'Jeff put some oxygen on him and pass me the neck brace please lover.'

'No fucking way Dix.'

'Jeffrey, now.'

'Leave him Dix.'

'Do what?' She asked bemused at what she was hearing.

'I said leave him, don't waste your time on treating him, he doesn't deserve it.'

'That is not for you to decide Jeffrey, our job is to save lives, not play God.'

'He raped you Dixie, he attacked you, he….'

'Don't Jeff, please.' Dixie responded as her voice started to shake.

'You cannot treat him Dixie, not after everything he has done to you, to us.'

'Jeffrey, he is a patient and we are Paramedics, we need to treat him.'

'Well I'm not.' Jeff sat back on his legs folding his arms making it perfectly clear to his wife that he was going to refuse Karl treatment.

'You cannot be serious Jeff?'

'Deadly. He doesn't deserve our help.'

'We don't leave anyone, remember Jeff, we don't leave anyone. Now, I am going to ask you one more time as your boss to put the oxygen on him and pass me a neck brace.' Dixie spoke as calmly as she could whilst maintaining a firm grip on Karl's neck, she didn't want to risk any further injuries if he suddenly woke up and jolted his body.

'No'. Jeff continued to be defiant which only served to annoy Dixie even more.

'Jeffrey Collier I am ordering you to get the bloody Oxygen and a neck brace. After that you are to go and treat some of the minor injuries and leave me to deal with Karl.' Dixie spoke turning slightly to face her husband keeping her tone hushed but making sure her anger was showing.

'I am not leaving you with him.'

'It is not like he is going anywhere is it?' Dixie tried to remain calm but she was finding this harder by the second. 'Neck Brace and Oxygen then go and make yourself useful somewhere else Collier.'

(I didn't want to leave her nor did I want her treating Karl, but one thing I have learnt over the years is not to mess with Dixie at work. She will have no problem hauling me over the coals at work if I stepped out of line, on numerous occasions she has told me off in front of other paramedics for misbehaving, being unprofessional etc. I think she does it publically because we have had some stick over the years that I get special treatment because I am married to her, I can tell you now I don't. I think, if anything, I get more of a rough ride because I am married to her. I knew she was cross with me, but I couldn't just forget what that piece of shit had done to her and there she was willing to treat him. I had no choice, I had to follow her instruction and leave knowing full well I was in for one hell of a bollocking at work as well as when we got home.)

'Here.' Jeff spat as he roughly placed the oxygen on him and threw her a neck brace before getting up to leave.

Dixie struggled to get the brace on, but once she was sure it was secure, she moved to sit as best as she could in front of Karl to get IV access going as well as check his vitals.

'Got yourself in a bit of a mess here haven't you kid?' she said as she put in a couple of lines and set up a saline drip. 'Don't worry though, we are going to get you out and take you to the ED.'

Karl didn't respond to her, he was out cold and in a way Dixie was pleased about this, it made her job that little bit easier knowing that he couldn't respond, couldn't insult, couldn't remind her of what he did, what he took. She was struggling enough to hold it together, but she did.

It seemed like she was waiting an eternity for the fire crews to cut Karl out, she had given him some morphine and placed a frac pack on his arm and leg. The entrapment was going to be hard; she just hoped he stayed unconscious so he wouldn't feel the pain, however, best laid plans of mice and men.

'OK Karl, I need you to stay calm for me, we are going to try and lift you out. Now I am not going to lie to you, but it is going to hurt.' Dixie said in her usual sympathetic way as Karl slowly came to.

'AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.'

'OK sweetheart, take nice deep breaths on this for me, come on you are doing really well.'

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR RRR.'

'OK fellas can we stop a minute so I can get a look at the leg before we proceed thank you.' Dixie ordered the firemen as they ceased their rescue so she could get a better look. It didn't look good, his leg was severely dislocated and the bone had broken the skin, it was going to need reducing and reducing fast.

'OK Karl, if we are going to save your leg we need to move quickly OK, I will give you some more morphine, OK?' Dixie asked as she prepared the injection.

'Why are you doing this?'

'It's my job mate.'

'I raped you lezza, I beat you up in front of your pathetic husband, do you still want to help me?'

'OK, there is the morphine in, OK fellas, let's get him out.'

'AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR for fucks sake.' Karl screamed as he was released from the car and placed on a board on the trolley. Dixie wasted no time in applying dressings to his leg and strapping him up.

(I heard Karl scream as he was loaded onto the trolley so I knew he was awake, I was scared as to what he would say or try and do to Dixie, so, I left the minors with Stevie and Dom to go and be with my wife. I knew she probably wouldn't want me there after what I had done and I was all too well prepared for the frosty reception, but I had to be with her, I couldn't leave her.)

'Dix let me help.' Jeff said as he got closer to his wife who was busying herself not looking at Karl who was laying there with a sadistic grin on his face.

'Oh look, here comes your sad and pathetic husband.' He smirked.

'It's OK Jeff, I have got it.'

'No Dix, its fine, let me help.'

'I SAID I HAVE GOT IT.' Dixie shouted back looking directly into Jeff's eyes as she did, this only provided Karl with the entertainment he needed, he may have been in immense pain, but there was something delightful about watching the two of them argue.

'Oh dear, is all not right with Mr and Mrs Collier?' he smirked

'Shut it you little shit.' Jeff spat back getting all in Karl's face.

'Jeffrey.' Dixie called.

'Yeah, listen to your boss Jeffrey, I know you want to do me in, but I know as well as you do, if you did, with all of these witnesses, you will lose your job. Shall I take that away from you as well as your…'

'I SAID SHUT IT.' Jeff roared causing Karl to laugh and Dixie to glare. (I knew I shouldn't have responded, I shouldn't have let him get to me, but it was so hard, it really was. She banned me from driving them back to the ED, she got Dom to do it instead, I was sent off to help Stevie. I made Dom promise though to look after her, I kind of told him that if anything happened, I would come after him. I can remember watching as they loaded Karl in, I stood there feeling helpless and angry, Dixie didn't even look at me, and I knew I had annoyed her.)

'Let's go Dom.' Dixie called as she shut the back doors not making eye contact with Jeff who was stood there watching. As she moved in the back of the ambulance, Karl was gloating, trying to get Dixie to react to him in any way he could.

'So Lezza, how is married life treating you now a day?'

Dixie didn't respond but carried on checking his vitals and filling in the paperwork.

'Oi, I am talking to you beast.'

Still no response.

'Oh Lezza, what am I to do with you and your husband?'

'I need you to keep this mask on for me taking nice long deep breaths.' Dixie responded moving the mask back over Karl's mouth.

'This is going to be one long ride for you Lezza, one long ride.'

Dixie didn't respond, she was determined to remain professional, she was a paramedic, her job, to treat patients no matter who they were or what they had done. Karl was trying hard to get a response, he wanted to show her that even though he was immobilised, he was still the boss, someone to be feared.

'So, Lezza, how is your husband, still wants to be with you even though I got there first? Does he still hold you like you want him to? Oh yeah, I mean to ask, how are your children?' As soon as Karl said this, Dixie's facial expression changed, it was one thing Karl taunting her about the rape, but it was another to talk about the twins. Thankfully she didn't need to respond to that either, the back doors opened, they had arrived at the ED.

(She only told me about this afterwards, how she held it together, remained calm, maintained the upper hand in the situation I will never know, but I am immensely proud of her, she proved to be the better person that day, I knew it, she knew it and deep down the little shit called Karl knew it as well. But, no matter what, she still carried on treating him and helping him, she wouldn't come near me when all I wanted to do was hold her close, it all came out in the end though. I often wondered throughout those few months how much more she could take, and that day, I saw her break).

A / N – Not too happy with the ending I am afraid, but I couldn't think of anything else.