"Hello, which emergency service do you require?"
"Ambulance, 34 year old woman, presenting with rapid and severe seizures, not coming out of it herself. Address is 47 Pond Road, Holby City. I'm the Lead Consultant at Holby ED, please just tell me how long an ambulance will be." Connie begged, displacing her pleas for Rita to be ok onto the information given by the operator.
"ETA 2 minutes." The operator told her, Connie immediately hung up.
After what seemed like an eternity an ambulance crew kicked in the door, Connie had never been so glad to see Dixie and Jeff's face in her life.
"Squirt?" Dixie dropped down next to Rita who was till fitting on the floor.
"She's been fitting for 5 minutes, no previous injuries or history of fitting." Connie told Dixie, who just looked at the older woman, wondering what Rita was doing at her sworn enemy's house.
"OK Dix, we need 5 of lorazepam, then let's get her in." Jeff said. "Mrs B, just keep doing what you're doing, hold her still." Jeff smiled at Connie who looked like she was going to lose it.
The next 15 minutes was a blur, Rita stopped convulsing but started again almost immediately as they made it into the ambulance.
Connie starting to cry as Dixie drove as fast as possible to the hospital.
They were dashed into Resus, where Zoe, Charlie and Cal all poured over the little girl, Connie hovering nervously in the background.
A further 10 minutes and Rita was in the intensive care unit, a diagnosis which came bearing a piece of shocking news.
Connie sat silently by Rita's bed, an IV leading into her arm, a central line in her chest and several monitors checking her vitals, along with an oxygen to mask to aid her now laboured breathing.
Connie glanced over Rita, not knowing how she had missed something she should have seen, Connie had just attributed all of the symptoms to Rita's horrifying experience from a few weeks ago.
"She's going to be out of it for at least another 12 hours." Zoe poked her head in the door.
Connie wiped her eyes before turning around to look at the Doctor.
"I have to pick up Grace from the airport in 2 hours. What am I going to tell her? She is expecting weeks full of fun, and I don't know how much fun I can have worrying about Rita here." Connie let a tear slip from her usually emotionless façade.
"Wash you face, put on a smile, tell her one of your closest friends is really poorly so you're not feeling your usual self." Zoe told her, her heart really going out to both Rita and Connie, who seemed to be so happy together, yet life seemed determined to try and trip them at every hurdle.
"We were going to tell her about us… Before anyone else…" Connie wiped her tears again, standing up from the bed. "Page me if she wakes up, I want to be here, ok?" Connie asked, Zoe nodding her agreeing as she watched Connie walk out of the door to get her car.
Connie arrived at the airport, she checked her appearance in the mirror, for the one billionth time.
She cursed out loud to see her eyes were red and her makeup had smudged down her face, Grace may only be 4 years old but she still recognised when there was something wrong with her mother.
Connie found a packet of baby wipes, removing all of the makeup from her face, before checking her watch and practically running into the airport.
She made it to the correct gate, just in time to see Grace appear, her hand clasped tightly in an air hostesses as she looked around for her mother.
"Gracie?" Connie called, Grace immediately yanking her arm out of the other woman's and running straight for her mother.
Connie scooped her up, a few tears rolling down her face as she held Grace tightly against her chest.
"I have missed you so much!" Connie said, kissing the little girl once more and taking the suitcase of the hostess. "Thank you for looking after her." Connie smiled, the woman nodding and leaving the two Beauchamps alone together.
"Mummy why are you crying?" Grace asked, her dark eyebrows furrowed together as she talked.
"Why don't we get something to eat baby? I can tell you then." Connie decided she might as well tell Grace everything, Grace may get upset at first, but it would make everything so much easier in the long run.
"Can we get Lucky Charms, I always have Lucky Charms for breakfast at Daddy's house!" Grace babbled, Connie taking hold of her hand and leading her to a small café, where, much to Grace's disappointment, didn't serve Lucky Charms.
"Why were you crying then mummy?" Grace asked, half a mouthful of toast and bacon.
"I'm going to tell you quite a lot of things Gracie, ok? If you don't understand anything, just ask." Grace nodded, taking another bite of her food as Connie summoned up the will power to explain everything to Grace.
"I have a girlfriend, her name is Rita Freeman, she is a Nurse at the hospital where I work..." Connie paused as Grace swallowed a mouthful and started to talk.
"But you were married to daddy… Do you like boys and girls?" Grace asked, more curious than anything else.
"Yeah, I guess…" Connie shrugged.
"Cool, I didn't know you could do that!" Grace looked amazed, deep in thought as she squirted rather a large amount of ketchup on her plate.
"Well Rita…" Connie didn't want to tell Grace about the rape and was trying to think of a way to explain it to her carefully. "She got hurt really bad, so she came to live with me. But she didn't get better, she got worse and now she's in intensive care at the hospital…" Connie sniffed, determined not to cry in front of Grace. "She's really poorly, that's why mummy's sad." Connie took hold of Graces hand. "But we're still going to have loads of fun whilst you're here."
"Can we go and see her?" Grace asked, wiping her face, ketchup smudging across her cheek as Connie half shook her head.
"She's still asleep right now, why don't we take your stuff home…" Connie suggested.
"But she's all by herself. I hate being on my own when I'm poorly." Grace pouted.
"Ok, you have to be really quiet though." Connie told her, Grace nodding.
