'Get out!' Ange screamed after Josh as he closed the door firmly. God, couldn't she get five minutes' peace in this place? Satisfied she was alone again, Ange's mind returned to her fears and anger that had caused her to sit here sobbing in her office in the first place.

This wasn't her: the impatience, anger and upset. She prided herself on being a firm but fair boss, good at rallying around her team and encouraging each and every one of them. But today, like it had been for a week now, it was all just too much, and so she found herself hiding in her office.

Coward, the voice in the back of her mind told her. That was exactly what she was: a coward to still be too scared to sleep at night a week after Cameron's arrest; an idiot to have allowed herself to be kidnapped and held hostage by him; and completely weak and pathetic to be hiding from her team on her first day back in.

God she was tired.

Truthfully, despite what she'd told Chloe and Max, Ange hadn't slept. She hadn't since Cameron had injected her with the pethidine- every time she closed her eyes, his sickening words came back to her:

'It'll help you sleep.'

As if she'd needed anything from that man. However, though she hated to admit it to herself, the drugs had come as a relief from the perpetual fear and pain she was in. Ange resented that moment of weakness; when she'd been given a choice between fighting and giving up, she'd given up. Her subconscious pushed aside the memory of her pleading with Cameron not to keep giving her the pethidine, intent on continuing down this self-destructive path.

Her body jolted in fear at the sound of the doors slamming- referrals from the ED she assumed. Every little sound sent her nerves into overdrive lately, even Chloe setting down a saucepan on the hob too heavily had sent her heart pounding in her chest the other night. Ange stared at her hands as she lifted her head out of them, startled by the trembling that seemed to have been a constant since Chloe had found her.

When she'd woken up in that bed on AAU, with her daughter beside her, she'd finally let out a sigh of relief. She was safe. How naive she had been! Of course, Chloe had gone down to see Cameron off and in the ten minutes that she had been left to herself, Ange had relived the past 24 hours in meticulous, terrifying and painful detail. Every prick of the needle, each time the restraints rubbed against her wrists and ankles. The scars were still there, if you looked hard enough, and Ange found herself rubbing them absentmindedly in an attempt to ground herself. The pain had gone, but the familiar motion still put her at ease.

Strangely, she'd found the night in hospital easier than those at home. She supposed it was the constant presence of doctors and nurses, the security who stood at each entrance. Home was different- with Chloe working night shifts, Ange was left to face the long hours by herself, fixed in front of the TV with whatever 90's sitcom was on at that time to distract her from the paralysing fear that coursed through her veins. It was simple enough to promise that she'd be asleep soon and then feign it when Chloe returned. To say that she'd spent her teenage years fooling Ange with the exact same tricks, she was incredibly trusting.

Suddenly the door opened, and Ange stood up, practically shooting across the room in fear before she collected herself.

'What the hell? Knock if you're going to come in!' she shouted at Fletch, who appeared sheepish in the doorway.

'I did, but it doesn't matter. I'm sorry I scared you. I wanted to check on you, the guys out there said you've not left the office since your shift started?' he replied, brushing aside his hurt at her outburst.

'Why would you need to check on me? And if they have a problem, they can take it up with me and not go running to the Director of Nursing!'

'Ange, calm down, they only want to help. We all do.'

'Who's "we"? I'm fine, Fletch, and as you've pointed out, I need to get back to work.' She grabbed her stethoscope from the desk and pushed past him, resting her hand on the door. Just then, the pair heard shouts from the ward and Dr Hudson calling for security. Ange removed her hand from the handle as though she'd been given an electric shock.

'Hey, it's ok, security are sorting it,' Fletch reassured her.

'I know, I'm fine.'

'Ange-'

'Just stop it, Fletch.'

'Listen, I'm here if you need me.'

'I SAID NO!' she screamed, whirling around sharply to face him, her chest heaving as the stethoscope clattered to the ground. They were both shocked into silence.

'I… I'm so…. I'm sorry, I have to go.'

'Ange, wait!' Fletch called after her as Ange ran off the ward. He followed her up the stairs, fear nagging at his mind as they ran further up towards the roof.

Once she reached the familiar door, she threw it open and sprinted to the railing, taking deep breaths to steady herself. Her chest tightened and Ange paced the width of the roof, fidgeting with the zip on her hoodie while she did her best to clear her mind.

'Ange?'

His voice was unexpected, yet his presence didn't scare her (much to her surprise). Maybe that was why she found herself in his arms, inexplicably soothed by Fletch's hold. Though her hyperventilating subsided, Fletch stayed with her as she began sobbing, days of terror and sleepless nights finally getting the best of her. They sank to the ground, the dead weight of Ange slowly numbing Fletch's arms and he needed to continue to support her- besides, he could hold her tighter this way.

'I'm so sorry,' she eventually whispered.

'No, none of that. You have nothing to be sorry for,' he reprimanded her gently.

'It was all my fault… so stupid to let him do… that to me, to let anyone do anything…. like that again,' she mumbled incoherently, probably only to herself but Fletch couldn't not hear her. His heart sank as he realised, of course, that this business with Cameron would be bringing her past back for her. Horrific memories that she'd plastered over with her infatuation with Chloe now coming to the forefront of her mind, he could completely understand why she was struggling so much.

With nothing left to say that would be of any comfort to Ange, Fletch merely tightened his hold of her and rocked her back and forth until she finally fell asleep in his arms, too mentally and physically exhausted to do anything else.

'I've got you,' he muttered, promising himself in that second that he would never, ever let her go again, as long as she needed him. Longer, if he could.