MrsWhovian: I really hope that you're feeling better. I'm here if you ever want a chat. You do have a good point, I have a job and I still like to keep my CV updated. A couple of people on Twitter said that she's definitely leaving though, although I don't know how they know. I probably shouldn't get so upset until it's been confirmed.

Scarlett: I hope she isn't :-)

casualcasualty: Thanks so much, and they are. I love them so much.

Chapter Thirty-Six

The staff were soon allowed to return to Holby ED.

Although everyone felt extremely happy to be back, there was also a slight tension in the air. The fire had completely changed the atmosphere of the place, and Lily wasn't the only one who wasn't talking. No one else knew what to say.

Lily was sat on the sofa in the staffroom, in the middle of reading 'Alice in Wonderland.' She'd almost finished, and she couldn't help but feel slightly sad about it. It was such a good story but it would also be the end of her and Connie's time together. Connie had helped her loads with her talking and her confidence, and it was all because of Alice and the White Rabbit. What would they do when she'd finished the book?

She'd managed to confide in Iain about her worry, and he'd told her that Connie would still help her. He'd said that they could just read something else, but Lily knew that it wouldn't be the same. 'Alice in Wonderland' had made memories for her, some good and some bad, and she'd never forget that.

"You really like that book, don't you?" Alicia said, as she sat beside Lily.

Lily nodded, resting her head against the palm of her hand. She wished that they'd keep quiet, she wasn't really in the mood to be talking. She just wanted to sit and read in peace.

"It is a good book," Louise mentioned.

She'd been so nice recently. Everyone guessed that she probably still felt guilty over the fire, but no one was really cross with her anymore. Lily had clearly forgiven her.

The door creaked open at that point and Connie popped her head round.

"It's good to see that you're with people, Lily," she said, smiling at Louise and Alicia. "Could you come with me for a second though? I have a special job for you."

Lily saved her place in the book and got up off of the sofa, before following Connie out of the room. It was actually quite nice to be away from Alicia and Louise; she hadn't asked for the company, they'd just joined her and they still weren't people who she really felt comfortable talking to just yet.

"Come with me, lovely," Connie said, placing her hands on Lily's shoulders and leading her into her office.

Lily saw a woman who she'd never seen before. She had blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, glasses, and jeans and a blouse. She looked around Lily's age, or maybe a bit younger, and she waved at Lily as soon as she entered.

"This is Sabrina," Connie told Lily. "She's going to be working here as a registrar for a little while, just until we get you sorted."

Lily's smile dropped. They'd spoken about getting a replacement, but Lily had hoped that they'd forget about it. Her chest tightened at the sight of Sabrina, and she felt close to tears. Why had Connie done this to her? She knew that she and Iain were the only people she talked to.

"I just want you to show her the ropes," Connie told Lily, keeping an arm around her shoulder. "Maybe find Doctor Hardy for her to shadow? Don't worry, Sabrina is aware of the situation and she understands."

Lily shook her head. She wished she could tell Connie that Sabrina couldn't possibly understand, not unless she'd been through it herself. How could she tell Connie that though, when there was someone else in the room with them?

"You don't need to talk to her," Connie whispered, and gave Lily's back a comforting rub. "Just walk her around the ED, and then Ethan can handle the rest."

She turned to address Sabrina, so that she could explain who Ethan was.

"Ethan Hardy is one of our registrars here," she said. "He's a lovely guy, and you'll be in good hands with him."

"Thank you, Mrs Beauchamp," Sabrina said politely, standing up and giving her hand a shake. "I appreciate it."

"You're very welcome," Connie said. "I'll leave you with Lily."

Sabrina nodded and left the office with great enthusiasm. Lily held back, so that she could talk to Connie briefly.

"This is the special job?" She asked quietly, whilst giving Connie a puzzling look.

"This is the special job," Connie said, giving her a reassuring wink. "You'll be fine. I promise."

She gently pushed Lily out of the office and shut the door behind her so that she could get on with some paperwork. Lily frowned and stuffed her hands into her pockets, looking across at Sabrina who was stood next to her.

"So?" She beamed at Lily, and shrugged her shoulders. "Where to first?"

Lily shyly gestured down the corridor, and began walking. Sabrina nodded and followed her. She wasn't shy at all.

"So, this is my third hospital placement," she said. "I'm kind of nervous still. Does that sound silly?"

Lily wanted to nod. She wanted to shout at her, tell her that she was silly and that she didn't need to be replaced, but she just found herself shaking her head instead. They stopped outside resus.

"Oh, good," Sabrina said. "So this is resus then, huh?"

The doors flung open and Ethan came flying out, notes in hand. He looked busy, in a rush, and completely drained, but he stopped when he saw Lily and Sabrina.

"Oh..." He adjusted his glasses, something that he did when he was nervous. "Hey there. Are you new?"

"Hi, I'm Sabrina," she introduced herself, and shook hands with him, just like she'd done with Connie. "I'm the new registrar here."

"It's lovely to meet you," Ethan said, cautiously glancing across at his best friend. "I'm Ethan Hardy. I see Lily's giving you a tour of the place."

"And she's doing an excellent job too," Sabrina said, as if Lily was a child. "Ethan Hardy, huh? I think Mrs Beauchamp had said something about me shadowing you."

Ethan looked towards Lily once more, and she gave him a shy nod.

"Yes, that's fine," Ethan then said to Sabrina. "I'll be with you in two seconds. Just wait here, alright?"

Sabrina nodded and adjusted her handbag, as Ethan gently took Lily's arm and pulled her to one side. Lily peered over her shoulder and folded her arms protectively across her chest, listening as Ethan spoke.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, and she gave him a faint nod. "What are you doing showing the new doctor around?"

"Um..." Lily gulped anxiously and stuffed her hands into her pockets. What was she doing? She could talk to Ethan. He was her best friend, wasn't he? "Mrs...Mrs Beauchamp asked me to," she whispered in the most quietest voice possible, so that Sabrina wouldn't hear her.

"She shouldn't have done that," Ethan mentioned. "Are you sure you're okay, Lily?"

Lily sniffed, before shaking her head. "Just...Just a bit overwhelmed, that's all."

"Um..." Ethan wasn't used to seeing Lily cry. He wasn't used to criers all together, so he had no idea what to do. "Shall...Shall I get Iain? I don't mind."

Lily nodded, grateful for how lovely he was being.

"Sure thing," Ethan agreed, gently hugging her.

"How are you doing, Chuckles?" Iain asked, leaning over and passing her a glass of water.

Lily just faintly nodded and had a sip, as he sat beside her and placed an arm around her neck. She held the glass in her hands and snuggled up to him, allowing him to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"You know, that Sabrina isn't going to be a better doctor than you," Iain reassured her, gently rubbing at her arm to try and comfort her. "No one can be better than Miss Lily Chao, because she's amazing."

"Thanks," Lily said, a small smile on her face. "She seems nice. I don't know if I like her."

"Course you won't, because she's competition," Iain laughed. "You didn't like Alicia when she first joined, did you? There's nothing wrong with it Lily, honestly."

"I guess," Lily said, shrugging her shoulders. "What if I'm never allowed to come back to work?"

"Mrs Beauchamp wouldn't do that to you," Iain said. "Sabrina's only here for a few months, right? She's only here until you're fit enough to return to work, so don't worry. You're an excellent doctor Lily, and it's about time that you believed that as well."

Lily said nothing but buried her face in his shirt. The door opened then and Connie walked in.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, concerned for the young doctor. "Ethan told me what happened."

"I'm okay," Lily whispered.

"I'm sorry, Lily," Connie said. "I thought it would have been good for you, but even I get things wrong sometimes. I want you to know though that Sabrina won't be here forever. Don't feel like I'm kicking you out because I'm not."

Lily nodded. It was as if Connie had heard the entire conversation between her and Iain.

"I know being around new people can become a bit overwhelming for you, and I should have thought about that," Connie said. "So I am sorry, alright? Am I forgiven?"

Lily laughed, staying silent, and taking another sip of her drink.

"I think you are," Iain chuckled, turning his head towards Connie.

Connie thanked her and smiled to herself. "I think the two of us are long overdue another trip anyway," she said to Lily. "We could go to Starbucks again if you want."

"I'd like that," Lily said.

She honestly loved it when she and Connie spent time with each other.

"Let me check my diary and I'll get back to you," Connie said, winking at her before exiting the staffroom.

"See?" Iain pulled Lily in closer and kissed her cheek. "I told you it'd be okay."

So I was supposed to update quite a few of my stories today. However, I had an incredibly bad day and actually had to go home from work early, so I didn't really feel motivated enough to write anything. I'm going away to a cottage in Yorkshire next week which will be nice, and I may get the odd time here and there to update so I'll try my best. Updates may be a bit slower though, because I'll be away.

I'm glad I updated this story though and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Also, Crystal tweeted me again today so that turned a rubbish day into a pretty good one. It really cheered me up, haha.

Also guys, I've reached over 90 reviews for this story and I am so happy! Thank you to everyone who's favourited, followed, commented and read. It means the world to me and I'm really pleased that you all like the story. Hopefully, there will be many more chapters to come.

I hope you all have a lovely week though and I will try to update as soon as possible x