Chapter 20
Connie woke up on the sofa. She'd hardly slept last night and sitting up she realised just how much her back hurt from the position she'd been in. As she woke up she remembered why she was down here and not upstairs next to Cal.
Cal was lying in the bed as he had been all night long. He thought she might have come up and tried to talk to him, but she hadn't. It was like he'd given her the clean break she needed. He wanted to go down to her, tell her he didn't mean any of it and that he was sorry. But if she had wanted an apology surely she'd have come up and spoke to him. He was bought from his thoughts when Connie pushed the door open carefully thinking he was asleep.
Instead of speaking to him she got some fresh clothes out and went straight into the bathroom to get ready for work. Coming out she noticed Cal was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. "There's some paracetamol top drawer… Don't worry about coming in until this afternoon if you're not feeling good." That's all she said before walking for the door. "Connie-" "Don't, just leave it." She left the room and he heard the front door close. Cal picked up the glass on the side and threw it against the wall before getting up and sorted for work.
Arriving at the hospital Cal wandered in without speaking to anyone out the front. He went to Connie's office hoping he could talk to her but realised she wasn't in there, and it didn't look she was even here. "Charlie where's Connie?" Cal walked over to where the nurse was standing looking at Cal confused. "It's Thursday, she's not working today." Cal turned away and went into the staffroom taking his coat off and closing his locker again. If she wasn't here where had she gone.
Connie was sitting on her own at a bar looking down at the glass in front of her. "It's not like you to be sitting alone at this time of day? What was the urgency?" Connie looked up as the other man sat down next to her. He ordered a drink before looking back to her. Connie sighed looking up again "Is the offer still there?" Joseph looked across at Connie who seemed like she was fighting what she was saying.
He sipped at his drink before putting it down. "And do you really want that?" Connie looked back down "Has something happened-" "Do you want me to come to Brussels or not?" She returned her gaze to him as he nodded "Of course, but only if you're sure you want to go."
Cal was wandering around the hospital when he bumped into Zoe. "Dr Knight, it may help if you watch where you're going instead of staring at your phone…" He apologised before starting to walk away. "Cal, what's happened?" He stopped turning to Zoe "Did Connie ever say anything to you about a job opportunity in Brussels?" She looked at him and he knew she had known about it. Zoe began walking and Cal fell into step with her. They stopped out of ear shot of everyone else before Zoe spoke again. "She told me about how incredible it was, and what a brilliant offer it was… And she knew she'd be an idiot to turn it down-" Cal's face dropped but what she said next took him by surprise "So she said she'd rather be an idiot at home with you than take it."
Connie was still sitting with Joseph when her phone began to ring. She looked down at it and noticed a picture of Cal come up. She ended the call and returned her attention to Joseph. "I'm beginning to think that you really don't want to go-" "Look Joseph, I didn't come here to talk about my personal life I came here to talk to you about the job." Her phone rang again, and again until finally Joseph spoke. "Talk to him… It's obviously important. Call me again after you have, and we'll talk about the job." With that Joseph stood and left, Connie still looking at the space he had vacated.
Getting into her car she drove back to the ED and pulled up in the car park. It was raining pretty heavily now and she turned the engine off just sitting there. She was holding her keys in her hand as her phone rang once again. She picked it up almost answering it but instead just let it ring, staring out of the window as the rain fell.
Cal was on a break and decided to try her once more. Still no answer. He pulled his jumper on as he stepped out of the entrance, staying under the shelter. When he looked up he realised Connie's car was back but he hadn't seen her come inside yet. Cal stepped out into the pouring rain and ran over to the door opening it and getting in.
Connie was pulled out of her daydream to the door opening and a drenched Cal getting in looking at her. Neither of them spoke, instead Cal reached a hand out and rested it on her leg causing her to look at him again. He pulled it away and sat back looking out the front window as she did. "Are you going?" Connie shrugged "I don't know." It was quiet again but Cal broke the silence by talking "I love you Con." She felt tears begin to build in her eyes instead she took a breath looking over at him. "Really? Because last night you seemed pretty sure what you wanted-" "And so did you a couple weeks ago talking to Zoe about it. About being an idiot who stayed here…"
They remained in the car for a while before Connie spoke. "Listen I've got to phone Joseph, I'll see you at home?" Cal nodded thinking he hadn't got through to her, thinking he'd lost her for good this time. "Right, see you later." He got out the car and ran over to the entrance stopping to look at the car again. "Joseph? We need to talk."
Connie walked in to the small hotel lobby to see Joseph sitting at one of the tables. He stood up upon seeing her as she walked over. They both sat down before he spoke. "How about I make a new offer. You take the job, but you're not coming to Brussels. Just listen, don't talk." Connie sat back listening as her old colleague spoke. "You only need to be there for a few days, then I'm going to move the project over here. I've spoken to an old friend, pulled some strings and we've got somewhere in Holby that has the capacity to hold everything. It would mean you can keep the role in the ED, keep your family, keep your life… But you'll get the recognition for the project."
She wasn't sure what to say. Connie sat there thinking about everything he'd just said before looking back at him and smiling.
The drive home seemed to take forever for Connie but as soon as she got there she noticed someone moving around in the living room. As she walked into the house she could smell something cooking. Walking round the corner she noticed Cal had cooked but that he was now pacing the living room with a worried expression on his face which faded slightly when he saw her. He began to walk towards her until she spoke. "I took the job."
Cal stopped where he was "W-w-what? No, no, no please don't-" "Just shut up for a minute okay?" She watched as Cal sat down and stared down at the floor. Connie walked further into the room. "I spoke to Joseph, I went there to tell him I couldn't do it… That it was too much for me to leave behind." She walked closer to Cal and knelt down in front of him looking up into his face. "He pulled some strings, got the okay for me to run the research… But from Holby. I'm not going to Brussels, how could I?" Cal looked at her as she said those words before she leaned up and kissed him. His hands moving either side of her face.
When they pulled apart he looked into her face moving his thumb across her cheek where a tear was trailing down her cheek. Connie sniffed trying to stop herself from crying. "I thought I'd lost you for good this time…" She shook her head as she rested a hand on top of his. "I can't leave, for the first time I have something to stick around for." He pulled her into a hug never wanting to let her go.
Connie stood up looking down at him. "Anyway, I don't think I could have got on a plane at the moment." Cal stood up and walked with her into the kitchen not asking any questions. "Why? Scared of heights all of a sudden?" Cal laughed before looking up into Connie's face and noticing the serious expression on her face. "I think I'm pregnant Cal…"
