ReadingxTherapy: Thank you. It was quite nice to write a long chapter for a change. More of them to come. Thank you for your review.

Citylightsonthew: Aw, that's okay. Thank you for your review.

Guest: There will be, yes. It's going to be hard, but you'll soon see what happens. Thank you for your review.

Guest: Sorry it's taken so long. Enjoy, and thank you for your review.

Chapter Twenty-One

It was the day before the trial.

Although Alicia was at work, it was pretty clear that she was distracted. She was quiet, jumpy, on edge, and it was as if she'd forgot everything about being a doctor. Connie had to drag her to one side at one point and ask if she was definitely okay to work, but she'd denied everything and said that she was fine.

"Alicia. Can I have a word?" Lily asked later, when Alicia had finished with a patient. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Alicia answered bluntly. "Just trying to get on with my work."

"Have you had a break?" Lily questioned her.

"Bit hypocritical, isn't it?" Alicia scoffed. "You're not exactly one to take regular breaks at work."

"You need one though," Lily said. "Isn't it the trial tomorrow?" Alicia didn't say anything to that, and just went to walk away. "If you aren't well enough to work, then maybe you need to go home," Lily said, deciding to follow her. "Alicia. Tomorrow is a huge day for you, so no one would judge you for taking some time out."

"I don't want to go," Alicia whispered, turning to face her.

"I know," Lily sighed. "But you can't be here, can you? You're not..."

"Not home," Alicia cut her off. "I don't want to go to the trial."

"Alicia, you have to," Lily said. "I know it's not going to be easy, but you have to go. I'll be there with you, I promise."

"Are you still coming?" Alicia asked her.

"I said I would, didn't I?" Lily said and reached across to give her shoulder a comforting rub. "I - I've never really said this before Alicia and I will kill you if you repeat this to anyone, but you're my best friend."

"Really?" Alicia giggled, even though she was close to tears.

"Really," Lily said. "You will be fine tomorrow. I'm going to be with you every step of the way. Now, have you had a break today?" Alicia folded her arms shyly and shook her head. "Eaten anything?" Alicia just shook her head again. "I would like you to go and have something, please."

"But Mrs Beauchamp..."

"You leave Mrs Beauchamp to me," Lily said. "Besides, I'm sure she'd rather you take a break and grab some food anyway."

"Yes, mum," Alicia said and rolled her eyes.

"Go, your head clearly isn't in the right place and that's okay," Lily said. "I'll come and talk to you in a bit if that's okay."

"I don't think it's a good idea for Alicia to go tomorrow," Iain said to Connie and Elle, whilst he was on a break. "She's already been terrified enough. What's going to happen when she comes face to face with this guy again?"

"She doesn't really have a choice, Iain," Connie said. "Doctor Gardner and I will be there, and I think Lily has agreed to go as well."

"Lily has a choice though," Iain said. "Is that really such a good idea, considering what she's been through."

"Lily told Alicia that she would," Elle put in. "If she didn't feel comfortable enough, she would have said no. Just don't worry, okay?"

"But Alicia has already tried to kill herself once," Iain said, causing Connie and Elle to both look up. "What if she does it again?" Iain asked, completely ignoring their worried and confused faces. "Also, I don't want Lily to get bad either."

"Stop talking, Iain," Connie said. "What do you mean by Alicia tried to kill herself? When?"

Iain's chest tightened, as he suddenly realised what he'd said.

"I...I thought you'd know," he whispered. "Lily told me."

Connie sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "No, we didn't know."

"Sorry," he apologised quickly. "I..."

"Could you just give us a minute?" Connie asked him politely.

Iain didn't hesitate to walk away.

"Why didn't she tell us about this?" Connie asked Elle. "Why didn't Lily tell us about this?"

"Maybe they didn't want to worry us," Elle sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just as shocked as you though. Rape is a horrible thing to go through, Alicia has struggled so much, but I never expected her to try and take her own life."

"Neither did I," Connie whispered. "Should we talk to her about it?"

"As doctors, we do have a duty of care," Elle said. "She needs professional help, Connie. We can do so much, but - What about that counsellor Lily saw? Is it worth getting Alicia an appointment with her?"

"I have been thinking about it, believe me," Connie said and rubbed at the back of her neck. "Let's leave it for now. The trial is tomorrow, and she's probably already stressing as it is. I'll talk to her, when the moment is right."

"Mind if I join you?" Ethan asked, gesturing to the empty space on the sofa beside Alicia.

Alicia was in the middle of enjoying a delicious salad for lunch, but she nodded and allowed him to sit. Truthfully, she wasn't even that hungry, but Lily had practically forced her to take a break and eat something before she passed out again.

"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" Ethan asked, feeling quite anxious and scared about asking.

He knew that Alicia probably wanted to erase the trial from her mind, but he wanted to see if she was okay. He cared so much about her.

"I don't know," she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Terrified."

"That's understandable," Ethan said. "Is anyone going with you?"

"Mrs Beauchamp and Elle," Alicia told him. "But Lily said that she'd come with me as well."

"That's nice of her," Ethan said. "I'm proud of you, Alicia. Whatever happens tomorrow, I'm proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself as well. You've had it tough, but you've come out as a stronger person."

Alicia swallowed some food and nervously asked, "Do you mean that?"

"Of course I mean it," Ethan said. "I wouldn't lie to you. I can - I can always come along to support you, if you want."

"Thank you for the offer, Ethan," Alicia said and shook her head. "But it's okay. You'll be needed here and it's not as if I'm going to be alone anyway. I'll have people."

"Will you be coming back to work at all?" He asked. "Sorry, stupid question."

"It's not stupid," Alicia said. "But I probably won't be."

"I get that," he said. "Text me afterwards, okay? Let me know how it goes. I'll be thinking of you."

Sorry the chapter was so short, but it was just a filler before the trial.

I hope you all enjoy the start of Alicia's storyline tonight. Chelsea is going to be amazing! My story will be nowhere near as good, but I hope you're still enjoying it. Let me know what you think x