as that would mean that Grace would get what she wanted – and she was supposed to be getting bored so she would want to go home. There was a sharp knock on the door, bringing Connie out of her day dream, "come in" in walked Sam Strachan.
"Hi – I heard a rumour that you had very important guest" he said, picking Grace up and bouncing her, making her giggle.
"A very, stroppy guest." Connie corrected.
"Well I have a break now and thought Gracie might like to accompany me to lunch."
"Yes please, take her!" Connie said rather eagerly, "but don't spoil her, this is not supposed to be a treat."
"Sure" Sam agreed half heartedly, "do you want to join us for lunch?" he offered.
"No thanks – with Grace out of the office I may actually be able to get some work done." She sighed, she was still feeling nauseas, and the idea of sitting in the staff café with the smell of all that food was too much.
"Do you want me to bring you something back?"
"Just a salad, thanks – no prawns!"
"Ok, say bye bye to Mummy Gracie" he said leaving the office.
A couple of hours later Sam returned to Connie's office with Grace and a giant soft rabbit from the gift shop. Grace ran ahead into the office shouting excitedly "Mama, mama ook!"
"What sweetpea?"
"Bunny!" Grace announced as Sam walked in.
"Sam – that is bigger than her!" she exclaimed.
"She fell in love with it – and it was on sale" he defended.
"But she doesn't need any more – and this is not supposed to be a fun day, how am I ever supposed to leave her at home if she thinks the hospital is fun!"
"Sorry – look it's my day off tomorrow, how about I come round in the morning so you can get out the door without a tantrum?" he offered.
"Thanks, that might help," as much as she hated to admit that she might need Sam's help, she could not face another day like today – and it was only lunchtime.
"I got your salad" – he offered hoping that would make amends as he put the bunny on the sofa.
"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow morning"
The rest of the afternoon was reasonably uneventful, Grace had been suitably distracted with feeding the giant bunny all of her farm animals that Connie had even been able to deal with an emergency in theatre. There had been a constant stream of nurses, who would usually be terrified of her office, turning up just to play with Grace. Grace of course was lapping up the attention and in a very great danger of becoming spoilt, not to mention grossly overweight from all the sweets and biscuits she was being given.
When Connie came back from theatre she was greeted by Grace waving a foul smelling ice-lolly at her, "Mama ook" she dribbled, Connie's stomach churned and she bolted for the ladies.
When she returned a few minutes later, Elliot had got rid of the remains of the ice lolly and cleaned Grace up, looking sheepishly he apologised "Sorry, are you ok?"
"Fine" Connie sighed, "where's the nanny?"
"I um said she could go to the shop and get a magazine."
"Right." Connie said sitting on the sofa, sipping from a bottle of water. Grace climbed up on the sofa and onto her mother's lap.
"My Mama" she declared throwing her arms dramatically around Connie's neck.
"Yes Grace" Connie said tiredly as she shifted to make herself more comfortable.
"I can hold the fort here – if you want to head off early?" Elliot offered.
"No that's ok – I want to wait for Mr Peters test results before I head off." Just then Jayne Grayson walked into the office.
"Ah so the rumours are true" she stated, spotting Grace curled up angelically on Connie's lap.
"This isn't what it looks like Jayne." Connie said defensively standing up, holding Grace.
"Really, because it looks as though you have a baby in your office?"
"Well yes – but nanny is here, well obviously not here here but somewhere in the hospital. The patients weren't affected, and I am on top of all my paperwork."
"Relax Connie that is not why I'm here, just don't let it become a habit hey?"
"Sure."
"Right well I just wanted to make sure that you were both aware that I am showing new board members around tomorrow"
"Yes of course." Connie and Elliot nodded in unison.
"And Connie, whilst the students may seem to be getting younger and younger I don't think Grace could pass for one – even with the stethoscope."
"Yes sorry – Elliot you shouldn't have given it to her, you'll never see it again." She chastised, making it clear to Jayne that she was not responsible for the inappropriate toy. As Jayne left Connie felt Grace starting to relax too much, "Oh come on Grace don't fall asleep on me now," Connie wined trying to bounce her awake.
"We've obviously worn her out," Elliot chuckled.
"It's not funny, she will wake up at 3am if I let her sleep now. Come on Grace, lets play with the cow shall we."
"Noooo!" Grace responded sleepily. Just then Donna walked in.
"Mr Peters test results" she handed the envelope to Connie.
"Right thanks, I had better go and have a chat with him" she said reading them. Elliot could you possibly…"
"Watch Grace would love to."
"And please don't let her fall asleep, read her a story or something" she said handing the barely awake tot to Elliot.
When Connie returned to the office 10 minutes later, not only had Grace fallen asleep but so had Elliot, they looked quite cute really, so she took a photo on her phone to use blackmail them with later. She then cleared her throat loudly which woke Elliot, "that's the last time I ask you to babysit!" she scoffed.
"Sorry" Elliot apologised.
"Has the nanny been back?"
"Yes – I sent her home for you, she said she would try and be early tomorrow."
"Thanks. I don't suppose you could give me a hand getting all this to the car?" Connie sighed, Grace had managed to make more mess in the office than Elliot on a bad day.
"Sure, you take Grace and I'll take the bunny and the bags."
"Thanks." After they had arrived at the car, and got Grace settled Connie thanked Elliot again and set off home vowing not to ever bring Grace to work again until she was old enough to be useful.