This chapter is building up to something so please let me know what you think of the end of this one :) Thanks x

Chapter 29 - Drama, and lots of it

It was the morning of Zoe's birthday and they were both due into work at 11. It was only just turning 8 o'clock but Max was already up and downstairs. He was making some coffee and looking at the bracelet he had bought for Zoe. It was a simple silver bracelet with a heart and key charm on it. He had seen Zoe looking at it, but she hadn't bought it because she said it cost far too much for a bracelet. Max found Zoe so ironic as she wouldn't think twice about spending that money on shoes. Max closed the box, picked up the coffee cups and headed upstairs to Zoe who was just beginning to stir.

"Happy birthday my beautiful girlfriend" he said as he put the coffee down on Zoe's dressing table. She was sat up in her bed looking over at Max, "Why are you up so early, you are literally never this eager." Zoe laughed as Max moved to the end of the bed "Well had to get up before you didn't I. Couldn't have you running around on your birthday" he said winking to her. He walked back over to the table and picked up the small black box before walking back over to Zoe. "Happy birthday baby" This alone got a raised eyebrow from Zoe as it was the first time he had ever said something like that to her. She crawled across the bed to where he was standing to see the box he was holding. "Was that look for the present or what I said?" She looked up at him "Both, but it's something I could get used to hearing" she smiled back at him secretly loving what she had heard him say. Zoe opened the box to see the silver bracelet. She gasped and looked back to Max "Oh my god Max I can't take this…" but before she had time to protest he was taking it out of the box and putting it on her. "Yes you can, and you will" he looked at her "Get used to it as well!" Zoe knelt up and kissed Max who tossed the box across the room before lying Zoe back on the bed.

"I love you Max" Zoe managed to say in between kissing him. Max held Zoe's arms up above her head while kissing her. He rolled over pulling her on top of him "Thank you, its beautiful" she said before carrying on kissing Max.

After an exciting morning Zoe was getting changed ready to go into work. "So I'll be waiting outside for you at 6, then we have an hour to get home and changed before heading to the restaurant." Max was bouncing for tonight as he couldn't wait to for Zoe to have a good memory on her birthday. "Okay, thank you again for doing this. It's already the best birthday I've ever had." Max looked up "Well it should be, I don't do that for just anyone on a Friday morning" he said winking at her before leaving the room.

It was already 2 o'clock at the hospital and Zoe had managed to go the day without anyone mentioning her birthday. Tess, Charlie, Rita and Dylan had all agreed to stay quiet about her birthday. Little did her and Max know that Dylan had actually got everyone together in the staffroom for Zoe. "Okay. There could be one of two responses to this so be open for absolutely anything in a few minutes." Dylan didn't know what to expect from Zoe and so decided to warn everyone who had gathered. "Oh Max, could you try and get Zoe to come in here." Max looked over his shoulder and realised everyone was waiting for her to come in. "It's going to look strange me getting her, someone else will need to do it." They stood there talking until Ash walked by.

Zoe was looking at her desk in her office when there was a knock at the door. Someone opened it as she was muttering to herself. "I am going to kill him when I next see him." She was looking at the balloons and confetti that covered her table. "Zoe, could you come with me please. I just needed your opinion on something." Ash was cowering at her door, as he had been roped into trying to get Zoe to come to the staff room. "Ash is it really important, as in needs sorting right now?" He wasn't the best at trying to lie "Oh just come with me Zoe." He said as he walked over and gently pushed her out of the room. "Ash what are we doing" Zoe asked as she turned around to face him outside of the staffroom. "Just turn around" he said as she opened the door. "SURPRISE! Happy Birthday!" Everyone cheered as she walked in. Zoe didn't know what to say, she thought she had got away with nobody knowing but obviously not. Almost everyone was there: Charlie and Tess, Rita and Dylan, Louise and Noel, Ethan and Honey, Lofty and Robyn, Dixie and Iain, Cal and Lily, oh and of course Max was stood laughing in the corner. Dylan walked up to Zoe "Happy 4-" "Don't even think about it! Or you will regret ever saying it" she said seeing Dylan laugh. "If you're all in here, who is actually working?" Everyone laughed while a few people began to disperse from the staffroom.

Zoe walked over to Max who was still stood in the corner. They didn't act like much of couple when at work but Zoe was about to change that. She walked up to Max and put her arms around his waist. "Was this you?" "Nope. This was all Dylan and Tess, so you can give them whatever you were going to give me!" He said laughing, "Oh okay so I'll go kiss Dylan then shall I?" Max's expression changed straight away realising she was happy with everyone knowing. She laughed at Max's face as he was so serious all of a sudden. Zoe tiptoed up to kiss Max who reciprocated and kissed her back. "Get a room!" Cal shouted from the other side of the staffroom making everybody laugh. Zoe heard a pained sound coming from Cal who had just been hit by Rita, which made everybody laugh again. "I don't pay you to stand around all day. Zoe my office now." Everyone got back to work as Zoe and Max slowly walked out of the office "Good luck there, she sounds happy."

Zoe walked into the office and shut the door behind her. "What's the matter Connie, we were only taking a-" "It was you wasn't it. Couldn't help but get involved and 'protect' people." Zoe was so lost but Connie was obviously sure of what had happened. "Seriously Connie, what is going on?" "Oh don't act like you don't know" "Know what?" Connie spun around "Telling social services I'm a bad mother! Just because you can't have your own, you feel you have to get involved with my life!" Zoe snapped "Hold up. I'd love to know what you are so sure of because I couldn't care less! And to be quite frank you spend your life here, and still think you were a good mother!" Connie was getting angrier and angrier by the minute, as was Zoe. "You have no idea what I had to do! I provided for her, and did everything while her dad was off in another country!" "Yeah and look how well that planned out!" "None of this was down to me, someone filmed what happened in the ED the other day, and I hold you personally responsible for me losing my daughter." "Oh I am not hearing this. YOU WANT SOMEONE TO BLAME, BLAME YOURSELF!" Zoe turned around to leave the room. She opened the door "And you know what, she is better off with someone else because you are a selfish, manipulative cow who cares about no-one but yourself!" Zoe slammed the door shut before walking outside for a cigarette. Everyone had heard the argument and was looking after Zoe who had just walked out.

Max walked outside after half an hour of waiting for Zoe to come back inside. "Hey baby is everything okay? It got pretty heated in there." Zoe just stared at Max who came and sat down next to her. "I'm fine, I just can't believe she would blame me for this. After everything I tried to do to help her." Max looked at her "Don't let her get to you. We all know you didn't do it and that's all that matters." She kissed Max before he jumped up "Anyway birthday girl 1 hour and we're leaving so you can get ready for tonight." She stood up and held his hand as they walked back into the ED "Promise me one thing though." She looked across at him "Forget about what she's said and enjoy tonight, please." Max was giving her that puppy dog face which she couldn't say no to. "Okay, I love you Max" she hugged him before both going their separate ways. She was looking forward to tonight, and was determined to make it a brilliant night. What she wasn't quite prepared for was the next few weeks with Connie.